Poor Nate Campbell. The Galaxxy Warrior may seriously be the unluckiest man in boxing.
Or at least he's been up for that honor over the last 18 months. Since his thrilling lightweight title win against Juan Diaz in March 2008, little has gone right for him.
His first title defense was supposed to be against Joan Guzman, but his foe failed to make weight and then refused to fight at all. Nate claims that cost him $400,000, and he subsequently filed for bankruptcy.
This February, he was ready to put his titles up against Ali Funeka, but he didn't make weight and lost his belts on the scale. Granted, that was bad luck of his own making, but still. At least he (barely) won that fight.
That brings us to this past Saturday and his bout with 140-pound titleholder Timothy Bradley. The record reflects that he suffered a third-round TKO, but it sure didn't look that way to these eyes.
At issue was a nasty cut Campbell suffered near his left eye early in the third round. Replays backed up Nate's version of the story, which is that he suffered it after an accidental clash of heads. The ref thought otherwise, Bradley spent the rest of the round beating on Campbell, and the fight was stopped before the fourth.
It's probably impossible to know for sure if the headbutt caused the cut, but my brother Uatu said something at dinner last night that was very true: in the hundreds of fights we've both watched, it's not too often a cut like Campbell's gets opened up by a punch.
Campbell's team will certainly appeal, and as Dougie Fischer wrote after the fight, there's probably some chance the loss could get changed to a no decision. During his angry post-fight interview, Nate seemed more upset about the TKO loss going on his record than anything else.
I'm hoping the decision is reversed, as Campbell is no spring chicken at 37 and is running out of time and chances. He's been too much fun to watch in the ring to have his career peter out like this.
Even if Campbell gets his wish, he may not get a rematch with Bradley. Gary Shaw sure didn't sound too anxious to do it when asked by Jim Gray after the match.
And maybe we don't need to see one anyway. Bradley won all three rounds and may have just cruised to an easy decision if not for the cut. I'm not quite as high on Desert Storm as some people, but you have to hand it to him for continuing to get it done.
After seeing all of his fights in 2008 and 2009, my opinion of Bradley hasn't changed. He's not elite in any one area, but he's good enough at everything that he has no obvious weaknesses to exploit.
He has quick hands but not the highlight film speed of a Manny Pacquiao. He's defensively aware but not a master like Bernard Hopkins. And he clearly doesn't have a ton of one-punch power, but he's no slapper and can get opponents' attention with head or body shots.
One thing I do agree with is Bradley's self-assessment that he can move all day. His footwork was excellent on Saturday and he always comes into fights in tremendous shape.
It's still just a little hard for me to think of Bradley as the top dog in his division, but with the old guard at 140 fading away and Pacquiao just passing through, maybe he is. You can't argue with his results.
Bradley may have some other young guys to match up with him over the next few years (Lamont Peterson, Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana come to mind), and one of them could be the winner of Saturday's co-feature. Devon Alexander faced a stiff test in Junior Witter and passed it with flying colors.
Yes, Witter claimed after the fight that he had injured his hand during the fight, leading to a strange stoppage. And the fans weren't too pleased with what they were seeing either.
But let's face it: there aren't many fighters trickier to face than Witter. The Brit has one of the most unusual fighting styles around, leaping in to punch and quickly grabbing to avoid counter shots. He also constantly switches stances from orthodox to southpaw and back.
Alexander showed a lot of patience when presented with that puzzle, picking his spots well. He caught Witter with a few hooks and straight lefts that did some damage, and he seemed to be growing in confidence as the fight went on.
He should certainly be right in the mix at junior welterweight, and could very well end up as serious competition for Bradley after another fight or two.
Posted by The Franchise
Showing posts with label junior witter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label junior witter. Show all posts
3.8.09
1.8.09
Devon Alexander vs. Junior Witter: Round By Round
Showtime Championship Boxing is live from California with a pair of 140-pound title fights. Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell will do battle in the main event, but first up is undefeated Devon Alexander taking on Junior Witter.
Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein are on hand to preview the main event and discuss the sad murder of Vernon Forrest. There's a nice piece on Forrest's work outside the ring and a moment of silence and ringing of the bell for The Viper.
Fans are definitely still showing up, but we're about ready for the co-feature. Witter comes out first, and Johnson says the 35-year old from the U.K. knows this may be one of his last big chances. He is 37-2-2, with his most recent loss coming to Bradley in May 2008.
Alexander reps his hometown with a St. Louis Cardinals hat as he enters to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." The 22-year old southpaw is 18-0 with 11 KOs. Cory Spinks is on hand to lend his support.
This fight is for the vacant WBC super lightweight title that Witter lost to Bradley, who subsequently had to drop it. The tale of the tape shows that the two men are almost even in height and weight, but Alexander has an edge in reach that may be a factor.
Jimmy Lennon Jr. handles the fighter introductions and we are ready to go, scheduled for 12 rounds.
Round 1
Bernstein wonders if Witter will fight orthodox or southpaw, and he comes out right-handed. He shoots a few rights to the body, as does Devon with some lefts. Both men pawing with jabs. Witter loses his balance swinging and tumbles down, and he hops up and switches stances a few times. There's some hugging as they try to work inside. Witter has his hands down as he circles. They wrestle along the ropes as the ref warns them. Ugly first round, which isn't a shock with Junior in there.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 2
Left hand lead by Witter and Alexander tries the body. Devon gets another body shot and a hook in there. Witter is bleeding slightly from the mouth as he swings wildly. He switches southpaw as Alexander jabs forward. They tie up several times and the ref is busy. Both men connect and Witter's left is sharper. Junior is able to duck under a bunch of Devon's shots. Witter gets clocked by a right hook in close in the last 10 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 3
Alexander scores with a right and the counter right smacks him back. He tries to press forward and they tie up. Almost every exchange ends up with the fighters grabbing each other. Witter tries some inside body work. He gets caught with a short right and some blood is coming from near his right eye. One-two by Alexander ends with a sharp right hook to the head. Witter is jumping in and only getting off single shots. They hold again at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 4
Nice counter by Witter and he switches southpaw. Both fighters work the jab, but Alexander backs his man into the corner. Big uppercut misses from Witter. Left hook by Witter catches Devon. Jabs are scoring in both directions. Now Witter is orthodox again. Double left hands by Alexander, but no huge punches landed in that frame.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 5
They talk to Spinks between rounds. Witter dodges some early fire and there's more wrestling. Junior switches to righty trying to set up uppercuts. Witter gets caught by a left coming in and has to hold on to Alexander to stay upright. Devon looks for the kill but Witter is crafty. He tries his own big left hand and grabs again. Good round for Devon.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 6
Replay shows Witter got tagged while throwing one of his crazy wide punches. Devon punches out of a clinch and snaps his jab. Witter dodges a big left and ties up. Witter fires a right to the body. Left by Witter as he comes in again. Short right hand by Alexander. Several exchanges are pretty even, and Devon continues to stalk. Right by Alexander is answered, but a left catches Witter right at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 7
Alexander throws a combo and backs away from the counter. His jab is really looking good right now. A left just misses and chases Witter back, but he comes back with a body shot. Glancing left hand from Devon as the crowd starts to get a bit restless. Left hand by Witter is answered by a jab. Alexander flurries at the end of a close round.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 8
There's a short delay for some reason to start this round. Right hook by Devon. He lands a left that crashed in on the side of Witter's head. Two right hands by Alexander lead to another warning from the ref about wrestling. The ref also lectures Witter about holding. Alexander walks into a left hand upstairs. Alexander peppers Witter with a series of quick punches in close. Body shot by Witter gets a response from Alexander.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Before Round 9 can begin, Witter decides he's had enough. It's kind of surprising because he didn't look like he was taking a tremendous amount of abuse, but the fight is over. The replay from the corner makes it sound like it was Witter's corner who suggested he was done, but it's not 100 percent clear.
The winner by TKO at the end of Round 8... and new WBC super lightweight titleholder... Devon Alexander "The Great."
Jim Gray gets a few words with Alexander, who is choked up after his victory. He says his dad told him to stay humble, which helps him train hard. Devon credits his family and Don King for helping him stay on track in life and boxing.
Alexander says his team gave him multiple plans depending on what Witter was going to do. He claims he was not surprised that Witter quit. We don't hear from Junior, who has gone back to his locker room to get checked out by the doctor.
Posted by The Franchise
Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein are on hand to preview the main event and discuss the sad murder of Vernon Forrest. There's a nice piece on Forrest's work outside the ring and a moment of silence and ringing of the bell for The Viper.
Fans are definitely still showing up, but we're about ready for the co-feature. Witter comes out first, and Johnson says the 35-year old from the U.K. knows this may be one of his last big chances. He is 37-2-2, with his most recent loss coming to Bradley in May 2008.
Alexander reps his hometown with a St. Louis Cardinals hat as he enters to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." The 22-year old southpaw is 18-0 with 11 KOs. Cory Spinks is on hand to lend his support.
This fight is for the vacant WBC super lightweight title that Witter lost to Bradley, who subsequently had to drop it. The tale of the tape shows that the two men are almost even in height and weight, but Alexander has an edge in reach that may be a factor.
Jimmy Lennon Jr. handles the fighter introductions and we are ready to go, scheduled for 12 rounds.
Round 1
Bernstein wonders if Witter will fight orthodox or southpaw, and he comes out right-handed. He shoots a few rights to the body, as does Devon with some lefts. Both men pawing with jabs. Witter loses his balance swinging and tumbles down, and he hops up and switches stances a few times. There's some hugging as they try to work inside. Witter has his hands down as he circles. They wrestle along the ropes as the ref warns them. Ugly first round, which isn't a shock with Junior in there.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 2
Left hand lead by Witter and Alexander tries the body. Devon gets another body shot and a hook in there. Witter is bleeding slightly from the mouth as he swings wildly. He switches southpaw as Alexander jabs forward. They tie up several times and the ref is busy. Both men connect and Witter's left is sharper. Junior is able to duck under a bunch of Devon's shots. Witter gets clocked by a right hook in close in the last 10 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 3
Alexander scores with a right and the counter right smacks him back. He tries to press forward and they tie up. Almost every exchange ends up with the fighters grabbing each other. Witter tries some inside body work. He gets caught with a short right and some blood is coming from near his right eye. One-two by Alexander ends with a sharp right hook to the head. Witter is jumping in and only getting off single shots. They hold again at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 4
Nice counter by Witter and he switches southpaw. Both fighters work the jab, but Alexander backs his man into the corner. Big uppercut misses from Witter. Left hook by Witter catches Devon. Jabs are scoring in both directions. Now Witter is orthodox again. Double left hands by Alexander, but no huge punches landed in that frame.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 5
They talk to Spinks between rounds. Witter dodges some early fire and there's more wrestling. Junior switches to righty trying to set up uppercuts. Witter gets caught by a left coming in and has to hold on to Alexander to stay upright. Devon looks for the kill but Witter is crafty. He tries his own big left hand and grabs again. Good round for Devon.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 6
Replay shows Witter got tagged while throwing one of his crazy wide punches. Devon punches out of a clinch and snaps his jab. Witter dodges a big left and ties up. Witter fires a right to the body. Left by Witter as he comes in again. Short right hand by Alexander. Several exchanges are pretty even, and Devon continues to stalk. Right by Alexander is answered, but a left catches Witter right at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 7
Alexander throws a combo and backs away from the counter. His jab is really looking good right now. A left just misses and chases Witter back, but he comes back with a body shot. Glancing left hand from Devon as the crowd starts to get a bit restless. Left hand by Witter is answered by a jab. Alexander flurries at the end of a close round.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 8
There's a short delay for some reason to start this round. Right hook by Devon. He lands a left that crashed in on the side of Witter's head. Two right hands by Alexander lead to another warning from the ref about wrestling. The ref also lectures Witter about holding. Alexander walks into a left hand upstairs. Alexander peppers Witter with a series of quick punches in close. Body shot by Witter gets a response from Alexander.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Before Round 9 can begin, Witter decides he's had enough. It's kind of surprising because he didn't look like he was taking a tremendous amount of abuse, but the fight is over. The replay from the corner makes it sound like it was Witter's corner who suggested he was done, but it's not 100 percent clear.
The winner by TKO at the end of Round 8... and new WBC super lightweight titleholder... Devon Alexander "The Great."
Jim Gray gets a few words with Alexander, who is choked up after his victory. He says his dad told him to stay humble, which helps him train hard. Devon credits his family and Don King for helping him stay on track in life and boxing.
Alexander says his team gave him multiple plans depending on what Witter was going to do. He claims he was not surprised that Witter quit. We don't hear from Junior, who has gone back to his locker room to get checked out by the doctor.
Posted by The Franchise
Bradley-Campbell and Witter-Alexander: Live Round By Round Updates Tonight
It seems like forever since we've had a chance to watch a good card on a Saturday night, but the wait is over tonight thanks to a pair of youth-versus-experience bouts on Showtime. Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell square off for Bradley's WBO 140-pound belt in the main event, while Devon Alexander steps up to take on Junior Witter in the co-feature.
If you can't watch the fights tonight, no worries. Simply bookmark our main page and follow along with live round by round updates from myself and Spartan117.
The action is scheduled to begin shortly after 9 pm Eastern time tonight. See you there... er, here.
Posted by The Franchise
If you can't watch the fights tonight, no worries. Simply bookmark our main page and follow along with live round by round updates from myself and Spartan117.
The action is scheduled to begin shortly after 9 pm Eastern time tonight. See you there... er, here.
Posted by The Franchise
30.7.09
Timothy Bradley vs. Nate Campbell, Junior Witter vs. Devon Alexander: Predictions
The Franchise says...
Showtime has the buzz right now in boxing because of its super middleweight tournament - and rightfully so - but there's some interesting action outside that division this Saturday night. It's youth versus experience times two in a pair of title matches.
The main event sees Timothy Bradley put his WBO light welterweight belt on the line against Nate Campbell. Desert Storm has made two successful defenses of his title since lifting it from Junior Witter in May 2008, and he'll be fighting as the champ for the first time in his home state of California.
I've seen Bradley's last three fights and my opinion of him hasn't changed. He's slightly above average in everything, but there's no part of his game that stands out as exceptional. If he was a football QB, he'd be known as one of those guys who just knows how to win games.
Campbell makes the jump to 140 having won his last five fights, though he had to gut out decisions over Juan Diaz and Ali Funeka. Nate always comes to fight and usually is better than most at figuring out tricky styles, a skill he won't need this weekend.
Though Bradley is young enough at 25 that he could still be adding new wrinkles in the ring, Campbell has him beat on boxing skills and smarts. There will be two questions the Galaxxy Warrior will have to answer, and they're both pretty big: is Father Time catching him at age 37, and will moving up in weight help or hinder his power?
My guess is that the weight will suit Campbell fine, so he'll be in there with every chance to win. Though it's possible he may fade as the young lion comes on late, I like Nate to start fast and hold on to earn a close decision.
In the co-feature, it's another bout with a similar age dynamic as 35-year old Witter takes on 22-year old Devon Alexander for the vacant WBC light welterweight strap.
Undefeated southpaw Alexander is taking a definite step up in competition, as he's been scheduled for 12 rounds just twice before. But both of those fights went the distance (including one against everyone's favorite whipping boy, DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley, in January 2008), so we know he can do it.
Witter rarely leaves his native U.K. to fight, and this marks only his second appearance in the States. He's known for switching stances often and utilizes a jerky, awkward style that can make things difficult on opponents and viewers alike.
I expect Alexander to have the edge in both speed and power, so this one should come down to whether or not he's able to bring it on offense consistently. This is a tougher call than the main event, but I like the youngster's physical advantages more here, and I'm feeling Alexander staying undefeated via unanimous decision.
Posted by The Franchise
Showtime has the buzz right now in boxing because of its super middleweight tournament - and rightfully so - but there's some interesting action outside that division this Saturday night. It's youth versus experience times two in a pair of title matches.
The main event sees Timothy Bradley put his WBO light welterweight belt on the line against Nate Campbell. Desert Storm has made two successful defenses of his title since lifting it from Junior Witter in May 2008, and he'll be fighting as the champ for the first time in his home state of California.
I've seen Bradley's last three fights and my opinion of him hasn't changed. He's slightly above average in everything, but there's no part of his game that stands out as exceptional. If he was a football QB, he'd be known as one of those guys who just knows how to win games.
Campbell makes the jump to 140 having won his last five fights, though he had to gut out decisions over Juan Diaz and Ali Funeka. Nate always comes to fight and usually is better than most at figuring out tricky styles, a skill he won't need this weekend.
Though Bradley is young enough at 25 that he could still be adding new wrinkles in the ring, Campbell has him beat on boxing skills and smarts. There will be two questions the Galaxxy Warrior will have to answer, and they're both pretty big: is Father Time catching him at age 37, and will moving up in weight help or hinder his power?
My guess is that the weight will suit Campbell fine, so he'll be in there with every chance to win. Though it's possible he may fade as the young lion comes on late, I like Nate to start fast and hold on to earn a close decision.
In the co-feature, it's another bout with a similar age dynamic as 35-year old Witter takes on 22-year old Devon Alexander for the vacant WBC light welterweight strap.
Undefeated southpaw Alexander is taking a definite step up in competition, as he's been scheduled for 12 rounds just twice before. But both of those fights went the distance (including one against everyone's favorite whipping boy, DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley, in January 2008), so we know he can do it.
Witter rarely leaves his native U.K. to fight, and this marks only his second appearance in the States. He's known for switching stances often and utilizes a jerky, awkward style that can make things difficult on opponents and viewers alike.
I expect Alexander to have the edge in both speed and power, so this one should come down to whether or not he's able to bring it on offense consistently. This is a tougher call than the main event, but I like the youngster's physical advantages more here, and I'm feeling Alexander staying undefeated via unanimous decision.
Posted by The Franchise
23.6.09
Belt-Go-Round: Alexander, Witter to Clash on Bradley-Campbell Undercard
There are plenty of examples of the strange and sometimes arbitrary way the titles from boxing's four sanctioning bodies float around the weight classes, but perhaps no current situation is a better illustration than what's going on with the WBC 140-pound belt.
See if you can follow along. England's Junior Witter won the strap (which was vacant at the time) back in September 2006 by beating DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley. He made two successful defenses before dropping it to Timothy Bradley last May.
Bradley won decisions over Edner Cherry and Kendall Holt since then. But he had no interest in defending against the WBC's mandatory challenger, Devon Alexander, so he was forced to give up the belt when he signed to take on Nate Campbell - no stranger to belt politics himself.
The WBC wanted to match up its top two ranked junior welterweights for the now vacant belt, which happen to be... Alexander and Witter. Oh, and just for good measure, it was recently confirmed that Alexander-Witter will be televised on Showtime on August 1 on the Bradley-Campbell undercard. Only in boxing!
For what it's worth, it sounds like an intriguing fight on paper. The young (22 years old) and undefeated Alexander is fun to watch and carries himself well outside the ring, but he hasn't beaten anyone of consequence other than Corley, everyone's favorite whipping boy.
He'll have a puzzle to solve in the form of the so-awkward-he's-fascinating Witter, who hadn't tasted defeat prior to the Bradley fight since way back in 2000 at the hands of Zab Judah. Witter is known to switch stances often, has some power and has more than twice as many pro fights under his belt, so he really should test Alexander.
I'm leaning ever so slightly at this time toward the youth of Alexander in the first fight and the skill and savvy of Campbell in the main event. But hey, if Witter and Bradley both win, maybe they can fight a rematch to reunify the WBO and WBC titles that Bradley just had until he had to vacate one.
Like I said, only in boxing...
Posted by The Franchise
See if you can follow along. England's Junior Witter won the strap (which was vacant at the time) back in September 2006 by beating DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley. He made two successful defenses before dropping it to Timothy Bradley last May.
Bradley won decisions over Edner Cherry and Kendall Holt since then. But he had no interest in defending against the WBC's mandatory challenger, Devon Alexander, so he was forced to give up the belt when he signed to take on Nate Campbell - no stranger to belt politics himself.
The WBC wanted to match up its top two ranked junior welterweights for the now vacant belt, which happen to be... Alexander and Witter. Oh, and just for good measure, it was recently confirmed that Alexander-Witter will be televised on Showtime on August 1 on the Bradley-Campbell undercard. Only in boxing!
For what it's worth, it sounds like an intriguing fight on paper. The young (22 years old) and undefeated Alexander is fun to watch and carries himself well outside the ring, but he hasn't beaten anyone of consequence other than Corley, everyone's favorite whipping boy.
He'll have a puzzle to solve in the form of the so-awkward-he's-fascinating Witter, who hadn't tasted defeat prior to the Bradley fight since way back in 2000 at the hands of Zab Judah. Witter is known to switch stances often, has some power and has more than twice as many pro fights under his belt, so he really should test Alexander.
I'm leaning ever so slightly at this time toward the youth of Alexander in the first fight and the skill and savvy of Campbell in the main event. But hey, if Witter and Bradley both win, maybe they can fight a rematch to reunify the WBO and WBC titles that Bradley just had until he had to vacate one.
Like I said, only in boxing...
Posted by The Franchise
10.5.08
Updates (Not Quite Live) for Witter-Bradley Tonight
Want to see if Junior Witter is everything he's cracked up to be? Here at BoxingWatchers.com, we do too. That's why we'll be tuning in tonight to catch his tape-delayed fight against Timothy Bradley tonight. And just to stay in practice, we're doing round by round updates. Bookmark us here and come back later to see how the fight shakes down in Nottingham.
9.5.08
Quick Thoughts on Witter-Bradley
Uatu may be in the minority, but he has been looking forward to seeing Witter on US TV for some time now. Mostly Uatu has only read about him badgering Ricky Hatton for a fight. In the US, he is most famous for a horribly boring performance against Zab Judah many years ago, but he has been on a serious roll since, gaining a title. He sounds exciting with an unorthodox and switching style of fighting from the left and the right. He has intrigued Uatu for many years as a possible diamond in the rough.
Bradley is built like a superhero. He too is a somewhat unknown quantity, even here in the US.
So it's absolutely a fight worth watching, and luckily Showtime agrees.
Bradley is built like a superhero. He too is a somewhat unknown quantity, even here in the US.
So it's absolutely a fight worth watching, and luckily Showtime agrees.
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