Reply #4: It was a good fight card.

[H2O Man]

The first fight ended in a disappointing way. Yordan was doing what I remember welterweight champion Curtis Cokes doing against a southpaw challenger, Willie Ludick, years ago: he was circling to his left. But he did so coming forward, in aggressive little rushes. Add to that, he was tying up and wrestling more than punching as he came in. Guerrero had been butted a couple of times before the one that opened that ugly cut. I was surprised that he hadn't adjusted, in a way that should have put Yordan's tactics in check. Good footwork is a must, and Ortiz provided the best example of being able to create the correct distance between himself and his opponent in any of the three fights.

Kirkland is very impressive. Julio seemed intimidated by his strength and power in the first round, and made the mistake of trying to keep too much distance between them by being on his toes every second. Not only is that tiring, but he never really took the risk needed to plant his feet, and throw his most powerful punches. Even though he was able to hit Kirkland, and avoiding many of Kirkland's punches, he appeared afraid of him. His hand speed could have allowed him to punish Kirkland for some of his defensive errors.

I've always liked boxing's "bad guys." I just finished a book on Sonny Liston, and have started another on Jack Johnson. I liked Mike Tyson, and being aware of what terrible things happened to a short kid with a high voice while incarcerated in our state's youth detention centers, I understand some of the rage that fueled his anti-social behaviors. (I have an OP on DU:GD, where I discuss seeing a friend who I worked near decades ago. Tyson was a kid who pushed a broom in that building days. He was always polite to everyone there, as far as I know.) When he was with Cus D'Amato, he still had problemed behaviors, but there was some discipline, too. After Cus died, that structure was no longer there. Rooney drank heavily, and Atlas had moved on, because he couldn't stand Tyson. Then the parasites moved into Tyson's life. I'm not discounting Mike's responsibility for his own behavior, but I do understand it.