BRANTFORD – There is still some disappointment in Karl “theRazor” Hess’ voice two days after losing his professional boxing debut, Saturday night at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga to Mexican fighter, Mario Orozco. Or maybe it was the laboured breathing that I heard in his voice.
The truth is, it was a little of both.
Hess trained hard, got into what he felt was great shape, got all the promotional pictures shot and made several appearances to promote the big fight, only to fall just short of the mark. As fully understandable that might be, in time, Hess may be able to watch that fight again and see what it looks like a little further from the disappointment. If he does, he will see better how he did.
Hess introduced himself to a lot of important people in the fight game as a power puncher with a warrior’s heart.
“I felt pretty good going in,” Hess told TRT. “But I was getting a cold or something a couple days before the fight and that affected my sinuses and my breathing as the fight went on.”
Coach Jackie Armour noticed it in the Hess corner as well. “I kept telling him to move his head more and use your footwork,” he said after the fight. “But not breathing properly, he didn’t have the energy. I saw him breathing from his mouth late in the fight.”
But neither the Razor or Armour will use it as an excuse, but rather a fact. Given the same opponent on any other night, and the results would have been different.
“He (Orozco) was good, but I think I could have beat him,” says Hess days after the fight.
“I learned a lot,” he says. “I have to control my pace better. I was a little sloppy and I could have thrown more combinations.”
Hess was officially down in the third after he misplaced his foot throwing his balance off for a second when Orozco hit him.
“No, I wasn’t hurt at all,” he says. “I just stepped wrong as I punched and he caught me.”
Boxing Ontario enforces stringent rules over bouts to protect the fighters, and with novice pro’s they are even more stringent. If a fighter is knocked down, there is a mandatory 30-day ban on any sparring or any training that would involve being hit in the head. But Hess will continue his cardio work and heavy and speed bag work.
