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“The Contender” Season 3 Ends with Epic War
WED November 7, ANDRES ANTONIO CARRIEDO - At the risk of looking ridiculous should Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley or Joan Guzman-Humberto Soto live up to and beyond all expectations, I am proclaiming “The Contender” Season 3 finale between Sakio Bika and Jaidon Codrington the 2007 Fight of the Year. What the bout lacked in technical skill it more than made up for in dramatic action.
The bout got off to a quick start at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts with Bika dropping Codrington with two looping overhand rights (not to mention a couple of illegal followup punches while Codrington was down) a mere 35 seconds into the bout. Codrington quickly regrouped and dropped Bika with a short counter left hook midway through the first round. For the remainder of the round, Codrington stalked effectively behind a stiff left jab. Codrington stung Bika with a snapping right cross with a minute left in the first round, but was unable to finish his more experienced foe off and by the end of the round Bika looked to have regained his legs.
In the second round Codrington began working behind his jab. He controlled the action in the round until he was forced to abandon the strategy in favor of trading hooks with Bika when the Austrailian based Cameroon native stung Codrington with a big left hook with a minute remaining in the round. Bika began to take control of the fight by walking through Codrington’s shorter tighter hooks and applying relentless pressure.
Both rounds three and four took on a similar pattern. Codrington landed the straighter tighter punches while Bika outworked his opponent in close quarters with harder more telling and abundant blows. In round five, perhaps knowing that he was falling behind, Codrington made a conscious effort to move laterally and utilize his technical advantages to swing the fight in his favor. This worked until Codrington was caught with a big left hook-right uppercut combination two minutes into the round. The round concluded with a furious rally with both men trading big left hooks. However, when Codrington moved sluggishly back to his corner and Bika strolled confidently back to his the eventual final result was pretty apparent.
Rounds six and seven continued the trend which began in second half of round two. Bika walked through Codrington’s best shots and landed his fair share of powerful hooks and crosses. The toe to toe action was incredible, but at the end of each round Codrington looked thankful to have made it through the three minute interval while Bika’s confidence just continued to grow. If there was one noticeable wrinkle it was that Codrington dispensed with his jab altogether in the latter rounds. Instead, he chose to throw everything with murderous intentions in hopes of scoring a spectacular KO.
Round eight began with more furious two way action. Both fighters exchanged powerful head shots and Bika sprinkled in a few hard body shots. The end came with 42 second left. After taking two huge left hooks on the ropes Codrington spun around and retreated across the ring with his hands in a decidedly defensive position. Instead of waiting for Bika’s follow up referee Dick Flaherty waved off the action.
With the TKO victory Bika kept his dream of becoming a world champion alive. Rematches with his former conquerors Lucien Bute and Joe Calzaghe are not out of the question and fights against any of the top 10 at 168 appear likely. However, for the time being the $750,000 first prize reward must feel great for a man who has been on the cusp of greatness for the last two years.
Codrington, on the other hand, must go back to the drawing board. His lack of late round experience was clearly apparent from round five on. Codrington was not outmatched so much as unprepared for the prospect of having to continue fighting into the late rounds after landing so many great punches in the early rounds of the fight. In a test of wills over eight hard rounds Codrington was ill prepared to deal with what Bika had ready to dish out for 10 or even 12 rounds.
That said, if Codrington is able to use this fight and these eight hard rounds against this rock in a man’s body, Sakio Bika, as a learning experience his future could be just as bright as Lou DiBella and “The Contender” brass had hoped it might be. With all due respect to Carl Daniels, Brian Vera and Wayne Johnson you can’t move directly from cupcakes to tough steak. There should be a middle ground. Codrington never had that middle ground and Bika took full advantage.
Perhaps a few interim fights can provide that middle ground and reality television’s best boxing match ever can see a rematch. Until then boxing fans can relish the memories of the front runner for 2007 Fight of the Year. Finally, “The Contender” has lived up to its name with a fight that can only be described as an epic war. Congratulations Sakio Bika. You earned this TKO 8 and “The Contender” Season 3 championship title.
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