Ortiz-Peterson and Khan-Maidana post-fight analysis

What I wrote before the fight:

“Don't be surprised if Peterson gives Ortiz all he can handle, IF Peterson can deal with Ortiz's power. IF Peterson can deal with the power, I think Peterson's style is exactly that which can make it a very close fight with Ortiz.”

Analysis of the fight:

Peterson has some decent defensive skills, good speed, but very little power, and he isn’t a real physical guy, and he doesn’t know how to WIN against the elite guys. He’ll give everyone a competitive fight though because his style is designed to not make it easy on you.

Ortiz is a power puncher who should be knocking guys out, but he has based his career and style subsequent to the Maidana fight upon what he learned about himself in that fight. He has a questionable chin, so-so defense, questionable condition, and so-so heart. He now relies on power-punching in spots and in spurts, with lots more footwork, slower pace, limiting length of exchanges, and killing the clock or allowing his opponent to kill the clock. At this point, Ortiz is perfectly content with a semi-dull decision. He needs to continue to work on his defense if he ever expects to defeat the truly elite of the division. I thought Ortiz eeked it, but wouldn’t make a fuss about a draw in that fight. I think more close fights should be draws if one fighter does not clearly earn the fight.

What I wrote before the Khan-Maidana fight:

“Maidana is the fighter. Khan is the boxer. Maidana has the gamer, tougher qualities. I see Khan trying to use his height, reach, footwork, and speed to win on points, but Maidana will use his bull strength, two-fisted attack, and condition to try to maul and wear him out.

I hope there isn't some house ref who allows Khan to grab to hold Maidana safe, and constantly prematurely break them and push Maidana back. Not what boxing needs. Maidana should be allowed to rough him up inside if Khan illegally grabs. I will be rooting for the real fighter, Maidana, who is just a thrill to watch. I like ass beaters, and he is it.

I think Khan's defense is porous and his punching at times sloppy, and he leaves his head way up in the air, no head movement, at times poor guard, and he lunges and leans forward as he throws, leaving himself vulnerable. I think with such weaknesses, if he doesn't either starch Maidana or get serious respect early, that Marcos is somewhere going to land some bombs and take him out. We'll see.”

Fight analysis: This was a wonderful fight, either fight of the year or second place to Marquez-Katsidis.

Khan showed blazing speed, pretty good pop on his punches, fast footwork, and wonderful condition. I don’t know how he kept up that amount of footwork and quick combinations for as long as he did. This was a testament to his hard work in the gym and showed that he took this fight deadly seriously. As expected, Khan fought as the boxer, but he showed enough speed, footwork, and pop to get some respect and frustrate Maidana just enough, especially after that huge body shot in round 1 dropped Maidana.

Without that phenomenal condition, blazing speed and quick almost nonstop footwork, and grabbing, and yes, assistance from the biased house ref with incessantly quick breaks, Khan would never have finished this fight upright. And yet, even with all that to his advantage, Khan was still very badly hurt late in the fight. Khan proved that his chin is better than the glass that folks have been claiming it to be, and that he has heart and toughness, no doubt, but also that he can indeed be hit quite solidly and be hurt badly.

Do not underestimate the amount of punishment that Amir took in this fight. He still has gaping holes in his defense, which nearly cost him the fight. He has to rely on his talent to get him through, rather than his skills. I would actually say that Maidana landed the most effective blows and administered the most punishment in this fight. Amir is the one whom I think should take some time off to recover, and to work on his defensive skills, whereas like a Chavez, Maidana could probably be back in the ring in a couple of months.

In fact, this fight shows the difference between the modern fighter, modern scoring, and old school fighters and scoring. In the old days, this fight would have been for 20 rounds, or even 15 rounds, and Maidana would have won by knockout. In the old days, even with 12 rounds, when fights were awarded based on an overall impression of the body of work done, Maidana would have won the decision, or obtained no less than a draw, owing to his aggression, harder punches, more effective overall lands, by administering the most punishment, finishing the fight stronger, and showing that if the fight was fought to the finish, that he would have likely emerged victorious. Based on the old school criteria, he is the superior fighter. However, with the modern points system, with round by round scoring, with the flurry, move, grab style, shorter number of rounds, and friendly refs who help that style of fighter by preventing infighting and forcing quick breaks (and take a point off Maidana for an elbow that misses but no points off for Khan’s blows after the bell or excessive grabbing), guys like Maidana will have trouble earning close decisions.

This is exactly why folks on the old school forums still argue that the old school fighters are indeed superior, despite modern advancements. Actually, the argument shouldn’t be about whether old school fighters were better, but rather which modern fighters they should be compared to. There are several modern fighters who are champions who would not last with the old school fighter, and several modern fighters who keep losing close decisions, but who might be all-time-great old school fighters if they could fight in that era, like Glen Johnson, and like Marcos Maidana.

Speaking of Maidana, I think his defense is highly underrated. He keeps a nice guard, moves his head well, and manages for the most part to make sure you don’t land a whole lot of solid effective blows that will deter him for very long. Sure he got hit here and there when Khan threw those lightning combinations. Who wouldn’t? But watch how he rolls away or ducks or makes the blows glance or how he picks them on arms and gloves, or moves back from the punches, and makes sure that he remains calm under fire, and then continues to pressure Khan and make him work hard. Then compare that with the quality of the lands when Maidana lands those uppercuts and overhand rights on Khan, which force Amir to grab or run away for dear life. Now you are seeing the difference. Maidana was game to the end, stalking him, always confident that he would break him down, firing hard punches all the way with his heavy hands. You’ve got to love him.

Marcos Maidana should also be given credit for showing the heart of an old school warrior. Not many fighters in the modern era would have risen from that devastating body punch in the 1st round, and even fewer could have recovered sufficiently to have put up the fight that Maidana did. I truly admire him.