Hands off Gayle and Gang
Good fighters need good handlers to win championship belts and better handlers to hold on to the belt. In cricket it’s the trophy. In boxing, at a minimum, you need a good straight-right to win a fight. It may even get you a championship belt, but a straight-right is not enough to defend the belt. You need a good left-hook. But even if you have both weapons you still need good handlers to succeed. West Indies (WI) promptly returned the recently won Wisden Trophy to England and mostly as a result of poor handling and perhaps the absence of a straight-right or left hook.
A few shorts months ago, in the 2nd innings at Sabina Park, Jamaica, Jerome Taylor was the straight- right for WI. He knocked England out for 51. England went down in the first round. Taylor was not only straight but fast and turned out to be the punch that won the belt. The rest of the fight consisted mostly of good defense with the occasional flurry as WI held on to draw the remaining rounds and retake the belt- the Wisden Trophy- after years of failure. And would have whipped England in the short version had not their handlers blundered.
Good managers choose opponents carefully. Champions usually wouldn’t, defend the title immediately. A few non- title fights usually follow and perhaps title fights against opponents you’re sure you can beat. Like the way England felt before they left chilly London for the humid Caribbean expecting to win as part of a warm up for Australia. Despite their defeat in the Caribbean, England evidently still felt the same because they called for a rematch immediately. Well, almost every loser calls for a rematch. Then the champion responds with stuff like ‘anywhere, anytime’. But experienced handlers step in and say let's enjoy this for a while, maybe a few non-title fights to ‘raise’ the ‘bank’ and maybe a title defense against someone who doesn't even have a straight-right: like WI before Taylor. Good handlers protect their fighter. Who did ‘Sugar Ray’ Leonard fight before he fought Roberto Duran, or Ali before Liston? I know. You can’t even remember.
Instead, The WICB ambushed its players and, secretly, without consulting the fighters(s), negotiated a rematch. Astonishingly, WI’s handlers publicly stated that the belt was not discussed in negotiations for the return match and that they were unsure as to whether it was a title/trophy fight. When a fighter or handler is short on cash all kinds of strange arrangements are made and usually not in the best interest of the fighter. Between WI and England every fight is a title fight. Wise heads would have said ‘hey let's wait for Bangladesh or Zimbabwe as warm-ups for title challenge against heavyweight Australia later this year’. England was never on the schedule. But no, the WICB struck the deal for an immediate rematch. When Gayle and company learned of the arrangement they protested because they knew how hard they fought to win the trophy and they had also made alternate plans to earn some extra money in the IPL. In addition they had not been paid for previous fights. They felt betrayed. But the trap had been sprung.
If you can't trust your handlers then who can you trust?. The team threatened strike because, among other things, they hadn’t been paid for fights leading up to the WI/ England rumble in the Sabina. It’s unclear whether they were paid for that fight against England in the Caribbean. They hadn’t been paid for the previous fight against New Zealand. The general rule in boxing is the fighter receives an advance and the balance paid the night of the fight in cash. Failure to follow the rule can result in suspension from all the sanction bodies and denial of a license to fight or promote fights. In addition to not being paid for previous fights, the players like everyone else was short on cash and needed a fight. The question was, which fight. Even England’s former Captain, Pietersen, noted how needy the WI players were when questioned about the now defunct Stanford 20/20 beat- down England suffered.
On the other side, England was hungry and angry. They needed some filler for their season or risk losing millions. Sri Lanka and others had pulled out so their fighters can earn some extra money in the IPL. At the same time England was angry at the loss in the Caribbean and saw an opportunity. Who best to invite but a team with just a straight-right and offer an immediate rematch: another bite at the apple. And they bit unless you had a contract with the IPL. I am told no test match had ever been played this early in the English season.
Even England’s players including former Captain, Pietersen, took the IPL money and signed for 1.5 million. West Indies Captain, Gayle, signed for $800,000. Fidel Edwards agreed to the relatively measly sum of $100k. These guys need some good handlers for real. Because of the secret deal Gayle and others now stood to loose more than half their IPL fees. Pietersen was unusually quiet, no more comments from him on the cash hungry Caribbean players. He quietly gave up his half of 1.5 million for a chance to get the belt. Edwards was a standout in the IPL before he was snatched back to play for WI and lost half of his $100,000 in the process. Just ask former India Captain Ganguly whether he saw any of that first over Edwards bowled to him in the IPL. He ran in and fired over and over. Edwards is the WI left hook.
Some who should know better, they follow the game closest, questioned the commitment of Gayle, Edwards and company. Perhaps they should never have gone to the IPL. They should have returned earlier. It showed a lack of commitment they argued. Playing for WI for no money and in the cold is not enough commitment. Working for ‘free’ is not commitment
Edwards continued to run in and deliver that left hook. Unfortunately, Taylor could not deliver his straight right in cold England. Edwards had England’s best players over-thinking and hitting them at will. Used sparingly like a good left hook, they never quite got him. Even some of his own players don't get him and they seem unable to regularly latch on to catches offered off his thundering bouncers. Pietersen shows a brave face but he too is intimidated and that is not easy to do. But Without the straight-right a fighter is equally ineffective as one without a left hook. So the result England won and I believe they regained the trophy or maybe not.
Good fighters need good handlers to win championship belts and better handlers to hold on to the belt. In cricket it’s the trophy. In boxing, at a minimum, you need a good straight-right to win a fight. It may even get you a championship belt, but a straight-right is not enough to defend the belt. You need a good left-hook. But even if you have both weapons you still need good handlers to succeed. West Indies (WI) promptly returned the recently won Wisden Trophy to England and mostly as a result of poor handling and perhaps the absence of a straight-right or left hook.
A few shorts months ago, in the 2nd innings at Sabina Park, Jamaica, Jerome Taylor was the straight- right for WI. He knocked England out for 51. England went down in the first round. Taylor was not only straight but fast and turned out to be the punch that won the belt. The rest of the fight consisted mostly of good defense with the occasional flurry as WI held on to draw the remaining rounds and retake the belt- the Wisden Trophy- after years of failure. And would have whipped England in the short version had not their handlers blundered.
Good managers choose opponents carefully. Champions usually wouldn’t, defend the title immediately. A few non- title fights usually follow and perhaps title fights against opponents you’re sure you can beat. Like the way England felt before they left chilly London for the humid Caribbean expecting to win as part of a warm up for Australia. Despite their defeat in the Caribbean, England evidently still felt the same because they called for a rematch immediately. Well, almost every loser calls for a rematch. Then the champion responds with stuff like ‘anywhere, anytime’. But experienced handlers step in and say let's enjoy this for a while, maybe a few non-title fights to ‘raise’ the ‘bank’ and maybe a title defense against someone who doesn't even have a straight-right: like WI before Taylor. Good handlers protect their fighter. Who did ‘Sugar Ray’ Leonard fight before he fought Roberto Duran, or Ali before Liston? I know. You can’t even remember.
Instead, The WICB ambushed its players and, secretly, without consulting the fighters(s), negotiated a rematch. Astonishingly, WI’s handlers publicly stated that the belt was not discussed in negotiations for the return match and that they were unsure as to whether it was a title/trophy fight. When a fighter or handler is short on cash all kinds of strange arrangements are made and usually not in the best interest of the fighter. Between WI and England every fight is a title fight. Wise heads would have said ‘hey let's wait for Bangladesh or Zimbabwe as warm-ups for title challenge against heavyweight Australia later this year’. England was never on the schedule. But no, the WICB struck the deal for an immediate rematch. When Gayle and company learned of the arrangement they protested because they knew how hard they fought to win the trophy and they had also made alternate plans to earn some extra money in the IPL. In addition they had not been paid for previous fights. They felt betrayed. But the trap had been sprung.
If you can't trust your handlers then who can you trust?. The team threatened strike because, among other things, they hadn’t been paid for fights leading up to the WI/ England rumble in the Sabina. It’s unclear whether they were paid for that fight against England in the Caribbean. They hadn’t been paid for the previous fight against New Zealand. The general rule in boxing is the fighter receives an advance and the balance paid the night of the fight in cash. Failure to follow the rule can result in suspension from all the sanction bodies and denial of a license to fight or promote fights. In addition to not being paid for previous fights, the players like everyone else was short on cash and needed a fight. The question was, which fight. Even England’s former Captain, Pietersen, noted how needy the WI players were when questioned about the now defunct Stanford 20/20 beat- down England suffered.
On the other side, England was hungry and angry. They needed some filler for their season or risk losing millions. Sri Lanka and others had pulled out so their fighters can earn some extra money in the IPL. At the same time England was angry at the loss in the Caribbean and saw an opportunity. Who best to invite but a team with just a straight-right and offer an immediate rematch: another bite at the apple. And they bit unless you had a contract with the IPL. I am told no test match had ever been played this early in the English season.
Even England’s players including former Captain, Pietersen, took the IPL money and signed for 1.5 million. West Indies Captain, Gayle, signed for $800,000. Fidel Edwards agreed to the relatively measly sum of $100k. These guys need some good handlers for real. Because of the secret deal Gayle and others now stood to loose more than half their IPL fees. Pietersen was unusually quiet, no more comments from him on the cash hungry Caribbean players. He quietly gave up his half of 1.5 million for a chance to get the belt. Edwards was a standout in the IPL before he was snatched back to play for WI and lost half of his $100,000 in the process. Just ask former India Captain Ganguly whether he saw any of that first over Edwards bowled to him in the IPL. He ran in and fired over and over. Edwards is the WI left hook.
Some who should know better, they follow the game closest, questioned the commitment of Gayle, Edwards and company. Perhaps they should never have gone to the IPL. They should have returned earlier. It showed a lack of commitment they argued. Playing for WI for no money and in the cold is not enough commitment. Working for ‘free’ is not commitment
Edwards continued to run in and deliver that left hook. Unfortunately, Taylor could not deliver his straight right in cold England. Edwards had England’s best players over-thinking and hitting them at will. Used sparingly like a good left hook, they never quite got him. Even some of his own players don't get him and they seem unable to regularly latch on to catches offered off his thundering bouncers. Pietersen shows a brave face but he too is intimidated and that is not easy to do. But Without the straight-right a fighter is equally ineffective as one without a left hook. So the result England won and I believe they regained the trophy or maybe not.
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