Adab Article/Review Thread

[Adab]

Right, I'm bored right now with literally little, if not entirely nothing, to do, so to fill my time I've decided to create this thread and write whatever I want to write at this moment. For now, I foresee this thread serving as a home to - as stated in the title - short articles and reviews, mostly for music or sports. Maybe books too, I don't know. Do tell me if this thread is in the wrong place here on A&F.

I will probably post on this thread somewhat irregularly, depending on my mood and schedule. Oh, and feel free to comment here, if you wish to. I'd really appreciate your thoughts and opinions. (But don't feel forced to do so!)

He's Back, but Will He Ever Be Really Back Again?
Or: When Mike Tyson, Dethroned "Baddest Man on the Planet", Earned His Revenge Against an Foe from Long-Gone Days

The truth is, somewhere between the majestic one-round smashing of Michael Spinks in 1988 and the sudden, shocking knockout at the hands of James "Buster" Douglas in 1990, Mike Tyson lost the plot.

Having risen to the top of the boxing world in 1986, knocking out Trevor Berbick to gain the WBC world heavyweight title, the fearsome young puncher proceeded to add the WBA and IBF titles to his resume, as an increasing amount of opponents fell before him. It can be argued that he reached the pinnacle of his glory the moment he knocked Spinks out. Spinks, undefeated prior to facing Tyson, was once the IBF champion, having defeated the great Larry Holmes to gain the title only to have it stripped away after he refused to fight the organization's number one contender Tony Tucker. Nevertheless, Spinks was still regarded as the lineal champion. Some predicted Tyson vs. Spinks to be one of the greatest showdowns in boxing, pitting Tyson's aggressive style and punching against Spinks' boxing and footwork, but Tyson ended up dominating Spinks from start to end. That night, it seemed nobody could whup the Baddest Man on the Planet.

Then it all got to his head and messed him up. His marriage headed to divorce amid claims of abuse. Meanwhile, manager Bill Cayton and promoter Don King battled over his contract, which ended with Cayton leaving and Tyson firing his longtime trainer Kevin Rooney. Rooney had shaped and polished Tyson following the death of the young man's mentor, the great Cus D'Amato, and his departure was - and still is - regretted by many. In the three fights immediately following Rooney's departure, Tyson started using his signature "peekaboo" style less. Frank Bruno staggered him in the first round, though Tyson rebounded quickly and knocked him out in the fifth. Carl Williams, well, Carl Williams offered next to no resistance and was gone before the first round had ended (Williams immediately protested, to no avail, saying that the fight was stopped too early and that he was still in good shape to fight). Confused, directionless, and with no one to guide him, Mike Tyson's boxing career reached its public, infamous peak on that gloomy February 1990 night in Tokyo, when the almost-unknown underdog Douglas went against the equally-infamous 42-1 odds stacked against him (offered by the Mirage, the only casino in Las Vegas even willing to put out odds), thoroughly dominated the champion and put him down and away for good in the 10th round. The fairytale died a sudden death there. The dream was extinguished. The Baddest Man on the Planet sat on this throne no more. He was whupped.

Still, Tyson was only 23 and, like it or not, he was still the most fearsome man in the business. He could never be the undefeated Mike Tyson again, but the mad, bad, dangerous "Iron" Mike Tyson he still could be. Like other great champions who ended up on the losing side, Tyson eventually went down the path that, just a few months earlier, seemed entirely unthinkable and downright ridiculous for him: the comeback trail. Don King had asked for, and been denied, a rematch with Douglas, so Tyson was forced to look for lesser opponents. Ideas were floated regarding fights with the aging Renaldo Snipes (who had fought and lost against Holmes back in 1981) and the great Thomas Hearns, who had never been in the heavyweight division before, but Tyson ultimately found himself facing one Henry Tillman. Unknown to the general public, Tillman was by no means unknown to Tyson; he had defeated Tyson twice in the amateurs, effectively denying Tyson a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. That being said, so far Tillman had not had a glorious professional career, at least not one that could reach Tyson's heights; in his most high-profile fight, with the WBA world cruiserweight crown at stake, he was blasted away by defending champion Evander Holyfield in seven rounds. Fighting Tillman offered a chance for Tyson to redeem his amateur failures, while also providing him with a seemingly easy opponent for his first fight on the comeback trail and allowing the now ex-champion to reacquaint himself with the sweet smell of victory.

The fight, held at Caesars Palace on June 16, 1990, was appropriately billed as "The Road Back"; Tyson vs. Tillman was the second event of a doubleheader which also featured George Foreman, similarly on the comeback trial, against Brazilian Adilson Rodrigues (Rodrigues was knocked out in two rounds). Seemingly eager to end the fight as quickly as possible, Tyson took the fight to Tillman as soon as the opening bell rang. The most disappointing thing from this fight was Tyson showed little head movement and relied on the sheer power of his punches to carry him through the bout; the fluidity of movement that Tyson showed in all his championship glory might not make a comeback itself. That being said, Tillman himself did not show much initiative in this fight, instead preferring to spend his time moving around the ring, avoiding Tyson's punches. Tillman was no young Ali, though, and before the round came to an end Tyson started catching up to him, forcing him from rope to rope, peppering him with combinations that were stopped only because Tillman resorted to clinching. Suffering from the battering that had been administrated to him, Tillman then made the mistake of allowing Tyson to trap him in the corner. Tillman missed with a jab, opening the opportunity for Tyson to knock him down and out with his right hand. It was 2:47 in the first round. Tyson rushed to Tillman to help him up, only to find himself surrounded by the crowd who quickly swarmed the corner.

So Mike Tyson was back, having scored a typical first-round knockout. Still, much more had to be done in order to reassert Tyson's rightful place at the top of the boxing world. Douglas had rejected a rematch and stuck to his guns, and for now perhaps Tyson could spend his time fighting one or two more fellow contenders before earning his opportunity at the championship. As it turned out, a rematch with Douglas was not to be; in October 1990, making his first title defense, an overweight and out-of-shape Douglas was knocked out in the third round by Evander Holyfield, the man who had defeated Tillman in the cruiserweight division and later decided to turn heavyweight to pursue Tyson's championship. With Douglas suddenly out of the picture, Tyson started eyeing a match against Holyfield. The tables had turned; instead of Holyfield coming for Tyson's crown, Tyson would now have to reclaim his throne from Holyfield.

[Adab]

Sugar Ray Leonard Goes Through the Motions in First Championship Test
Or: When New Welterweight Champ Leonard Defended His Throne Against a Brave, but Crude, British Challenger

Before he turned professional, Sugar Ray Leonard never did dream of becoming champion of the world; in fact, he had planned to retire at the end of his amateur days, right after winning at the Olympics. Having emerged as the gold medalist at the light-welterweight division at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City, Leonard followed this success with a triumph at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, at the same division. Part of one of the greatest boxing teams in Olympic history, Leonard cleared the way to the final, where a 5-0 decision over the Cuban knockout artist Andrés Aldama granted him the gold medal.

But Leonard's plans were soon to be derailed, though; Juanita Wilkinson, high school girlfriend and mother of Leonard's child, filed a suit against Leonard in order to establish paternity and ensure that the boxer pay child support. With both of Leonard's parents ill and unable to work around this time, Leonard decided that he had no choice but to turn professional, upgrading to the welterweight division in the process. Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's trainer, was brought in to Leonard's corner, and the results soon started coming in. Luis "The Bull" Vega, loser by unanimous decision in six rounds, was to be the first in a string of opponents that Leonard would end up demolishing on his way to the top of the division. A knockout of Pete Ranzany in four rounds in August 1979 made Leonard the NABF welterweight champion, and he followed this with a first-round knockout of the feared Andy Price the next month.

Young, fast, on the rise, and 25-0 with 16 knockouts, Leonard was confident going into his fight with Wilfred Benitez for the WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight champions on November 30, 1979. It was a thrilling fight, one that saw the momentum shift back and forth between both fighters. Leonard did well in the early rounds, Benitez then got himself together, and Leonard finally mounted a strong showing in the later rounds, which ended with the referee stopping the fight in favor of Leonard in the closing seconds of the 15th rounds; Leonard was leading on all scorecards by that point.

Leonard's first defense of his titles came four months later, on March 31, 1981. On the opposite corner for the fight was the British fighter Dave Boy Green. Ranked tenth by the WBC at that time, Green was here for his second attempt at the WBC welterweight title; the first one had ended with the man being stopped by then-champion Carlos Palomino in eleven rounds back in June 1977. (Palomino would lose the championship to Benitez in January 1979; after one successful defense against Harold Weston, Benitez, in turn, had to let it go Leonard in November of that year.) The fight was held at the Capitol Center, Landover, Maryland, the state where Leonard had resided for much of his life.

Leonard was a clear favorite for the fight, and for good reason; he was overall a better boxer, and a faster one at that, than the challenger. The first round of the fight saw both fighters feeling out each other around the center of the ring. Green tried to keep a close distance with Leonard, and the champion would then move his body away and escape from Green's grasp whenever it seemed the challenger was about to land a punch. Both fighters managed to land the occasional punches, but Leonard was otherwise in control of the fight. Green had a better showing in the second round, becoming the aggressor and having the champion near or against the ropes at a few points while also connecting a bit more with his punches. Nevertheless, Green's best efforts were not enough to put a dent in Leonard's defense. The champion, too, did well in this round, calmly evaluating the challenger and dodging his punches. The third round was more or less the same; there were more exchanges between the fighters and Green was more aggressive than before, ready to take the fight to the champion. Leonard was still walking calmly around the ring, countering Green's efforts with his own punches. A few times he was on the ropes, and every time he was able to escape pretty quickly.

Green was tough and brave, but ultimately he was no match for Leonard's boxing skills; his aggression failed to render any significant and noticeable damage to Leonard, who seemed as confident as he was at the beginning of the fight. The end came suddenly in the fourth round; with Green hiding behind his gloves and making no attempt to move away, Leonard unleashed a flurry of punches that culminated in what he called "the hardest blow I've ever thrown" - a left hook that caught Green on the jaw and sent him down to the canvas for good. Referee Arthur Mercante stopped the fight at the count of six, certain that Green was unable to get up from the blow. Indeed, the challenger stayed on the canvas, flat on his back, for a few more minutes.

A small incident happened after the fight; as Angelo Dundee was making way to the press conference, he ran into Joe Saunders, a "hanger-on" in Leonard's camp. An altercation occurred between the two men, which resulted in Saunders punching Dundee in the jaw and knocking the trainer to the floor. Saunders was taken into police custody, while Dundee was examined for a possible concussion (in any case, the incident did not affect him much and he recovered). As for Leonard, a bout with the Panamanian lightweight champion Roberto Durán, moving up to the welterweight division himself, was on the horizon. "Obviously I would knock Duran out," Leonard said.