Both Frank Chamizo and Jordan Burroughs are Olympic and World medallists.
Wrestlers don’t do super fights, with such designer gigs usually reserved for heavyweight boxers. But don’t tell Jordan Burroughs and Frank Chamizo that. Two of the world’s most-storied grapplers are taking wrestling to a glitzy address. Here’s a look at the May 17 showdown between the two contrasting personalities of varied skills, a never-seen-before mat combat.
Where: Called the ‘Rumble on the River’, the contest will take place on May 17 at the Beat the Streets Annual Benefit at Pier 17 in Seaport District, New York.
The appeal: Both are multiple-time World champions. USA’s Burroughs is also an Olympic gold medallist, while Cuban Chamizo won a bronze in Rio.
The perfect weight: The 74kg category showcases the best fights. The wrestlers are big but not bulky. They have the strength and speed too. This is the optimal weight which sees fast moves and quick turnarounds.
Contrasting Styles: Burroughs wears down his opponents and goes for strong double leg-attacks, wrestling very close to his opponents. Chamizo rarely lets the opponent grabs his legs. His back leg is mostly withdrawn and once he sees the opponent attacking, he takes a defensive position and counters.
Different Personalities: Chamizo is a showman, famous for his many cartwheels on the mat. He has been a popular figure in Italy, his adopted home. Burroughs is ‘Mr Wrestling’ in USA. He has led the team for six years now. Paraphrasing pro-wrestling legend Ric Flair, he once tweeted: “To be the king, you need to beat the king.” Chamizo’s reply? “I am already the king. I just want your crown.”
The Trigger: The backstory behind the bout is rather interesting. After all, it started with a tweet. Burroughs, while watching Wyoming’s Bryce Meredith fight South Dakota State’s Seth Gross in the “Number One” college wrestler tournament, tweeted: “I’m inspired to wrestle a super match/world #1 now. What do you say @ChamizoFrank? Shall we?”
Chamizo replied: “Hey my friend are you sure you want this battle? Do you think you can handle my defence?”
Awesome showing by @GodsWrestler133 and @bmeredith001 Proud of you guys for laying it on the line. The wrestling world tips their hats to you both. 👍🏾
— Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) 19 January 2018
I’m inspired to wrestle a super match/world #1 now. What do you say @ChamizoFrank ? Shall we?
— Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) 19 January 2018
The Hype: Like in boxing, the build-up has had the mandatory trash talk. The two have engaged in war of words on various social media forums. Some of the standout exchanges go:
Burroughs: “When are you going to wrestle?”
Chamizo: “You like to play with the fire that burns you. I’m ready.”
Burroughs: “I was winning belts when you were still wrestling for Cuba.”
Chamizo: “No doubt you are a great wrestler but when you did not even exist, I won a bronze in Moscow 2010 (I was 18). Unfortunately I had obstacles in life that I had to face and after overcoming them, I have now two world titles. As my grandmother used to say, ‘when you start a problem, you better finish it.’”
Other Trash- Talk
Burroughs has five world medals and a gold medal from 2012 London Olympics while Chamizo has two World Championships gold, two bronze medals from World Championships and one bronze from Rio Olympics.