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Soliman is King – Could Be Champ
TUE November 14, BUSTER PARIS - Let’s just get right to it – “King” Sam Soliman (32-8) is a fight away from being the Middleweight Champion of the World – all he needs is the chance - and interestingly enough for some reason we ignore him or simply pass him over – I’m guilty of it too and it stops now.
A few months ago I mentioned Sam in an article – just a small little blurb - and I got a gracious email from his manager Stu Duncan thanking me for the compliment I gave to Sam – Stu and I have exchanged a few other emails since and we we’re discussing Sammy’s upcoming fight – Friday, November 17th against Enrique Ornelas (25-2) and I said how it’s a great weekend of fights – especially with Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao on Saturday ….
And that’s when it dawned on me that I’m one of the ones that doesn’t give Soliman his proper due –
For those of you unfamiliar with Sammy – he got his start in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and Kick-Boxing and it makes him an incredibly unique and talented fighter with skills, radar and weaponry that no other fighter has.
Do yourself a favor and watch him fight on Friday – November 17th live on Showtime – he’s so freakin’ fun to watch – think Prince Naseem Hamed - meets Rocky Graziano (after 20 cups of Cappuccino) - meets Floyd Mayweather Jr. performing Drunken Monkey style Gong Fu --- and that will give you a little idea of the fun of watching “King” Sam Soliman.
For his upcoming fight Stu Dancan said:
“Sammy's flyin’ mate - he's been over there [USA] for a couple of weeks training out of the Wild Card & getting some quality sparring in while he's there. He's better prepared for this one both physically & mentally than I have ever seen him. Rarely do we get 3 months to study an opponents style and prepare - Sam is awkward at the best of times - but he is a studious boxer and if he understands your style & favored kinds of punches, he can force error and almost make his opponent look silly. Combine the 3 months to study & prepare and add 3 weeks to acclimatize - throw in sparring partners like Paul Briggs - Mikkel Kessler and you have Sam at his absolute best.”
We are in for a real treat Friday night – especially those of you who are not familiar with him – and for the smart handful of you nodding your head right now and thinking “finally!” – well, I’m sorry this took so long
There is talk of Sammy moving up to Super Middleweight – and he might just have to do so, but I think right now – today - he has what it takes to be the Middleweight Champion of the World – at least to start off as the majority belt holder.
Yes – I’m aware that he lost his fight against Winky Wright (12.10.2005) but he is one of the only fighters ever to make Winky look like he was actually IN a fight – he tagged Wright from the most unusual angles imaginable – and after 12 rounds Winky’s face was swollen, redden and bruised – and we’ve never seen that before.
Ring Magazines recognized Middleweight Champion is Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor (W 25 - 17 ko's, L 0 & D 1) and I think that Sammy could beat the ever-loving snot out of Jermain and have a great time doing so – as always – with a smile on his face.
Jermain’s a tough fighter and is very strong, but I don’t think he’s equipped to deal with the likes of Sam Soliman – Sam’s too skilled, too fast – and throws too many punches – they’d overwhelm Taylor and confuse him - remember against Wright Sammy threw 1,260 punches -- and let’s not forget what Duncan said:
“Sam is awkward at the best of times”
I think this is the perfect fight for Sammy before moving up – it could also happen (if some rumors are true) and Taylor moves up to 168 lbs – I’d love to see these 2 go at it – they say styles make fights – and Sammy has such an unconventional style that I don’t think Jermain could cope with – and while Taylor has fought and held his own against great Champions like Wright and Bernard Hopkins he’s never fought anyone close to Soliman’s skills -- Sammy’s different – and Sammy’s special and this is the fight that will give us all a wake up call.
Again let me remind you that this coming weekend there is more than just Morales vs. Pacquiao III and it starts off Friday – November 17th at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, CA where “King” Sam Soliman is taking on Enrique Ornelas – if you’re in California and have always wanted to go to a fight – go to this one! – it’ll also be shown live on Showtime.
Watch the fight – and get back to me on your assessment of Sammy – and how you think he’d do against Taylor.
Buster Paris can be reached at: bparis@talkingboxing.com - and always enjoys receiving your thoughts, comments and questions
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