Eleventh Hour Warrior

By James Blears

The best devised plans can come within an ace of being laid waste, as we`ve just seen viz The Last Crescendo mega boxing extravaganza, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

To avoid the chandelier partially crashing down, at four days of notice, Josh Padley has replaced Floyd ‘’Kid Austin’’ Schofield to fight Shakur Stevenson and then one day later Martin Bakole replaces Daniel Dubois to fight Joseph Parker. The onset of illness can envelop rapidly and when it does, it`s the task of the Promoters to scramble, think on their feet, use their loaf, dig deep and entice a late replacement to slot in and fit/hit the bill, for some tasty bread, as no dough…no go. There definitely needs to be a lucrative, inventive incentive of ice on the cake.

Why do boxers accept a challenge like this at almost the last moment?  Money is obviously an enticing temptation, but it`s also the opportunity of a lifetime, which is being handed to the latter on a silver platter, albeit later.  In and by accepting it, they have the chance to alter destiny as well as appreciably boost their bank account.  Quite often, little is expected.  Indeed, it`s all up to them to exceed expectations and to seize the moment with both hands.

Sam Goodman was cut twice in sparring, preparing to fight Naoya Inoue, meaning two postponements, so Ye Joon Kim intrepidly stepped in and was KO`d by the ‘’Monster’’ in four one sided rounds. Not being familiar with the style of his late replacement opponent and not having much time to study him, Naoya prudently took his time, yet not that much, to size up the valiant Korean, before bringing down the curtain and with it a ton of bricks, to duly dispatch him.

Back in 2003, Lennox Lewis was going to fight Kirk Johnson who suffered a rib injury and Vitali Klitschko then replaced him to give Lennox the fright of his life. Vitali took full advantage of the clause, to initially maul ‘’The Lion’’ dominating in round one and then stunning Lennox in round two with a couple of power-driving rights.

Then one round later, a pinpoint corkscrew right opened up a horrific gash on Vitali`s left eyelid. Another cut under the eye also appeared.  The Ring Doctor recommended the fight be stopped before the start of round seven, as the eyelid was hanging by a slender string of flesh. So near but so far, because Vitali was ahead on the scorecards of all Three Judges.

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai had to pull out of the rematch with Carlos Cuadras scheduled for February 5^th 2022. It was for vacant WBC super-flyweight title. Jessie ‘’Bam’’ Rodriguez was to have fought Fernando Diaz on the undercard for the WBC USNBC flyweight title. But he stepped up in weight and stepped in, to defeat ‘’Medicine Man’’ Carlos by UD. The rest is glorious history.

It wouldn`t be fair to categorize last minute replacements as either no hopers or likely lads.  It obviously depends upon the calibre of the champion and particularly the fighter who is jumping into the breach. Are they qualified for a task of such magnitude and are they ready to seize glory?

It certainly isn`t easy for the last- minute challenger. It can make or break, delivering a significant blow and setback to a promising fledgling career, or propel it into the stratosphere.  But the champion also has to make adjustments, which can also cause considerable hampering, stylistic problems.  He was training for one kind of opponent and now there`s another kettle of fish, which could percolate into an awkward pickle.

It will be fascinating, intriguing and tantalizing to see if either Josh or Martin can upset the apple cart on Saturday night, for us to exclaim…‘’Cor!’’