internet <pwd100 @ widomaker.com> wrote in article
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CHICAGO FIRE!
HECTOR CAMACHO, JR. & FRES OQUENDO
FEBRUARY 6 -- GRAND VICTORIA CASINO -- FOX SN

        ELGIN, ILL -- Undefeated World Boxing Association - North America super
lightweight champion HECTOR CAMACHO, JR., and undefeated heavyweight contender
FRES OQUENDO, headline a six-bout card, Sunday, February 6, at the Grand
Victoria Casino in Elgin, ILL.  The fight will be televised live nationally on
FOX Sports Net, 7 - 9 p.m. EST.

        Camacho, 26-0 (15 KOs), from Puerto Rico, the WBA's No. 1-rated super
lightweight contender, will be making his first defense of the WBA-North
America title he won last summer at the Grand Victoria Casino.  Camacho will be
taking on two-time world title challenger HAROLD WARREN, 42-11 (20 KOs), from
Corpus Christie, TX., the IBF's and WBO's No. 4-rated contender.

        Camacho has become a fan favorite since being featured on back-to-back world
championship pay-per-view broadcasts during the summer of 1998.  Since then,
his fights have been televised live nationally by FOX and Telemundo garnering
the networks their highest ratings for their respective boxing series
throughout 1999.  Camacho displays the same speed and power that have been a
trademark of his famous namesake father, Hector Camacho, Sr., who captured
world titles in three different weight classes.  Camacho, Jr., captured the
WBA-NA super lightweight title July 10, 1999, with an impressive ninth-round
knockout over Miguel Angel Ruiz.  Six days later, he was back in the ring,
stopping Mike Cooley in two rounds, on the undercard of David Reid's first
world title defense, in Atlantic City.  All-in-all, 1999 proved to be a very
busy year for Camacho, where he won all seven bouts, five by knockout, while
rising to the WBA's mandatory super lightweight challenger position.

        Warren, 42-11 (20 KOs), is one of the division's toughest competitors.  Twice
Warren has challenged for world titles, falling just short each time.  In 1993
he lost a 12-round decision to WBA super featherweight champion Genaro
Hernandez and in 1998 he lost a 12-round decision to Roberto Garcia for the
vacant IBF junior lightweight title.  In between those two bouts, Warren
captured the NABF featherweight and USBA junior lightweight titles over Daryl
Pinckney and John Brown, respectively.  Last June, Warren captured the NABO
lightweight title with a decisive win over David Tetteh.  In his last bout, he
stopped Sandro Marcos in three rounds.

        Oquendo, 16-0 (9 KOs), from Chicago, will rumble with Dale Crowe, 18-2 (11
KOs), from Norwood, OH., in a 10-round bout.

We've probably become immune to the size of these guys paychecks, but
consider the simple notion that Oscar earns more for one fight than
most men men would earn in *several* lifetimes. They can achieve this
because of the number of PPV buys their bouts attract. Now I don't
think anyone expected the Tyson/Francis bout to be a barnstormer, so
Tyson's millions in this fight(though obscene on an hourly or minute by
minute basis) are just fodder. When I see two of the best welterweights
in the world square off for $10m plus each or whatever, I want to see a
good fight, not vertical freestyle wrestling or roadwork with gloves.

So what makes a fight great? Well for many it's the 'feel' of a fight.
I remember waiting for Hagler/Hearns and Hagler/Leonard on TV, and
feeling a growing anticipation at the arena that seemed to almost come
out of the set. I got a similar feeling with Tyson in his first
incarnation, with Fighting Harada and Famechon in 1968...well you get
the picture. What do I get now when I watch Oscar step into the ring?
A fear that I've just wasted some of my elusive sponduliks. At least
with Tyson you can rightly anticipate *something* will happen that will
justify your viewing...a KO, a broken ankle, a maiming...whatever.

So, once the anticipation is done with, what is going to define a fight
as great? It need not be a KO, it need not be a shut-out. Some of the
greatest fights of all time have been close, hard fought decisions.
I think it has to do with will...when both fighters have an unquenchable
thirst for victory, but chances are only one will emerge the victor.
This, for me at least, is the essence of a great fight. It can probably
be well described by opposite example...like...Henry Akinwande. Who
would pay to see this chump fight? Bruce Seldon is another spiritless
wonder. I'm sure you have your own list. What was that, TSC?? Chris
B*rd you say? Maybe....

Now let me tell you what I think is the best fight I've seen in the
last 10 years. There was no title at stake, the fighters were
not 'great' in the common sense of the term and there was no KO.
Hell, there really was virtually no anticipation at all...yet I sat
riveted to my seat as these two guys just hit each other with
everything they possibly could, right up until the final bell, and
neither gave an inch. Whoahhhh....what a fight!!!!!

If you haven't seen Troy Dorsey v Rudy Zavala, do so. But do so before
you buy your next PPV, OK?

Peter D

Patrick Kehoe