Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Quijano: A gallant stand By Jingo Quijano Last Round
YEARS from now when Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins meet up at one of those Hall of Fame gatherings they’re probably going to rib each other and have a good laugh about the fact that neither of them could finish the job when they had Joe Calzaghe down in the first round.
And Joe Calzaghe, another Hall-of- Famer will probably laugh right along with them. After all, he owns the last laugh over his American counterparts, and he who laughs last, laughs loudest.
But still I wonder, if Calzaghe had faced them in their primes, would the outcomes have been different?
LEGACY. Even though he lost the fight, it was wonderful watching the great Roy Jones Jr. battle for his legacy. If he decides to hang up the gloves, he has nothing to be ashamed of, if that fight was to be his swan song.
Battered and bleeding, Jones tried to muster whatever he could of his diminished skills and reflexes up until the last round.
Back in his prime, Jones would allow himself to be cornered in order to make his opponent available for counters while he suckered them into whacking away at his sides.
Today, he retreats into a corner and meekly covers up because his punch resistance is gone and his hand speed has betrayed him. Worse, the spring in his legs is gone, and he cannot avoid his opponent’s rushes.
Indeed, getting old can be a drag.
While Calzaghe is only three years younger than Jones, it’s a no-brainer that he is the fresher fighter. Jones, who was once touted as boxing’s “Superman,” is clearly teetering on the slippery side of the slope.
BUMMER. Of course, the cut was a bummer too. I’ve never seen Roy cut before in a fight and it only made his predicament worse.
Maybe it’s the fan in me, but I honestly thought Roy could have mustered a more decent rally in the latter half of the fight, if he wasn’t cut.
Bleeding takes a lot out of fighter. Not only does it sap his strength, and impair his vision, it also erodes his confidence. Fight strategies are often abandoned and the boxer is sometimes reduced to fighting out of sheer instinct.
All told, it was a great tactical battle between two of the greatest fighters of this era.
But there goes my fantasy rematch between Jones and Hopkins. Maybe it was never meant to be. But wait, since they both lost to Calzaghe, promoters might just hype up this angle to justify a rematch.
In this wild and wooly world that professional boxing has become, anything can happen. I mean, they’re doing Dela hoya-Pacquiao, aren’t they?
IBP HOOPS. Congratulations to the Pecandela Basketball Team which emerged as champion of our IBP Basketball League. The youthful Eagles team came in second while veteran-laden Northwoods copped third place.
NEMESIS. Here’s the complete lineup for the mixed martial arts bouts this coming Saturday at the Cebu International Convention Center for URCC-Cebu III entitled “Nemesis”
Lino Tagacay (Gym kata sambo-Manila vs. Cary Bullos (Self-Def Cebu). Anthony Oledan (Mua Thai, Elements Gym Manila) vs. Engi Piloto (Yaw Yan Ardigma, Cebu). Victor Torre (Bacolod) vs. Demetrio Delatore (C-mac, Cebu). Jet Lumawag (Bacolod Fight Club) vs. Maxilito Yung (Yaw Yan. Narlex de Café (Bacolod Wushu) vs. Alvin Amistoso (Mixed Faction-Cebu). Jan Selaryo (BFC) vs. Leo Gaelaran (Yaw Yan Musang-Cebu). Alan Orong (Fitma) vs. Jimmy Yabo (Self-Def) Joselito Loregas (Fitma) vs. Geronimo Etac (Yaw Yan Ardigma).
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on a dear friend and a wonderful Ninang to my daughters—Trina Zosa and on Cowan Noel Phoenix Adlawan who are both celebrating their birthdays this week . Cheers!
