It's rare for a boxing family to be looking at 3 simultaneous champions but this week that's a real possibility for the Japanese Kameda family as middle child Daiki Kameda (28-3, 18) attempts to claim the vacant IBF Super Flyweight title taking on former champion Rodrigo Guerrero (19-4-1, 12).
Kameda, you younger brother of Koki-the current WBA Bantamweight champion, and older broher of Tomoki-the current WBO Bantamweight champion, has seen both of his brother's having title success in recent weeks and will now be looking to join them as he attempts to become just the 3rd IBF champion in Japanese boxing history.
Although Daiki is a former WBA Flyweight champion he is widely viewed as the most limited of the 3 fighting brothers. He lacks the counter punching of both of his brothers and the boxing brain and whilst still a decent fighter in his own right he's certainly helped by having the name "Kameda".
In terms of his style the Japanese fighter fighter is a limited, he tends to work hard yet always manages to make fights difficult for himself at the world level. Whilst he holds wins over the likes of Denkaosan Kaovichit, Takefumi Sakata and Silvio Olteanu it's difficult to say that he actually proved to be their superior in the fights and was arguably lucky in all 3.
Whilst Daiki may go in to the fight as the favourite due to home field advantage his Mexican opponent Guerrero will not feel as if it's anything he's not experienced before.
Despite being a Mexican based in Mexico city many of Guerrero's best performances have come outside of his homeland. The first of those was a 12 round decision loss to Vic Darchinyan, a battle in which Guerrero impressed despite being widely out pointed, soon after he was controversially beaten in the US by Raul Martinez and most recently he traveled to Canada and stopped Sebastien Gauthier.
Although not the most skilled fighter on the planet Guerrero is a nightmare for anyone with his toughness, work-rate and in your face style. Unless he's fighting a genuinely top tier fighter he will give a hard fight to anyone as he attempts to out to out tough and out work opponents, as he did in eye catching fashion to Gauthier late last year.
On a neutral venue I'd have had to take Guerrero taking a decision over Kameda quite comfortably based on his aggressive work rate, never say die attitude and general skills. In Japan however Kameda will certainly have things stacked in his favour with the crowd on his side and this may be the difference maker come fight time with the judges. Although the "3 wise men" will try to be fair sometimes it's difficult, especially when there is a few thousand screaming fans going crazy when ever their guy throws a punch, this is a real possibility here and if it occurs then Kameda will do enough to get the nod despite the views of those watching around the world on TBS.
Prediction-Kameda SD12 (controversially)
Friday 30 August 2013
Adrian Hernandez v Atsushi Kakutani
The only world title fight this weekend is a fight that could very easily go under the radar of the general boxing public as WBC Light Flyweight champion Adrian Hernandez (27-2-1, 16) faces little known Japanese challenger Atsushi Kakutani (13-3-1, 6) in what appears to be little more than a mismatch in favour of the Mexican champion.
Aged 28 the Japanese challenger is a fighter who appears to have been purposefully selected by the champion as a relatively easy defense. Whilst it's fair to say that Hernandez is staying active with this being his third defense of the year and his fourth fight in just 12 months it's seems like a distant memory since he was last in with a notable opponent in Kompayak Porpramook.
In the ring Hernandez is a talented boxer puncher who really does seem able to out box or out fight opponents depending on his mood. Although he's proven to be capable at the world level with victories over Porpramool, Gilberto Keb Baas and Rodel Mayol he has left many with question marks due to his struggles against some lesser fighters, including Yader Cardoza ina fight he clearly won but yet still seemed to struggle in.
I think, though I may be wrong, that the reason Hernandez has looked so sluggish in some fights, not all fights but some, is his sheer size. He stands around 5'8" which is huge for a light Flyweight and whilst he has made his name at 108lbs it seems likely that he'd be a very good sized fighter at 115lbs or even 118lbs, two weights where I actually think he'll be better suited.
At his best Hernandez is a sound fighter with a stinging jab that he works well off and a solid work rate. At his worst he's a fighter who gives up his size and gets dragged into the wrong type of fight, thankfully however he's tended to avoid those most of the time.
Kakutani himself has never proven to be even close to world class. In his most notable bouts he has been beaten by both Warlito Parrenas (LTKO1) and Teiru Kinoshita (LSD10) and his most notable victory has come against domestic rival Katsuya Matsuura. Not the the record of a championship contender that's for sure.
Not only does Kakutani lack any sort of pedigree but he also has a serious issue in terms of power. With Hernandez being a durable fighter, despite his two stoppage losses, a fighter will need to have power to keep him from doing as he pleases. Unfortunately Kakutani's lack of power is also combined with a relative lack of durability on his side with 2 of his 3 losses coming by stoppage and both coming very early in the bout.
In all honesty this would seem like a bout that Hernandez has in the bag. He can box Kakutani's socks off for 12 rounds or just go in and steam roll him, depending on the mood he's in and the impression he's looking to leave. Personally I'd assume it's going to be a quick job by Hernandez.
Prediction-Hernandez TKO2
Aged 28 the Japanese challenger is a fighter who appears to have been purposefully selected by the champion as a relatively easy defense. Whilst it's fair to say that Hernandez is staying active with this being his third defense of the year and his fourth fight in just 12 months it's seems like a distant memory since he was last in with a notable opponent in Kompayak Porpramook.
In the ring Hernandez is a talented boxer puncher who really does seem able to out box or out fight opponents depending on his mood. Although he's proven to be capable at the world level with victories over Porpramool, Gilberto Keb Baas and Rodel Mayol he has left many with question marks due to his struggles against some lesser fighters, including Yader Cardoza ina fight he clearly won but yet still seemed to struggle in.
I think, though I may be wrong, that the reason Hernandez has looked so sluggish in some fights, not all fights but some, is his sheer size. He stands around 5'8" which is huge for a light Flyweight and whilst he has made his name at 108lbs it seems likely that he'd be a very good sized fighter at 115lbs or even 118lbs, two weights where I actually think he'll be better suited.
At his best Hernandez is a sound fighter with a stinging jab that he works well off and a solid work rate. At his worst he's a fighter who gives up his size and gets dragged into the wrong type of fight, thankfully however he's tended to avoid those most of the time.
Kakutani himself has never proven to be even close to world class. In his most notable bouts he has been beaten by both Warlito Parrenas (LTKO1) and Teiru Kinoshita (LSD10) and his most notable victory has come against domestic rival Katsuya Matsuura. Not the the record of a championship contender that's for sure.
Not only does Kakutani lack any sort of pedigree but he also has a serious issue in terms of power. With Hernandez being a durable fighter, despite his two stoppage losses, a fighter will need to have power to keep him from doing as he pleases. Unfortunately Kakutani's lack of power is also combined with a relative lack of durability on his side with 2 of his 3 losses coming by stoppage and both coming very early in the bout.
In all honesty this would seem like a bout that Hernandez has in the bag. He can box Kakutani's socks off for 12 rounds or just go in and steam roll him, depending on the mood he's in and the impression he's looking to leave. Personally I'd assume it's going to be a quick job by Hernandez.
Prediction-Hernandez TKO2
Saturday 24 August 2013
Stanyslav Kashtanov v Jaime Barboza
This weekend, in all honesty, is a very busy one, on both the world title front and the general boxing front. When it comes to busy weeks there is always a fight or two that gets forgotten about and this week the clearest example of that is the WBA "interim" Super Middleweight title bout in Ukraine.
The defending champion, Ukrainian fighter Stanyslav Kashtanov (30-1, 16), may very well be the most obscure champion active champion, even in the current world of "interim" champions. It's fair to say that he wouldn't make it into my top 20 at Super Middleweight though the intelligence of the WBA has seen him ending up with a world title.
Although obscure Kashtanov is a decent enough fighter. In a by gone era of champions defending on a regular basis he'd be a fringe contender who would likely have gotten a chance somewhere down the line to fight the champion, and lose to him. Instead Kashtanov has collected one of the most paper belts in the sport, and even then it took him two tries.
For people who just go through Kashtanov's record they will notive that he won his last fight, against Server Yemurlayev, for the title via a split decision. Whilst Kashtanov didn't shut out Yemurlayev by any means he was a clearer winner than the cards would show, in fact only the card of Chalerm Prayadsab actually reflected the nature of the bout.
The Ukrainian is well schooled. He does haven't the power to really keep good fighters off him, or the skills or speed to out box opponents but what he does have is the solid fundamentals with which to forge a decent career. He's never going to be a superstar but he's the type of guy who is well schooled enough to only really be beaten by the genuine top 10-15 style of fighters.
Challenging Kashtanov is the very limited and yet very lucky Costa Rican challenger Jaime Barboza (18-7, 8).
If Kashtanov misses out on my top 10, Barboza misses out on, probably being in my top 100.
The 35 year old Barboza is a fighter who has lost 4 of his last 6 and who's only win of note is erm, er, Jose Pinzon, who you know is so notable!
Okay I lied, Barboza doesn't have any wins of note. He's been a Costa Rican national champion and held various C level titles such as the WBA Fedelatin Super Middleweight title but he's never looked capable at the B grade and in his previous "interim" world title fight he was widely beaten, at home, by Brian Magee.
Although Barboza has proven to be tough with just a sole stoppage loss, coming in a rematch to Pinzon, he is very limited and it's hard to imagine him doing too much to really trouble Kashtanov here who should have the ability and know how to take a very clear decision.
Prediction-Kashtanov UD 12
The defending champion, Ukrainian fighter Stanyslav Kashtanov (30-1, 16), may very well be the most obscure champion active champion, even in the current world of "interim" champions. It's fair to say that he wouldn't make it into my top 20 at Super Middleweight though the intelligence of the WBA has seen him ending up with a world title.
Although obscure Kashtanov is a decent enough fighter. In a by gone era of champions defending on a regular basis he'd be a fringe contender who would likely have gotten a chance somewhere down the line to fight the champion, and lose to him. Instead Kashtanov has collected one of the most paper belts in the sport, and even then it took him two tries.
For people who just go through Kashtanov's record they will notive that he won his last fight, against Server Yemurlayev, for the title via a split decision. Whilst Kashtanov didn't shut out Yemurlayev by any means he was a clearer winner than the cards would show, in fact only the card of Chalerm Prayadsab actually reflected the nature of the bout.
The Ukrainian is well schooled. He does haven't the power to really keep good fighters off him, or the skills or speed to out box opponents but what he does have is the solid fundamentals with which to forge a decent career. He's never going to be a superstar but he's the type of guy who is well schooled enough to only really be beaten by the genuine top 10-15 style of fighters.
Challenging Kashtanov is the very limited and yet very lucky Costa Rican challenger Jaime Barboza (18-7, 8).
If Kashtanov misses out on my top 10, Barboza misses out on, probably being in my top 100.
The 35 year old Barboza is a fighter who has lost 4 of his last 6 and who's only win of note is erm, er, Jose Pinzon, who you know is so notable!
Okay I lied, Barboza doesn't have any wins of note. He's been a Costa Rican national champion and held various C level titles such as the WBA Fedelatin Super Middleweight title but he's never looked capable at the B grade and in his previous "interim" world title fight he was widely beaten, at home, by Brian Magee.
Although Barboza has proven to be tough with just a sole stoppage loss, coming in a rematch to Pinzon, he is very limited and it's hard to imagine him doing too much to really trouble Kashtanov here who should have the ability and know how to take a very clear decision.
Prediction-Kashtanov UD 12
Omar Andres Narvaez v Hiroyuki Hisataka
It's often said that fighters in the smaller divisions age significantly quicker than their heavier counterparts. If that's true Argentinian veteran Omar Andres Narvaez (39-1-2, 20) must be boxing's version of a octogenarian holding the WBO Super Flyweight title despite being 38.
Narvaez, who was the first of the 2000 Olympians to claim a world title, is a fighter who widely splits the opinion of the boxing world depending on whether or not you've actually followed him or not. If you've not followed him you've probably only seen his bout with Nonito Donaire, a bout that he was out-gunned in from the off and a fight that he stood no chance in. Rather than giving Donaire a chance to behead him Narvaez covered up and actually showed how poor Donaire was when he was forced to make the action, something we saw again when Donaire fought Guillermo Rigondeaux.
If you've instead followed Narvaez's career you'll be fully aware of what a talented fighter he is. He's quick, skilled, slippery and a nightmare to fight. He's not strong or hard hitting but he's slippery, intelligent and knows how to get in and out whilst landing his own flurry of shots. From the outside he can be neutralised but he's got unbelievable quickness for such an "old man" that he tends to find his way inside whenever he wants.
Although it's fair to say that Narvaez is slipping as a fighter and I certainly wouldn't fancy his chances against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, he's still a more than capable fighter. Despite still be good we did see him showing cracks in his armour last time out as Mexican Felipe Orucuta almost dethroned him and he looks like he's certainly becoming more beatable fight after fight.
Narvaez looks for the 8th defense of his WBO Super Flyweight title this coming weekend when he takes on Japanese fighter Hiroyuki Hisataka (22-10-1, 10) a fighter who's record makes him look like an easy mark for Narvaez.
Surprisingly Hisataka has one of those misleading records. His record really looks much worse than it should simply because he's been matched so very hard and it's left his record looking like a who's who which includes Tomonobu Shimizu, Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym, Takefumi Sakata, Denkaosan Kaovichit, Hugo Fidel Cazares and Oleydong Sithsamerchai.
At 28 years old Hisataka is notably younger than the champion and is probably just coming into his boxing prime. He's no longer a child but he's a fully grown man who is tough, hard working and has given good fighters, Kaovichit for example, a very good run for their money.
Although Hisataka isn't near the skill level of Narvaez, very few are, the intangibles do oddly favour Hisataka to really give Narvaez a very tough night. I'm not saying Hisataka will win but he will certainly give a very good account of himself and maybe help open doors to another world title fight.
This it a bout that the under-dog has been written off before he's stepped foot in the ring though is a surprisingly live under-dog.
Prediction-UD12 Narvaez
Narvaez, who was the first of the 2000 Olympians to claim a world title, is a fighter who widely splits the opinion of the boxing world depending on whether or not you've actually followed him or not. If you've not followed him you've probably only seen his bout with Nonito Donaire, a bout that he was out-gunned in from the off and a fight that he stood no chance in. Rather than giving Donaire a chance to behead him Narvaez covered up and actually showed how poor Donaire was when he was forced to make the action, something we saw again when Donaire fought Guillermo Rigondeaux.
If you've instead followed Narvaez's career you'll be fully aware of what a talented fighter he is. He's quick, skilled, slippery and a nightmare to fight. He's not strong or hard hitting but he's slippery, intelligent and knows how to get in and out whilst landing his own flurry of shots. From the outside he can be neutralised but he's got unbelievable quickness for such an "old man" that he tends to find his way inside whenever he wants.
Although it's fair to say that Narvaez is slipping as a fighter and I certainly wouldn't fancy his chances against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, he's still a more than capable fighter. Despite still be good we did see him showing cracks in his armour last time out as Mexican Felipe Orucuta almost dethroned him and he looks like he's certainly becoming more beatable fight after fight.
Narvaez looks for the 8th defense of his WBO Super Flyweight title this coming weekend when he takes on Japanese fighter Hiroyuki Hisataka (22-10-1, 10) a fighter who's record makes him look like an easy mark for Narvaez.
Surprisingly Hisataka has one of those misleading records. His record really looks much worse than it should simply because he's been matched so very hard and it's left his record looking like a who's who which includes Tomonobu Shimizu, Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym, Takefumi Sakata, Denkaosan Kaovichit, Hugo Fidel Cazares and Oleydong Sithsamerchai.
At 28 years old Hisataka is notably younger than the champion and is probably just coming into his boxing prime. He's no longer a child but he's a fully grown man who is tough, hard working and has given good fighters, Kaovichit for example, a very good run for their money.
Although Hisataka isn't near the skill level of Narvaez, very few are, the intangibles do oddly favour Hisataka to really give Narvaez a very tough night. I'm not saying Hisataka will win but he will certainly give a very good account of himself and maybe help open doors to another world title fight.
This it a bout that the under-dog has been written off before he's stepped foot in the ring though is a surprisingly live under-dog.
Prediction-UD12 Narvaez
Wednesday 21 August 2013
Abner Mares v Jhonny Gonzalez
Love him or hate him Abner Mares (26-0-1, 14), the current WBC Featherweight champion, is one of the sport's genuine emerging talents. He has shown himself to be fearless and happy to face anyone and although some of his victories have come with some somewhat dubious officiating he has always proven to be tough, fun watch and a fighter wanting to prove a point.
Mares is a Mexican who can both box or fight. At his best he's a combination throwing action fighter. Not a big hitter by any stretch of the imagination but a very clever fighter who can apply a lot of pressure and break opponents mentally as well as physically. He has sharp punches that are thrown in bunches, he has a fantastic body attack and a gritty determination to him.
Although many will try to complain that all of Mares's biggest wins have come with a fair amount of doubt from things like low blows, questionable calls and some rather nice refereeing he has proven to be able to instill his will on good fighters. Something he did in impressive fashion to Anselmo Moreno and Daniel Ponce De Leon in his last 2 bouts.
With victories over not just Moreno and Ponce De Leon but also Joseph Agbeko, Vic Darchinyan, Eric Morel and Yonnhy Perez it's fair to that Mares has been going through strong competition and proving himself in a way that only he and Carl Froch having being doing so.
This coming weekend Mares attempts to make the first defense of his Featherweight title as he takes on former champion Jhonny Gonzalez (54-8, 46), a massively hard hitting Mexican who at his best has the power to rattle any fighters senses.
Gonzalez combines hard hitting power with solid boxing and decent size. At the fringe world level he's had great success with his ability to box or bomb, though he has been found to have issues that have plagued his career, notably a weaker than average chin.
Although talented Gonzalez has had mixed results at the top level beating the likes of Ratanachai Sor Vorapin, Marc Johnson, Fernando Montiel, Elios Rojas and Hozumi Hasegawa and losing to Israel Vazquez, Gerry Penalosa, Toshiaki Nishioka and Daniel Ponce De Leon. It's these mixed results that has made Gonzalez so difficult to read. Every time his career looks to be faltering he manages a big win and every time his career looks ready to take off he falters
If Gonzalez connects clean we will learn a lot about Mares's chin. He has been down in his career but has shown his toughness to get up and fight on though Gonzalez, at least on paper, the biggest puncher he'll have faced (or at least on an even keel with Ponce De Leon). Unfortunately I don't see see Gonzalez landing clean often enough to really give Mares any trouble and in fact I imagine Mares will be one step ahead of Gonzalez through out the fight using his speed advantage to neutralise the reach of Gonzalez.
With Mares likely to land to the body of Gonzalez early I think he'll eventually beat the power from Gonzalez before stopping him in the middle to late rounds.
Prediction- Mares TKO9
Mares is a Mexican who can both box or fight. At his best he's a combination throwing action fighter. Not a big hitter by any stretch of the imagination but a very clever fighter who can apply a lot of pressure and break opponents mentally as well as physically. He has sharp punches that are thrown in bunches, he has a fantastic body attack and a gritty determination to him.
Although many will try to complain that all of Mares's biggest wins have come with a fair amount of doubt from things like low blows, questionable calls and some rather nice refereeing he has proven to be able to instill his will on good fighters. Something he did in impressive fashion to Anselmo Moreno and Daniel Ponce De Leon in his last 2 bouts.
With victories over not just Moreno and Ponce De Leon but also Joseph Agbeko, Vic Darchinyan, Eric Morel and Yonnhy Perez it's fair to that Mares has been going through strong competition and proving himself in a way that only he and Carl Froch having being doing so.
This coming weekend Mares attempts to make the first defense of his Featherweight title as he takes on former champion Jhonny Gonzalez (54-8, 46), a massively hard hitting Mexican who at his best has the power to rattle any fighters senses.
Gonzalez combines hard hitting power with solid boxing and decent size. At the fringe world level he's had great success with his ability to box or bomb, though he has been found to have issues that have plagued his career, notably a weaker than average chin.
Although talented Gonzalez has had mixed results at the top level beating the likes of Ratanachai Sor Vorapin, Marc Johnson, Fernando Montiel, Elios Rojas and Hozumi Hasegawa and losing to Israel Vazquez, Gerry Penalosa, Toshiaki Nishioka and Daniel Ponce De Leon. It's these mixed results that has made Gonzalez so difficult to read. Every time his career looks to be faltering he manages a big win and every time his career looks ready to take off he falters
If Gonzalez connects clean we will learn a lot about Mares's chin. He has been down in his career but has shown his toughness to get up and fight on though Gonzalez, at least on paper, the biggest puncher he'll have faced (or at least on an even keel with Ponce De Leon). Unfortunately I don't see see Gonzalez landing clean often enough to really give Mares any trouble and in fact I imagine Mares will be one step ahead of Gonzalez through out the fight using his speed advantage to neutralise the reach of Gonzalez.
With Mares likely to land to the body of Gonzalez early I think he'll eventually beat the power from Gonzalez before stopping him in the middle to late rounds.
Prediction- Mares TKO9
Thursday 15 August 2013
Victor Terrazas v Leo Santa Cruz
When one talks about the most fun to watch fighters in world boxing it's hard not to including the name of Leo Santa Cruz (24-0-1, 14) a really fun to watch, all action fighter who is like a smaller and improved version of Antonio Margarito.
Santa Cruz, who made his name at Bantamweight, looks to step up to Super Bantamweight this week and claim the WBC title at 122lbs as he takes on fellow Mexican Victor Terrazas (37-2-1, 21) in an attempt to become a 2-weight world champion.
The lead story is of course that of Santa Cruz stepping up though for me the real story is that of the fight it's self, a story that is going to be a lot of fun as both men come to fight and both men tend to enjoy letting their hands go.
Terrazas won the title last time out taking a debated decision over the skilled Cristian Mijares, in a bout many felt Mijares had won. Although Terrazas was competitive through out it was a worry that he was dropped by Mijares and despite making a solid start Terrazas was looking like a tired fighter towards the end.
It's the stamina of Terrazas that really leaves me with questions. In his most recent loss, the only one that matters considering his first came on his debut, he started well against Rendall Munroe but tired out in the middle rounds and was stopped as must from exhaustion as anything else. It's fair to say that this is a big issue when when you fight someone who is busy, in your face and will grind you down mentally and physically.
Unfortunately for Terrazas, Santa Cruz is the type of fighter who get in your face from the opening bell, push you around with his strength and then beat you down with his relentless work rate that sees him going to the head and body in clusters. Although no single shot of Santa Cruz's is concussive the sheer number of them is draining and by the middle rounds most of his opponents have either been spent or are starting to think more about protecting themselves than trying to fight back.
Whilst it's true that Santa Cruz is going up a division he did appear to be massive at Bantamweight and aged just 25 he is certainly more of a natural Super Bantamweight now than a Bantamweight. In fact the move up a division may well see him not only maintaining his insane work rate but also have more force on every shot with the extra few pounds counting for a lot in these lower weights.
My view on this fight is that for 6 or 7 rounds we'll have some special. Both guys unloading shots on the other like rock-em-sock-em robots but in the second half of the fight the battle will slowly be beaten out of Terrazas who will be stopped in the later rounds, probably by his corner after a really bad round.
Prediction-Santa Cruz TKO10
Santa Cruz, who made his name at Bantamweight, looks to step up to Super Bantamweight this week and claim the WBC title at 122lbs as he takes on fellow Mexican Victor Terrazas (37-2-1, 21) in an attempt to become a 2-weight world champion.
The lead story is of course that of Santa Cruz stepping up though for me the real story is that of the fight it's self, a story that is going to be a lot of fun as both men come to fight and both men tend to enjoy letting their hands go.
Terrazas won the title last time out taking a debated decision over the skilled Cristian Mijares, in a bout many felt Mijares had won. Although Terrazas was competitive through out it was a worry that he was dropped by Mijares and despite making a solid start Terrazas was looking like a tired fighter towards the end.
It's the stamina of Terrazas that really leaves me with questions. In his most recent loss, the only one that matters considering his first came on his debut, he started well against Rendall Munroe but tired out in the middle rounds and was stopped as must from exhaustion as anything else. It's fair to say that this is a big issue when when you fight someone who is busy, in your face and will grind you down mentally and physically.
Unfortunately for Terrazas, Santa Cruz is the type of fighter who get in your face from the opening bell, push you around with his strength and then beat you down with his relentless work rate that sees him going to the head and body in clusters. Although no single shot of Santa Cruz's is concussive the sheer number of them is draining and by the middle rounds most of his opponents have either been spent or are starting to think more about protecting themselves than trying to fight back.
Whilst it's true that Santa Cruz is going up a division he did appear to be massive at Bantamweight and aged just 25 he is certainly more of a natural Super Bantamweight now than a Bantamweight. In fact the move up a division may well see him not only maintaining his insane work rate but also have more force on every shot with the extra few pounds counting for a lot in these lower weights.
My view on this fight is that for 6 or 7 rounds we'll have some special. Both guys unloading shots on the other like rock-em-sock-em robots but in the second half of the fight the battle will slowly be beaten out of Terrazas who will be stopped in the later rounds, probably by his corner after a really bad round.
Prediction-Santa Cruz TKO10
Wednesday 14 August 2013
Nathan Cleverly v Sergey Kovalev
Although the Light Heavyweight division has lacked exciting fights in recent years one man seems to have come under a lot more criticism than perhaps he should have.
Welshman Nathan Cleverly (26-0, 12), the current WBO Light Heavyweight champion, seems to have been under-attack from every direction. British fans have tired of Frank Warren talking a good game about Cleverly whilst completely failing to deliver, international fans have grown bored of Warren talking about Cleverly fighting top international fighters and even top fighters seem to have gotten sick of their names just being linked to Cleverly.
Thankfully fans, who have been calling for Cleverly to fight a real challenger, have finally gotten their own way as he takes on unbeaten Russian puncher Sergey Kovalev (21-0-1, 19). A challenger who seems to be wake of destruction behind him fight after fight after fight.
Although Cleverly has never looked in any danger of being stopped in his 26 contests so far his chin is still a bit of a question to me. Many around the sport will tell you he's been thoroughly chin checked though in all honesty the biggest puncher he has faced to date has been Tony Bellew, a fighter who's power is genuinely unproven, especially at the world level.
The only world level facets Cleverly has proven to have is a world level work rate. The guy, when he's in a rhythm simply doesn't stop throwing. In all honesty his engine is probably the best seen in and around the Light Heavyweight division since former training mate Joe Calzaghe, though unlike Calzaghe he's not got the proven skills to combine with his engine. That's not to say Cleverly is unskilled, just not as highly skilled as Calzaghe.
Having been a world champion for over 2 years Cleverly's opponents have been poor, there is no way of defending that, though the division of course hasn't been awash with talent, like, for example the current Flyweight division, it hasn't been as bad as Cleverly has been making it look. Unfortunately he's missed on defining wins over the likes of Gabriel Campillo to instead fight the likes of, uh, Shawn Hawk.
On man who did score a defining, and highly impressive victory over Campillo was Kovalev who earlier this year dismantled the talented Spanish fighter in 3, one sided rounds in a performance that really put him on the boxing map.
With the HBO hype machine well behind Kovalev his raise through the ranks has been quick. Just 2 years ago he was a relative unknown fighting Grover Young, now however he's one of the most highly rated Light Heavyweights on the planet. In fact, some people already rank Kovalev as a better fighter than Cleverly despite Cleverly's status as a world champion.
The rise from prospect to highly ranked contender took Kovalev just 18 rounds as he defeated Roman Simakov, Darnell Boone, Lionell Thompson, Campillo and most recently Cornelius White, all 5 victories coming by T/KO.
Kovalev, like both Lucas Matthysse and Gennady Golovkin has not fight changing power but fighter changing power. The power in the fists of Kovalev isn't just concussive, but is confidence destroying. He lands and a fighter who thought he could win when the first bell went suddenly realises they are in with no chance. A typically skilled boxer feels their legs turn to jelly, a brawler becomes a runner and a hunter becomes the hunter.
With Cleverly often showing a propensity to brawl he's in for trouble. He lacks the power needed to keep a world class fighter honest and Kovalev is a world class fighter with elite class power. The supposedly tough chin of Cleverly isn't just going to be checked here, but is likely going to be destroyed. The first few rounds might not see it happen but sooner or later Cleverly is going to be in a world of trouble that he simply cannot escape from.
Prediction-Kovalev TKO7
Welshman Nathan Cleverly (26-0, 12), the current WBO Light Heavyweight champion, seems to have been under-attack from every direction. British fans have tired of Frank Warren talking a good game about Cleverly whilst completely failing to deliver, international fans have grown bored of Warren talking about Cleverly fighting top international fighters and even top fighters seem to have gotten sick of their names just being linked to Cleverly.
Thankfully fans, who have been calling for Cleverly to fight a real challenger, have finally gotten their own way as he takes on unbeaten Russian puncher Sergey Kovalev (21-0-1, 19). A challenger who seems to be wake of destruction behind him fight after fight after fight.
Although Cleverly has never looked in any danger of being stopped in his 26 contests so far his chin is still a bit of a question to me. Many around the sport will tell you he's been thoroughly chin checked though in all honesty the biggest puncher he has faced to date has been Tony Bellew, a fighter who's power is genuinely unproven, especially at the world level.
The only world level facets Cleverly has proven to have is a world level work rate. The guy, when he's in a rhythm simply doesn't stop throwing. In all honesty his engine is probably the best seen in and around the Light Heavyweight division since former training mate Joe Calzaghe, though unlike Calzaghe he's not got the proven skills to combine with his engine. That's not to say Cleverly is unskilled, just not as highly skilled as Calzaghe.
Having been a world champion for over 2 years Cleverly's opponents have been poor, there is no way of defending that, though the division of course hasn't been awash with talent, like, for example the current Flyweight division, it hasn't been as bad as Cleverly has been making it look. Unfortunately he's missed on defining wins over the likes of Gabriel Campillo to instead fight the likes of, uh, Shawn Hawk.
On man who did score a defining, and highly impressive victory over Campillo was Kovalev who earlier this year dismantled the talented Spanish fighter in 3, one sided rounds in a performance that really put him on the boxing map.
With the HBO hype machine well behind Kovalev his raise through the ranks has been quick. Just 2 years ago he was a relative unknown fighting Grover Young, now however he's one of the most highly rated Light Heavyweights on the planet. In fact, some people already rank Kovalev as a better fighter than Cleverly despite Cleverly's status as a world champion.
The rise from prospect to highly ranked contender took Kovalev just 18 rounds as he defeated Roman Simakov, Darnell Boone, Lionell Thompson, Campillo and most recently Cornelius White, all 5 victories coming by T/KO.
Kovalev, like both Lucas Matthysse and Gennady Golovkin has not fight changing power but fighter changing power. The power in the fists of Kovalev isn't just concussive, but is confidence destroying. He lands and a fighter who thought he could win when the first bell went suddenly realises they are in with no chance. A typically skilled boxer feels their legs turn to jelly, a brawler becomes a runner and a hunter becomes the hunter.
With Cleverly often showing a propensity to brawl he's in for trouble. He lacks the power needed to keep a world class fighter honest and Kovalev is a world class fighter with elite class power. The supposedly tough chin of Cleverly isn't just going to be checked here, but is likely going to be destroyed. The first few rounds might not see it happen but sooner or later Cleverly is going to be in a world of trouble that he simply cannot escape from.
Prediction-Kovalev TKO7
Takashi Miura v Sergio Thompson
Just a few years ago the Super Featherweight division looked genuinely dead. Other than a bout between Takashi Uchiyama and Adrien Broner nothing there really interested me. Right now however the division appears to be heating up with a rumour of a Gamboa/Uchiyama in the pipeline and a very attractive looking bout in Mexico this coming weekend.
This weekend's bout sees WBC champion Takashi Miura (25-2-2, 19), an extremely hard hitting and tough Japanese fighter traveling to Mexico to take on the fun to watch though criminally under-rated Sergio Thompson (27-2, 15), a man best known for stopping Jorge Linares.
Miura won the title earlier this year stopping Thompson's countryman Gamaliel Diaz in destructive fashion. Whilst Diaz was little more than a journeyman champion the performance, or rather the result, was impressive with Miura really showing his power off.
Despite the stoppage of Diaz being the highlight of Miura's career so far his power was already well known following his all-Japanese bout with Uchiyama in which Miura managed to drop Uchiyama in eye catching fashion. Unfortunately for Miura he was later stopped by Uchiyama in what was his first world title fight.
Although not the busiest fighter in the ring Miura is, as mentioned, a hard hitter with a real toughness to him. He's a fighter who can be outboxed but always has the potential to end a fight with his destructive left hand which is something every fighter needs to be wary of.
Thompson, like Miura, is a fighter who is tough and hits hard. He's a fighter who despite having little, other than Linares victory on his record has the talent to defeat almost anyone at 130lbs and possibly even 135lbs, where he is probably a little less comfortable but still a very destructive force.
As Thompson's record indicates he rarely gets rounds under his belt, in fact his 29 fight career has only seen him in 118 rounds, that's not much more than 4 rounds a contest. This has seen him going 10 rounds once and 12 rounds once, incidentally losing both of those contests by decision. This of course leaves me wondering just what his stamina's like, especially in bouts. Sure he's as destructive as they come early but can he cope with a fighter who takes his power and pressure?
Although Thompson is the challenger what he going for him is home field advantage here. Japanese boxers are notoriously bad on the road and if Miura can't get into a groove from the off he's going to find it very hard to ever get going against Thompson. That's not to say he can't win but if he lets Thompson set the pace he will have to look for a single shot to turn the fight around and there is no saying that chance will come.
Whilst I do give Miura a chance, it is only a 20-30% chance and I really do favour Thompson, probably by mid round stoppage in what could well be a FOTY style war for as long as it lasts.
Prediction-Thompson TKO6
This weekend's bout sees WBC champion Takashi Miura (25-2-2, 19), an extremely hard hitting and tough Japanese fighter traveling to Mexico to take on the fun to watch though criminally under-rated Sergio Thompson (27-2, 15), a man best known for stopping Jorge Linares.
Miura won the title earlier this year stopping Thompson's countryman Gamaliel Diaz in destructive fashion. Whilst Diaz was little more than a journeyman champion the performance, or rather the result, was impressive with Miura really showing his power off.
Despite the stoppage of Diaz being the highlight of Miura's career so far his power was already well known following his all-Japanese bout with Uchiyama in which Miura managed to drop Uchiyama in eye catching fashion. Unfortunately for Miura he was later stopped by Uchiyama in what was his first world title fight.
Although not the busiest fighter in the ring Miura is, as mentioned, a hard hitter with a real toughness to him. He's a fighter who can be outboxed but always has the potential to end a fight with his destructive left hand which is something every fighter needs to be wary of.
Thompson, like Miura, is a fighter who is tough and hits hard. He's a fighter who despite having little, other than Linares victory on his record has the talent to defeat almost anyone at 130lbs and possibly even 135lbs, where he is probably a little less comfortable but still a very destructive force.
As Thompson's record indicates he rarely gets rounds under his belt, in fact his 29 fight career has only seen him in 118 rounds, that's not much more than 4 rounds a contest. This has seen him going 10 rounds once and 12 rounds once, incidentally losing both of those contests by decision. This of course leaves me wondering just what his stamina's like, especially in bouts. Sure he's as destructive as they come early but can he cope with a fighter who takes his power and pressure?
Although Thompson is the challenger what he going for him is home field advantage here. Japanese boxers are notoriously bad on the road and if Miura can't get into a groove from the off he's going to find it very hard to ever get going against Thompson. That's not to say he can't win but if he lets Thompson set the pace he will have to look for a single shot to turn the fight around and there is no saying that chance will come.
Whilst I do give Miura a chance, it is only a 20-30% chance and I really do favour Thompson, probably by mid round stoppage in what could well be a FOTY style war for as long as it lasts.
Prediction-Thompson TKO6
Jhonatan Romero v Kiko Martinez
The Super Bantamweight division appears to be a bit of a sleeping division. Guillermo Rigondeaux's victory earlier this year over Nonito Donaire has created an almost untouchable #1. The rest of the pack behind the Cuban create all seem to be playing for the #2 role in the division, a position seems pretty attainable after how human Donaire has been made to look in a number of recent bouts.
One of those men looking to be the division's #2 is Nehomar Cermeno who recently defeated Oscar Escandon in a competitive bout for the WBA interim title, another is IBF champion Jhonathan Romero (23-0, 12) who looks to make the first defense of his belt this weekend.
The talented 26 year old Colombian, who already holds victories over Chris Avalos, Efrain Esquivias and Alejandro Lopez, is one of the front runners to the #2 position thanks to those notable victories.
Unlike many Colombian's Romero isn't a big puncher. He's can hit hard though he's not going to suddenly blast anyone out. Instead he's amongst the new breed of Colombian fighters, the ones that have been taught how to box, how to use his feet and how to counter. He's not the smoothest at it but he is a capable boxer who knows how to take care of himself in the ring.
One trait that Romero does have like many of his compatriots is his ability to look freakish at the weight. Despite fighting at 122lbs Romero stands just shy of 5'10 with long arms and legs. In terms of his height he'd be around 5" taller than the aforementioned Rigondeaux and an inch taller than Shingo Wake, another freaky looking Super Bantamweight. This can mean that when Romero gets his jab going he's very difficult to get close to.
If you're looking for weaknesses in Romero he does have a few. He's been down against both Avalos and Cecilio Santos, so he's not got a chin of steal, he can be hit and drops his hands more than he maybe should. He can also give away his size and more worryingly he can also have real lulls in his activity which can make rounds a lot closer than they should be. At his best however he's a really good boxer capable of fighting on the front foot or the back foot with very little problem.
Romero's opponent Spanish banger Kiko Martinez (28-4, 20) a man who really should not be getting a world title opportunity and is very fortunate that Carl Frampton's career seems to have fallen apart outside of the ring.
Martinez is a fighter well known to British and Irish fans after introducing himself to us by stopping the then unbeaten Bernard Dunne inside a round for the European Super Bantamweight title back in 2007.
It's been just less than 6 years since Martinez stopped Dunne though since then he has been beaten by Rendall Munroe, twice, Takalani Ndlovu and most recently Frampton, who stopped Martinez in the 9th round earlier this year.
Although on paper Martinez's record is an impressive looking one though when you consider his best victories have come over Dunne and a shop worn Jason Booth its hard to really take him as a legitimate challenger for a world title. Around European level he's a real handful and is a 3-time European champion against the fringe world level guys however he can be made to look one dimensional and has shown questionable stamina late.
Although Romero has been dropped twice he's likely to have scouted Martinez well and will know the Spaniard can bang. He'll also be aware that Martinez is predictable in the ring, he's got one gear "forward" and can be out boxed very easily by a clever fighter.
With that in mind I really can't see this as being anything but a show case for Romero's talents. The Colombian should be using his frame to his his advantage, jabbing and moving, catching Martinez as he comes forward and getting out of range before Martinez can land anything. If he does that there really is no way he loses his title.
Prediction-UD12 Romero.
One of those men looking to be the division's #2 is Nehomar Cermeno who recently defeated Oscar Escandon in a competitive bout for the WBA interim title, another is IBF champion Jhonathan Romero (23-0, 12) who looks to make the first defense of his belt this weekend.
The talented 26 year old Colombian, who already holds victories over Chris Avalos, Efrain Esquivias and Alejandro Lopez, is one of the front runners to the #2 position thanks to those notable victories.
Unlike many Colombian's Romero isn't a big puncher. He's can hit hard though he's not going to suddenly blast anyone out. Instead he's amongst the new breed of Colombian fighters, the ones that have been taught how to box, how to use his feet and how to counter. He's not the smoothest at it but he is a capable boxer who knows how to take care of himself in the ring.
One trait that Romero does have like many of his compatriots is his ability to look freakish at the weight. Despite fighting at 122lbs Romero stands just shy of 5'10 with long arms and legs. In terms of his height he'd be around 5" taller than the aforementioned Rigondeaux and an inch taller than Shingo Wake, another freaky looking Super Bantamweight. This can mean that when Romero gets his jab going he's very difficult to get close to.
If you're looking for weaknesses in Romero he does have a few. He's been down against both Avalos and Cecilio Santos, so he's not got a chin of steal, he can be hit and drops his hands more than he maybe should. He can also give away his size and more worryingly he can also have real lulls in his activity which can make rounds a lot closer than they should be. At his best however he's a really good boxer capable of fighting on the front foot or the back foot with very little problem.
Romero's opponent Spanish banger Kiko Martinez (28-4, 20) a man who really should not be getting a world title opportunity and is very fortunate that Carl Frampton's career seems to have fallen apart outside of the ring.
Martinez is a fighter well known to British and Irish fans after introducing himself to us by stopping the then unbeaten Bernard Dunne inside a round for the European Super Bantamweight title back in 2007.
It's been just less than 6 years since Martinez stopped Dunne though since then he has been beaten by Rendall Munroe, twice, Takalani Ndlovu and most recently Frampton, who stopped Martinez in the 9th round earlier this year.
Although on paper Martinez's record is an impressive looking one though when you consider his best victories have come over Dunne and a shop worn Jason Booth its hard to really take him as a legitimate challenger for a world title. Around European level he's a real handful and is a 3-time European champion against the fringe world level guys however he can be made to look one dimensional and has shown questionable stamina late.
Although Romero has been dropped twice he's likely to have scouted Martinez well and will know the Spaniard can bang. He'll also be aware that Martinez is predictable in the ring, he's got one gear "forward" and can be out boxed very easily by a clever fighter.
With that in mind I really can't see this as being anything but a show case for Romero's talents. The Colombian should be using his frame to his his advantage, jabbing and moving, catching Martinez as he comes forward and getting out of range before Martinez can land anything. If he does that there really is no way he loses his title.
Prediction-UD12 Romero.
Claudio Marrero v Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar
Probably the most over-looked fight this weekend takes place on ESPN's "Friday Night Fights" and sees unheralded Dominican Caludio Marrero (14-0, 11) taking the step up from prospect to "world challenger" as he takes on Argentinian banger Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar (22-1, 18) for the WBA "interim" Featherweight title.
The bout, part of a "Friday Night Fights" world title double header is on paper a very interesting match up between a big punching southpaw and a talented speedster who also fights from the southpaw stance. Sure it's not a genuine "world level" bout but it's a highly promising match up between two fringe contenders in one of boxing's most confusing divisions.
The 126lbs division has had Indonesian Chris John, the WBA "super" champion, as the longest reigning champion with his reign being the better part of a decade. Alongside John at the top of the division is Mexican star Abner Mares, arguably the best fighter in the division , the WBC champion. You then have Evgeny Gradovich, the IBF champion and below that everything is a mess.
Jamaican Nicholas Walters is the "regular" WBA champion, Orlando Salido and Orlando Cruz battle for the vacant WBO title and in all honesty none of the champions ever look likely to face each other.
Thankfully though the division is lovely mess, there are lots of fights to be made and lots of fighters looking for their opportunity to make a name for themselves, which is precisely what we have here.
Of the two fighters I'll admit I'm more of a Marrero fan. The 24 year old "Matrix" is, at his best, a lovely fighter to watch with lightning quick hands, lovely long combinations and respectable, though not destructive, power.
Despite only being a professional since September 2010 Marrero has been making a name for himself with the hardcore fans. This was in part due to his eye catching stoppage of Francis Ruiz and a dominant decision over Emmanuel Lucero.
It was the decision over Lucero that saw very split views on Marrero. Did the fact Lucero survive 10 rounds prove Marrero's power was over-rated? Or did it prove that Marrero could easily cope with 10 rounds? It was a question that had no right answer, both were right. Sure it was the second time Marrero had been 10 rounds but going into the bout with Lucero his career had consisted of just 30 rounds and 10 extra rounds will have done his nothing but the world of good.
Although I'll admit to being a fan of Marrero it does need to be said that he's in with what looks to be a dangerous Argentinian here, in fact aren't most Argentinian's dangerous?
Of course with most Argentinian's it's hard to say how good Cuellar actually is as many of his victories have come on the Argentinian scene which is very much a mixed bag. What we know is that Cuellar isn't a genuine world level boxer, his loss to Oscar Escandon was pretty decisive. Though with 18T/KO's from 23 fights he's capable of hurting opponents.
The 4 men who have survived the distance with Cuellar have been a mixed bag though the most worrying, on paper, was Miguel Leonardo Caceres. Caceres is a journeyman and wasn't far from defeating Cuellar just 18 months ago in a very narrow fight, albeit up at Featherweight.
What we see from Cuellar's record is that his power holds through the fight. He has a number of early knockouts but he's also had some in later rounds including an 11th round stoppage and stoppages in rounds 8 and 9.
Unfortunately whilst Cuellar looks like a banger, I dare say his record is notably inflated thanks to his competition. Sure he's fought Escandon but the Colombian never looked bothered by Cuellar and just walked him down. Whilst Marrero is a totally different style of fighter to Escandon I don't imagine he'll really have too many problems doing a similar job with his speed and movement being far too much for Cuellar.
The Argentinian is likely to be chasing shadows for much of the bout and wondering what's hitting him for the rest of it.
Prediction-Marrero TKO8
The bout, part of a "Friday Night Fights" world title double header is on paper a very interesting match up between a big punching southpaw and a talented speedster who also fights from the southpaw stance. Sure it's not a genuine "world level" bout but it's a highly promising match up between two fringe contenders in one of boxing's most confusing divisions.
The 126lbs division has had Indonesian Chris John, the WBA "super" champion, as the longest reigning champion with his reign being the better part of a decade. Alongside John at the top of the division is Mexican star Abner Mares, arguably the best fighter in the division , the WBC champion. You then have Evgeny Gradovich, the IBF champion and below that everything is a mess.
Jamaican Nicholas Walters is the "regular" WBA champion, Orlando Salido and Orlando Cruz battle for the vacant WBO title and in all honesty none of the champions ever look likely to face each other.
Thankfully though the division is lovely mess, there are lots of fights to be made and lots of fighters looking for their opportunity to make a name for themselves, which is precisely what we have here.
Of the two fighters I'll admit I'm more of a Marrero fan. The 24 year old "Matrix" is, at his best, a lovely fighter to watch with lightning quick hands, lovely long combinations and respectable, though not destructive, power.
Despite only being a professional since September 2010 Marrero has been making a name for himself with the hardcore fans. This was in part due to his eye catching stoppage of Francis Ruiz and a dominant decision over Emmanuel Lucero.
It was the decision over Lucero that saw very split views on Marrero. Did the fact Lucero survive 10 rounds prove Marrero's power was over-rated? Or did it prove that Marrero could easily cope with 10 rounds? It was a question that had no right answer, both were right. Sure it was the second time Marrero had been 10 rounds but going into the bout with Lucero his career had consisted of just 30 rounds and 10 extra rounds will have done his nothing but the world of good.
Although I'll admit to being a fan of Marrero it does need to be said that he's in with what looks to be a dangerous Argentinian here, in fact aren't most Argentinian's dangerous?
Of course with most Argentinian's it's hard to say how good Cuellar actually is as many of his victories have come on the Argentinian scene which is very much a mixed bag. What we know is that Cuellar isn't a genuine world level boxer, his loss to Oscar Escandon was pretty decisive. Though with 18T/KO's from 23 fights he's capable of hurting opponents.
The 4 men who have survived the distance with Cuellar have been a mixed bag though the most worrying, on paper, was Miguel Leonardo Caceres. Caceres is a journeyman and wasn't far from defeating Cuellar just 18 months ago in a very narrow fight, albeit up at Featherweight.
What we see from Cuellar's record is that his power holds through the fight. He has a number of early knockouts but he's also had some in later rounds including an 11th round stoppage and stoppages in rounds 8 and 9.
Unfortunately whilst Cuellar looks like a banger, I dare say his record is notably inflated thanks to his competition. Sure he's fought Escandon but the Colombian never looked bothered by Cuellar and just walked him down. Whilst Marrero is a totally different style of fighter to Escandon I don't imagine he'll really have too many problems doing a similar job with his speed and movement being far too much for Cuellar.
The Argentinian is likely to be chasing shadows for much of the bout and wondering what's hitting him for the rest of it.
Prediction-Marrero TKO8
Argenis Mendez v Arash Usmanee
After a few weak years the Super Featherweight division really does seem like it's picking up. Not only does the division have Takashi Uchiyama as the stand out guy and the WBA champion but below him are some very exciting fighters such as the former Featherweight champion Mikey Garcia and Roman Martinez, as limited as he is, is always in good fights.
When you get good fighters in a division it's impossible for their not to be some great match ups that do get made and that's what we have as the headliner for this weeks "Friday Night Fights" as IBF champion Argenis Mendez (21-2, 11) takes on Afghan born Canadian Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10). It's a fight that may not grab the attention of many but should still be a genuinely good match up.
Dominican Mendez is with out a doubt one of the most gifted fighters in the Super Featherweight division. He's got delightful technical skills, beautiful speed and although he's not a banger he can hit hard enough to take fighters out when he decides to hold his feet and let loose. In fact it's his combination of speed and power that can make him such a devastating fighter with his punches coming quicker than many fighters can react to.
Unfortunately for all the talent Mendez has he can blow hot and cold. At his best he's the division's best fighter behind the destructive Uchiyama. At his worst however he can really under-perform as he did against Martin Honorio in their first fight and Juan Carlos Salgado in their first fight, however he looked a much improved fighter in rematches with both men.
On a bad day Mendez would only be competitive with any of the top 10 in the division, though on his best days he's genuinely sensational.
In the opposite corner to Mendez will be the once beaten Usmanee, a man many including believes should be unbeaten. Unfortunately for Usmanee his most recent bout, a controversial decision loss to Rances Barthelemy, is probably his highest profile, thankfully however that bout was on ESPN's Friday Night Fights meaning that most who will be tuning in will now about the loss.
Usmanee is a talented and hard working fighter. He's not the slickest or the biggest hitting but he's a very determined fighter who has a tremendous engine, an engine that saw him throwing over 1000 punches against Barthelmy. In fact had he had some real power he'd likely have stopped Barthelmy thanks to his 34% connect rate in power shots.
As talented and hard working as Usmanee is it's likely he will need to hope that Mendez is having an off night if he's to win. Of course that's not out of the question with Mendez having his hot and cold reputation though if Mendez is on form this could be a very harsh bout for Usmanee who is talented but not in the same league as on fire Mendez.
Prediction-Mendez UD12
When you get good fighters in a division it's impossible for their not to be some great match ups that do get made and that's what we have as the headliner for this weeks "Friday Night Fights" as IBF champion Argenis Mendez (21-2, 11) takes on Afghan born Canadian Arash Usmanee (20-1, 10). It's a fight that may not grab the attention of many but should still be a genuinely good match up.
Dominican Mendez is with out a doubt one of the most gifted fighters in the Super Featherweight division. He's got delightful technical skills, beautiful speed and although he's not a banger he can hit hard enough to take fighters out when he decides to hold his feet and let loose. In fact it's his combination of speed and power that can make him such a devastating fighter with his punches coming quicker than many fighters can react to.
Unfortunately for all the talent Mendez has he can blow hot and cold. At his best he's the division's best fighter behind the destructive Uchiyama. At his worst however he can really under-perform as he did against Martin Honorio in their first fight and Juan Carlos Salgado in their first fight, however he looked a much improved fighter in rematches with both men.
On a bad day Mendez would only be competitive with any of the top 10 in the division, though on his best days he's genuinely sensational.
In the opposite corner to Mendez will be the once beaten Usmanee, a man many including believes should be unbeaten. Unfortunately for Usmanee his most recent bout, a controversial decision loss to Rances Barthelemy, is probably his highest profile, thankfully however that bout was on ESPN's Friday Night Fights meaning that most who will be tuning in will now about the loss.
Usmanee is a talented and hard working fighter. He's not the slickest or the biggest hitting but he's a very determined fighter who has a tremendous engine, an engine that saw him throwing over 1000 punches against Barthelmy. In fact had he had some real power he'd likely have stopped Barthelmy thanks to his 34% connect rate in power shots.
As talented and hard working as Usmanee is it's likely he will need to hope that Mendez is having an off night if he's to win. Of course that's not out of the question with Mendez having his hot and cold reputation though if Mendez is on form this could be a very harsh bout for Usmanee who is talented but not in the same league as on fire Mendez.
Prediction-Mendez UD12
Daniel Geale v Darren Barker
The Middleweight division in recent months has really managed to grab people's attention. Of course when a division has some serious punchers that's what happens and with Gennady Golovkin, Peter Quillin and Curtis Stevens the division has a trio of big punchers.
Outside from the 3 big bangers however the division has pretty much everything else you can ask for in a division. It has boxers, swarmers, pressure fighters and plenty of exciting match ups, including this Saturday's IBF Middleweight title fight between the defending champion Daniel Geale (29-1, 15) and challenger Darren Barker (25-1, 16).
Australian champion Geale is one of the sports nice guys. A humble, hard working fighter who wasn't blessed with power, speed, reflexes or any other special quality other than dedication to become better. This dedication has seen him develop one of the sports bests engines and a true fighters mentality not afraid to fight on the road or against good fighters.
"Real Deal" Geale may well have fought 28 of his previous 30 contests in his native Australia but has twice traveled to, and won in, Germany taking on fighters with a reputation of getting favourable decisions their way in the shape of Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester. Against both of the German based fighters Geale traveled away and worked relentlessly to take decision over hometown fighters in impressive performances.
Like the champion "Dazzling" Darren Barker is a genuine and honest professional. He was born with more natural talent than Geale and often looks incredibly classy in the ring against the lower tier fighters which make up many of his 25 victories, though when he's stepped up he has generally been able to move up a gear.
Although Barker is best known for his "dull" performance en route to a loss to Sergio Martinez he has taken that loss on board and developed as a result. His usually reserved technical boxing skills are still there though he's added some killer instinct to his fighting and has scored stoppage victories over both Kerry Hope, a former European champion, and Simone Rotolo. Although Rotolo officially retired with an injured hand it was obvious that Barker was going to stop him sooner or later with the offensive mindset he had.
As mentioned already Barker is the better technical fighter. His career has been plagued by injuries to various body parts but his talent is clearly there. When fighting Geale however you need more than just technical skills. Geale is a faster moving fighter who throws in bunches, in fact he can throw in bunches of bunches. If you try to out box him with singles, as both Sylvester and Sturm did, you'll simply be outworked by quite a margin.
To beat Geale you don't necessarily need to match his amazing work rate but you do need to either be busy or have the power to blast him out, which nobody has been able to do this far, and maybe only Golovkin could actually do it. As a result Barker will need to be busier than usual, he'll need to show the aggressive streak which has been evident in his last few fights and hope that his tank holds up for 12 rounds, something that has been a question mark over Barker since he struggled over the line against Affif Belghecham.
I can see Geale getting to set the pace of the bout and after it's incredibly hard to see him losing just because of his work rate. Barker will have his moments and rounds due to his very classy work but the busy action of Geale will see him over the line safely.
Prediction-Geale UD12
Outside from the 3 big bangers however the division has pretty much everything else you can ask for in a division. It has boxers, swarmers, pressure fighters and plenty of exciting match ups, including this Saturday's IBF Middleweight title fight between the defending champion Daniel Geale (29-1, 15) and challenger Darren Barker (25-1, 16).
Australian champion Geale is one of the sports nice guys. A humble, hard working fighter who wasn't blessed with power, speed, reflexes or any other special quality other than dedication to become better. This dedication has seen him develop one of the sports bests engines and a true fighters mentality not afraid to fight on the road or against good fighters.
"Real Deal" Geale may well have fought 28 of his previous 30 contests in his native Australia but has twice traveled to, and won in, Germany taking on fighters with a reputation of getting favourable decisions their way in the shape of Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester. Against both of the German based fighters Geale traveled away and worked relentlessly to take decision over hometown fighters in impressive performances.
Like the champion "Dazzling" Darren Barker is a genuine and honest professional. He was born with more natural talent than Geale and often looks incredibly classy in the ring against the lower tier fighters which make up many of his 25 victories, though when he's stepped up he has generally been able to move up a gear.
Although Barker is best known for his "dull" performance en route to a loss to Sergio Martinez he has taken that loss on board and developed as a result. His usually reserved technical boxing skills are still there though he's added some killer instinct to his fighting and has scored stoppage victories over both Kerry Hope, a former European champion, and Simone Rotolo. Although Rotolo officially retired with an injured hand it was obvious that Barker was going to stop him sooner or later with the offensive mindset he had.
As mentioned already Barker is the better technical fighter. His career has been plagued by injuries to various body parts but his talent is clearly there. When fighting Geale however you need more than just technical skills. Geale is a faster moving fighter who throws in bunches, in fact he can throw in bunches of bunches. If you try to out box him with singles, as both Sylvester and Sturm did, you'll simply be outworked by quite a margin.
To beat Geale you don't necessarily need to match his amazing work rate but you do need to either be busy or have the power to blast him out, which nobody has been able to do this far, and maybe only Golovkin could actually do it. As a result Barker will need to be busier than usual, he'll need to show the aggressive streak which has been evident in his last few fights and hope that his tank holds up for 12 rounds, something that has been a question mark over Barker since he struggled over the line against Affif Belghecham.
I can see Geale getting to set the pace of the bout and after it's incredibly hard to see him losing just because of his work rate. Barker will have his moments and rounds due to his very classy work but the busy action of Geale will see him over the line safely.
Prediction-Geale UD12
Sunday 11 August 2013
Akira Yaegashi v Oscar Blanquet
One of my favourite fighters right now is Akira Yaegashi (17-3, 9) who is with out a doubt one of the most fun to watch fighters in the sport. Yaegashi is not just fun to watch however but he is also incredibly talented ans is a former WBA Minimumweight champion and the reigning WBC and Linear Flyweight champion.
It's those Flyweight titles that Yegashi defends for the first time this coming week as he takes on Mexican challenger Oscar Blanquet (32-5-1, 23).
Yaegashi is a true warrior who gets in the ring and looks for a fight. He won't run if an opponent hits him, he won't try to avoid a tear up and although he can box he seems to know that his best weapons are his work rate, toughness and ability to turn almost any fight into a war.
It's the ability to have a war that has helped make Yaegashi such a cult fighter. His 2011 battle with Pornsawan Porpramook was arguably the fight of the year, his 2012 bout with Kazuto Ioka was absolutely breath taking and his 2013 fight with Toshiyuki Igarashi was again something special. Those 3 bouts have really turned Yaegashi into a lower-weight fan favourite.
Despite his ability to make a war with anyone Yaegashi doesn't have huge fire power. He's not going to knock anyone out with a single shot. In fact Yaegashi has only stopped 2 of his last 8 opponents. Though what he lacks in power he makes up for in heart and energy. He's relentless on offense, tough in defense and has an insatiable appetite for victory.
Not many "world champions" deserve an easy fight. Carl Froch is one, Abner Mares another and, in my mind, Akira Yaegashi is another considering the opponents he has fought in 3 of his last 4 bouts. It's fair to say that Blanquet, despite his record, is an easier opponent.
The 28 year old Mexican, who has been a professional for a little over 10 years is with out a genuine world class victory on his record. He has fought a real mixed bag of opponents though the one standout guy was Ricardo Nunez who stopped Blanquet in 7 rounds back in 2011. Aside from Nunez the best opponents are Wilbert Uicab, who defeated Blanquet in his last bout.
On the Mexican domestic scene Blanquet is a hard hitter, though above the Mexican domestic level it doesn't seem like he has any real power. Certainly not the sort of power than would make Yaegashi turn to plan B, or in fact discourage the Japanese fighter in anyway at all.
Against a fighter unable to hurt him or out maneuver him, Yaegashi is scary fighter. In this particular bout I can't imagine anything but a marauding Yaegashi steam rollering forward from the off with the intention to break Blanquet either physically or mentally.
Whether Blanquet sees the final bell or not is the only real question here. My guess is that he doesn't, he eventually wilts under the onslaught of the Japanese fighter and Yaegashi successfully makes the first defense of his Flyweight titles. He could survive, but I'm doubting it.
Prediction-Yaegashi TKO10
It's those Flyweight titles that Yegashi defends for the first time this coming week as he takes on Mexican challenger Oscar Blanquet (32-5-1, 23).
Yaegashi is a true warrior who gets in the ring and looks for a fight. He won't run if an opponent hits him, he won't try to avoid a tear up and although he can box he seems to know that his best weapons are his work rate, toughness and ability to turn almost any fight into a war.
It's the ability to have a war that has helped make Yaegashi such a cult fighter. His 2011 battle with Pornsawan Porpramook was arguably the fight of the year, his 2012 bout with Kazuto Ioka was absolutely breath taking and his 2013 fight with Toshiyuki Igarashi was again something special. Those 3 bouts have really turned Yaegashi into a lower-weight fan favourite.
Despite his ability to make a war with anyone Yaegashi doesn't have huge fire power. He's not going to knock anyone out with a single shot. In fact Yaegashi has only stopped 2 of his last 8 opponents. Though what he lacks in power he makes up for in heart and energy. He's relentless on offense, tough in defense and has an insatiable appetite for victory.
Not many "world champions" deserve an easy fight. Carl Froch is one, Abner Mares another and, in my mind, Akira Yaegashi is another considering the opponents he has fought in 3 of his last 4 bouts. It's fair to say that Blanquet, despite his record, is an easier opponent.
The 28 year old Mexican, who has been a professional for a little over 10 years is with out a genuine world class victory on his record. He has fought a real mixed bag of opponents though the one standout guy was Ricardo Nunez who stopped Blanquet in 7 rounds back in 2011. Aside from Nunez the best opponents are Wilbert Uicab, who defeated Blanquet in his last bout.
On the Mexican domestic scene Blanquet is a hard hitter, though above the Mexican domestic level it doesn't seem like he has any real power. Certainly not the sort of power than would make Yaegashi turn to plan B, or in fact discourage the Japanese fighter in anyway at all.
Against a fighter unable to hurt him or out maneuver him, Yaegashi is scary fighter. In this particular bout I can't imagine anything but a marauding Yaegashi steam rollering forward from the off with the intention to break Blanquet either physically or mentally.
Whether Blanquet sees the final bell or not is the only real question here. My guess is that he doesn't, he eventually wilts under the onslaught of the Japanese fighter and Yaegashi successfully makes the first defense of his Flyweight titles. He could survive, but I'm doubting it.
Prediction-Yaegashi TKO10
Shinsuke Yamanaka v Jose Nieves
The conversation as to who the best Bantamweight on the planet is is a conversation that has two answers. One may say the technically excellent and defensively amazing Anselmo Moreno of Panama, the other answer however is the hard hitting Japanese fighter Shinsuke Yamanaka (18-0-2, 13) who has been thoroughly impressive over the past few years.
Yamanaka jumped into the boxing consciousness back in 2011. First by defeating domestic rival Ryosuke Iwasa in a thrilling contest, then stopping Christian Esquivel in a hard fought contest for the WBC world title.
The following year Yamanaka added notable victories over Vic Darchninyan and a KO of the year contender over Tomas Rojas. Both of those men were former world champions and victories over both men helped to inflate the reputation of Yamanaka as a genuine top tier champion.
Earlier this year Yamanaka added his 3rd world title defense stopping former Flyweight champion Malcolm Tunacao in a hard fought bout that saw Tunacao being dropped several times.
In the ring Yamanaka combines a southpaw stance with solid boxing fundamentals. He can box off the jab if he so desires or he can wage war. He can use his jab to create space and control the tempo of the bout, or he can use his power, especially from his left hand, to render an opponent unconscious.
There are very few flaws that Yamanaka has. He's not unbeatable by any stretch of the imagination but he'll always be difficult to beat because of everything he has, the power, the skills, the toughness, the fact he has several game plans and the fact that when the going gets tough he refuses to quit, as seen against Tunacao.
Yamanaka's challenger this time around is Puerto Rican Jose Nieves (22-2-3, 11), a man who is highly ranked by the WBC and WBO, despite the fact many won't really have seen too much of him.
Nieves is a 32 year old who has been a pro for more than 12 years. He started his career excellently with an 18 fight unbeaten run, 16-0-2, including victories over Angel Antonio Priolo and Tomas Rojas. Since then however Nieves has suffered defeats to Victor Fonseca and Chris Avalos, arguably his 2 most notable bouts.
Whilst Nieves has ran up a string of 5 victories, including 2 over Cuauhtemoc Vargas, he's not looked like a world champion in the making. In fact if anything he's looked fortunate and limited. He was very lucky to beat Vargas, both times and was dropped by Danny Flores in his most recent contest.
The knockdown by Nieves is really the biggest issue with him. It's not the first time he's been stopped and it won't be the last. So far he has been down in the bouts with Rojas, Fonseca, Avalos and Flores. None of those are feather-fisted but none hit like Yamanaka. If they can drop Nieves then Yamanaka can, and will.
For the first time in his career Nieves is fighting in the East and and for the first time he's facing a genuinely top fighter who can really bang. Those facts don't bode well for a man with a suspect chin and it's very hard to imagine Nieves seeing out more than 8 rounds with Yamanaka, in fact it's hard to see Nieves standing up to more than just a handful of straights from the Japanese fighter.
Prediction-Yamanaka TKO6
Yamanaka jumped into the boxing consciousness back in 2011. First by defeating domestic rival Ryosuke Iwasa in a thrilling contest, then stopping Christian Esquivel in a hard fought contest for the WBC world title.
The following year Yamanaka added notable victories over Vic Darchninyan and a KO of the year contender over Tomas Rojas. Both of those men were former world champions and victories over both men helped to inflate the reputation of Yamanaka as a genuine top tier champion.
Earlier this year Yamanaka added his 3rd world title defense stopping former Flyweight champion Malcolm Tunacao in a hard fought bout that saw Tunacao being dropped several times.
In the ring Yamanaka combines a southpaw stance with solid boxing fundamentals. He can box off the jab if he so desires or he can wage war. He can use his jab to create space and control the tempo of the bout, or he can use his power, especially from his left hand, to render an opponent unconscious.
There are very few flaws that Yamanaka has. He's not unbeatable by any stretch of the imagination but he'll always be difficult to beat because of everything he has, the power, the skills, the toughness, the fact he has several game plans and the fact that when the going gets tough he refuses to quit, as seen against Tunacao.
Yamanaka's challenger this time around is Puerto Rican Jose Nieves (22-2-3, 11), a man who is highly ranked by the WBC and WBO, despite the fact many won't really have seen too much of him.
Nieves is a 32 year old who has been a pro for more than 12 years. He started his career excellently with an 18 fight unbeaten run, 16-0-2, including victories over Angel Antonio Priolo and Tomas Rojas. Since then however Nieves has suffered defeats to Victor Fonseca and Chris Avalos, arguably his 2 most notable bouts.
Whilst Nieves has ran up a string of 5 victories, including 2 over Cuauhtemoc Vargas, he's not looked like a world champion in the making. In fact if anything he's looked fortunate and limited. He was very lucky to beat Vargas, both times and was dropped by Danny Flores in his most recent contest.
The knockdown by Nieves is really the biggest issue with him. It's not the first time he's been stopped and it won't be the last. So far he has been down in the bouts with Rojas, Fonseca, Avalos and Flores. None of those are feather-fisted but none hit like Yamanaka. If they can drop Nieves then Yamanaka can, and will.
For the first time in his career Nieves is fighting in the East and and for the first time he's facing a genuinely top fighter who can really bang. Those facts don't bode well for a man with a suspect chin and it's very hard to imagine Nieves seeing out more than 8 rounds with Yamanaka, in fact it's hard to see Nieves standing up to more than just a handful of straights from the Japanese fighter.
Prediction-Yamanaka TKO6
Saturday 10 August 2013
Anselmo Moreno v William Urina
It's been a while since we've seen Panamanian Anselmo Moreno (33-2-1, 12) in the ring, 9 months in fact, though this Saturday he returns to action and defends the WBA "super" title at Bantamweight as he faces Colombian challenger William Urina (24-2, 20).
The last time we saw Moreno in action he suffered his first career defeat in a over decade as the highly talented Abner Mares claimed a very impressive decision over him up at Super Bantamweight. It's shocking to actually say he's fighting at Bantamweight for the first time since stopping David De La Mora last April, some 16 or so months ago.
At Bantamweight many regard Moreno as the #1 guy, his loss at Super Bantamweight really doesn't effect that. In fact losing to Mares, who now holds a title at Featherweight, is no great shame at all.
Moreno's resume at Bantamweight is genuine exceptional. He holds wins over Volodymyr Sydorenko, twice, Rolly "Matsushita" Lunas, Mahyar Monshipour, Nehomar Cermeno, twice, Lorenzo Parra, Vic Darchinyan and De La Mora.
It's not just the resume that has made "Chemito" stand out in the eyes of the hardcore fans but also his style of fighting. He is one of the truly elite pure boxers. He's as slippery as they come, has an accurate jab, is an outstanding counter puncher and uses the ring as good as any fighter not named "Mayweather" or "Rigondeaux".
I'll admit I was shocked by the way Mares beat Moreno though in all honesty it says more about how good Mares is than how bad Moreno is. I honestly cannot see any fighter at 118 doing the same to Moreno as Mares did, and that's despite the fact I think Shinsuke Yamanaka is an exceptional fighter.
Colombian challenger Urina is 27 and surprisingly only around 6 months younger than the champion. Despite the relatively close age of the two men in terms of raw years, the challenger is easily the younger man in terms of ring years. Moreno has fought 36 bouts and a combined 268 rounds, including more than 10 world title bouts, Urina has fought just 26 bouts for a combined 108 rounds and has just 1 world title bout behind him.
It's the previous world title bout of Urina's that is by far the most interesting bout of his career. In that bout he went to Argentina and was widely out pointed by Omar Narvaez in a bout for the WBO Super Flyweight title.
Against Narvaez, Urina tried hard and had some success though was widely outclassed by the talented and oft-overlooked Argentinian. Despite the loss he had impressed some with his desire to win and he has improved on the back of that loss.
In terms of his style Urina is a bit of the "typical Colombian". Hits hard, especially against the C grade opponents, is some what limited and seems to have little success out of his homeland, he is 0-2 outside of Colombia.
To me this bout is much less about Moreno defending his title but actually looking good and Urina has been selected as an opponent because he is made to order for Moreno. He'll come forward all night, he'll throw plenty and he'll give Moreno a lot of chances to counter and make him look stupid. Sure Urina may take a round or two early as Moreno shakes off the ring rust but for the most part he'll be chasing shadows and getting hitting by sharp shots through out the 12 round contest.
Prediction-Moreno UD12
The last time we saw Moreno in action he suffered his first career defeat in a over decade as the highly talented Abner Mares claimed a very impressive decision over him up at Super Bantamweight. It's shocking to actually say he's fighting at Bantamweight for the first time since stopping David De La Mora last April, some 16 or so months ago.
At Bantamweight many regard Moreno as the #1 guy, his loss at Super Bantamweight really doesn't effect that. In fact losing to Mares, who now holds a title at Featherweight, is no great shame at all.
Moreno's resume at Bantamweight is genuine exceptional. He holds wins over Volodymyr Sydorenko, twice, Rolly "Matsushita" Lunas, Mahyar Monshipour, Nehomar Cermeno, twice, Lorenzo Parra, Vic Darchinyan and De La Mora.
It's not just the resume that has made "Chemito" stand out in the eyes of the hardcore fans but also his style of fighting. He is one of the truly elite pure boxers. He's as slippery as they come, has an accurate jab, is an outstanding counter puncher and uses the ring as good as any fighter not named "Mayweather" or "Rigondeaux".
I'll admit I was shocked by the way Mares beat Moreno though in all honesty it says more about how good Mares is than how bad Moreno is. I honestly cannot see any fighter at 118 doing the same to Moreno as Mares did, and that's despite the fact I think Shinsuke Yamanaka is an exceptional fighter.
Colombian challenger Urina is 27 and surprisingly only around 6 months younger than the champion. Despite the relatively close age of the two men in terms of raw years, the challenger is easily the younger man in terms of ring years. Moreno has fought 36 bouts and a combined 268 rounds, including more than 10 world title bouts, Urina has fought just 26 bouts for a combined 108 rounds and has just 1 world title bout behind him.
It's the previous world title bout of Urina's that is by far the most interesting bout of his career. In that bout he went to Argentina and was widely out pointed by Omar Narvaez in a bout for the WBO Super Flyweight title.
Against Narvaez, Urina tried hard and had some success though was widely outclassed by the talented and oft-overlooked Argentinian. Despite the loss he had impressed some with his desire to win and he has improved on the back of that loss.
In terms of his style Urina is a bit of the "typical Colombian". Hits hard, especially against the C grade opponents, is some what limited and seems to have little success out of his homeland, he is 0-2 outside of Colombia.
To me this bout is much less about Moreno defending his title but actually looking good and Urina has been selected as an opponent because he is made to order for Moreno. He'll come forward all night, he'll throw plenty and he'll give Moreno a lot of chances to counter and make him look stupid. Sure Urina may take a round or two early as Moreno shakes off the ring rust but for the most part he'll be chasing shadows and getting hitting by sharp shots through out the 12 round contest.
Prediction-Moreno UD12
Friday 9 August 2013
Oscar Escandon v Nehomar Cermeno
The Super Bantamweight division is a bit of a funny division at the moment with 1 stand out fighter, Guillermo Rigondeaux, and a number of fighters all looking for their place in the division. Amongst those fighters in the "chasing group" are guys like Scott Quigg, Carl Frampton, Shingo Wake, Leo Santa Cruz, Jhonathan Romero and Oscar Escandon.
The unbeaten Escandon (22-0, 15) of Colombia will look for his biggest victory to date on August 10th as he takes on former world title holder Nehomar Cermeno (21-5-1, 13), victory that could well see Escandon become one of the leading contenders in the 122lb division and the WBA Interim Super Bantamweight champion.
Aged 29 Escandon is unlike most typical Colombian fighters. He's not the typical raw banger that we've come to expect from the country with the likes of Edison Miranda and Breidis Prescott, in fact he's more of the "new breed" of Colombian's like Middleweight prospect Alex Theran.
Sure Escandon is heavy handed, not destructive but heavy handed, though he combines his power with a solid amateur background of around 200 fights, including bouts at the highest level. He's not an out and out skillster but he is well schooled and uses those skills from his amateur days to good effect.
With many Colombian's being sluggers it's nice to see that Escandon can fight as an educated pressure fighter, as he showed against Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar when he used a lovely variety of punches to head and body, was relentless and fun to watch. His defense can often go out the window showing he does have some traits of being a typical Colombian but more often than not shows he can use his boxing skills when needed, as he did against Ever Garcia Hernandez.
There is certainly plenty to like about Escandon who appears capable of boxing on the back foot or forcing the action on the front foot. Though there are also worries to be had about him. To date he has only been 10 rounds once, against the very limited Nelson Cantero and his best win as a professional is one over Cuellar, who was then 17-0. The lack of experience in 12 round contests is a massive worry for fans of Escandon here.
Whilst this is a chance for Escandon to announce himself on the world stage it's also a chance for Cermeno, of Venezuela to rebuild his seriously faltering career.
Just 4 years ago Cermeno was the WBA interim Bantamweight champion. He had a 2009 to remember scoring 2 victories over the excellent Cristian Mijares and defeating the then credible Alejandro Valdez, all in Mexico.
Since the victory over Valdez however Cermeno has really struggled winning just 2 of 8 contests. Whilst most of Cermeno's losses in that run have come to good fighters in the form of Anselmo Moreno, twice, Victor Terrazas, Fernando Montiel and Alexander Bakhtin it's become fair to say that he's now looking very much a washed up fighter.
At his best Cermeno was a tricky fighter, no single quality really stood out as world class but he was difficult to read, he could be very cautious at times but always seemed to know when to strike. He seemed able, somehow, to control the distance and pace of a fight without having anything close to exceptional speed or power, though he did have a decent work rate.
Aged 33, 34 in November, Cermeno is now an old fighter, especially for someone in the lower weights. His recent form and age would suggest that he's certainly beyond his best, probably still good enough to beat most fringe contenders but unlikely to ever beat a genuine world class opponent again.
Cermeno might be on a seriously slide but he's a fighter who is proven over the 12 rounds, a distance he has gone 6 times in his 27 fights. In fact he's gone 10 or more rounds in 9 of his contests so far. This is probably his key advantage, and something that will likely be seen late in the fight, if it goes that far.
Prime for prime this a match up that I'd fave Cermeno in. Stylistically he was a frustrating opponent to fight. Now though, with his confidence shot, I'll be going with Escandon to do enough to take a hard fought decision in a bout that might not always be fun to watch but will be interesting through out.
Prediction-Escandon UD12
The unbeaten Escandon (22-0, 15) of Colombia will look for his biggest victory to date on August 10th as he takes on former world title holder Nehomar Cermeno (21-5-1, 13), victory that could well see Escandon become one of the leading contenders in the 122lb division and the WBA Interim Super Bantamweight champion.
Aged 29 Escandon is unlike most typical Colombian fighters. He's not the typical raw banger that we've come to expect from the country with the likes of Edison Miranda and Breidis Prescott, in fact he's more of the "new breed" of Colombian's like Middleweight prospect Alex Theran.
Sure Escandon is heavy handed, not destructive but heavy handed, though he combines his power with a solid amateur background of around 200 fights, including bouts at the highest level. He's not an out and out skillster but he is well schooled and uses those skills from his amateur days to good effect.
With many Colombian's being sluggers it's nice to see that Escandon can fight as an educated pressure fighter, as he showed against Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar when he used a lovely variety of punches to head and body, was relentless and fun to watch. His defense can often go out the window showing he does have some traits of being a typical Colombian but more often than not shows he can use his boxing skills when needed, as he did against Ever Garcia Hernandez.
There is certainly plenty to like about Escandon who appears capable of boxing on the back foot or forcing the action on the front foot. Though there are also worries to be had about him. To date he has only been 10 rounds once, against the very limited Nelson Cantero and his best win as a professional is one over Cuellar, who was then 17-0. The lack of experience in 12 round contests is a massive worry for fans of Escandon here.
Whilst this is a chance for Escandon to announce himself on the world stage it's also a chance for Cermeno, of Venezuela to rebuild his seriously faltering career.
Just 4 years ago Cermeno was the WBA interim Bantamweight champion. He had a 2009 to remember scoring 2 victories over the excellent Cristian Mijares and defeating the then credible Alejandro Valdez, all in Mexico.
Since the victory over Valdez however Cermeno has really struggled winning just 2 of 8 contests. Whilst most of Cermeno's losses in that run have come to good fighters in the form of Anselmo Moreno, twice, Victor Terrazas, Fernando Montiel and Alexander Bakhtin it's become fair to say that he's now looking very much a washed up fighter.
At his best Cermeno was a tricky fighter, no single quality really stood out as world class but he was difficult to read, he could be very cautious at times but always seemed to know when to strike. He seemed able, somehow, to control the distance and pace of a fight without having anything close to exceptional speed or power, though he did have a decent work rate.
Aged 33, 34 in November, Cermeno is now an old fighter, especially for someone in the lower weights. His recent form and age would suggest that he's certainly beyond his best, probably still good enough to beat most fringe contenders but unlikely to ever beat a genuine world class opponent again.
Cermeno might be on a seriously slide but he's a fighter who is proven over the 12 rounds, a distance he has gone 6 times in his 27 fights. In fact he's gone 10 or more rounds in 9 of his contests so far. This is probably his key advantage, and something that will likely be seen late in the fight, if it goes that far.
Prime for prime this a match up that I'd fave Cermeno in. Stylistically he was a frustrating opponent to fight. Now though, with his confidence shot, I'll be going with Escandon to do enough to take a hard fought decision in a bout that might not always be fun to watch but will be interesting through out.
Prediction-Escandon UD12
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