By Lucian Parfitt

Last Friday night Clinton Woods finally won the global title he has always craved, and in emphatic fashion. The expectancy was an extremely close fight, with many, including the bookies giving Hoye the edge. However, Woods’ belied this underdog status with an unusually destructive performance, forcing the referee to stop the battering before the end of the fifth round in front of a wild two thousand strong home crowd.

Woods fight plan was perfection, the cornerstone of which was to fight at a pace that Hoye was desperately uncomfortable with. Many argued his best chance was to do his best Montell Griffin impression and stay away from the Detroit puncher, but it could not have gone better. What was so unexpected was the timing and accuracy of Woods punches; he has never looked so composed or deadly. By the fifth round Hoye was weary and Woods began to force the action, staying right in Hoye’s chest which reaped hurtful dividends. As the tired Hoye swung in wild hooks; Woods stepped inside shooting rapid, hurtful punches straight down the pipe. 

This aggressive fight plan led to him taking many hurtful punches to the body, but Woods ability to take punches was never in doubt, what we were not aware of was he his ability to dish it out so potently. When openings came they were exposed with a deadly efficiency that many thought Woods was not capable of. 

After such a one sided fight it is inevitable that the quality of the opponent will be re-evaluated. It is certainly questionable that Hoye was made such a favorite when Woods has operated at a much higher level of opposition, and Hoye barely scraped by the ancient Montell Griffin last September. Hoye’s ‘favorite’ status perhaps says more about doubts in Woods ability than any genuine belief in him. Woods emphatically discarded such skepticism in a manner that appeared to acknowledge such doubts.

The Detroit fighters past performances were mixed but many thought that as Woods has always been there to be hit, Hoye’s power would tell, as it did impressively against Richard Hall (rsf 4) and Donell Wiggins (KO1). Woods ability to take punches from Hoye was undoubtedly impressive, especially to the body, but his apparently cleaner punching was what really caught the eye. It appeared to me that this Woods was a different proposition to the one Glen Johnson previously faced.  Johnson is an opponent I believe Woods is definitely capable of beating, but alas Woods has already had two cracks at that cherry.

Woods says a third encounter with Johnson is his aim now, but this is extremely unlikely. Glen Johnson is no longer ‘the road warrior’, since fighting Woods in England he has become more accustomed to mixing it with the Roy Jones’ and Antonio Tarver’s of this world. The buzz on Friday night was that a Woods’ victory would set up a bout with Joe Calzaghe. Such a fight would be a big draw in England, but Woods has suggested Calzaghe should get in line and earn his shot through eliminators as he has always done. But when Frank Warren comes knocking and Woods hears how lucrative his other short term options are, this view is certainly subject to change. When Calzaghe comes through pointless exercise of beating up Brian Magee in Ireland, expect Woods to allow that fight to come to fruition.

However, after so many years of perseverance and disappointment, Woods deserves to milk the glory he has finally achieved. I would like to see Woods have a low key defense of his belt in Sheffield, before the real challenges can be made. Johnson and Tarver are tied up for months, and Paul Briggs and Joe Calzaghe have forthcoming fights to take care of. Where Woods goes next is still in great doubt but after Friday’s performance he deserves rich rewards.