During an interview with Sechew
Powell after his loss against Kassim Ouma this past Saturday at MSG, he told me something
his father used to say to him: "You didn't lose today, you just didn't
win."Those words hold true for Saturday's biggest loser -- Ike "Bazooka"
Quartey.
The fight was labeled "Now or Never," but the end result was
"Nowhere". When the unanimous decision was announced, Vernon Forrest threw
himself to ground in total disbelief. He got the win in what was considered Ike's home.
Boos filled the arena, along with all kinds of profanity and claims of a "fix".
The judges feared for their lives and photographers hid under the ring. Vernon could have
cared less what the crowd thought:"The only opinion that matters is that of the three
judges," he said. "NY is a pro-African crowd, so what do you expect? I got the
win"
Quartey promoter and former HBO executive Lou DiBella was in total disbelief:"Ike got
[screwed]! When I heard the scorecards, I was shocked. I said, OK we won it, but the
judges had it closer then I did," DiBella said. "When they said Vernon Forrest,
I thought I was hallucinating."
No Lou, it was for real. What everyone saw, though, was a powerful, relentless
Quartey being the effective aggressor and landing the telling blows. Forrest had success
early but seemed to run out of gas. Vernon told me he hurt his right hand in the 8th
-- but who knows how much that contributed to his overall lack of success? Quartey
then shot his bazooka constantly, and Vernon was forced to retreat. It was a clear win. Or
was it?
Here is the worst part. I was in Vernon's corner with his manager, friends and advisers.
At the end of every round they told Vernon, "you are schooling him. You had him hurt;
you should've taken him out."
All of that pep talk sank into my head, and at the end of the fight I had Vernon winning
seven rounds to three, not including the point deduction. I mentioned that to some of my
colleagues, and they almost committed me to Bellevue mental hospital. I'll have to watch
the HBO replay, but like I've mentioned in the past -- watching a fight on TV and in the
arena is a completely different experience. The HBO telecast has the ability to sway your
mind to seeing things their way.
So what's next for these guys?
"REST. I haven't had junk food in over three months. I'm looking forward to a candy
bar, a milk shake and a hamburger," said Forrest.
"I'm treating this as a win," said DiBella. "If Mosley, Mayweather or De La
Hoya wants a piece of Quartey, we'll take the fight"
The only positive result is that if you bet using sportsbook you probably made some nice
cash with my prediction of a unanimous decision for Forrest.
Ring Return Madness
Boxing has more returns then Macy's after the holidays. Here is my short list:
- Former WBA featherweight world champion Derrick
"Smoke" Gainer (39-7-1, 24 KOs) will be looking to begin his comeback when he
faces St. Louis veteran Phillip "Bring The" Payne for the IBA Americas
lightweight championship this Saturday at the Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville,
La.
- Australian light heavyweight Danny "The Green
Machine" Green will make a return Sept. 20 against Sydney boxer Jason DeLisle at
Challenge Stadium in Perth.
- Former four-time heavyweight champion Evander "The Real
Deal" Holyfield begins his quest for a record-breaking fifth heavyweight
championship. FSN telecasts the live bout from the American Airlines Center in Dallas on
Friday, Aug. 18 at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Do you see what happens in a sport with no retirement plan!
Seeing these fighters back in business only adds to my belief that we need a federal
commission to take charge of the sport.
10 Seconds
DiBella unveiled that current middleweight champion Jermain "Bad Intentions"
Taylor will return Dec. 9 on an HBO-televised bout. The location: Little Rock, Ark. The
current rumor is that it will be against Giovanni Lorenzo. Lorenzo was unavailable for
comment.
When asked about Jermain's fight against Winky Wright, DiBella said: "I don't think
Winky won the 12th round, and I don't think he won the fight. I'm happy with the
draw."
A rematch has been tentatively discussed pending the outcome of Taylor's next defense.
Perhaps that's enough time for Taylor to adapt to Emanuel Steward's training style. We'll
have to wait and see.
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