Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Woods wins world title


(from Boxing Monthly magazine, March 2005)
Fight report by BM magazine from Clinton Woods' awesome win over unbeaten Rico Hoye

Woods w rsf 5 Hoye
(From Boxing Monthly Magazine, October 2005)

Sheffield's Clinton Woods was the also-ran of the light-heavyweight division until March 4, where, in the bowls of the sold out Rotherham Magna Centre - an old steel works converted into an award-winning museum and convention centre - Woods produced the greatest five rounds of his 10 year career to stop unbeaten puncher Rico Hoye and claim the vacant IBF championship.

It was Woods's forth attempt at a 'world' championship after Roy Jones Junior outclassed him in September 2002 and then, of course, the debateable draw and then clear points loss to Glen Johnson in vacant IBF title fights in Sheffield in November 2003 and February 2004 respectively. The Briton had his ribs cracked and was well beaten in the second Johnson fight and many saw his off-the-canvas KO struggle against average Australian Jason DeLisle last October as evidence the 32 year old was a little past it.

"I knew what people were thinking," Britain's only 'big three' title holder said after his win over the heavily fancied Hoye. "I was supposed to be finished but people forget I knocked Glencoffe down in our first fight (although it was ruled a slip) and I did better against him than either Jones or Antonio Tarver."

Woods's final chance to annex a big belt came about when Johnson was stripped for fighting Tarver in December for double the money he was due to receive for facing No.1 contender Hoye.

Yet, despite promoters Fight Academy once again bringing the fight to Yorkshire, it was supposed to be exciting puncher Hoye's night, not Woods's.

Pic by Mr WillAnd Hoye, now 18-1 (14KOs), certainly looked the part of a superstar in waiting during fight week. He impressed reporters enormously at the final press conference with his sharp suits, silk ties and engaging interviews where no subject was taboo.

"I was sent to prison as a teenager after I had to shoot a man dead when he and two more of his crew jumped me with baseball bats," the likeable 30-year-old said. "Overnight, I had to stop being a teenager, a kid, and become a man because there were people in the Michigan prison system who you just didn't show any weakness to. I had to fight to survive in there for 10 years. After going through that and coming out a better person, fighting a good light heavyweight in England isn't so scary."

But Woods, also, had no fear of his opponent. And his confidence was based on factors more specific and practical for winning a boxing match.

"Rico fought a friend of mine Prince (Badi) Ajamu in 2003," Woods told this magazine after the contest. "Prince had him down in second round and then Rico got on his bike all night and I beat up Prince all the time, to be honest, when we sparred in America last year.

"Plus, I'd watched tapes of Rico. He knocked out (three time title challenger) Richard Hall (in four) but Hall was shot and I thought he'd lost against Montell Griffin last September. I wasn't that impressed, to be honest. He's never been in there with a Jones or a Johnson."

Accordingly, Woods engaged Hoye, two years younger, from the opening bell and the consensus amongst those at ringside was Woods, whose win takes him to an impressive 37-3-1 (23KOs), boxed several leagues above anything we've seen from him before.

In the first Hoye shuffled forward with the confidence you'd expect of a undefeated banger but he was beaten to the jab and, two minutes in, Woods rocked him with a super left hook to shade the round and bring the Yorkshire fans almost to a frenzy.

Another Woods left detonated bang on target to open the second; then another a minute later and soon Woods's left fist - delivered straight or hooked - was slammed home at will. And Hoye, looking far too slow, couldn't land his long-range missiles and was forced to stand inside 'the pocket' where he just didn't know enough to break down Woods's defence without getting badly countered.

"He were a sucker for a short right inside followed by a big left hook," Woods smiled afterwards. "He were a sucker for a lot of things on the inside..."

On the occasions where Hoye did hammer his big right home, Woods barely flinched. Woods took the second and third comfortably and whatever Hoye's rep - it was the man from the Steel City who looked the puncher. He battered Hoye in the fourth and walked back to his corner with a 10-8 round after ref Ian John Lewis deducted a point from the American for a low blow.

The man from Michigan was game, though, and he charged full steam ahead after the merest glimpse of a chance in the fifth; t much of the artillery shelled at Woods during the almost desperate attack detonated harmlessly on the Englander's gloves.

"Rico's a big puncher," Woods admitted "I felt some of them rights through my gloves well enough but he hardly ever got through with anything clean."

Nothing, nothing was working for Hoye and his misery deepened when - unsympathetically - Lewis deducted another point for more borderline body work. But Woods rendered mathematics redundant with a sizzling stoppage where he pounded the resistance from the valiant ex-con with a sustained attack of controlled but consistent aggression.

The referee's intervention was a little premature perhaps, but, significantly, Hoye made no protests. Nor did he endeavour to make excuses when I spoke to him in his dressing room 40 minutes after the first defeat of his four year career.

"Clinton fought a hell of a fight," Hoye told BM. "The referee? Yeah, he wasn't exactly on my side but I guess there were unintentional low blows in there. But I didn't mean to hit him low. I don't fight like that."

Hoye, whose talented father Robert had his career ended via KO in Yorkshire two decades ago, added he understood the stoppage but would have preferred to have been knocked out clean.

"I'm a fighter, y'know, so my thing is if I have to lose, knock me out," he said forlornly. "But Clinton fought great. One thing's for sure, he was a different guy from the one I've been watching these last weeks on tape. Completely different."

Yet Hoye was completely different from the hunter-killer he'd been built up to be, too.

"I was sure Rico was going to win," co-promoter Gary Shaw admitted over the phone from the US. "But I hear Clinton fought a hell of a fight but, y'know, Rico had weight issues. He needed three attempts to make 175lbs and I've heard he camp into camp weighing as high as 210, 215lbs. I'll have to sit down with him but he says he can't make light heavyweight again."

But Woods, who listened to the Americans say he'd be Hoye's 'easiest fight' wouldn't allow his vanquished foe even a hint of an excuse. "Listen, Hoye had nearly 32 hours to replenish his system after the 4pm weigh in."

Woods commentated after crediting his own radical improvement to working with a nutritionist and new trainer Richard Poxon (the young coach replacing Neil Port, who was killed at Christmas).

"I've was doing my diet all wrong," the triumphant new champ said. "I was weakening myself and I also carried injuries into the two Johnson fights which I, stupidly, kept to myself. I knew I had power and I knew I wasn't finished. People saw I got knocked down by DeLisle and thought I were finished but I have proved so many people long. I've put right what I needed to and now I want another fight with my man Glencoffe Johnson."

Yet the BBC, in their final scheduled coverage of boxing, had other ideas. In a vulgar attempt at 'journalism' which was deeply ill-mannered to Woods, the new champion of, oh, perhaps three minutes had his live post fight interview cut shot and was asked by producers to put on a headset and speak with (drum roll please)..... Joe Calzaghe!

"Tell him to get in queue," an offended Woods said. "Take it (the headset) away. This is my night."

And how. If he can replicate this form, Woods can look forward to quite a few more.
 
< Prev
[ Back ]