By Charles Jay

 

I've grown increasingly fascinated with this fight in Germany on Saturday between Virgil Hill and Henry Maske. I always like it when people pay attention to a fight where two guys older than me go into the ring. Alright, I admit, that's not the case here. But I'm hooked with the whole idea nonetheless. Another reason it's worth talking about is that it's available in the United States on pay-per-view, something maybe a lot of folks were not aware of. I wasn't until a couple of days ago, since in my area the people at In Demand aren't running any commercials for it.

 

In case you're asking yourself why a fight was made between two 43-year-olds with no world title at stake, you probably not alone - that is, in the United States. Over in Germany, this thing is as hot as a firecracker.

 

Maske is an authentic German sports hero; an Olympic gold medalist in 1988 who turned pro, won an IBF light heavyweight title and defended it ten times successfully, before he was defeated by Hill in November of 1996. Maske quit after that fight, making him one of just a handful of champions to retire after their first career loss (other notables in that category include John L. Sullivan and Yoko Gushiken). That split decision loss to Hill is still very hard for most people in the Rhineland to take. It's payback time, I guess, which makes it a dramatic story. and there's big money involved - both fighters are in for seven-figure paydays, which is not bad when you're not far from collecting Social Security (yes, that had its roots in Germany, in case you didn't know). Boxing, of course, is still a major sport as well as a major happening in Germany, everybody over there is talking about this one.

 

But not all of them in a positive sense.

 

Another German legend, Sven Ottke, the former IBF/WBA super middleweight champ who retired three years ago with a 34-0 record, was quoted in an AP story as saying, "This is not good for the sport. If things go normally, Henry doesn't have a ghost of a chance. He can't have any reflexes left."

 

"If things go normally." Yes, we'll get to that in a few moments.

 

Maske will indeed have spent more time out of the ring between fights than any other world champion in history, beating George Foreman's hiatus by at least a few months. And that is one of the most intriguing things about this matchup - the sense of mystery as to how Maske will actually fare in the ring, at age 43, after so much time off.

 

Those who have observed him around the German fight scene say he's always kept himself in relatively good shape. And it can't be alleged that he's taken a lot of wear and tear; Maske has never been overly aggressive and exhibited a penchant for defense. In order to simulate the experience as much as possible, and to mitigate the effects of extreme ring rust, his handlers arranged for him to engage in a couple of "gym fights" which, in effect, were 12-round, full-speed sparring sessions without headgear. This did not make the Hill camp too happy, because it as agreed that both sides come in without having fought tune-up bouts, and this was perceived as something of a circumvention. I don't blame them, since such activity might greatly increase the chances of the kind of injury that could postpone the fight and ruin the payday.

 

At any rate, one of those encounters was against Berry Butler, a veteran light heavyweight who is currently on a ten-fight winning streak, though against admittedly middling opposition. According to insider reports, Maske dominated Butler, in the process busting his nose up. That kind of stratagem is fine, and may in fact serve as the equivalent of a tune-up, but it won't replicate the atmosphere of pomp and circumstance that will surround him when he steps into the ring against Hill.

 

Maybe that'll be a huge re-adjustment for him, maybe it won't.

 

Yes, it's a vanity play of sorts on Maske's part, but with the level of idolatry he's managed to attain in his native land, he may be entitled to such an indulgence. The payoff is nice, but certainly he's not in dire need of the money; reportedly he is very successful in his ownership of several McDonald's franchises. But as is always the case in boxing, there are the nay-sayers who appear to be more concerned for Maske's health than he is, and feel that not only is he risking serious injury by coming back to the ring after ten years, he's jeopardizing his exalted position in German sports mythology as well.

 

For Hill, it's kind of a no-lose situation. This purse, said to be in the $1.3-$1.5 million range, is his most substantial since he faced Thomas Hearns almost sixteen years ago. Even though he last fought in January of '06, when he impressively beat Valery Brudov for the WBA's cruiserweight title, he has not been stripped of his championship by the organization, receiving a special dispensation of sorts to compete in Munich. According to the February ratings, he is one of three cruiserweight titleholders recognized by the WBA - the others are Brudov, who has assumed an "interim" position as champion, and the "unified" champ, which now presumably will be Jean Marc Mormeck after defeating O'Neill Bell (it wouldn't be the WBA without three champs in the same division, would it?). Pending disaster here, Hill will at least have the opportunity to go on to defend his title again - since he's lost twice to Mormeck already, the more likely foe would be Brudov, the "interim champion" (I love saying that).

 

Of course, retirement talk is always going to be swirling around "Quicksilver" - it's clear that his long-time manager and confidant, Bill Sorensen, the former mayor of Bismarck, North Dakota, would prefer that he hang up the gloves. But as long as paychecks are offered and the risk isn't overwhelming (and, I might add, as long as the WBA continues to placate him), nothing is out of the question. Hill has returned from layoffs of sixteen and twenty months, respectively, and after age 35 to boot, to win title fights over Fabrice Tiozzo and Brudov.

 

As for Maske, this would almost certainly be a one-and-done if he loses, though a win over Hill might bring about a rubber match and another payday - an even bigger one for both fighters this time, since it would probably be for a world title. You never know with pro boxers (even the outspoken Ottke), who are always retired "until their next fight," in the words of the immortal boxing gadfly, Flash Gordon.

 

In handicapping this fight, there are a couple of interesting factors that might have the effect of counter-balancing each other.

 

As we've explored, you've got Maske's long layoff and the genuine mystery as to how he is going to perform once he gets a real, live, world-class opponent in front of him. This is territory that is unexplored in history; in referencing Foreman's comeback, for example, it was quite a while before he faced off against an opponent who was ready to pose a legitimate challenge.

 

And then you have the "political" atmosphere.

 

Oddly enough, even though Hill is favored by more than 3-to-1 in most sportsbooks (in some places, it's even more than that), his own handlers think he has to either knock Maske out or dominate the German in order to come out of the ring with a victory. Maybe that's NOT so odd, and maybe they're not just selling wolf tickets. Back in '96, Hill did indeed win his decision over Maske in Germany, but that was with theoretically "neutral" judges from the WBA and IBF. Since this fight is not under the "jurisdiction" of the WBA (Hill's belt is not at stake), the judges are appointed by the German boxing authorities, who refused Hill's appeal to make a change. These are the same people who came up with some mystery drug in Glen Johnson's system long after he knocked out Thomas Ulrich in 2001, in an attempt to transfer that victory from a then-journeyman to the WBO's top light heavyweight contender (sanity eventually prevailed), so you always have to be cognizant of this "X-factor."

 

In terms of the way I am looking at this, I agree that Hill has to be worried about the officials. They're not going to be particularly friendly to him, and that's obviously where Maske would like the determination of this bout to eventually land. Maske is undertaking a couple of minor adjustments that he hopes will allow him to hit with more authority. One of those moves is to bring in Malcolm Garrett, one of the better hand-wrappers in the business. "The first time I wrapped his hands, which was for one of his gym fights, he was so impressed with what I did that he asked me if it was even legal," Garrett said. "I told him, 'Of course it's legal'."

 

But the reality is that, with only eleven knockout wins in 31 fights, Maske isn't suddenly going to develop the kind of pop - which power-punchers often retain as they get older - that can take care of business by itself. Therefore, even though a distance fight may help him in the end, he's also going to have to put in a sustained effort for the full twelve rounds to arrive at his desired destination. This could play to the advantage of Hill, who has been more active, insofar as you can say that about someone who will be fighting for the 12th time in ten years.

 

However, in those ten years Hill has dealt with layoff situations. He's won titles, as we've discussed, after taking long hiatuses. He has the ability to box and punch, especially with the left hook. He is also the more likely fighter to get aggressive early and keep the other guy off-balance. He's not Berry Butler. And you know what else? He's the better fighter - both now and throughout his career. If he's smart, he jump on Maske early and never give him time to really settle down. Then he can dictate whatever happens from there.

 

Despite a record of just 23 knockouts in his fifty wins, I figure Hill can end this fight inside the distance, leaving the judges, the referee, the promoters and the commission with nothing to do but pout.

 

Although if you ask Glen Johnson, that might not quite be the end of it.