Author:
Stephen Donatelli
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 07:33:18 03/10/02 Sun
“The Fallen Angel”
by Stephen Donatelli
Tonight at the A.J. Polumbo Center was suppose to be the setting in which IBF Lightweight champion Paul Spadafora finally gets fraudulently exposed by a durable ex-champion on the rise. Spadafora’s tailspin life has always been about being the underdog. Going back to 1999, “Pito” Cardona (34-5, 26) was a (13-5) favorite to have little trouble with “The Pittsburgh Kid.” Not only did Cardona walk away frustrated and empty handed, but Spadafora picked up the vacant IBF title left behind by “Sugar” Shane Mosley by pitching a shutout over 12 rounds. Then, most people thought the pressure of the “Canadian Kid” Billy Irwin (35-5, 24) would break down the will of “Spady” and capture his crown. Unfortunately for Irwin, he suffered the same fate as Cardona. Spadafora’s resume of quality opposition is far from glossy, but his undefeated professional record and (75-5) amateur record indicate that maybe people should take closer notice to what this kid is all about. Before the fight, “El Diablo” Angel Manfredy was intent on silencing the Pittsburgh crowd proclaiming that the only thing hurting would be my hand from beating up on “Spady.”
It only took the first couple rounds of the IBF title fight between Paul Spadafora and Angel Manfredy to realize who the better fighter was. Spadafora came out in round one and appeared to be somewhat tight and edgy. Once the bell rang for round two, Spadafora looked completely different and used a focused and intelligent gameplan to offset the aggressive and lackluster Manfredy. “El Diablo” showed plenty of grit and determination, but his championship experience meant little as the fight progressed. Even though “Spady” seemed to slow down in the championship rounds, he outfoxed Angel enough to use his defensive style to maintain a comfortable victory. Manfredy simply couldn’t put together his punches the way he did against Arturo Gatti and Ivan Robinson. Although the judges seen the fight much closer (115-113), it was evident that Manfredy, who fought only in spurts, simply couldn’t lay a glove on the faster and more elusive Spadafora.
Sick and tired of being called overrated by critics and fans all over, Spadafora improved his unblemished record to (35-0, 14) by comfortably outboxing Angel Manfredy (39-6-1, 29) and handing “El Diablo” his sixth professional loss. Accustomed to being an underdog virtually his entire career, Spadafora stepped up to the plate and made Manfredy whiff like a prime Nolan Ryan. With the hometown crowd spitting out loud chants of “Spady”, Spadafora effectively used superb defense, angles, and footwork to continuously frustrate the plodding and ineffective Manfredy. Boxing316 unofficially scored the fight (118-112) in favor of the undefeated champion. The defensive wizardry displayed by “Spady” was reminiscent of another former Lightweight champion cleverly nicknamed “Sweet Pea.” How many fighters can hold Angel Manfredy to landing under 20% of his punches? Perhaps now Spadafora will be recognized as one of the sports best defensive fighters to grace the ring in a very long time. His cautious, southpaw style might bore many, but boxing legends the likes of Willie Pep, Pernell Whitaker, and Henry Armstrong prided themselves on defensive craftsmanship that eventually earned them Hall of Fame recognition.
Up next for “Spady” could be reigning WBC Lightweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (27-0, 20). It makes perfect sense for them to get it on being that Mayweather Jr. has been distastefully outspoken towards “Spady” since being outworked in a sparring session between the two in Las Vegas last year. Face it, Angel Manfredy tasted the same poison that 34 previous opponents of “Spady” fell victim to. Even most of the hometown crowd was shocked at how easy Spadafora handled a battle-tested warrior the caliber of Angel Manfredy. As for Manfredy, maybe taking some time off would do him some good. He has failed to beat the upper echelon of fighters he’s faced (Mayweather, Corrales, Johnston, and Spadafora). However, he can bounce back because he’s a workman that fought for everything he obtained throughout his career.
When the smoke cleared, “The Pittsburgh Kid” removed the undeserving overrated label by once again proving the critics dead wrong. Who wants to doubt him next? He dares you to.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
|
Feedback: 