Friday, July 15, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Karmazin upsets Ouma for title

New champion wins in dominating fashion

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Kassim Ouma was touted as the budding star, but it was Roman Karmazin who put on the championship performance on Thursday.

Karmazin, a 5-1 underdog, dominated from start to finish, winning the IBF junior middleweight championship by taking a unanimous decision over a lackluster Ouma at the Orleans Arena.

Glenn Hamada scored it 118-110 for Karmazin. Patricia Morse Jarman scored it 117-109 and Duane Ford had it 116-110 for the new champion, who knocked Ouma down twice in the third and generally had his way throughout the bout.

Ouma, who was flat and never threw the volume of punches he became noted for, denied rumors that he had been ill before the fight.

"I'm fine," he said. "(Stuff) happens."

What happened was that Karmazin outworked him and had a better strategy. Karmazin countered Ouma's lazy jab with a left hook and followed it with a straight right hand. That combination was deadly throughout the first half of the fight. Karmazin went away from it briefly in the middle rounds, when Ouma mounted a mild comeback, but after trainer Freddie Roach pointed it out, Karmazin dominated the final two rounds.

Karmazin (34-1) was so confident of victory he said he would have retired had he lost.

"I knew I'd win the fight," Karmazin said. "My previous opponent (ex-WBC middleweight champion Keith Holmes) was really a lot stronger and a more difficult opponent."

Ouma (21-2-1) had no bounce when the fight began and allowed Karmazin to take the first round. Karmazin went to the body and landed a pair of hooks to the ribs that made the Ugandan wince.

The fight turned in the third. Ouma seemed to be stumbling as Karmazin landed a left hook to the body, putting Ouma down. But when he arose, Karmazin landed the counter left hook over the jab and followed it with a straight right, putting Ouma down and in big trouble.

"I told him if he put those two punches together, the fight would be over," Roach said. "The hook was leading him right into the right. Kassim never made any adjustments. He fought the same style all night long."

And for that, trainer Johnny Bumphus took the blame. Ouma wasn't sharp and Bumphus said that was because of inactivity. Ouma hadn't fought since winning a wide decision over Las Vegan Kofi Jantuah on Jan. 29.

"He was just not sharp and you have to put all the blame for that on me," Bumphus said. "I'll take the responsibility for it. You can get all the sparring you want, but sparring isn't anywhere near the same as a fight. He just wasn't the same."

Karmazin wasn't the same over the second half of the fight, but he had built up such a big edge, it didn't make a difference. He said he made a lot of mistakes, but didn't want to reveal them in the event there is a rematch.

Ouma said he wanted one and Karmazin said he'd be happy to oblige.

Ouma was taken to Valley Hospital after the fight for a precautionary CAT scan, though he kept insisting to Dr. David Watson that he was fine and didn't want to go.