Preview for HBO 04/10/2010 - Berto/Quintana & Caballero/Yordan

  HBO's BAD series showcases a decent night of fights out of the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.  Starting things off with the televised undercard will feature the Ring's #1 Jr. Featherweight contender, the 5'11", Panama-based, Celestino Caballero.  Caballero (33-2) has languished in relative obscurity during his impressive career, partly due to fighting in the 122 pound weight class, and partly due to only fighting in the United States a handful of times.  Freakishly tall for his division, Caballero seems to have finally tired of calling out Puerto Rico's star featherweight, Juan Manual Lopez, and will square off against the undefeated Indonesian fighter, Daud Yordan.  Yordan was first introduced to the American audience in 2008, in a majority decision victory over Antonio Meza, but is best known for his brief appearance in the ring with Northern California's Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero.  Brought in as the opponent in a Guerrero showcase, Yordan (25-0) displayed a slick boxing style and surprising power in the two rounds that he was given.  Unfortunately, a clash of heads opened a deep gash over Guerrero's right eye in the second stanza, and the bout was stopped and ruled a "no contest."

  Yordan appears to be more than just another Asia-based fighter with an inflated record, but Caballero is on another level.  Yordan will most likely have some moments, especially in the first few rounds, but will eventually get chopped down by the long reach and distance that Caballero brings to the 126 pound division.  Look for a referee stoppage in the 8th-10th round after Yordan absorbs a shellacking from "Pelenchin."

  In the main event we will see the return of the WBC welterweight champion, Andre Berto (25-0), in against slick and crafty southpaw, Carlos Quintana.  Quintana (27-2) is best known for defeating Paul Williams, the first to do so, and then getting starched in the rematch.  Before that, he had played spoiler to HBO's plans by handing the then-undefeated Joel Julio his first loss over 12 rounds.  He stepped up in levels again shortly after that success, only to be crushed by Puerto Rican star, Miguel Cotto.  Despite similar looking records, Quintana is the more experienced and battle-hardened of the two, and has been in with much higher levels of competition.  

   The verdict is still out on the Florida-based Berto, who, despite his gaudy record, has yet to make believers out of the hardcore fan base.  Berto possesses eye-popping hand speed, along with the ability to throw hard and impressive combinations, but he has yet to truly live up to HBO's heavy marketing of his name.  Berto came out the victor in a very close decision against another slick southpaw, Luis Collazo, in what has been his one serious step up to the elite of the division.  Berto displayed heart and courage in that fight, if not the best ring smarts, as he often played into the hands of the veteran Collazo.  

  Berto returns to the ring after nearly 11 months of inactivity, as the disaster in Haiti forced him to pull out of a January 30th bout against "Sugar" Shane Mosley.  Berto lost 7 family members in the powerful earthquake that destroyed the city of Port-Au-Prince.  He has dedicated this and future fights to the people of Haiti, and will most likely enter the ring in excellent mental and physical condition.  Quintana has quite a few tricks up his sleeve, but he will have a huge disadvantage in the speed department, and will get countered with straight right hands and Berto's signature uppercuts throughout what will be a very long night for the Puerto Rican native.  It remains to be seen if Berto will become the star that HBO is banking on, but he will remain undefeated for at least a little longer, and will take a wide unanimous decision over the southpaw Quintana.

Gamache Receives Semblance of Justice

  It only took a decade.  In one of many infamous cases involving the New York State Athletic Commission, then-executives Tony Russo and Melville Southard shirked their duty to protect the athletes who were risking their lives in the prize ring.  

  For those unfamiliar with the case, Joey Gamache comfortably made weight for his junior welterweight match against New Jersey's favorite son, Arturo Gatti.  When it came time for Gatti to weigh in, the needle immediately rose to the top of the beam, showing that the fighter was above the pre-set 141 pound limit.  Russo was then seen adjusting the scale before instructing Gatti to raise his hands above his head.  Gatti did so, and the motion caused the needle to bounce.  Before letting the needle settle, Russo announced that Gatti had made the agreed-upon weight, and instructed the fighter to step off of the scale.  Gatti immediately began drinking fluids.  Demands for a re-weigh from the Gamache camp were denied, and Gamache's manager was told to "shut up."  

   This set the stage for one of boxing's more brutal knockouts.  After stepping on an unofficial scale the day of the fight, Gatti was found to have re-hydrated to an astonishing 160 pounds.  Entering the ring, he would outweigh Gamache by close to 15 pounds.  There was no feeling-out period, as Gatti pummeled Gamache in the opening stanza, knocking him down twice in the first 3 minutes of action.  The second round was more of the same, as Gamache sustained a horrible battering before being knocked down and out from the impact of one of Gatti's signature left hooks, followed by a hard right hand while he was on the way down.

   Gamache was stretched out for long moments as the ringside doctor and officials worked to revive him.  He regained some control over his senses, and refused to leave the ring in a stretcher.  Gamache nearly died in the hospital that night from severe head trauma.  He now suffers from migraines, depression, and forgetfulness caused by the beating he took that night from a much larger fighter.  

   On April 6th, 2010, Judge Schweitzer of the Court of Claims found the NYSAC negligent in carrying out their duties by overseeing an improper weigh-in of Arturo Gatti.  The commission was deemed to have "violated their duty of care" for the fighters that trusted them.  Despite that, no monetary damages were awarded to Gamache, as it was deemed unclear if the officials negligence and Gatti's weight advantage were the substantial contributing factors to the horrific knockout.

   Gamache, to his credit, focused on the positives of justice and official recognition of the commissions wrong-doing, rather than the absence of any financial assistance.  However, one is left to wonder if this will really bring about any meaningful changes in a sport that is ran by an assortment of corrupt athletic commissions, officials, thugs and crooks.  Determining that the officials were negligent, without demanding fines, penalties or damages payable to Gamache are the equivalent to the proverbial slap on the wrist.  One can hope that the public shame involved in being a defendant in such a case will lead to prevention of similar situations in the future.  Then again, one has to have a conscience to feel shame.

Further reading:

• Fight News
• NY Daily News