The third week of competition brought by far the most active
fight we have seen, and at the end of the series it will probably still remain one of the most energetic match-ups. The Blue Team remained in control after winning
their second fight in a row, and the Gold’s trainer Tommy Brooks was not at all
happy about it.
But before any competition began, the winner of last weeks’
fight, Alfredo Escalera, Jr. was awarded his gold glove necklace and was given
the opportunity to place his name in the spot where he would like to fight for round
two. Escalera decided he did not want to face the winner of the first fight,
Felix Cora, Jr. He also said he would like a bit more time to rest, and slid
his name into the second group of fighters.
Several of the members of Team Blue were ready and anxious
to fight, but in the end it was Erick Vega who got the nod. He decided to call
out Akinyemi “A.K.” Laleye. He felt A.K. was the smaller man, and that his
strength would overpower the man from Nigeria. Before the fight Vega had said
he would not go for the knockout, but if it came, so be it. Ultimately, he did
not follow that game plan.
John Bray, the trainer for the Blue Team, said that this
would be a very entertaining fight, and that we had a boxer in A.K. and a
slugger in Vega. Bray was absolutely right about the fight being entertaining,
and both men gave and received many, many punches here. But from the outset,
Erick seemed to be going for that one big strike.
“The whole game plan was to box and be smart, and that was
thrown out in the very first round,” he later told me. “As a result of that, I’d
wasted a lot of gas trying to knock him out. I went head hunting and tried to
hurt him with every punch.”
That fact was not lost on Bray, who kept trying to tell him
to quit going for the one big punch. In frustration, Bray finally told him, “You
keep swinging and you haven’t hit him once!”
Even though A.K. had the upper hand throughout most of the
fight, that did not mean that Vega just stood there and took it. He landed some
good punches as well, and even though Erick did not fight according to plan, the
first four rounds showed that he was not afraid to take a shot. You could see
the talent come out when he would take his time, which, by his own admission,
wasn’t often enough.
While all rounds gave fans plenty of action, it was the
fifth that had both teams on their feet, yelling and cheering. Vega really
clocked A.K., and had him reeling on the ropes. At that point it seemed as if
the one thing that could win the fight for Erick, the knockout, would come his
way. “By the last round he was ready to go, but I just didn’t have enough,”
Erick told me. “I got caught by good punches from him, too. I was throwing some
heavy leather, but I didn’t quite catch him like I needed to.”
In the end, the decision was a unanimous one; 49-46, 50-46,
and 49-46, and for the man from Nigeria, Akinyemi “A.K.” Laleye.
As is obvious, what happens during filming must be edited
down a lot, to turn it into an hour of TV time. One incident that set the tone
for the fight was something that A.K. did that was not shown in its entirety on
television. “A.K. came into my corner and he stared me down for quite a while,
and that really got under my skin. By the time the bell rang I was about ready
to blow up. Well, I did blow up, but I blew myself up,” he laughed. “He was
smart and he told everybody going into the fight that’s what he was going to
try to do, get under my skin, and he did a masterful job of it!
“A.K. fought like he needed to for the win and I take my hat
off to him. I have no excuses. I was in tip top shape. Unfortunately, my whole
game plan went out the window, but that’s all my fault.”
While Vega was ready for this fight, he really would have
liked to be the first fighter out. “I felt over-trained by the time I got this
fight,” he said. “I expected to go out the first day, what with what happened between
Joell and me, so I started training. But it didn’t work out.”
No, things don’t always work out, and this was a lesson for
Erick. “I’m glad to have been a part of a fight like that. Unfortunately I came
out on the wrong end of it, but you live and learn. I believe I’ve learned a
lot. I have a temper, I’ve had one in the past, and I’ve really learned my
lesson, that’s all I’m going to say on that.
“This was the opportunity of a life time,” he continued, “and
the biggest day of my boxing career. It’s a shame I did that on my biggest day,
but it’s not over and there are more things to come, definitely.”
So, I guess he didn’t mean it when he said he was quitting
boxing. “No,” he answered quickly. “I’m an emotional fighter and I was really distraught.
I was upset at my performance and I wear my heart on my sleeve. At the time I really
felt that’s what I should do, but I was incorrect. I made too many sacrifices,
and I couldn’t do that.”
There is a possibility that he will be back on in February
for the finale, since boxers are selected to come back and fight on the
undercard. That remains to be seen. “I’d like to get a chance to redeem myself.
I was unhappy with my performance, and I’d like to fix that. I expect a lot
from myself and I really fell short of what I was expected to do. I’m a better
boxer than that, and I was not showing any of my boxing skills.”
It will be interesting to see if Erick returns to The
Contender. In the mean time I want to thank him for his time.
Next week there will not be a new episode due to the
holidays. On New Year’s Eve there will be a new show, but no interviews will be
available. I will cover the show on that week, and then do double duty the
following week so that I can bring you two interviews as well as the column.
To all of you who publish and read my work, A VERY MERRY
CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
