BoxRec

Tiozzo fighting a decent fighter in a voluntary...intriguing matchup, in a way.

If Garay could punch I'd predict an upset, but..

tiozzo ko 1

HeadBasher wrote:tiozzo ko 1

Ill bet you a million bazillion dollars that that won't happen. :)

FRENCH star Fabrice Tiozzo defends his WBA light-heavyweight title against Argentina's perenially-unlucky Hugo Hernan Garay on September 18 in France (location to be finalised).
The 37-year-old Tiozzo has been out injured but looked better than ever in his last defence in February 2005 against Dariusz Michalczewski, jumping on the slow-starting "Tiger" and breaking him up with crisp combinations, before eventually dropping and stopping him in the sixth (and retiring him). Fabrice showed what to do to win a title fight in Germany. On the same Hamburg bill that night, Garay was robbed a second time against German-based Hungarian Zsolt Erdei in a crack at the WBO light-heavyweight title, conceding a split decision. He conceded a majority verdict first time they met for the title in 2004 in Dortmund.
They remain his only 'defeats' in 28 fights.
Garay is not a concussive puncher, which allowed the clever, counterpunching Erdei to keep it close enough to retain in Germany. Anywhere else, Erdei would have lost and that is the bald fact facing Garay as he goes into the Lion's Den a third time against a punishing, vastly-experienced champion who who won't look to mess around and nick it on points. OK, it's not Germany, but the challenger will still get no favours in Tiozzo's home country.
Against Tiozzo.
Interestingly, the champion himself has lost only to one man twice in a career dating back to 1988 and incorporating 50 fights. That man? Evergreen Virgil Hill. The American snatched a split decision over the powerfully-built, quick-handed Frenchman in 1993 in Paris for the WBA light-heavyweight title, dropping Tiozzo en route. Hill was the champion back then, the established one. The roles were reversed seven years later. Now Tiozzo was an established WBA cruiserweight champion and Hill looked a faded force after beatings at the hands of Michalczewski and Roy Jones. But Virgil pulled off a stunning first-round, three-knockdown win in December 2000 in France.
Hill is still a world champion today.
It looked the end for Fabrice, who had moved up to cruiserweight following an undefeated spell as WBC light-heavyweight champion. But he re-invented himself at his old weight, dropping down and climbing up from an eighth-round knockdown in a thrilling fight with Italy's defending WBA light-heavyweight champion Silvio Branco to even up the knockdowns in the 11th and win a deserved majority decision a round later in Lyon in March 2004.
He was a three-time world champion.
Tiozzo has boxed only twice in the two-and-a-half years since: the crushing win over Michalczweski and a five-round knockout of Nicaragua's Henry Saenz in a warm up two months ago. There's every reason to believe Tiozzo will be lacking in sharpness but, with this fellow, don't count on it. He's boxed only eight times since the turn of the Millennium and, Hill loss apart, retains his snap and reflexes.
Garay also got in a warm up when he outscored Mexican Gustavo Enriquez in a 10-rounder in April. He's won three on the spin since the second Erdei, shall we say, disappointment, and is solid enough - tough enough - to make this challenge equally competitive, for a while at least. Still only 25, Garay will have learned from his first two challenges. He's a typically-strong, rugged, cute, all-round Argentine fighter - brilliant at nothing, good at everything. He holds Argentine and South American light-heavyweight titles and throws plenty of punches.
But Tiozzo looks too talented, too seasoned, too good. He's won nine major world title fights and is a 'big' light-heavyweight, to boot. In front of his own fans, his class and power should tell down the stretch and force a late stoppage or clear points win.