`Lion From Zion's Latest Boxing Triumph

When Russian-born, British-trained, Israeli boxer Roman “Lion From Zion” Greenberg fought Steve Pannell at the Hard Rock Arena last December, the most memorable moment occurred not during the fight, but when it ended.

After flooring Mr. Pannell in the third round, Mr. Greenberg quietly strode to the other side of the ring, leaned on the ropes and stared out into the stadium, a calm and graceful victor. If ever a camera was in need of a wide angle lens, it was then. The referee was calling the fight; Mr. Pannell, a collapsed and helpless puppet, lay flat on his back; and Mr. Greenberg, like some great cat surveying his domain, was having a Zen moment with the crowd.

It was that kind of charisma -- that, and a perfect 24-0 record -- which had the crowd cheering on March 10, as the heavyweight Mr. Greenberg stepped into the ring for his first bout at Madison Square Garden. Originally slated to face veteran Nate Tubbs (14-4, 14 KOs), Mr. Greenberg was forced to change his strategy when Mr. Tubbs, after failing his medical exam, was replaced by former Olympian Michael Simms (19-6-1, 13 KO's), a fast counter-puncher who had never been knocked out as a professional.

For Greenberg fans hoping to see an exciting show, what followed was ... well ... a bit underwhelming. Rather than watching a fleet-footed power-punching performance, the crowd witnessed a tactical but slow-moving offense that only came alive when the men traded a flurry of blows in the last moments of the 10th and final round.

By then, though, the outcome had already been determined. Outweighing Mr. Simms 234 to 213, Mr. Greenberg had dominated the action with hard left jabs and an occasional combination which Mr. Simms -- apparently focused on staying upright -- spent his time deflecting.

When the final bell rang, each of the three judges gave Mr. Greenberg a 99-91 victory, awarding him 9 out of 10 rounds.

Asked to comment on Mr. Greenberg's performance, the boxer's promoter, Robert Waterman, said he was "more than satisfied," adding, "Roman is not always the best entertainer, but he makes other boxers look bad, and he controls the pace. When you also bear in mind that Roman trained for a totally different sort of fight against Nate Tubbs ... his performance was even better."

Looking at the boxer through a converse lens, trainer Jim Evans supplemented Mr. Waterman's thoughts with the view. "It is not about how good Roman is; it is the fact that I can not see many boxers that have the tools to beat him," he said.

Most pleasing to Messrs. Waterman and Evans was not only the boxer's domination of Mr. Simms - whose gloves were more shield than sword, but also the excellence with which he moved.

"Simms was in many respects an unusual opponent," said Mr. Waterman. "We expected Roman to be challenged for speed because, although Roman is fast, Simms had a reputation for being a fast cruiserweight, and as a lighter boxer you would expect him to be faster... but it turned out that Roman had the speed-edge, which was both pleasing and surprising."

On greater reflection, Mr. Greenberg’s less-than-exciting performance had a strategic undertone that actually makes him, if not the fight itself, a more interesting subject than one might first think. Could it be he's the rare warrior who gives precisely what is needed, and no more?

Immune from critics who charge that he needs to be more aggressive, the Israeli boxer is emerging as a thoughtful tactician who rightfully is more interested in winning than entertaining.

Perhaps for Mr. Greenberg his perfect record is entertaining enough -- and if that record is maintained in the fights to come, his natural charisma may eventually find its way into the ring well before he's ready to once more stare out at the crowd.

Leo Howard Lubow is a Baltimore-area photographer. More of his work is at www.lubowphotography.com.

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