Month: May 2020

October 10, 2021
Caesars Palace
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Tate W 15 Olajide
Tate wins the IBF World Middleweight Championship

Frank Tate came into the fight 20-0, while Michael Olajide came into the fight at 23-0.

Michael Olajide, who was fighting out of New York, came in with all the hype and was a 2-1 betting favorite over Frank Tate, who was fighting out of Houston, Texas, via Detroit, Michigan.

Tate, who at the time was promoted by Josephine Abercrombie’s Houston Boxing Association (HBA), managed by Bob Spagnola and trained by Jessie Reid, was marginalized by the east coast based media, while Olajide was heavily hyped.

Despite the fact that Tate was undefeated, a 1984 Gold Medal Olympic Champion, and Olajide had very little experience, it was Olajide who was coming in on the “A” side, and was being promoted as the next big thing by the biased, New York and east coast based media.

In fact, during the live broadcast of the 15 round bout, commentator Marv Albert made several snide comments in regards to Tate’s signing with Josephine Abercrombie’s (HBA) Houston Boxing Association over Emmanuel Steward and The Kronk association.

First he implied that Tate wasn’t progressing as expected, due to his association with HBA, then went further saying, “In the first twenty months of his career, Tate has gone through thirteen no-names”.

Marv Albert’s comments were unfair and unprofessional, especially considering the fact that Olajide was actually the fighter that hadn’t accomplished anything up to that point, in the pros or amateurs!

Regardless of the media hype and Olajide being the favored fighter, once the fight started it was all Frank Tate. Watching the fight it was clear that Tate was more experienced and the better schooled boxer, calmly walking down and breaking down Olajide in rounds one through four, before taking over in round five, and controlling the action for the remainder of the bout.

Olajide was game but it became very apparent during this bout that what he had accomplished up until this point was largely due to his athleticism and courage rather than his skill, and he had made it that far despite of his father/ trainers teachings, rather than because of his father’s teachings.

Tate knocked down Olajide twice and stunned him several times throughout the fight, winning the fight by scores of 147-136, 146-135, and 148-134.

In the after-math of the bout Olajide would end up blaming his father/ trainer for overtraining him by making him run five miles, six days a week, on top of three hour gym sessions.

Olajide’s lack of experience, (only 18 amateur fights) combined with his weak corner didn’t help much either. His father/ trainer offered no technical or strategic instruction between rounds, choosing instead to berate Olajide and offer nonsensical statements, in a failed attempt to push his son to a victory.

Tate for his part spoke about how he had the edge in mental strength, and finished off with, “There was no way in hell I was gonna let a Michael Jackson look-alike come in and beat me. ”

The undercard:

Tunde Foster 13-0, beat Sam Ray Taylor 6-2-1, by decision.
Warren Williams 6-0-1, beat Mark Weinman 11-0, by 7th round TKO.
Eddie Hall 14-2, lost to Kevin Watts 16-3, by decision.
Ismael Negron 11-4, beat Higinio Soreno 1-1, by decision.

Featured image of Curtis Cokes, first professional boxing world champion from Dallas, Texas, by Stacey Verbeek

Of all the rules and traditions in modern day boxing, weighing in on the day before a professional bout is probably the worst in reference to protecting the fighters, with the least amount of merit.

Originally proposed as a way to help protect fighters and give them more time to hydrate and replenish their body after weighing in, it’s actually proven to have accomplished the opposite, with fighters practicing dangerous weight-cutting techniques to fight in a weight division they don’t belong in, then entering the ring anywhere from 12 to 20 pounds more when actually stepping into the ring, after trying to force hydrate themselves.

I said try because, although they appear to be successfully re-hydrating themselves when they come into the ring one, two, sometimes three weight classes heavier than they weighed in at, they are still permanently damaging their internal organs each time they do it.

It’s no wonder that the fighters of today aren’t able to fight as frequently as the fighters from the past, and aren’t developing the same skills either as the old time fighters did. Take a look at any amateur bout, and watch even the elite level fighters throw shots from the outside, and sometimes mid-range, then quickly clinch and hold on the inside, until the referee breaks them, then go through the same process again and again. Inside fighting is becoming a lost art.

The practice has also unfortunately made it’s way to the amateur ranks, where coaches that don’t know any better are advising young, growing, kids to starve themselves for a couple of days before their bouts, in order to be able to compete in a weight class that they aren’t naturally suited for.

In fact it’s become an almost comical belief in boxing, that knowing how to cut weight and put it back on before a fight, is just as important as knowing how to properly move, defend, and attack in the ring on fight night! This, in my opinion, further cheapens the merits of actually learning and displaying advanced boxing skills and techniques, and sends the message that knowing how to cheat well is just as important.

The common train of thought in the pros especially though, is that if everyone else is doing it and you aren’t, you will be putting yourself at a disadvantage.

My thoughts on that are:

If everyone is doing it, what real advantage is there in doing it? Why not have both boxers just fight at their genuine weight class, since both participants will be weighing the same 12 to 20 pounds more on fight night anyway?

Don’t take my word for it though, this is what several experts in the field have said regarding the subject:

Curtis Cokes:
” I think it’s better to have weigh-ins on the day of the fight because you would know for sure you have a 147 pounder against a 147 pounder. If you weigh-in the day before the fight, you know you are not going to get in the ring at 147,- probably more like 160.”

Buddy McGirt:
“Boxing should return to same day weigh-ins. They should have weigh-ins the day of the fight. Listen,guys don’t fight at their normal weight because they know they have 24 hours to put weight back on. Make the weigh-ins the day of the fight, then you would know you can’t really dry out then have an IV and fight 5 or 6 hours later.
They say they are doing weigh-ins the day before the fight to protect the fighter. I say, if you weigh 143 and you’re in good shape, and you can’t fight at 147, then you should quit.”

Andre Ward:
“One of the biggest changes we can bring in the sport of boxing is the weigh-in process. Either go back to same day weigh-ins, or allow IV’s to be administered in every state legally. Lack of fluid around the brain increases the risk of a brain bleed.”