CALLING OUT YOUR OPPONENT
Yes, Yes,
Yes…
You finally
made it. You are in the top ten rated fighters of your sanctioned fight organization. But the top five fighters are ducking you for one reason or another. The news reporters call you a dangerous stumbling block for the other top four contenders. The top four rated fighters are dining on creampuffs: what are you to do?
You find
out that your promoter wants you to be patient.
Your manager
wants you to be patient.
The sanction
organization wants you to be patient.
Your girlfriend
wants you to be patient.
Your father
wants you to be patient,
…Even
your dear old granny wants you to be patient.
But it
took you six hard years to break into the top ten and your patience has worn completely out.
I know
I am going to get a lot of criticism from fighters and promoters all over the internet, but a few choice words at your future
opponents always seem to get their attention.
Yes sir,
I am a
big proponent of the “Big Call Out”.
If the
public want to see a fight between you and a top rated opponent, call this guy out.
You can talk about your record and his record until you are blue in the face but that is just boring stuff, something
everyone knows. Everybody loves a little mud slinging. Just like back in grade school.
The good
old, “He won’t fight me because he is scared!” …is a
good starting point.
(Cassius
Clay to Sonny Liston in a Las Vega gambling casino, “He is a little black bear!)
Choose
an opportune time to make an embarrassing statement about your future opponent to cause him go to a negotiating table. Make
an unsolicited appearance at his press conference when he is talking to the press about his current opponent.
(Hall
of Fame WWF wrestling greats, The Road Warriors to the champion, British Bulldogs; Road Warrior Animal said as they barged
in the press conference, “The British Bulldogs ain’t nothin’ but a dog act!”)
You can
always disrespect your opponent and his religion too, so that you can get him riled up to fight. There is nothing better than to talk about a man’s religion to get a good fist fight.
(The 60’s
and 70’s contender Earnie Terrell trying to get a fight with Muhammad Ali, his famous last words. “His name is
Clay, not Ali!” He got the fight, his biggest payday and a terrible ass
whuppin’ to boot!).
Or you
can take the quiet gentlemanly approach like Gentleman Gerry Quarry just before he signed a contract to fight Larry Holmes
in 1982. Just show up everywhere your future opponent is. When the reporters talk to the champ, they will see you and also run back to you to instigate news as well
as a fight.
The only
draw back at showing up everywhere you opponent is…he may get tired of seeing your mug everywhere and may want to start
the fight without a contract. In 1981, Larry Holmes’ trainer was trying
to cut the tape and gauze off Holmes’ hands after a championship fight. The
late Howard Cosell asked Cooney to join the post fight interview.
Holmes
took the scissors and tried to make a pin cushion out of Gentleman Gerry on ABC TV and yelled, “I am tired of seeing
your face everywhere I go. I going to finished this now!”
Larry’s
trainers grabbed him and wrestled him back to his dressing room, scissors and all. ABC
interviewed Quarry instead. For a moment, Holmes lost it all, almost becoming
a potential murderer on national TV. But Gerry’s strategy worked. Larry
could not kiss his wife goodbye without seeing Gerry Quarry’s face.
But unfortunately
for Jerry, when they finally fought, he was beaten in an ungentlemanly fashion, left the ring with a puffed up face and his
career went south from there.
Calling
out your opponent is a brilliant strategy. If you are stuck in the top ten to
fifteen ranking of your sanctioning organization and it looks like you are not going to move up in the standings or to the
championship anytime soon, then call your opponent out.
(“…and
I’ll eat your kids!” These are the famous last words of Mike Tyson
as he called out Lennox
Lewis. But Mike unfortunately went on a steady diet of Lewis’ two fists
called, “Right Jab, Left Jab” as they pulverized him into the canvas.)
You can
beg your opponent for a fight like Johnny Gant did in my hometown of Washington,
DC. Gant was the big name in town
until Sugar Ray Leonard went from national amateur champ to Olympic champ to world champ.
Finally, after a lot of begging, Sugar Ray let his friend and sometimes mentor fight him on National TV.
But remember
after you get the fight that is leading to the biggest payday of your life, don’t make the mistake of telling the world
that “…Sugar never beat me in a sparring match.” Sugar Ray
replied, “What did he say!” Sugar looking shocked and dismayed! When the statement was repeated, Ray Leonard quietly ended the press conference and
on the day of the fight, Sugar toyed with poor old Johnny until he knocked him out in the 8th round, an embarrassing
moment for Mr. Gant, but a wonderful payday.
As you
may have noted, most of the guys I have mentioned called out their opponents and received a good payday, probably, the best
paydays of their lives. But they were defeated royally.
Just remember
before your call out your opponent, make sure you are prepared to beat him, “prepared” being the operative word. History has shown so many examples of challengers raising hell before the fight, but
becoming better swan divers than Greg Louganis two rounds into the fight.
You have
a choice…
Call the
sucker out…
Or listen
to your dear old granny!
AS ALWAYS, KEEP YOUR GUARD UP AND KEEP ON PUNCHING!
