By Camille Sylvain Thompson
“A Win’s a Win,” commented champion Sugar Ray Leonard, as he consoled winner Paul Smith who was victorious by a split decision – twice by a narrow margin of 48-47 on two judges’ scorecards over David Banks. However, one official had Banks winning 49-46. Smith was later disappointingly deemed “medically-disqualified” from the tournament after surfacing two deep cuts that would take more than a week (the time he’d have to rest between fights) to heal.
I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t have been more excited to see what Smith might be hiding under that scraggly 5′ o’clock shadow, and ghastly white under-toned British body. However, when the first bell sounded, both fighters, who talked the game, seemed jittery, scared and eager with Banks, Portland, Oregon constantly backing up, and Smith constantly making his opponent flinch with half-cocked punches that never followed through. By the second or third round I found myself on the edge of my seat, begging for someone to throw a punch, well, alright, not someone, but Paul, who I had now nicknamed, McCartney, because of his cockney accent, dark hair and Liverpool roots. “C’mon, throw something –you’ve got him McCartney!” Unfortunately, every throw seemed ½ powered – forced, and often behind; with only a handful landing in each round. Those power punches that did land were damaging, but so few and far between, that Banks, 5’10″, had ample recovery time. During the pre-fight warm-up with trainer Pepé Correa, Smith, 5’11″, was throwing short but powerful jabs, with his trainer even asking Smith to bet him money that he doesn’t make a world title. How could you not expect more?! Unfortunately, a fifth round decision came quickly, with every preceding round ending in a “?” No one knew who was winning, because each fighter was throwing and landing so little. Paul said it best in the end, recognizing that a Champion doesn’t let his personal feelings interfere with his tactics. He likely knew it was over before it began, as he set forth in an angry trance, forgetting why he was there, why his family who flew over from England was there, and most importantly, how he got there. Both Leonard and Correa seemed personally disappointed in his performance, but knew he had made a fatal amateur boxing mistake, by letting Banks get to him. In the end, both boxers were disappointed with their performances, and both seemed more mature for recognizing their downfalls. Neither boxer, however, seemed to be too upset about not moving on in the tournament. I suppose that’s why we are left with four hungry fighters – Soliman, Codrington, Johnson and Bika, all fighting for a cause, some more personal than others, but nonetheless, all desperately wanting the $750,000 prize and Contender Title. Next week semi-final match up’s begin between speed demon Jaidon Codrington, fighting for the memory of his father who passed away during the tournament, and underdog Wayne Johnson, with the second fight match up between Aussie rivals Sam Soliman and Sakio Bika (who was defeated by Soliman in a pre-Contender fight). Source: www.boxingtimes.com
October 9, 2007 Los Angeles, California (Contender Arena)–
Camille Sylvain Thompson For those of us expecting an all out brawl between the Liverpudlian, Smith (21-0, 12 KO’s), a man you might put $ on in a London bar fight, not for his size or looks, but for his cool, matter-of-fact confidence that exudes from his quick witted comments, and David Banks (14-3-1, 2 KO’s), the cocky, pretty-boy whose mother, when he was a child, wouldn’t let him box because of his good looks, we got more of a coffee enraged paddy cake game, with an even more disappointing finish.
