The ESB British Forum Encyclopedia

Only getting a chance to read them now, the Tyson and Holyfield pieces are both top class guys, looking forward to the concluding segments.:good

 

Saad/Harada are my 'best' from what you guys have said, so I shan't try and top them.

 

Ivan ''Iron Boy Calderon Part 2


An ascent in weight was not due to the fact he had in any way been struggling to make the limit, far from it, more due to the fact that, after a four year reign as champion, things were becoming stale at strawweight, and that far more difficult trials and tribulations at light-flyweight would surely reinvigorate his thirst for added success.

With the WBO title still being his ideal route, the presence of Hugo Cazares loomed large, literally and figureatively. In the past we've often grown accustomed to a large disparity in size between adversaries, but this match-up bordered on the ridiculous; Calderon, a man who was a small strawweight, rising a division to take on a man who is currently seen as a big super-flyweight, who also had an impressive string of victories in title fights to go with his size advantages, holding wins over Alex Sanchez, Wilfrido Valdez and a double over Nelson Dieppa.

Finding a sparring partner that could aptly imitate Hugo proved difficult, so it's easy to imagine the relief for Team Calderon when Freddie Roach contacted them with a request for Ivan to assist Oscar De La Hoya in his preparations for hig mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather. It was a partnership that proved beneficial for both, with Calderon simulating the nimble movement and defensive know-how that Mayweather offered, while The Golden Boy brought an even greater physical presence than Cazares would pose Calderon. Roach was complimentary of Iron Boy, admitting in the build up to Pacquiao-De La Hoya that:

(Calderon also sparred Shane Mosley, hailing both experiences as wholesome preparation for Cazares)

Come fight night, the contrast in size between the two was even more exaggerated than most thought would be the case, as Hugo truely dwarfed his slick challenger. As a result, it proved to be the most arduos night of the Matador-like Calderon's career to that point, as the always jab-neglectant Cazarez continuously bull-rushed his smaller foe with furious assaults, with each blow thrown carrying all of his might behind them. Calderon's attempts at dominating with movement were often rendered futile as the bigger man would consistently burst into range pumping his fists relentlessly, forcing the smaller man into trying to dodge his forceful attacks with upper-body movement, before responding with precise counter shots and reeling away. A high-paced, razor-thin battle of attrition made for nervy watching, as Calderon was often caught and hurt - even being dropped in the 8th round - and unable to avoid the hailstorm of combinations raining down upon him. The plus point for Ivan was Hugo's inadequate defensive skills, which allowed him to continually rack up points despite many frantic moments over the course of the fight. That Cazares was able to come on so strong towards the tail-end of the fight meant the scores were bound to be tight, as Calderon kept his undefeated record in tact while collecting another WBO belt as well as The Ring belt.

Full vid unavailable, however, here's a highlights video that's laughably biased in Cazares' favour:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ffwLmqOec[/ame]

His first defence came against Juan Esquer came in Mexico City just under four months later. The fight followed a similar pattern to the fights Calderon had grown accustomed to prior to the Cazares and Barrera wins, as Esquer realised a boxing match wasn't a viable path to victory, and tried to get inside the smaller man to rough him up. The greater quality told though, as after a cautious opening to the fight Calderon discovered that he could afford to stand his ground and exchange, this was only to Juan's detriment, as the champion only gained greater control of the fight, coming away with a comfortable decision win.

Next up for Calderon came the respected Nelson Dieppa, who after having a disappointing 2006/7 wherein he suffered two losses(to Cazares, and then Daniel Reyes), had begun to rebuild with a stoppage win over a shopworn Alex Sanchez before getting his shot at Calderon. A tidy boxer, Dieppa decided to use those tactics against Ivan, which only did his chances of the upset great harm, as he was comprehensively outclassed and embarrassed by his fellow Puerto Rican, dropping every single one of the scheduled 12 as he slinked into retirement with a passionless whimper.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Re2SP9-duY[/ame]

# Rest on YouTube, I need to remove characters.:yep

The next trio of fights is where we finally witnessed the great man finally begin to lose his aura of invincibility. Three fights that were all as frustrating as the next, where his now paper-thin skin came to prominence and disrupted each bout to an equally substansial degree. Three fights that don't even need seperate paragraphs to explain them, as they all followed an eerrily similar pattern. A rematch with Cazares was followed by a double against the perennially foul-prone Rodel Mayol.

The menage a trois of painful-looking cuts deep into Calderon's forehead all came after the usual, Ivan confusing his opponent with superior in-ring intellect and whipping in right hand orientated salvo's, predominently right hooks over left hands clattering off poorly guarded left hand sides of faces, before both of his relentless opponents began to come on strong as Iron Boy's ageing legs were now beginning to desert him, until collisions of heads opened up nasty gashes deep into the champion's skull. Coming out with a 7 round technical decision over Cazares, a technical draw after 6 against Mayol before kind of setting the record straight in their rematch, winning a 7 round technical decision over the dangerous Fillipino.

After nine months out, a return in June 2010 against Jesus Iribe marked two moments of historical importance, one a magnificent acheivement, the other one that reminded us of the reality we were faced with. In defeating Iribe, Calderon scored his 18th victory in a championship contest, making him the most successful of all time in that regard, ahead of such great names as Felix Trinidad, Wilfredo Gomez, Wilfredo Benitez and Carlos Ortiz. What dampened the joy surrounding this however was the uninspiring performance delivered by Calderon against an opponent that he would have outclassed with absolute ease in his prime(perhaps to such an extent that it would have been stopped). The swift movement he had once yielded had deserted him completely, as he stood straight in front of Iribe, resulting in him being deposited onto the canvas in the second round via a shot straight down the pipe. He arose unhurt, and quickly assumed control for the rest of the fight, albeit in lackadaisical fashion, standing toe to toe and exchanging blows as he for the last time in his career to date.

August 28th 2010 marked another huge landmark; his first loss. In a unification fight with the WBA champion Giovanni Segura, he was onced again out-sized to a massive degree, possibly even more than he was when faced with Cazares. A one-dimensional fighter that Calderon would have no problem dealing with in his prime, Segura used his bulk to continually force Ivan into perilous positions, forcing him to trade time and time again, resulting in a Fight Of The Year contender where Calderon succummed to the mass pressure in eight rounds under a plethora of body punches.

The return encounter was even more saddening for Calderon enthusiasts, as there was not even substantial resistence offered in order to prevent Segura from steamrolling through him yet again in an even shorter time span, this time body shots onced again doing the damage in the third, after it seemed Calderon had run out of gas after an impressive first round showing where he actually did show something resembling the lateral movement of the old Ivan Calderon.

A return to the ring may well be ill-advised, if in fact it has been advised at all, however, that he is moving back down to strawweight may well give the 36 year old a new lease of life, albeit for a rather short period. He doesn't start back easy though, taking on a man who only recently had his world title wrested from him in Raul Garcia. Strawweight is weak enough for him to make some form of impact, under the condition that he hasn't deteriorated further than he already had prior to the Segura debacle, if only for a brief timeframe.

However, comeback or no comeback, it's late enough in the day for us to look back and be nostalgic about the great mans career. One of the top two strawweights in the history of the sport alongside Ricardo Lopez, he may well have been able to solidify himself as undisputed best ever if not for the want to enhance his legacy, and look for greater challenges as a light-flyweight.

The defining example of why power is not always a neccessary component in becoming a great fighter if you have the other myriad of capabilities to counter act it, Ivan Calderon is a true modern great. The fluidity, the shot selection, the ability to transition from body to head(and vice versa) in mid-combination, the speed, the intelligence, he had it all except for physical strength and stature. Alan Oken once said:

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I appreciate the props, fellas :good

Lovely pieces on Holyfield and Calderon too.

 

When're you finishing the Tyson one?

Why do people wait so long between different parts?

:twisted:

 

:yep I'll do the Tyson part II on Monday night at the latest.

I'm too knackered today, and I'll probably be far to stoned tomorrow to even move, let alone construct an entry on the great Mike Tyson :nut

 

Name: Ernesto Marcel
Height: 5'6

Boxing record
Total fights 46
Wins 40
KO's 23
Losses 4 (1)
Draws 2

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Ernesto Marcel was a stylish Featherweight champion who came late to boxing after failing to make the cut as a Basketball player in his native Panama. Turning pro quickly aged eighteen, he was forced to quickly develop his trade, coming up the ranks the hard way, and reaching his peak in the early 1970s, making four defences of the WBC championship and establishing himself as the no.1 Featherweight of his time.

His first notable win was over the talented Bantamweight Bernando Carabello, who had been in with the best of the era including Eder Jofre, Fighting Harada (both for the World Bantamweight Championship) and Chucho Castillo. Marcel stopped him in two rounds. Rising in the ranks at Featherweight, Marcel was touted as one of Panamas best boxing prospects, a smooth boxer who was on a roll. Just over the weight, Marcel, 22 years old with a 24-2-1 ledger, was matched up with another top prospect surging up the ranks, an 18-year old power puncher undefeated in 16 pro bouts called Roberto Duran.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0SiIaFFW_Y[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkBSTnVYJGA&feature=related[/ame]

In a highly competitive contest, we see hints of what is to come from both men, Marcel picking his shots and chopping away, and Duran being both ferocious and rounded. Duran comes on strong late, but I personally think it could've went either way at the end of 10 rounds, if the Referee had not inexplicably waved off proceedings with Marcel not in a lot of trouble but coasting a bit. Madness, and a ridiculous stoppage. I had Duran head, just; he backed Marcel up for most of the contest, but the older man acquitted himself well and did some very good work. Essential viewing.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zbNRZrwqlc&feature=related[/ame]

Marcel quickly bounced back, with two wins over future Super Feather titlist Alfredo Marcano, and was matched with WBC Featherweight Champion Kuniaki Shibata, who was making his second defence after dethroning one of the greatest Featherweight champions of all time Vicente Saldivar, finally convincing all that the great Mexican was past his best.

In the Matsuyama Rugby Stadium in Japan, Marcel was robbed of cementing his claim to legitimate linear champion status. In rounds, Marcel clearly wins 10-5 IMO, keeping his tempo up throughout and managing to be more elusive and to apply pressure more intelligently against a highly-skilled Featherweight Champion like Shibata. There are some fireworks in the early going, and Shibata catches Marcel sweet with his sharp and quick left hook on a few occasions, but as they moved past the 10th round and into the Championship rounds, Marcel really lays it on and establishes his dominance. Even with a point deducted under the WBC ruling for clash of heads causing a cut, this fight reeks of a hometown decision, Shibata escaping with his belt and a 'Draw'. Everyone I know who has seen this fight will vouch for it as a robbery, and this should be recognised as the moment Marcel beat the man who beat the man and proved himself the no.1 126lber in the World.

The WBA Champion was the very smooth and highly capable Venezuelan boxer Antonio Gomez, who had beaten longtime belt holder Shozo Saijo (which can be viewed on youtube, and Saijo was quality as well). Marcel absolutely drubs Gomez in their first encounter, and I could only give the 3rd and 4th rounds to the defending champion. Marcel doesn't allow Gomez much chance to elude the lanky shots he pops off by throwing in combination, and mixing up his shots to head and body expertly, battering him down the stretch.

Ernesto Marcel was very much a rhythm builder, and when settled was hard to sway off of his game, both awkward and slick. He could fight at any range, he could lead with hard-to-gauge looping shots that allowed him to come in and work the body or work in his hurtful right uppercut on the inside, or he could jab, slip and counter with smooth elusiveness and sharp timing, catching his opponents unawares and following up his onslaughts. His footwork was superb when in his rhythm, and allowed him to fire off shots from angles that could stun even the toughest and most fearsome featherweights around, and he beat some very good fighters in the Junior Lightweight division as well, including Samuel Serrano, who would go on to hold the WBA title at that weight for pretty much six years going into the '80s. Marcel won a close decision over him, and the toughly matched slugger Enrique Bolanos.

Marcel had defended his title against the man he took it from, this time stopping Gomez from coming out for the 12th round in a one-sided contest. He follows this up against Jap' contender Spider Nemoto with a 9th round K.O before fighting Serrano, and he would defend his title again against a tall unheralded Nicaraguan prospect with a 33-3 (26) record, who had stopped a faded former Featherweight champion Jose Legra inside a round.

In a very good and exciting contest, Alexis Arguello gave Ernesto Marcel all he could handle. Marcel backed the young man up early but Arguello, as we now know, was great at making adjustments to impose his bombs on his opponent. Arguello gets closer and closer, but Marcels defensive radar is still too sharp and he pulls back from Arguellos precise combinations with increasingly less room for comfort, but pops out shots that have the teak tough Arguello in distress. In the 7th round, the Referee asked Arguellos corner if they wanted their young charge to continue. Knowing he is in danger, Arguello starts to back Marcel up in the middle rounds, landing his vaunted right hand more than once, but the skilled champion manages to hold on and continue his good work, get Arguellos rhythm down, and got his second wind to re-establish his dominance and a take a competitive but clear 15 round decision. Below are some highlights where you get some of the tone of the fight, but I highly recommend hunting down the full contest, it's a great watch between two of the greatest Featherweights of all time.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbsZ4VPxEss[/ame]

The Champion himself was suitably impressed with the young 'Thin Explosive Mans' challenge, and made a very sharp and accurate observation in his post-fight interview.

For reasons I'm still no wiser about, Ernesto Marcel had promised to retire win, lose or draw after this bout, and he remained true to his word, retiring aged 26 as Champion.. Never legitimately stopped and a multi-faceted stylist who beat some very classy operators, and who is an absolute joy to watch. Ernesto Marcel is without a doubt one of the greatest Featherweights of all time, and one of the greatest Panamanian boxers of all time.

 

Lovely :good

Gonna read shortly.

 

A real class fighter, shame a lot of his stuff isn't widely available but he's well worth contacting people and paying for. One of the greatest Featherweights of all time, and, for the most part, barely appreciated.

 

Might be a couple more from me shortly. Shozo Saijo and Tsuyoshi Hamada.

 

Both Pascual Perez and Chang Jung-Koo heavily edited :good They needed it, they both deserved a much better write-up than I had originally given them.

Now, whenever someone asks me about Chang this article really will suffice. In fact, really happy with the Chang piece now :happy

Which is what this thread is for, right? :good

Luis Manuel Rodriguez and Harry Greb will be given a thorough rewrite as well this week :thumbsup

Have to tidy up some of my shoddy earlier work

 

I was reading your Langford piece this morning mate. Good stuff.

 

I thought I remembered you telling me it was too long ;-) (which it is, but hey, if you can't wax lyrical about Langford, who can you?!)

Let me know what you think of the Chang piece mate...if you're interested of course :thumbsup

Surprised that even with Duran and Arguello involved no one has had any opinion on Marcel :-( Who in his own right is an enigmatic ATG boxer!

 

The Marcel piece was a delightful read. I haven't had time to watch the fights, but i really am dying to give them a blast.

When did jpab do Saddler BTW? I don't remember that piece ever popping up before now(it's damn good though).

 

I can't remember saying that. My knowledge of Langford was lacking so I found it quite an interesting read.

I'll check it out Chang soon. I've got a few to catch up with.