Saturday 28 September 2013

Adonis Stevenson v Tavoris Cloud

"Explosive" is a word we love to hear in boxing. "Explosive fight" or "explosive puncher" are two of the greatest terms to a boxing fans ears. This Saturday night in Quebec, Canada we have a fight that promises to be "explosive" with one big time explosive puncher against a tough fighter who himself contains a bit of TNT in his gloves.

Haitian born Canadian Adonis "Superman" Stevenson (21-1, 18) lived up to his "Superman" moniker earlier this year when he upset, in spectacular fashion, Chad Dawson to claim the WBC Light Heavyweight title. Entering that bout as the under-dog Stevenson needed just 76 seconds to stop Dawson and claim the title in an impressive performance that put him on the boxing map.

Whilst Stevenson scored his highest profile victory in his most recent contest, his opponent here, Tavoris Cloud (24-1, 19) suffered his first loss, being out pointed by Bernard Hopkins. Going into his bout with Hopkins, Cloud was the IBF champion and was actually defending that belt for the fifth time before being given a bit of a schooling by Hopkins.

For Cloud this is a bout that gives him a chance at rebuilding his reputation. In all honesty he should have lost his last two bouts, though both of those came against "boxers". Cloud isn't made to beat boxers. He's a guy with a high work rate and hard punches though very slow feet that need to be set before he punches. He wants an opponent to trade with him and if he's forced to box with an opponent on their toes he's always going to struggle due to his feet and style.

In Stevenson, Cloud has an stylistically opponent made for him. Stevenson isn't going to run from a fight and will instead try to prove that he's more of a man than the guy he's sharing the ring with. This can cost him, as it did in his sole loss to Darnell, though it tends to favour Stevenson who's punch is thunderous.

Sadly for Cloud, Stevenson's punch is destructive. If Cloud wants to trade with him there is every chance that Stevenson will connect with his murderous straight left which could see the usually tough Cloud buzzed, big time. If Cloud is buzzed at any point expect Stevenson to jump on him and unload.

Whilst Cloud could win if it's a close brawl he cannot afford to let Stevenson have full extension on his straight punches. If he does then he'll be, well, in the clouds.

Another problem for Cloud however is the fact Stevenson can actually box a bit. He's not master boxer like Hopkins or Campillo but he can boxing, use his reach and move. If he does that in the early rounds and lets Cloud chase him we could end up being fooled into thinking that Stevenson has become a boxer. Cloud would make Stevenson look a better boxer than he is, though it would allow Stevenson a chance to pick a hole and find a place for his left. Just because he bombed out Dawson with a perfect counter doesn't mean he'll be looking to do the same here, this time the pressure is on him, whilst last time he was the under-dog.

Yes Cloud "could" win, but personally I just don't see it.

Prediction-Stevenson TKO6

Friday 27 September 2013

Alberto Rossel v Jose Alfredo Zuniga

With a staggering 6 world title bouts taking place this weekend it's fair to say that some will be ignored by fans. My guess is that the most ignored will be in Peru as Peru's first ever world champion Alberto Rossel (30-8, 13) defends his WBA "interim" Light Flyweight title.

Rossel, looking for the third defense of his belt, will be facing Mexican Jose Alfredo Zuniga (11-4-1, 5) a man I must admit I know very, very little about.

Whilst Zuniga is a mystery to me Rossel has been a bit of a curiosity of mine. He's a man who is certainly not a genuine top fighter in the 108lbs division. He'd not stand a chance with fighter like Kazuto Ioka, Roman Gonzalez, Donnie Nietes, Moises Fuentes or Johnriel Casimero. Saying that however he's not completely awful.

Aged 35 Rossel has been in with a genuine who's who of the lower divisions. He has faced, and lost, to Daniel Reyes, Ivan Calderon, Brian Viloria, Luis Alberto Lazarte, Vusi Malinga and Hugo Fidel Cazares. Losing to those guys however isn't something that should shame any fighter, he tested himself and lost to some great names.

Since the loss to Cazares, Rossel has been on a 6 fight winning streak, highlighted by his victory over Jose Alfredo Rodriguez for the WBA interim belt, and subsequent defenses against Karluis Diaz and Walter Tello, who in all honesty were undeserving title challengers themselves.

In terms of his style Rossel is a scrappy fighter. He's not particularly exciting, or entertaining but due to his status as Peru's first, and only world champion he does have a solid following. His combination of little power and not the greatest of work rate causes many of his bouts to be tough to watch and hard to scored but whilst in Peru he's going to be very difficult to defeat.

Whilst Rossel has faced a string of quality names, Zuniga himself has faced one or two recognisable names, most notably Gannigan Lopez, who he is 1-1 against though also Ulises Lara and Luis Ceja, defeating both with the victory over Ceja coming just a few months ago. It's probably fair to say that Zuniga is getting this bout thanks to the victory over Ceja which is all well and good until you realise he was just 1-1-1 going in to that bout.

Ranked #10 by the WBA Zuniga is the third successive "weak" challenger to Rossel's throne and should again come up short. I actually do expect to see Rossel pushed hard, he's nothing great, but I expect, with the fight being in Peru he'll take a narrow decision, but there is a reason why this fight is being completely ignored by fans, and that's due to the quality of the match up and legitimacy of Rossel's title.

Prediction-Rossel UD12

Friday 13 September 2013

Floyd Mayweather Jr v Saul Alvarez

In boxing some fights seem bigger than the actual sport, fights like Louis v Schmelling II, Johnson v Jeffries and even Ali v Fraizer I. Whilst no one will describe this weekend's bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr (44-0, 26) and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-0-1, 30) as being that big, it's undeniably one of the biggest possible fights in the sport today (I'd argue a Klitschko v Klitschko fight would be bigger, though has about 0% chance of ever happening).

With the WBA "Super" and WBC "Regular" titles both on the line the bout is something special. Easily the biggest fight of the year, and maybe the biggest fight, in terms of revenue, ever. It's a fight that has surpassed the boxing media and even the sports media as it's climbed into the mainstream and given boxing a real shot in the arm.

Whilst it's a massive fight, don't get me wrong on that, is it really a fight that will live up to the hype or will it, like many Mayweather fights, become a case of a highly talented boxer totally out fighting an under-skilled and limited fighter who has as many dimensions to his game as a piece of paper?

Mayweather, at his best, combines the elusiveness of Nicolino Locche with the hand speed of Sugar Ray Leonard, the stamina of Pete Sanstol and the boxing brains of, well, a genius. The guy might be an unlikable, arrogant loud mouth outside of the squared circle but between those ropes the guy really is the modern version of "Nonpariel" and in fact you would need to find a time machine to find him an equal match.

Dream fights with Mayweather would of course feature the Fab 4, Sandy Saddler, Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong. The fact it's those men, the greatest fighters of all time, who are matched in mythical fights with Mayweather really should tell you something. This man is a special, once in a generation talent.

Sadly for Canelo he's not. Despite the Mexican's love for their ginger haired icon he's really moving up 3 levels here. He's no longer facing decent fighters, he's facing a elite talent. There is a huge leap from the likes of "Magic" Matthew Hatton, Josesito Lopez, Alfonso Gomez and Shane Mosley to Floyd Mayweather Jr. In fact the leap from Hatton, Lopez and Mosley to Austin Trout, the best win on Alvarez's record, is only a fraction of the leap up from Trout to Mayweather.

Unfortunately for "Canelo" not only is he taking a big step up in class but he'll be fighting in a very different environment to what he usually has. In his last fight he was the clear crowd favourite as he took on Austin Trout in Texas, with a crowd that was on his side from the start of the show. The crowd that night certainly helped him with the judges. This time however he's entering Mayweather's proverbial boxing home in the MGM Grand, the venue where "Money" has fought his past 7 bouts.

In the build up Mayweather may have received some boos from the Mexican's turning up for public appearances but at the MGM he'll not have the same negativity thrust his way.

Canelo is, for me, the hype that disgusts true boxing fans. Canelo is, at this moment ranked #3 pound-for-pound by Boxrec.com and #9 by Ring Magazine. What he did to achieve these accolades is frankly ridiculous and is insulting to fighters like Roman Gonzalez, Kazuto Ioka, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Mickey Garcia who are all more proven and have better fundamentals than Alvarez.

The worst limitations for Alvarez are things that Mayweather will know about all too well. For example Alvarez appears to have the stamina of 60 year old man, the boxing intelligence of a domestic level fighter and the inability to really think about both offense and defense at the same time. Asking Alvarez to show off his defense is fine, asking him to show off his offense is also fine but asking him to counter a fighter appears to be like asking a child to do calculus.

Against a fighter like Mayweather you need to be able to transition flawless between defense and offense to have any chance. You need to have an intelligent boxing brain and the ability to jab between Mayweather's own work.

Many reading this will be screaming at their screen saying "but Canelo is bigger!" Whilst this is true he's also slower, clumsier, and less skilled. A weight advantage won't really help when you're eating right hands like candy and with out trying to be to harsh Canelo will be punished for his boxing knowledge much like a red headed step child with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

Prediction-Mayweather UD12

Danny Garcia v Lucas Martin Matthysse

It's not often that the perceived "B" fight on a card looks more interesting than the "A" fight but this weekend's "B" side on "The One" card looks significantly better than the main fight as the unbeaten Danny Garcia (26-0, 16) defends his WBC and WBA world title against the destructive Lucas Martin Matthysse (34-2, 32).

Although Garcia enters the bout as an unbeaten double champion he also enters as the under-dog and in the eyes of many he is merely a lamb to the slaughter. Despite the general view of Garcia heading to the slaughter he's actually a fighter who appears to be getting very over-looked. He's proven to be tough, skilled, and despite being rather predictable, he has looked like he's got very solid basic skills. His left hook, especially as a counter, is a devastating punch, he's confident and is riding a high that many though his career would have.

Garcia of course isn't an under-dog for the first time in his career and he's repeatedly proven that th under-dog tag doesn't really offend him. In fact against Amir Khan, Garcia was so over-looked that many seemed to think Khan was going to ease past Garcia before becoming Floyd Mayweather's next opponent. One thing that Garcia actually seems to like is being the under-dog, it takes the pressure off his shoulders and allows him to fight his natural fight which is that of an intelligent counter puncher.

Sadly for Garcia he was made to look very predictable last time out. Sure he beat Zab Judah, though for the final 4 rounds he really struggled to look anything more than 1 paced and very easy to read. The lack of a plan B is likely to fall straight in to Matthysse's hands with the Argentinian only really needing to be aware of the champion's hook.

Matthysse is generally viewed as not only the favourite but also "the man" of the Light Welterweight division. His two losses have both been highly controversial with many viewing both losses as complete robberies and in fact if anything those losses seem to have made the hard hitting Argentinian even more determined to leave his opponents void of their senses.

The "new Matthysse" was seen in full flow last time out as he destroyed the generally tough Lamont Peterson. The destruction of Peterson may have been "expected" but it showed that Matthysse was no longer willing to just box world level opponents, instead he was willing to destroy them from the opening bell. Had he used the same mentality against Zab Judah and Devon Alexander it's fair to say he'd have stopped both.

Although not the most technically skilled or the the fastest Matthysse is an intelligent fighter. He may just be seen as a destructive puncher but he's also a clever fighter. He knows when to go downstairs and break opponents in the midsection, he knows how to bang upstairs and most worryingly of all every shot he throws is hurtful and spiteful.

Sadly whilst Garcia is tough it's unlikely that anyone at 140lbs is tough enough to see out the distance with Matthysse. If Garcia's left hook cannot shake Matthysse then this could well end up being a genuine beat down. Sadly for Garcia his toughness could end up being more of a curse than a blessing and Matthysse, whilst not likely to put him to sleep with a single shot, will beat the fight out of him.

We've seen Olusegun Ajose fighting once since Matthysse beat him, in Ajose's bout, a loss to Hank Lundy, he looked like a fighter who was pretty much done, I imagine Garcia could end up looking the same way following this one.

Prediction-Matthyse TKO8

Ishe Smith v Carlos Molina

It's not too often that a world title fight looks like it will cure insomnia but this weekend's IBF Light Middleweight title fight between defending champion Ishe Smith (25-5, 11) and Carlos Molina (21-5-2, 6)  may well be as close as boxing can come to sending a crowd to sleep.

Although that sounds like a major slight on both men it's not actually supposed to be. The problem is that both men are incredible skilled, especially defensively, and have had a knack of neutralising their opponents. When you have two men who are fantastic at neutralising fighters then it's unlikely that a fight between the two will be particularly exciting, though for the purists it's likely to be a genuinely interesting contest that pits two intelligent fighters against each other.

Smith won the title last time out when he defeated Cornelius "K9" Bundrage via a majority decision in a rather scrappy fight, at his best however Smith is an excellent defensive fighter who would make life difficult for most opponents. He blunts attacks, looks to counter, and recent bouts seems to have shown a bit more of an offensive game plan. He'll never be an all out offensive fighter but he's certainly throwing more than he did a few years ago.

As well as the victory over Bundrage, Smith holds wins over David Estrada, Randall Bailey, Ahmad Kaddour and Powell Wolak and has also been in with the likes of Daniel Jacobs, Fernando Guerrero, Sergio Mora and Joel Julio.

Since linking up with Floyd Mayweather Jr, Smith has seen his career effectively turn around and he has gone from being a talented but uncertain fighter into being a confident fighter, almost feeling the Mayweather confidence rubbing off on him. Unfortunately whilst he may be more confident he hasn't suddenly become Mayweather and he's not got his handspeed, or natural ability. He's good, but nowhere near that good.

Of course it takes two to tango and Carlos Molina is, like Smith, a very defensively sound fighter. At his best Molina is capable of giving any fighter a hard time with his smart movement, intelligent defense and excellent shot selection, at his worst however he looks an octopus holding on to opponents, spoiling fighters and using incredibly negative tactics to see out rounds.

Although Molina has failed to win against many of his highest profile opponents, including a loss and a draw to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, a draw with Erislandy Lara and losses to both James Kirkland and Mike Alvarado he has never really been out classed. In fact not only has he held his own but many of his losses have come with a real cloud of controversy with many feeling he was jobbed in a number of his notable bouts.

As well as Molina's losses he has also won against several noteworthy opponents including Kermit Cintron and Cory Spinks.

When fighting at his best Molina is a nightmare. He is light on feet, has quick hands and although he lacks power he is very accurate able to land clean and precise shots. Unfortunately his lack of power rarely stops an opponent in their tracks but he has shown an ability to slip shots and smother opponents when he needs to. This has made him incredibly tricky to land clean on and next to impossible to really grind down, though it did look like Kirkland was beginning to grind him down in their controversial bout from last year.

With both men knowing how to hit with out getting hit this is bout to be ugly. On a card that also features Floyd Mayweather Jr v Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Danny Garcia v Lucas Matthysse, this bout certainly won't be the one people are tuning in for, though on the other hand it's probably the most evenly matched contest on the card.

With the even nature of the contest I've got to favour Smith. I don't think Either fighter will be hugely effective or massively offensive but with Smith having his links to Mayweather, it's possible that he'll manage to get the slight edge in the close rounds and as a result do just enough to claim the victory.

Prediction-Smith MD12

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Ryo Miyazaki v Jesus Silvestre

Although Ryo Miyazaki (19-0-3, 11) might be one of Japan's least known world champions the WBA Minimumweight champion is a genuinely talented, and improving fighter who is slowly proving to be a genuinely world level fighter. Sure few consider him to be one of the best Minimumweight's on the planet, or even the best 105lb fighter in Japan but he's a fighter who isn't too far off that mark.

This coming Wednesday Miyazaki attempts to prove that he's continually improving as he takes on the highly regarded Mexican Jesus Silvestre (27-3, 20) a fighter who has held the WBA "interim" title prior to getting this fight.

Miyazaki, at his best is a handful. He's not a massive puncher, despite his perfectly time KO of Carlos Velarde last time out, he's not the hardest working and he's not the fastest but over all he's a fighter with enough facets to his game to hold his own with pretty much anyone. He's shown the ability to go to war with someone as he did with Pornsawan Porpramook at the end of last year, he's shown the ability to box and he's also shown the frustrating ability to make life difficulty for himself.

Unfortunately for Miyazaki the longer he shows the ability to turn fights into difficult battles the longer he will be remembered as "the stable mate of Kazuto Ioka" rather managing to create his own legacy.

This weeks fight with Silvestre certainly looks like a bout that Miyazaki won't need to make hard for himself because Silvestre can do that for him.

The young Mexican is a tough and improving fighter who has experienced the harsh conditions of fighting in Asia by fighting in both Thailand and the Philippines. Although he lost both of those bouts he did show the tenacity to one day be a world champion and this bout will be his big chance to live up to that expectation.

Whilst Silvestre himself isn't the most skilled boxer or the hardest hitting he does have a solid punch on him, has a very exciting pressure style and looks like a man who would walk through fire to get to his man. This has worked in many of fights, including bouts with Takuya Mitamura, Yader Escobar and Carlos Velarde though against Donnie Nietes his work rate did eventually cost him with his corner getting him TKO'd late in round 10.

With the style of Silvestre we are guaranteed a very fun fight here, whether he can break down Miyazaki, or whether Miyazaki can manage to land another hayemaker is up for question. If Miyazaki can't find the howitzer that he'll need to discourage Silvestre than he's in for a long, hard night.

With the show being an Ioka Gym card you've got to favour Miyazaki if it goes to a decision, however there would be little shock if the judges render cards that are questionable with Silvestre getting a somewhat harsh decision against him.

One thing is certain here, despite the winner, and that is that I'm really looking forward to this. Potentially this could honestly be a FOTY.

Prediction-Miyazaki SD12 (Controversially)

Kazuto Ioka v Kwanthai Sithmorseng

One of boxing's top young fighters right now, with out a doubt, is unbeaten Japanese fighter Kazuto Ioka (12-0, 8), a former WBA/WBC Minimumweight champion who is current the WBA Light Flyweight champion.

Amazingly in just 12 fights Ioka has won 3 world titles and a Japanese national title. His rise to the top is almost unrivaled in today's over-protective boxing world with only former amateur standouts Beibut Shumenov and Guillermo Rigondeaux even getting close to rivaling what Ioka has done in recent years.

Ioka's rise to the top really started back in 2011 when he claimed the WBC Minimumweight title defeating Thailand's Oleydong Sithsamerchai in the 5th round of their encounter. This coming Wednesday Ioka looks to continue his his excellent form as he faces another top Thai in the form of Kwanthai Sithmorseng (43-1-1, 22) a former WBA Minimumweight champion himself.

Going in to this fight Ioka is rightfully a huge favourite. Although he has just more than a quarter of the fights that Sithmorseng has Ioka has the innate skills and ability that scream "super talent", the sort of ability that really stands out.

The key traits for Ioka aren't his aggression and toughness, as they are for many Japanese fighters, instead they are his clever and intelligent boxing, most notably his vicious straight right to the body, a shot he has all but trade marked with several stoppages. He can hold his own in a war, as he did with Akira Yaegashi, though seems much better when he's allowed to box at range where his skills with straight shots really standout.

Worryingly for Sithmorseng his sole reversal has come courtesy of a right hand to the mid-section delivered from Indonesian Muhammad Rachman, arguably the most well known of his opponents.

Although Sithmorseng has 45 fights on his ledger he has only fought twice in world title bouts with only Rachman having been a proven world level fighter, and even he was well beyond his prime. Saying that however you don't win 43 of 45 fights unless you do have some talent and Sithmorseng certainly does have some skills to him.

Unfortunately for Sithmorseng his key attribute seems to be his hand speed and his combinations up close. Against Ioka however this speed will be neautralised and his lack of power won't worry Ioka who will likely manage to create space easier than Sithmorseng would like. With the space created the intelligent body work will begin and, ultimately, end the fight.

Prediction-Ioka TKO7

Friday 6 September 2013

Ricky Burns v Raymundo Beltran

In the past few weeks the British list of world champions has changed quite a bit with Nathan Cleverly losing his WBO Light Heavyweight title whilst Darren Barker Claimed the IBF Middleweight title. One man hoping not to get caught up in the title shuffle will be WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns (36-2, 11) who looks to make the fourth defense of his title as he takes on the dangerous, over hugely under-rated Raymundo Beltran (28-6, 17).

Although Burns will go into the fight as a rightful favourite as not only the champion but also the home fighter, fighting in his native Scotland the odds I've seen listed seem rather astonishing, favouring Burns at 1/4 (1.25) for a fight that is actually much tougher than they bookies seem to think.

Burns at his best, is a highly skilled boxer, who in recent bouts, notably the victory against Kevin Mitchell, appeared to be adding a punch to his boxing skills. Typically he's shown good timing, a clever understanding of the ring, a crisp jab and a lovely selection of shots. At his worst however, as we saw last time out against Jose Gonzalez, he's a pedestrian fighter who can be made to look slow and robotic.

Aged just 30 Burns is partaking in his 9th straight world title fight and standing at 5'10" he is a tall and rangy Lightweight. Whilst many have merely said "he won" the Gonzalez fight due to Gonzalez "quitting" I dare say that Burns is now struggling with the Lightweight limit, thus his awful performance that night was as much to do with Gonzalez, who was admittedly skilled, as a possible issues with the 135lb division.

Although I'm sure others will disagree, if Burns is struggling with 135lbs this fight really could be very, very difficult for him, and it could well explain the lack of energy and timing he showed against Gonzalez.

If you just look at Beltran's record, as I'm sure the bookies have done, you'd see a record of someone who perhaps hasn't shown anything to prove his worth at world. A quick review of his record however shows that he's become a bit of a bad luck story and in fact he could well boast a 32-2 (17) record with all 4 of his decision losses being controversial.

In fact if Beltran's close decision losses had gone his way not only would he have a very solid looking record in terms of numbers but his recent run of victories would look to be amongst the best in the division. Whilst he has scored genuine victories over Ji-Hoon Kim and Henry Lundy he would also have added victories over Sharif Bogere and Luis Ramos Jr in his last 6 bouts. Lets be honest Kim, Lundy, Bogere and Ramos might not be world champions but all 4 are "in the mix".

Beltran may not be the most skilled or the hardest hitter in the sport but he's in your face warrior. He'll refuse to back up and instead he'll force the fight for the full distance. He'll be in your face and try to beat you whether it's the first round or the last and in fact if you let Beltran know he's the under-dog he seems more determined than ever to prove himself.

Entering as the under-dog Beltran is going to come in to this fight with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove. Whilst he'll know the playing field is stacked against him he'll know it's not impossible to upset opponents and if my theory that Burns is struggling at 135 turns out to be right we may well be shocked here.

Prediction-Burns by SD12 (Probably a controversial result)

Moises Fuentes v Luis De la Rosa

It's not often that a world title fight, on a Saturday night, goes completely under the radar but this weekend has one such fight as Mexican Moises Fuentes (17-1-1, 8) attempts to claim the WBO "interim" Light Flyweight title as he takes on Colombian Luis De la Rosa (22-2-1, 12) in what could turn out to be a "sleeper" classic.

For those who haven't seen Fuentes before, where have you been hiding? The guy is a beast of a Light Flyweight (and had been a beast of a Minimumweight prior to adding 3lbs), he's tough, hard working, and a real night mare to fight with his toughness and pressure mentality.

Although of course many fans ignore the lower weight divisions Fuentes is one of those fighters who's style we can all enjoy. He's relentless in his pursuit of victory, he throws a lot, takes a lot and refuses to take a backwards step. It was his none stop pressure that forced the retirement of former Minimumweight great Ivan Calderon and also saw him scoring a draw against Donnie Nietes (in a bout I have marked down as a front runner for the robbery of the year).

Although Fuentes can often be made to look slow, with both his hands an feet, his toughness, combined with a determined body attack can eventually see opponents forced to slow to his level. When that happens he tends to be able to grind down an opponent to take a decision.

Whilst plenty of fans will have had the fortune of seeing the Mexican many fewer will have had the fortune of seeing his co-challenger. In fact in all honesty De La Rosa is pretty unknown outside of Colombia with only his two losses being of any sort of note at all.

The first of those losses came in 2010 in a split decision loss to very good Raul Garcia the second of those, coming earlier this year in fact, came to the unheralded Merlito Sabillo of the Philippines. Unfortunately with losses in both of those fights there is little in terms of noteworthy victories on his record, the best would be a domestic title victory over Luis Doria.

Despite the fact De La Rosa has lost his two highest profile bouts he hasn't actually looked that bad. His fight with Sabillo was exceptional before he was stopped whilst his loss to "Rayito" saw him dropping Garcia and being beaten by a single point on two card, whilst winning on the third. Sure he might not be a special fighter but in his two top tier chances he has performed very admirably.

The style of the two men should genuinely gel quite well here with Fuentes stalking and De La Rosa fighting hard on the back foot. Unfortunately for the Colombian however I can't imagine him lasting the 12 rounds with Fuentes's body attack pressure, though he'll certainly give it his all until his body folds.

Prediction-Fuentes TKO9

Monday 2 September 2013

Nobuo Nashiro v Denkaosan Kaovichit

It's not often a Japanese fighter has much success in Thailand, in fact the only victory in a world title fight by a Japanese born fighter in Thailand was Koki Eto's recent victory over Kompayak Porpramook earlier this year.

Despite the awful record of Japanese fighters in Thailand I've got a feeling we may see history repeat it's self this weekend as former 2-time world champion Nobuo Nashiro (19-5-1, 13) travels to Nakhon Ratchasima to face Thai veteran Denkaosan Kaovichit (61-3-1, 26), himself a former world champion, in a battle for the WBA interim Super Flyweight title.

Although many of those outside of the East haven't seen, or even heard of these two men both have been genuine world champions. Unfortunately both are now faded fighters and neither man has looked to be at their best in several years.

With both men looking ton be notably on the slide it's fair to say that I'm siding with the fighter who has shown more in recent fights, that is Nashiro.

The 31 year old from Japan claimed his first world title back in 2006 when he defeated Martin Castillo in his 8th bout for the WBA Flyweight title. Although he lost the title just a few fights later being beaten by Alexander Munoz he would later regain the belt beating domestic rival Kohei Kono for the belt.

Unfortunately after winning the title for the second time Nashiro's form has been less than stellar going 7-4-1 and 1-4-1 in world title bouts. Despite this he did look very good in his most recent loss dropping a very close decision to Tepparith Kokietgym in a fight that seemed to suggest there was more left in the sport for Nashiro, who had been talking about retirement prior to the fight.

At his best Nashiro was a limited fighter but yet a nightmare. Teak tough, hard working with more than respectable power and solid work rate. Had it not been for his somewhat slow hands and relatively stationary feet he'd have been a genuinely nasty guy to fight.

Nashiro's opponent, Kaovichit has an excellent record on paper with an incredible winning % however like many Thai's he has stacked his record with victories over limited foes collecting paydays, in fact he's already fought 3 times this year.

At his best Kaovichit was himself a bit of a nightmare to fight. He started his career with 20 straight victories before fighting Eric Morel and losing via an 11th round TKO in what was Kaovichit's first foray into world level.

Since the loss to Morel, Kaovichit would go on to claim the WBA Flyweight title defeating Takefumi Sakata and defend it twice beating both Hiroyuki Hisataka and Daiki Kameda before losing a rematch to Kameda. Unfortunately the Kameda fights appear to be the beginning of the end for Kaovichit at world level and he's only fought once more in "world" level action suffering an opening round blast out defeat at the hands of Luis Concepcion in 2010.

Although the loss to Concepcion was less than 3 years ago Kaovichit has managed to bank himself 11 subsequent victories, albeit at a much, much lower level.

Going on their last losses it's fair to say that Nashiro showed he could still compete at the world level whilst Kaovichit's punch resistance was certainly not what it once was. With this in mind I've got to favour Nashiro who I expect will have more than enough to defeat the 37 year old Kaovichit by stoppage late in the bout.

Prediction-Nashiro TKO10