 The Worldwide Boxing Magazine Site |
Got your free t-shirt yet? |
| articles from the magazine ... |
|
December 2001
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!
|
 |
BIG TIME BECKONS Can Jameel McCline emulate Hasim Rahman by becoming the next Heavyweight Explosion fighter to break through at top level? Victory over (God help us) Goofi Whitaker this month would be the key.STEVE FARHOOD investigates |
|
THE BREAKTHROUGH: when McCline destroyed Grant's comeback he launched a whole new career for himself
- Get Big Pic Cedric Kushner's "Heavyweight Explosion" is a useful
tool. Internationally televised, the series enables "The Walrus" to
provide steady work and exposure for rising heavyweights (and fading ones, too).
Most of the big men have a small chance of breaking the top 10. But the upside
is considerable; Hasim Rahman, for example, was largely developed on
"Explosion". In 2000, Jameel McCline fought a handful of such bouts, all of
which I broadcast from ringside. At 6ft 6ins and a reasonably distributed 260
pounds, McCline fit the profile of the new-age heavyweight. He was winning, or
at least not losing, and at age 30, he seemed poised for a run at contendership. If McCline continued to win, those $10,000 paydays were going
to lead to at least one $100,000 opportunity, which in turn could have led to
something much bigger than that. Not bad for a fighter who had spent five years
in prison. Not bad for a fighter who had engaged in only one amateur bout - and
lost it. Not bad for a fighter who, after five pro fights, was carrying a record
of 2-2-1. There was only one problem: "Big Time" McCline was
fighting like a Big Flop. In January 2000, McCline laboured to a draw with Ron Guerrero,
a short, square heavyweight with a record of 8-2. In March, he settled for a
points win over 41-year-old Eddie Richardson, 14-20, who had 11 stoppage losses
on his record. In June, he drew with Sherman Williams, 17-5. That McCline was running in place didn't distinguish him from
countless other wannabes. What made him different was that he wasn't full of
excuses. Even during our on-air interviews, he acknowledged that he was
disappointing himself. Worse yet, he hadn't yet identified the problem. "I was trying to find out what was holding me back,"
McCline said. "I was big and strong. I had a decent jab. I had the will.
Something was missing. I found it through hypnosis and yoga and holistic
training. "It was a lack of aggression. When I'm threatened, yes,
I'm naturally aggressive. But it's a problem with a lot of guys - I do just
enough until I feel threatened. I had to find a way not to train, spar, and
fight to the level of my competition." In July 2000, McCline, still co-headlining on
"Explosion," began to realise his potential. Boxing with purpose and
moving with a rhythm that belied his size, he shut out Sedric Fields, who
earlier in the year had upset Shannon Briggs. It might've seemed a small step,
but for McCline it was a stride that measured the length of a football field. Suddenly, McCline was on the improve. He followed with a
decision over the ordinary Reynaldo Minus, a first-round KO of one-time prospect
King Ipitan, and a convincing points victory over former cruiserweight king Al
Cole. Apparently, Michael Grant and his handlers weren't paying
close attention. In April 2000, Grant embarrassed himself in a second-round KO
defeat vs. world champion Lennox Lewis. He also tore up his left knee. Training
for his comeback bout, he suffered a life-threatening blood clot in his
shoulder. One more thing: He changed trainers, jumping from Don Turner to Teddy
Atlas. All this, and when Grant finally made his return, which came 15 months
after the Lewis debacle, he chose McCline as his opponent. HBO televised the
fight. In retrospect, it was Grant who needed a couple of minimum-wage starts on
"Explosion". "I never would've taken a fight with Jameel McCline the
first time out with a new trainer," McCline said. "I think he made a
huge mistake. You don't take on a Jameel McCline when you're just learning
things. I don't think these guys understand how far I've come in a short time.
That's great for me." What happened on 21 July in Las Vegas is incontrovertible
proof that a heavyweight contender can be born in an eye-blink. Instructed by
trainer Jimmy Glenn to "go out there and hit Grant with a left hook",
McCline did just that - scoring a knockdown four seconds into the bout. In
falling, Grant, who will never win the lottery, fractured his right ankle and
tore ligaments. Absorbing McCline's follow-up attack as best he could, he limped
about the ring until referee Tony Weeks issued a mercy stoppage at the 43-second
mark. McCline got married one week later. The best wedding gift of
all was implied - the payday that would come next. A few weeks later, he
quadrupled his purse for the Grant fight by signing to tackle top-10 contender
Goofi Whitaker on 1 December in New York City. McCline's purse will be a very
un-"Explosion"-like $400,000. "Big Time" at last. At Kingsway Gym in Manhattan, McCline, preparing for Whitaker,
boxed three rounds each with "Explosion" regulars Ray Austin and
Willie Palms. Observing him were Glenn, manager Allan Wartski, and Mike Borao,
an attorney and friend. While the smaller Palms's quickness troubled McCline, the huge
heavyweight enthusiastically rumbled with the 6ft 5ins Austin. The room barely
contained the heavyweights; as they sparred, their heads almost reached the
ceiling of the gym. "He's big, strong, fast, and mobile," Austin said of
McCline. "I ain't never met a big guy who moves like him. I've sparred with
Obed [Sullivan], Golota, Jefferson. Those guys don't have what he has. He's
strong, but he's not easy to hit." McCline's jab is his primary weapon. His size might suggest
otherwise, but he's a boxer first and last. "A year and a half ago, Jameel was very raw," said
the calm and soothing Glenn, who is among the most respected trainers in the New
York City area. "I wasn't surprised; he had no amateur fights. But he's a
good learner. For instance, he was born strong and could always punch. But he
wasn't taught to set down on his punches. Now he's pivoting when he
delivers." While Wartski, a real estate businessman, has managed McCline
since August 1996, the heavyweight has employed six different trainers.
Preceding Glenn were James Bashir, Tommy Brooks, Yoel Judah, Buddy McGirt, and
Diego Rosario. "If people think the Grant fight was a fluke, they
shouldn't," said Glenn. "If they do, fine. "I worked against Whitaker with Monte Barrett. Monte is a
small heavyweight who can't punch, and I thought he beat Whitaker. [In August
'99, the 6ft 8ins Whitaker outpointed Barrett over 12 rounds.] Whitaker is an
even-balanced guy. He does nothing great; he's a little wild. We'll try and get
him outta there. Otherwise, we'll box him, beat him with speed. We're more
consistent with our punches." "I'm definitely in for a tough fight," added
McCline. "Whitaker has a lot of wins, and he's big and strong. But I love
fighting big guys because I'm just as big and strong as they are, and I'm
faster. The only big guy who ever gave me trouble was Lennox Lewis [with whom
McCline sparred before the former's fight with Grant]. He was as fast as I was,
and he had all that experience. "My dream was to compete against the best in the world. I
found that missing link in the Fields fight, and now my goal is to beat the
best. This is the biggest fight of my career, and I know I'm gonna win. It's a
most amazing thing: Only a tiny, miniscule number of people can say they
actually have a shot at the heavyweight championship of the world. After I stop
this guy, one or two more wins and they'll have to put me in there." All roads to heavyweight stardom include dizzying turns,
invisible speed bumps, and potholes the size of craters. If your journey doesn't
include abject poverty, gang activity, drug use, prison time, a dysfunctional
family that makes the Mayweathers seem like the Cosbys, or some other
life-altering experience, you need not apply. McCline's story might seem cliched, but not when he delivers
it in his thoughtful and gentle manner. Born in Port Jefferson, New York (a town
in Eastern Long Island), McCline was raised in foster homes from the age of
seven. His mother had six children. "I was one of the brightest, and my mom
wanted to give me the best chance to improve myself," McCline explained. McCline played basketball and football in high school, but
spent the rest of his time on the streets. "I was always fighting the tough
guys," he recalled. "I was always in trouble. I did everything -
that's what I got in trouble for." McCline attended two years of college - and five years of
prison. At age 18, he was convicted of gun-running. "Those five years wore my ass out," McCline said.
"We used to call it 'Land Of The Living Dead'. I don't even know how the
corrections officers deal with it. Several years later, I still have nightmares. "I always felt I didn't belong in there. I remember
telling somebody: "I'm not a bad guy." He said to me: 'Nobody thinks
you are. But you did a bad thing.'" Shortly before his release, McCline was counseled by an old
friend, who recommended boxing. A few weeks later, McCline found himself
training at Kevin Rooney's gym in Catskill, New York. He was getting by on pure
athleticism. Soon after, he turned pro, suffering two losses in his first
five bouts. His matchmaker at the time was a disciple of the Marquis de Sade. "I remember when I was 2-2-1,Ó McCline said. "I had
an offer to fight Vaughn Bean for $5,000. I didn't have a dime in my pocket, and
that was a whole lotta money. But even then I had the wherewithal to say:
'That's not in the big picture.' Not that I couldn't beat him, but I knew I
wouldn't. Not then, anyway." Enter Wartski. It's not hard to believe that the businessman
had never managed a fighter before. Who else but a rookie would agree to sponsor
a .500 heavyweight who had just finished a five-year stretch in jail? "I saw Jameel sparring with all the tigers in the Duva
camp," recalled the manager. "I saw his size and athleticism, of
course, but also something in his spirit. One session he was in with Courage
Tshabalala, and for three, four rounds he was taking a terrible beating. By the
fifth or sixth, he was turning it all around." "In retrospect, I had no clue," said McCline.
"Larry Donald, Henry Akinwande, Gary Bell, Ray Mercer, they all beat me up,
but they never hurt me. I viewed those sparring sessions as my amateur career.
And besides, I'm stubborn. I'm hard to discourage." With Wartski moving him against sensible opposition, McCline
began Stage II of his career. Lots of wins followed, which led to Stage III, or
the "Explosion" phase. Stage IV started with the win over Grant. If
there's a Stage V, McCline will be a most unlikely King of the World. "Jameel McCline is, in my opinion, one win away from a
legitimate crack at a world championship," said Kushner. "This is the
significance of the Goofi fight." For the mustachioed promoter, McCline's success is further
validation of "Heavyweight Explosion", which is in its seventh year.
For every five or 10 insignificant 10-rounders between faceless clubfighters,
there's a win for a young and rising Rahman, Chris Byrd, Kirk Johnson, or Oleg
Maskaev. "Activity is the most important thing in an athlete's
life," continued Kushner. "I have to say that McCline is a perfect
example of a dedicated athlete who took advantage of a forum made available to
him to improve himself. "His confidence was so high prior to the Grant fight that
to those around him, the result wasn't as big a surprise as it was to the rest
of the boxing community. Jameel is not your average fighter. He's a wonderful
young man outside the ring, and coming along terrifically inside. He had a shaky
start in life, and the way he conducts himself now is further proof of what a
solid citizen he is. You truly, truly root for somebody like that." And with all due respect to Kushner's series, you truly, truly
hope he doesn't have to go back to "Heavyweight Explosion" ever again. |
|
Also available to read from issue:
|
|
On sale on the last Thursday of every month Ensure you never miss a copy . . . buy your subscription or back issues here. |