CORRESPONDENTS

Oney Valdez flew in from Colombia earlier in the week and a closer look at his background, in retrospect, indicates that Valdez did present a threat to Sharpe’s title. Some of the intelligence on Valdez was flawed. BoxRec reported Valdez’s last fight an 8-round unanimous decision loss to Kirt Sinnette (16-1) in April 2008. Further digging reveals that one judge had it 75-75. Further, Valdez lost twice in 2007. A second look reveals that both losses were against world-class elite boxers. In July 2007 he lost a competitive fight to Alfonso Mosquera, who would go on to give then-WBA 154-pound champ Joachim Alcine a tough test. In May 2007 Valdez lost to Mariano Natalio Carrera, who in his preceding fight stopped then-WBA middleweight champ Javier Castillejo before the bout was declared a no-contest. Thus, it can now be seen that there were warning signs that Valdez might trouble Larry Sharpe. But Sharpe proved he too is a world class fighter and almost stopped Valdez in the seventh round.

The first two rounds were feeling out rounds with Sharpe pressing the action and Valdez looking to counter with a right-cross. Valdez switched from orthodox to southpaw and seemed less effective as a southpaw. Round 3 has Sharpe starting fast and keeping Valdez in a defensive posture. Valdez starts to come forward for the first time halfway through the round and lands an effective right-hook to the body from the southpaw stance. Valdez is picking up steam as blood begins to flow from Sharpe’s nose. Valdez misses wildly with some hard shots, but not by much, in what appears to be the best round for Valdez so far. Round 4 starts with Sharpe landing a clean left and then taking Valdez to the ropes and working him over. Valdez does his best to cope with being forced to fight off the ropes, trying for the uppercut a lot. In the last 30 seconds Valdez lands 2 clean shots, one that stuns Sharpe, but it’s not enough to put Sharpe in serious trouble as he ends round 4 in control. In rounds 5 and 6 Sharpe remains the aggressor and it appears that Valdez may not have much of a gameplan other than lining up Sharpe for a big shot. Valdez is becoming visibly frustrated with the cagey Sharpe. Valdez is hurt with a booming left hand at the end of the 6th and is looking like a beaten fighter.

In the opening moments of round 7 a Larry Sharpe left uppercut by puts Valdez down. With Valdez hurt badly, referee Len Koivisto reaches the count of 9 ½. Valdez spit out his mouth-guard while down or maybe it fell out since Valdez was seriously dazed. Most fans sense that the end is near, and just then the cheers turn to jeers. Koivisto took Valdez back to the corner to get the mouth-guard washed off and put back in. This made the 10 second break became a 30 second break and saved Valdez from being knocked-out. The crowd booed realizing that Sharpe had been denied his chance to move in and finish matters with Valdez on shaky legs. When action finally resumed Sharpe did press for the stoppage, but the moment had passed and Valdez fully recovered and moved effectively at the end of the round and even landed a nice right upper cut. Koivisto warned Valdez for hitting on the break in round 8, the second such warning of the night for Valdez. Sharpe seems to lose focus and eats several flush right jabs. Sharpe loads up with some bombs, hoping to put Valdez back on the canvas, and perhaps this takes Sharpe off his gameplan. Valdez seems to be growing with confidence, or maybe he is just happy about being given a second chance since the mouthpiece delay in round 7 saved him. Round 9 is hotly contested with Sharpe keeping Valdez on the ropes. The action is heating up and fans are becoming more interested as it can be seen that Valdez is not going away. In round 10 Valdez seems to sense that he needs a knockout. He staggers Sharpe with a right hook and a minute later another nice 1-2 finds Larry’s face. Sharpe seems to get careless in the last half of the round taking a few more shots. Valdez comes out strong for the start of round 11 and scores a couple of head shots. Sharpe waves him in for more and it is becoming clear that Sharpe is losing focus. However, Sharpe recovers his frame of mind and gets on his bicycle boxing nicely with lateral movement, buts fans are wondering if Sharpe has enough of a cushion on the scorecards to be careless in these championship rounds. Valdez throws 100 punches in the 12th and final round but these punches have little power since Valdez is leaning with his back to the ropes and legs straight. These flurries did a lot to bring cheers from the crowd but they’re arm shots with no leverage. Sharpe continues to force Valdez to the ropes working Valdez to the body and stunning him to the head. Sharpe lands the heavier blows in the final round despite being outlanded. Sharpe is clearly disgusted with the decision after the fight and the crowd widely boos when the split decision is read in favour of Valdez 115-112, 114-113, with one judge (Robert Tapper, by far the most experienced judge) scoring it for Sharpe 114-113. The decision was widely booed by the fans as they filed out of the Winnipeg Convention Center in an anticlimax to a great night of boxing.

Michael Walchuk TKO5. Aundalen Sloan

The night started with Michael Walchuk taking on proverbial journeyman Aundalen Sloan. Sloan went the distance with Chad Dawson, Joe Greene, and Sebastien Demers, so his durability was certified. Walchuk started round 1 pressing the action and showing flashes of his old self. Sloan seemed content with laying back and taking notes, then came forward in the last 30 seconds. Walchuk, who has been working on sitting down on his punches more, lands a hard lead right hand at the beginning of round two, and again midway through the round. Sloan seems to understand that he will have to absorb some punishment if he hopes to have success. Round 3 begins with some showboating. Sloan seems to find some sort of rhythm. Sloan, trying to make up for lost ground becomes more aggressive, and this leaves him open for two hard right hands that have Sloan down and hurt badly at the midway point of the third. Sloan recovers nicely and trades on even terms with Walchuk, but Walchuk punctuates the round with a volley of punches that make it a clear 10-8 round. Round 4 has Walchuk picking his shots, scoring with a well-timed left-hook counter and closing the round very strong. In round 5 Walchuk seems to be cruising to a lopsided decision, but the unyielding Sloan is still very game and is making a satisfactory account of himself. Things change quickly when a vicious lead left-uppercut from Walchuk has Sloan down and temporarily separated from his senses. Sloan instinctively manages to figure out which direction is up, and beats the count, but is badly pummelled. Referee Bill Tibbs halts the bout 2:38 and struggles to keep Sloan upright. It was an impressive display for Walchuk who said after the fight that he has been working with Syd and Keith Vanderpool on planting his feet and punching with more power. “That was my Roy Jones left-uppercut”, said a confident Walchuk, who said he’s looking forward to continuing his career as part of the King John Boxing stable.

Olivia Gerula TKO4.Monique Duval

Olivia “The Predator” Gerula was very confident from the opening bell, even though Monique “The Animal” Duval seemed to be physically bigger and stronger. The footwork and hand-speed of Gerula carried her through the first round, but Duval does make Gerula miss with a right-uppercut. The second round begins with Duval counterpunching and having some transient success, but a hard right-hand by Gerula erases any thought of success that Duval might have had. Gerula oozes confidence and you can see the rust from the one-year layoff coming off with each passing moment. The last 30 seconds of round 2 have Gerula hitting full stride and now attacking with both hands to the body and head, but Duval is still hanging tough. In round 3 Gerula pounces on her prey and unloads 50 punches that have Duval wobbling along the ropes. Had Duval not been the naturally bigger fighter, the fight would have been over right here. With 45 seconds left in the round, Duval, her face reddened, looks to her corner seemingly wanting to surrender. Duval hunkers down and finishes the round with referee Bill Tibbs watching closely. A big right hand before the bell buckles Duval’s knees and sends her into the ropes. Tibbs helps her back to her corner and the crowd is buzzing. Gerula starts round 4 with a wild right uppercut that just misses. The pace has slowed but Gerula is still in control and lands a lead right with 20 seconds left that has Duval badly hurt and covering up. Bill Tibbs could have stopped it here but the 10 second clap convinces him to let Duval finish the round. And it would be her last round as consultation with the Duval corner between rounds leads Tibbs to call off the fight. It was an impressive showing for Gerula and she acknowledged in the post-fight interview that she was happy to be back after a one-year absence and hoped to fight once more before the end of the year. Monique Duval was visibly hurt physically and emotionally, but should hold her head up high as she faced a top-10 world ranked fighter. Duval fought courageously even when the outcome was inevitable.

Arthur Cook TKO3. Marcus Rhode

Arthur Cook joins the likes of Vitali Klitschko and Riddick Bowe in having stopped Marcus Rhode. Rhode came to the ring very animated and carefree, a stark contrast from the serious demeanour of Cook, who came to the ring to the drumming of Buffalo Red Thunder and Pow Wow dancers. Arthur “The Whooping Crane” Cook was decked out in deer-hide trunks and appeared a little fleshy, but was in superb condition. Cook used his size advantage very effectively, leaning on Rhode along the ropes in a manner that would prevent Rhode from throwing counter punches. Cook showed great defensive skills but was a little off target with some wild left hooks and right hands. Cook no doubt looking for an early stoppage but still cautious of Rhode. Round 1 goes to Cook 10-9. Rhode dodges a right uppercut by Cook to start round 2. Great movement by Cook shows that he is comfortable at this weight (250 pounds) and he starts to work the body, perhaps realizing that Rhode is going into survival mode. Rhode is looking for that right hand counter and comes close a few times. Arthur Cook wins another round and seems to be finding another gear. Cook showed a lot of skills in round 2 that could only be appreciated by people who understand boxing. Round 3 starts with Cook sensing that a stoppage is possible and cutting off the ring on Rhode. Cook pins Rhode to the ropes and lands 10 unanswered punches before referee Len Koivisto stepped in and halted the action at 1:15 of round 3. In talking to Koivisto after the bout he revealed that the Rhode corner told him before the start of round 3 that Rhode had hyperextended his left elbow late in round 2. When Cook landed the 10 unanswered punches Koivisto stepped because the Rhode corner yelled that they had enough. Cook said, “I was hoping to end the fight cleaner and was looking for a knock-out for the fans.” Rhode was fitted with an elbow arm band wrap after the fight, but that doesn’t take anything away from the fact that he was outclassed and pummelled by Arthur Cook.

James Wayka Wu6 Sebastien Hamel

James Wayka, who fought the likes Floyd Mayweather Jr., Fernando Vargas, Augie Sanchez, and Diego Corrales as an amateur, seems to be rededicated and focussed as a King John boxer. He brought the crowd to life at 1:30 of round one dropping Hamel with a right-uppercut. Hamel was hurt and managed to keep mobile enough to evade any further damage, but in doing this discovered that Wayka could also box and move with him. Hamel throws a punch after the bell, clearly frustrated with dropping a 10-8 round and being outpunched and outboxed. Round 2 was a closer round with Hamel recovering some confidence and starting to put together some quick combinations. Wayka welcomed the willingness of Hamel to throw punches as he punched in between Hamel’s flurries with some power and precision, won this round too. The heads came together in round 3. Wayka lands another right uppercut that almost reproduces the first round knockdown. Feeling the bout slipping away, Hamel starts to throw wild hook with the left and the right. This is met by Wayka slipping and countering with hard body shots. Another round for Wayka and his debut as a King John boxer is turning into a boxing clinic. Round 4 had ebb-and-flow action with Wayka and Hamel exchanging roles as aggressor. Wayka showing that he is very comfortable facing a southpaw as he is able to cut off the ring against the fleeting Hamel. Hamel is looking for answers and seems to going to plan B, which involves dropping his hands and leading with some power shots, but nothing that lands. Wayka starts round 5 with effective aggressiveness, but walks into a hard-right hook by Hamel. We now know that Wayka has a good chin to go with all the skills and savvy. Hamel seems to put it in high gear and wins this round based on throwing more punches and out-working Wayka. Hamel again lets fly after the bell. Wayka wins the final round by showing speed and accuracy and backing up Hamel for most of the round. A frustrated Hamel lets fly with both hands at the 10-second clap, but Wayka throws with him bringing the crowd to a simmer. The judges got it right, scoring it 60-53|58-55|59-54 all for Wayka.

Christopher Holt Wm6 John McLean

Holt-McLean was fight of the night and words cannot describe what took place. The fans were taken back in time to the 1950’s when it meant something to be a contender. What we had tonight were two contenders going toe-to-toe for six-rounds. The first round had Holt opening with movement and scoring a double-left hook, to the body then to the head. John McLean, not one to stand on ceremony, responded with some shots of his own. Mclean kept moving forward and making it uncomfortable for Holt. The first round went to Holt and looked a lot like the early going of Margarito-Cotto, with McLean a poor man’s Margarito. Round two started with McLean showing some increased defensive skills and effective punching. With one minute left in round 2, it seemed that Holt was handling the pressure with optimism. But that would change as McLean landed several head shots that sent Holt reeling into the ropes and Holt had a look on his face like he was one of the last defenders of the Alamo. McLean wins this round and pulls even on the scorecards, but has the momentum. The crowd is brought to a high simmer and boils over again as round 3 starts with Holt and McLean going toe-to-toe. Blood starts to flow from McLean’s nose, and Holt’s right eye starts to close. McLean lands a sweet double left hook to the body of Holt and it is clear that McLean is coming into bloom. McLean is also starting to find a home for his right hand, and starts to hurt Holt with left hooks too, but Holt responds by punching with everything he had. Even though Holt was outlanding McLean, McLean seemed to be hurting Holt more. Round four started with a perfect left-hook right hand combination by McLean that had Holt on rubbery legs. With McLean looking to finish, Holt starts throwing wild haymakers with some effect; Holt’s not going to let McLean take him alive. The referee is looking closely at Holt who seems at times to be fighting on instinct. The fight has become more than a boxing match as each fighter has his heart and soul in the public view and under the scrutiny of 3000 screaming fans. But the last thing each man is thinking about is privacy as they both seem willing to do anything to win. Round 5 brings chants of Johnny-Johnny-Johnny. Holt fires off about 15 unanswered punches to start the round but most were blocked by the unwavering McLean. At the end of the round McLean battles back and lands several flush jabs that have Holt backing into the ropes. There is more toe-to-toe action which carries over to the sixth round and the fighters wrestle to the canvas. When back up they continue the war with both fighters landing bombs. There is a standing ovation and each fighter left it all in the ring. Had the fight been 8 rounds, we would not need judges as McLean would likely stop Holt. Unfortunately, we have to go to the scorecards, and the judges favoured the higher output of Holt as opposed to the heavier blows of McLean. They also seemed to turn a cheek to the fact that Holt was reeling several times and on the verge of being stopped. Holt wins a majority decision 59-55|58-56|57-57. After the fight Holt’s trainer John Hoffman said that it was their gameplan to try to outpunch McLean by a 3-2 ratio and with that they felt the judges would give them the fight. McLean was understandably not happy with the decision, which was widely booed.

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