[kenyan_cheena]

EuroBox

Published out of London, England
by LondonSports Productions

ISSUE 5 - JANUARY 2007

CONTRASTING FORTUNES FOR
GOLOTA AND ANYUKOV

Story by Alex Macklin

If any self-respecting boxing expert had told you back in May that Poland's Andrew Golota would be ranked ahead of the Russian Sergey Anyukov at the conclusion of the International Boxing League's various tournaments you would have been entitled to call him crazy. Both men were seeded at #2 in their respective heavyweight events but there were few who believed that Golota had a realistic chance of emerging as the winner of the Challenger's tournament. In a field that included a number of up-and-coming talents he was one of the veterans most observers expected to be pushed aside by the new generation. By contrast, former WBA champion Anyukov was being tipped by many to contest the world championship tournament final, despite the fact that he'd have to face the destructive Miami native (and eventual champion) Terone Haynes in the semi-finals.

As it turned out, both men were eliminated in the semi-finals. Haynes proved much too powerful for Anyukov to handle while Golota was defeated by Australia's Athens silver medallist Peter Jackson, the Pole sensationally stopped in the 10th and final round of an exciting clash. Golota had earlier recorded something of an upset in the tournament quarters when he stopped super-heavyweight silver medallist Riddick Bowe in the 4th round. However, following their tournament runs it appeared that Anyukov was in a more favourable position. He was scheduled to take on another Athens Olympian, the heavyweight gold medallist Jack Johnson in a world ranking bout on the undercard of the Norton-Haynes world championship blockbuster. Meanwhile, Golota was faced with a decidedly more dangerous proposition in the shape of Nigeria's Ike Ibeabuchi, who had himself been eliminated by Norton in the semis of the world championship tournament.

While Johnson is a fantastic talent and could very well become world champion one day, it was believed that he'd struggle to get past the much more experienced Anyukov. A win for the Russian would secure an intitial world ranking of #4 and have him on the verge of a shot at the IBL belt sometime during the bottom half of '07. But on that night of December 29 at the MGM in Las Vegas it all came crashing down and Anyukov was comprehensively outfought by the younger, faster and hungrier Johnson, who took a dominant unanimous decision verdict (97-93, 98-92, 97-93). Two days later, on new year's eve, Golota sprung another upset when he knocked out Ibeabuchi with a single crushing uppercut in the 3rd round of their clash. As a result it was Golota who started 2007 ranked at #4, with Anyukov two positions back at #6.

Things don't get any easier for Anyukov following his loss to Johnson, as he faces 7th-ranked Ibeabuchi on the 22nd of March and will be desperate to avoid a third consecutive defeat. The bout will be held as the co-feature on a card in Warsaw, Poland, where the main event will see local hero Golota fight world #9 Bowe in a rematch of their Challenger's tournament barnstormer. It must be said that Golota's chances of achieving victory on the night will be better than Anyukov's. Considering the fact that Anyukov defeated Golota twice in 2005 while defending his WBA championship the current reality, where Golota is closer to a shot at the world championship than he is, must be quite bewildering for the Russian. Some observers are of the opinion that if Anyukov can't get past Ibeabuchi he might hang up his gloves for good.

Speaking from his hometown earlier this month 26 year-old Golota said that his dream of becoming world heavyweight champion is burning just as strongly now as it ever has before. He's studied the machinations of the IBL's rankings system and knows that if he's victorious in each of his four 2007 bouts he'll be fighting for the league's world title by March 2008 at the latest. He admitted that while he's still only in his mid-twenties he does feel like a veteran of the sport, that he looks at fighters such as Johnson, Bowe and Lennox Lewis and can't help but imagine they're ten years younger than him. He attributes much of that feeling to his two matchups with Anyukov, which took just as much out of him mentally and emotionally as physically. Golota is the type of fighter you can't help but cheer for, a passionate competitor who wears his heart on his sleeve every time he steps in the ring. While his future still looks bright, it's clear that Anyukov is coming to a definite crossroads and it will be fascinating to follow each man's progress through 2007.