Friday Night Blowouts
Dateline: 04/17/99Everyone knows fighters use bouts on network television (if there still were any) and basic cable to pad their records and get in line for big money fights on pay cable and pay-per-view, but this is getting ridiculous. On last night's edition of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights from the Grand Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, Zab Judah, Vivian Harris and Vernon Forrest - all top prospects being groomed for future title bouts - scored such easy knockouts as to render the victories virtually meaningless. Non-competitive match-ups do no one any good: fans get cheated out of an opportunity to see top-notch talent in action; the winning fighters get cheated out of an opportunity to gain much needed experience; and the losing fighters get embarrassed, if not pulverized.
Up first, in a junior welterweight bout scheduled for ten rounds, 21-year-old southpaw Zab Judah (20-0, 15 KO) knocked out Juan Torres (11-6, 2 KO), an ex-kickboxing champion, with the first solid shot he landed. Just 67 seconds into the fight, Judah landed a straight left, right hook combination that sent Torres face first to the canvas. Torres waited until the count of ten and then bounced to his feet to weakly protest the stoppage -- in other words, Torres decided to take no more punishment from a fighter he had no business being in the ring with.
Up next, in another welterweight (mis)match scheduled for six, 20-year-old Vivian Harris (13-0, 12 KO) pounded veteran Hector Arroyo (18-7-2, 11 KO) around the ring for two rounds, including a straight right hand that resulted in a second round knockdown. After six minutes of abuse, Arroyo declined to come out for the third round. As in the Judah fight, it appeared that Arroyo could have continued, but what would have been the point? He was outclassed and he knew it.
In the main event, welterweight contender Vernon Forrest (28-0, 23 KO) remained undefeated by pummeling Steve Martinez (37-4-1, 23 KO) into submission in just under two minutes of the first round. The beginning of the end for Martinez came when Forrest landed a nice counter left hook -- in the process of slumping to the canvas, Martinez twisted his right ankle. He got up only to get knocked right back down with a right hook. With Martinez visibly favoring his sore right ankle, Forrest knocked him down for a third time with a left hook and the referee called a halt to the one-sided action. Forrest, an alternate on the 1992 U.S. Olympic team, had a 225-15 record as an amateur, including wins over Shane Mosley and Stevie Johnston. At 28, he is ready to test his skills against the best in the division. In the short-term, a fight against either De La Hoya or Trinidad is unlikely (hopefully those two will square off in September), but Forrest against WBA welterweight champ James Page is a fight that should be made.
The undercard bouts were also blowouts -- in fact, not a single televised fight on this card reached the third round! Junior welterweight Delvin Rodriguez (2-0, 1 KO), only 18 years old, scored two second round knockdowns to stop 6'3" Jonet Hernandez (1-1, 1 KO). Rodriguez, trained by Don Turner (Holyfield's trainer), is a prospect worth keeping an eye on.
Finally, 275-pound heavyweight Willie Walker (4-1, 4 KO) knocked down 6'8" Liyadi Alhassan (5-2, 3 KO) three times in the first round of their scheduled six rounder. The third knockdown invoked the three knockdown rule and, mercifully, brought to an end a fight card with which the matchmaker, as well as ESPN2, should be embarrassed.
