(MDT final preview)
Posted: 05 Nov 2018, 10:55
After seven weeks of intense pugilism, we have finally arrived at the home straight of this marathon competition, The Million Dollar Tournament.
Starting way back in Week 17, this season's MDT has seen spills, chills, shocks and thrills...
In which the slow-starters have faded away.
The explosive quick-starters have burnt out.
And only those with the proper mixture of skill, speed, strength and stamina have endured to the very end.
Unlike any other competition, the MDT is and will always be laborious, grueling, time-consuming and compelling...
And without further ado, let us take a closer look at our two MDT finalists.
Joe Louis (Managed by Mr HyacinthusTurnipseed)
* Current WBO World Heavyweight Champion and holding the IBO & MGM straps *
Tournament Record of six wins (3 TKOs), one draw and no defeats to his name.
It is well-known that Joe Louis entered this years tournament as one of the favourites and it can be truly said that he has lived up to that billing.
Having being entered into the challenging Group B, Joe preceded to win all three fights in his Group and excelled through to the final 16 with confidence high, having made a name for himself as a deadly combination puncher. He won the Group conclusively.
In the Second Round he dispatched Carlos Deleon without moving into his top gear. Which further proved to be an indication of just how good he is... And how good he could be.
And in the Quarter Finals he met Joe Jeanette a rugged operator who always seemed to do just enough to get through. Many people were looking at Jeanette as an outside possibility for the Tournament, but Joe silenced them and quashed that theory with a convincing UD victory.
In the Semi Finals, Joe met the thunderous former WBO Champ, Jack Dempsey and in a classic affair for the ages both men could not be separated.
In the Semi Rematch, Dempsey got himself disqualified for blatant fouls, yet Louis was well ahead on the cards (127-121, 126-120, 126-120) at the time of the stoppage.
So Louis is here now and seems ever-ready to go. He will enter the arena with the self-assurance that comes from not being beaten and being supremely confident in his own ability.
Why will he win?
He's in great form, and is considered the "in form" fighter going into the Grand Final. His combination punching has proved punishing and troublesome for every opponent that he has faced. Needless to say, Joe Louis is the favourite.
Why will he lose?
As seen in the first Semi, Joe does not like to be crowded. Dempsey caused him heaps of trouble with his constant-pressuring and being ever-ready to slug it out over the full fifteen rounds. Frazier could and most-likely will provide Joe with the same treatment and ordeal that he has had before.
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Joe Frazier (Managed by Mr Techno89)
* Current Unified WBC and IBF World Heavyweight Champion *
Tournament record of four wins (3 TKOs), 2 draws and 1 loss.
Joe Frazier entered the tournament as one of the "dark horses" - despite being the WBO World Champion, there were those who doubted his abilities and thought that he would not have had the stamina for such a tournament.
He entered Group G as the top seed, and quickly fell into bad form with a loss to Jersey Joe Walcott. Having lost his World title and with the pressure off, Frazier recaptured his good form with a win over Wamba and combating the technically-excellent, Evander Hollyfield to a fair stalemate. Thus qualifying as the 2nd placer of Group G.
In the last 16, he met the brutal brawler Rocky Marciano and after a hum-dinger of an encounter, Frazier departed with a clinical win by Knockout.
In the Quarter Finals, the classy boxer, Peter Jackson held him to a draw. Some suspected that Joe had "froze again on the big stage" because the WBC Heavyweight Championship was at stake. Frazier heard this criticism and it drove forward into an even greater fiery intensity - to knock Jackson out in the first round.
At the Semi Final stage, there was yet another fan-friendly clash of the titans when Frazier met Mike Tyson in a World Heavyweight title unification. The fight was bloody, brutal and brilliant. Fought at a blisteringly high-pace, both men hurt each other multiple times, both men knocked the other one down. And in the final round, Joe Frazier KO'd Tyson with not a second left on the clock. A fight for the ages... A fight to be remembered... A fight worthy of the MDT semi Final.
So Frazier will walks into the ring with 2 World Heavyweight Championships and a fierce snarl on his face.
Why will he win?
He's a man on a mission. His critics and nay-sayers have hurt him and he goes into the final with an "all or nothing" mentality, much as he did against Marciano, Jackson (rematch) and Tyson. His power punching is hurtful to all and he has "the puncher's chance". He will also have the crowd behind him, having entertained them thoroughly since the Second Round.
Why will he lose?
Joe Frazier struggles with talented boxers... He lost to Walcott and both Holyfield and Jackson gave him heaps of trouble. Louis can box excellently well and if he chooses to employ a boxing game the odds could well be against Frazier.