BIG FIGHT BOTTLER?: Akinwande suffers for reputation gained in
challenge to Lewis
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Here is a round-up of American fight-trade opinions on the Evander Holyfield
- Henry Akinwande fight. Many make it a tough fight for Holyfield, others
think Akinwande will fall apart. Some of the experts wonder if Holyfield was
flattered by the fights with Mike Tyson, or if Akinwande could ever be as bad
again as he was when he was disqualified against Lennox Lewis last July. But
none of those interviewed was prepared to pull the trigger and actually
predict an Akinwande upset.
EMANUEL STEWARD (trainer of Lennox Lewis, who has been training
Akinwande):
"If Akinwande had the mental toughness of a Tommy Hearns,
with the physical attributes that he has, he can be a dangerous person for
anyone, but he's the type of kid that you have to spend a lot of time with,
with his self-esteem and all of that, like I spent time with Oliver McCall
to get him ready for Lennox the first time. I think he's a good fighter,
he has unbelievable coordination and rhythm for a man his height, but
mentally he's very fragile. He's got to use his jab the best he can and
be confident in himself, and if he does that it can be a very tough fight.
Akinwande's situation is mainly mental. But I'd like to see him put up a
good, creditable fight. He's a beautiful kid and I feel bad the way the
fans and the press are so down on him right now."
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE COURREGES (manager of Akinwande):
"I think if Henry has learned the lessons from the Lewis fight, it's
something he can pull out, it's a fight he can win. He's got everything
[needed] to win it: he's got the size, the jab, the style, he's got
everything. It's all in his head. He's got to be more busy, and he needs
to fight, which he didn't do with Lewis. But I thought Lewis was a good
fight for him, too.
"It's pretty hard to get anything out of him about that [the Lewis fight].
I'm pretty close to him, but each time I try I don't get too many answers.
He really feels ashamed of the Lewis thing. He feels he has to prove
something. Don Turner [who trained Akinwande and Holyfield but is with
the champion for this fight] used to tell him: 'You're a great fighter
but you don't know it.' Don King has paid him a lot of money to step up
and show what he can do. If he doesn't do it this time, he's never going
to do it.
"You have two ways to look at Holyfield. Either he's the greatest
champion in history, or you can think Holyfield beat a man who was
finished - Tyson.
"[Michael] Moorer looked terrible for his last 10 fights but looked
good with Holyfield.
"The guy was finished two years ago, but now he's the biggest star on
the planet. There's a mix in all of that.
"Holyfield likes to go inside. He doesn't like a guy with a good jab
that can keep him outside. Henry has everything it takes to bother
Holyfield."
THEL TORRENCE (former co-trainer of Riddick Bowe):
"Holyfield is such a competitor, if you hit him he hits you back - I
remember how he countered Riddick Bowe in their fights. He's going to
be right in your face. I've got more respect for Akinwande than most
people have - if he learned how to control the ring he'd be a difficult
guy to beat with his height and reach.
"With Holyfield, it's just a matter of who's going to be in the ring
with him when he goes, because he's been in the game a long time but
it's got to be someone who can match his strength.
"I would pick Holyfield, but I wouldn't be surprised if Akinwande wins,
as long as he controls the ring. When he fought Lennox Lewis I think
his team underestimated the time the guy needed to get acclimatised
[to the high altitude at Lake Tahoe, Nevada] he still couldn't get his
breath in the TV interview after the fight and he didn't have the
basic techniques to fight in that small ring. What a lot of people
fail to realise is there's a technique for fighting in a small ring;
you have to use pivots, use little circles - if he had the techniques
he'd be one tough guy to beat.
"Lewis jumped on the guy real quick and he didn't have time to get
himself together, the ref got on him, the crowd got on him, and he
just started panicking and totally broke down. He's a big guy with a
good jab, he's got skills. Who wins depends on which Akinwande steps up."
TOMMY BROOKS (Co-trainer, with Don Turner, of Holyfield):
"What sort of fight it will be depends on which Akinwande shows up. If
he wants to fight, it's a short fight, if he wants to run, it's a long
fight. He knows he's never been in the ring with a living legend so it's
going to be a mind thing, and also a physical thing because we know
Henry's every move. Don's worked with him, I've worked with him,
Evander's seen him work. It's basically an easy fight, but anything
can happen in a fight so we're not going to take anything away from Henry."
Asked if he feels that Akinwande simply lacks the heart and the will to
win this fight, a remark attributed to Don Turner, Brooks said: "That's
the basic feeling for the both of us. To get in the ring with a living
legend is quite a feat in itself, let alone try to beat him. He's
fighting a legend, he's fighting in a famous arena, he's got his
trainers in the other corner, it's like a snowball effect for him.
"Evander has to be cautious because you never know what a guy's going
to do - a scared guy's the most dangerous guy in the world and you
don't want to get hit with nothing stupid, but it's basically the
fundamentals, show him the jab and go from there. Henry's got the
height and reach advantage so naturally we're going to be working
on that in camp but I don't want to go into any details on that
- but you know Don and I, we're always prepared. Evander's going
to be 110 per cent.
"You never can tell, but on paper it's an easy fight for us."
And on Emanuel Steward's involvement, Brooks said: "You can tell a
guy something, but he has to go out and do it, and it's not easy
when the other guy's trying to take your head off."
EXPECT THE EXPECTED
FREDDIE ROACH (trainer of Michael Moorer):
"I make it an easy fight for Holyfield. I don't think Akinwande is in
the same class. The only time Akinwande impressed me was when he
knocked out Jeremy Williams, but who's Jeremy Williams? I don't think
Holyfield should have too much trouble, but to bring out the best
performance in Holyfield you need someone to push him, so I don't
think it will be a very exciting fight. But with Holyfield these
days, you never know. One night, he might not show up [as the
Holyfield we have come to expect]."
ANGELO DUNDEE (legendary trainer of champions, most famously Muhammad Ali):
"It's a difficult fight for Holyfield because of Akinwande's height
and being able to clutch as he does. And with Holyfield you have to
worry when the well's gonna run dry. Akinwande was in with supposedly
the most devastating puncher in the heavyweight division with Lewis,
and although he got disqualified he was still there. I think he will
poke away, and frustration could set in on Holyfield's part."
JOE GOOSSEN (former trainer of Jeremy Williams, who lost to Akinwande in 1996):
"I keep thinking back to the one punch he [Akinwande] threw against
Jeremy Williams, otherwise I haven't seen him throw a [big] punch in
any fight. You think he's more dangerous than he really is. He caught
Jeremy off guard because till then [when Akinwande threw the right]
Jeremy really wasn't being punched at. I know he's capable of doing
some real good things, but at other times he's horrible. Holyfield
is the more polished fighter, the more consistent, and I'll go with
the consistent fighter every time. If Akinwande shows the tendencies
he did against Lennox Lewis, Holyfield will run him out of the ring."
BOB MITTLEMAN (co-manager of world-class heavyweights Hasim Rahman and Larry Donald):
"Style-wise I think it's a horrible fight for Evander. It could be a
very hard fight for him. He's an inside fighter and this guy will be
looking to keep him outside. Akinwande has a good jab and he has
some power, but I just don't see him upsetting Evander - Evander's
so much more the warrior. But if it's a decent-sized ring, if
Akinwande gets the jab popping, if he lands a left jab/right cross
combination, who knows?"
EDDIE MUSTAFA MUHAMMAD (former light-heavy champion and trainer of heavyweight James Thunder):
"I just hope Evander's up for the fight. Akinwande has all the
physical advantages. If Akinwande fights the way he's capable of
fighting, it should be a very interesting fight. If he grabs and
holds, I'll go with Holyfield. Holyfield has to take it to him,
and Evander's jab is going to be a key factor - he's got to throw
it in an upward motion, two or three jabs moving in, so Akinwande
can't come over the top with his [Akinwande's] right hand. And
when he [Holyfield] gets inside he's got to work both hands to
the body. I don't know if Evander's going to be up mentally; those
big Tyson fights, they were the ultimate."
JESSE REID (veteran trainer):
"Akinwande didn't show much with Lennox Lewis, and I think Holyfield
and Lewis are the two best heavyweights out there. Akinwande has a
lot of talent but I think he's lacking in his mental state, he lacks
confidence. I think they're putting him back in too soon in a big
fight. Orlin Norris was a perfect match for him - Norris is really
a cruiserweight - but I think they should have given him two more
fights and he knocks a couple of guys out to get his confidence back.
He's a one-dimensional fighter, a right hand and a pretty decent jab.
But with Holyfield, you've gotta come at him from a lot of different
angles and you'd better be mentally strong, although Holyfield is
getting up in age - you never know. Holyfield's got to be in super
condition - which he always is - he's got to not get hurt early and
he's got to stay real close to him, get his [Akinwande's] heart rate
up and take him out.
"I really think Holyfield will knock him out. If he doesn't he's
going to torture him. Akinwande's got skills, he's got great agility,
a real good right hand, but he's always on the right side [depending
on the right hand], he hasn't learned to come off his left side
[throw the left hook]. He needs to learn that he can throw a left
hook, that he can set down on his knees and go to the body when he's
under fire - there's a couple of things he needs to pick up on. But
that needs time."
DON'T BET ON HOLYFIELD
BOBBY CZYZ (former light-heavy and cruiser champ who fought
Holyfield and who will be supplying expert analysis for American
pay-per-view TV):
"I think it's a dangerous fight for Evander Holyfield. He has
problems with long, rangy boxers that have leverage, and no one's
been taller than Akinwande. I think there was an aberration in the
Akinwande-Lewis fight. I have a reasonable feeling that it's
nothing short of a pick 'em [even money]. Akinwande stands a good
chance of upsetting him. If he drops that right hand on Evander
Holyfield that he hit Jeremy Williams with, Evander Holyfield will
have some problems. If he doesn't get past that jab and get on the
inside immediately, he's going to find just how hard it is to fight
a la a Mike Tyson or a Bobby Czyz, somebody who's short, who doesn't
have reach, who doesn't have height and who doesn't have the weight
but has to wade in there time after time and take those punches and
slip those punches. He hasn't always had to do that. He had to do
it against the likes of Riddick Bowe and got beat to death two out
of the three times and got knocked out the last time. It is not an
easy way to fight. It's a difficult adjustment I think Evander
Holyfield is going to have to make. For Tyson, he had the strategy
and Tyson underestimated him the first time, and the second time
I think he [Tyson] just snapped.
"There are some things that you cannot discount when it comes to
natural physique and body, and right now I think he's in a real
tough fight, I think it's a very, very difficult fight for him
and I would not bet on Evander Holyfield in this fight."
GIL CLANCY (veteran fight figure who has trained heavyweights
George Foreman, Jerry Quarry and Gerry Cooney):
"If I managed Holyfield he wouldn't be fighting Akinwande. I think
it's the worst guy for him to fight. He's a tall guy with a good
left, and that's the stuff that kinda bothers Evander. But Evander's
such a man in that ring, he figures to find a way to win, but I
don't think he's going to look good and I don't think it's going
to be a good fight."
FERDIE PACHECO (famous Fight Doctor who will be doing American pay-per-view TV commentary):
"Up to the Lewis fight, I thought that Akinwande presented a good
challenge to anybody, with his physical advantages. He can wear you
out, befuddle you to death. The only thing that's a negative - and
it's a big negative - is his absolute lack of courage against Lennox
Lewis. It's the one thing I can't forgive a fighter. I thought he was
going to give Lewis life and death, but he held on like a scared rabbit.
But with Holyfield, one moment the whole boxing fraternity's ready to
give him up, then he has other fights where you think no one can beat
him. I still think he's Evander Holyfield - some days you can beat
him, some days you can't. And you can't tell me he'll have the acute
interest in training as he would for, say, a Lennox Lewis fight. But
he should take care of business against this guy. There is one thing
you can expect of Holyfield - he brings 100% of everything he's got."
TEDDY ATLAS (no-nonsense trainer who worked with a teenaged
Mike Tyson and guided Michael Moorer in an upset win over Holyfield):
"I wouldn't be surprised if Holyfield lost. I feel that he's going to
have a very dangerous, very difficult time. I think he'll find that
Akinwande has probably matured and improved a little bit off of the
Lewis fight, believe it or not. He was definitely intimidated, he
definitely fell apart, he definitely broke down. It was his first
fight in that kind of situation and I think he was also intimidated
a little bit by Lewis's size, which he won't be with Holyfield, being
the smaller guy. I think that having gone through that experience,
realising that he didn't have to break down that way, knowing that
things that happened to him happened because of his mindset rather
than any physical things that forced it to happen - even though it
was a horrible fight for him I think it's going to serve him. That's
how fighters mature. It wouldn't be the first time. Just by going
through it, he'll realise what he should not have allowed himself
to do and why he allowed himself to break the way he did.
"I believe he'll be more mature and more steadfast, and on top of
that the style is bad for Holyfield; he's a big guy and Holyfield's
always had trouble with tall guys, and aside from that Holyfield's
not really a pressure guy, Holyfield's a guy who counter punches
and then, through the counter punch, when he hurts you, is able to
work his way in and exert pressure. He doesn't just walk in, he does
it off slipping a punch and being in a good position to throw a
return punch. With this guy, he may be forced just to walk in to
be able to make something happen because this guy is very tall,
he will make it very difficult for Holyfield to be able to do the
things he likes to do. He's the opposite of Mike Tyson - he's not
going to lend himself to the style of Holyfield, he's not going to
come in with wide punches, the kind of one shot at a time where
Holyfield can counter and be in good position. He's going to throw
that long jab and make Holyfield take gambles, and then try to
work Holyfield into uppercuts and right hands, and at the same
time keeping the distance where it's an advantage to Akinwande
and a disadvantage to Holyfield. So the style's bad for Holyfield,
the size difference, the physics.
"It's going to be hard for Holyfield to emotionally get up, and I
don't think he's going to realise until he's in the fight that it's
very hard for him to just have been mentally really geared for this
kind of guy, a guy that in some way he probably thinks, off of the
Lewis fight, that when he starts putting pressure on him he's
gonna break. He's going to find the guy's matured off of that
Lewis fight, he's not going to break so easy and I think he's
[Holyfield] going to find the style is going to make it very
difficult for him to get the conditions the way he wants to get
them."
CHUCK McGREGOR (trainer of world-class heavyweight Obed Sullivan):
"The way Holyfield has looked in his last three fights and the
disgraceful showing by Akinwande with Lennox, the fight shouldn't
even be made. But the reality of it is, he [Akinwande] is a tall,
rangy kid with good physical power and he can really, legitimately
crack with that right hand if he can catch you. He's so much
bigger than Holyfield that, even though I like Evander in the
fight, I tell you, I wouldn't bet on it. It's a very dangerous
fight. I thought Lennox would beat him [Akinwande] but that it
would be very competitive. I don't think he was afraid, I think
fighters can get so overwhelmed and consumed by the event that
by fight time they're drained. In boxing, your last performance
[referring to Akinwande against Lewis] means nothing - it's what
you're going to do in your next fight."
KEVIN ROONEY (veteran ex-trainer of Mike Tyson):
"I think that if Evander Holyfield shows up - the Evander Holyfield
that's been showing up in these last three fights - he'll knock out
Akinwande pretty quickly. But Evander's on the cusp, if you know
what I mean. If he's not motivated, well, the guy [Akinwande] is
a big, strong guy, so you've got to give him a puncher's chance.
The way he fought against Lennox Lewis he was, like, petrified
- but he may not be that way with Holyfield, unless Holyfield hits
him a good shot right away, which he should do. I would send
Holyfield right out there, use the jab, body shots and head shots,
vicious shots - take his heart. Let him know you're here to fight.
The other guy has got to try to keep Evander off him with a stiff
jab and right hands. Evander's hittable, but he's better
defensively than people give him credit for. I think it should be
a blowout. I wouldn't be surprised if the fight doesn't go five rounds."
