OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS FOR MIKE MOLLO
Special Bolo Punch Feature by Staff Writer Joe Harrison
The night was filled with golden opportunities back on May 6th, 2006. On the pay-per-view card presented by HBO, future stars such as Joan Guzman, Kassim Ouma, and Jose Rivera were given the chance to showcase their skills and talents in the ring. In the main event, the “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya would challenge Ricardo Mayorga for the WBC jr. middleweight championship. Although the spotlight was on De La Hoya, one of the more intriguing match-ups that evening was a non-televised bout. Mike Mollo from Oak Lawn, Illinios would face the toughest challenge of his professional career, a former world heavyweight challenger, DaVarryl Williamson. Unfortunately, it would not be Mollo’s evening as he received his first loss via 4th-round TKO.
The loss was a massive roadblock in Mollo’s growth among the heavyweight rankings, but it was not long before Mollo returned to his winning ways. He was destroying names such as Kevin McBride and Art Binkowski among many others. Eventually, his request to take on fellow Chicagoan Andrew Golota, a former four-time heavyweight challenger, was finally met. Mollo and Golota faced each other on the undercard of the Jones/Trinidad pay-per-view on January 19th; however, Mollo would come up short again as he lost to Golota by a twelve-round unanimous decision. Despite the unfortunate result of his bout with Golota, this would not be the last we’d hear of Mike Mollo. Only recently it was announced that Mollo (19-2, 12 KOs) will get another opportunity to face a former world heavyweight challenger.
On November 7th in China, Mollo will meet Jameel McCline (38-9-3, 23 KOs) in a twelve-round WBC eliminator. Ironically, Mollo’s previous foe, Andrew Golota, is also on the card. He will face former world heavyweight challenger, Ray Austin, in a twelve-round contest for the WBC USNBC title. The event will also include the return of Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera (63-6, 42 KOs) making his lightweight debut.
To some, it may seem unnecessary for promoter Don King to put Mollo in with another top heavyweight contender. After all, he already failed against Williamson and Golota. On the other hand, why not give Mollo another chance? Don King has always been a man who is more than willing to give a second chance, a third chance, or even a fourth. Just look at two of the other boxers on the China fight card, Mollo’s opponent and Mollo’s previous opponent.
That previous opponent, Andrew Golota, was given his first title-shot against Lennox Lewis on October 4th, 1997, when he lost by 1st-round knockout. Then, Golota was given a title-shot against Chris Byrd on April 17th, 2004, a bout that ended in a controversial draw. Only seven months later, on October 13th, Golota challenged John Ruiz and lost by a controversial unanimous decision. Another seven months later, on May 21st, Golota received his third title-shot within a 14-month span, losing to Lamon Brewster by a 1st-round stoppage.
Maybe multiple chances drove Barrera to split with Golden Boy Promotions upon his return to boxing and join Don King. Without a doubt, his addition to the line-up definitely adds intrigue to the China fight card. The combination of Barrera, Golota, and McCline makes for both a quality and entertaining evening. Maybe it’s a good omen for Mollo to be included amongst these top names. If Mollo happens to defeat McCline, he could make for a positive addition to a heavyweight division in dire need of a knockout artist to regain the attention of boxing fans everywhere. Then again, if he fails to defeat McCline, how many more chances will he be given?
***Joe Harrison has been a Staff Writer for The Bolo Punch Boxing Hour since 2007.
