Keith Long actually wants to fight...
Posted: 05 Oct 2003, 15:44
Brixton's Keith Long challenges Dennis Bakhtov for the WBC international heavyweight title (despite allegedly vowing to have nothing more to do with the WBC after they demoted Ricky Hatton in their rankings) this Saturday at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth.
Bakhtov stopped fellow Russian Alex Vassilev in eight rounds to win the title in 2001 and successfully defended it with a solid fifth round win over Matthew Ellis last year at the York Hall.
That must have been a satisfying night for the champion from St. Petersburg. Ellis had previously outscored him at the same venue in a four-rounder in 2000, but Bakhtov has remained unbeaten since and showed his obvious improvement in the rematch. The only other man to beat him, Alexei Varakin, was also beaten convincingly in a rematch and went on to floor Long heavily in the third round of their fight at Grosvenor House Hotel last year, though the Londoner rallied to stop his man a round later.
So Bakhtov, 16-2 (12), can say he's beaten every man he's faced in his career to date and comes into this fight on a winning run of 12, 10 of them inside the distance.
Long, in contrast, has been inactive of late and is still basking in the relative glory of his British and Commonwealth title challenge to Danny Williams a year ago, when, in a clash of Brixton rivals, he put up a gritty showing and survived the full 12-rounds. Since then, Keith has been scheduled to box Michael Sprott three times in a final eliminator for another crack at Danny, but each time pulled out at late notice (his fight with Williams also took three attempts to make) and Sprott was eventually rewarded with a straight shot at the title.
Long has boxed only once since the Williams challenge in fact: a first round knockout over Alvin "Slick" Miller last February, in a fight that saw the winner put down himself. He was also floored - as we know - by Alexei Varakin in the fight just prior to challenging Williams, but rebounded to stop the game Russian in the fourth. The man certainly doesn't lack for heart.
"You've never met a person in boxing who's a strong as me mentally," Long said recently. "They can be bigger than me but I'm bigger mentally and spiritually. I know my heart's bigger than theirs and that is the most important thing."
Like Bakhtov, Long is a stocky, strong-looking fellow with a good dig, but at 35 and with only 11 fights behind him in over six years as a pro (eight wins), starts as a definite underdog in this one. He can't be ruled out completely of course. He showed he could raise his game in the Williams scrap, applies plenty of dogged pressure in all his fights, and puts his meagre fight record down to injuries and being avoided.
But the once granite chin has shown signs of crumbling recently, and the inactivity won't help him at his age. Bakhtov should have the sharpness and timing to win clearly on points.
Bakhtov stopped fellow Russian Alex Vassilev in eight rounds to win the title in 2001 and successfully defended it with a solid fifth round win over Matthew Ellis last year at the York Hall.
That must have been a satisfying night for the champion from St. Petersburg. Ellis had previously outscored him at the same venue in a four-rounder in 2000, but Bakhtov has remained unbeaten since and showed his obvious improvement in the rematch. The only other man to beat him, Alexei Varakin, was also beaten convincingly in a rematch and went on to floor Long heavily in the third round of their fight at Grosvenor House Hotel last year, though the Londoner rallied to stop his man a round later.
So Bakhtov, 16-2 (12), can say he's beaten every man he's faced in his career to date and comes into this fight on a winning run of 12, 10 of them inside the distance.
Long, in contrast, has been inactive of late and is still basking in the relative glory of his British and Commonwealth title challenge to Danny Williams a year ago, when, in a clash of Brixton rivals, he put up a gritty showing and survived the full 12-rounds. Since then, Keith has been scheduled to box Michael Sprott three times in a final eliminator for another crack at Danny, but each time pulled out at late notice (his fight with Williams also took three attempts to make) and Sprott was eventually rewarded with a straight shot at the title.
Long has boxed only once since the Williams challenge in fact: a first round knockout over Alvin "Slick" Miller last February, in a fight that saw the winner put down himself. He was also floored - as we know - by Alexei Varakin in the fight just prior to challenging Williams, but rebounded to stop the game Russian in the fourth. The man certainly doesn't lack for heart.
"You've never met a person in boxing who's a strong as me mentally," Long said recently. "They can be bigger than me but I'm bigger mentally and spiritually. I know my heart's bigger than theirs and that is the most important thing."
Like Bakhtov, Long is a stocky, strong-looking fellow with a good dig, but at 35 and with only 11 fights behind him in over six years as a pro (eight wins), starts as a definite underdog in this one. He can't be ruled out completely of course. He showed he could raise his game in the Williams scrap, applies plenty of dogged pressure in all his fights, and puts his meagre fight record down to injuries and being avoided.
But the once granite chin has shown signs of crumbling recently, and the inactivity won't help him at his age. Bakhtov should have the sharpness and timing to win clearly on points.