Archive for September 2009
Sass v Sinclair Preview
Rob Sinclair and Paul Sass finally meet on Saturday. No need for hype- this is a fight everyone really has been waiting for. The two lightweight princes duelling to see who is the king of the Olympia.
Sass has plenty in his favour. Forget the record breaking triangle run- just check the names on his record: Jason Ball, Ian Jones, Harvey Harra, Martin Stapleton. With a CV like that, you have officially graduated from promising youngster to player. Obviously, he is exceptional off his back and people keep falling for it. You have to be pretty smart to get lucky that often.
The closest he has come to defeat was against Jason Ball last November. Ball kept the fight standing with some neat footwork and sly fence holding. Daddy Cool was on his way to a decision victory before his discipline slipped. Unloading from half guard and looking for the finish, he was the last person in the Olympia to know he was the latest victim of the Sass triangle. Everyone knows what Sass has got, but it seems he is unstoppable.
Rob Sinclair is the toughest challenge Sass has faced. Like Sass, his win column is full of top names, but it’s his solitary defeat that made Rob Sinclair the fighter he is. At Cage Gladiators 8, Sinclair and Greg Loughran fought a war of attrition. On my card, Sinclair was edging a gruelling clinch and ground war against one of the best guys in the domestic game. One slip, Kimura on and the old fox Loughran is volleying his mouthpiece into the crowd in celebration while Sinclair kicked himself.
To quote from the hurtbusiness report:
A good learning fight for Rob Sinclair and confirmation that there’s no substitute for experience.
Wise words if I say so myself. Before that fight, Sinclair was good. Since then- he looks on another level. He dictated the shape and pace of his fight against Tim Radcliffe to earn a unanimous decision. Next, he relentlessly pounded the tougher than your toughest pair of old boots Aidan Marron then played a mature waiting game before clinically taking out Alexandre Izidro.
Whatever the result; Sass and Sinclair are both on the way up. Both are improving and should be making waves on the international scene shortly. Right now, I think that Sinclair is the more complete package, with a definite edge standing. With his mature attitude- I don’t see him making the fatal mistakes that others have when facing Sass. Taking into consideration his power, hurtbusiness picks Rob Sinclair to win by stoppage.
Team England 1 Russian Legion 4
Team England were beaten 4-1 in the semi final of the M-1 Challenge in Rostov on Don, Russia.
There were some positives. Rob Broughton put in a confident performance to confirm that he is up there with the best European heavies. Lee Austin lost to Besiki Gerenava, but didn’t look out of place in the ring against the experienced grappler.
On the night, Russian Legion clearly deserved the win, but this shouldn’t detract from England’s achievement over the season. All involved deserve credit and hopefully they will come back stronger and go one better next year.
