A fight for bragging rights

If the fight comes off half as entertaining as the press conference, the Tony Hanshaw-Etienne Whitaker bout July 16 in Canton should be a dandy.
The non-title fight between the two Warren natives, part of ESPN's Tuesday Night Fights package, will showcase a contrast of styles, both in and out of the ring.
Whitaker, at 29, is five years older and, despite turning professional just one year before his opponent, has fought 18 more bouts.
Trained by the veteran Frank West and managed by Pat Nelson, Whitaker (25-5-2) opts to fight often, disdaining long periods of gym work. He's fought three times since mid-April, including twice in a six-day span. He knocked out Anthony Spain in the fourth round at Mountaineer on April 13, then lost a 10-round split decision to Charles (Rasheed) Lee in Auburn Hills, Mich., on April 19.
"He'll fight anyone, anywhere, anytime," said Nelson.
Veteran of amateur ranks
Hanshaw, meanwhile, grew up in a boxing environment, originally under the tutelage of his late father. First lacing up gloves at age 5, Hanshaw fought more than 300 times as an amateur, finishing as a runner-up at the most recent Olympic trials.
He is 14-0 as a professional, with 10 knockouts. But, when the fight comes off July 16, it will be just his fourth fight in the last year.
Hanshaw's got corporate management -- Main Event and Shelly Finkel, who also oversees Mike Tyson. Whitaker is "independent" in boxing jargon.
Together at the head table, separated by only John Russell, Hanshaw's trainer, the two spoke very little. Hanshaw declined any comment; Whitaker said only "May the best man win."
Alone, though, their personalities came out. Hanshaw is by nature a quiet and reserved 24-year old, but very confident. Whitaker was more outgoing, not boisterous, though, and more willing to predict what he expects to happen.
"We'll see," he said, clenching his right hand, "when fist meets chin."
Question of weight
Hanshaw is a super middleweight; Russell said 168 pounds is his fighter's best weight -- "when he's in shape and he's right" -- but didn't discount Hanshaw may someday fight at 160. (He competed at 156 in the Olympic trials.)
Whitaker is a light heavyweight. His manager, Pat Nelson, believes 168 is too light for his fighter; he'd prefer Whitaker come in at about 171.
(Those few pounds, it was suggested, could still derail this long-awaited fight.)
Russell, who oversaw Buster Douglas' shocking victory over Tyson in 1990, was out of the sport before being lured back by the Hanshaw camp.
"It's been fun going to the gym again," said Russell, "because Tony has got what it takes. He has the guts, he has the desire. There's no quit in him.
"People in this Valley should get behind him because it's going to be a fun ride."
(And for this fight, anyway, a long ride. It's going to be held in Canton, at a civic center, said Larry McCartney, the matchmaker, because Youngstown doesn't have an available venue large enough.)
For Whitaker, the July 16 bout is the next step he hopes will get him the exposure he needs to earn a title shot. Unlike Hanshaw, who has Main Event money and management behind him, Whitaker's ascent up the rankings -- he's 16th in the U.S. -- must come from a trail of beaten opponents.
"The most important thing," said Nelson, "is this fight can make E.T. Whitaker a TV main event fighter. It can be a defining moment in his career."
It is also, as Whitaker quickly added, "For bragging rights."
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.