Boxing Dreams: Minnesota’s Fantasy Matchups (Part 2)

It’s a known fact: bloggers are empty-headed know-it-alls.  It’s the empty-headedness that gives us such liberty to say anything.

Now consider these possibilities:

Jason Litzau -vs- Tyrone Harris – Litzau’s prospects are actually a little tough to sort out.  Harris is a nice match on paper, though – he has a good record and his worldwide standing is pretty close to Litzau’s.  But Harris is a couple inches shorter than Litzau and has less power, he’s been kayoed twice in his five losses, and he’s almost local (Michigan).  Litzau needs a good step-up fight, and this could be it.  Fly in the ointment: Harris is already penciled in against South Korea’s Ji Hoon Kim for February 12th.  Hopefully the promoter has Litzau’s number handy in case Kim falls out.

Andy Kolle -vs- Ronald Hearns – Two years ago I wanted Kolle to fight Gee Cullmer of Philadelphia, and that would still be a nice one to pad his record, but Cullmer hasn’t progressed as Kolle has.  Then I was agitating for a Kolle match with Harry Joe Yorgey, but Yorgey was demolished by Alfredo Angulo in early November, and there’s speculation out of Philly that the 32-year old Yorgey may choose to retire.  This leaves Hearns.  Hearns is 23-1 but doesn’t have nearly the resume that Kolle does, and didn’t look good in a loss to Yorgey earlier this year.  Bonuses #1 and #2: Hearns is an orthodox fighter and has a suspect chin.

Phil Williams -vs- Matt Vanda II – This one has already generated some talk, so why not?  Williams has told everyone who would listen that he could have gone another ten rounds in the first fight, and that if he had it to do over he would have unloaded on Vanda in the early rounds instead of waiting till late.  Vanda isn’t known for backing down from a challenge, but he may feel that there’s little reason to do it again.  Just the same, fight fans would like to see it, and that’s usually reason enough!

Willshaun Boxley -vs- Allen Litzau – Two confident fighters who must be disappointed with their recent results and who have already established the beginnings of a rivalry.  It’s ready-made!  This one seriously must be on some promoter’s to-do list, and I think  know whose!

Gary Eyer -vs- Jeremy McLaurin – Eyer (7-0-1 with 5 kayos) put himself on the statewide map by winning his thrilling battle with Levi Cortes on December 4th.  At the same time, he showed that he can get down to lightweight territory, weighing in at 133.5 for the Cortes fight.  McLaurin (5-0 with 4 kayos) just cut his ties with Seconds Out Promotions and seems to be looking for challenging fights to move him up the ladder.  This fight has the potential to be a real crowd-pleaser, and the two fighters’ undefeated records would look nice on a fight card.  Alternate plan: McLaurin -vs- Levi Cortes.

Javontae Starks -vs- Patrick Cape – The conventional wisdom says that this isn’t as much a matchup as it is a measuring stick.  Starks was understudy to Demetrius Andrade on the USA Boxing team.  Andrade made his professional debut against Cape a little over a year ago, winning by TKO in round 2.  It would be interesting to see how Starks performs against Cape, wouldn’t it?

The Fistic Mystic says: Before we ride off into the sunset, let’s review my proposals from last time (March 31, 2008) and see what actually transpired:

Anthony Bonsante -vs- John Duddy II - didn’t happen, and never will, because Bonsante is retired, and hopefully that’s a permanent state of affairs.  Duddy is less of a prize than he was back then anyway, since Billy Lyell deflowered him.  (Billy Lyell!)

Boxley -vs- Wilton Hilario – boy, this one is a long way off now.  Boxley is still a tough and talented fighter, but he’s lost three in a row.  Hilario is back on track and riding high, following his UD win against then 18-3 Leon Bobo in November.

Raphael Butler -vs- Eddie Chambers - this one happened, and frankly it wasn’t pretty.   Chambers, not a heavy-handed slugger by any stretch, TKO’d Butler in the sixth.  Chambers has gone on to win four subsequent bouts and is scheduled to face the younger Klitschko (Wlad) on my birthday (March 20th) in Germany.  Butler, by contrast, has gone 3-3 with a no-decision since, though he is on the record saying that two of the losses (a split decision and a majority decision to Homero Fonseca of Houston, in Houston) were gamey.

Jason Litzau -vs- Cristobal Cruz - this one hasn’t happen, and likely never will.  Cruz is the IBF world champ at 126#, and Litzau appears to have found a home at 130#.

Matt Vanda -vs- Sebastian Demers - This is another one that happened, and went poorly for the Minnesota guy.  Few Minnesotans saw it, but it was reported to have been an entertaining battle.  Vanda lost a landslide decision (shut out on all three cards) and has gone 5-3 since, but has continued to spring surprises on boxing fans (a close loss to Julio Cesar Chavez in 2008, a close win against Tocker Pudwill in 2009, the surprising win against Phil Williams at 165# in 2009) while Demers has gone 6-1 since.

Zach Walters -vs- Hugo Pineda II - Here’s another that will never happen.  This looked like a good revenge fight a year and a half ago, but that was before Walters lost three out of four starting with Shawn Hammack in August 2008.  Walters retired following his latest loss, and it’s for the better.  It’s good for a Minnesota kid to get out while the getting is good.

Want to talk it over?  Go to the Minnesota Boxing Forum for for discussion!

Raphael Butler -vs- Joey Abell: Predictions

Boxing figures chime in on how they expect Friday night’s heavyweight battle to go down:

Todd Bechthold: First big punch probably wins.  It may come down to boxing skill, because both guys have power.

Willshaun Boxley: I think that Joey’s definitely going to win for sure, and I think it’s going to be by knockout.

Jamaal Marcc Bradley (amateur fighter): Joey Abell by KO in round 4

Mike Dempsey (boxer and trainer): Joe by TKO in 7

Gary Eyer (pro fighter): I’ve never seen Abell fight and I’ve only seen Butler once, so I say whoever comes in lighter at the weigh-ins will win.

Sean Hickman (coach): The only prediction I’d like to make is that I believe someone is going to get kayoed if both of these guys want it as much as the other, which they should at this point in their careers.  They both have great athletic ability, knockout power, and are in desperate need to make a statement.

Graham Houston (writer): Abell TKO8…I think he might have better staying power than Butler.

Andy Kolle (MN middleweight champ):  I am going to go with Abell just because I think his conditioning will carry him through the initial onslaught and bring him to victory.  No disrespect to Raph because he is an excellent fighter and he could very well prove me wrong!

Brett Mauren (writer): I say Butler comes out and shocks Abell by knocking him down in the first, but gasses out fast and Abell stops stops him in the 4th.  It’s gonna be a slugfest.

Cory Rapacz (matchmaker): Abell TKO3

Andrew Studer-Ginsburg (gadfly): I like Butler by decision.  Butler looks to be in good shape.   I think he’ll outbox [Abell] late.

Caleb Truax (pro fighter): Joey KO 3rd round.

The Fistic Mystic says: Butler may be the more gifted all-around boxer, but I think that Abell has real world-class power.  Everything else being nearly equal, power is going to be the deciding factor in this fight.   Abell by KO.

Walters and Kolle – Reasons to Care

The murmurs have been growing louder lately; Minnesota fight fans have been asking what’s going on with Andy Kolle and Zach Walters.  The busy-ness of those Duluth-based fighters has been on the decline over the last year, each of them fighting only twice so far in 2009.  Minnesota boxing fans are beginning to worry that these two, and Kolle in particular, will fritter away their youths outside of the ring.  The good news is that both appear poised to make statements soon – Walters has a fight with 23-7 Larry Sharpe next Friday (December 4th) and a proposed bout with Matt Vanda for January, while talk has been on the upswing about the long-brewing matchup of Kolle with 14-0 prospect Caleb Truax of Osseo.  Join me as I assess the significance of these hypothetical matchups.

Vanda -vs- Walters

The Fistic Mystic is about to do something that Walters should not do: I’m going to look past Larry Sharpe.

There are several good reasons why Minnesota boxing fans are interested in this matchup.  First, Vanda beat Walters’ rival, Phil Williams.  Phil Williams came into his bout with Vanda on the strength of an 11-1 record (10 kayos), having solicited a fight with Walters for at least two years.  Williams is a masher with tons of power and confidence, but Vanda got into Williams’ head and scrambled his fight plan.  A win against Vanda would give Walters back some of the credibility that’s eroded as a result of his decision not to fight Williams.  Second, while Walters doesn’t exhibit Fred Astaire-like elegance, economy of movement, and subtlety, he has gotten the job done in at least 24 of 28 career decisions (more if you ask his team).  Walters also doesn’t take full advantage of his length and lankiness, instead fighting closer in and trading with his opponents, sometimes leaving himself vulnerable to well-placed counters.  A Vanda-Walters matchup would almost certainly make for an exciting mix of styles.  The third and most important reason why this is a compelling fight is that few in Minnesota can rival Vanda’s hostility and aggression.  As I found myself explaining to a skeptic recently, Vanda doesn’t have to be a world champ to be a worthwhile and interesting fighter.  He’s proud and he loves to fight, he’s scrappy, and he’s fun to watch.  That’s why any Vanda fight in the Twin Cities will draw a crowd, no matter the opponent.  If I sound like a candidate for the Skelator appreciation society, I guess it’s true – it took me a long time to come around after Sam Garr, but I’ve come around!

Kolle -vs- Truax

This is a fight that’s been talked about for some time, going back at least to when people were debating which local middleweight – Kolle, Truax, or Kenny Kost – deserved a shot at then-state champ Tony Bonsante.  Now Kolle is the state title holder, while Truax has matched Kost’s win total and exceeded his knockout total.  Kost, for his part, is just getting back in to the gym after a long layoff.

So what’s the attraction for the principals?  For Truax it’s obvious – it’s the state title and Kolle would be the biggest name on his ledger so far – it’s a step up that he’s going to have to take sooner or later, so why not now, for the state title?  But Kolle’s potential motivation is less obvious.  There’s the opportunity to take away another man’s ‘zero’ – something Kolle has never done to an established fighter.*  It would be Kolle’s first defense of the state strap since he won it with a third-round TKO of Bonsante back in March, and it may also be that Kolle is just eager for a fight and the associated payday.

The Fistic Mystic says: Don’t read anything into the order in which I present these blurbs.  They’re presented in order of upcoming activity – not because I think that Kolle is second-banana to Walters (as some have privately suggested is the case), but because Walter’s next fight is Friday, while Kolle’s won’t be before January at the soonest.

* Kolle did take away zeroes from 0-0 Nick Whiting and 1-0 Bobby Kliewer, but obviously neither was an established pro at the time.

Kenny Kost Heading Back to the Gym

Kenny Kost sends word to Minnesota fight fans that with the seasonal slowing of his construction work, he plans to get back into the gym soon.  Kost has maintained a very reasonable walking-around weight that will allow him to get down to his desired fighting weight of 154 without drama, and he has his eye on Minnesota’s two hottest middleweights: Andy Kolle and Caleb Truax.

Just in case the rumored Kolle-Truax fight fails to materialize, don’t forget this: Truax has mentioned Kost as a potential opponent in the past.

Minnesota Pro Boxers Who Really Need a Fight (Part 2)

Consider this article a sequel to the article of the same name from May 2008.

The good news is that there seems to be less of a logjam on the local scene than there was back then – despite a few hiccups, 2009 has been a pretty good year for boxing in Minnesota.  But it’s also true that there are still some Minnesota boxers who are frittering their prime away, or participating in fights that don’t advance their careers in an appreciable way.  The cause may be overcaution, chronic indecision, the dread of losing a glamorous record, or the simple lack of a workable career strategy.

In alphabetical order:

• Antonio Johnson (7-1-1 with 3 kayos) Who is managing the career of the St Paul Kid?  Johnson has never been a particularly active fighter, but he did manage to fight three times in 2005 and three more times in 2006.  Since then he has only fought once each year in 2007, 2008, and 2009 – and his last two fights have been a draw to a 10-0 prospect and a loss to a 9-1 fighter in that opponent’s hometown.  As a result, the very talented and ambitious Johnson is now an inactive fighter who hasn’t won a boxing match in two and a half years.
• Andy Kolle (19-2 with 14 kayos) is on this list because his activity rate so radically departs from what he desires.  Back in December of 2007 Kolle told me that ideally he would like to fight five or six times a year.  Since that interview, 22 months ago, Kolle has fought four times.  To his credit, Kolle has won three of the four against very credible opposition.  To his detriment, there doesn’t seem to be a cogent plan to advance his career.
• Kenny Kost (14-4 with 6 kayos) Kost, who turned pro in 2003, fought six times in 2004, winning all six.  Since then, however, Kost has never fought more than three times in a year, so he has never been a particularly prolific prizefighter.  Yet eighteen months of inactivity is out of character even for him.  Kost hasn’t been seen in a professional boxing match since dropping an eight-round decision to Hector Camacho in April 2008.  Kost is one of those guys with other things to do – he makes his money in construction, so spring, summer, and fall are out for him.  So if he never appears in a prize fighting ring again, it might be more our loss than his.
• Zach Walters (24-4 with 19 kayos)  Like Andy Kolle, Zach Walters trains under and is managed by Chuck Horton of Horton’s Gym, in Duluth.  Walters’ record was 23-2 and he was just beginning to make a blip on the worldwide radar in the summer of 2008 when he lost to 18-6 Shawn Hammack in a stunner.  Walters and Horton next took a fight against former world titlist Byron Mitchell in an effort to regain credibility and rake in some cash, but that turned into a fiasco when Walters suffered a bad cut on his tongue and Horton threw in the towel on the advice of the ringside doctor.  After three fights in ‘08, Walters has had just two in ‘09, only one of them a win, and that against 11-12 journeyman James Morrow.  Horton had done a great job of building Walters up prior to the Hammack loss, but now Walters finds himself in the unenviable position of not having won a fight against an opponent with a winning record since June of 2008, and unless something happens soon, he’ll end 2009 not having fought in six months.
• Derek Winston (0-0)  Here’s a guy who keeps trying to go pro, and circumstances conspire against him.  Each time he’s been scheduled to fight in the past, either the fight or the entire event has been canceled.  The one time fight fans did get to see him in the ring (at the Myth nightclub in August, when Winston and cousin Antwan Robertson fought a four-round exhibition sans headgear) Winston looked very impressive.  Good news!  Winston is scheduled to face Tomi Archambeault at Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen on Friday, October 23.

The other end of the spectrum…

• Say what you want to about Tony Grygelko of Seconds Out Promotions, but he knows who brings home his bacon, and he’s done a dandy job of keeping that man (13-0 middleweight Caleb Traux) busy.  When he steps out of the ring after his November 20th fight with Carl Daniels, Truax will have had six fights in the last twelve months.  His teammate Jeremy McLaurin, another up-and-comer, is also scheduled to box in that event and will also have had six fights in twelve months.
• Ceresso Fort (7-0 with 7 kayos), a ward of Midwest Sports Council (MSC) is scheduled to have his fifth fight in twelve months on November 13th at Grand Casino Hinckley, with more events soon to come.
• Until his current spate of activity began last April, Jason Litzau (25-2 with 21 kayos) hadn’t fought in 14 months and had a spot on this list locked up.  But Litzau made his return to the ring in April with a 5th-round TKO of Phillip Payne, demolished Verquan Kimbrough in 3 rounds in August, and now has an ESPN2-televised bout with Johnnie Edwards scheduled for the 4th of November.

The Fistic Mystic says:  I’m a realist – I know that there’s often something bubbling away below the surface; events are developing that I don’t know about…someone (maybe more than one someone) will be justifiably irritated to see their name unfairly listed in this article.  The best outcome would be for me to someday consider writing this article and then realize that there’s no one who fits the bill; that everyone is as busy as they want to be!

Degrees of Separation

Anthony Shuler, last seen blowing across a boxing ring in Duluth like a tumbleweed, has been handpicked for Andy Lee’s next opponent.

Shuler brought a 20-5-1 record into a bout with Andy Kolle back on June 18.  Kolle took his time getting to know Shuler, then shut him down with a TKO in the 3rd round.

Lee (18-1 with 13 kayos), as any avid boxing fan knows, is the young Irish project of the great Detroit-based trainer Emmanuel Steward.  Lee has won three straight since getting pummeled by the better-than-average Brian Vera 17 months ago.

It’s a small world out there, as evidenced by the insularity of the boxing community.  No doubt Lee’s handlers know who Andy Kolle is, because they know who everybody is.  In this business, everybody knows who everybody is.  Someday soon Kolle will find himself in the ring with a genuine contender again.  Keep your eyes peeled!

Quotable: Caleb Truax on Patrick Perez and Andy Kolle

Caleb Truax improved his record to 13-0 with a dramatic victory against 25-6 Patrick Perez on Saturday night.  The Fistic Mystic talked to Caleb on Sunday morning, highlights from that conversation are below.

Fistic Mystic: Your performance in St Paul last night has got people talking about you.  Tell me how that fight developed.

Caleb Truax: I started off kind of feeling him out like I always do.  By the end of the first and the second round we got to throwing fricking bombs.  He took everything I had to give in the third and fourth, and in the fifth he started slowing me down with a lot of body punches.  Then in the seventh I hit him with a good uppercut and a straight right and Mark Nelson jumped in and stopped it.

FM: How close were you to going down in the fifth?

CT: He never really hurt me but he hit me with a good shot and kind of buzzed me.  I had a ringing in my ears.  For a round there I was kind of gassed until I got my second wind, but I don’t think I was close to going down.

FM: Did you talk to your opponent afterwards?  What did he say?

CT: He said that he was impressed with me.  He said that he had fought Bronco McKart, and as an amateur he was the Puerto Rican amateur champ and fought Shane Moseley and David Reid.

FM: You were a little reluctant to talk about Andy Kolle the last time I tried you.  Are you ready to talk about that proposed fight, or do you have any other events in the planning stages first?

CT: Well, back then it was talk, and now it seems like they’re not interested anymore.  Tony G is trying to make the fight, but it seems like they have other plans or something.  The ball is in his [Kolle’s] court, he’s the champ, so I’m not going to wait around for him.  I’m not that impressed with him as a boxer, I think I see things in his game that I can exploit, but I’ve talked to him a few times and he seems like a good dude.  We want that fight just like the fans do.

Things to get Excited About

For the Minnesota boxing fan, the dog days of summer came early this year. After a busy spring (11 fight cards in-state by the end of June)) that brought us some highly anticipated local matchups, we’ve entered the summertime doldrums that are so characteristic of Minnesota boxing.

For the local fan, when things slow down, it isn’t always easy to find something to get excited about.  So the Fistic Mystic has decided to help everybody remember the good things – fighters, events, and other happenings that can help us cope with the relative lack of activity until things heat up again this fall.

• The Rise of Kolle and Truax – Middleweight has been Minnesota’s most crowded division for years, and the cream continues to rise to the top.  Since the end of spring a persistent rumor has been that state middleweight champ Andy Kolle would accept a challenge from top prospect Caleb Truax in the fall.  Kolle (19-2 with 14 kayos) has won four of his last five fights against fighters with combined records of 157-29.  The popular questions here are whether Truax (12-0 with 8 kayos) is ready to face a fighter of Kolle’s stature, and where the fight will take place if it actually happens.
• Clash of the Titans – On September 26 at Target Center we will see Matt Vanda, the most famous boxer in Minnesota for the last five years, square off against Phil Williams, who is bidding to replace him as the face of boxing in Minnesota.  Whoever wins the fight, Minnesota fans will be all the richer.  And no, you aren’t going to get a prediction from this writer until the fight gets much closer.
• Derek Winston Turns Pro – Rumors of the talented bantamweight’s pro debut have circulated before – he was expected to fight at Target Center in April -  but this time we’re sure that we’re sure that he’ll fight, as long as a suitable opponent can be found.  And that’s always a trick here in the Midwest.
• Ismail Muwendo, Who Are You?  That’s a rhetorical question, of course.  We actually know who Muwendo is.  He’s a fighter who had a stellar amateur career in Uganda and came to the US with dreams of pro success and stardom.  But for anyone who has seen the young man fight, Muwendo’s speed, precision, and power are a revelation.  This prizefighter’s potential is perhaps limited only by the quality of coaching and management he receives.
• Gifted Amateurs – Robert Brant, Javontae Starks, Jamal James, Oscar Soto, Tony Lee…there are others, I know.  We have a lot to look forward to as the next crop of gifted young amateurs gets ready to turn pro!

Caleb Truax: Another Substitution

Word from Tony Grygelko at Seconds Out Promotions is that 11-3-1 James Cook has been replaced as Caleb Truax’s opponent for June 5 at Grand Casino Hinckley.

The new opponent is Durrell Richardson, a southpaw from the boxing hotbed of Youngstown, Ohio.  Richardson sports a record of 11-2 with 4 knockouts.  He’s short on notable wins, but it’s worth mentioning that he owns a majority decision win against Scott Ball from two years ago and is coming off a unanimous decision win against previously unbeaten (6-0-2 with 5 kayos) Davis Thomas.  Durrell’s two losses were consecutive, against Deandre Latimore (now 19-2) and Jesus Gonzales (now 24-1).  Grygelko says that the matchup is designed to showcase Truax’s prowess against southpaws with an eye toward proving his credentials for a match with recently coronated state middleweight champ Andy Kolle.

Caleb Truax

Says Truax of his new opponent, “I hear this guy is a pretty damn good, slick boxer.  He went the distance with a guy who’s 23-1 and  with Deandre Lattimore.  So I’m looking forward to showing everybody what I’ve got!”

A New Middleweight Champ, a Retirement, and More from Hinckley

Chatter from Grand Casino:

Andy Kolle is the new Minnesota middleweight champion.  In a result that will boost his career considerably, Kolle disposed of accomplished veteran Anthony Bonsante in three rounds.  It was an exciting back-and-forth affair as long as it lasted, but the way it ended leaves no doubt who’s the boss.  After the fight Kolle made a point of mentioning that he wants to move down from middleweight (160#) to junior middleweight (154#).  This makes my fantasy matchup of Kolle -vs- Harry Joe Yorgey even more tantalizing.

Anthony Bonsante has announced his retirement.  In the wake of his spectacular 3rd-round TKO loss to Andy Kolle, I am told that Bonsante has announced that he will retire.  Matchmaker Cory Rapacz tells me that Bonsante made the promise to his children, then announced it publicly.

Referee Mark Nelson will be working a world title fight in Japan on April 11.  This is probably the Nobuo Nashiro-Konosuke Tomiyama super flyweight bout in Osaka, but the Fistic Mystic isn’t going to pretend to know for sure.  I’ll post more after I hear from Nelson in the next day or two.

Johnny Johnson and the Rice Street Gym have come up smelling like roses.  Cerresso Fort and Brad Patraw both won in Hinckley and remained undefeated (both now 5-0), and Rice Street amateurs kicked butt in  regional Golden Gloves competition.

Antwan Robertson will probably ask for a rematch with Brad Patraw.  Robertson’s coach and manager, John Hoffman, says that Robertson has adequate offense and defense, but lacks confidence in his offense.  This is borne out by his performance in Hinckley, where I only observed one three-punch combination from Robertson in a six round fight.

Cerresso Fort looked like a million bucks in Hinckley.  His defeat of Joshua Rodriguez left no doubt.  He took good punches without wilting, he dished out devastating punches, he showed good mobility, he was in tremendous condition, and he really helped his career with this pasting of Rodriguez.

Seconds Out Promotions will promote on a show at Grand Casino Hinckley on June 5.  Big plans for an exciting card are in the works, but few details are available now.  Plan to hear lots about this one later.