As I´m in Germany I joined my boxing-mates in the gym at last Saturday night to watch this fight. But that was not worth it at all. The fight was on free TV. We were nearly put to sleep as the first hour went by with interviews of many VIPs ("Prommies" as the dumb press say in nearly every article in the newspapers), actors, actresses, sportsmen and -women and politicians. No one had any boxing-knowledge, nor anything worthwhile to say. It was all but very boring!

Every now and then came up a report of Felix Sturm. But if You think the subject had been anything about boxing-skills, or -tactics or anything interesting You would be badly mistaken. The one and only thing was that Felix would be a millionaire ´cause he has left "Sauerland"-promotion and is now on his own. I had hoped to hear a few things about the circumstances of his new built gym, where he has prepared for that fight. Also Felix has a new trainer, new training-methods and much more. That we had hoped to hear from.

After 1 hour blathering of no sense, all of us were wondering, who are the actors and who are the journalists? It seemed that all of them were actors. In a sort of a bad tragedy.

Seamlessly the entrance of the fighters took place. That again was a big comedy. Extreme undignified! Ridiculous! Peripatetic! Judging the fight on it´s pre ballyhoo, it would have to be a sensational one. But the fight was a very ordinary one. In the 80s and 90s Felix und Giovanni would not be in the list of the 30 best middleweights. I thought of the intrances of all the acient warriors. They showed that they had class and style, and came determinedly to work and to fight! I remembered Mike Tyson rushing to the ring, black trunks, black boots, no socks, no robe. Or Big George Foreman jogging amongst his team to the ring with that thick robe, ready to go. They had known that the robes are not first and foremost to put as much sales promotion on the back of the fighters but to keep the fighters warm!

I´ve got the feeling that there is vast boxing-knowledge that is now almost completely lost and gone. Thus diminishing all aspects of Boxing. Sure, Felix´s new coach is very experienced and certainly knows it all. But what can You do when almost the whole audience is not really interested in boxing, but just to show how pretty they are and to produce themselves? No chance. And instead of interviewing the few guys that have real knowledge, they asked some retarded idiots for rediculous comments.

As that is not a single thing, it´s all but typical for Boxing in Germany, it´ll take Boxing down in this country. Because interests will rapidly fade from Boxing to more lucrative "jobs". VIPs, pimps, prostitutes and money-makers that usually make the major part of the audience are not the people Boxing in Germany should rely on. Boxing would be built on sand. 

My good friends and me are really pissed off those hugh amounts of money the officials, managers, taxes and only a handful of fighters get. Very few boxers can make a living out of Boxing. Not to mention a good one. We don´t mind Felix getting those big purses. If he would earn it, it´ll be okay. But he doesn´t. Instead of blubbering around that the fight would be a business venture instead of a Boxing-match, he should learn how to lean into his punch in order to get one. There are many more or less unknown fighters who keeping Boxing alive. Many fighters of all levels, from the 1st pro-fight on,! Not Felix, not Sauerland!

The Fight itself was uneventful. Just boring. Giovanni was said to be a puncher, but had no punch. Felix was said to be a technician, but didn´t show it. After the decision no one could tell one round from the other. From 2nd on, it went by just the same. Felix did get the decision, but no one of us has noticed one single punch with noteworthy weight behind it. Felix´s got 2 X over, and Giovanni 3 X over: Overrated, overpaid, oversea.

After all it was more theatre, even cheap comic, a lot of noise, nasty blubbering, sales promotions for plastic surgeons than anything of Boxing. No way we would buy one single ticket for such a fight!

Next time we´ll better watch fights from the USA or GB!

Hi Mates,

BLH is a very good site - I enjoy reading it every time.

Maybe You´re interested in some things I want to say? Here is one: 

Some of my thoughts when I was watching the Vlad-Sosnowski-fight on May, 29th, when I compared this to the heavyweight-fights of decades ago. What thrilling fights of the 80s, 70s and 60s came to my mind!

As I saw these two pugilists I suddenly understood why the dragons are extinct. (´cause of Albert´s nick-name). Albert was all but cooperative, staying at the end of Vlad´s long left jab all the time.

All of the action reminds me of sparring-rounds 20 or 25 years ago in my gym. But only of those I didn´t warm up before or after the 15th round, and I had a sparring-partner who was much less than me, and I didn´t want to hurt him. And when we weren´t preparing for a fight. Then we were sparring in such a cautions way as Vlad did fight!

On the other hand Vlad had no need to be much better than he actually was. Albert was very intimidated, throwing only alibi-punches. Not one single punch he threw was in bad intention. Vlad just stood in the middle of the ring, his left hanging low in front of him like a swordsman. Bringing in left jabs, sometimes with enough knack, and occationally a left hook.

Albert has no real game-plan at all. Instead of trying anything like bobing and waving or anything else that could get him inside to go for the body, or slipping and countering the left jab or anything else that would have made any sense, he kept at the end of Vlads jab, just cooperating.

Both showed they had not that real boxing-knowledge, that the ancient warriors had. Not knowing body-punching, infighting, how to put combinations together, defensive-skills. They don´t even know how to block punches properly or avoid them, how to make the other miss and pay. You didn´t see any skillful move!

Then in round #10, with 30 seconds left, the very first one-two-combo sent Albert to his knees. Of course he could have managed to fight on but there wasn´t any sense of it and the referee waved it over.

How deep has boxing fallen, that this was called a world-champion-ship? Vlad beeing the WChamp and Albert the European Champ? I wondered how would Joe Frazier or George Foreman or Larry Holmes or Joe Louis or Jack Johnson have punished both of them, just for entering the same ring?

Even the heavies, that didn´t play a major role as Tim Witherspoon, who was certainly not in the list of the 20 best heavies of all time, would have knocked them cold. Just remember what Tim had done to that giant Cuban Gonzales!

Larry would have penetrated Albert´s face even at  ago ot 50 with his right on his back. About Vlad Larry had to be under 45 and use his right hand as guard to totally out-box, out-think and out-smart Vlad.

As Big George never was afraid of anyone, even in his 2nd career, Vlad would wonder why George had no signs of fear. Not being intimidated at all George would smother Vlad with those very short punches, with which he had knocked MMoorer and many others out. After Vlad felt he was in for a serious business and feeling the enormous impact of Big George´s punches he would fold and get out of the fight as soon as possible.

Jack Johnson would laugh about Vlad and Albert. He would catch all of the punches with his open glove, avoiding all jabs, all hooks. He would have totally outthought, out-speeded, out-boxed and he would have had real joy doing it, smiling all night long.

Rocky Marciano and Jack Dempsey would have made short process, leaving them siting on the canvas, wondering, where they are.

Joe Louis: Not one single hand could they lay on him. They wouldn´t completly know what the hell was going on. Despite Joe would look quite hittable and in reach, every time they would throw anything, they would wonder why not a single punch would hit Joe, instead tasting leather all night long. Maybe they would hear the bell to the 2nd or perheps the 3rd round, but next thing would be the locker room again, asking when will the fight take place.

These oversized heavyweights of now may look impressive, but boxing is not a mere fitness-contest, nor a Mister-Universum-contest. Ist´s BOXING. What´s the use of all the fitness-trainers that are around, having no idea what boxing is all about. What´s the use of all those muscle-masses, built up with the help of some "purple liquid" and many weight-lifting?

As far as I´m concerned, I see pasing by boxing-techniques, boxing-skills. No game-plan, no real tactics and strategy-ideas. Especially in the Heavyweight-Division.

It´s a very bad tendency that the fighters of now take care of looking good instead of being good. On TV You have to look good! But there are lots of club-fighters and journeymen, who take care of being in shape, taking on every fight they could get by short notice without having the oportunity to make a living out of boxing.

But the Heavyweight-division is in deep trouble.

Keep punching, your hands up and Your ass off the canvas

Benno