Around roughly 3:15 PM this Friday, Nate Campbell had many people scratching their heads in disbelief. It was at this time that the unified Lightweight Champion of the world had officially weighed in for his mandatory defense against Ali Funeka at a whopping 138 pounds, 3 pounds over the scheduled Lightweight limit. From the minute Campbell’s initial weight was announced, people began whispering to each other and wondering exactly what was going on.
Campbell was given to hours to attempt to lose the weight and went to nearby Bally’s gym in search of a sauna. With Campbell was Super Middleweight Allan Green, who entered the sauna with his good friend to offer some hope.
“I just tried to be there with Nate to encourage him to try to lose the weight,” the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native stated. “I didn’t want him feeling that he was alone.”
Two hours later Campbell arrived back at the Bank Atlantic Center and tried to weigh in on the target weight of 135 pounds, to no avail. He came in at 137.5, thus losing his Lightweight belts in the process. Win or lose his fight against Funeka, Campbell was no longer a champion.
The fan reaction to Campbell coming in overweight was pretty harsh, especially considering that Nate had his previous opponent, Joan Guzman, weigh in 3 ½ pounds over their scheduled September showdown. Guzman would eventually pull out of the contest, costing Campbell the fight and a nearly $400,000 payday.
The difference between Campbell and Guzman, is that Nate Campbell decided to fight on, and that would ultimately serve as his saving grace this past Saturday night on HBO. Campbell and his team later issued a statement later in the evening stating that Nate had done everything he could to make 135 pounds, but that his body simply wouldn’t drop the final three pounds. They insisted that the fight with Funeka was definitely still a go.
The Fight
When Campbell finally did meet Funeka in center ring at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, expectations where high, even though people didn’t know what to expect. Funeka was coming off of a devastating fourth round stoppage of Zahir Raheem this past July and that combined with Nate’s weight issues left many wondering if the stars weren’t going to align for the ‘Galaxxy Warrior’.
As soon as the first bell rang, those questions began to answer themselves in Campbell’s favor as he stalked his taller foe early and was patiently aggressive. Campbell made the fight a chest to chest battle early on, focusing much of his attack on the South African’s long rib cage. Nate began to show that despite his disadvantage in size, he was equally as strong as Funeka and began bullying ‘Rush Hour’ around the ring. Campbell’s body work wa s thudding and appeared to lead him to an early round victory.
In the second round it was more of the same, as Campbell pinned his forehead to Funeka’s chest and cracked away. Funeka seemed to be having trouble with Nate’s raw tenacity and later in the round he was wobbled by a crashing right hand to the temple. The shot buckled Funeka’s knees and had him dazed and backpedaling. Campbell sensed that his prey was weak and stormed Funeka, dropping him with a crushing right hand shot. The crowd erupted and the bout had its fist meaningful display of drama.
Funeka rose on wobbly legs and somehow managed to win the round. Things looked bleak for Ali but it was then that we got to truly see the class with which the South African has. Over the next few rounds Ali began to find his comfort zone and started fighting with a comfortable rhythm to his attack. Funeka used his height to his advantage and began connecting repeatedly with his jab. Campbell’s aggression slowed and suddenly things became much more interesting.
By the middle of the fight Funeka seemed to have things even on the scorecard and Campbell looked a bit tired, possibly from his weight issues. Campbell was still persistent and landed the occasional big right hand but it was obvious that his punch count was down. He also began straying from his body work which was so effective early on.
Not wanting to let the tide turn completely, Campbell picked things up in the seventh and appeared to have an effective round. He went back to the body and for the moment appeared to steal Funeka’s momentum. The fight was back and forth for many rounds and both men had their moments.
Funeka was solid in round 9 and 10 but trouble awaited him in the 11th. In this round Campbell fought like a man who knew he needed to do somethi ng dramatic to turn the fight and he did just that. Nearing the one minute mark, Campbell cracked Funeka again with a brutal right hand that had Ali dazed. Funeka stumbled along the ropes and crashed to the canvas, resulting in the second knockdown of the fight.
From this point on it was Campbell’s fight and he stalked Funeka like a rabid dog, never giving an inch and constantly applying pressure. Campbell seemed to gain his second win and his power punches were largely unanswered during the final three minutes of the contest. As the final bell rang both men raised their hands in the air and seemed confident of victory. The crowd seemed to think that Campbell’s late rally had done enough to win and I personally saw Campbell ahead by 3 points.
The judges’ tallies of 113-113, 114-112, and 115-111 went in Campbell’s favor, and despite not retaining his belts, ‘The Galaxxy Warrior’ was still a20winner on this night.
Campbell and his teamed breathed a huge sigh of relief and the former Lightweight champion kissed his wife, knowing that he had been in a true test of his abilities.
Afterwards, in his dressing room, Campbell and his team celebrated. Campbell’s promoter Terry Trekas, with One Punch Productions, stated that he was on the phone taking calls about ‘five or six possible bouts’ for Campbell. For a fighter who had fans disappointed on Friday afternoon, Campbell certainly restored his luster and his future with this effort on Saturday night.
Allan Green claimed that Campbell and Funeka had displayed an ‘epic’ fight for the fans in the arena and Campbell himself noted that he had indeed been in a true fight.
At the post fight press conference, Ali Funeka and his team were extremely disappointed but gave Campbell much credit. They stated they felt the weight may have played a huge role in the fight but claimed they would be back. As Funeka was leaving the press conference he was stopped by Campbell, who told him to keep his head up and that his time as a champion was coming.
Trekas and Campbell’s trainer John David Jackson also gave Funeka and his team much credit, stating that the animosity between both teams during the week was just part of the boxing game. Jackson told anyone who would listen that Funeka is going to be trouble for anyone at 135 pounds.
As for Campbell, h e and his team mentioned that he can no longer make the Lightweight limit and he plans on moving up to 140 pounds for his next fight.
“My body just doesn’t feel the same,” Nate told 8 Count News afterwards. “But I can tell you that I am open to all comers at 140 pounds.”
One rumored opponent for Campbell’s debut at 140 pounds is former two-time champion Zab Judah, who remains dangerous with his power and speed.
Regardless of his situation on Friday afternoon or even the results of his new voyage at 140 pounds, Nate Campbell showed that with or without a belt around his waist that he is forever a fighter and whoever is in the ring with him will find that out one way or another.
Martinez and Cintron fight to controversial draw
Just days before his scheduled showdown with interim WBC Jr. Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, Kermit Cintron was calm and confident as he sat outside the Bank Atlantic Center. Speaking exclusively to 8 Count News, Cintron talked about his chances in the fight and seemed optimist.
“Sergio Martinez is a good fight but I can’t say much about him,” Cintron stated. “I just have to focus on what I have and the rest will take care of itself.”
Cintron opened up about his power and also chose not to say much about the recent suspension of Antonio Margarito, t he only man to defeat him in the ring. He seemed ready for a breakout performance in a new weight class.
Unfortunately for Cintron and everyone watching his bout with Martinez, their styles lead to a somewhat disappointing outing. Early on Martinez and Cintron sized each other up round after round with little action coming either way. Martinez seemed to steal the rounds with the occasional flurry and despite an occasional outburst in the third; the first six rounds were fairly slow.
Things did heat up in the seventh round as a beautiful land hand shot from Martinez cracked Cintron flush on the chin, rattling the Puerto Rican. Cintron was dazed and opted to take a knee. Referee Frank Santore began the count and Cintron did rise, however it was very hard to tell if he had initially beaten the full ten second mark. The bout appeared to be waived off which lead to Martinez celebrating and Cintron complaining.
Surprisingly, a few moments later, the ring was cleared and it was announced that the fight was still on, as Cintron had rightfully beaten the count and deserved to fight on. The second half of the fight was much more competitive and intriguing, as Martinez showed some fire that missing throughout the first half of the fight.
The men took turns potshotting each other and despite a noticeable swelling under his eye, Cintron had occasional success with his right hand power shots. As the fight neared a close it appeared that Martinez had done enough to pull out the win, but the bout was ruled a majority draw. The three official cards read 116-110 Martinez, and 113-113 on the remaining cards.
Both men were in disbelief and Cintron stated afterwards that he clearly thought he won the fight. He also insisted that he felt he was hit with a headbutt, not a punch, in the seventh round because ‘nobody hits that hard’.
For his part, the usual gracious Martinez claimed that the fight should have been stopped at the end of the seventh round.
“I felt that I won twice. I didn’t think he made it up at the end of the round.”
Angulo Plows Through late replacement Rivera
When the February 14th card was originally announced, the main event was to be a showdown between always t alkative Ricardo Mayorga and ruthless stalker Alfredo Angulo. Unfortunately Mayorga ended up pulling out of the contest just weeks before the 14th and people were left scrambling for a replacement for Angulo.
Rumored opponents such as Daniel Edouard, Kassim Ouma, Ishe Smith, and others were all mentioned, and eventually Danny Perez was given the slot. More bad news struck later on as Perez also pulled out and late substitute Cosme Rivera came in on just four days notice.
It was seen that Angulo-Rivera would be a mismatch by most and the fight pretty much went according to script. Angulo stalked his older foe early and despite a huge gash above his right eye, Angulo was having success early on with a punishing body attack.
Rivera’s professionalism was obvious and he did land some nice shots but he didn’t=2 0have the power to rattle the bull in front of him and he took some huge blows in the third round. Angulo was on top of Rivera from that point out, never giving his foe an inch of breathing room.
Angulo’s best assets as a fighter were on display as he recklessly bludgeoned Rivera from pillar to post. The head shots and power shots that Angulo threw were both viscous and by the fifth round Angulo’s corner had seen enough and prompted the ringside officials to throw in the towel.
With the win Angulo moves to 15-0 with 12 knockouts and he is a dangerous test for anyone who awaits him. Angulo is bruising, rugged, and physically strong, and a potential clash with someone like James Kirkland could be fireworks in the future.
As for his performance, Angulo wasn’t overly impressed but still confident none the less.
“I felt a little slow but I was good. I felt better as the rounds went on. I’m ready for anyone. I’m not afraid of anyone in boxing.”
