The most important fight in boxing this coming weekend seems to be an obvious contest as WBA Middleweight champion-the rising star Gennady Golovkin (26-0, 23) takes on former 2-time title challenger Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20). The bout, on HBO, is not only a major title bout but will also help define the very exciting Middleweight division, a division going through a lot of changes.
The hard hitting and thoroughly fun to watch Golovkin has been a hidden favourite of hardcore boxing since pretty much fighting as an amateur though it wasn't until much more recently that he's managed to really make an impact with the casuals. The impact he's made has coincided with a deal with American broadcaster HBO who have shown 2 of his last 3 bouts and helped give him the exposure he's deserved.
Golovkin combines explosive-"KTFO" power with skills, a deep understanding of the ring and very good basics. He's not the quickest or the most defensively but he's tough and more than capable of taking a shot or two as he cuts off the ring and tries to smash you in half with his venomous shots to both head and body. It's his power that has helped him become one of the sports most talked about fighters but the ability to deliver it is second to none in the sport right now.
With a long amateur background it's fair to say that Golovkin is technically well schooled. So far he's not had to show his technical boxing too much, but it's certainly there, just for our enjoyment we should feel relieved that he likes to seek and destroy rather than box and moved. When he does box however his jab is a dominant factor and has the power of a a top fights straight.
In the challenger Matthew Macklin we have a very credibly and versatile fighter who can either brawl at a relentless pace, as he did against Felix Sturm in a bout that he was controversially defeated in in or can box at a very credible standard as he did in a losing effort with Sergio Gabriel Martinez. He has hurtful power that kept Sturm in his shell, dropped Martinez and stopped both Joachim Alcine and Amin Asikainen inside a round.
Macklin, at his most exciting is a power and hard hitting brawler. Sometimes he's made to pay for this, as he was against Jamie Moore, but it's certainly something he can do to keep fans interested win-lose-or draw.
Problem for Macklin here is that's "only" a credible fighter in whatever he does. He hits hard-but doesn't have monster power, he boxes well but not amazingly he can brawl at a high level but not the truly elite level. And whilst sometimes being very good is good enough against Golovkin it probably isn't quite good enough and whatever style Macklin decides to bring to the fight likely be issue to Golovkin who will adapt if and when needed whilst breaking down Macklin.
I expect Macklin to try and box early on but figure that Golovkin can do the same. After a few rounds of getting tagged with jabs and counters I expect he'll throw caution to the win and make a fight of things. If he does this he'll speed up his demise but certainly put one something memorable for the fans.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO6
Friday 28 June 2013
Tuesday 25 June 2013
Joan Guzman v Vicente Mosquera
Some world title bouts just confuse me. Last weeks bout between Juan Carlos Reveco and Ulises Lara was one such fight and another one is this as the ever expanding Joan Guzman (33-1-1, 20) faces the very under-rated Vicente Mosquera (32-2-1, 17) in a WBA "interim" Light Welterweight title bout.
What makes this bout so confusing, and also shows up what is a big problem with professional boxing, is that the WBA "interim" Light Welterweight title is on the line. The full version of the title is held by Khabib Allakhverdiev, who defeated Guzman last November and will be defending the title in about 2 weeks time. So why the WBA feels the need to slash their creditability so hard here is a mystery.
Anyway lets forget politics and just look at the fight, because it really could be a very interesting one.
Aged 37 this really is Guzman's last chance. Despite all the talent he had (and he was highly talented) he has really "under-achieved", as stupid as that sounds for a fighter who has claimed world titles at Super Bantamweight and Super Featherweight.
Had he been fully committed to the sport there is no doubt in my mind Guzman could have claimed world titles at Featherweight, Lightweight and picked up a paper strap at Light Welterweight. Had he done that he'd have been a 5-weight "world champion" and cemented a memorable legacy as the greatest Dominican fighter of all time.
Instead however Guzman has piled on the pounds and thrown away his legacy. He failed to really make a mark on the Featherweight division (despite beating Terdsak Kokietgym in a world title eliminator), he ate himself out of the Lightweight division (coming in a disgraceful 9lbs over the limit for his rematch with Ali Funeka) and by the time he moved up to Light Welterweight he was alread in his mid 30's (and he later missed weight again and tested positive for a banned substance).
Having scored victories over Agapito Sanchez, Fernando Beltran, Terdsak Kokietgym, Jorge Rodrigo Barrios (albeit controversially), Humberto Soto and Ali Funeka (also controversially, due to weight issues) you cannot argue that Guzman has a solid record. But you can say that his career has been highly frustrating and immensely disappointing.
At his best Guzman was a talented boxer. He possessed lighting quick hands, incredible ring intelligence, hurtful power and god blessed talent. Sadly those traits went to his head and he could often become complacent both in and out of the ring. It's this complacency which has really over-shadowed his career.
Up against Guzman is the 33 year old Panamanian Vicente Mosquera who himself has had a very credible career though often remained under the radar of the average boxing fan (bar 2 notable bouts).
Mosquera, like Guzman, made his name in the lower weight divisions. The first title he ever competed for was the Panamanian Super Bantamweight title, a bout he twice fought for but never actually held. Instead Mosquera skip Featherweight (coincidentally this was similar to Guzman) and really make his name at Super Featherweight.
As a Super Featherweight Mosquera would claim 2 regional titles before later claiming the WBA world title thanks to a thrilling victory over Thai hard man Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai (or, as he was known at the time Yodsanan 3K Battery). The bout over Yodsanan should have put Mosquera on the boxing map though unfortunately it didn't and Mosquera wouldn't defend his title for 13 months.
Mosquera's title reign came to an end after just 1 defense as he was stopped by the hard hitting Edwin Valero just months later. Despite losing to Valero, Mosquera had actually put up a very credible effort, dropping Valero in the 3rd round before being stopped in the 10th by the Venezuelan.
Following the loss to Valero, Mosquera actually took over 4 years away from the ring though has since run up 8 straight victories between Light Middleweight and Light Welterweight, where he looks to be settling. This bout with Guzman however will be a major step up from the opponents he has been fighting so far.
This bout isn't so much about who is the better fighter but who has the most left in the tank. Prime for prime I'd have gone with Guzman no questions asked, though at 37 and coming in on the back of the Allakhverdiev loss, he may well be done. The fact that bout was stopped due to a knee injury could well take away his mobility further and leave a really good chance for Mosquera. On the reverse Mosquera hasn't looked great since his comeback.
One thing is for sure and that's that neither man should ever dream of calling himself a genuine Light Welterweight champion. The likes of Lucas Matthysse and Danny Garcia would really finish off either mans career.
Prediction-Guzman SD12 (VERY controversially)
What makes this bout so confusing, and also shows up what is a big problem with professional boxing, is that the WBA "interim" Light Welterweight title is on the line. The full version of the title is held by Khabib Allakhverdiev, who defeated Guzman last November and will be defending the title in about 2 weeks time. So why the WBA feels the need to slash their creditability so hard here is a mystery.
Anyway lets forget politics and just look at the fight, because it really could be a very interesting one.
Aged 37 this really is Guzman's last chance. Despite all the talent he had (and he was highly talented) he has really "under-achieved", as stupid as that sounds for a fighter who has claimed world titles at Super Bantamweight and Super Featherweight.
Had he been fully committed to the sport there is no doubt in my mind Guzman could have claimed world titles at Featherweight, Lightweight and picked up a paper strap at Light Welterweight. Had he done that he'd have been a 5-weight "world champion" and cemented a memorable legacy as the greatest Dominican fighter of all time.
Instead however Guzman has piled on the pounds and thrown away his legacy. He failed to really make a mark on the Featherweight division (despite beating Terdsak Kokietgym in a world title eliminator), he ate himself out of the Lightweight division (coming in a disgraceful 9lbs over the limit for his rematch with Ali Funeka) and by the time he moved up to Light Welterweight he was alread in his mid 30's (and he later missed weight again and tested positive for a banned substance).
Having scored victories over Agapito Sanchez, Fernando Beltran, Terdsak Kokietgym, Jorge Rodrigo Barrios (albeit controversially), Humberto Soto and Ali Funeka (also controversially, due to weight issues) you cannot argue that Guzman has a solid record. But you can say that his career has been highly frustrating and immensely disappointing.
At his best Guzman was a talented boxer. He possessed lighting quick hands, incredible ring intelligence, hurtful power and god blessed talent. Sadly those traits went to his head and he could often become complacent both in and out of the ring. It's this complacency which has really over-shadowed his career.
Up against Guzman is the 33 year old Panamanian Vicente Mosquera who himself has had a very credible career though often remained under the radar of the average boxing fan (bar 2 notable bouts).
Mosquera, like Guzman, made his name in the lower weight divisions. The first title he ever competed for was the Panamanian Super Bantamweight title, a bout he twice fought for but never actually held. Instead Mosquera skip Featherweight (coincidentally this was similar to Guzman) and really make his name at Super Featherweight.
As a Super Featherweight Mosquera would claim 2 regional titles before later claiming the WBA world title thanks to a thrilling victory over Thai hard man Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai (or, as he was known at the time Yodsanan 3K Battery). The bout over Yodsanan should have put Mosquera on the boxing map though unfortunately it didn't and Mosquera wouldn't defend his title for 13 months.
Mosquera's title reign came to an end after just 1 defense as he was stopped by the hard hitting Edwin Valero just months later. Despite losing to Valero, Mosquera had actually put up a very credible effort, dropping Valero in the 3rd round before being stopped in the 10th by the Venezuelan.
Following the loss to Valero, Mosquera actually took over 4 years away from the ring though has since run up 8 straight victories between Light Middleweight and Light Welterweight, where he looks to be settling. This bout with Guzman however will be a major step up from the opponents he has been fighting so far.
This bout isn't so much about who is the better fighter but who has the most left in the tank. Prime for prime I'd have gone with Guzman no questions asked, though at 37 and coming in on the back of the Allakhverdiev loss, he may well be done. The fact that bout was stopped due to a knee injury could well take away his mobility further and leave a really good chance for Mosquera. On the reverse Mosquera hasn't looked great since his comeback.
One thing is for sure and that's that neither man should ever dream of calling himself a genuine Light Welterweight champion. The likes of Lucas Matthysse and Danny Garcia would really finish off either mans career.
Prediction-Guzman SD12 (VERY controversially)
Xiong Zhao Zhong v Denver Cuello
The first title fight of the coming weekend takes place in Dubai as the little known, but yet historic, Xiong Zhao Zhong (20-4-1, 11) defends his WBC Minimumweight title against the highly ranked Filipino Denver Cuello (33-4-6, 21) in what should be a highly enjoyable contests, even if it is in an unfavoured division.
The champion, the first male "world champion" from his native China is widely regarded as a paper champion, a man given a title to help raise the profile of boxing in the untapped Chinese market (something Bob Arum is now trying to tap in to with Zou Shiming). The WBC allowed Zhong, who had never previously fought at the 105lb division, to fight for the vacant belt late last year against the somewhat hopeless Javier Martinez Resendiz.
Zhong defeated Resendiz last year via decision for the belt in a relatively close contest after the WBC had paid a step aside fee to their mandatory contender, Filipino Denver Cuello (who of course, now fights for the belt some 7 months later).
Stylistically Zhong is pretty limited, he's tough and does have plenty of power on his shots, in fact he dropped the then WBC Flyweight champion Daisuke Naito back in 2009 but from a technical stand point he's "acceptable but limited". There is no great work from him and his victories to date don't belie some under-lying "extra gear" that he could move in to if push came to shove.
What Zhong does have going in his favour is the fact he is a naturally bigger man having competed at both Flyweight and Light Flyweight for much of his career. This should help him take the shots of Cuello and even allow him to bully the challenger a bit but at 30 years old he is certainly getting on a bit for a fighter in the lower divisions and he's also stepping in with his best opponent since Naito some 4 years ago.
In the Filipino challenger we have a fighter who has waited his turn for a world title fight, then had to wait a bit longer. More and more obstacles have been thrown in his way over the years and yet they've not prevented him from becoming one of the most exciting fighters in the lower division.
Fighting from the southpaw stance the 26 year old Cuello has become known as "Mr Excitement" due to his vicious power which has helped him become on of the top ranked Minimumweights on the planet and helped him stop 10 of his last 12 opponents.
Having started his career 3-2-4 Cuello has turned things around remarkably well and has lost just 1 of his last 27 fights (and even that was a highly controversial DQ in Mexico against a Mexican fighter). He has done things "the hard way" and developed as a fighter thanks to it. He is now a solid offensive fighter with a hurtful array of shots to the head and body and a fighter who will be a real nightmare for anyone in the division.
Going in to this bout it's obvious the WBC would rather see Zhong retain the title so they could push things in China (and hopefully "help" IK Yang and Zou Shiming to world title bouts). With this in mind I actually see Cuello more determined than ever to stop his opponent. This might back fire with the toughness of Zhong but the body shots that Cuello throws are bound to take an effect sooner or later.
Prediction-Cuello TKO7
The champion, the first male "world champion" from his native China is widely regarded as a paper champion, a man given a title to help raise the profile of boxing in the untapped Chinese market (something Bob Arum is now trying to tap in to with Zou Shiming). The WBC allowed Zhong, who had never previously fought at the 105lb division, to fight for the vacant belt late last year against the somewhat hopeless Javier Martinez Resendiz.
Zhong defeated Resendiz last year via decision for the belt in a relatively close contest after the WBC had paid a step aside fee to their mandatory contender, Filipino Denver Cuello (who of course, now fights for the belt some 7 months later).
Stylistically Zhong is pretty limited, he's tough and does have plenty of power on his shots, in fact he dropped the then WBC Flyweight champion Daisuke Naito back in 2009 but from a technical stand point he's "acceptable but limited". There is no great work from him and his victories to date don't belie some under-lying "extra gear" that he could move in to if push came to shove.
What Zhong does have going in his favour is the fact he is a naturally bigger man having competed at both Flyweight and Light Flyweight for much of his career. This should help him take the shots of Cuello and even allow him to bully the challenger a bit but at 30 years old he is certainly getting on a bit for a fighter in the lower divisions and he's also stepping in with his best opponent since Naito some 4 years ago.
In the Filipino challenger we have a fighter who has waited his turn for a world title fight, then had to wait a bit longer. More and more obstacles have been thrown in his way over the years and yet they've not prevented him from becoming one of the most exciting fighters in the lower division.
Fighting from the southpaw stance the 26 year old Cuello has become known as "Mr Excitement" due to his vicious power which has helped him become on of the top ranked Minimumweights on the planet and helped him stop 10 of his last 12 opponents.
Having started his career 3-2-4 Cuello has turned things around remarkably well and has lost just 1 of his last 27 fights (and even that was a highly controversial DQ in Mexico against a Mexican fighter). He has done things "the hard way" and developed as a fighter thanks to it. He is now a solid offensive fighter with a hurtful array of shots to the head and body and a fighter who will be a real nightmare for anyone in the division.
Going in to this bout it's obvious the WBC would rather see Zhong retain the title so they could push things in China (and hopefully "help" IK Yang and Zou Shiming to world title bouts). With this in mind I actually see Cuello more determined than ever to stop his opponent. This might back fire with the toughness of Zhong but the body shots that Cuello throws are bound to take an effect sooner or later.
Prediction-Cuello TKO7
Friday 21 June 2013
Juan Carlos Reveco v Ulises Lara
When we talk about "world title fights" we often want to see the best fighting the best and instead end up with a very good fighter facing a very undeserving challenger. We end up with yet another mismatch in a world title bout this coming weekend as WBA Flyweight champion Juan Carlos Reveco (30-1, 16) defends against the undeserving Ulises Lara (12-13-2, 7).
The Flyweight division is, for me, one of the best out there. The likes of Juan Francisco Estrada, Brian Viloria, Akira Yaegashi, Edgar Sosa, Moruti Mthalane, Rocky Fuentes, Hernan Marquez, Milan Melindo, Giovani Segura, Kompayak Porpramook, Ulises Solis, Toshiyuki Igarashi and Froilan Saludar leave the division looking like an amazingly deep division.
Sadly when we go through those names there is no Ulises Lara who, despite a good result against Omar Soto last time out, is a journeyman.
Other than the Soto result there are "names" on Lara's record though all of them have beaten him. Fighters like Jesus Silvestre, Juan Hernandez and Javier Martinez Resendiz have all competed on the world stage and all beaten Lara.
As well as his sub .500 record Lara has also suffered 4 stoppage losses, been knocked down numerous times and really isn't a world class fighter. His boxrec ranking of #18 at Flyweight is genuinely generous and over-inflated due to the victory over Soto (who had himself been inactive and had been stopped 5 times previously).
In Reveco we have a genuinely talented fighter. The 29 year old Argentinian is one of the sports best body punchers, he's a proven fighter who's only loss was a controversial one in France to Brahim Asloum. Sure he's not a big name fighter around the world but he's big news at home and has fought solid competition such as Nethra Sasiprapa, Asloum, Francisco Rosas, Ronald Barrera, Karim Guerfi and most recently Masayuki Kuroda.
With a solid jab, decent work rate and hurtful power Reveco is possibly the 4th best fighter in the division (which as mentioned is very deep). I think we'll see a showcase performance in what really should be considered a stay busy fight more than anything else.
Hopefully Reveco will get the job done nice and quickly and then face a more notable opponent, for example Kompayak Porpramook (the WBA "interim" champion), Rocky Fuentes or the winner of the upcoming bout between Milan Melindo and Juan Francisco Estrada.
Prediction-Reveco TKO6
The Flyweight division is, for me, one of the best out there. The likes of Juan Francisco Estrada, Brian Viloria, Akira Yaegashi, Edgar Sosa, Moruti Mthalane, Rocky Fuentes, Hernan Marquez, Milan Melindo, Giovani Segura, Kompayak Porpramook, Ulises Solis, Toshiyuki Igarashi and Froilan Saludar leave the division looking like an amazingly deep division.
Sadly when we go through those names there is no Ulises Lara who, despite a good result against Omar Soto last time out, is a journeyman.
Other than the Soto result there are "names" on Lara's record though all of them have beaten him. Fighters like Jesus Silvestre, Juan Hernandez and Javier Martinez Resendiz have all competed on the world stage and all beaten Lara.
As well as his sub .500 record Lara has also suffered 4 stoppage losses, been knocked down numerous times and really isn't a world class fighter. His boxrec ranking of #18 at Flyweight is genuinely generous and over-inflated due to the victory over Soto (who had himself been inactive and had been stopped 5 times previously).
In Reveco we have a genuinely talented fighter. The 29 year old Argentinian is one of the sports best body punchers, he's a proven fighter who's only loss was a controversial one in France to Brahim Asloum. Sure he's not a big name fighter around the world but he's big news at home and has fought solid competition such as Nethra Sasiprapa, Asloum, Francisco Rosas, Ronald Barrera, Karim Guerfi and most recently Masayuki Kuroda.
With a solid jab, decent work rate and hurtful power Reveco is possibly the 4th best fighter in the division (which as mentioned is very deep). I think we'll see a showcase performance in what really should be considered a stay busy fight more than anything else.
Hopefully Reveco will get the job done nice and quickly and then face a more notable opponent, for example Kompayak Porpramook (the WBA "interim" champion), Rocky Fuentes or the winner of the upcoming bout between Milan Melindo and Juan Francisco Estrada.
Prediction-Reveco TKO6
Thursday 20 June 2013
Sakio Bika v Marco Antonio Periban
One of this weekend's most promising, though most overlooked bouts, see's multi-time world title challenger Sakio Bika (31-5-2, 21) facing off against Mexican power puncher Marco Antonio Periban (20-0, 13) in a bout for the recently vacated WBC Super Middleweight title.
The division, one of boxing's best with the likes of Andre Ward, Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Robert Stieglitz has been one of the sports most interesting over the past few years and this bout, whilst a "low level world title bout" again has the feeling of "interesting" about it.
Of the two men Bika is by far the more well known fighter. In a 38 fight career he has faced a genuine who's who including (but by no means limited to) Sam Soliman (twice), Markus Bayer, Joe Calzaghe, Lucien Bute, Peter Manfredo Jr and Andre Ward. Although he's only beaten Soliman and Manfredo from that list no one has had an easy night with him (with Ward having one of his toughest fights against him).
The reason no one has an easy night with Bika is because he's teak tough, very wild, throws punches from bizarre angles and doesn't mind being dirty. He's crude, clumsy, hard hitting and built like a rock. In fact the only time I remember him ever being down was when Jaidon Codrington dropped him in an excellent opening round in the final of "The Contender" season 3.
Born in Cameroon though based in Australia, Bika is a man who really should be avoided by fighters wanting to make a name for themselves. He has impressively won 9 of his last 11 bouts and of 6 of those have come by stoppage. His 2 losses in that run have come against Ward and to Jean-Paul Mendy, with the loss to Mendy being a case of Bika getting himself disqualified with a stupid punch when Mendy was down.
Aged 34 however and with just a sole fight (a 12 round decision win over Nikola Sjekloca) in the last year, Bika certainly isn't a fighter in his peak. He has only fought 3 times in the last 30 months and whilst that may help his longevity there are questions about how much he has left in the tank. He did look to have been technically improved against Sjekloca but Sjekloca himself looked limited (but brave).
With Bika being a clear "world level" fighter this will be the first big step up for Mexican Marco Antonio Periban, a fighter many haven't really seen.
Periban is a rare Mexican Super Middleweight and one who does have genuine power (despite his record "only" showing a 65% stoppage rate). He's been slowly climbing the rankings since 2008 and although he has scored victories over several "known names" they aren't known on the world stage. In fact the best victory on his record is probably Francisco Sierra (who was stopped by George Groves) or Samuel Miller (who had been beaten by Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez and Alex Theran in his 2 of his 3 previous bouts).
Although Periban has got lights out power he's a very slow fighter who often waits too long to let his hands go, has poor footwork and pretty weak defense. He can certainly be outboxed very easily by a proper boxer and he has been hurt in the past by lesser punchers than Bika.
Despite being just 28 Periban seems to have stopped improving in recent bouts and this is a bit of a worry when he's not making the step up to world class.
With both men having power this will likely be an explosive contest. I'd expect the odd head clash though with Bika being a tough so-and-so it's hard to go against him. Bika will almost certainly be willing to force a war with Periban and if that does happen there's only one winner.
For Periban to win he needs to be able to hurt Bika and control the pace of the bout, it's hard to imagine him doing either of those. I'd imagine that Bika will walk through Periban's slow but hurtful shots whilst ping his own wild hurtful hooks around the side of the head of the Mexican and eventually force a stoppage.
Prediction- Bika by stoppage TKO7
The division, one of boxing's best with the likes of Andre Ward, Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Robert Stieglitz has been one of the sports most interesting over the past few years and this bout, whilst a "low level world title bout" again has the feeling of "interesting" about it.
Of the two men Bika is by far the more well known fighter. In a 38 fight career he has faced a genuine who's who including (but by no means limited to) Sam Soliman (twice), Markus Bayer, Joe Calzaghe, Lucien Bute, Peter Manfredo Jr and Andre Ward. Although he's only beaten Soliman and Manfredo from that list no one has had an easy night with him (with Ward having one of his toughest fights against him).
The reason no one has an easy night with Bika is because he's teak tough, very wild, throws punches from bizarre angles and doesn't mind being dirty. He's crude, clumsy, hard hitting and built like a rock. In fact the only time I remember him ever being down was when Jaidon Codrington dropped him in an excellent opening round in the final of "The Contender" season 3.
Born in Cameroon though based in Australia, Bika is a man who really should be avoided by fighters wanting to make a name for themselves. He has impressively won 9 of his last 11 bouts and of 6 of those have come by stoppage. His 2 losses in that run have come against Ward and to Jean-Paul Mendy, with the loss to Mendy being a case of Bika getting himself disqualified with a stupid punch when Mendy was down.
Aged 34 however and with just a sole fight (a 12 round decision win over Nikola Sjekloca) in the last year, Bika certainly isn't a fighter in his peak. He has only fought 3 times in the last 30 months and whilst that may help his longevity there are questions about how much he has left in the tank. He did look to have been technically improved against Sjekloca but Sjekloca himself looked limited (but brave).
With Bika being a clear "world level" fighter this will be the first big step up for Mexican Marco Antonio Periban, a fighter many haven't really seen.
Periban is a rare Mexican Super Middleweight and one who does have genuine power (despite his record "only" showing a 65% stoppage rate). He's been slowly climbing the rankings since 2008 and although he has scored victories over several "known names" they aren't known on the world stage. In fact the best victory on his record is probably Francisco Sierra (who was stopped by George Groves) or Samuel Miller (who had been beaten by Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez and Alex Theran in his 2 of his 3 previous bouts).
Although Periban has got lights out power he's a very slow fighter who often waits too long to let his hands go, has poor footwork and pretty weak defense. He can certainly be outboxed very easily by a proper boxer and he has been hurt in the past by lesser punchers than Bika.
Despite being just 28 Periban seems to have stopped improving in recent bouts and this is a bit of a worry when he's not making the step up to world class.
With both men having power this will likely be an explosive contest. I'd expect the odd head clash though with Bika being a tough so-and-so it's hard to go against him. Bika will almost certainly be willing to force a war with Periban and if that does happen there's only one winner.
For Periban to win he needs to be able to hurt Bika and control the pace of the bout, it's hard to imagine him doing either of those. I'd imagine that Bika will walk through Periban's slow but hurtful shots whilst ping his own wild hurtful hooks around the side of the head of the Mexican and eventually force a stoppage.
Prediction- Bika by stoppage TKO7
Paul Malignaggi v Adrien Broner
The biggest fight of the coming weekend sees WBA Welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (32-4, 7) taking on the fast rising Adrien Broner (26-0, 22) a man dubbed by many as the future star of American boxing. This will be Broner's first fight above 135lbs and the big question is whether or not the weight will be a problem, for the man known as "The Problem"?
Broner, a man who has claimed world titles at both Super Featherweight and Lightweight is viewed as the most exciting young American in boxing. To date however he hasn't really been tested in the way many would like to have seen him tested. His toughest bout to date came against the visibly under-sized Daniel Ponce De Leon and other than that bout he has done as he's wished with opponents.
Aside from the Ponce De Leon bout Broner has beaten a veritable list of B level opponents like Jason Litzau, Eloy Perez, Vicente Escobedo, Antonio DeMarco and Gavin Rees. For a perceived "pound-for-pound" top 10 fighters (as Ring Magazine herald him) his record is weak.
In terms of talent, as opposed to his opponents, Broner does often look very good. He's got fast hands, a seemingly solid chin and explosive power. Every shot he throws seems to be crisp, hurtful and has an effect on an opponent. Despite his strengths he does seem to be technically limited, his jab can be lacking, he can be caught and often looks like Floyd Mayweather's more offensively minded but much less skilled little brother.
One thing we've all seen is that if you let Broner fight his fight and go to him, he will beat you with his power. Gavin Rees showed that he can be tagged, Ponce De Leon showed he can be out boxed but to date he has remained unbeaten as the hype machine has really gone crazy about him.
In Malignaggi we have a champion who will also be the under-dog. This is despite the fact Malignaggi is more proven, the champion and the man who has been fighting at 147lbs in recent bouts.
Like Broner, Malignaggi made his name outside of the Welterweight division having been a multi-time champion at Light Welterweight (a weight that Broner has notably skipped). In the Light Welterweight division Malignaggi fought a genuine who's who in the form of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Juan Diaz. Whilst he lost most of those fights (going 1-1 with Diaz, though should have been 2-0) Malignaggi proved he belong on the world stage with brave performances.
As a Welterweight Malignaggi has gone on to be undefeated (claiming a controversial victory over Pablo Cesar Cano last time out, when Cano failed to make weight) and looked like a rejuvenated fighter against Vyacheslav Senchenko. It was the Senchenko fight that Malignaggi was last viewed as the under-dog and last written off before he put on arguably the best performance of his career showing off a beautiful jab, wonderful movement and blistering combinations. If that Malignaggi shows up again here he could very easily embarrass Broner.
Sadly for Malignaggi it's rare that we actually see him at his very best. He's a fighter who has always lacked power and instead has always had to rely on pure boxing and speed. At 32 that speed could start going very fast, especially against a younger, fresher fighter like Broner. If it does, he could be a sitting duck for the challenger who whilst not great with his own footwork is very deliberate.
In the build up to the fight both men have been talking the talk, there is bad blood here and whilst Malignaggi has seemed to get the better of the verbal sparring he may just have have annoyed Broner to the point where the younger guy really wants to make a point and actually does use his feet to cut the ring off and break down Malignaggi. The natural size difference isn't as big as it would "seem" on paper and I'd expect Broner to be the bigger man in the ring, meaning this could be very painful for Malignaggi.
The champion is tough but with out the fire power to keep Broner away I can't see anything but a Broner stoppage in the middle rounds.
Prediction-Broner TKO8
Broner, a man who has claimed world titles at both Super Featherweight and Lightweight is viewed as the most exciting young American in boxing. To date however he hasn't really been tested in the way many would like to have seen him tested. His toughest bout to date came against the visibly under-sized Daniel Ponce De Leon and other than that bout he has done as he's wished with opponents.
Aside from the Ponce De Leon bout Broner has beaten a veritable list of B level opponents like Jason Litzau, Eloy Perez, Vicente Escobedo, Antonio DeMarco and Gavin Rees. For a perceived "pound-for-pound" top 10 fighters (as Ring Magazine herald him) his record is weak.
In terms of talent, as opposed to his opponents, Broner does often look very good. He's got fast hands, a seemingly solid chin and explosive power. Every shot he throws seems to be crisp, hurtful and has an effect on an opponent. Despite his strengths he does seem to be technically limited, his jab can be lacking, he can be caught and often looks like Floyd Mayweather's more offensively minded but much less skilled little brother.
One thing we've all seen is that if you let Broner fight his fight and go to him, he will beat you with his power. Gavin Rees showed that he can be tagged, Ponce De Leon showed he can be out boxed but to date he has remained unbeaten as the hype machine has really gone crazy about him.
In Malignaggi we have a champion who will also be the under-dog. This is despite the fact Malignaggi is more proven, the champion and the man who has been fighting at 147lbs in recent bouts.
Like Broner, Malignaggi made his name outside of the Welterweight division having been a multi-time champion at Light Welterweight (a weight that Broner has notably skipped). In the Light Welterweight division Malignaggi fought a genuine who's who in the form of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Juan Diaz. Whilst he lost most of those fights (going 1-1 with Diaz, though should have been 2-0) Malignaggi proved he belong on the world stage with brave performances.
As a Welterweight Malignaggi has gone on to be undefeated (claiming a controversial victory over Pablo Cesar Cano last time out, when Cano failed to make weight) and looked like a rejuvenated fighter against Vyacheslav Senchenko. It was the Senchenko fight that Malignaggi was last viewed as the under-dog and last written off before he put on arguably the best performance of his career showing off a beautiful jab, wonderful movement and blistering combinations. If that Malignaggi shows up again here he could very easily embarrass Broner.
Sadly for Malignaggi it's rare that we actually see him at his very best. He's a fighter who has always lacked power and instead has always had to rely on pure boxing and speed. At 32 that speed could start going very fast, especially against a younger, fresher fighter like Broner. If it does, he could be a sitting duck for the challenger who whilst not great with his own footwork is very deliberate.
In the build up to the fight both men have been talking the talk, there is bad blood here and whilst Malignaggi has seemed to get the better of the verbal sparring he may just have have annoyed Broner to the point where the younger guy really wants to make a point and actually does use his feet to cut the ring off and break down Malignaggi. The natural size difference isn't as big as it would "seem" on paper and I'd expect Broner to be the bigger man in the ring, meaning this could be very painful for Malignaggi.
The champion is tough but with out the fire power to keep Broner away I can't see anything but a Broner stoppage in the middle rounds.
Prediction-Broner TKO8
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk v Rakhim Chakhkiev
The boxing weekend kicks off a few hours early this week as Russia hosts a Cruiserweight world title bout between WBC champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (47-2-1, 33) and highly regarded Russian Rakhim Chakhkiev (16-0, 12).
Chakhkiev, stepping up to the world level for the first time as a professional had been tipped for professional stardom following an excellent amateur career that included an Olympic gold medal and an World Amateur Championship silver medal. Sadly his rise to the top of the paid ranks has been slower than expected due to issues with promotional outfit Universum.
Having effectively wasted a year or so of his career with poor match ups the 30 year old Chakhkiev is finally being let off the leash and being given a chance to impress fans in his native Russia (having been based in Germany for his career so far).
Hard hitting, aggressively minded and highly skilled Chakhkiev is very fun to watch and destructive to both the head and body. Defensively he's not great but with his style he rarely needs to show off great defense instead living by the adage of "his offense is his best defense" and in all honesty his body shots take that much out of opponents that they are often too busy protecting themselves than to strike back.
Although Chakhkiev has yet to go the 12 round distance he has has recorded 2 decision victories over 10 rounds and scored a 9th round stoppage testing out his stamina as much as anything else. It's his stamina over 12 rounds that is quite possible the only real question mark over the man dubbed "The Machine".
In Wlodarczyk we have a very competent champion but yet an unimpressive one. He's a fighter who at his best looks like a really good fighter but all too often looks lazy, uninterested and like he's turning up for a sparring session as opposed to a fight. Sure he wins most fights but that also has something to do with favourable judging and weak opponents.
The Polish champion has certainly faced some stiff competition in his 50 fight career including twice facing Steve Cunningham (winning a controversial one and losing one), twice defeating Francisco Palacios and twice facing Giacobbe Fragomeni (winning one and drawing one). Though those fights have been interspersed with opponents like Jason Robinson and Dominique Alexander who really do not deserve to be in the ring with a world level opponent.
Although Wlodarczyk, known as "Diablo", can be made to look lazy he is tough and does hit extremely hard. His shots seemed to hurt Cunningham and have stopped both Fragomeni and Danny Green. He's dangerous and his lethargic fighting style arguably makes him more dangerous as you never really know when he's going to put his weight behind a shot.
As well as Wlodarczyk's power he has a solid jab and can use it well to keep opponents at range. He'll need to be able to use it well to keep Chakhkiev away or else he'll be in a world of pain, especially from the devastating body attack of the Russian.
Going in to this bout Chakhkiev is a strong betting favourite. Yes he's the man stepping up but on perceived talent and a Russian crowd behind him it's hard to see him losing.
Prediction-UD12 Chakhkiev
Chakhkiev, stepping up to the world level for the first time as a professional had been tipped for professional stardom following an excellent amateur career that included an Olympic gold medal and an World Amateur Championship silver medal. Sadly his rise to the top of the paid ranks has been slower than expected due to issues with promotional outfit Universum.
Having effectively wasted a year or so of his career with poor match ups the 30 year old Chakhkiev is finally being let off the leash and being given a chance to impress fans in his native Russia (having been based in Germany for his career so far).
Hard hitting, aggressively minded and highly skilled Chakhkiev is very fun to watch and destructive to both the head and body. Defensively he's not great but with his style he rarely needs to show off great defense instead living by the adage of "his offense is his best defense" and in all honesty his body shots take that much out of opponents that they are often too busy protecting themselves than to strike back.
Although Chakhkiev has yet to go the 12 round distance he has has recorded 2 decision victories over 10 rounds and scored a 9th round stoppage testing out his stamina as much as anything else. It's his stamina over 12 rounds that is quite possible the only real question mark over the man dubbed "The Machine".
In Wlodarczyk we have a very competent champion but yet an unimpressive one. He's a fighter who at his best looks like a really good fighter but all too often looks lazy, uninterested and like he's turning up for a sparring session as opposed to a fight. Sure he wins most fights but that also has something to do with favourable judging and weak opponents.
The Polish champion has certainly faced some stiff competition in his 50 fight career including twice facing Steve Cunningham (winning a controversial one and losing one), twice defeating Francisco Palacios and twice facing Giacobbe Fragomeni (winning one and drawing one). Though those fights have been interspersed with opponents like Jason Robinson and Dominique Alexander who really do not deserve to be in the ring with a world level opponent.
Although Wlodarczyk, known as "Diablo", can be made to look lazy he is tough and does hit extremely hard. His shots seemed to hurt Cunningham and have stopped both Fragomeni and Danny Green. He's dangerous and his lethargic fighting style arguably makes him more dangerous as you never really know when he's going to put his weight behind a shot.
As well as Wlodarczyk's power he has a solid jab and can use it well to keep opponents at range. He'll need to be able to use it well to keep Chakhkiev away or else he'll be in a world of pain, especially from the devastating body attack of the Russian.
Going in to this bout Chakhkiev is a strong betting favourite. Yes he's the man stepping up but on perceived talent and a Russian crowd behind him it's hard to see him losing.
Prediction-UD12 Chakhkiev
Friday 14 June 2013
Mikey Garcia v Juan Manuel Lopez
After several busy weeks this weekend has just a solitary world title fight though it is a very intriguing one as WBO Featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (31-0, 26) defends his title for the first time. Garcia will be facing the ever popular Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez (33-2, 30) who looks to re-establish himself in the world of boxing after almost dropping off the proverbial map when he appeared for super stardom.
Mexican-American Garcia is arguably the standout fighter from his brother Robert Garcia 's gym and despite the gyms reputation for having brawling swarmers Mikey is a very, very talented pure boxer with an amazing outside game. Mikey combines explosive power, very sharp punching, a wonderful understanding of range and amazing time to tag fighters with counters and shots as they come in.
On the inside Garcia has a lot of questions to answer however due to his excellent skill he's never been forced to answer those questions instead tying up his opponents and forcing the referee to split them before landing his hurtful straight shots. A technique similar to that employed by Wladimir Klitschko and just as effective (if not more so in fact). It's this outside of game Garcia that makes him so outstanding and so tough to get to, just ask the usually durable Orlando Salido who dropped at will be Garcia last time out.
Although Garcia has only been in 1 "world title bout" he has been mixing in and around the fringe of world class for quite a while. His victory over Orlando Salido last time out was clearly the best win on his record though victories over Jonathan Victor Barros, Bernabe Concepcion, Cornelius Lock have all been solid victories. In fact actually going through Garcia's record we see a record that looks genuinely solid with victories over Robinson Castellanos, Walter Estrada, Tomas Villa, Oliver Lontchi and Matt Remmillard all standing out to various degrees.
With power, skill, youth (he's just 25) and a fantastic boxing brain on his shoulders the future is incredibly bright for Garcia who could very easily claim a title at Super Featherweight, Lightweight and possibly (though it'd be pushing it) Light Welterweight before his career is over.
In Juan Manuel Lopez we have one of boxing's "must watch" fighters. He combines thunderous power, good looks, a fantastic heart and very good timing with questionable stamina and poor defense. He's fun to watch in both victories and defeats though unfortunately he's also a fighter who does seem to talk before realising quite what he's saying.
Lopez first burst on to the scene in 2008 when he swatted away Daniel Ponce De Leon for the WBO Super Bantamweight title in a jaw dropping 145 seconds to become a world champion. As a result of the victory over Ponce De Leon, Lopez had moved to a very impressive 22-0 (20) and at just 24 years old he was boxing's new star in the making.
The Puerto Rican had actually been very impressive in his bouts leading up to the Ponce De Leon fight and remained impressive following it as he defended the belt 5 times. Although he had blasted out his first 4 challengers he was given a torrid time by Rogers Mtagwa in the final defense before moving up to Featherweight.
In the Featherweight division Lopez impressed again as a weight up seemed to free him of the issues he was having in making the 122lb limit. He would quickly claim the WBO title there and defend it 3 times as fans bayed to see him face Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa. Sadly the fans never got their dream as Lopez was stopped by the aforementioned Orlando Salido in 2011.
Since the loss to Salido Lopez has never quite looked the same fight and despite winning 3 of 4 bouts (losing again to Salido in a rematch) he hasn't really recorded a win of note (Mike Oliver, whilst boasting an impressive record wasn't notable in the grand scale of things).
Against Salido we found a man who could take Lopez's power and walk through it whilst firing back and eventually grinding down Lopez. Both the Salido fights were wars and seem to have taken their toll on Lopez who at just 29 years old is a fighter who appears to be on the slide. His boxing, whilst once solid has taken a backwards step as he fell in love with his power and against a talented boxer/boxer--puncher or a hard nosed fighter Lopez can be made to look relatively poor.
Going in to this bout the only way I can imagine a win for Lopez is if he can plant a bomb on Garcia very early that catches the champion cold. If Lopez cannot tag Garcia very early then the result seems a forgone one. The talented Garcia will simply land his own powerful, straight snappy shots between the slower shots of Lopez and eventually force a stoppage (maybe even a clean KO).
Lopez has got bucket loads of heart so won't be stopped very early but will be stopped eventually when Garcia decides to just put his foot on the gas.
Prediction-Garcia TKO6
Mexican-American Garcia is arguably the standout fighter from his brother Robert Garcia 's gym and despite the gyms reputation for having brawling swarmers Mikey is a very, very talented pure boxer with an amazing outside game. Mikey combines explosive power, very sharp punching, a wonderful understanding of range and amazing time to tag fighters with counters and shots as they come in.
On the inside Garcia has a lot of questions to answer however due to his excellent skill he's never been forced to answer those questions instead tying up his opponents and forcing the referee to split them before landing his hurtful straight shots. A technique similar to that employed by Wladimir Klitschko and just as effective (if not more so in fact). It's this outside of game Garcia that makes him so outstanding and so tough to get to, just ask the usually durable Orlando Salido who dropped at will be Garcia last time out.
Although Garcia has only been in 1 "world title bout" he has been mixing in and around the fringe of world class for quite a while. His victory over Orlando Salido last time out was clearly the best win on his record though victories over Jonathan Victor Barros, Bernabe Concepcion, Cornelius Lock have all been solid victories. In fact actually going through Garcia's record we see a record that looks genuinely solid with victories over Robinson Castellanos, Walter Estrada, Tomas Villa, Oliver Lontchi and Matt Remmillard all standing out to various degrees.
With power, skill, youth (he's just 25) and a fantastic boxing brain on his shoulders the future is incredibly bright for Garcia who could very easily claim a title at Super Featherweight, Lightweight and possibly (though it'd be pushing it) Light Welterweight before his career is over.
In Juan Manuel Lopez we have one of boxing's "must watch" fighters. He combines thunderous power, good looks, a fantastic heart and very good timing with questionable stamina and poor defense. He's fun to watch in both victories and defeats though unfortunately he's also a fighter who does seem to talk before realising quite what he's saying.
Lopez first burst on to the scene in 2008 when he swatted away Daniel Ponce De Leon for the WBO Super Bantamweight title in a jaw dropping 145 seconds to become a world champion. As a result of the victory over Ponce De Leon, Lopez had moved to a very impressive 22-0 (20) and at just 24 years old he was boxing's new star in the making.
The Puerto Rican had actually been very impressive in his bouts leading up to the Ponce De Leon fight and remained impressive following it as he defended the belt 5 times. Although he had blasted out his first 4 challengers he was given a torrid time by Rogers Mtagwa in the final defense before moving up to Featherweight.
In the Featherweight division Lopez impressed again as a weight up seemed to free him of the issues he was having in making the 122lb limit. He would quickly claim the WBO title there and defend it 3 times as fans bayed to see him face Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa. Sadly the fans never got their dream as Lopez was stopped by the aforementioned Orlando Salido in 2011.
Since the loss to Salido Lopez has never quite looked the same fight and despite winning 3 of 4 bouts (losing again to Salido in a rematch) he hasn't really recorded a win of note (Mike Oliver, whilst boasting an impressive record wasn't notable in the grand scale of things).
Against Salido we found a man who could take Lopez's power and walk through it whilst firing back and eventually grinding down Lopez. Both the Salido fights were wars and seem to have taken their toll on Lopez who at just 29 years old is a fighter who appears to be on the slide. His boxing, whilst once solid has taken a backwards step as he fell in love with his power and against a talented boxer/boxer--puncher or a hard nosed fighter Lopez can be made to look relatively poor.
Going in to this bout the only way I can imagine a win for Lopez is if he can plant a bomb on Garcia very early that catches the champion cold. If Lopez cannot tag Garcia very early then the result seems a forgone one. The talented Garcia will simply land his own powerful, straight snappy shots between the slower shots of Lopez and eventually force a stoppage (maybe even a clean KO).
Lopez has got bucket loads of heart so won't be stopped very early but will be stopped eventually when Garcia decides to just put his foot on the gas.
Prediction-Garcia TKO6
Saturday 8 June 2013
Erislandy Lara v Alfredo Angulo
In a very exciting looking bout for the "interim" WBA Light Middleweight title the hard hitting Alfredo Angulo (22-2, 18) takes on Cuban skillster Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 11). The bout, a true puncher v boxer bout could well end up being the fight of the night depending on how the styles clash.
Mexican Angulo, known as "El Perro" ("The Dog"), is one of the sport's must watch fighters with his hard punching and all action style. Technically he's limited but he's tough, very fun to watch and at his best he's a destructive freak of nature capable of hurting fighters with every punch in his arsenal.
To date Angulo's only losses have come to Kermit Cintron (via a decision) and James Kirkland (courtesy of a stoppage), though both have been "excused" by his fans. The loss to Cintron apparently occurred when Angulo was suffering from a cold whilst the loss to Kirkland happened when Angulo was having problems with his life.
Unfortunately several problems have hindered Angulo over the years, mainly issues regarding a visa whilst almost derailed his career together as he was kept out of the ring for more than a year following the loss to Kirkland (and he'd only fought once in the previous 12 months prior to that bout). With those issues sorted however Angulo looks to be back for good and will be looking to make up for lost time.
In Cuban fighter Erislandy Lara we have an incredibly well schooled southpaw, who, at his best can be either be destructive and take people out in a round (ask Ronald Hearns about that) or be a very skillful fighter dominating with his excellent technique.
Despite having 3 blotches on his record, Lara is widely considered to have been unlucky in 2 of those. A loss to Paul Williams in 2011 was widely considered to be one of the robberies of the year whilst a 9 round technical draw with Vanes Martirosyan was slated as it protected Martirosyan's unbeaten record. His actual "legitimate" blotch came in 2011 as he drew with Carlos Molina in a fight many felt Molina had deserved to win.
Going in to this bout the obvious prediction is that Lara will do what Cintron did to Angulo and box and move, make Angulo follow him whilst landing counters time and time again. This wouldn't be a shock. Lara is a much, much, much better boxer than Cintron. Though on the flip of that Lara has been jobbed in the past (the Martirosyan and Williams results) so he may decide to try to take it out of the judges hands. If Lara decides to take the fight to Angulo instead of relying on his boxing we may end up with a thriller.
If Lara decides to trade it's hard to see him winning, though if he's too negative he could throw rounds away. I actually think we'll see a lot from Lara who will mix things up whilst Angulo comes forward relentlessly looking to unleash his ferocious power. This will give the bout a very close feeling and make the decision an "on your edge" type of call.
Prediction-Lara UD12 (but close)
Mexican Angulo, known as "El Perro" ("The Dog"), is one of the sport's must watch fighters with his hard punching and all action style. Technically he's limited but he's tough, very fun to watch and at his best he's a destructive freak of nature capable of hurting fighters with every punch in his arsenal.
To date Angulo's only losses have come to Kermit Cintron (via a decision) and James Kirkland (courtesy of a stoppage), though both have been "excused" by his fans. The loss to Cintron apparently occurred when Angulo was suffering from a cold whilst the loss to Kirkland happened when Angulo was having problems with his life.
Unfortunately several problems have hindered Angulo over the years, mainly issues regarding a visa whilst almost derailed his career together as he was kept out of the ring for more than a year following the loss to Kirkland (and he'd only fought once in the previous 12 months prior to that bout). With those issues sorted however Angulo looks to be back for good and will be looking to make up for lost time.
In Cuban fighter Erislandy Lara we have an incredibly well schooled southpaw, who, at his best can be either be destructive and take people out in a round (ask Ronald Hearns about that) or be a very skillful fighter dominating with his excellent technique.
Despite having 3 blotches on his record, Lara is widely considered to have been unlucky in 2 of those. A loss to Paul Williams in 2011 was widely considered to be one of the robberies of the year whilst a 9 round technical draw with Vanes Martirosyan was slated as it protected Martirosyan's unbeaten record. His actual "legitimate" blotch came in 2011 as he drew with Carlos Molina in a fight many felt Molina had deserved to win.
Going in to this bout the obvious prediction is that Lara will do what Cintron did to Angulo and box and move, make Angulo follow him whilst landing counters time and time again. This wouldn't be a shock. Lara is a much, much, much better boxer than Cintron. Though on the flip of that Lara has been jobbed in the past (the Martirosyan and Williams results) so he may decide to try to take it out of the judges hands. If Lara decides to take the fight to Angulo instead of relying on his boxing we may end up with a thriller.
If Lara decides to trade it's hard to see him winning, though if he's too negative he could throw rounds away. I actually think we'll see a lot from Lara who will mix things up whilst Angulo comes forward relentlessly looking to unleash his ferocious power. This will give the bout a very close feeling and make the decision an "on your edge" type of call.
Prediction-Lara UD12 (but close)
Friday 7 June 2013
Marco Huck v Ola Afolabi III
Sometimes boxing rivalries tell their own story and in the case of this weekend's WBO Cruiserweight title bout between Marco Huck (35-2-1, 25) and Ola Afolabi (19-2-4, 9) we get another fantastic chapter in a brilliant rivalry.
The two men, who meet for the 3rd time first fought back in December 2009 with Huck taking a much debated unanimous decision. In 2012 they met for a second time with the bout declared a 12 round draw in what was a contender for both fight of the year and round of the year (round 12).
If the story continues in the way it's been going then this should be an absolutely barn burner due to the fact the previous two were. Though maybe the most telling fact going in to the bout is the that both men know what to expect from the other and both know they have the power to rock the other (even though neither man has been down in 24 rounds together).
The 28 year old Huck goes in to this bout as the favourite (8/15) though this doesn't really tell us everything we need to know about Huck.
The hard nosed and usually fun to watch Serbian born German is a fighter who has been involved in a number of hard, draining battled in his 38 fight career, especially in recent bouts. At the low level his power and aggression has seen him stopping opponents with relative ease. At genuine world level however Huck has been unable to quickly dispose of his opponents and as a result has been involved in tear up after tear up.
With a combined 72 rounds of action against Steve Cunningham, Ola Afolabi, Denis Lebedev, Alexander Povetkin and Firat Arslan, Huck is a fighter with a lot of miles on the clock. As well as the 72 rounds against those world class fighters Huck has been in 12 straight world title fights and has fought a staggering 10 bouts since the first Afolabi bout.
Aged just 28 Huck is showing the signs of his wars. His battle with Firat Arslan last time out made Huck look like only a shadow of the fighter he was 2 fights earlier. Sure he may just have been unable to get up for the fight though the fact he was out worked in almost every one of the 12 rounds was still a worry.
Whilst Huck is a crude, hard hitting, teak tough fighter Afolabi is much more skilled fighter who's much smoother, much more accurate and far more technically sound. He lacks the power of Huck though is certainly the better pure boxer and has also shown a level of toughness that matches that of Huck.
Afolabi at 33 years old is the older fighter in terms of "real years" but is by far the less "damaged" fighter in terms of ring years. Aside from the 2 wars with Huck, Afolabi hasn't been forced to go in to the trenches too much and is probably a very "young" 33 for a boxer. He certainly seems to have more in the tank than Huck despite twice failing to defeat him.
For me a lot depends on what Huck has left, though with his bout against Arslan it don't look like there was much at all left for Huck. A fighter can only go to the well so many times before the well runs dry and that's what I think will happen here.
Prediction-Afolabi UD12
The two men, who meet for the 3rd time first fought back in December 2009 with Huck taking a much debated unanimous decision. In 2012 they met for a second time with the bout declared a 12 round draw in what was a contender for both fight of the year and round of the year (round 12).
If the story continues in the way it's been going then this should be an absolutely barn burner due to the fact the previous two were. Though maybe the most telling fact going in to the bout is the that both men know what to expect from the other and both know they have the power to rock the other (even though neither man has been down in 24 rounds together).
The 28 year old Huck goes in to this bout as the favourite (8/15) though this doesn't really tell us everything we need to know about Huck.
The hard nosed and usually fun to watch Serbian born German is a fighter who has been involved in a number of hard, draining battled in his 38 fight career, especially in recent bouts. At the low level his power and aggression has seen him stopping opponents with relative ease. At genuine world level however Huck has been unable to quickly dispose of his opponents and as a result has been involved in tear up after tear up.
With a combined 72 rounds of action against Steve Cunningham, Ola Afolabi, Denis Lebedev, Alexander Povetkin and Firat Arslan, Huck is a fighter with a lot of miles on the clock. As well as the 72 rounds against those world class fighters Huck has been in 12 straight world title fights and has fought a staggering 10 bouts since the first Afolabi bout.
Aged just 28 Huck is showing the signs of his wars. His battle with Firat Arslan last time out made Huck look like only a shadow of the fighter he was 2 fights earlier. Sure he may just have been unable to get up for the fight though the fact he was out worked in almost every one of the 12 rounds was still a worry.
Whilst Huck is a crude, hard hitting, teak tough fighter Afolabi is much more skilled fighter who's much smoother, much more accurate and far more technically sound. He lacks the power of Huck though is certainly the better pure boxer and has also shown a level of toughness that matches that of Huck.
Afolabi at 33 years old is the older fighter in terms of "real years" but is by far the less "damaged" fighter in terms of ring years. Aside from the 2 wars with Huck, Afolabi hasn't been forced to go in to the trenches too much and is probably a very "young" 33 for a boxer. He certainly seems to have more in the tank than Huck despite twice failing to defeat him.
For me a lot depends on what Huck has left, though with his bout against Arslan it don't look like there was much at all left for Huck. A fighter can only go to the well so many times before the well runs dry and that's what I think will happen here.
Prediction-Afolabi UD12
Thursday 6 June 2013
Yuriorkis Gamboa v Darley Perez
Unbeaten Cuban superstar Yuriorkis Gamboa (22-0, 16) looks to claim his 3rd division title as he moves up to Lightweight and fights for the WBA "interim" title against unbeaten Colombian Darley Perez (28-0, 19). The bout, part of the under-card in Canada for the Chad Dawson v Adonis Stevenson bout, has a lot of promise on paper, but will it deliver?
Gamboa has been a "must watch" fighter since his amateur days where he claimed a number of medals across various international tournaments with his speed, skill, combinations and venomous power.
Since turning professional in 2007 Gamboa has claimed titles at both Featherweight (WBA and IBF) and Super Featherweight (WBA "interim") and scored notable wins over a mini who's who including Daniel Ponce De Leon, Jorge Solis, Jonathan Victor Barros and Orlando Salido. He has combined exciting offense with poor defense and become a genuinely fun to watch fighter with an air of vulnerability to pair off against his aggression.
Gamboa has got some amazing traits and some wonderful weapons in his arsenal. With out a doubt he's a talent though he also has his issues. His chin is poor, his move up to 135lbs may be a step too far and he's got very questionable stamina. If he doesn't take an opponent out early he slows (a lot) and can become very negative, as we saw last time out against tough Filipino Michel Farenas and although he has got the skills to rely on there is questions about just how good he is on the back foot.
If Gamboa can't hurt an opponents with his blistering shots that land amazingly quick, then we could be in for a very good contest.
In Darley Perez we have a very "un-Colombian, Colombian". A typical Colombian is a crude but very power puncher, in Perez however we have a well schooled former amateur standout who competed at 2 World Amateur Championships and an Olympic games. Sure he failed to medal in those competitions but he did compete at the very highest level in the unpaid ranks.
Since turning professional in 2009 Perez has been a busy fighter averaging around 7 fights a year. These have generally been at a low level though last year he did manage a notable step up as he out pointed the highly regarded Bahodir Mamadjonov (who was too small in all honesty for Perez). Without a doubt he's got an impressive looking record on paper, but behind raw the numbers there is little real quality there.
Perez lacks the punch of a typical Colombian and this is a real shame going in to this bout. With a "Colombian" punch Perez could have made Gamboa respect him, sadly with out it, it's likely that Gamboa will be happy to try and take him out.
Whilst Gamboa struggled with Farenas last time out, Farenas is genuinely a gatekeeper (and could potentially claim a world title before his careers over). Perez however struggled with relative nobody Julio Camano (who has now lost 8 of his most recent 9) who dropped him twice. If Carmano can drop Perez then Gamboa can stop Perez.
Gamboa's one problem here, will be the natural size disadvantage. He'll be giving away height and reach, though his skill should manage to over-come both of these issues with out too many difficulties due to Perez's limitations.
Prediction-Gamboa TKO5
Gamboa has been a "must watch" fighter since his amateur days where he claimed a number of medals across various international tournaments with his speed, skill, combinations and venomous power.
Since turning professional in 2007 Gamboa has claimed titles at both Featherweight (WBA and IBF) and Super Featherweight (WBA "interim") and scored notable wins over a mini who's who including Daniel Ponce De Leon, Jorge Solis, Jonathan Victor Barros and Orlando Salido. He has combined exciting offense with poor defense and become a genuinely fun to watch fighter with an air of vulnerability to pair off against his aggression.
Gamboa has got some amazing traits and some wonderful weapons in his arsenal. With out a doubt he's a talent though he also has his issues. His chin is poor, his move up to 135lbs may be a step too far and he's got very questionable stamina. If he doesn't take an opponent out early he slows (a lot) and can become very negative, as we saw last time out against tough Filipino Michel Farenas and although he has got the skills to rely on there is questions about just how good he is on the back foot.
If Gamboa can't hurt an opponents with his blistering shots that land amazingly quick, then we could be in for a very good contest.
In Darley Perez we have a very "un-Colombian, Colombian". A typical Colombian is a crude but very power puncher, in Perez however we have a well schooled former amateur standout who competed at 2 World Amateur Championships and an Olympic games. Sure he failed to medal in those competitions but he did compete at the very highest level in the unpaid ranks.
Since turning professional in 2009 Perez has been a busy fighter averaging around 7 fights a year. These have generally been at a low level though last year he did manage a notable step up as he out pointed the highly regarded Bahodir Mamadjonov (who was too small in all honesty for Perez). Without a doubt he's got an impressive looking record on paper, but behind raw the numbers there is little real quality there.
Perez lacks the punch of a typical Colombian and this is a real shame going in to this bout. With a "Colombian" punch Perez could have made Gamboa respect him, sadly with out it, it's likely that Gamboa will be happy to try and take him out.
Whilst Gamboa struggled with Farenas last time out, Farenas is genuinely a gatekeeper (and could potentially claim a world title before his careers over). Perez however struggled with relative nobody Julio Camano (who has now lost 8 of his most recent 9) who dropped him twice. If Carmano can drop Perez then Gamboa can stop Perez.
Gamboa's one problem here, will be the natural size disadvantage. He'll be giving away height and reach, though his skill should manage to over-come both of these issues with out too many difficulties due to Perez's limitations.
Prediction-Gamboa TKO5
Chad Dawson v Adonis Stevenson
American Light Heavyweight Chad Dawson (31-2-0-1, 17) is a fighter who forever splits opinion. The current WBC Light Heavyweight champion is an amazing talent with hurtful power, amazing hand speed, fantastic size and all the physical traits a fighter could ever wish to have. Sadly he's also a fight who appears to be lazy, unable to draw flies and a complete frustration to watch. This weekend he travels to Canada to defend his belt against the hard hitting Adonis Stevenson (20-1, 17) in what looks to be a very interesting match up.
Dawson, still the champion despite his loss last time out to Andre Ward (which was fought at 168lbs), is a fighter who at his best is genuinely brilliant. His resume reads very impressively with victories over Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, Adrian Diaconu and Tomasz Adamek though each victory holds it's own story. The likes of Hopkins, Tarver and Johnson were all old men, Adamek was killing himself at 175lbs and Diaconu bout was simply dreadful.
The problem with Dawson is that for all his talent (and trust me, he is talented) he never wants to show it for more than a few seconds at a time. His first loss, a technical decision to Jean Pascal saw Dawson do almost nothing until the final few rounds when he actually let his hands go and looked like a possible modern great. His second loss, a stoppage to Andre Ward started with Dawson looking decent then mentally he crumbled when he started to struggle to land on Ward.
If a fighter can force Dawson in to a fight we can some interesting action, though all too often Dawson is too negative to really engage in a battle, this weekend however may be different.
Adonis Stevenson isn't the talented boxer that Dawson is, no one would say that Stevenson is a boxer in all honesty. He's an aggressive, hard hitting and hungry fighter looking for his chance to finally make a name for himself.
Although Stevenson is coming up from Super Middleweight for this opportunity he's the home fighter and has a solid fan base in Canada. His fan base is built on the fact he's very fun to watch, very hard hitting and very determined to stop his opponents. His intention to force stoppages has seen him scoring 6 straight T/KO victories (and stopping 9 of his last 10 bouts early). Sure he did suffer a surprise stoppage loss to Darnell Boone in 2010 but has already put that loss behind him and avenged it.
The big question here, is "Can Stevenson draw Dawson into a fight?" If he can he stands an excellent chance at stopping Dawson who could well be coming in to the bout mentally questioning himself following the Ward loss. If Dawson can box on the move (which he can do, but can also be too lazy to do) then he can out box Stevenson with ease, as long as he can avoid the Canadian's straight left hand.
Prediction-I think Dawson knows his career is on the line and he'll go up a gear, show more of those flashes he is capable of and take a very solid decision over Stevenson. If not his career is as good as over. UD12 Dawson.
Dawson, still the champion despite his loss last time out to Andre Ward (which was fought at 168lbs), is a fighter who at his best is genuinely brilliant. His resume reads very impressively with victories over Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, Adrian Diaconu and Tomasz Adamek though each victory holds it's own story. The likes of Hopkins, Tarver and Johnson were all old men, Adamek was killing himself at 175lbs and Diaconu bout was simply dreadful.
The problem with Dawson is that for all his talent (and trust me, he is talented) he never wants to show it for more than a few seconds at a time. His first loss, a technical decision to Jean Pascal saw Dawson do almost nothing until the final few rounds when he actually let his hands go and looked like a possible modern great. His second loss, a stoppage to Andre Ward started with Dawson looking decent then mentally he crumbled when he started to struggle to land on Ward.
If a fighter can force Dawson in to a fight we can some interesting action, though all too often Dawson is too negative to really engage in a battle, this weekend however may be different.
Adonis Stevenson isn't the talented boxer that Dawson is, no one would say that Stevenson is a boxer in all honesty. He's an aggressive, hard hitting and hungry fighter looking for his chance to finally make a name for himself.
Although Stevenson is coming up from Super Middleweight for this opportunity he's the home fighter and has a solid fan base in Canada. His fan base is built on the fact he's very fun to watch, very hard hitting and very determined to stop his opponents. His intention to force stoppages has seen him scoring 6 straight T/KO victories (and stopping 9 of his last 10 bouts early). Sure he did suffer a surprise stoppage loss to Darnell Boone in 2010 but has already put that loss behind him and avenged it.
The big question here, is "Can Stevenson draw Dawson into a fight?" If he can he stands an excellent chance at stopping Dawson who could well be coming in to the bout mentally questioning himself following the Ward loss. If Dawson can box on the move (which he can do, but can also be too lazy to do) then he can out box Stevenson with ease, as long as he can avoid the Canadian's straight left hand.
Prediction-I think Dawson knows his career is on the line and he'll go up a gear, show more of those flashes he is capable of and take a very solid decision over Stevenson. If not his career is as good as over. UD12 Dawson.
Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr v Roberto Domingo Sosa
IBF Super Flyweight Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr (15-1-1, 8) was one of boxing's unsung hero's in 2012. He'll be hoping to keep up his impressive run as he attempts to defend his belt for the first time 3rd time in total (and first time this year) and takes on the unbeaten mandatory challenger Roberto Domingo Sosa (24-0, 14).
The 22 year old Sanchez Jr seemed to burst out of nowhere last year as he scored 3 really notable wins. Those first of those saw him upset Rodrigo Guerrero to win the world title before he defended it against Juan Alberto Rosas and Rodel Mayol. All three victories saw Sanchez over-coming more experienced opponents and whilst none are elite class opponents all were solid.
Before he scored his 3 title victories however Sanchez had actually defeated Juan Francisco Estrada a victory that now looks to be his most impressive (considering Estrada pushed Roman Gonzalez close and defeated Brian Viloria).
Sanchez is a very mentally strong fighter. He's not the most technically solid, though he's a fighter who has improved drastically from the fighter who was stopped in 2 rounds by Daniel Rosas back in February 2010. He's still flawed, and can still be hurt but he's still a tough fighter and is very awkward due to not only being a southpaw but also a very tall fighter for the weight.
Argentinian challenger Sosa is a bit of a mystery man to many boxing fans. He's been a professional since March 2006 but has yet to fight outside of his native Argentina. As well as being hidden in South America he's also only fought one or two "names" with the only really notable one being South African southpaw Zolani Tete.
Tete fought Sosa last time in an IBF Flyweight eliminator. Although Sosa claimed a majority decision over Tete many felt that the Argentinian fighter had been given a very favourable decision in a bout that he appeared to lose. Tete was able to land his straight left time and time again on Sosa and with that in mind Sanchez Jr may be looking to land his own straight left on Sosa.
In the ring Sosa is pretty wild looking fighter, he appears to want to get inside but looks limited. In his fight with Sosa he was spending a lot of time on the outside and being tagged at range on the inside he was being tied up easily and made to look very toothless.
Although Sosa is unbeaten it's hard to see him beating Sanchez. Sanchez has a number of the qualities that Tete gave Sosa a nightmare with (the southpaw stance, the height and reach), sure the styles are different but he's also good enough. This time however Sosa lacks his "equaliser" of fighting at home, it was only really that that allowed him the win over Tete.
Prediction-Sanchez Jr UD12
The 22 year old Sanchez Jr seemed to burst out of nowhere last year as he scored 3 really notable wins. Those first of those saw him upset Rodrigo Guerrero to win the world title before he defended it against Juan Alberto Rosas and Rodel Mayol. All three victories saw Sanchez over-coming more experienced opponents and whilst none are elite class opponents all were solid.
Before he scored his 3 title victories however Sanchez had actually defeated Juan Francisco Estrada a victory that now looks to be his most impressive (considering Estrada pushed Roman Gonzalez close and defeated Brian Viloria).
Sanchez is a very mentally strong fighter. He's not the most technically solid, though he's a fighter who has improved drastically from the fighter who was stopped in 2 rounds by Daniel Rosas back in February 2010. He's still flawed, and can still be hurt but he's still a tough fighter and is very awkward due to not only being a southpaw but also a very tall fighter for the weight.
Argentinian challenger Sosa is a bit of a mystery man to many boxing fans. He's been a professional since March 2006 but has yet to fight outside of his native Argentina. As well as being hidden in South America he's also only fought one or two "names" with the only really notable one being South African southpaw Zolani Tete.
Tete fought Sosa last time in an IBF Flyweight eliminator. Although Sosa claimed a majority decision over Tete many felt that the Argentinian fighter had been given a very favourable decision in a bout that he appeared to lose. Tete was able to land his straight left time and time again on Sosa and with that in mind Sanchez Jr may be looking to land his own straight left on Sosa.
In the ring Sosa is pretty wild looking fighter, he appears to want to get inside but looks limited. In his fight with Sosa he was spending a lot of time on the outside and being tagged at range on the inside he was being tied up easily and made to look very toothless.
Although Sosa is unbeaten it's hard to see him beating Sanchez. Sanchez has a number of the qualities that Tete gave Sosa a nightmare with (the southpaw stance, the height and reach), sure the styles are different but he's also good enough. This time however Sosa lacks his "equaliser" of fighting at home, it was only really that that allowed him the win over Tete.
Prediction-Sanchez Jr UD12
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