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December 2000
Each month we bring you a selection of articles from the current and past issues of BOXING MONTHLY. To buy the magazine, see our subscription or back issues pages, or use our world distribution map to find a news-stand copy. Why not use our Interactive Forum to express your own boxing comments and opinions!
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KO-KO WON'T GO AWAY
Naz gave up his title rather than face Istvan Kovacs, but the Hungarian former amateur star won't give up. GRAHAM MACLEAN reports |
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Naz gave up his title rather than face Istvan Kovacs, but the Hungarian former amateur star won't give up
- Get Big Pic There was no real element of surprise when Naseem Hamed pulled out of his mandatory defence against Istvan "Ko-Ko" Kovacs, the current European champion, which had been scheduled for early last month. The official reason given for the withdrawal being that the Hungarian Kovacs is viewed as an unknown quantity by Hamed's paymasters, the American TV network HBO, and is therefore not the kind of fighter seen as an exciting opponent. The cable giant pay huge sums of money for Hamed's services and understandably they expect a return on their investment. Hamed subsequently gave up the WBO belt after finding himself torn between the sanctioning body and his employers. Understandably he wanted to go after the bigger fights out there, with Marco Antonio Barrera as his top target. While Hamed should be respected for going his own way when he could easily have held the WBO to ransom, his original opponent has been left in the cold. Kovacs feels as though he has been treated shabbily. Not only has his training schedule been disrupted, but the Hamburg-based Magyar has been denied, at least for the time being, the fight of his life. "It's shit," said Kovacs. "I don't understand why. I've heard that it's about me, because I'm not so interesting or that I'm not such a marketable boxer and because of that it's not such good business. But I have to ask, what is this, a sport or show business? I'm the number one [in the current WBO listings] and the rule is that every second or third fight he must make a defence against the number one boxer." Whether Kovacs likes it or not, boxing is indeed show business where Hamed's concerned. In this case it's more than that. HBO desperately wanted a fight which was attractive and would act as an advertising vehicle for the following weekend's PPV event, Lennox Lewis's heavyweight title defence against David Tua. This is why HBO drafted in Shane Mosley to fill the 4 November slot. In spite of this, Kovacs is of the opinion that HBO are not the main cause for this fight falling through and that the people behind Naseem are looking at more than just the television ratings. "It comes from Hamed's management," claimed Kovacs. "Hamed's management dealt with HBO and asked them to say that they didn't want this fight, because it sounded better than if Hamed were to say that he didn't want to fight me. I think it all comes from Hamed's management. I'm sure that Hamed is not afraid of me, but his management are scared." Probably careful more than scared. The 5ft 6ins native of Budapest doesn't possess the power to hurt Hamed, so a repeat of the Kevin Kelley or Augie Sanchez wars would be unlikely. What Kovacs does have is classical boxing skill. He is very quick, difficult to hit and calm. Indeed he is the kind of skillful fighter who might last a few rounds with Hamed and make him look bad in the process. Kovacs now finds himself as the number one contender for a title which Hamed defended 15 times in a little over five years. As an amateur he accomplished everything. From 297 contests he won 282, drew one and lost 14. His more notable achievements included two amateur world championships (in 1991 and 1997), an Olympic silver medal in Barcelona, and then an Olympic gold four years later in Atlanta. These successes have turned him into the number one superstar in his native Hungary and wherever he goes there he is mobbed by fans. Despite his successes and his high profile in his native land Kovacs remains modest and comes across as an intelligent and thoughtful individual. If he hadn't stumbled across boxing as a 14-year-old then he would surely have found a niche for himself elsewhere. "I was 14 years old and I moved to a new area," said Kovacs. "A new friend wanted to try boxing but was afraid to go alone. People seldom start boxing alone, they go with a friend or with a group and that's what happened to me too." Before this he was reluctant to fight, even though boxing was in his family. "My older brother and my father had boxed," he explained. "They weren't successful boxers, but my brother was a junior champion. I actually never wanted to be a boxer. I wanted to try something else. For example, I wanted to be an actor. I won an award for my acting." Kovacs's amateur career lasted 12 years before he eventually turned professional in 1997. For a fighter of his ability a career in a country like Hungary would have jeopardised his development and therefore he accepted an invitation from Klaus-Peter Kohl of Universum Box-Promotion to join the Hamburg based outfit. It was here that he teamed up with Fritz Sdunek, the man currently responsible for Dariusz Michalczewski and up to now Kovacs's only trainer in the professional ranks. "After the Olympics I met Klaus-Peter Kohl and I received a good invitation with the possibility to be a professional boxer," said Kovacs. "I asked who the top trainer was, with who must I train, and that was the most important point for me. Then I heard that Fritz was the main trainer and that I could train with him. After that I had no worries and I signed the contract right away." Kovacs now spends half his time in Germany, and half in Hungary. His status is much lower in Germany than in Hungary and this means he can train away from the distractions of his fame. "Thank God, there is a difference," he said. "Hungary is my land and I'm a very, very patriotic person. That comes from Hungary, from the Hungarian people, and because of that, with my whole heart, I love Hungary. There's no question that when I retire I'll go straight back to Hungary, 100%. "On the other hand, I feel very good here in Germany because this is where Ican achieve everything. Hungary is not so rich, and there aren't as many possibilities as I have now with Universum. Because of this I need to be here." So far his career with Universum has run smoothly. In a little under three years since his professional debut in December 1997 his record stands at 18-0. Most of the opposition up to now has been somewhat uninspiring although one or two names do stand out. Vincenzo Belcastro, who survived 12 rounds with Hamed when the Prince captured the European bantamweight belt in 1994, is one example. He stepped in with Kovacs in November 1998 and Kovacs won an eight-round decision. "I won very clearly," said Kovacs. "I dominated in every round. It was child's play for me. Naseem also went 12 rounds with Vincenzo Belcastro. He's a very difficult boxer, he only wants to survive the fight and against such an opponent you can't show so much." In his last fight Kovacs returned to Budapest to face Britain's Steve Robinson for the European featherweight title. In front of a 22,000 crowd in Budapest's football stadium. Kovacs dominated the former WBO champion for 12 rounds and won the fight with scores of 120-107, 120-108, and 120-108. It was this fight that guaranteed his mandatory status with the WBO. "That was a wonderful show," Kovacs said. "Everybody saw it. I had a couple of opportunities to knock him out. In the second round and in the 12th Robinson wobbled. But as I say, the important thing is that the fight was won, it showed the people of my land that I am the best and I can box better than him. The main thing is to win the fight no matter if it's by KO or by points. "It was one of my easiest fights. I had a very, very good preparation with Fritz Sdunek, a good eight weeks. After these eight weeks my running times, my blood test, everything showed that I was in the best form of my life." Robinson was a step up in terms of quality but despite the result it did demonstrate a flaw that has been prevalent throughout Kovacs's career. When Hamed fought Robinson in 1995 he stopped him in the eighth round, while Robinson was still WBO champion. That Kovacs didn't stop a faded Robinson five years later points to a lack of power. Indeed only five of his 18 contests have ended early. "I boxed in the amateurs for 12 years and there power and strength are not so important," Kovacs said. "The main thing is to win, hit your opponent, and score a couple of points more than the opponent. We never trained in terms of muscle. Now things are getting better, but I will never be as strong [physically] as Hamed or other powerful boxers. The know how that I have in the professional game is worth as much as their power. "I will never be a KO king, no matter what is important in the professional ranks. If it's a fault then it's a fault I have. I cannot box in another style, and cannot be a more aggressive boxer. Of course, when the opportunity arises I like to end the fight early." It's a flaw that could certainly prove costly should the chance to fight Hamed ever arrive. After all, Hamed can box badly and then finish the fight with one punch as he did against Paul Ingle. Relying on his boxing skills to carry him through 12 rounds with Hamed is somewhat optimistic. Despite this he still feels he would be able to cope with Hamed and the fight remains his one sole ambition in boxing. "When I first signed my contract three years ago I asked if there was a possibility to box him and they said yeah, that was their aim too," he said. "When I started to box professionally that was my aim, because I don't just want to box Hamed, I want to beat Hamed. That is everything to me. That's why I live here in Germany, that's why I don't live in Hungary, that's why I train twice daily, that's why I continue this way of life. I wanted to finish after the amateur world championship [in 1997], but because of him I have lengthened my career. At the moment there is nothing more important in my life." So far he has only met the Prince once, but he is not taken in by Hamed's extravagance or arrogance. "I saw him live once in Manchester, against Paul Ingle," he said. "We took a photo next to his dressing room. I think he is a totally normal, pleasant guy, but because of his image he needs to be arrogant and make more of a show than is normal for him." It's a fight which would be huge news in his native Hungary, where Hamed is also hugely famous. "If we box in London then, 100%m there will be 1,500 people from Hungary. I made him [in Hungary]. Three years ago nobody knew him. I turned pro and said that Naseem was my aim. After that all his fights were shown by HBO in Hungary and now he's a massive star, but of course not the best liked. "If I beat Hamed then I can really earn money. Then we can have a return match in Hungary in our football stadium in front of 60 or 70 thousand people." He should probably concentrate first on an initial meeting. As far as the WBO are concerned the match was mandatory. Now Hamed has relinquished the belt Kovacs may find himself fighting for the vacant title while Hamed pursues Barrera. However, Hamed has not turned his back on the WBO entirely and has asked that he remain as their number one ranked boxer. If he loses against Barrera, which could well happen, then he would no doubt welcome a chance to regain his belt against Kovacs. That the WBO have let Hamed slip through the net at all is surprising. It had been rumoured they would strip Hamed if he failed to honour their requirements, but this was unlikely. Hamed had the highest profile of all their champions and because of this the featherweight division is the flagship division for the WBO. It can only be assumed that the strength of their relationship with Hamed's former promoter, Frank Warren, has reduced their allegiance to Hamed. It's understandable that Hamed's handlers are frustrated by challengers such as Kovacs. At this stage in his career Hamed wants to be facing big name opposition. For Kovacs the clock is ticking also, and he wants the fight to take place as soon as possible. "I'm thirty years old, I cannot wait so much long-term," he said. "I want to fight Hamed. If he doesn't want to fight me then he must say that he is afraid of me, or that he is not such a good sportsman and only wants to fight middle class boxers such as Paul Ingle or Cesar Soto. This answer about business or television ratings stopping him from fighting me, this is not true. It's not correct." Kovacs's lack of power alone may be a big disadvantage, but the shortage of quality opposition at this stage in his professional career would stand to leave him well out of his depth against Hamed, a veteran of 16 world title fights. There is a possibility, though, that Kovacs could make a point by boxing well and giving Hamed a few problems, just as Paul Ingle did against Hamed. Everybody wants to see Hamed prove his ability against the bigger names. Whether or not he returns to the WBO will be determined later. In the meantime Kovacs might well find himself fighting for Hamed's old title, but against an opponent he can actually beat. Should the opportunity to fight for the WBO title fail to present itself in the next few months then it isn't necessarily the end for Kovacs and his dream of world championship success. Universum have a large enough influence to obtain him a shot at another one of the featherweight champions. A fight with Paul Ingle, Britain's IBF 126lbs champion, may be somewhat easier to arrange than a Hamed fight although it's not a prospect which Kovacs finds overly daunting. "I've known Paul Ingle for 10 or 12 years, but he had no real success in the amateurs," Kovacs said. "I think that says something. I was there with Floyd Mayweather, Joel Casamayor. They were all world champions later. I beat Tim Austin twice. I never boxed Paul Ingle because he was not so good a boxer. It was always so that he would lose in the first round of a competition to somebody." Whichever way a world title challenge comes, Kovacs is prepared to take it as it comes. |
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