Saturday, October 07, 2006
Quijano: Doing it right the left-handed way
By Jingo Quijano
The last round
The majority of fighters today fight out of an orthodox stance, which means fighting right-handed. However, it cannot be denied that their southpaw counterparts have also gained much success, mainly due to their being difficult to figure out, stance-wise.
In fact, it is common knowledge in boxing that most trainers and managers purposely avoid southpaws when navigating a young prospect’s career.
Indeed, in recent memory, we can offer the following evidence that southpaws are nightmares for their opponents inside the ring:EXHIBIT A—In 2003, seemingly out of nowhere, southpaw Manny Pacquiao brings his seek and destroy style to boxing’s biggest stage, winning by TKO over Marco Antonio Barrera, then regarded as one of the top 5 boxers pound for pound.
EXHIBIT B—In May 2004, Roy Jones Jr., boxing’s erstwhile superman, considered by some to be the best there ever was, gets knocked out in the second round by a kryptonite of a left hand thrown with precision and accuracy by lanky southpaw rival, Antonio Tarver. Jones’ problems with Tarver’s southpaw style were already apparent in their first fight, which the former won by a squeaker.
EXHIBIT C—Shane Mosely, fresh from a controversial win over boxing’s Golden Boy, Oscar de la Hoya, was once again poised to take a second stab at superstardom. He is, however, derailed by a one-sided, humiliating boxing lesson, mercilessly dished out by southpaw Winky Wright, a boxer known more for being avoided than faced. A rematch produced the same result. Winky Wright, not Shane Mosely, is now the superstar.
EXHIBIT D—Jeff Lacy, he of the feared left hook, a product of the US Olympic Team 2000, thunders past all 21 of his professional bouts knocking out 17 of his opponents. His brute strength, youth and hulking physique all make for a menacing presence. Southpaw super middleweight champ, Joe Calzaghe, however, takes him to school and fillets Jeff Lacy all night long with sharp jabs and straight lefts, cleverly timing Lacy’s wild swings and lunges.
More evidence can be adduced, but I rest my case.
FIGHT SKED. Which brings me to two upcoming bouts this weekend at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. The undercard features our very own Glen Donaire who will be bravely trying to wrest the IBF/IBO flyweight crowns from southpaw power puncher Vic Darchinyan. The main event, a certified candidate for fight of the year features Diego Corrales vs. Joel Casamayor, a Cuban southpaw.
Will the lefties do it right? Glen Donaire, sports a record of 16-2-9. He considers himself a puncher, but that mindset will not help him in this fight. He previously lost to Z Gorres via first-round KO and Gorres is definitely not a power-puncher. On the other hand, Vic Darchinyan’s left straight is a certified widow maker of a punch and staying away from it for 12 three-minute rounds will be Glen’s burden to bear. Darchinyan’s last victim was another countryman of ours, Diosdado “Prince” Gabi, and he succumbed to the power and the pressure after eight rounds.
Of course, it is not improbable for Glen to find a way to keep the fight close and hope the champ tires, pounce on him in the later rounds and hopefully eke out a close decision win. But the more likely scenario is that Darchinyan catches up to Glen in rounds seven or eight and wins via TKO. Casamayor and Corrales have no love lost between them. Casamayor won the first via a sixth-round TKO, while Corrales won via close decision in the second.
During the first two fights, Casamayor knocked down Corrales a total of three times and every time Casamayor found a rhythm for his stinging left hand, Corrales wilted.
I have no reason to doubt that this will change. Casamayor by TKO in Round 10.
THE LAST ROUND. This week’s last round is on my compañeros, Attys. Boboy Tabotabo, Ferdie Riveral, Tony Yap, and Jun Parawan, who all wished me well in my columnist gig, as well as kumpareng Eddy Basa who is celebrating his birthday this week. Cheers guys!
(jingo_quijano@yahoo.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (October 7, 2006 issue)
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