Brock TKO's 'The Black Rhino, Step in Right Direction
by
Frank Gonzalez Jr.
1/22 - Friday night in Houston Texas, Clifford Etienne, "The Black Rhino", 29-3-2-20 KO's, went down in the second round and twice again in the
third at the hands of the new kid on the Heavyweight block, Calvin Brock, who
upped his record to 24-0, with 19 KO’s. Referee Lawrence Cole, who could teach a course on Premature Stoppages, was quick to halt the contest after the third knock down—even though Etienne appeared quite capable of continuing. Cole "insured" that no one got hurt.
It’s no surprise that with 24 professional fights on his resume, this
was
the first time Brock fought a credible or at least recognizable
opponent in
the division. Brock’s last opponent, Wesley Martin, had a 16-45 record.
So,
Etienne was definitely a step in the right direction for the
29-year-old
from Charlotte, North Carolina.
It was a spirited contest and Etienne fought aggressively but was
making the
mistake of leaning forward and presenting his head as a target. Brock
caught
Etienne with a few good shots—right on the target. Between getting
knocked
down by Brock, Etienne was keeping it close and landing some
respectable
shots of his own. It even looked like Clifford might’ve knocked Brock
out
after getting up from the first knock down. But Brock held his own
during
the slugfests that ensued, answering with clean punches that found
Etienne’s
head and sent him to the canvas.
This win puts Brock on the map. He’s now ranked 34th in the World and
is
already ranked higher then a bunch of recognizable names he’s never
faced,
like Fres Oquendo, Dominic Guinn, Fabio Moli and unbeaten Owen Beck to
name
just a few.
There is nothing sensational to note about Brock just yet, but he
showed
respectable boxing technique and apparently has enough power to have
won 19
of his 24 fights by TKO and one by actual knockout. That has to count
for
something, even if most of his opponents were nobodies.
In America, Pro Fighters effectively continue their amateur careers for
the
first 25 fights, where they face hand picked opposition designed to
inflate
their resumes. That accounts for the fancy, unbeaten records of up and
coming prospects, like Calvin Brock.
Considering the sorry state of the Heavyweight division, Brock has a
good a
chance as anyone to make his mark if he can score some wins over some
top-20
fighters in the near future. Brock took some good shots from Etienne
and
showed cool under pressure. With the right promoter and some refinement
of
his skills, he has the potential to go far.
I’d like to see Brock take on the fighters he’s already ranked above.
If he
beats those guys, that would lend an air of legitimacy to his
unblemished
record.
* * *
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