McBride lined up for shot...
Posted: 27 Jul 2006, 11:58
Tyson-slayer Kevin McBride is lined up to challenge Belarussia's Sergei "White Wolf" Liakhovich on the October 7 Madison Square Garden bill topped by by Russian freak Nikolai Valuev against New Yorker Monte Barrett. "We're close to Liakhovich ," the massive Boston-based Irishman confirmed, though nothing has been signed.
Both McBride and Liakhovich are promoted by Don King.
The two fought on the same bill at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland in April - but while Liakhovich scored a stunning upset over defending WBO champion Lamon Brewster, McBride came in at 20st (shades of Danny Williams) for Missouri unknown Byron Polley and thumped out a routine four-round stoppage.
But 6ft 6ins McBride had already earned this big chance.
"The Clones Colossus" (a play on Barry McGuigan's "The Clones Cyclone") ended the career of Tyson in a shocker last summer at Washington DC. "He won't last three rounds," wrote Boxing News editor Claude Abrams of McBride. Others compared him to fellow Boston heavyweight Peter McNeeley, who lasted all of 89 seconds with Tyson in the 90's.
But Kevin showed character to withstand early pressure - to fire back in the way Williams had fired back in Tyson's previous fight. Trained by Goody Petronelli of Marvin Hagler fame (along with Packie Collins), McBride slowed Iron Mike with long rights to the body and used his size to lean on him in the clinches. The 38-year-old Tyson, fighting to pay off huge debts, looked exhausted from the fourth, resorting to butting and arm-twisting. Docked two points in the sixth, he was barely able to lift himself off the canvas after McBride pushed him down near the bell.
Jeff Fenech did the right thing and pulled Tyson out.
McBride is well known on these shores. He turned pro in Barking in 1992 and was held to a six-round draw by Leeds man Gary Charlton (1-6 going in). Considered average in those days, he got the full build-up treatment as a big, white heavyweight and was unbeaten in 20 when American Louis Monaco - a Tyson lookalike, ironically - burst his bubble in five rounds in Las Vegas in February 1997.
Kevin was brought back with a few wins, then pitched in with non-punching German Axel Schulz in 1997 in Berlin and stopped in nine. Two fights later, Manchester's Michael Murray, later to pen an autobiography The Journeyman, hammered him in three at Elephant & Castle Leisure Centre.
McBride relocated to the States and, after three wins, was hammered in five rounds by Denver's world class DaVarryl Williamson in Las Vegas in January 2002. He dropped down a level and reeled off seven wins to secure the career-changing fight with Tyson. He's currently on a winning run of nine - all of them stoppages - but Tyson apart, his recent company remains limited. One of his victims, Lenzie Morgan, gave Nigel Benn a good fight here at super-middleweight.
But the challenger gets plenty of top sparring in the States, is strong, tough and brave, and full of confidence a year on from his defeat of Tyson (June 2005). "You've got to admire what McBride has done,'' said his former promoter allegedly. "He got off his backside, went to the United States and made something of himself. I didn't think he could beat Tyson, but he took what Tyson threw at him and did it.''
Still only 33, he deserves a crack for finishing the fearful ex-convict.
Now comes the rugged Liakhovich, who also goes back a fair way. He represented Belarus in the 1996 Olympics, losing by one point to huge Tongan and eventual silver medallist Paea Wolfgramm in the first series. Liakhovich went on to lick Audley Harrison in the European championships in 1998 (points) but handed in his vest before the 2000 Olympics and, after a few paid wins in Belarus, began a pro apprenticeship in the States under trainer Kenny Weldon. A busy, aggressive, stiff-hitting, decent-boxing exponent, Liakhovich was raw in those days and suffered a setback when talented but enigmatic Maurice Harris outjabbed him for eight rounds and then took him out with a right in the ninth of a 2002 encounter in Atlantic City.
Harris also took away Liakhovich's unbeaten record after 16 wins.
The champion, based in Arizona, says he learned a lot about the effectiveness of a solid jab that night and was soon back to winning ways, boxing and punching his way to five wins and a 10-rounder with once-beaten Dominick Guinn in Atlantic City in December 2004. Liakhovich went in the underdog but bullied the mentally-fragile Guinn and outworked him all the way. It was a win he received little credit for, however. Most reporters concentrated on Guinn's subdued performance, given the Houston man barely threw a punch.
Worse followed for the Belarussian when visa problems and injuries kept him out of the ring throughout 2005 and right up to a surprise shot at WBO champion "Relentless" Lamon Brewster in April this year. Small wonder he was given no chance. Brewster had won the title flattening Wladimir Klitschko and taken out other European standouts Luan Krasniqi and Andrew Golota (52 seconds) in defences. He must have licked his lips in anticipation at the little-known import.
But in the most thrilling heavyweight title fight for years, Liakhovich met fire with fire and demonstrated the better boxing skills after taking a knee in the seventh from body shots. The challenger dominated the closing rounds behind the jab to clinch a unanimous 115-113, 115-112, 117-110 verdict.
"I answered Brewster every time," said the new champion.
"Liakhovich deserved to win," said a gracious Brewster, who replaced long-time trainer Jesse Reid with Buddy McGirt for the fight and suffered a detached retina.
"He earned it."
Still only 30, Liakhovich is a young, improving heavyweight at 23-1 (14). He's also well-sized heavyweight at 6ft 4ins and around 17st, with a punishing left jab and plenty of strength and snap in his work. He's a handful.
McBride holds all the physical advantages, of course, but lacks the same snap in his punches and likes to weaken opponents in close-quarter exchanges. He may have success, as Brewster did, targetting Liakhovich's body, but in truth is the perfect foil for a boxer-puncher like Liakhovich: willing, slow, not much of a puncher, not much of a boxer.
At 34-4-1 (29), McBride has been stopped every time he's lost and boxed only once since the Tyson win 13 months ago: the routine stoppage of Polley in April. He could do with a longer fight before October.
Ultimately, it boils down to class. McBride had the strength and commitment to get past a faded Tyson. But it will take more to beat Liakhovich. More than he has, I'm afraid.
Both McBride and Liakhovich are promoted by Don King.
The two fought on the same bill at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland in April - but while Liakhovich scored a stunning upset over defending WBO champion Lamon Brewster, McBride came in at 20st (shades of Danny Williams) for Missouri unknown Byron Polley and thumped out a routine four-round stoppage.
But 6ft 6ins McBride had already earned this big chance.
"The Clones Colossus" (a play on Barry McGuigan's "The Clones Cyclone") ended the career of Tyson in a shocker last summer at Washington DC. "He won't last three rounds," wrote Boxing News editor Claude Abrams of McBride. Others compared him to fellow Boston heavyweight Peter McNeeley, who lasted all of 89 seconds with Tyson in the 90's.
But Kevin showed character to withstand early pressure - to fire back in the way Williams had fired back in Tyson's previous fight. Trained by Goody Petronelli of Marvin Hagler fame (along with Packie Collins), McBride slowed Iron Mike with long rights to the body and used his size to lean on him in the clinches. The 38-year-old Tyson, fighting to pay off huge debts, looked exhausted from the fourth, resorting to butting and arm-twisting. Docked two points in the sixth, he was barely able to lift himself off the canvas after McBride pushed him down near the bell.
Jeff Fenech did the right thing and pulled Tyson out.
McBride is well known on these shores. He turned pro in Barking in 1992 and was held to a six-round draw by Leeds man Gary Charlton (1-6 going in). Considered average in those days, he got the full build-up treatment as a big, white heavyweight and was unbeaten in 20 when American Louis Monaco - a Tyson lookalike, ironically - burst his bubble in five rounds in Las Vegas in February 1997.
Kevin was brought back with a few wins, then pitched in with non-punching German Axel Schulz in 1997 in Berlin and stopped in nine. Two fights later, Manchester's Michael Murray, later to pen an autobiography The Journeyman, hammered him in three at Elephant & Castle Leisure Centre.
McBride relocated to the States and, after three wins, was hammered in five rounds by Denver's world class DaVarryl Williamson in Las Vegas in January 2002. He dropped down a level and reeled off seven wins to secure the career-changing fight with Tyson. He's currently on a winning run of nine - all of them stoppages - but Tyson apart, his recent company remains limited. One of his victims, Lenzie Morgan, gave Nigel Benn a good fight here at super-middleweight.
But the challenger gets plenty of top sparring in the States, is strong, tough and brave, and full of confidence a year on from his defeat of Tyson (June 2005). "You've got to admire what McBride has done,'' said his former promoter allegedly. "He got off his backside, went to the United States and made something of himself. I didn't think he could beat Tyson, but he took what Tyson threw at him and did it.''
Still only 33, he deserves a crack for finishing the fearful ex-convict.
Now comes the rugged Liakhovich, who also goes back a fair way. He represented Belarus in the 1996 Olympics, losing by one point to huge Tongan and eventual silver medallist Paea Wolfgramm in the first series. Liakhovich went on to lick Audley Harrison in the European championships in 1998 (points) but handed in his vest before the 2000 Olympics and, after a few paid wins in Belarus, began a pro apprenticeship in the States under trainer Kenny Weldon. A busy, aggressive, stiff-hitting, decent-boxing exponent, Liakhovich was raw in those days and suffered a setback when talented but enigmatic Maurice Harris outjabbed him for eight rounds and then took him out with a right in the ninth of a 2002 encounter in Atlantic City.
Harris also took away Liakhovich's unbeaten record after 16 wins.
The champion, based in Arizona, says he learned a lot about the effectiveness of a solid jab that night and was soon back to winning ways, boxing and punching his way to five wins and a 10-rounder with once-beaten Dominick Guinn in Atlantic City in December 2004. Liakhovich went in the underdog but bullied the mentally-fragile Guinn and outworked him all the way. It was a win he received little credit for, however. Most reporters concentrated on Guinn's subdued performance, given the Houston man barely threw a punch.
Worse followed for the Belarussian when visa problems and injuries kept him out of the ring throughout 2005 and right up to a surprise shot at WBO champion "Relentless" Lamon Brewster in April this year. Small wonder he was given no chance. Brewster had won the title flattening Wladimir Klitschko and taken out other European standouts Luan Krasniqi and Andrew Golota (52 seconds) in defences. He must have licked his lips in anticipation at the little-known import.
But in the most thrilling heavyweight title fight for years, Liakhovich met fire with fire and demonstrated the better boxing skills after taking a knee in the seventh from body shots. The challenger dominated the closing rounds behind the jab to clinch a unanimous 115-113, 115-112, 117-110 verdict.
"I answered Brewster every time," said the new champion.
"Liakhovich deserved to win," said a gracious Brewster, who replaced long-time trainer Jesse Reid with Buddy McGirt for the fight and suffered a detached retina.
"He earned it."
Still only 30, Liakhovich is a young, improving heavyweight at 23-1 (14). He's also well-sized heavyweight at 6ft 4ins and around 17st, with a punishing left jab and plenty of strength and snap in his work. He's a handful.
McBride holds all the physical advantages, of course, but lacks the same snap in his punches and likes to weaken opponents in close-quarter exchanges. He may have success, as Brewster did, targetting Liakhovich's body, but in truth is the perfect foil for a boxer-puncher like Liakhovich: willing, slow, not much of a puncher, not much of a boxer.
At 34-4-1 (29), McBride has been stopped every time he's lost and boxed only once since the Tyson win 13 months ago: the routine stoppage of Polley in April. He could do with a longer fight before October.
Ultimately, it boils down to class. McBride had the strength and commitment to get past a faded Tyson. But it will take more to beat Liakhovich. More than he has, I'm afraid.