Boxing - The Sweet Science

[mr.mark]

Warrior until the end

Bloodied, battling Paz can't overtake Lucas

By Ron Borges, Globe Staff, 3/2/2002

ASHANTUCKET PEQUOT RESERVATION, Conn. - Vinny Paz came to fight last night but he arrived at Foxwoods carrying an empty holster.


The 39-year-old five-time world champion was there for one last hurrah, a shot at World Boxing Council super middleweight champion Eric Lucas's title. Paz was there, as he always has been, to fight his heart out.

He did. But his face gave in first.

Cut over the right eye in the second round and bloodied badly throughout the night by left hands he could not avoid, Paz (49-10) was a gladiator to the end, and the end took all 12 rounds.

Lucas handily won a unanimous decision, although he lost the final round to a beaten warrior who did in the final three minutes what he had done all his career. He refused to relent even in the face of the ravages of time.

Judge Gelasio Perez scored the bout, 119-110, judge Daniel van de Wiele had it 117-111, and judge Alfred Asaro 117-112. The Globe had Lucas a 117-111 winner.

''He was not as offensive as I thought he'd be,'' said Lucas, whose record improved to 35-4-3. ''I took my time.''

He did, indeed, and because of it he was rocked several times by Paz but never hurt enough to be in danger. As Paz acknowledged for one of the few times in his career, ''I thought I hurt him a couple of times. He hurt me a couple of times.''

The first time was midway through the second round when Paz's skin seemed to give like old parchment paper. His right eye exploded from the force of a Lucas left hook and blood streamed down the side of his face.

Lucas rocked him with two more left hands and Paz looked to be in deep trouble. His face was red, blood was running down his right cheek, and he appeared weary and wary already. Typical of his career, Paz came back the next round and attacked, landing a clean uppercut and several of the best hooks he threw all night. The champion remained calm and steadfast, however, landing several body shots and just enough leather to keep the blood leaking from the cut above Paz's right eye.

Lucas's left jab and counterpunching were frustrating Paz's efforts to move inside. Although those punches were not doing significant damage, it allowed the champion to control the action while he piled up points.

Paz tried to hurt Lucas to the body but he began to pay for it as Lucas countered repeatedly. Midway through the fifth round, not only was Paz's right eye bleeding, so was his nose, and his left eye had begun to swell.

Midway through the sixth round, Paz landed a solid right hand and forced Lucas to retreat to the ropes for the first time. The two battled there and this time the old warrior got the best of it. But it did no lasting damage as the fight ground into the latter stages with the rounds slipping away from Paz, drop by bloody drop.

Late in Round 8, Lucas stunned Paz with a left hook and a second one came right behind it that stood Paz up straight. Paz grimaced but bared his teeth, defiant even when under attack.

He landed a right hand as Lucas tried to move back inside, but by the end of the round, the champion had nailed him twice more and that pattern altered little in Round 9. By the end of the ninth, Paz's face was again crimson from his own blood.

Earlier, undefeated Gary Balletto (24-0-2, 21 KOs) and Peter Manfredo Jr. (12-0) emerged victorious. Balletto stopped previously undefeated Mike DiBenedetto (21-1-2) at 2:37 of the ninth round, and Manfredo won a six-round decision from South Boston's Tommy Attardo (9-7-1). Joe Gatti, brother of former world champion Arturo Gatti, upped his record to 28-1 when he stopped Tim Shocks (21-12-1) at 0:21 of the fourth round.

This story ran on page G5 of the Boston Globe on 3/2/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/061/sports/Warrior_until_the_end%2B.shtml