China Town

The controversial but virtually unsinkable heavyweight Andrew Golota is still around at the age of 40, still in with another chance of fighting for a world title. A win over another veteran, Ray Austin, on Don King’s show in China on Friday will push Golota forward nicely. A loss, however, and even for Golota, who keeps coming back, time after time, the end must surely be nigh.

What makes Golota marketable is that you never what he’s going to do. He is capable of boxing very well, yet his history of imploding is well documented.

Shortly after King signed Golota to a promotional contract he was talking about it at a Las Vegas press conference. “No one else would take a chance with him,” King said. “I told him I’d take him on but he had to promise not to do anything to embarrass me.”

So far, so good. Golota has been behaving himself. He was perhaps little unlucky in the draw with Chris Byrd and he had John Ruiz down twice before losing a unanimous decision. The blowout defeat Golota suffered against Lamon Brewster in Chicago looked like the end, but he came back after two years and he’s shown good form in his last two fights, stopping the hulking Kevin McBride in the sixth and outpointing Mike Mollo.

Coming back from adversity has never been one of Golota’s strong points, but he survived a very wobbly opening round against McBride and he battled gamely with one eye swollen shut against Mollo, causing HBO analyst Emanuel Steward to comment admiringly: "Tonight, he’s my hero.”

After all the craziness over the years, the incidents that have included biting, butting, low bows and outright quitting, Golota seems to have stabilised at this late stage of a career that began almost 19 years ago and has seen some highs but too many lows.

On Friday, Golota is the favourite to beat Austin, a 38-year-old who has had share of low points — especially when he crumpled without putting up a fight in the second round against Wladimir Klitschko.

I think that Austin went into that fight mentally beaten. He was boxing in Germany, and Klitschko's theatrical ring entrance — which included a spotlit “blacksmith” symbolising Klitschko’s Dr. Steelhammer nickname — must have been a bit unnerving. Austin just fell apart. The big fellow from Cleveland is a better fighter than he appeared to be in that lamentable showing.

Austin seems to have come to win against Golota and and it looks as if he has prepared very well — his weight of 228 pounds is his lightest on record, 19 pounds lighter than he weighed for the bout with Klitschko.

For most of his career, Austin has been considered undistinguished, but now and again he fights well, as he did in his draws with Lance Whitaker, Larry Donald and Sultan Ibragimov.

Austin can punch — he dropped Ibragimov and he floored and almost knocked out Attila Levin in the first round. Unfortunately for Austin, he is also capable of being ordinary.

After his terrific opening round against Levin he seemed through lack of effort to allow his opponent back into the fight and ended up getting battered into submission. Although the records show just two stoppage losses in 33 bouts, Austin’s chin has not always been reliable. He was stopped by Derrick Jefferson in the Fistful, of Dollars PPV tournament that is not part of his official record and I remember him getting wobbled by journeyman Sedrick Fields in an unpopular split decision win. Larry Donald, not considered a puncher, had him hurt in the ninth round.

Golota has shown that he can be made to submit, but Austin is usually a plodding type of fighter. Golota looks much the better boxer and although he has twice been knocked out in the first round I would consider the Polish boxer the more durable of the two men. Austin is taller but Golota looks stronger and he will be the heavier man by about 14 pounds. There is a chance that Golota can be the bully in this fight, which will suit him.

Anything can happen in a Golota fight, of course. If Austin can hang in there and keep fighting back, perhaps he can get Golota to start feeling discouraged. Golota showed character, though, in the McBride and Mollo fights.

I don’t think anyone can feel confident picking Golota to win unless it’s against the likes of Jeremy Bates, but I do think that it’s Golota’s fight to lose on Friday. If he holds himself together, he should win. I think Golota will do it, probably on points, although he does hit hard enough to end matters inside the scheduled 12 rounds if he can catch Austin with the right punch at the right time.