What the Heck!” - Owen Beck looks to clean up HVY division
in 2005
By Jake Donovan, President, Fightworld.us
When discussing the heavyweight division these days, they only thing that seems to be undisputed is its state. “The division is wide open” will most likely be the first answer you hear from any fighter, manager or promoter when asking them their thoughts on what has long been looked upon as the sport’s “glamour” division.
If we are to believe all of the titleholders and “top” contenders that vow to clean up the division in the near future, then why not also take the word of its only active undefeated contender, Owen “What the Heck” Beck?
“Boxing needs to gain more respect than what it gets, and it needs to start at the top,” suggests Beck (24-0, 18KO) in viewing the heavyweight landscape. “Right now, people look around, and cannot identify a champion that stands out from the rest. Since (the other belt holders) don’t plan on fighting each other anytime soon, let me run through all of them. Then everyone can identify one man as THE man.”
For the moment, Beck has a hard time with anyone identifying him, at least in a boxing sense. Fighting out of Nashville, anything other than football and racing ranks a very distant third as far as sports are concerned in the Music City. If his oft-postponed WBC heavyweight elimination bout with Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett does not come off soon or even at all, his toughest battle for the early portions of 2005 may very well be earning top billing in his own gym.
Training out of Cummins Station Fitness Center, located in Nashville, Beck shares his gym time with a few of the local prospects and contenders. Most notable among them is former middleweight title challenger Jonathan Reid, who along with fitness guru Ernie Rodriguez runs the facility. For the moment, Reid is best known for stepping in on short notice to challenge then-WBA middleweight champ William Joppy four years ago. Come February 21 and thereafter, Reid will be known to viewing audiences across the country as one of the sixteen contestants on NBC’s “The Contender.”
At least people in the area will finally start talking about the gym as well as the sport. That’s fine with Beck, even if he isn’t necessarily the one bringing in the crowd.
“As long as people notice, that’s what counts, right? Jonathan helps out a lot around here, sometimes even at the expense of his once-budding career. We were thrilled when he got the call to be on the show, and should hopefully bring him some of the exposure his career has always deserved. If identification by association gets my foot in the door, so be it. Otherwise, I’ll do what I can to keep the ball rolling in this part of town.”
Now would be the best time for any sports momentum to come whipping through the Music City. With the Tennessee Titans set to wrap up their NFL season by missing the playoffs for only the second time in six years, and the Nashville Predators on the unemployment line as a result of the NHL lockout, boxing could stand to step in and restore hope among those in town who enjoy witnessing success amongst the pay ranks in sports. All Owen wants is the opportunity.
“Like we told (promoter Don) King when we first met him, ‘You do right by us, and we do right by you.’ So far, I can’t complain – I’m ranked among all four major sanctioning bodies. I just need that next fight to finally come off. If it can’t be Monte, then just throw me into the mix and send a champion my way. I’m ready for anyone.”
Beck was ready on November 13 – the originally scheduled date for this fight. However, Barrett apparently wasn’t and the fight was scrapped for the first of what has been three times to date. Despite eventually being bumped from the card altogether, Beck decided to make the trek up north to Madison Square Garden. If he couldn’t be on the show as a participant, then he may as well take in the action as a spectator.
Much like anyone else who attended or ordered the pay-per-view show, the Jamaican-born heavyweight hopeful wasn’t all that impressed with what transpired that evening.
“I enjoyed the Chris Byrd – Jameel McCline fight a lot. Other than that, nobody else that night made me say, ‘Ooh, I can’t wait for him to fight again.’ Larry Donald did what he had to do against Evander (Holyfield), who just doesn’t have it anymore. Rahman looked real good, but his fight was a one-man show. Ruiz-Golota? That was just crap. Chris was the only one that night who really impressed me. He showed that he can stand up with the big boys, and that he can take it and come back. To me, it was exciting to watch Chris win the way he did.”
Despite the fact that a win over Barrett would line Beck up with a potential shot at Vitali Klitschko, he feels that the champion with which he is the closest will be the one he winds up facing for heavyweight supremacy when all is said and done.
“Me and Chris have talked about this in the past, but we know it’s inevitable. Chris is – we’re like brothers. Much like it was tough for him to step in there with Jameel, it will be tough for both of us to have to stand across the ring from each other knowing that we’re about to throw down once the bell rings. But we also both know that business is business. If they tell me I’m fighting, then I lace them up, climb the steps and fight.”
Prior to relocating to Nashville, Beck was fortunate enough to climb any steps, much less up into a boxing ring and ever fight again.
“It’s weird how the good Lord works. Ten years ago, I almost wasn’t having this conversation with you or anyone else. Ten years ago, I almost never left Jamaica. At least not on my own.”
The near-life altering moment Owen refers to was an incident that took place with a friend in his native Jamaica. His friend, a security guard who was off that day, was joking around with Beck and had reached for his weapon. The weapon accidentally went off, catching Beck in his left leg.
Having been rushed to the hospital, only to be forced to play the “hurry up and wait game” in the waiting room, Beck remembers finally saw a doctor some twelve hours later. He also clearly remembers what the doctor had told him while being treated.
“Doc has the nerve to tell me that I would never fight again. I was like 'You're just playing — this can't be my career.' He said that my leg would never properly heal enough for me to fight. That’s when I put my faith in the Lord. Sure enough, my leg healed, my career resumed, and I’ve been proving them wrong ever since.”
After going on to a successful amateur career, capped by claiming top honors in the 1998 Carribean Games, Beck turned pro in Atlanta by years end. He scored a first round knockout, which would represent his only win inside the distance for the next twenty months – in fact, he wouldn’t score another knockout until moving to Nashville and fighting in nearby Gallatin in August 2000. Two fights later, he would score a unanimous decision over then undefeated Taurus Sykes, who had previously appeared on ESPN2 and Fox Sports. The win, in addition to being the biggest of his career to that point – and possibly to date, would also be his first encounter with the promoter he has been with ever since.
“Don (King) noticed me that night, and liked what he saw. At first, I didn’t think he liked it too much, because it took him a while to come back,” jokes Beck. “But eventually (early 2002, to be exact) he came back and we signed a deal. Three years later, it’s still all good. Next year, we sign a new contract – though hopefully I’ll be bringing more to the table than a 13-0 record.”
Some will argue that while the record has changed, not much else has improved. Beck doesn’t necessarily disagree.
“Since beating Sykes, the only other opponent that people will give me credit for a good win was George Arias. I mean, it stinks, as I keep getting stay-busy fights, and now can’t even get a date nailed down for Barrett. But what can I do, except fight the guys they put in front of me? I wanted big fights this year, but when they weren’t coming, I settled for the activity. This year has been quantity, next year I want quality.”
The closest Beck can claim to quality is the main events he has fought under on off-TV undercards. While grateful for the extended experience, Beck wants nothing more than to finally appear on TV rather than sit in the crowd and watch the main event. Fortunately for Owen, his management team shares his sentiment.
“In a way, the Barrett fight falling off of the November 13 show was a blessing in disguise,” suggests manager Carl King. “The moment the bout was postponed, I went to the networks and told them that this fight needs its own televised slot. At first, the January 15 slot was opened for a potential pay-per-view show. But what with what Owen went through after Thanksgiving, it was better that we now have (for the moment) February as a possible date. It gives him not only time to recover, but reload and re-prepare for what will easily be the toughest test to date. One that deserves maximum exposure.”
The “recovery” part would be in reference to a car accident Beck was involved in, ironically enough while en route to Don King’s training camp in Ohio to prepare for this fight. Shortly before approaching the I-65, Beck’s Lexus was struck and totaled upon impact. Owen managed to walk away without a scratch, but began to wonder if this was yet another sign from above.
“The only person on this planet that I fear is JC, the man above. So, when I had the accident, I wondered if this, along with the bout being cancelled in November was his way of telling me that the fight is not meant to be.”
While “JC” has yet to come back to confirm or deny, Beck decided that he would risk it and proceed with his training schedule. He took it to the air a few days later, and has been tucked away at King’s Ohio camp ever since. Generally humble by nature, Beck has elected to keep it all business, and is pretty much disinterested in mentioning anything about Barrett until after the fight – whenever that may be.
“Right now, we’re just training as if the fight is around the corner and it’s for the world title. Beyond that, there is not much else to say about the man. I know that last time, he was trying to say that “What the Heck” would have to be changed to “Broke his neck” once he got through with me. Of course, that was while I wasn’t able to be present and defend myself. He didn’t seem to have too much to say when I was in New York for the PPV show in November. Odd that he lives not too far away and we were supposed to be on the card. Whatever. I train now, and will let my fists do the talking come fight night.”
Despite his propensity for letting his actions speak louder than words, Beck did manage to allude to a prediction.
“One thing I can say, is that if Monte is determined to change my nickname, then he can change it to “Hit the Deck.” Because he will eventually learn, when they mess with Beck, they hit the deck. Eighteen out of twenty-four will be glad to fill him in.”
After that, the plan is to bring a world title back home to the Music City.
“Nashville has never had a world heavyweight champion. The closest we had was Big John Tate, from Knoxville. Football’s over, there’s no hockey. Might as well bring home the world heavyweight title, right?”
What the heck.
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