OK, who got robbed worse last week in Brooklyn, Jesse
James Leija or Zab Judah?
I'd have to say Leija. At least Judah got most of his
'bling-bling' back. All Leija got was a hero's return
to San Antonio, Texas and another moral victory.
It's becoming a summer tradition for Leija, the former
World Boxing Council jr. lightweight champion, who
last summer was the
victim of another 'house decision' against Main
Events'
Juan Lazcano. But make no doubt about it, Leija, in
the eyes of most unbiased observers, was clearly the
winner on this night. The respect for the hard-nosed
35-year-old vet only grows.
The same cannot be said for Hector Camacho Jr. With
his own version of 'No Mas' he becomes the most
scorned Puerto Rican fighter since, well, his father.
Junior's biggest crime wasn't that he necessarily
quit (although that was bad enough), it was made worse
by the fact that he tried to lie about it. The reality
is
that he looked for the trap door (and eventually found
it) in his one moment of trepidation in a heavily
protected professional career.
It's one thing for members of the media, fans or
trainers to question the bravery of a prizefighter,
boxers are a close knit fraternity, and they
themselves can only know what a fighter goes through
in the squared circle. The 'Q' word (quit) is taboo
to them. Many are reluctant to brand a fellow fighter
as doing so. But by pushing the eject button as he did
this past weekend, Jr. has brought the wrath of his
contemporaries.
"Hell yeah, he quit!" barked former two-time world
champion James Toney. "He wore the right colors --
pink.
I hope he hears this, too."
Now I know 'Lights Out' says this about a lot of
fighters, but even far less outspoken boxers have been
very vocal about Camacho Jr.
"I feel as a fighter, yeah he quit," said Mark
'Too-Sharp' Johnson, himself a former two-time
titlist. "I felt as though when he found out that
they were going to the scorecards that he was going to
win a decision. Yes he did quit. Jesse James Leija is
an old soldier, a warrior and he showed people that
Camacho Jr. isn't as good as he says he is. The fight
exposed him. It let people know that Camacho Jr. is a
joke."
Some say it exposed Jr. Others saw it coming, like
fight veteran Lou Duva.
"I told you he was a quitter," said Duva, whose late
son Dan, once had a promotional deal with Camacho Sr.
"I told you before, if James was up to par, he'd
chase him out the ring because [Camacho's] got no
balls, no
guts at all."
Like father, like son? No. Camacho Sr. at one time was
one of the very best fighters in the world in the
early- to mid-80's until his fateful night against
Edwin Rosario. After taking a few bombs on the chin
from 'Chapo', Camacho began a career in
track-and-field. So what's Juniors excuse? Also, it
has
to be pointed out, Senior took his beatings 'till the
end.
Bottom line is, when the going got tough, Junior got
going. He didn't act in a way a professional fighter
should be expected to. This wasn't about being a
warrior, but merely a professional.
"Leija didn't complain when he got cut in the first
round," pointed out International Boxing Federation
welterweight titlist Vernon Forrest. "He went to his
corner calm, cool and
collected, they worked on him and he went out and
handled his business. Where as Camacho got
head-butted, he started panicking."
"He acted in a very weak, uncertain way," stated
Teddy Atlas, ringside analyst for ESPN2 and a noted
trainer. "In a way where he was allowing himself to
fall apart and he was looking like a guy who was going
to make the wrong choices, not have those championship
qualities that have to be attached to talent and that
get forged in these types of situations."
What really irked Atlas was the way Junior conducted
himself after the fifth round chaos had begun to clear
up.
"He went over to Leija and said something like, 'We
can't continue here, I can't see,' or whatever and
Jesse James didn't even want to talk to him. He was
like, 'Go back to your corner, let's do what I'm
prepared to do in the same situation,' which is act
like a fighter and act like I care about my career. He
took it in his own hands and the thing that is
bothersome is when Larry Merchant asked him point
blank, 'You said you didn't want to continue' and
he goes, 'Oh no, I said, 'C'mon let's go' and it was
the doctor who said no.' He lied.
"I know it's a tough business, but don't try to get
out of fighting and then at the same time have the
benefit of saying that you're a brave guy."
So what exactly were Junior and Leija discussing?
"He goes, 'C'mon man, I'm cut, I can't see,'"
explained
Leija of his pow-wow with Junior. "I said, 'You can't
see?! I haven't been able to see from the first
round! I've been wiping my eye since then and I
don't quit.' I said, 'You can't quit.'"
But quit he did and according to Leija's manager
Lestor Bedford, it was Junior himself who changed the
mind of ringside physician Robert Polafsky, after
Polafsky had initially indicated that Junior was fit
to fight.
"He lied," said Bedford of Camacho's claim. "He
didn't have blurred vision and the doctor was a
buffoon for believing him. If he believed that, then
he's incompetent. He's either one of two: he's either
incompetent or corrupt. And I'd like to think he's
incompetent."
I don't know Lestor, afterall he is part of the New
York State Athletic Commission -- he might be both. But
Bedford says that Junior's quitting was a team effort.
"According to the referee Steve Smoger, he told me
he was ready to start the fight and Camacho walked
back to his corner and his corner was pulling him
back," said Bedford. "His promoters and corner people
-- they all quit.
"You can't blame them. That was the smart thing to do
because their guy was about to get knocked out and
Camacho himself knew that."
Junior got out just in time it seemed, as he started
drowning in round five after he and Leija clashed
heads, opening a cut above his right eye. As Leija
came on strong, Junior's body language was that of
someone waving a white flag of surrender.
"Our plan was never to win a four-round fight," said
Bedford. It was to get into the middle rounds, get a
little wear on his legs and then start pushing him
back and that's what James was headed to do. There was
no question he was getting ready to knock him out. I
thought everybody in the arena thought that."
According to Leija, he had just begun to time his
opponent's superior speed: "In the fourth and fifth
round I started coming on because I was able to gauge
him and figure out his speed. The fight was getting
easier for me and look what happened in the fifth, he
got cut, he got scared and he stopped fighting. The
whole round I was hurting him."
While Junior's official record may read 33-0, in the
court of public opinion, he's 0-1. And until he erases
this dubious 'win', he will always be suspect in the
eyes of many.
"As a fan I'd be very leery," said Forrest, who also
thinks Junior quit. "It's like when Roberto Duran did
that 'No Mas'. It followed him and still does
throughout his career. I think this will follow
Camacho."
(In the irony of ironies, Camacho Sr. will be taking
on Duran this Saturday night. Maybe they'll dub it 'No
Mas vs. Father of No Mas' II)
HBO, which broadcast this latest fiasco and have
subjected
boxing fans to two other Junior performances against
journeyman-level fighters, should demand that Junior
grant Leija a rematch (on much more neutral terms) or
stage their own Junior-cott.
But then, why should Junior benefit from a rematch at
all? It was Leija who earned his way back on to HBO,
not Junior. Quitting should not be rewarded with a
rematch against the guy you just quit against.
Leija, himself is unsure if he should grant a return
match.
"Why should I?" he said. "It all depends, but he'll
never be anything until he
fights me again and that'll be on my terms or in our
home turf. I went over there. Let them come over here
if it ever happens."
Yeah, but leave the NYSAC behind. But until he does
defeat Leija in a much more convincing manner, Junior
wears boxing's version of the 'Scarlet Letter'.
"He's always going to have a question mark," said a
disgusted Leija. "When it comes to his heart,
always."
TIRED OF HEARING
That what happened was an over-reaction to the tragic
death of Beethavean Scottland. Sorry, but this really
had nothing to do with Scottland, but an athletic
commission that is so inept they can't handle any
situation properly.
Scottland's life shouldn't be used as a crutch for the
actions of Camacho.
AMERICAN DREAM
It's obvious to me that David Reid has seen better
days. He simply has no bend in his legs, he's too
stiff in the upper body and he runs out of gas late in
fights. I know some like to think that Felix Trinidad
ruined him (and he may have), but the bottom line is
that Reid struggled against the likes of Kevin Kelly
and James Coker. Also he stunk out the joint against
Keith Mullings and did he look all that great against
the likes of Fidel Avendano and Robert Frazier coming
up?
Without his miracle right-hand against Cuban Alfredo
Duvergel, he's Roshii Wells (except Wells may have a
much brighter future).
After nearly five years in the pro game, he still
doesn't know how to work on the inside and despite his
good hand-speed, how many combinations does he really
throw?
Right now, Reid is a big name 'opponent' and nothing
more.
FINAL FLURRIES
Daniel Alicea, Wilfred Negron, Ricardo Rivera and Sean
Fletcher have all turned down opportunities to face
Francisco Bojado on the Aug. 4th edition of ShoBox...
The winner of the Aug. 3rd lightweight tussle between
Lamar Murphy and Angel Manfredy will most likely get
a crack at WBC lightweight champ Jose Luis
Castillo... The Mandalay Bay is the front-runner now
to host the Sept. 22nd battle between Fernando Vargas
and Shibata Flores... Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik
Morales might be co-headlining a Dec. 1st pay-per-view
show, in hopes of setting up a 2002 rematch on May
4th (or Cuatro De Mayo)... Morales will most likely
have a rematch with Guty Espadas (whom he took the WBC
featherweight title from earlier this year) on the
December show... Look for parts (if not all) of these
bits to suddenly appear on another website notorious
for 'biting' material without attributing sources.
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ALSO SEE
Leija labels Camacho quitter after controversial ending
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