Ishe Smith: Too Young to Fight Old
Michael Herron (M.I.C.): At the height of Michael Jordan’s career in the NBA, quite a few youngsters wanted to “Be Like Mike,” it can be argued that Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have been successful in emulating his style. In boxing, however, you can’t always “Be Like Mike” (Tyson, or Spinks, Moorer, Carbajal, or Arnaoutis etc...); Simply put, “you got to be you and do what you do..”
Last week on ESPN’s Wednesday Night Fights, Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith, in a close loss to Joel Julio, appeared as if he were attempting to “Be Like Nard,” the future Hall of Famer Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins. At first glance, that may sound like a great compliment, but not when considering the point of reference is the 43 year old semi-retired Hopkins rather than the young “Executioner.” In a recent interview with Darren Nichols from Boxingtalk, Smith, when asked if he felt the situation was similar to Hopkins after the Calzage fight, stated “No, because Calzage pressed the action, and Bernard was holding a lot…I think my fight with Julio was more like what Bernard went through in the first Taylor fight. I clearly won the last three or four rounds.” I agree with the assessment but it can be (mis)interpreted as Smith suggesting he fought like Hopkins at 40 rather than 43! Coincidently, what boxing fans would like to see from a 29 year old Smith are performances similar to a 29 year old Hopkins: hungry, assertive, angry, and determined.
As stated previously, in boxing, you got to be you and do what you do best. Smith certainly was not intentionally trying to fight like an old Bernard Hopkins, he was simply being himself. In his recent losses to Sechew Powell and Joel Julio, however, it seems that he is not leaving enough of himself in the ring. In both fights, which were among the biggest of his career, the critique is that he could have won had he simply thrown more punches. In other words, giving the fight away through inactivity rather than as the late great Diego “Chico” Corrales would say “going out on your shield.” Smith mentioned, a few days prior to his bout with Julio, that he was dedicating the fight to Chico. He asserted that he would come out aggressive, “guns blazing” and basically give a “Chico” like performance. With the offensive minded Roger Mayweather in his corner and with a come forward opponent like Julio, many felt Smith would deliver on his promise. After a disappointing but ironically amusing effort, a 40 year old Hopkins like performance was the result.
In a sense, Smith’s recent performances can be described in Pre-Contender and Post-Contender terms. Before appearing on the “Contender” reality boxing series, Smith was a very smart, undefeated, aggressive and exciting fighter. Against David Estrada for instance, he threw many jabs, opened up with hooks and body shots from the first round to the last, he exchanged punches with his opponent and left no room for a controversial decision. Post-Contender, Smith has become overly cautious and calculated; he has also limited his offensive output and has become an overtly defensive fighter. To his credit, Smith’s superior defense, like the shoulder roll, counter right hand, defensive jab, and ring generalship can’t be discounted, but as they say in the NBA, you can have a great defense but you still have to score points to win.
Smith clarified in his interview with Nichols that his shortcomings have been a result of inactivity. He stated, “So, from ‘05 to ’07, I have only fought four times in three years. That’s four times in 36 months. That’s not good. It’s all about being active. I’m not a diva where I’m saying I need to get paid all this money. I’m hungry, and I just want to fight.” In addition, it is well documented the problems he’s had with promoters and management throughout the Post-Contender years. In the boxing business, these issues are legitimate and they will definitely affect a fighter’s performance. For Smith, the fear is of losing valuable time and making up for lost time. A stifled career subtracts from your fighting prime; the slight deterioration of his prime is possibly what fans have witnessed in his recent outings.
Even with the issues, problems, and concerns plaguing Smith’s career, his fans simply want to know “will the Pre-Contender Ishe please stand up?” At 29 and still in his prime, Smith is too young to fight old, too skilled to be inactive and too talented to be average. In the last 3 rounds against Julio, Smith showed glimpses of what he could do, what he use to do prior to the Contender, and what he should still be able to do for 12 hard rounds. In retrospect, there is one particular aspect of old man Hopkins that Smith may want to emulate, and that’s not giving up hope that his career may one day take off. Hopkins didn’t get the credit, exposure, or paydays he deserved until well after his youthful prime. With Smith’s defensive style, he may be able to compete long past his prime as well, but hopefully along the way, he will be fighting like a champion, not a contender.
