I admit; this is by all accounts and measures a "low rent" bout, but I can't wait to hear how it turns out...
LPS5
Heavyweights Akinwande, McNeeley get serious
By St. Clair Murraine,DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Henry Akinwande didn't see Peter McNeeley until they arrived in Tallahassee, although both heavyweights flew into town on the same airline.
Had it not being for McNeeley playfully bumping Akinwande from the back in baggage claim, they probably wouldn't have seen each other until Friday's weigh-in.
The first-time meeting at the airport was very brief. They hugged, shook hands and went their separate ways. But that's where the pleasantries end because there is a lot more than the WBC Intercontinental title at stake in tonight's 12-round fight at The Moon.
Akinwande is in a must-win situation if he is to stay in the sweepstakes for a shot at newly crowned WBA champion John Ruiz. The fight is crucial to proving McNeeley's legitimacy in the division, and possibly saving his career.
A sellout crowd is expected to watch the first major heavyweight fight to take place in Tallahassee, which will be shown on Sunshine Network (cable 23) on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. Ticket sales were brisk on Friday with few seats available in each section.
Not since McNeeley lost in 89 seconds to Mike Tyson has he been is such an important fight. And Akinwande, at 6-foot-7, is one of the biggest opponents he has faced.
“This is exciting because I do better against taller guys,” McNeeley said. “Shorter guys give me more trouble. I'm not taking anything away from Henry Akinwande. His record shows he has been in with some great guys, but I've proven that I belong.”
Akinwande weighed in at 246 pounds, while McNeeley weighed in at 227.
McNeeley is coming into the fight with a 47-5 record. It will be only his fifth bout in two years, winning two of the previous four. His inactivity in part was caused by his battle with substance abuse.
McNeeley says he has been clean for over a year.
“I think I've cut myself short because I've had some circumstances going against me, most of them caused by myself,” McNeeley said. “Now I'm clean and I must go on.”
Going on means he had to get past Akinwande (39-1-1) in his adopted hometown, a scenario McNeeley's camp is familiar with.
“We have fought around the world, and Peter has been in with some of the best fighters,” said Vinny Vicchione, McNeeley's manager. “Henry Akinwande doesn't bother us. . . . He doesn't seem to be intimidated by anybody, which sometimes gets him in trouble.”
But even with the odds in his favor, Akinwande is in a Catch 22 situation. A win over McNeeley is expected but if he goes the distance or worst loses, his legitimacy could be questioned more than it was in a disqualification loss to Lennox Lewis four years ago.
Akinwande's trainer, Walter Smith, knows the danger in McNeeley.
“He wasn't scared of Tyson, and he came right out at Tyson. I've been telling Henry he is going to come right at him,” said Smith, who trains Akinwande at Detroit's famed Kronk Gym. “(McNeeley) is here to make money, but we aren't taking him lightly. We expect a rough fight while it last.”
Akinwande agrees that McNeeley's aggressive style could make for a long night. But he said losing isn't an option.
“Things have opened up on the heavyweight scene, and I want to keep winning no matter what,” he said. “I'm just going to go there and do what I've been doing in training camp. If he goes the distance it means he is in the best shape of his life, but he will be taking a lot of punches.”McNeeley
The heavyweights fight tonight in a 12-round championship bout at The Moon.
HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN
When: Tonight at 7 p.m.
Where: The Moon.
Main event: Henry Akinwande vs. Peter McNeeley, 12 rounds for the WBC Intercontinental title. |
