The three rounds that hide the whole story of Ghana’s Tasmanian devil – Duke Micah

Defeat after just three rounds buries the true story of Duke Micah’s Tasmania-like boxing spirit.

True, boxing is not about effort. It is an aggressive bed time story told by punches – not parents – all aimed at putting the opponent to sleep on the canvass, quickly.

But if that’s all there is to it, then this report ends in three paragraphs as Duke’s glory hunt ended in three rounds.

Of course, he was fighting a champion of three boxing divisions, John Riel Casimero, a Filipino who is said to model his boxing around world champion Manny Pacquiao.

With 29 wins, 20 of which were knock-outs and only four defeats, the reigning WBO bantamweight champion made his first title defence.

And so released by the bell, Casimero was as punch-happy as the trigger-happy police officers in racially divided America.

He would work on this body and slap him successfully with his overhand right and left punches. But before the first round would die out, Casimero’s confidence was tempered by Duke.

Duke would duck and land jabs straight to the face, left and right sides, to leave the champion to re-calibrate any unflattering view of his opponent’s threat.

Duke fed on Casimero’s punches to punch back. He felt an immediate need to rely a jab and literally have his pound of flesh. A certain fury of a street brawler.

He would start the second round with some positivity and Casimero, perhaps with some caution. But it was during a melee in the second round that Duke with his head hanging below Casimero’s arm, that a blow to his right temple forced his face to turn left.

Already off balance, his face obeying the punch, Micah Duke flung his right hand in a counter-attack that would have corrected his imbalance had it landed on Casimero.

It did not.

Leaving Duke twisted too much to his left and falling to the canvass as his brain, like a google map that has lost internet connection, tried to re-configure his sense for proper coordination.

The thing about Duke was that he was an underdog did not know how to let sleeping dogs lie even after he lay on the ground.

Up to his feet, perhaps the commentator’s advice that he should have looked to buy some balancing time by hugging Casiremo intermittently. It would allow him to recover and also frustrate his eager opponent.

But this here was a Tasmanian, with dare devil bravery the wounded boxer flung into the fight again, looking for a revenge punch.

Riel Casimero appeared aware of Duke’s Kwame Nkrumah style of boxing – forward ever backwards never. And so he taunted him to come forward, exposing his face to seduce his opponent into another punch-throwing opportunity

In some showboating Casimero would fling wide his arms to show his face. He knew Duke was dazed and he knew this was finish-him-time.

He went for the kill and before the round would end, the referee had seen enough and called off the fight.

Sorry, the bullying.