One of the final world title bouts of the year is an all-Japanese clash between WBA Super Featherweight champion Takashi Uchiyama (20-0-1, 17) and fellow Japanese fighter Daiki Kaneko (19-2-3, 12). The bout, to those outside of Japan, looks like a mismatch with Uchiyama being a clear favourite though from the view of many Japanese fans this is a truly outstanding match-up between the best in the world and one of the top contenders from around the world.
Whilst fans in the US and the Europe won't know much about Kaneko he's a genuinely credible fighter. He's currently on an excellent 16 fight unbeaten run which has seen him claim the Japanese national title and make several defenses of the belt. The 16 fight streak has seen Kaneko develop markedly and score 10 KO's taking his record from 6-2 (2) to 19-2-3 (12).
Aged 25 Kaneko is young, quickly maturing and a fighter who has really developed. He was once a light hitting teenager though now appears to he a heavy hitting man with solid straight shots and an ever improving technique.
Although Kaneko, despite significant improvements, will be the under-dog he will be a live one against Uchiyama, a man many feel is the premier Super Featherweight on the planet.
At his best Uchiyama is a destructive, strong and powerful fighter who control the distance of the fight well walking down his opponents well before unloading with either powerful single shots or devastating combinations. Although a huge puncher Uchiyama has shown an incredible patience in many of his fights, applying intelligent pressure with out forcing the issue too much.
Aged 34 Uchiyama is probably on the slide slightly whilst Kaneko is improving however though with his style being so intelligent Uchiyama has generally avoided wars. The one time he has been hurt was when he faced Takashi Miura and even though he was dropped hard there he recovered used his boxing and came back to stop Miura. Although not young he's probably fresher than most other 34 year old fighters and with his power it could be just a matter of time here.
From where I'm sat I favour Uchiyama to take a few rounds to see what Kaneko has, force the younger man to work hard and then find open opportunities before unloading on the young challenger who makes it into the second half of the fight but not too much further.
Prediction-Uchiyama TKO8
Monday 30 December 2013
Sunday 29 December 2013
Takashi Miura v Dante Jardon
Japanese fighters fighting on New Years Eve is nothing new, in fact it's been a tradition over the last few years. This year however we end up with a potential FOTY of the year coming on new years eve as WBC Super Featherweight champion Takashi Miura (26-2-2, 19) takes on free swinging Mexican Danta Jardon (24-3, 20).
Fans who have followed either fighter over the last few years will know how entertaining they can be by themselves. When you put them together though, one must expect fireworks, one must expect a war and one anticipates nothing short of breathtaking back and forth action. If you've not seen either I'd advise giving both men a watch before New Year's Eve, especially Miura's last fight which saw him going to war with Sergio Thompson.
Of the two men Miura is the more established. He's not just the WBC world champion but was also a Japanese national champion earlier in his career and a man who is widely regarded as a really top tier Super Featherweight. His first world title fight may have saw him coming unstuck against Takashi Uchiyama but it was obvious from that fight that he had real potential to do something special himself.
Since the loss to Uchiyama in January 2011 we've seen Miura score 6 straight wins, including notable title fight victories over both Gamaliel Diaz and Sergio Thompson. It's those two fights in particular that have made Miura so well known with hard core fans. He's proven to be tough, hard working and an explosive puncher, despite the fact his record only makes him look like an above average hitter.
Jardon, at least on paper, is the bigger hitter though also the slightly less tough fighter. The Mexican challenger, dubbed "Crazy", has been known for being very fun to watch with a wild punching style and an aggressive mindset. It's not always worked for him but on the whole it's been successful with very few opponents managing to make him pay for his wild style.
At his best Jardon is a real threat, at his worst though he's just a single counter from going to sleep. Saying that I think for this fight, his first world title fight, he will tidy up what he does in the ring and fight a more intelligent fight than usual. He'll not manage to become Guillermo Rigondeaux over-night but he'll show a level of restraint that one wouldn't expect from seeing him.
Although I expect a slightly restrained Jardon I don't expect him to be able to curb his natural mindset and as a result this will become a war. A few slow, casual rounds might occur at the start but by the midway point this will become a real, all out war. Who ever can take the more damage will win the war and personally I favour Miura to be that man.
Prediction-Miura TKO11
Fans who have followed either fighter over the last few years will know how entertaining they can be by themselves. When you put them together though, one must expect fireworks, one must expect a war and one anticipates nothing short of breathtaking back and forth action. If you've not seen either I'd advise giving both men a watch before New Year's Eve, especially Miura's last fight which saw him going to war with Sergio Thompson.
Of the two men Miura is the more established. He's not just the WBC world champion but was also a Japanese national champion earlier in his career and a man who is widely regarded as a really top tier Super Featherweight. His first world title fight may have saw him coming unstuck against Takashi Uchiyama but it was obvious from that fight that he had real potential to do something special himself.
Since the loss to Uchiyama in January 2011 we've seen Miura score 6 straight wins, including notable title fight victories over both Gamaliel Diaz and Sergio Thompson. It's those two fights in particular that have made Miura so well known with hard core fans. He's proven to be tough, hard working and an explosive puncher, despite the fact his record only makes him look like an above average hitter.
Jardon, at least on paper, is the bigger hitter though also the slightly less tough fighter. The Mexican challenger, dubbed "Crazy", has been known for being very fun to watch with a wild punching style and an aggressive mindset. It's not always worked for him but on the whole it's been successful with very few opponents managing to make him pay for his wild style.
At his best Jardon is a real threat, at his worst though he's just a single counter from going to sleep. Saying that I think for this fight, his first world title fight, he will tidy up what he does in the ring and fight a more intelligent fight than usual. He'll not manage to become Guillermo Rigondeaux over-night but he'll show a level of restraint that one wouldn't expect from seeing him.
Although I expect a slightly restrained Jardon I don't expect him to be able to curb his natural mindset and as a result this will become a war. A few slow, casual rounds might occur at the start but by the midway point this will become a real, all out war. Who ever can take the more damage will win the war and personally I favour Miura to be that man.
Prediction-Miura TKO11
Kazuto Ioka v Felix Alvarado
For Japanese boxing fans 2013 has been a very interesting year with various fighters making statements, either positive or negative, in the ring. One of those was men was Kazuto Ioka (13-0, 9) who unfortunately avoided a clash with Roman Gonzalez, though did stop two experienced Thai's in a year that saw him retaining his WBA Light Flyweight title.
Ioka ends the year with a fight that sees him battling the highly touted Nicaraguan puncher Felix Alvarado (18-0, 15), it may not be Gonzalez but it's still an unbeaten South American puncher who has a fast growing reputation as a genuine danger-man at 108lbs.
The fight, which will see Ioka making his third and likely final defense of the Light Flyweight title, is one of those rare ones that not only sees both men having unbeaten records but also having records that make both of them look like punchers. Unfortunately though the knockouts of Alvarado have come at a low level with the Nicaraguan being untested anywhere near the world level.
What doesn't help Alvarado isn't just the level of competition but his over-all experience. Despite being in 18 fights the Nicaraguan has only amassed 51 rounds, less than 3 a fight. This is a worry with Alvarado having never gone 12 rounds and having only a single bout that has gone beyond the 6 round distance a real worry in terms of his stamina.
Alvarado is dangerous, especially early, though after the first few rounds it seems that he runs out of ideas and if a fighter can take his power they can certainly give him trouble.
For Ioka the real risk to his title comes in the first 3, or possibly 4 rounds. If the Japanese fighter can see out the expected early storm then I fancy that his experienced and more rounded skills will see him slow picking apart Alvarado who will begin to tire around the middle rounds.
Ioka isn't nearly the puncher that Alvarado looks, at least on paper though he's a very clean puncher who finds a home for his jab and straight. His straight right hand to the body is the real danger punch and I imagine that a tiring Alvarado will feel the effects of them in the middle to late rounds. Ioka has proven capable at pacing himself with an average fight length of more than 7 rounds and this, as well as the fact he has been facing stiff opponents will be the difference between the two men.
Prediction-Ioka TKO9
Ioka ends the year with a fight that sees him battling the highly touted Nicaraguan puncher Felix Alvarado (18-0, 15), it may not be Gonzalez but it's still an unbeaten South American puncher who has a fast growing reputation as a genuine danger-man at 108lbs.
The fight, which will see Ioka making his third and likely final defense of the Light Flyweight title, is one of those rare ones that not only sees both men having unbeaten records but also having records that make both of them look like punchers. Unfortunately though the knockouts of Alvarado have come at a low level with the Nicaraguan being untested anywhere near the world level.
What doesn't help Alvarado isn't just the level of competition but his over-all experience. Despite being in 18 fights the Nicaraguan has only amassed 51 rounds, less than 3 a fight. This is a worry with Alvarado having never gone 12 rounds and having only a single bout that has gone beyond the 6 round distance a real worry in terms of his stamina.
Alvarado is dangerous, especially early, though after the first few rounds it seems that he runs out of ideas and if a fighter can take his power they can certainly give him trouble.
For Ioka the real risk to his title comes in the first 3, or possibly 4 rounds. If the Japanese fighter can see out the expected early storm then I fancy that his experienced and more rounded skills will see him slow picking apart Alvarado who will begin to tire around the middle rounds.
Ioka isn't nearly the puncher that Alvarado looks, at least on paper though he's a very clean puncher who finds a home for his jab and straight. His straight right hand to the body is the real danger punch and I imagine that a tiring Alvarado will feel the effects of them in the middle to late rounds. Ioka has proven capable at pacing himself with an average fight length of more than 7 rounds and this, as well as the fact he has been facing stiff opponents will be the difference between the two men.
Prediction-Ioka TKO9
Friday 20 December 2013
Stuart Hall v Vusi Malinga
Although there are a number of world title fights this week, as we head towards the new year, I'd argue, from a personal view, that the most important is the IBF Bantamweight title fight between Britain's Stuart Hall (15-2-1, 7) and South African Vusi Malinga (21-4-1, 12). The fight, for the vacant controversially stripped from Jamie McDonnell, may not be one that has the casual fans frothing at the mouth but it is a fight that could well set the tone for 2014's Bantamweight division.
On the international stage it's Malinga who is best known having fought on foreign soil 3 times. His world journey has seen him fighting in Thailand where he defeated the great Veeraphol Sahaprom, In Japan where he was stopped inside a round by the hugely under-rated Hozumi Hasegawa and in the US where he took Leo Santa Cruz 12 rounds.
As well as those 3 bouts on the road against world level opponents Malinga also holds a win over Alberto Rossel, the Peruvian man who currently holds the WBA interim Light Flyweight title.
Unfortunately for Malinga his record is mainly against fellow South African fighters or visitors to South Africa. Many of those fighters, at best, were limited. These include fighters like Filipino veteran Michael Domingo and Jerope Mercado, with the Mercado bout ending in a hugely controversial draw.
Malinga is tough though not the most skilled. He's not a fighter to get into a war with but he can be out-warred as he was against Santa Cruz and against Hasegawa who hurt him early and jumped on him. The best way to beat him though seems to be to out box him. In terms of his boxing ability he's nothing special, slightly better than your typical "teak tough" African but far from being special.
Talking about being nothing special the same could also be said for Hall who is again far from being a special fighter. That's not meant as an insult but when compared with Shinsuke Yamanaka or Anselmo Moreno there is a gulf of difference between them.
Hall's key strength is his tenacity. He'll always work hard even if he lacks the power, speed or skill to beat the genuinely top fighters. His limitations, like those of Malinga, have been shown up at the world level with Hall losing to Jamie McDonnell, who went on to claim a world title, and Lee Haskins who won the European title against Hall though lost in his first defence to Stephane Jamoye.
Hall, at 30 years old, is the younger man by several years though that advantage may be neutralised by the fact Malinga is more experienced, has a higher level of experience and is naturally bigger with a 2" height advantage and a 5" reach advantage. If he can make the most of those advantages then we expect Malinga to take a decision. Hall however has promised a war and that will see him trying to get inside the reach of Malinga and working up close. If he can do that then he may be able to wear down Malinga late. Odds however do favour Malinga and we'd go with them.
Prediction-Malinga TKO10
On the international stage it's Malinga who is best known having fought on foreign soil 3 times. His world journey has seen him fighting in Thailand where he defeated the great Veeraphol Sahaprom, In Japan where he was stopped inside a round by the hugely under-rated Hozumi Hasegawa and in the US where he took Leo Santa Cruz 12 rounds.
As well as those 3 bouts on the road against world level opponents Malinga also holds a win over Alberto Rossel, the Peruvian man who currently holds the WBA interim Light Flyweight title.
Unfortunately for Malinga his record is mainly against fellow South African fighters or visitors to South Africa. Many of those fighters, at best, were limited. These include fighters like Filipino veteran Michael Domingo and Jerope Mercado, with the Mercado bout ending in a hugely controversial draw.
Malinga is tough though not the most skilled. He's not a fighter to get into a war with but he can be out-warred as he was against Santa Cruz and against Hasegawa who hurt him early and jumped on him. The best way to beat him though seems to be to out box him. In terms of his boxing ability he's nothing special, slightly better than your typical "teak tough" African but far from being special.
Talking about being nothing special the same could also be said for Hall who is again far from being a special fighter. That's not meant as an insult but when compared with Shinsuke Yamanaka or Anselmo Moreno there is a gulf of difference between them.
Hall's key strength is his tenacity. He'll always work hard even if he lacks the power, speed or skill to beat the genuinely top fighters. His limitations, like those of Malinga, have been shown up at the world level with Hall losing to Jamie McDonnell, who went on to claim a world title, and Lee Haskins who won the European title against Hall though lost in his first defence to Stephane Jamoye.
Hall, at 30 years old, is the younger man by several years though that advantage may be neutralised by the fact Malinga is more experienced, has a higher level of experience and is naturally bigger with a 2" height advantage and a 5" reach advantage. If he can make the most of those advantages then we expect Malinga to take a decision. Hall however has promised a war and that will see him trying to get inside the reach of Malinga and working up close. If he can do that then he may be able to wear down Malinga late. Odds however do favour Malinga and we'd go with them.
Prediction-Malinga TKO10
Wednesday 18 December 2013
Kiko Martinez v Jeffrey Mathebula
World title fights in Spain aren't a regular thing though this weekend sees us getting one as the hard hitting Kiko Martinez (29-4, 21) looks to make the first defense of his IBF Super Bantamweight title. The bout, an early Christmas present for Spanish fans, isn't just a bout that sees a local man defending his world title but sees him doing so against another world level fighter in the form of South African Jeffrey Mathebula (27-4-2, 14), a former holder of this very title.
Martinez shocked the boxing world just a few months back when he traveled to America and beat up the then champion Jhonatan Romero in a real career defining performance. Despite being written off by many, including myself, Martinez took his chance and battered the previously unbeaten Romero around the ring forcing the referee to save Romero near the end of round 6.
This time around their is expectation on Martinez's shoulders as he's the defending champion and he's the man fighting at home. Surprisingly this isn't just the highest profile bout Martinez has had in Spain but is also his first fight there since April 2011 when he beat Jason Booth for the European Super Bantamweight title.
With Martinez you know what you get. A bulldozer type fighter who hasn't got a reverse gear, he's a man who goes into the ring with a seek and destroy mentality, heavy hands and solid work rate. He's crude, can be out boxed and does make mistakes but if he can connect on you he can break you down, so he's never a fighter that you want to exchange with.
Whilst Martinez is well known to Europeans Mathebula is much less well known, despite one major fight that was televised on the world stage against Nonito Donaire. In the Donaire fight we saw that Mathebula was a busy fighter who used his freakish height and reach decently, though not amazingly. His jab seemed to be his key shot and is very, very busy though he lacks power on them and Donaire seemed happy to take one or two of them to land one of his own thudding shots.
It wasn't the work rate of Mathebula that impressed the most against Donaire but instead his toughness. He was hurt, wobbled and downed though fought on with a broken facial bone and continued to fight back. This heart and toughness was incredible even if he was struggling late as a result of his injury.
The toughness of Mathebula will serve him well here but he could be in major problems if Martinez can get inside him and break him down with body shots, something Donaire neglected to throw, as well as the hooks that are a key part of his game. The jab of Mathebula needs to be accurate and forceful to make Martinez think twice, if it's not then this fight could be very much a massacre by Martinez.
Prediction-Martinez TKO7
Martinez shocked the boxing world just a few months back when he traveled to America and beat up the then champion Jhonatan Romero in a real career defining performance. Despite being written off by many, including myself, Martinez took his chance and battered the previously unbeaten Romero around the ring forcing the referee to save Romero near the end of round 6.
This time around their is expectation on Martinez's shoulders as he's the defending champion and he's the man fighting at home. Surprisingly this isn't just the highest profile bout Martinez has had in Spain but is also his first fight there since April 2011 when he beat Jason Booth for the European Super Bantamweight title.
With Martinez you know what you get. A bulldozer type fighter who hasn't got a reverse gear, he's a man who goes into the ring with a seek and destroy mentality, heavy hands and solid work rate. He's crude, can be out boxed and does make mistakes but if he can connect on you he can break you down, so he's never a fighter that you want to exchange with.
Whilst Martinez is well known to Europeans Mathebula is much less well known, despite one major fight that was televised on the world stage against Nonito Donaire. In the Donaire fight we saw that Mathebula was a busy fighter who used his freakish height and reach decently, though not amazingly. His jab seemed to be his key shot and is very, very busy though he lacks power on them and Donaire seemed happy to take one or two of them to land one of his own thudding shots.
It wasn't the work rate of Mathebula that impressed the most against Donaire but instead his toughness. He was hurt, wobbled and downed though fought on with a broken facial bone and continued to fight back. This heart and toughness was incredible even if he was struggling late as a result of his injury.
The toughness of Mathebula will serve him well here but he could be in major problems if Martinez can get inside him and break him down with body shots, something Donaire neglected to throw, as well as the hooks that are a key part of his game. The jab of Mathebula needs to be accurate and forceful to make Martinez think twice, if it's not then this fight could be very much a massacre by Martinez.
Prediction-Martinez TKO7
Omar Andres Narvaez v David Carmona
Although I believe Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is the best fighter at 115lbs the best boxer there, at least for now, is Argentinian veteran Omar Andres Narvaez (40-1-2, 21). Narvaez, the long term WBO champion is a man who, at 38 years old, has been denying father time like no one else in the lower weights.
Although thoroughly ancient for a Super Flyweight Narvaez has shown he still has all the traits of a man who isn't really on the slide as much as some would like. He's still sharp, fast, able to throw lovely blazing combinations and is still light on his feet. He may be 38 but he fighters like a man who is only in his 20's.
Whilst he still has the speed and style of a younger man Narvaez's key issue is that he lacks lights out power. He can break guys down over the course but no single shot he lands will have guys thinking twice and as a result he can be forced to fight a little harder than a man of his skills perhaps should. Thankfully his flurries of shots do tend to wear opponents down either physically or mentally.
Narvaez defends his title once again this weekend as he takes on the once beaten David Carmona (16-1-4, 8) of Mexico. Carmona the WBO Youth Super Flyweight champion is by far the younger man though with that also comes the fact he is untested near the same level as Narvaez.
In his 21 bouts to date Carmona's most notable foe has been been, well none of them really. Carmona has fought no one of note, no one nearly world class and no one who could possibly have prepared him for someone like Narvaez. That's not to say Carmona isn't talented but his talented has only been shown as a much, much, much lower level than that of Narvaez.
As for the bout it's fair to say that gulf in opponent will show up here. Carmona will go to win but will quickly discover that Narvaez isn't just an old man. Carmona's shots will be picked off and his body and head tagged almost at will by Narvaez.
Whilst Carmona hasn't shown durability issues he's also not shown the ability to do 12 rounds. With that in mind I expect Narvaez to pick up the pace late and force a stoppage against a tiring Carmona in the final 3 rounds.
Prediction-Narvaez TKO11
Although thoroughly ancient for a Super Flyweight Narvaez has shown he still has all the traits of a man who isn't really on the slide as much as some would like. He's still sharp, fast, able to throw lovely blazing combinations and is still light on his feet. He may be 38 but he fighters like a man who is only in his 20's.
Whilst he still has the speed and style of a younger man Narvaez's key issue is that he lacks lights out power. He can break guys down over the course but no single shot he lands will have guys thinking twice and as a result he can be forced to fight a little harder than a man of his skills perhaps should. Thankfully his flurries of shots do tend to wear opponents down either physically or mentally.
Narvaez defends his title once again this weekend as he takes on the once beaten David Carmona (16-1-4, 8) of Mexico. Carmona the WBO Youth Super Flyweight champion is by far the younger man though with that also comes the fact he is untested near the same level as Narvaez.
In his 21 bouts to date Carmona's most notable foe has been been, well none of them really. Carmona has fought no one of note, no one nearly world class and no one who could possibly have prepared him for someone like Narvaez. That's not to say Carmona isn't talented but his talented has only been shown as a much, much, much lower level than that of Narvaez.
As for the bout it's fair to say that gulf in opponent will show up here. Carmona will go to win but will quickly discover that Narvaez isn't just an old man. Carmona's shots will be picked off and his body and head tagged almost at will by Narvaez.
Whilst Carmona hasn't shown durability issues he's also not shown the ability to do 12 rounds. With that in mind I expect Narvaez to pick up the pace late and force a stoppage against a tiring Carmona in the final 3 rounds.
Prediction-Narvaez TKO11
Wednesday 11 December 2013
Adrien Broner v Marcos Rene Maidana
Although we have 5 world title fights this weekend there is one that really stands out, a fight that has split opinion on who "will" win and who people "want" to win and that's the fight between loud mouth Adrien Broner (27-0, 22) and Argentina's always exciting Marcos Rene Maidana (34-3, 31). The bout, dubbed "Danger Zone" sees Broner's WBA Welterweight title up for grabs as he takes on easily his most dangerous for so far. Likewise however Miadana takes probably his most talented opponent to date.
For Broner this is a pivotal contest. He is defending his WBA title for the first time since claiming it, in controversial fashion, from Paulie Malignaggi. In that fight Broner looked awful. He posed, he got hit and he looked less like "The Problem" and more like a man "With Problems". It was an awful performance. Was it that he he over-looked Malignaggi, who many had written off? Was it that Welterweight wasn't good for his body? Was it that outside the ring issues had got to him? Whatever it was he really didn't perform.
If a fighter "doesn't perform" against Maidana they tend to feel his power. He's not the greatest of finishers by any stretch of the imagination but he is one of those thudding punchers who hurt you every time they land. If Broner takes half as many Maidana shots as he took Malinaggi shots then he'll be in a lot of trouble.
At his best Broner is a really talented fighter. He has a lovely variety of punches, amazing hand speed, fantastic natural athletic ability and real explosiveness. At his worst he's a fighter who looks to have never mastered the basics. His jab is often none existent, his foot work is awful and his defense is sloppy to say the least. He's one of many fighters who I tend to feel is more athlete than boxer, and this is often not a great trait, especially at the world level where opponents tend to be pretty good.
Whilst a loss for Broner wouldn't necessarily be the end I don't imagine he would ever be the same person if he had an "L" on his record.
In regards to Maidana he's the under-dog, he's not expected to win but he's also unwilling to accept a loss where he can. He's a fighter at heart and whilst he lacks the speed and reflexes and Broner he has the fighters mentality of refusing to quit, getting up when knocked down, biting on the gumshield and going for it.
It's not rare to see Maidana hurt, in fact he's been down numerous time, but we've never seen anyone keep Maidana down. His recuperative powers are genuinely fantastic, his mental toughness is unquestionable and although he'll never be Sugar Ray Robinson his skills do seem to be improving even now. He's still crude but much less saw than when he was fighting the likes of Victor Ortiz.
For this fight I have several questions. Will "the real" Broner turn up? If not he'll lose. Can they take each others power? If saw Maidana will really struggle. Will Maidana be able to turn this in to a war? If he can he has a fantastic chance just on the cumulative effect of his shots.
If Broner turns up and acts like a fighter I honesty believe he can stop Maidana. If he acts like a man who has already won the fight before the first punch is thrown however, he gets stopped.
Prediction-Broner TKO10
For Broner this is a pivotal contest. He is defending his WBA title for the first time since claiming it, in controversial fashion, from Paulie Malignaggi. In that fight Broner looked awful. He posed, he got hit and he looked less like "The Problem" and more like a man "With Problems". It was an awful performance. Was it that he he over-looked Malignaggi, who many had written off? Was it that Welterweight wasn't good for his body? Was it that outside the ring issues had got to him? Whatever it was he really didn't perform.
If a fighter "doesn't perform" against Maidana they tend to feel his power. He's not the greatest of finishers by any stretch of the imagination but he is one of those thudding punchers who hurt you every time they land. If Broner takes half as many Maidana shots as he took Malinaggi shots then he'll be in a lot of trouble.
At his best Broner is a really talented fighter. He has a lovely variety of punches, amazing hand speed, fantastic natural athletic ability and real explosiveness. At his worst he's a fighter who looks to have never mastered the basics. His jab is often none existent, his foot work is awful and his defense is sloppy to say the least. He's one of many fighters who I tend to feel is more athlete than boxer, and this is often not a great trait, especially at the world level where opponents tend to be pretty good.
Whilst a loss for Broner wouldn't necessarily be the end I don't imagine he would ever be the same person if he had an "L" on his record.
In regards to Maidana he's the under-dog, he's not expected to win but he's also unwilling to accept a loss where he can. He's a fighter at heart and whilst he lacks the speed and reflexes and Broner he has the fighters mentality of refusing to quit, getting up when knocked down, biting on the gumshield and going for it.
It's not rare to see Maidana hurt, in fact he's been down numerous time, but we've never seen anyone keep Maidana down. His recuperative powers are genuinely fantastic, his mental toughness is unquestionable and although he'll never be Sugar Ray Robinson his skills do seem to be improving even now. He's still crude but much less saw than when he was fighting the likes of Victor Ortiz.
For this fight I have several questions. Will "the real" Broner turn up? If not he'll lose. Can they take each others power? If saw Maidana will really struggle. Will Maidana be able to turn this in to a war? If he can he has a fantastic chance just on the cumulative effect of his shots.
If Broner turns up and acts like a fighter I honesty believe he can stop Maidana. If he acts like a man who has already won the fight before the first punch is thrown however, he gets stopped.
Prediction-Broner TKO10
Leo Santa Cruz v Cesar Seda
If someone wanted to know who my favourite US based boxer is right now I'd have to go with Leo Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15), a destructive and hard working fighting machine who goes in to the ring with the intention of breaking down every opponent he faces. Santa Cruz is one of those truly exciting fighters who you just feel the need to watch. He can look unskilled at times but he's defensively smart and a well oiled offensive machine who cuts the distance and breaks down fighters with work to the head and body. There really is little to dislike about him.
This weekend sees Santa Cruz defending his WBC Super Bantamweight title for the first time as he takes on former Super Flyweight title challenger Cesar Seda (25-1, 17) from Puerto Rico. This bout, another in the long standing Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry has been tipped by some as potentially the most exciting fight of the weekend.
Although some are tipping this to be exciting I can't help but think this is a complete mismatch. Whilst Seda is a decent fighter his limitations were shown up when he faced Omar Andres Narvaez who out maneuvered and out worked Seda. Sure that was a few years ago but since then he hasn't beaten any one of any real note with victories over Miguel Tamayo and Lorenzo Trejo not really being the sort of things that would prepare anyone for facing Santa Cruz.
Seda's good, but Leo is amazing.
I expect Seda to know how good Leo is. Seda will have to try and create distance but Santa Cruz is so startlingly impressive at cutting off the ring that Seda will be walked down, broken down with vicious uppercuts up close and will eventually fold.
Expect this to be action packed but far too short to be a classic.
Prediction-Leo Santa Cruz TKO4
This weekend sees Santa Cruz defending his WBC Super Bantamweight title for the first time as he takes on former Super Flyweight title challenger Cesar Seda (25-1, 17) from Puerto Rico. This bout, another in the long standing Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry has been tipped by some as potentially the most exciting fight of the weekend.
Although some are tipping this to be exciting I can't help but think this is a complete mismatch. Whilst Seda is a decent fighter his limitations were shown up when he faced Omar Andres Narvaez who out maneuvered and out worked Seda. Sure that was a few years ago but since then he hasn't beaten any one of any real note with victories over Miguel Tamayo and Lorenzo Trejo not really being the sort of things that would prepare anyone for facing Santa Cruz.
Seda's good, but Leo is amazing.
I expect Seda to know how good Leo is. Seda will have to try and create distance but Santa Cruz is so startlingly impressive at cutting off the ring that Seda will be walked down, broken down with vicious uppercuts up close and will eventually fold.
Expect this to be action packed but far too short to be a classic.
Prediction-Leo Santa Cruz TKO4
Keith Thurman v Jesus Soto Karass
When it comes to hyped Americans we do tend to see a lot of them. Some, do tend to be the goods such as Andre Ward, others however vanish without a trace after facing a major test and being found out. Anyone remember Mike Jones?
This weekend sees Keith Thurman (21-0-0-1, 19) attempting to prove he's the real deal as he takes on the always game and often exciting Jesus Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18) in the first defence of Thurman's WBA "interim" Welterweight title.. On paper this should be a coming out bout for Thurman though Soto Karass has proven time and time again not to under-estimate him.
From the hype we've been reading about Thurman he's a destructive, 1 punch banger with the ability to take out anyone in the division if he lands "one time". Whilst his power is certainly there and it can be delivered to either the head or the body it doesn't seem quite as powerful as Showtime and Thurman himself would want us to believe.
Other than the power Thurman does have some nice traits. He certainly has personality, confidence, nice speed but nothing about his boxing makes me think he'll be a true superstar. He's more rounded than an Andre Berto but still doesn't look that great with some flaws coming through.
When it comes to Soto Karass he is a limited fighter but one who always comes to fight and one who has been improving markedly in recent fighters. Just a few years ago many had written off Karass who had lost in bouts to Alfonso Gomez, Mike Jones-twice and Gabriel Rosado going 0-4-0-1 over a 5 fight stretch. Since then however he has gone 4-1 with notable victories over Berto and Selcuk Aydin. Yeah they are both a level below Thurman's expected level but both are genuine top 15 fighters in the 147 division.
The key for this bout will be whether or not Thurman's power is going to prevent Soro Karass from making this his type of fight. If the Mexican can turn this bout in a fight then it's easy to at least think about the upset. Of course Thurman has the power, skills and speed to make Soto Karass look stupid but on the other hand can he apply them rightly? Will his power carry up and hurt Soto Karass?
It seems unlikely that Thurman's power won't grind Soto Karass down eventually but I do expect the American to be given an uncomfortably tough contest here before eventually stopping Thurman in the second half of the fight.
Prediction-Thurman TKO8
This weekend sees Keith Thurman (21-0-0-1, 19) attempting to prove he's the real deal as he takes on the always game and often exciting Jesus Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18) in the first defence of Thurman's WBA "interim" Welterweight title.. On paper this should be a coming out bout for Thurman though Soto Karass has proven time and time again not to under-estimate him.
From the hype we've been reading about Thurman he's a destructive, 1 punch banger with the ability to take out anyone in the division if he lands "one time". Whilst his power is certainly there and it can be delivered to either the head or the body it doesn't seem quite as powerful as Showtime and Thurman himself would want us to believe.
Other than the power Thurman does have some nice traits. He certainly has personality, confidence, nice speed but nothing about his boxing makes me think he'll be a true superstar. He's more rounded than an Andre Berto but still doesn't look that great with some flaws coming through.
When it comes to Soto Karass he is a limited fighter but one who always comes to fight and one who has been improving markedly in recent fighters. Just a few years ago many had written off Karass who had lost in bouts to Alfonso Gomez, Mike Jones-twice and Gabriel Rosado going 0-4-0-1 over a 5 fight stretch. Since then however he has gone 4-1 with notable victories over Berto and Selcuk Aydin. Yeah they are both a level below Thurman's expected level but both are genuine top 15 fighters in the 147 division.
The key for this bout will be whether or not Thurman's power is going to prevent Soro Karass from making this his type of fight. If the Mexican can turn this bout in a fight then it's easy to at least think about the upset. Of course Thurman has the power, skills and speed to make Soto Karass look stupid but on the other hand can he apply them rightly? Will his power carry up and hurt Soto Karass?
It seems unlikely that Thurman's power won't grind Soto Karass down eventually but I do expect the American to be given an uncomfortably tough contest here before eventually stopping Thurman in the second half of the fight.
Prediction-Thurman TKO8
Juergen Braehmer v Marcus Oliveira
Former WBO Light Heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer (41-2, 31) gets a chance to once again call himself a world champion this weekend as he takes on unbeaten American Marcus Oliveira (25-0-1, 20) for the now vacant WBA Light Heavyweight title.
Due to the stupid political situation of boxing at times this is a title fight that even I'm finding it hard to be excited by. The true WBA champion, Beibut Shumenov, has been inactive for 18 months, he returns this Saturday in a total mismatch against Tamas Kovacs. Rather than forcing Shumenov into an interesting battle with Braehmer the WBA have instead allowed Shumenov his mismatch and also put Braehmer into a bout that I feel is another equally one sided bout.
Braehmer, for years, has been one of the top 10 or so Light Heavyweights on the planet. He's certainly been beatable but he's never been easy to beat as he's combined solid boxing fundamentals, experience, power and toughness into a very solid all-rounder. Little really stands out about him, but like wise there are many flaws. He's not the hardest working, or the biggest hitter but he's dangerous and does enough more often than not to win rounds.
Although aged 35 Braehmer is a relatively young 35 and has had several breaks from the ring to various issues, including legal matters which have kept him "young" in terms of boxing. He's certainly slowed due to natural aging but he's not taken the excess punishment that he perhaps could have done had he been active these past few years.
Despite Braehmer's age it's worth noting that Oliveira himself is 34 years old and more worryingly this is his first real taste of world class. With 26 bouts behind and a professional career that dates back over 7 years this is a massive step up and it speaks volumes when you consider that Oliveira's best opponent to date was Ryan Coyne, who lets be honest was not great himself.
Oliveira is having the best run of his career with victories over Coyne, Ricky Torrez and Antwun Echols in his last 3. Despite those wins there is nothing that makes me think he will be able to test the talented, if frustrating, German.
Prediction-Braehmer TKO11
Due to the stupid political situation of boxing at times this is a title fight that even I'm finding it hard to be excited by. The true WBA champion, Beibut Shumenov, has been inactive for 18 months, he returns this Saturday in a total mismatch against Tamas Kovacs. Rather than forcing Shumenov into an interesting battle with Braehmer the WBA have instead allowed Shumenov his mismatch and also put Braehmer into a bout that I feel is another equally one sided bout.
Braehmer, for years, has been one of the top 10 or so Light Heavyweights on the planet. He's certainly been beatable but he's never been easy to beat as he's combined solid boxing fundamentals, experience, power and toughness into a very solid all-rounder. Little really stands out about him, but like wise there are many flaws. He's not the hardest working, or the biggest hitter but he's dangerous and does enough more often than not to win rounds.
Although aged 35 Braehmer is a relatively young 35 and has had several breaks from the ring to various issues, including legal matters which have kept him "young" in terms of boxing. He's certainly slowed due to natural aging but he's not taken the excess punishment that he perhaps could have done had he been active these past few years.
Despite Braehmer's age it's worth noting that Oliveira himself is 34 years old and more worryingly this is his first real taste of world class. With 26 bouts behind and a professional career that dates back over 7 years this is a massive step up and it speaks volumes when you consider that Oliveira's best opponent to date was Ryan Coyne, who lets be honest was not great himself.
Oliveira is having the best run of his career with victories over Coyne, Ricky Torrez and Antwun Echols in his last 3. Despite those wins there is nothing that makes me think he will be able to test the talented, if frustrating, German.
Prediction-Braehmer TKO11
Beibut Shumenov v Tamas Kovacs
If I mentioned the name "Beibut Shumenov" (13-1, 8), fans may be forgiven for asking who is he. The Kazakhstan Light Heavyweight who has held the WBA title for just shy of 4 years has been a fighter who we could very easily describe as "MIA". His almost 4 year reign as champion has seem him spending the last 18 months out of the ring and out of action as the division has swiftly warmed up.
Despite once being the hottest property in the division Shumenov's career disappearance has left many dropping him outside of their divisional top 10 and in fact it's hard to argue with them. I, personally, tend to like the idea of "inactive, unranked" which should be the case if fighter simply doesn't fight.
This weekend sees Shumenov returning to action as he takes on the little known Tamas Kovacs (23-0, 14). Who? Exactly.
Kovacs may have a very pretty looking record on paper but he's one of those fighters whose actual record tells us more than the numbers themselves suggest. For example Kovacs has faced one name of interest, Hamza Wandera. Wandera, the younger brother of Kassim Ouma, twice dropped Kovacs on route to a narrow and highly questionable split decision. When you consider that Wandera was stopped in 3 by Ismayl Sillakh this should tell plenty about the credentials of Kovacs.
Aged 36 and hailing from Slovakia we can't help but think that Kovacs is simply a lamb to the slaughter here for Shumenov who should have the power, skills and speed to destroy Kovacs dream any time he wishes.
Prediction-Shumenov TKO6 (after he shakes some ring rust off)
Despite once being the hottest property in the division Shumenov's career disappearance has left many dropping him outside of their divisional top 10 and in fact it's hard to argue with them. I, personally, tend to like the idea of "inactive, unranked" which should be the case if fighter simply doesn't fight.
This weekend sees Shumenov returning to action as he takes on the little known Tamas Kovacs (23-0, 14). Who? Exactly.
Kovacs may have a very pretty looking record on paper but he's one of those fighters whose actual record tells us more than the numbers themselves suggest. For example Kovacs has faced one name of interest, Hamza Wandera. Wandera, the younger brother of Kassim Ouma, twice dropped Kovacs on route to a narrow and highly questionable split decision. When you consider that Wandera was stopped in 3 by Ismayl Sillakh this should tell plenty about the credentials of Kovacs.
Aged 36 and hailing from Slovakia we can't help but think that Kovacs is simply a lamb to the slaughter here for Shumenov who should have the power, skills and speed to destroy Kovacs dream any time he wishes.
Prediction-Shumenov TKO6 (after he shakes some ring rust off)
Thursday 5 December 2013
Sakio Bika v Anthony Dirrell
The Super Middleweight division is one that features big names, big fighters and a complete cross section of styles. You have the pure boxing of Andre Ward, the warriors of Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler, the explosiveness of Georgre Groves and the crude toughness of Sakio Bika (32-5-2, 21).
Bike, the current WBC champion may not be everyone's cup of tea but he is a fighter who will give everyone a hard night. Tough as old boots, crude, unpredictable and generally rough Bika is throw back fighter to when the fight game was really the fight game. Boxing wise he's horrible, but with a fighters mentality, and head, he is type of caveman who can make life oddly difficult.
Watching Bika would lead one to believe that he was easy to out box. He does almost everything wrong. He walks in straight lines, he throws round house punches on a regular basis and even his jab, when he uses it, seems seems to go the long way round to the target. Yet for some reason he's been able to make even the best boxers in the world, such as Ward, struggle with him as he bores in swings wildly and gives people headaches.
It may be the way Bika uses his head as a third weapon, it may be his unrefined style but he's genuinely a pain in the ass to share a ring with.
The next man to find out just how frustrating Bika is will be the unbeaten Anthony Dirrell (26-0, 22) The brother of one time contender Andre Dirrell, Anthony is a man who was tipped for success though flattered to deceive so far into his career.
With speed, good skills and solid amateur fundamentals Dirrell does, at times, look the real deal. Unfortunately at others he looks a cheap imitation of a good fighter. His record would indicate a deadly puncher but in reality his KO rate has been blown up by fighting a lot of poor foes and his most notable victory has come against Renan St Juste, who injured his arm.
The limitations of Dirrell were clearly on show just 2 fights back when he struggled to a decision over Don Mouton. Mouton took the best that Dirrell had to offer but kept coming forward and genuinely gave Dirrell hell for 8 rounds. If Mouton can do that then there is no doubting that Bika can do the same.
With the trouble Mouton gave Dirrell I can see Bika doing just as well in what will turn out to be a very messy and rough bout
Prediction-Bika SD12
Bike, the current WBC champion may not be everyone's cup of tea but he is a fighter who will give everyone a hard night. Tough as old boots, crude, unpredictable and generally rough Bika is throw back fighter to when the fight game was really the fight game. Boxing wise he's horrible, but with a fighters mentality, and head, he is type of caveman who can make life oddly difficult.
Watching Bika would lead one to believe that he was easy to out box. He does almost everything wrong. He walks in straight lines, he throws round house punches on a regular basis and even his jab, when he uses it, seems seems to go the long way round to the target. Yet for some reason he's been able to make even the best boxers in the world, such as Ward, struggle with him as he bores in swings wildly and gives people headaches.
It may be the way Bika uses his head as a third weapon, it may be his unrefined style but he's genuinely a pain in the ass to share a ring with.
The next man to find out just how frustrating Bika is will be the unbeaten Anthony Dirrell (26-0, 22) The brother of one time contender Andre Dirrell, Anthony is a man who was tipped for success though flattered to deceive so far into his career.
With speed, good skills and solid amateur fundamentals Dirrell does, at times, look the real deal. Unfortunately at others he looks a cheap imitation of a good fighter. His record would indicate a deadly puncher but in reality his KO rate has been blown up by fighting a lot of poor foes and his most notable victory has come against Renan St Juste, who injured his arm.
The limitations of Dirrell were clearly on show just 2 fights back when he struggled to a decision over Don Mouton. Mouton took the best that Dirrell had to offer but kept coming forward and genuinely gave Dirrell hell for 8 rounds. If Mouton can do that then there is no doubting that Bika can do the same.
With the trouble Mouton gave Dirrell I can see Bika doing just as well in what will turn out to be a very messy and rough bout
Prediction-Bika SD12
Devon Alexander v Shawn Porter
For some the Welterweight division is the division when it comes to boxing right now. For me though the division, aside from 3 or 4 names, is actually quite uninteresting. That's not to say it's boring but it lacks fighters that generally whet my appetite. Sure there is the likes of Timothy Bradley and even Manny Pacquiao fighting, at least some of their fights, at 147 but on the other hand you also have fighters like Devon Alexander (25-1, 14).
Alexander, the IBF Welterweight champion, is without a doubt a talented young man, in fact the 26 year old is almost certainly in the top 25 pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. However he is also incredibly tiresome to watch. At his best he can look great but all too often he exemplifies the negativity that turns people away from boxing. He seems to lack personality out of the ring and lacks the style in the ring to make up for it.
A former Don King fighter Alexander started his career with a lot of promise and won his first 21 fights including victories over Junior Witter, Juan Urango and Andriy Kotelnik. Unfortunately the victory over Kotelnik was controversial and then followed by a poor performance against Timothy. From then on Alexander seemed to go from promising youngster to unexciting boredom.
Sure Alexander has the talent to to be a world champion, heck he currently is, but he'll never be a fighter who has a huge fan base. His style, which is that of a boxer, just lacks the class or the power to be a star. He'll be one of those fighters who will flirt with being a top tied talent but will never that good.
Another fighter who once looked exceptional though has failed to live up to expectation is Shawn Porter (22-0-1, 14). Porter turned pro with a reputation of being an aggressive hard hitting inside fighter made for the professional ranks. Unfortunately his power's been found to not be great and whilst he is aggressively minded he's far from exciting.
Having been a professional since 2008 Porter's most notable victories have come against Alfonso Gomez and Julio Diaz. No offense to those two individuals but the fact Porter struggled with both men sums up why I'm so unexcited by this fight and by Porter. He's a man who, like Andre Berto, promises a lot but delivers little in terms substance.
The lack of substance in Porter will cost him here as he puts his head down, attacks blindly but gets picked off, tied up and fails to get through the defenses of Alexander as we end up with a dull but clear decision in favour of the champion.
Prediction-A sleep inducing UD for Alexander.
Alexander, the IBF Welterweight champion, is without a doubt a talented young man, in fact the 26 year old is almost certainly in the top 25 pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. However he is also incredibly tiresome to watch. At his best he can look great but all too often he exemplifies the negativity that turns people away from boxing. He seems to lack personality out of the ring and lacks the style in the ring to make up for it.
A former Don King fighter Alexander started his career with a lot of promise and won his first 21 fights including victories over Junior Witter, Juan Urango and Andriy Kotelnik. Unfortunately the victory over Kotelnik was controversial and then followed by a poor performance against Timothy. From then on Alexander seemed to go from promising youngster to unexciting boredom.
Sure Alexander has the talent to to be a world champion, heck he currently is, but he'll never be a fighter who has a huge fan base. His style, which is that of a boxer, just lacks the class or the power to be a star. He'll be one of those fighters who will flirt with being a top tied talent but will never that good.
Another fighter who once looked exceptional though has failed to live up to expectation is Shawn Porter (22-0-1, 14). Porter turned pro with a reputation of being an aggressive hard hitting inside fighter made for the professional ranks. Unfortunately his power's been found to not be great and whilst he is aggressively minded he's far from exciting.
Having been a professional since 2008 Porter's most notable victories have come against Alfonso Gomez and Julio Diaz. No offense to those two individuals but the fact Porter struggled with both men sums up why I'm so unexcited by this fight and by Porter. He's a man who, like Andre Berto, promises a lot but delivers little in terms substance.
The lack of substance in Porter will cost him here as he puts his head down, attacks blindly but gets picked off, tied up and fails to get through the defenses of Alexander as we end up with a dull but clear decision in favour of the champion.
Prediction-A sleep inducing UD for Alexander.
Wednesday 4 December 2013
Erislandy Lara v Austin Trout
The Light Middleweight division is rather odd. At the top we have a part-time Light Middleweight in Floyd Mayweather Jr, somewhere below him we have Saul Alvarez and Miguel Cotto, two of the biggest draws in the sport. Then comes a lot of fighters looking to make a name for themselves. This includes fighters like Carlos Molina, Bryan Rose, Demetrius Andrade, Vanes Martirosyan, Akinori Watanabe and two men who fight each other this Saturday.
Those two men are Austin Trout (26-1, 14), a former WBA Light Middleweight champion, and Cuban Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12), the current WBA interim Light Middleweight champion. Unsurprisingly, having read they have both have links the WBA title, it should come as no shock that this bout will be for the vacant WBA title, allowing Lara the chance to upgrade his title and allowing Trout to regain his old belt.
This is, on paper, one of those true 50-50 match ups. This is reflected in the odds which narrowly favour Trout at this time of writing., though it genuinely nip and tuck ion the odds.
In terms of the fighters they are both very talented boxers, who can counter excellently, neither is amazing on the front foot but bother are great pure-boxers.
Lara is probably the better all-rounder and the better man on the front foot. He's very dangerous southpaw who has questionable durability having twice been down against Alfredo Angulo though did show a fighters heart to come back in that fight and eventually stop Angulo really messing up his eye in the process. In terms of what he has over Trout he definitely seems to hit harder and also probably has the edge in terms of speed and over-all experience having previously had a very long amateur record.
Staying on Lara for a second, many feel he should have won the only fight he lost, a controversial decision against Paul Williams, but then again many felt he was beaten by Carlos Molina. Factoring both of them in his record should probably stand at 19-1-1.
Trout on the other hand suffered his only loss last time out dropping a decision to Saul Alvarez. Although the judges had that fight all but decided after 8 rounds Trout was certainly not dominated and gave Canelo one of his toughest bouts. What Trout has proven capable of is controlling the distance with his jab and movement, and although he doesn't tend to score many stoppages he does seem to get opponents respect when he connects.
Unfortunately for Trout he's giving away several inches in reach here and with both men having capable speed this will see his jab neutralised by that of Lara. If the jab of Trout's can't help him establish distance and his power can't earn him the respect of Lara then this will be a very hard to win. I think Trout will try hard and try several game plans but at the end of it he'll be a clear loser at the end of the day. His effort however will see him given another shot somewhere down the line and he'll remain relevant despite a loss.
Prediction-Lara UD12
Those two men are Austin Trout (26-1, 14), a former WBA Light Middleweight champion, and Cuban Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12), the current WBA interim Light Middleweight champion. Unsurprisingly, having read they have both have links the WBA title, it should come as no shock that this bout will be for the vacant WBA title, allowing Lara the chance to upgrade his title and allowing Trout to regain his old belt.
This is, on paper, one of those true 50-50 match ups. This is reflected in the odds which narrowly favour Trout at this time of writing., though it genuinely nip and tuck ion the odds.
In terms of the fighters they are both very talented boxers, who can counter excellently, neither is amazing on the front foot but bother are great pure-boxers.
Lara is probably the better all-rounder and the better man on the front foot. He's very dangerous southpaw who has questionable durability having twice been down against Alfredo Angulo though did show a fighters heart to come back in that fight and eventually stop Angulo really messing up his eye in the process. In terms of what he has over Trout he definitely seems to hit harder and also probably has the edge in terms of speed and over-all experience having previously had a very long amateur record.
Staying on Lara for a second, many feel he should have won the only fight he lost, a controversial decision against Paul Williams, but then again many felt he was beaten by Carlos Molina. Factoring both of them in his record should probably stand at 19-1-1.
Trout on the other hand suffered his only loss last time out dropping a decision to Saul Alvarez. Although the judges had that fight all but decided after 8 rounds Trout was certainly not dominated and gave Canelo one of his toughest bouts. What Trout has proven capable of is controlling the distance with his jab and movement, and although he doesn't tend to score many stoppages he does seem to get opponents respect when he connects.
Unfortunately for Trout he's giving away several inches in reach here and with both men having capable speed this will see his jab neutralised by that of Lara. If the jab of Trout's can't help him establish distance and his power can't earn him the respect of Lara then this will be a very hard to win. I think Trout will try hard and try several game plans but at the end of it he'll be a clear loser at the end of the day. His effort however will see him given another shot somewhere down the line and he'll remain relevant despite a loss.
Prediction-Lara UD12
Guillermo Rigondeaux v Joseph Agbeko
When we talk about pure boxers two men really stand out right now. One is Floyd Mayweather Jr, one of the greatest in recent memory, the other is Cuban sensation Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0, 8, the current WBA "super" and WBO Super Bantamweight champion.
Unfortunately pure boxing, as George Foreman once observed, "The better it is, the less people appreciate it". This seems to be the case with Rigondeaux who at times makes boxing look so effortless and easy. Unfortunately however when he makes it look so simple it's easy to see why people don't appreciate it. What's the point in dominating if you can't also put on a show. Boxing whether we like it or not is a business and if you bore fans you can expect to be forgotten.
Following his fight with Nonito Donaire many felt it could be a very long time before saw Rigondeaux back in action. It's been a while I'll admit, some 8 months almost, since that fight but this weekend sees Rigondeaux returning to action as he attempts to defend both of his belts against Ghana's Joseph Agbeko (29-4, 22), a former 2-time IBF Bantamweight champion himself.
When it comes to Rigondeaux he can do everything. He makes fights, like I said, look simple. He slows down the pace when he wants, he lands every punch in the book, he makes other fighters look stupid and is a complete in the ring. Like all geniuses however he can get bored easily and as a result he can get tagged. His negativity can cause even the great man himself to get bored of things and it often seems that either Rigondeaux will destroy an opponent or get get bored of putting on a masterclass.
Agbeko doesn't have those same tricks as Rigondeaux. He's much less a skillster and more of a rough and tough type of fighter. That's not to say he lacks skills but he's more about strength and toughness than the sweet science.
Sadly for Agbeko the toughness and strength he had at 118lbs is unlikely to carry up that well at 122lbs, especially considering he's almost 34 years old and has fought just once the last 24 months. In all honesty the toughness and drive of Agbeko seemed to be leaving him in his most recent notable bout, a clear decision loss to Abner Mares.
With Rigondeaux's power, speed and technique it's hard not to see him landing crisp, clean shots on to the chin of Agbeko, eventually forcing a stoppage of the brave Ghanian who will be left chasing shadows prior to the stoppage. Rigondeaux will know that this is a fight that he needs to make an impression in and that's exactly what he will do.
Prediction-Rigondeaux TKO6
Unfortunately pure boxing, as George Foreman once observed, "The better it is, the less people appreciate it". This seems to be the case with Rigondeaux who at times makes boxing look so effortless and easy. Unfortunately however when he makes it look so simple it's easy to see why people don't appreciate it. What's the point in dominating if you can't also put on a show. Boxing whether we like it or not is a business and if you bore fans you can expect to be forgotten.
Following his fight with Nonito Donaire many felt it could be a very long time before saw Rigondeaux back in action. It's been a while I'll admit, some 8 months almost, since that fight but this weekend sees Rigondeaux returning to action as he attempts to defend both of his belts against Ghana's Joseph Agbeko (29-4, 22), a former 2-time IBF Bantamweight champion himself.
When it comes to Rigondeaux he can do everything. He makes fights, like I said, look simple. He slows down the pace when he wants, he lands every punch in the book, he makes other fighters look stupid and is a complete in the ring. Like all geniuses however he can get bored easily and as a result he can get tagged. His negativity can cause even the great man himself to get bored of things and it often seems that either Rigondeaux will destroy an opponent or get get bored of putting on a masterclass.
Agbeko doesn't have those same tricks as Rigondeaux. He's much less a skillster and more of a rough and tough type of fighter. That's not to say he lacks skills but he's more about strength and toughness than the sweet science.
Sadly for Agbeko the toughness and strength he had at 118lbs is unlikely to carry up that well at 122lbs, especially considering he's almost 34 years old and has fought just once the last 24 months. In all honesty the toughness and drive of Agbeko seemed to be leaving him in his most recent notable bout, a clear decision loss to Abner Mares.
With Rigondeaux's power, speed and technique it's hard not to see him landing crisp, clean shots on to the chin of Agbeko, eventually forcing a stoppage of the brave Ghanian who will be left chasing shadows prior to the stoppage. Rigondeaux will know that this is a fight that he needs to make an impression in and that's exactly what he will do.
Prediction-Rigondeaux TKO6
Darren Barker v Felix Sturm
If you ask me I'd say one of the luckiest men to win a world title this year has been Britain's "Dazzling" Darren Barker (26-1, 16) who took a very debatable decision over Daniel Geale to claim the IBF title a few months back. The obvious move after that was an immediate rematch between the two though unfortunately that never happened and instead Barker's first defense will come against Germany's Felix Sturm (38-3-2-1, 17).
For years Sturm was criticised for taking easy defenses, claiming controversial victories and generally derided by the boxing public. Over the past two years however he has suffered a loss to Daniel Geale and a loss (later over-turned to a no contest) against Sam Soliman. This suggests that even the German fans are bored of him and the judges are no longer "in his pocket" as some have suggest.
At his beat Sturm was a jabbing machine. He was never be a big puncher, he'd never knock fighters clean out but he did have the uncanny ability to land his exceptional jab at will almost dismantling opponents with the crisp clean jab. It was this jab that helped him hold the WBA Middleweight hostage in Germany for years though unfortunately for him he ran into a determined and busy Geale who did enough to force the judges to give him the win.
Sturm is no longer able to keep up the busy jab like he did in his prime. It's still an excellent jab but his work rate has dropped off and a busy fighter like Geale has been able to make him look awful. In fact Geale, Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray have all made Sturm look second rate.
With that in mind I need to favour Barker to retain his title here. The Englishman might be going over the Germany but he's a younger fighter who can dig deep, has shown an improved ability to go 12 rounds and looks to be fighting at his best. Sure I felt he came second to Geale but that was genuinely close, this however won't be.
In terms of the jabbing game Barker will be able to hold his own with Sturm who turns 35 next month, in terms of the inside game I favour Barker and whilst he certainly won't dominate the fight he'll do enough to take a clear but competitive decision by around 8 rounds to 4.
Although a rematch in the UK has been signed in to the contract I'd imagine if Barker wins here we won't be seeing the rematch here, instead the Geale rematch is more likely and certainly makes for a more competitive bout than a do-over of this one.
Prediction-Barker UD12
For years Sturm was criticised for taking easy defenses, claiming controversial victories and generally derided by the boxing public. Over the past two years however he has suffered a loss to Daniel Geale and a loss (later over-turned to a no contest) against Sam Soliman. This suggests that even the German fans are bored of him and the judges are no longer "in his pocket" as some have suggest.
At his beat Sturm was a jabbing machine. He was never be a big puncher, he'd never knock fighters clean out but he did have the uncanny ability to land his exceptional jab at will almost dismantling opponents with the crisp clean jab. It was this jab that helped him hold the WBA Middleweight hostage in Germany for years though unfortunately for him he ran into a determined and busy Geale who did enough to force the judges to give him the win.
Sturm is no longer able to keep up the busy jab like he did in his prime. It's still an excellent jab but his work rate has dropped off and a busy fighter like Geale has been able to make him look awful. In fact Geale, Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray have all made Sturm look second rate.
With that in mind I need to favour Barker to retain his title here. The Englishman might be going over the Germany but he's a younger fighter who can dig deep, has shown an improved ability to go 12 rounds and looks to be fighting at his best. Sure I felt he came second to Geale but that was genuinely close, this however won't be.
In terms of the jabbing game Barker will be able to hold his own with Sturm who turns 35 next month, in terms of the inside game I favour Barker and whilst he certainly won't dominate the fight he'll do enough to take a clear but competitive decision by around 8 rounds to 4.
Although a rematch in the UK has been signed in to the contract I'd imagine if Barker wins here we won't be seeing the rematch here, instead the Geale rematch is more likely and certainly makes for a more competitive bout than a do-over of this one.
Prediction-Barker UD12
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk v Giacobbe Fragomeni III
Over the past few years the Cruiserweight division has become a show stealer. No longer is it merely the bastard division between Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight but it's now it's own, highly established and amazingly entertaining division which brings us more action pound-for-pound than almost any other division in the sport. In fact for me it's the second division in the sport right now behind the red hot Flyweight division.
One problem with the Cruiserweight division however is that over the past few years it has been European centric with very little action coming stateside. That changes a little this Friday as Poland's Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (48-2-1, 24) takes his WBC title over to Chicago to defend it against Italian veteran Giacobbe Fragomeni (31-3-2, 12). This, the third meeting between the two men, will see Fragomeni seeking to tie the scoreline between the two men which currently sees Wloadrczyk leading 1-0 with 1 fight scored a draw.
At 44 years old Fragomeni is a bit of a freak of a freak. He's been one of the top Cruiserweights on the plant from around 2006 and despite a loss to David Haye that year it was obvious that Fragomeni had the talent to one day be a world champion.
Fragomeni would later become a title holder. In 2008 he beat Rudolph Kraj by 8th round technical decision to claim the WBC title, a title he would successfully defend once, scoring a draw with Wlodarczyk in that defense. Unfortunately he reign was curtailed by Hungarian Zsolt Erdei one fight later before a Wlodarczyk rematch saw Fragomeni being stopped in 8 rounds.
Since the loss to Wlodarczyk in 2010 Fragomeni has gone 5-0-1, claiming the WBC silver title in the process with a split decision over fellow Italian veteran Silvio Branco. It's that silver title that has helped Fragomeni getting a third fight with Wlodarczyk.
A warrior at heart Fragomeni's inclusion in a bout tends to leave us with an exciting action. Not often much in terms of "sweet science" but plenty of action all the same.
Much like the challenger Wlodarczyk, a 32 year who has previously held the IBF title, is a warrior. He's slightly better technically than Fragomeni but is mainly a tough and gutsy fighter who excellent engine and sheer bloody mindedness.
One of the weaknesses of Wlodarczyk is that he is a slow starter and he can be put over. Problem with knocking him over however is that he has the uncanny ability to just get up and fight back. This is what saved him last time out when he was dropped and dominated early on by Rakhim Chakhkiev.
When he's got his engine going and everything clicks however Wlodarczyk is a monster to defeat. He's got a great work rate, fantastic punch selection, good combinations and really hurtful power. He's not going to knock world level fighters out with one shot too often but every shot looks hurtful, every shot is grinding and every shot does damage. When he lets them go they have the capability of breaking down almost anyone in the division.
It's the grinding effect of Wlodarczyk that I think will take it's effect here as he breaks down Fragomeni and stops him around round 7 or 8 with the Italian veteran looking his age for a round or two before the stoppage. Thankfully for the first 5 or 6 rounds we should get some genuinely enthralling action that will hopefully make the US audience want to see more of this generation of brilliant Cruiserweights.
Prediction-Wlodarczyk TKO8
One problem with the Cruiserweight division however is that over the past few years it has been European centric with very little action coming stateside. That changes a little this Friday as Poland's Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (48-2-1, 24) takes his WBC title over to Chicago to defend it against Italian veteran Giacobbe Fragomeni (31-3-2, 12). This, the third meeting between the two men, will see Fragomeni seeking to tie the scoreline between the two men which currently sees Wloadrczyk leading 1-0 with 1 fight scored a draw.
At 44 years old Fragomeni is a bit of a freak of a freak. He's been one of the top Cruiserweights on the plant from around 2006 and despite a loss to David Haye that year it was obvious that Fragomeni had the talent to one day be a world champion.
Fragomeni would later become a title holder. In 2008 he beat Rudolph Kraj by 8th round technical decision to claim the WBC title, a title he would successfully defend once, scoring a draw with Wlodarczyk in that defense. Unfortunately he reign was curtailed by Hungarian Zsolt Erdei one fight later before a Wlodarczyk rematch saw Fragomeni being stopped in 8 rounds.
Since the loss to Wlodarczyk in 2010 Fragomeni has gone 5-0-1, claiming the WBC silver title in the process with a split decision over fellow Italian veteran Silvio Branco. It's that silver title that has helped Fragomeni getting a third fight with Wlodarczyk.
A warrior at heart Fragomeni's inclusion in a bout tends to leave us with an exciting action. Not often much in terms of "sweet science" but plenty of action all the same.
Much like the challenger Wlodarczyk, a 32 year who has previously held the IBF title, is a warrior. He's slightly better technically than Fragomeni but is mainly a tough and gutsy fighter who excellent engine and sheer bloody mindedness.
One of the weaknesses of Wlodarczyk is that he is a slow starter and he can be put over. Problem with knocking him over however is that he has the uncanny ability to just get up and fight back. This is what saved him last time out when he was dropped and dominated early on by Rakhim Chakhkiev.
When he's got his engine going and everything clicks however Wlodarczyk is a monster to defeat. He's got a great work rate, fantastic punch selection, good combinations and really hurtful power. He's not going to knock world level fighters out with one shot too often but every shot looks hurtful, every shot is grinding and every shot does damage. When he lets them go they have the capability of breaking down almost anyone in the division.
It's the grinding effect of Wlodarczyk that I think will take it's effect here as he breaks down Fragomeni and stops him around round 7 or 8 with the Italian veteran looking his age for a round or two before the stoppage. Thankfully for the first 5 or 6 rounds we should get some genuinely enthralling action that will hopefully make the US audience want to see more of this generation of brilliant Cruiserweights.
Prediction-Wlodarczyk TKO8
Tuesday 3 December 2013
Chris John v Simpiwe Vetyeka
This past Saturday saw Psaul Spadafora eventually suffering the first defeat of his career. The "Pittsburgh Kid" simply fought on too long and fought someone too good to only be a shadow of their former self.
On man hoping to avoid the same fate as Spadafora will be Indonesia's Chris John (48-0-3, 22) who looks to defend his "Super" WBA Featherweight title this Friday in Australia. The long time unbeaten Indonesian, who has been accused of fighting poor challengers throughout his career, will this week be facing premier level challenger in the form of Simpiwe Vetyeka (25-2, 15).
John, the holder of one of the most impressive records in the sport and one of the longest title reigns, is a fighter who at his best sensational. He had great handspeed, every punch in the book, fantastic movement and the ability to unload some lovely combinations. As he's aged he's slowed however and his speed has gone, the legs have slowed and he's been forced to fight more in the pocket.
Against fighters like Shoji Kimura, Stanyslav Merdov and Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo we've seen John get away with fighting in the pocket due to his superior skill-set and ability. Against Satoshi Hosono however John was being dragged into a fight he didn't want, prior the the unsatisfying conclusion to the bout.
I feel that if the Hosono fight had reached a natural conclusion we'd have seen John needing to dig as deep as he's ever dug to have kept a hold of his title. That might be because I rate Hosono highly, but I'm not sure if that's all it is.
If I can be accused of rating Hosono highly then the same accusation can also be sent to me regarding Simpiwe Vetyeka. The South African has impressed me in both of his profile bouts, both of which were in Asia.
The first major bout for Vetyeka saw him dropping a narrow decision to the WBC Bantamweight champion Hozumi Hasegawa. He pushed Hasegawa hard, took the best shots of the Japanese fighter and really give him hell. Vetyeka built on that result earlier this year when he stopped the teak tough Daud Cino Yordan, John's countryman.
Vetyeka has proven that he's tough, skilled, fast and technically very solid all round. He moves excellently, has a hard stiff and yet quick jab, the ability to fire his jab off whilst moving and really he's a very, very accomplished fighter. Not the sort of fighter John should be viewing as a patsy.
For me it's the movement and speed of Vetyeka which will actually see the upset occur. Vetyeka will refuse to trade in the pocket early rather sticking to his boxing and movement to allow him to rack up rounds with clever boxing. By round 8 or 9 he'll slow down and mix it on the inside though by then John will need a knockdown or two to retain. He'll not get any.
For the second successive week I think we'll see a long unbeaten run broken by a younger and fresher fighter.
Prediction-Vetyeka by Split Decision
On man hoping to avoid the same fate as Spadafora will be Indonesia's Chris John (48-0-3, 22) who looks to defend his "Super" WBA Featherweight title this Friday in Australia. The long time unbeaten Indonesian, who has been accused of fighting poor challengers throughout his career, will this week be facing premier level challenger in the form of Simpiwe Vetyeka (25-2, 15).
John, the holder of one of the most impressive records in the sport and one of the longest title reigns, is a fighter who at his best sensational. He had great handspeed, every punch in the book, fantastic movement and the ability to unload some lovely combinations. As he's aged he's slowed however and his speed has gone, the legs have slowed and he's been forced to fight more in the pocket.
Against fighters like Shoji Kimura, Stanyslav Merdov and Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo we've seen John get away with fighting in the pocket due to his superior skill-set and ability. Against Satoshi Hosono however John was being dragged into a fight he didn't want, prior the the unsatisfying conclusion to the bout.
I feel that if the Hosono fight had reached a natural conclusion we'd have seen John needing to dig as deep as he's ever dug to have kept a hold of his title. That might be because I rate Hosono highly, but I'm not sure if that's all it is.
If I can be accused of rating Hosono highly then the same accusation can also be sent to me regarding Simpiwe Vetyeka. The South African has impressed me in both of his profile bouts, both of which were in Asia.
The first major bout for Vetyeka saw him dropping a narrow decision to the WBC Bantamweight champion Hozumi Hasegawa. He pushed Hasegawa hard, took the best shots of the Japanese fighter and really give him hell. Vetyeka built on that result earlier this year when he stopped the teak tough Daud Cino Yordan, John's countryman.
Vetyeka has proven that he's tough, skilled, fast and technically very solid all round. He moves excellently, has a hard stiff and yet quick jab, the ability to fire his jab off whilst moving and really he's a very, very accomplished fighter. Not the sort of fighter John should be viewing as a patsy.
For me it's the movement and speed of Vetyeka which will actually see the upset occur. Vetyeka will refuse to trade in the pocket early rather sticking to his boxing and movement to allow him to rack up rounds with clever boxing. By round 8 or 9 he'll slow down and mix it on the inside though by then John will need a knockdown or two to retain. He'll not get any.
For the second successive week I think we'll see a long unbeaten run broken by a younger and fresher fighter.
Prediction-Vetyeka by Split Decision
Akira Yaegashi v Edgar Sosa
This weekend is awash with major fights across the world but the one that stands out for me is in Japan on Friday as WBC Flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi (18-3, 9) defends his title for the second time. Yaegashi, a former Minimumweight champion and current Flyweight champion, takes on Mexican Edgar Sosa (49-7, 29) a man who was a former stand out at Light Flyweight.
Yaegashi has quickly become one of my favourite fighters. He's a certified warrior who goes to war on a regular basis and seems unhappy when fights don't result in both men landing bombs on each other. Thankfully Sosa, at his best, is a similar sort of fighter. Sosa is more rounded as a boxer with better straight shots, but on the flip side Yeagashi seems to have a way to turn fights into wars.
Sosa, at his best was a phenomenal Light Flyweight who boxed excellently, could hold his own in a war and at one point was on the verges of the pound-for-pound lists. That came to an end when Sosa was beaten in a highly controversial bout with Rodel Mayol, a bout saw Mayol headbutting Sosa and breaking his nose before stopping him.
Following the loss to Mayol we've seen Sosa moving to Flyweight. At 112lbs we've seen him fall short against Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, though that was 2 years ago and since then he has scored notable victories over Ulises Solis and Giovani Segura. Those two victories have seen Sosa working his way to this world title fight and really have a year to remember, just as many were about to write him off.
Going in to this fight I think if Sosa loses it's the end of his career. He's had 46 fights already, he's 34, has 415 rounds and has been a professional for over 13 years. That type of career takes a lot out of a fighter and Sosa isn't the fighter he once was. He may well have some of the traits that made him so good but he's not that fighter.
The biggest problem for Yaegashi will be getting around the reach of Sosa. Sosa holds a major reach advantage and if he can use that to establish his jab then Yaegashi will really struggle. Saying that however I think Yaegashi will manage to get inside and turn this into a toe-to-toe brawl and if he can then this has FOTY contender written all over it.
If Yaegashi can't cut the range then this will be a long night for the champion and the title will be changing hands, saying that though I do think Yaegashi will be able to inside and we'll have a fight that no fan should miss.
Prediction-Yaegashi UD12 (Close)
Yaegashi has quickly become one of my favourite fighters. He's a certified warrior who goes to war on a regular basis and seems unhappy when fights don't result in both men landing bombs on each other. Thankfully Sosa, at his best, is a similar sort of fighter. Sosa is more rounded as a boxer with better straight shots, but on the flip side Yeagashi seems to have a way to turn fights into wars.
Sosa, at his best was a phenomenal Light Flyweight who boxed excellently, could hold his own in a war and at one point was on the verges of the pound-for-pound lists. That came to an end when Sosa was beaten in a highly controversial bout with Rodel Mayol, a bout saw Mayol headbutting Sosa and breaking his nose before stopping him.
Following the loss to Mayol we've seen Sosa moving to Flyweight. At 112lbs we've seen him fall short against Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, though that was 2 years ago and since then he has scored notable victories over Ulises Solis and Giovani Segura. Those two victories have seen Sosa working his way to this world title fight and really have a year to remember, just as many were about to write him off.
Going in to this fight I think if Sosa loses it's the end of his career. He's had 46 fights already, he's 34, has 415 rounds and has been a professional for over 13 years. That type of career takes a lot out of a fighter and Sosa isn't the fighter he once was. He may well have some of the traits that made him so good but he's not that fighter.
The biggest problem for Yaegashi will be getting around the reach of Sosa. Sosa holds a major reach advantage and if he can use that to establish his jab then Yaegashi will really struggle. Saying that however I think Yaegashi will manage to get inside and turn this into a toe-to-toe brawl and if he can then this has FOTY contender written all over it.
If Yaegashi can't cut the range then this will be a long night for the champion and the title will be changing hands, saying that though I do think Yaegashi will be able to inside and we'll have a fight that no fan should miss.
Prediction-Yaegashi UD12 (Close)
Monday 2 December 2013
Tomoki Kameda v Immanuel Naidjala
Earlier this year Tomoki Kameda (28-0, 18) became a very significant figure in Japanese and world boxing. When he claimed the WBO Bantamweight title with a victory over Paulus Moses he became Japan's first ever WBO champion and in the process became the third of the Kameda brothers to claim a world title, thus setting a world record.
Tomoki will look to defend his title for the first time this coming Tuesday when he takes on unbeaten Namibian challenger Immanuel Naidjala (17-0-1, 11).
On paper this looks like a great fight with men who's combined record reads 45-0-1 (29) in reality however I expect this to be little more than a boxing lesson by Tomoki over the short and crude, but tough, Naidjala.
From what footage of Naidjala is available he looks like the sort of fighter who can be beaten with just a jab and some movement. He's the epitome of crude and although he looks incredibly strong he does look like the sort of fighter who will be able to catch Kameda when the Japanese fighter is boxing off his jab.
I think this fight sees Kameda boxing early on and moving, making Naidjala chase him and swing at air. After 5 or 6 rounds of this however Tomoki will likely feel more confident in holding his feet and going to the midsection of the challenger. Although this is playing to Naidjala's strengths it's hard to envision Naidjala having the power, skill or speed to really hurt Tomoki who will grind down the challenger in the last half of the fight.
Prediction-Tomoki TKO11
Tomoki will look to defend his title for the first time this coming Tuesday when he takes on unbeaten Namibian challenger Immanuel Naidjala (17-0-1, 11).
On paper this looks like a great fight with men who's combined record reads 45-0-1 (29) in reality however I expect this to be little more than a boxing lesson by Tomoki over the short and crude, but tough, Naidjala.
From what footage of Naidjala is available he looks like the sort of fighter who can be beaten with just a jab and some movement. He's the epitome of crude and although he looks incredibly strong he does look like the sort of fighter who will be able to catch Kameda when the Japanese fighter is boxing off his jab.
I think this fight sees Kameda boxing early on and moving, making Naidjala chase him and swing at air. After 5 or 6 rounds of this however Tomoki will likely feel more confident in holding his feet and going to the midsection of the challenger. Although this is playing to Naidjala's strengths it's hard to envision Naidjala having the power, skill or speed to really hurt Tomoki who will grind down the challenger in the last half of the fight.
Prediction-Tomoki TKO11
Katsunari Takayama v Vergilio Silvano
Katsunari Takayama (25-6-0-1, 10) is, if you've never seen him, the embodiment of the lower weight classes. Hard working, gutsy, tough and a damned sight more talented and interesting then men twice his weight. Unfortunately the IBF Minimumweight champion is one of the most over-looked and forgotten fighters on the planet.
For the first time in since 2008 Takayama returns to fight Osaka, the place where he forged much of his early career. Sadly Takayama's journey to the IBF title saw him forced to become a hermit, traveling around the world for fights in the Philippines, South Africa and Mexico. Funnily however his first defense of the belt will be in Japan as he battles Filipino Vergilio Silvano (17-2-1, 10).
Takayama is a certified warrior. He's not a big puncher but he's tough, hard working, skilled and fast. He's a man who isn't afraid of losing, and seems to know that if he loses it's to a world class fighter as seen in losses to Eagle Den Junlaphan, Yutaka Niida, Roman Gonzalez and Nkosinathi Joyi, non of whom got out their contests with him without a fight.
In Silvano Takayama is taking on a man who is far less established but is looking to score a victory that will put him on the boxing map. The Filipino youngster is a confident fighter riding an 18 fight unbeaten streak and a 4-0 record in title fights. Unfortunately for Silvano however he's stepping up in a big way moving from fighting Jetly Purisima for the WBO Oriental Light Flyweight title to fighting Takayama for the IBF world title.
For me it's that step up that will decide the fight. Takayama will have seen everything Silvano has in his arsenal, on the flipside a lot of what Takayama has will be new to the challenger. The gulf in experience, skill and top fight ability will show through here, however I think Silvano will show enough to come again at another point somewhere down the line.
Prediction-Takayama UD12 (clear).
For the first time in since 2008 Takayama returns to fight Osaka, the place where he forged much of his early career. Sadly Takayama's journey to the IBF title saw him forced to become a hermit, traveling around the world for fights in the Philippines, South Africa and Mexico. Funnily however his first defense of the belt will be in Japan as he battles Filipino Vergilio Silvano (17-2-1, 10).
Takayama is a certified warrior. He's not a big puncher but he's tough, hard working, skilled and fast. He's a man who isn't afraid of losing, and seems to know that if he loses it's to a world class fighter as seen in losses to Eagle Den Junlaphan, Yutaka Niida, Roman Gonzalez and Nkosinathi Joyi, non of whom got out their contests with him without a fight.
In Silvano Takayama is taking on a man who is far less established but is looking to score a victory that will put him on the boxing map. The Filipino youngster is a confident fighter riding an 18 fight unbeaten streak and a 4-0 record in title fights. Unfortunately for Silvano however he's stepping up in a big way moving from fighting Jetly Purisima for the WBO Oriental Light Flyweight title to fighting Takayama for the IBF world title.
For me it's that step up that will decide the fight. Takayama will have seen everything Silvano has in his arsenal, on the flipside a lot of what Takayama has will be new to the challenger. The gulf in experience, skill and top fight ability will show through here, however I think Silvano will show enough to come again at another point somewhere down the line.
Prediction-Takayama UD12 (clear).
Friday 29 November 2013
Paul Spadafora v Johan Perez
American Paul Spadafora (48-0-1, 19) has one of the longest unbeaten runs in the sport of boxing. Despite his long unbeaten streak, that dates back to 1995, Spadafora has been one of the most frustrating fighters to follow. What should have been an excellent career in the 90's and early 00's became little more than a waste of time, despite a 4 year reign as the IBF Lightweight champion.
Unfortunately Spadafora, who is known to many as "the guy that beat Floyd Mayweather up in Sparring", has been a man who has combined his talented with some seriously bad choices and extra-curricular activities which has seen him serving time in prison and really wasting a number of his prime years.
Spadafora looks to get back to the top this weekend when he fights for the WBA interim Light Welterweight title. The unbeaten man, who goes by the moniker of "The Pittsburgh Kid" despite being 38 years old, will not be in a "gimme" fight however as he takes on Johan Perez (17-1-1, 12).
Although Perez, of Venezuela, is much less well known than the American he is himself a certified world level fighter having been a former holder of this very title. Unfortunately however Perez is best known to many as a man who lost to Pablo Cesar Cano last year, despite having put on a boxing clinic against Japan's Yoshihiro Kamegai earlier this year.
At his best Spadafora was a very good fighter. He never had the talent to be a "special" fighter but was good. That was however a good decade ago and he's now heading to 40 years old and is with out a notable victory in over a decade. He's not the fighter he was and he's unlikely to ever be another genuine name on the world stage.
Perez, although unsuccessful against Cano, is an excellent boxer and has great movement and intelligent skills. He's not a big puncher but he's a clever enough fighter to make the most of his strengths and is likely to do so here.
Sadly for Perez he is going to West Virginia for this contest and fighting in the same venue that Spadafora has fought his last 3 contests in. I personally think Perez will be the more impressive man in the ring though unfortunately Spadafora will some how manage to get the win with many fans wondering what they had just seen.
Prediction-Spadafora SD12 (VERY controversially)
Unfortunately Spadafora, who is known to many as "the guy that beat Floyd Mayweather up in Sparring", has been a man who has combined his talented with some seriously bad choices and extra-curricular activities which has seen him serving time in prison and really wasting a number of his prime years.
Spadafora looks to get back to the top this weekend when he fights for the WBA interim Light Welterweight title. The unbeaten man, who goes by the moniker of "The Pittsburgh Kid" despite being 38 years old, will not be in a "gimme" fight however as he takes on Johan Perez (17-1-1, 12).
Although Perez, of Venezuela, is much less well known than the American he is himself a certified world level fighter having been a former holder of this very title. Unfortunately however Perez is best known to many as a man who lost to Pablo Cesar Cano last year, despite having put on a boxing clinic against Japan's Yoshihiro Kamegai earlier this year.
At his best Spadafora was a very good fighter. He never had the talent to be a "special" fighter but was good. That was however a good decade ago and he's now heading to 40 years old and is with out a notable victory in over a decade. He's not the fighter he was and he's unlikely to ever be another genuine name on the world stage.
Perez, although unsuccessful against Cano, is an excellent boxer and has great movement and intelligent skills. He's not a big puncher but he's a clever enough fighter to make the most of his strengths and is likely to do so here.
Sadly for Perez he is going to West Virginia for this contest and fighting in the same venue that Spadafora has fought his last 3 contests in. I personally think Perez will be the more impressive man in the ring though unfortunately Spadafora will some how manage to get the win with many fans wondering what they had just seen.
Prediction-Spadafora SD12 (VERY controversially)
Xiong Zhao Zhong v Lookrak Kiatmungmee
This weekend's most over-looked, though rightfully so, world title fight is in China as Xiong Zhao Zhong (21-4-1, 11) looks to make the second defense of his WBC Minimumweight title. Originally Zhong was listed to fight Omari Kimweri though unfortunately Kimweri has had issues with his passport and instead been replaced by inactive Thai Lookrak Kiatmungmee (7-4, 4) who is one of the weakest and least qualified world title challengers in recent memory.
Unfortunately for Zhong this was supposed to be his chance to defend in front of his people against a credible, though somewhat obscure, opponent. Instead Zhong will be facing a man who has been inactive for around 2 years and was far from a world beater when he was active.
Zhong, a strong, powerful, tough and bullish fighter is a real beast at 105lbs. He is far from "boxer" but is a fighter and very tough to discourage. Against Kiatmungmee it's difficult to see anything but a Zhong victory via stoppage as he walks through the limited Thai.
For Kiatmungmee he's really not got a chance, however it's great that he's filled in to allow Zhong his chance at history.
Prediction-Zhong TKO5
Unfortunately for Zhong this was supposed to be his chance to defend in front of his people against a credible, though somewhat obscure, opponent. Instead Zhong will be facing a man who has been inactive for around 2 years and was far from a world beater when he was active.
Zhong, a strong, powerful, tough and bullish fighter is a real beast at 105lbs. He is far from "boxer" but is a fighter and very tough to discourage. Against Kiatmungmee it's difficult to see anything but a Zhong victory via stoppage as he walks through the limited Thai.
For Kiatmungmee he's really not got a chance, however it's great that he's filled in to allow Zhong his chance at history.
Prediction-Zhong TKO5
Thursday 28 November 2013
Donnie Nietes v Sammy Gutierrez
If any active champion is very lucky right now it's Donnie Nietes (31-1-4, 17) who got one of the luckiest decisions in boxing earlier this year when he defended his WBO Light Flyweight title with a draw over Moises Funetes. Nietes, who out punched, out fought, out worked and generally dominated by Fuentes deserved to lose his title back then yet some how got bailed out with the draw.
Nietes will be defending his title for the first time since that controversial contest with Fuentes as he battles another Mexican, Sammy Gutierrez (33-9-2, 23) a man who himself once claimed a portion of the world crown at Minimumweight.
At his best Gutierrez was a challenge for near enough anyone at 105 or even 108 and going through his opponents reads as a whose who. Unfortunately however Gutierrez wasn't a stand out fighter. He was a very credible fighter though someone who just seemed to come up short against the real world class fighters. For example he was stopped by Nkosinathi Joyi and out pointed by Omar Nino Romero, Raul Garcia and Juan Palacios.
The down fall for Gutierrez has been quick as well. Just 3 years ago he was the WBA interim champion but now he's struggling to string wins together and has gone 3-3 in his last 6 and 5-4 in his last 9. Yes, this is a fighter who is paying for his wars in the ring despite only being 27.
Whilst I'd also say that Nietes is regressing as a fighter in recent years he's not totally dropping off a cliff like Gutierrez. He's struggling for sure but there is enough left in the tank for him to keep his title despite some poor performances.
At his very best Nietes was a fringe pound-for-pound fighter who could do it all. Now however he's someone who struggles. He struggled with Fuentes, he struggled with Felipe Salguero and he struggled with Ramon Hirales Garcia. Maybe it's because Nietes isn't a natural Light Flyweight but personally I think it's the fact he's forgetting some of the things that made him so good at Minimumweight.
In regards to this bout, I think Nietes has enough left to stop the shadow of Gutierrez but don't let a good performance here belie the fact that Nietes isn't half the fighter he once was. This is a man who is very fortunate to call himself a world champion and likely won't be able to for too much longer.
Prediction-Nietes TKO8
Nietes will be defending his title for the first time since that controversial contest with Fuentes as he battles another Mexican, Sammy Gutierrez (33-9-2, 23) a man who himself once claimed a portion of the world crown at Minimumweight.
At his best Gutierrez was a challenge for near enough anyone at 105 or even 108 and going through his opponents reads as a whose who. Unfortunately however Gutierrez wasn't a stand out fighter. He was a very credible fighter though someone who just seemed to come up short against the real world class fighters. For example he was stopped by Nkosinathi Joyi and out pointed by Omar Nino Romero, Raul Garcia and Juan Palacios.
The down fall for Gutierrez has been quick as well. Just 3 years ago he was the WBA interim champion but now he's struggling to string wins together and has gone 3-3 in his last 6 and 5-4 in his last 9. Yes, this is a fighter who is paying for his wars in the ring despite only being 27.
Whilst I'd also say that Nietes is regressing as a fighter in recent years he's not totally dropping off a cliff like Gutierrez. He's struggling for sure but there is enough left in the tank for him to keep his title despite some poor performances.
At his very best Nietes was a fringe pound-for-pound fighter who could do it all. Now however he's someone who struggles. He struggled with Fuentes, he struggled with Felipe Salguero and he struggled with Ramon Hirales Garcia. Maybe it's because Nietes isn't a natural Light Flyweight but personally I think it's the fact he's forgetting some of the things that made him so good at Minimumweight.
In regards to this bout, I think Nietes has enough left to stop the shadow of Gutierrez but don't let a good performance here belie the fact that Nietes isn't half the fighter he once was. This is a man who is very fortunate to call himself a world champion and likely won't be able to for too much longer.
Prediction-Nietes TKO8
Merlito Sabillo v Carlos Buitrago
The next few days are amongst the most important in Minimumweight history. Inside a week the WBC, WBO and IBF titles will all be up for grabs and they will all be fought for across Asia.
For me the most interesting of those three bouts is for the WBO title as the unbeaten Filipino Merlito Sabillo (23-0, 12) looks to make the second defense of his title. Sabillo, who successfully defended his belt Jorle Estrada in July, will be facing his third successive Latin America as he takes on unbeaten Nicaraguan Carlos Buitrago (27-0-0-1, 16) in what looks likely to be a special contest.
Of the two men it's probably the challenger who is better known by boxing fans due to the huge amount of hype and expectation Buitrago has had on his shoulders over the past few years. The Nicaraguan, viewed by many as next great fighter from that country, has been tipped as a world champion since he was just a teenager.
It was about 4 years ago that hardcore fans began to hear about a Nicaraguan wonder kid who had the natural tools to go a long, long way. Of course some kids fail to ever reach their potential but Buitrago built on his excellent skills and has shown, in a number of fights, that he can do almost anything.
Unlike many South American's Buitrago has built his style on fundamental building blocks. This has seen him developing an excellent jab, a great straight and wonderful movement. Sure he has been showing it against mostly limited opponents but the fact that he has those tools in his locker is invaluable at the world level.
Although Buitrago is well known it's odd that the champion really isn't. In fact prior to this year almost nobody in the sport was talking about Merlito Sabillo, who has now become one of real dangermen at 105lbs.
Sabillo first popped on to the world stage courtesy of a stunning stoppage over Luis De La Rosa in Colombia back in March. This victory over De La Rosa, an all out war, saw Sabillo claiming the WBO interim world title that was later upgraded to the regular title when Moises Fuentes moved up to the Light Flyweight division.
Sabillo is a bit more of a warrior than Buitrago, in fact he was apparently spotted having street fights prior to becoming a professional boxer. He looks tough, he looks strong and although his record doesn't indicate it he does hit hard, as shown by the fact he has stopped his last 5 opponents.
It's this growing power and belief in Sabillo that makes me favour him by stoppage over the Nicaraguan visitor. In terms of pure boxing skills Buitrago is better but something makes me think that Sabillo's "street fighter" heart will come out and he'll eventually get close and break Buitrago down in the later rounds of an absolute classic.
Prediction-Sabillo TKO11
For me the most interesting of those three bouts is for the WBO title as the unbeaten Filipino Merlito Sabillo (23-0, 12) looks to make the second defense of his title. Sabillo, who successfully defended his belt Jorle Estrada in July, will be facing his third successive Latin America as he takes on unbeaten Nicaraguan Carlos Buitrago (27-0-0-1, 16) in what looks likely to be a special contest.
Of the two men it's probably the challenger who is better known by boxing fans due to the huge amount of hype and expectation Buitrago has had on his shoulders over the past few years. The Nicaraguan, viewed by many as next great fighter from that country, has been tipped as a world champion since he was just a teenager.
It was about 4 years ago that hardcore fans began to hear about a Nicaraguan wonder kid who had the natural tools to go a long, long way. Of course some kids fail to ever reach their potential but Buitrago built on his excellent skills and has shown, in a number of fights, that he can do almost anything.
Unlike many South American's Buitrago has built his style on fundamental building blocks. This has seen him developing an excellent jab, a great straight and wonderful movement. Sure he has been showing it against mostly limited opponents but the fact that he has those tools in his locker is invaluable at the world level.
Although Buitrago is well known it's odd that the champion really isn't. In fact prior to this year almost nobody in the sport was talking about Merlito Sabillo, who has now become one of real dangermen at 105lbs.
Sabillo first popped on to the world stage courtesy of a stunning stoppage over Luis De La Rosa in Colombia back in March. This victory over De La Rosa, an all out war, saw Sabillo claiming the WBO interim world title that was later upgraded to the regular title when Moises Fuentes moved up to the Light Flyweight division.
Sabillo is a bit more of a warrior than Buitrago, in fact he was apparently spotted having street fights prior to becoming a professional boxer. He looks tough, he looks strong and although his record doesn't indicate it he does hit hard, as shown by the fact he has stopped his last 5 opponents.
It's this growing power and belief in Sabillo that makes me favour him by stoppage over the Nicaraguan visitor. In terms of pure boxing skills Buitrago is better but something makes me think that Sabillo's "street fighter" heart will come out and he'll eventually get close and break Buitrago down in the later rounds of an absolute classic.
Prediction-Sabillo TKO11
Sergey Kovalev v Ismayl Sillakh
If we think about fighters who have emerged from obscurity this year few rival the destructive Sergey Kovalev (22-0-1, 20). Kovalev, who a year ago was fighting the likes of Lionell Thompson ad Darnell Boone. is now the WBO Light Heavyweight champion and a man that fans feel the need to watch.
The destructive Kovalev has had a career defining year in 2013 defeating the highly regarded Gabriel Campillo in 3 rounds, the world ranked Cornelius White, also in 3 rounds, and the then WBO world champion in 4 rounds. Although he has only been in 10 rounds of action through the whole year he left a pile of bodies in his wake and none are ever likely to be the same fighter they once were.
What Kovalev does so well is he destroys whilst doing the basics well. He's not the reckless force of nature like Srisaket Sor Rungvisai but is a calm and controlled wrecking ball who uses a high work rate, lots of sharp straight shots and a grinding mentality. He seems to know that whilst no single show may take an opponent out cold his sheer work rate will break them mentally and physically, as shown against Cleverly who was a broken man after just 3 rounds.
What Kovalev also has, as well as his work rate and heavy hands, is the mentality that even if he takes one he'll have the opponent backing up taking the power off the shot anyway. No one wants a tear up with this guy and with good reason, he's a monster!
Whilst Kovalev has gone from total obscurity to world champion in the space of two years his challenger, Ismayl Sillakh (21-1, 17), has gone from a promising fighter to who?
Sillakh was once viewed as a superstar in the making with flair, a fun to watch style and similarities to Roy Jones Jr. Unfortunately a set back loss to Denis Grachev last year took all his momentum and left many wondering whether or not he had the chin to go up to the next level. He had the skills, and power for sure but if a fighter hasn't got the ability to take a punch then they will always have question marks over their head.
Whilst Sillakh has bounced back from the loss to Grachev with with 4 victories, including 3 by stoppage, they have been against very weak opponents and the step up from them to Kovalev is a massive step up. A step up that I can't see Sillakh making at this point in time.
Although certainly dangerous I have a feeling that Sillakh will walk on to a bomb at some point and Kovalev, one of the best finishers in the game, will turn it up forcing the referee to save Sillakh. And by that I aren;t using Howard Foster's definition of saving a fighter, if Sillakh is allowed to continue whilst hurt he will almost certainly end up in hospital due to Kovalev's destructiveness.
Prediction-Kovalev TKO5
The destructive Kovalev has had a career defining year in 2013 defeating the highly regarded Gabriel Campillo in 3 rounds, the world ranked Cornelius White, also in 3 rounds, and the then WBO world champion in 4 rounds. Although he has only been in 10 rounds of action through the whole year he left a pile of bodies in his wake and none are ever likely to be the same fighter they once were.
What Kovalev does so well is he destroys whilst doing the basics well. He's not the reckless force of nature like Srisaket Sor Rungvisai but is a calm and controlled wrecking ball who uses a high work rate, lots of sharp straight shots and a grinding mentality. He seems to know that whilst no single show may take an opponent out cold his sheer work rate will break them mentally and physically, as shown against Cleverly who was a broken man after just 3 rounds.
What Kovalev also has, as well as his work rate and heavy hands, is the mentality that even if he takes one he'll have the opponent backing up taking the power off the shot anyway. No one wants a tear up with this guy and with good reason, he's a monster!
Whilst Kovalev has gone from total obscurity to world champion in the space of two years his challenger, Ismayl Sillakh (21-1, 17), has gone from a promising fighter to who?
Sillakh was once viewed as a superstar in the making with flair, a fun to watch style and similarities to Roy Jones Jr. Unfortunately a set back loss to Denis Grachev last year took all his momentum and left many wondering whether or not he had the chin to go up to the next level. He had the skills, and power for sure but if a fighter hasn't got the ability to take a punch then they will always have question marks over their head.
Whilst Sillakh has bounced back from the loss to Grachev with with 4 victories, including 3 by stoppage, they have been against very weak opponents and the step up from them to Kovalev is a massive step up. A step up that I can't see Sillakh making at this point in time.
Although certainly dangerous I have a feeling that Sillakh will walk on to a bomb at some point and Kovalev, one of the best finishers in the game, will turn it up forcing the referee to save Sillakh. And by that I aren;t using Howard Foster's definition of saving a fighter, if Sillakh is allowed to continue whilst hurt he will almost certainly end up in hospital due to Kovalev's destructiveness.
Prediction-Kovalev TKO5
Wednesday 27 November 2013
Adonis Stevenson v Tony Bellew
Right now British boxing is clearly under a dark cloud due to the controversial ending to the recent Carl Froch/George Groves bout that ended with one of the worst stoppages of the year. It's unlikely that British boxing will immediately recover but one man attempting to re-affirm how good it can be is Scouser Tony Bellew (20-1-1, 12) who this week travels to Canada and battles Canadian based Haitian Adonis Stevenson (22-1, 19) for the WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight titles.
Bellew, who was once regarded as a big puncher himself, will be fighting in his second world title fight after fighting to a majority decision loss to Welshman Nathan Cleverly a little over 2 years ago. Since that loss Bellew has been a man who has been fighting for a second world title opportunity and has been through Danny McIntosh, Edison Miranda, Roberto Feliciano Bolonti and Isaac Chilemba, who he has also drawn against.
In his first first 15 fights Bellew had scored 10 stoppages and seemed to have belief in his power. Once suggesting that if he connects on anyone in the division he'd destroy them. Since then however he has managed 2 stoppages in 7 fights proving that his belief in his own power is very much over-stated and in all honesty his nickname of "Bomber" seems less apt after ever fight.
As well as the over-rated power Bellew also appears to have a some what shaky chin having been down against the likes of Bob Ajisafe and Ovill McKenzie. Of course those fights were 3 years ago but it still needs to be a worry to the Brit, especially when you consider who he is facing.
Those flaws of Bellew has forced him to use his boxing skills and although he's no longer taking people out he is showing some great in-ring traits such as using his jab properly, controlling the distance well with his fantastic reach and showing a lot more maturity from the man who had a large mouth early in his career. Unfortunately however that mature head can blow and he can do some very stupid things, as he did several times in the first bout with Chilemba. When he keeps his cool he's a threat to anybody but when frustrated he's only a threat to himself.
Unfortunately for Bellew he's up against one of the most destructive men in world boxing. Adonis "Superman" Stevenson is one of those rare fighters blesesd with fight changing power in both hands, a jab feels like a straight and a straight feels like a ramrod. What's makes things worse for his opponents is that he's added more and more boxing to his game.
As shown in Stevenson's victory over Tavoris Cloud he can box as well as bang and his movement, shot selection and over-all gameplan is very much that of a world level fighter. When you have Stevenson's power it can be easy to ignore the basics but thankfully for Stevenson he was built up by the late Manny Steward and those boxing fundamentals have started to be utilised to their best.
Going in to this fight we can actually have two things. We could have a boxing contest, which would give Bellew a slight chance as long as he starts faster than Stevenson, or we could have a tear up. I'd imagine the fight will start with a bit of boxing, both men trying to establish their jabs. The one who can't get the jab going will be the first to change their plan and this will likely determine the next 2 or 3 rounds. Unfortunately however it's only a matter of time before Stevenson connects with a straight that sends Bellew crumpling to the canvas.
I imagine the heart of Bellew will help him to his feet but he'll only get tagged again until the referee has seen enough. The stoppage will be legit but yet Bellew will try to make out that he was fine and rather than taking the defeat graciously I think we may see the immaturity come out in the end and further the dark cloud over British boxing after putting up a brave effort.
Prediction-Stevenson TKO6
Bellew, who was once regarded as a big puncher himself, will be fighting in his second world title fight after fighting to a majority decision loss to Welshman Nathan Cleverly a little over 2 years ago. Since that loss Bellew has been a man who has been fighting for a second world title opportunity and has been through Danny McIntosh, Edison Miranda, Roberto Feliciano Bolonti and Isaac Chilemba, who he has also drawn against.
In his first first 15 fights Bellew had scored 10 stoppages and seemed to have belief in his power. Once suggesting that if he connects on anyone in the division he'd destroy them. Since then however he has managed 2 stoppages in 7 fights proving that his belief in his own power is very much over-stated and in all honesty his nickname of "Bomber" seems less apt after ever fight.
As well as the over-rated power Bellew also appears to have a some what shaky chin having been down against the likes of Bob Ajisafe and Ovill McKenzie. Of course those fights were 3 years ago but it still needs to be a worry to the Brit, especially when you consider who he is facing.
Those flaws of Bellew has forced him to use his boxing skills and although he's no longer taking people out he is showing some great in-ring traits such as using his jab properly, controlling the distance well with his fantastic reach and showing a lot more maturity from the man who had a large mouth early in his career. Unfortunately however that mature head can blow and he can do some very stupid things, as he did several times in the first bout with Chilemba. When he keeps his cool he's a threat to anybody but when frustrated he's only a threat to himself.
Unfortunately for Bellew he's up against one of the most destructive men in world boxing. Adonis "Superman" Stevenson is one of those rare fighters blesesd with fight changing power in both hands, a jab feels like a straight and a straight feels like a ramrod. What's makes things worse for his opponents is that he's added more and more boxing to his game.
As shown in Stevenson's victory over Tavoris Cloud he can box as well as bang and his movement, shot selection and over-all gameplan is very much that of a world level fighter. When you have Stevenson's power it can be easy to ignore the basics but thankfully for Stevenson he was built up by the late Manny Steward and those boxing fundamentals have started to be utilised to their best.
Going in to this fight we can actually have two things. We could have a boxing contest, which would give Bellew a slight chance as long as he starts faster than Stevenson, or we could have a tear up. I'd imagine the fight will start with a bit of boxing, both men trying to establish their jabs. The one who can't get the jab going will be the first to change their plan and this will likely determine the next 2 or 3 rounds. Unfortunately however it's only a matter of time before Stevenson connects with a straight that sends Bellew crumpling to the canvas.
I imagine the heart of Bellew will help him to his feet but he'll only get tagged again until the referee has seen enough. The stoppage will be legit but yet Bellew will try to make out that he was fine and rather than taking the defeat graciously I think we may see the immaturity come out in the end and further the dark cloud over British boxing after putting up a brave effort.
Prediction-Stevenson TKO6
Koki Eto v Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep
Whilst Asia is often viewed as being under-the-radar by boxing fans a number of Asian fights do seem to be able to become success courtesy of things like Youtube and various video sharers. One such fight was that of Koki Eto (14-2-1, 10) and Kompayak Porpramook from earlier this year. That contest, for the WBA interim Flyweight title was one of this years best fights and deserves to be considered on any FOTY list come the end of December.
Eto returns to Thailand, where that bout took place, as he takes on another Thai opponent Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep (32-2, 19) a man some fans may know better as Yodmongol CP Freshmart.
So far in Eto's career he has been the only one of three brothers to compete on the world stage. It was fair to say prior to his bout with Kompayak I didn't think he had what it took to defeat the Thai war machine but yet he out fought Kompayak in a thriller. What he proved there however was that he was a monster with solid fundamentals, when he needed them, a warriors mentality and engine like very others. He took it to Kompayak from the opening round and slowly ground down and beat the spirit out of Kompayak who was dropped in the final round, and would have been stopped had he not been at home or had his reputation for being a warrior.
With his victory over Kompayak, Eto created history due to the fact he was the first ever Japanese man to win a world title fight on Thailand. Unlike many fighters from Japan who had gone over to Thailand he seemed very happy in the conditions which are very unique. The thing about Thailand is that fights are held out door, in the middle of the day and often with searing heat. These conditions clearly favour the Thai's who are used to them but really don't do favours for foreigners going to fights over there.
When it comes to Yodmongkol he's a fighter than many who follow the Thai scene will have seen but nothing really stands out about him in terms of what he does in the ring. That's not a bad thing but he just seems like a very standard fighter, despite looking slightly more technically proficient than a number of other Thai's. He has nice enough hand speed but nothing amazing.
What Yodmongkol however does have is real confidence. He is on a 28 fight winning streak and although his level of competition has been average at best he is a fighter who will be used to the Thai conditions and a man fighting for the honour of Thailand, and his stablemate Kompayak (another of the CP Freshmart fighters).
Although I imagine Yodmongkol will show a lot of desire to win I can't help but think that Eto will manage to break him down. The only reason Kompayak wasn't stopped is that he's a tough, tough man and I don't think Yodmongkol has that same toughness either physically or mentally to withstand the Eto assault for 12 rounds.
Prediction-Eto TKO 9
Eto returns to Thailand, where that bout took place, as he takes on another Thai opponent Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep (32-2, 19) a man some fans may know better as Yodmongol CP Freshmart.
So far in Eto's career he has been the only one of three brothers to compete on the world stage. It was fair to say prior to his bout with Kompayak I didn't think he had what it took to defeat the Thai war machine but yet he out fought Kompayak in a thriller. What he proved there however was that he was a monster with solid fundamentals, when he needed them, a warriors mentality and engine like very others. He took it to Kompayak from the opening round and slowly ground down and beat the spirit out of Kompayak who was dropped in the final round, and would have been stopped had he not been at home or had his reputation for being a warrior.
With his victory over Kompayak, Eto created history due to the fact he was the first ever Japanese man to win a world title fight on Thailand. Unlike many fighters from Japan who had gone over to Thailand he seemed very happy in the conditions which are very unique. The thing about Thailand is that fights are held out door, in the middle of the day and often with searing heat. These conditions clearly favour the Thai's who are used to them but really don't do favours for foreigners going to fights over there.
When it comes to Yodmongkol he's a fighter than many who follow the Thai scene will have seen but nothing really stands out about him in terms of what he does in the ring. That's not a bad thing but he just seems like a very standard fighter, despite looking slightly more technically proficient than a number of other Thai's. He has nice enough hand speed but nothing amazing.
What Yodmongkol however does have is real confidence. He is on a 28 fight winning streak and although his level of competition has been average at best he is a fighter who will be used to the Thai conditions and a man fighting for the honour of Thailand, and his stablemate Kompayak (another of the CP Freshmart fighters).
Although I imagine Yodmongkol will show a lot of desire to win I can't help but think that Eto will manage to break him down. The only reason Kompayak wasn't stopped is that he's a tough, tough man and I don't think Yodmongkol has that same toughness either physically or mentally to withstand the Eto assault for 12 rounds.
Prediction-Eto TKO 9
Saturday 23 November 2013
Scott Quigg v Diego Oscar Silva
Some world title fights can look good on paper though be awful in the ring. This weekend looks almost certain to have one such fight as WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (26-0-2, 19) defends his title against Argentinian Diego Oscar Silva (29-2-4, 15). On paper it looks fine, in reality however I expect this to be the equivalent of a massacre.
Quigg, although less than impressive last time out when he scored a draw with Cuban Yoandris Salinas, is a fighter with genuine potential. He hit hard, he has an excellent engine and is developing into one of the sports best body punchers. Sure he can be made to look somewhat limited technically and he can be hurt but he's solid enough all round to be a world level fighter.
In Silva however we have a C rate challenger and one who was proven to be a poor challenger at Bantamweight, never mind Super Bantamweight.
Silva's career, which began way back in 2004, has been like many "decent" South Americans. He has been able to pile up numerous victories on the domestic scheme with several coming against the same fighters such as Carlos Gustavo Palacios and Diego Miguel Ramirez. In fact Silva's only fight against a "known" quality came in 2009 when he was stopped by Fernando Montiel.
Whilst it's fair to say that Quigg has never beaten someone of Montiel's class it's also fair to say that Quigg is better than anyone else that Silva has faced. That will be shown up here as the Brit stops Silva around the mid-way point.
Prediction-Quigg TKO 5
Quigg, although less than impressive last time out when he scored a draw with Cuban Yoandris Salinas, is a fighter with genuine potential. He hit hard, he has an excellent engine and is developing into one of the sports best body punchers. Sure he can be made to look somewhat limited technically and he can be hurt but he's solid enough all round to be a world level fighter.
In Silva however we have a C rate challenger and one who was proven to be a poor challenger at Bantamweight, never mind Super Bantamweight.
Silva's career, which began way back in 2004, has been like many "decent" South Americans. He has been able to pile up numerous victories on the domestic scheme with several coming against the same fighters such as Carlos Gustavo Palacios and Diego Miguel Ramirez. In fact Silva's only fight against a "known" quality came in 2009 when he was stopped by Fernando Montiel.
Whilst it's fair to say that Quigg has never beaten someone of Montiel's class it's also fair to say that Quigg is better than anyone else that Silva has faced. That will be shown up here as the Brit stops Silva around the mid-way point.
Prediction-Quigg TKO 5
Thursday 21 November 2013
Carl Froch v George Groves
The Super Middleweight division is one that Britain has typically fared really well in with the likes of Joe Calzaghe, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Robin Reid and Richie Woodhall amongst others. Despite the memorable names what really stands out were the all-British fights such as the battles between Benn, Eubank and the tragic Michael Watson.
This weekend promises another of those classic all-British Super Middleweight world title fights as the 36 year old Carl Froch (31-2, 22) fights the unbeaten George Groves (19-0, 15) in what will be Groves' first fight at the world level.
The fact this is Groves' first world title fight is a major point to me. Although obviously talented Groves is taking a massive step up in class moving from fighting the likes of Noe Gonzalez Alcoba and Baker Barakat, his last two opponents, to facing the likes of Froch. Yes they were effectively stay busy fights for Groves but Froch is by far the best fighter Groves has ever fought as a professional.
What Groves does have going for him is youth, he's only 25, speed and almost certainly better movement. Though when you're toughest fights are against James DeGale and Kevin Anderson it's fair to say that you've not really had the developmental fights to prepare you for a world level bout. I think this is crucial matter. Groves never went up against fringe level fighters such as Maxim Vlasov, Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna or even someone like Dimitri Sartison and this could bite him on the backside.
The problem regarding Groves' "level" is that we've seen him hurt, cut and knocked down in the bouts he's already been involved in. Although he's come through the scares the fact he was in those struggles is a worry.
Another problem for Groves is that he has left long term trainer Adam Smith in recent weeks. Whilst this might not directly cause him problems it will certainly have been a distraction and something that could see Groves' attention not being on Froch.
With Groves not being a proven world level fighter it's fair to say that's not something that can be said about Froch. "The Cobra", as he is known, has fought in 10 successive world title bouts dating back to 2008 and met the very best in his division such as Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler. That sort of experience is invaluable and despite being 36 Froch has that proven ability to operate at the top.
Although experienced Froch does have some issues himself. He is defensively suspect, his speed isn't as good as it once was and he does have miles on the clock. You don't fight 24 rounds with Mikkel Kessler with out taking some serious damage in return. Saying that however Froch has always proven to be very tough bother physically and mentally and although he may take a few shots he rarely seems to be really hurt.
As well as the experience and the toughness I also tend to think that Froch is the bigger puncher. Neither has proven to be genuinely destructive at this level, though Froch has stopped Lucien Bute which is better than Groves stopping the likes of Paul Smith (who lets be honest isn't even the best in his own family).
I don't want to sound like I'm trivialising the challenge of Groves but I honestly feel he won't trouble Froch. He'll try to outbox Froch for a round or two though by the third Froch will be walking him down and connecting with his own shots slowly but surely knocking lumps out of Groves' confidence and stopping him around the 8th round as Groves' lack of world class competition gets shown up to be the difference.
This'll be fun, but it won't be the classic we're all hoping for.
Prediction-Froch TKO8
This weekend promises another of those classic all-British Super Middleweight world title fights as the 36 year old Carl Froch (31-2, 22) fights the unbeaten George Groves (19-0, 15) in what will be Groves' first fight at the world level.
The fact this is Groves' first world title fight is a major point to me. Although obviously talented Groves is taking a massive step up in class moving from fighting the likes of Noe Gonzalez Alcoba and Baker Barakat, his last two opponents, to facing the likes of Froch. Yes they were effectively stay busy fights for Groves but Froch is by far the best fighter Groves has ever fought as a professional.
What Groves does have going for him is youth, he's only 25, speed and almost certainly better movement. Though when you're toughest fights are against James DeGale and Kevin Anderson it's fair to say that you've not really had the developmental fights to prepare you for a world level bout. I think this is crucial matter. Groves never went up against fringe level fighters such as Maxim Vlasov, Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna or even someone like Dimitri Sartison and this could bite him on the backside.
The problem regarding Groves' "level" is that we've seen him hurt, cut and knocked down in the bouts he's already been involved in. Although he's come through the scares the fact he was in those struggles is a worry.
Another problem for Groves is that he has left long term trainer Adam Smith in recent weeks. Whilst this might not directly cause him problems it will certainly have been a distraction and something that could see Groves' attention not being on Froch.
With Groves not being a proven world level fighter it's fair to say that's not something that can be said about Froch. "The Cobra", as he is known, has fought in 10 successive world title bouts dating back to 2008 and met the very best in his division such as Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler. That sort of experience is invaluable and despite being 36 Froch has that proven ability to operate at the top.
Although experienced Froch does have some issues himself. He is defensively suspect, his speed isn't as good as it once was and he does have miles on the clock. You don't fight 24 rounds with Mikkel Kessler with out taking some serious damage in return. Saying that however Froch has always proven to be very tough bother physically and mentally and although he may take a few shots he rarely seems to be really hurt.
As well as the experience and the toughness I also tend to think that Froch is the bigger puncher. Neither has proven to be genuinely destructive at this level, though Froch has stopped Lucien Bute which is better than Groves stopping the likes of Paul Smith (who lets be honest isn't even the best in his own family).
I don't want to sound like I'm trivialising the challenge of Groves but I honestly feel he won't trouble Froch. He'll try to outbox Froch for a round or two though by the third Froch will be walking him down and connecting with his own shots slowly but surely knocking lumps out of Groves' confidence and stopping him around the 8th round as Groves' lack of world class competition gets shown up to be the difference.
This'll be fun, but it won't be the classic we're all hoping for.
Prediction-Froch TKO8
Evgeny Gradovich v Billy Dib II
Earlier this year Russian Evgeny Gradovich (17-0, 8) announced himself on to the world stage by claiming the IBF Featherweight title courtesy of a decision over Australia's Billy Dib (36-2-0-1, 21). That bout, way back in March, wasn't a particularly fun to watch fight but it did see the massively over-hyped Dib losing his claim of being a "world champion".
Just over 8 months after their first meeting the two men collide in a rematch as one of the chief support bouts to the mouth watering clash between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios. Whilst it may be boxing's equivalent to an appetiser I can't help but feel that this is a second serving I don't much want.
Since their first meeting Gradovich has seemingly become a better fighter. Sure he's not a shadow in the ring, but he's growing in confidence and experience fighter after fight. At the moment there is still some way to progress though he's still a 100 punch a round fighter who looks to beat up, grind down and defeat foes with constant work-rate and pressure.
If there is a clear issue with Gradovich it could be that he lacks fight ending power, and as a result his own physical demise may come quicker, though so far he has appeared sturdy and the sort of fighter who will give anyone headaches. In fact I'd go as far as to say that Gradovich is the type of guy who will give opponents cluster headaches due to sheer volume.
Whilst I feel Gradovich is improving I also feel the reverse is true when it comes to Dib. The once promising Australian really seems to have gone backwards since the first meeting with Gradovich. What was once a promising skilled fighter now appears to be a crude spoiler with little in terms of power, true boxing skills and although he still possesses some speed he's not looking world class.
Unfortunately for Dib he seems to have been a man who believed in his own hype. Now fighting after the loss to Gradovich he seems to be a man lacking either the confidence to be world class or the fire to compete at the top level. Whatever it is it's going to effect him again here and what should be a tale of revenge will just be a further step backwards for Dib.
With Gradovich lacking world class power I just see this being a bit of a 1-sided but messy decision for the "Russian Mexican" who will likely be hoping this is the last he has to do with Dib who is a frustration to many, including myself.
Prediction-Gradovich UD12
Just over 8 months after their first meeting the two men collide in a rematch as one of the chief support bouts to the mouth watering clash between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios. Whilst it may be boxing's equivalent to an appetiser I can't help but feel that this is a second serving I don't much want.
Since their first meeting Gradovich has seemingly become a better fighter. Sure he's not a shadow in the ring, but he's growing in confidence and experience fighter after fight. At the moment there is still some way to progress though he's still a 100 punch a round fighter who looks to beat up, grind down and defeat foes with constant work-rate and pressure.
If there is a clear issue with Gradovich it could be that he lacks fight ending power, and as a result his own physical demise may come quicker, though so far he has appeared sturdy and the sort of fighter who will give anyone headaches. In fact I'd go as far as to say that Gradovich is the type of guy who will give opponents cluster headaches due to sheer volume.
Whilst I feel Gradovich is improving I also feel the reverse is true when it comes to Dib. The once promising Australian really seems to have gone backwards since the first meeting with Gradovich. What was once a promising skilled fighter now appears to be a crude spoiler with little in terms of power, true boxing skills and although he still possesses some speed he's not looking world class.
Unfortunately for Dib he seems to have been a man who believed in his own hype. Now fighting after the loss to Gradovich he seems to be a man lacking either the confidence to be world class or the fire to compete at the top level. Whatever it is it's going to effect him again here and what should be a tale of revenge will just be a further step backwards for Dib.
With Gradovich lacking world class power I just see this being a bit of a 1-sided but messy decision for the "Russian Mexican" who will likely be hoping this is the last he has to do with Dib who is a frustration to many, including myself.
Prediction-Gradovich UD12
Wednesday 20 November 2013
Yoan Pablo Hernandez v Alexander Alekseev
Although the Cruiserweight division will always be the "bastard division" of boxing it has, in recent years, been one of the most exciting with major bouts and hardcore action on a regular basis. We expect that to continue this coming weekend as Cuban Yoan Pablo Hernandez (27-1, 13) defends his IBF Cruiserweight title for the third time.
Hernandez, the Ring magazine and IBF champion is a man who is widely regarded as one of the truly elite Cruiserweights. A giant in division at 6'4" with genuine knockdown power, solid speed, devastating reach and very impressive skills he does look like the real deal at times. Unfortunately for all the strengths that Hernandez has he does have a number of issues. Notably his finishing skills are less than average, his work rate can be very poor, his mental strength is questionable, his chin is suspect and most worryingly he has been inactive.
At his best Hernandez would genuinely hold his own with any of the other top Cruiserweights such as Marco Huck, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk or Ola Afolabi. At his worst however he'd struggle with any of the top 10-15 Cruiserweights, as shown last time out when he was very, very fortunate to defeat Troy Toss.
That's the problem with Hernandez. He's skilled but can be discouraged and is very much a flat track bully who can't seem to be able to dominate against an opponent willing to take a shot and fight back.
Hernandez's challenger this time around is Russian power puncher Alexander Alekseev (24-2-1, 20) who was thought of as a nailed on future champion when he turned professional back in 2006. Unfortunately Alexseev has similar mental traits to Hernandez. Although a very different fighter Alexseev is another who is a bit of a bully in the ring and doesn't seem to have the mental toughness to back up his impressive talent.
At his best Alekseev is somewhat a Wladimir Klitschko style fighter with solid and powerful straight punches. His jab and straight are both excellent, powerful, fast and fluid. Unfortunately when fighters get inside he seems to really struggle and this was certainly shown against Firat Arslan.
What Alexeev needs to be concerned about here isn't so much the inside action but his chin. If Hernandez tags him clean on it we could well see a very early ending here.
With the ring rust of Hernandez, who has been out of the ring for more than a year, I do give Alexeev a chance, though in all honesty it's half a chance. Unfortunately for the Russian I cant see him standing up through Hernandez's fire power for 12 rounds and after Hernandez shakes some of the rust I see him stopping Alekseev.
Prediction-Hernandez TKO5
Hernandez, the Ring magazine and IBF champion is a man who is widely regarded as one of the truly elite Cruiserweights. A giant in division at 6'4" with genuine knockdown power, solid speed, devastating reach and very impressive skills he does look like the real deal at times. Unfortunately for all the strengths that Hernandez has he does have a number of issues. Notably his finishing skills are less than average, his work rate can be very poor, his mental strength is questionable, his chin is suspect and most worryingly he has been inactive.
At his best Hernandez would genuinely hold his own with any of the other top Cruiserweights such as Marco Huck, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk or Ola Afolabi. At his worst however he'd struggle with any of the top 10-15 Cruiserweights, as shown last time out when he was very, very fortunate to defeat Troy Toss.
That's the problem with Hernandez. He's skilled but can be discouraged and is very much a flat track bully who can't seem to be able to dominate against an opponent willing to take a shot and fight back.
Hernandez's challenger this time around is Russian power puncher Alexander Alekseev (24-2-1, 20) who was thought of as a nailed on future champion when he turned professional back in 2006. Unfortunately Alexseev has similar mental traits to Hernandez. Although a very different fighter Alexseev is another who is a bit of a bully in the ring and doesn't seem to have the mental toughness to back up his impressive talent.
At his best Alekseev is somewhat a Wladimir Klitschko style fighter with solid and powerful straight punches. His jab and straight are both excellent, powerful, fast and fluid. Unfortunately when fighters get inside he seems to really struggle and this was certainly shown against Firat Arslan.
What Alexeev needs to be concerned about here isn't so much the inside action but his chin. If Hernandez tags him clean on it we could well see a very early ending here.
With the ring rust of Hernandez, who has been out of the ring for more than a year, I do give Alexeev a chance, though in all honesty it's half a chance. Unfortunately for the Russian I cant see him standing up through Hernandez's fire power for 12 rounds and after Hernandez shakes some of the rust I see him stopping Alekseev.
Prediction-Hernandez TKO5
Monday 18 November 2013
Koki Kameda v Jung-Oh Son
WBA Bantamweight champion Koki Kameda (31-1, 17) may be a man disliked by many and ignored by many more but he is widely regarded as a genuinely top tier Bantamweight and a fighter who has the ability to prove that, occasionally. This week however Koki looks to continue his typical career pattern of fighting C-grade challengers as he travels to Korea to fight Korea's very own Jung-Oh Son (20-4-2, 6).
Kameda, a talented, though somewhat over-rated fighter with a very high view of himself is solid. He's not amazing but he's skilled, has nice handspeed, good movement, decent stamina and whilst he lacks power he does tend to to be able to land crisp and clean shots. This set of traits has seen Kameda claiming world titles at Light Flyweight, Flyweight and Bantamweight to become the first, and so far only, 3-weight world champion from Japan.
Unfortunately for Koki his power will limit his potential to claim a world title at a weight higher though he certainly has the potential to move down to Super Flyweight in the future.
Despite Koki's lack of power at 118lbs he should have more than enough to defeat the light hitting Korean challenger who at best is limited.
Dubbed the "Hurricane" Son is a hard working fighter though unfortunately lacks the power to get the job done anywhere near this level.
Son may be able to give Koki some problem's early on with a quick start but by the midway point he'll be out worked, out hit and out classed as Koki takes over and dominates the mid and later rounds, possibly even dropping the out classed Son late in the bout.
Prediction-Koki UD12
Kameda, a talented, though somewhat over-rated fighter with a very high view of himself is solid. He's not amazing but he's skilled, has nice handspeed, good movement, decent stamina and whilst he lacks power he does tend to to be able to land crisp and clean shots. This set of traits has seen Kameda claiming world titles at Light Flyweight, Flyweight and Bantamweight to become the first, and so far only, 3-weight world champion from Japan.
Unfortunately for Koki his power will limit his potential to claim a world title at a weight higher though he certainly has the potential to move down to Super Flyweight in the future.
Despite Koki's lack of power at 118lbs he should have more than enough to defeat the light hitting Korean challenger who at best is limited.
Dubbed the "Hurricane" Son is a hard working fighter though unfortunately lacks the power to get the job done anywhere near this level.
Son may be able to give Koki some problem's early on with a quick start but by the midway point he'll be out worked, out hit and out classed as Koki takes over and dominates the mid and later rounds, possibly even dropping the out classed Son late in the bout.
Prediction-Koki UD12
Friday 15 November 2013
Andre Ward v Edwin Rodriguez
Although Floyd Mayweather Jr is widely regarded as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet many feel that his apparent heir to the throne is Andre Ward (26-0, 14). Ward, the #1 guy at Super Middleweight and the current WBA "super" champion, will look to show why he is so highly regarded this weekend as he returns from a very long lay off caused by injury.
Ward, defending the WBA title for the sixth time since taking it from Mikkel Kessler, will be fellow unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez (24-0, 16) a man who will be fighting in his first world title fight and his first fight against a world class fighter.
Although he has been inactive Ward is widely regarded as one of the world's most complete fighters. He has skills, defense, speed, better power than his record would indicate and the ability the really do it all. He can box with the best of them, he can trade inside when he needs to and although he's not a bang he hits cleanly enough to keep everyone honest. He really is, like him or not, a very complete boxer.
Whilst Ward is a complete fighter Rodriguez has his flaws, though on his flip-side he does his extra strengths. The key advantage Rodriguez has is that he's explosive puncher when he lets his hands go. That's not to say he's a monster puncher but his stoppage last time out over Denis Grachev was thoroughly impressive taking less than a round to take out the Russian.
At his best Rodriguez could be a nightmare for many contenders. His power, speed and offensive style will pose headaches to fighters. At his worst however he's frustrating and his fight with Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna showed as much as the two men had a very ugly and unmemorable contest.
What Rodriguez really has in his favour here is that Ward has been out of the ring for more than a year. Questions regarding how much ring-rust and how it will effect Ward are certainly there to be answered. If Ward is just a smidge slower than usual then Rodriguez may be able to jump on Ward. Problem is if Ward isn't feeling the effects of the ring rust then this really could be a master-class of a defense from a man willing re-introduce himself to the boxing community in a big way.
Prediction-Ward UD12
Ward, defending the WBA title for the sixth time since taking it from Mikkel Kessler, will be fellow unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez (24-0, 16) a man who will be fighting in his first world title fight and his first fight against a world class fighter.
Although he has been inactive Ward is widely regarded as one of the world's most complete fighters. He has skills, defense, speed, better power than his record would indicate and the ability the really do it all. He can box with the best of them, he can trade inside when he needs to and although he's not a bang he hits cleanly enough to keep everyone honest. He really is, like him or not, a very complete boxer.
Whilst Ward is a complete fighter Rodriguez has his flaws, though on his flip-side he does his extra strengths. The key advantage Rodriguez has is that he's explosive puncher when he lets his hands go. That's not to say he's a monster puncher but his stoppage last time out over Denis Grachev was thoroughly impressive taking less than a round to take out the Russian.
At his best Rodriguez could be a nightmare for many contenders. His power, speed and offensive style will pose headaches to fighters. At his worst however he's frustrating and his fight with Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna showed as much as the two men had a very ugly and unmemorable contest.
What Rodriguez really has in his favour here is that Ward has been out of the ring for more than a year. Questions regarding how much ring-rust and how it will effect Ward are certainly there to be answered. If Ward is just a smidge slower than usual then Rodriguez may be able to jump on Ward. Problem is if Ward isn't feeling the effects of the ring rust then this really could be a master-class of a defense from a man willing re-introduce himself to the boxing community in a big way.
Prediction-Ward UD12
Tuesday 12 November 2013
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai v Hirofumi Mukai
The first world title fight this week is in Thailand as WBC Super
Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (22-3-1, 20) makes the first
defense of a title he won in stunning fashion earlier this year.
Srisaket, who was all but an unknown in April of this year burst on to the scene in a big way back in May when he didn't just beat Yota Sato but totally destroyed him and sending him in to retirement courtesy of a destructive 8th round TKO. Unlike many champions however Srisaket hasn't just sat waiting for a challenger but has instead piled up a trio of none title victories keeping the ring rust off and his bank balance looking moderately healthy in the process.
For his first defense Srisaket will be facing Japanese southpaw Hirofumi Mukai (9-2-1, 1), a man who promised much when he first turned professional back in 2009 though has failed to deliver with losses to Rocky Fuentes and Mark Anthony Geraldo two solid but unspectacular fighters.
Mukai is a pure boxer. He's talented for sure and holds a very notable victory over Sonny Boy Jaro though in all honesty that's his most notable victory and came before his loss to Fuentes and technical draw with Pongsaklek Wonjongkam.
Unfortunately since beating Jaro it's been hard to be impressed by what Mukai has actually achieved. He has gone 4-2-1 since then with his most notable victory following Jaro being a decision over Saenmuangloei Kokietgym.
If we call Mukai a boxer then we need to call Srisaket a bulldozer. The guy is as strong as an ox and when he gets in the ring he is nothing short of destructive with every punch thrown with bad intentions. Against a fighter like Mukai, who was stopped just 2 fights ago, this power is simply going to be too much to handle.
Mukai may last longer here than he did with Geraldo but it's hard to view this as anything more than an easy and quick first defense for a champion who may be very, very hard to dethrone, as long as he can make the weight comfortably enough.
Prediction-Srisaket TKO 4
Srisaket, who was all but an unknown in April of this year burst on to the scene in a big way back in May when he didn't just beat Yota Sato but totally destroyed him and sending him in to retirement courtesy of a destructive 8th round TKO. Unlike many champions however Srisaket hasn't just sat waiting for a challenger but has instead piled up a trio of none title victories keeping the ring rust off and his bank balance looking moderately healthy in the process.
For his first defense Srisaket will be facing Japanese southpaw Hirofumi Mukai (9-2-1, 1), a man who promised much when he first turned professional back in 2009 though has failed to deliver with losses to Rocky Fuentes and Mark Anthony Geraldo two solid but unspectacular fighters.
Mukai is a pure boxer. He's talented for sure and holds a very notable victory over Sonny Boy Jaro though in all honesty that's his most notable victory and came before his loss to Fuentes and technical draw with Pongsaklek Wonjongkam.
Unfortunately since beating Jaro it's been hard to be impressed by what Mukai has actually achieved. He has gone 4-2-1 since then with his most notable victory following Jaro being a decision over Saenmuangloei Kokietgym.
If we call Mukai a boxer then we need to call Srisaket a bulldozer. The guy is as strong as an ox and when he gets in the ring he is nothing short of destructive with every punch thrown with bad intentions. Against a fighter like Mukai, who was stopped just 2 fights ago, this power is simply going to be too much to handle.
Mukai may last longer here than he did with Geraldo but it's hard to view this as anything more than an easy and quick first defense for a champion who may be very, very hard to dethrone, as long as he can make the weight comfortably enough.
Prediction-Srisaket TKO 4
Saturday 9 November 2013
Shinsuke Yamanaka v Alberto Guevara
Whilst we have several world title fights on Saturday across the world it's also worth remembering that this weekend also has a world title fight on Sunday as the attention of the hardcore boxing world turns to Japan.
Although originally the Teiken promoted super-card at the Kokugikan in Tokyo was supposed to have two world title fights the pull out of Cuban Abril has left us with just one as the popular Shinsuke Yamanaka (19-0-2, 14) fights the teak tough Alberto Guevara (18-1, 6) in a defense of the WBC Bantamweight title.
Yamanaka has become one of Japan's most notable boxers of the last few years due to a series of high quality wins. Like Toshiaki Nishioka before him Yamanaka has become of the of the Japanese fighters who has been facing notable opponents that are known by international fans. Not only as Yamanaka beaten fellow Asian's such Malcolm Tunacao but also international opponents such as Vic Darchinyan, Tomas Rojas, Christian Esquivel and Jose Nieves.
The key to Yamanaka's success is his over-all skill. He can be made to struggle, as he did against Tunacao, Darchinyan and Esquivel, but he refuses to be beaten and when required to go to the well he does it. He combines this refusal to lose with genuine KO power, a tricky southpaw stance, solid boxing fundamentals and very impressive defense for a Japanese fighter.
Although generally happy to box and wait for an opportunity Yamanaka can steamroll opponents when he feels like it, as he did against Nieves. This poses three problems to opponents. Will Yamanaka box their head off, go to war with them in a brawl-as he did with compatriot Ryosuke Iwasa or will he just try to get them out of there as he did with Nieves?
American fans should be aware Guevara who gave the insanely talented Leo Santa Cruz one of his toughest bouts late last year. Against Santa Cruz we saw Guevara move excellently and give Santa Cruz real problems in pinning him down for 5 or 6 rounds. Although lacking genuine power Guevara has developed a style, like Miguel Vazquez, which makes him difficult to punch.
Talented as a counter puncher or as a stick-and-move pure boxer Guevara is a tough test for anyone. He's not the best pure boxer in the division, that's a title certainly held by Anselmo Moreno, but he's well inside the top 10 and he could actually be a better pure boxer than Yamanaka, unlike many of the champions recent opponents.
Although I expect Guevara to really test the Japanese fighter it's difficult to see the upset here. Guevara probably has the toughness to see out the final bell, but not take the decision in what is a very interesting contest.
Prediction-Yamanaka UD12
Although originally the Teiken promoted super-card at the Kokugikan in Tokyo was supposed to have two world title fights the pull out of Cuban Abril has left us with just one as the popular Shinsuke Yamanaka (19-0-2, 14) fights the teak tough Alberto Guevara (18-1, 6) in a defense of the WBC Bantamweight title.
Yamanaka has become one of Japan's most notable boxers of the last few years due to a series of high quality wins. Like Toshiaki Nishioka before him Yamanaka has become of the of the Japanese fighters who has been facing notable opponents that are known by international fans. Not only as Yamanaka beaten fellow Asian's such Malcolm Tunacao but also international opponents such as Vic Darchinyan, Tomas Rojas, Christian Esquivel and Jose Nieves.
The key to Yamanaka's success is his over-all skill. He can be made to struggle, as he did against Tunacao, Darchinyan and Esquivel, but he refuses to be beaten and when required to go to the well he does it. He combines this refusal to lose with genuine KO power, a tricky southpaw stance, solid boxing fundamentals and very impressive defense for a Japanese fighter.
Although generally happy to box and wait for an opportunity Yamanaka can steamroll opponents when he feels like it, as he did against Nieves. This poses three problems to opponents. Will Yamanaka box their head off, go to war with them in a brawl-as he did with compatriot Ryosuke Iwasa or will he just try to get them out of there as he did with Nieves?
American fans should be aware Guevara who gave the insanely talented Leo Santa Cruz one of his toughest bouts late last year. Against Santa Cruz we saw Guevara move excellently and give Santa Cruz real problems in pinning him down for 5 or 6 rounds. Although lacking genuine power Guevara has developed a style, like Miguel Vazquez, which makes him difficult to punch.
Talented as a counter puncher or as a stick-and-move pure boxer Guevara is a tough test for anyone. He's not the best pure boxer in the division, that's a title certainly held by Anselmo Moreno, but he's well inside the top 10 and he could actually be a better pure boxer than Yamanaka, unlike many of the champions recent opponents.
Although I expect Guevara to really test the Japanese fighter it's difficult to see the upset here. Guevara probably has the toughness to see out the final bell, but not take the decision in what is a very interesting contest.
Prediction-Yamanaka UD12
Friday 8 November 2013
Roman Martinez v Mikey Garcia
It's become somewhat popular in recent years to talk about how poor American boxing is. The top fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr, Bernard Hopkins and Andre Ward are known as being somewhat boring despite their talent and for many the excitement is being sapped slowly out of American fighting.
One man who has been able to buck that trend is Mexican-American Mikey Garcia (32-0, 27), a man many are proclaiming as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet despite the fact he is just 25 years old.
What Garcia has done so well this far in his career is combine explosive power with fantastic counter punching and perfect judgement of distance. Garcia doesn't give opponents many opportunities but when he gets even a whiff of a chance to land his potent right hand he makes sure to connect. No one seems to like taking Garcia's lethal power more than once or twice and it's little wonder that he has stopped so many opponents.
This weekend we see Garcia stepping up from the Featherweight division to start his campaign at Super Featherweight. A move up caused by Garcia's inability to make the 126lb Featherweight division comfortably, something that saw him stripped of his WBO title last time out when he defeated Juan Manuel Lopez.
In a somewhat symbolic move Garcia leaves the Featherweight division by defeating a Puerto Rican and begins his journey in the Super Featherweight by facing on a Puerto Rican as he battles WBO Super Featherweight champion Roman Martinez (27-1-2, 16), a man who many feel has been living on borrowed time in recent contests.
Whilst Garcia is a wonderful boxer-puncher it's far to say that Martinez is more of a fighter. The Puerto Rican is flawed though tough, hard working and determined to win. He's not pretty by any stretch of the imagination but he's proven to be very happy to take one to land one. Unfortunately however for Martinez he's now looking somewhat like a "done" fighter and was very fortunate in his last 3 contests as he scored controversial victories over Miguel Beltran Jr and Diego Magdaleno as well a very suspect draw with Juan Carlos Burgos.
Although Martinez has been fortunate in his recent bouts he has been fighting busy fighters. Against Garcia it's fair to say that Martinez is facing a much more measured opponent. Of course Garcia is a more complete boxer than Beltran, Burgos and Magdaleno but if Martinez can take his power this could be a long night for the American youngster.
On the flipside however Martinez has been taking more and more shots. His last 3 bouts in particular were all very hard and those wars do age a fighter, especially when Martinez himself was never a great defensive boxer. If Martinez cannot cut the space off quickly then he will merely be charging on to the hard and heavy shots of Garcia, shots that have explosive and concussive power. If this happens I wouldn't be shocked to see Martinez suffer his first stoppage loss and for Garcia to become a 2-weight world champion.
Prediction-Garcia TKO7
One man who has been able to buck that trend is Mexican-American Mikey Garcia (32-0, 27), a man many are proclaiming as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet despite the fact he is just 25 years old.
What Garcia has done so well this far in his career is combine explosive power with fantastic counter punching and perfect judgement of distance. Garcia doesn't give opponents many opportunities but when he gets even a whiff of a chance to land his potent right hand he makes sure to connect. No one seems to like taking Garcia's lethal power more than once or twice and it's little wonder that he has stopped so many opponents.
This weekend we see Garcia stepping up from the Featherweight division to start his campaign at Super Featherweight. A move up caused by Garcia's inability to make the 126lb Featherweight division comfortably, something that saw him stripped of his WBO title last time out when he defeated Juan Manuel Lopez.
In a somewhat symbolic move Garcia leaves the Featherweight division by defeating a Puerto Rican and begins his journey in the Super Featherweight by facing on a Puerto Rican as he battles WBO Super Featherweight champion Roman Martinez (27-1-2, 16), a man who many feel has been living on borrowed time in recent contests.
Whilst Garcia is a wonderful boxer-puncher it's far to say that Martinez is more of a fighter. The Puerto Rican is flawed though tough, hard working and determined to win. He's not pretty by any stretch of the imagination but he's proven to be very happy to take one to land one. Unfortunately however for Martinez he's now looking somewhat like a "done" fighter and was very fortunate in his last 3 contests as he scored controversial victories over Miguel Beltran Jr and Diego Magdaleno as well a very suspect draw with Juan Carlos Burgos.
Although Martinez has been fortunate in his recent bouts he has been fighting busy fighters. Against Garcia it's fair to say that Martinez is facing a much more measured opponent. Of course Garcia is a more complete boxer than Beltran, Burgos and Magdaleno but if Martinez can take his power this could be a long night for the American youngster.
On the flipside however Martinez has been taking more and more shots. His last 3 bouts in particular were all very hard and those wars do age a fighter, especially when Martinez himself was never a great defensive boxer. If Martinez cannot cut the space off quickly then he will merely be charging on to the hard and heavy shots of Garcia, shots that have explosive and concussive power. If this happens I wouldn't be shocked to see Martinez suffer his first stoppage loss and for Garcia to become a 2-weight world champion.
Prediction-Garcia TKO7
Demetrius Andrade v Vanes Martirosyan
If there is a division that promises a lot right now and seems to only partly deliver it's the Light Middleweight division. In some regards it's one of the best division's in the sport with the name value of Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and the excitement value of James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo .
In other respects however the division is a cesspit. It's given up some of the weakest champions in recent memory, including Cornelius Bundrage and Ishe Smith, some of biggest mismatches such as Canelo v Matthew Hatton, Canelo v Alfonso Gomez and Canelo v Kermit Cintron and some of the biggest disappointments in terms of what we have gotten with the talent available.
Thankfully this weekend we do get a genuinely interesting contest in the division as unbeaten men collide, both of whom have been US Olympians and both of whom have yet to get close to fulfilling the promise they showed early in their career.
In one corner is 2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade (19-0, 13), a former World Amateur champion who has promises a lot though been slow in moving through the ranks. Through his first 19 fights his most notable opponents have been Saul Duran, Grady Brewer and Freddy Hernandez, hardly the resume of a man who was expected to be fast tracked up the rankings.
In the opposite corner is 2004 Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (33-0-1, 21) a man who has been a professional for well over 8 years yet has only faced a handful of opponents of note. Most notably Erislandy Lara, who was unfortunate to only receive a draw with Martirosyan and Kassim Ouma who was on the wrong side of a very hotly debated decision.
It's fair to say that both men have been slow to get to this point, their first world title fight.
In the case if Andrade it is somewhat defensible. The 6'1" southpaw is now just 25, he's taken a bit of time to get to this point but he's young enough to take his time, even if his activity has been poor. At 27 years old however Martirosyan hasn't gotten the same time. His activity has been fine with 34 bouts in a little over 8 years but many of those bouts seemed to be stalling bouts as opposed to progressive contests in his career.
Of the two men Martirosyan is the slightly more proven as a professional. Although he is fortunate to be unbeaten he has scared semi notable victories over Saul Roman, Billy Lyell and Joe Greene. Not murderer's row but certainly no worse than the opponents Andrade has faced. Of the two men however it's Andrade who appears to have the more natural skill-set and the more complete game.
Fast, with long range and a southpaw stance Andrade has the potential to be a nightmare for anyone in the division. He skills still need polishing off somewhat but the potential is there. Martirosyan on the other hand is a fighter who's struck me as nothing better than average. Nothing sticks out about him other than the fact he is possibly not as durable as one would think. He has been dropped by both Saul Roman and Kassim Ouma and whilst they were both solid contender types neither would be classed as a world level puncher (despite Roman's record of 31 KO's in 37 victories).
If anything the fact Andrade has been down before is the biggest worry here. If Andrade goes out to make a statement I honestly don't see Vanes living with him. If Andrade boxes with in himself then a clear decision is on the cards for the man known as "Boo Boo".
Prediction-Andrade TKO8
In other respects however the division is a cesspit. It's given up some of the weakest champions in recent memory, including Cornelius Bundrage and Ishe Smith, some of biggest mismatches such as Canelo v Matthew Hatton, Canelo v Alfonso Gomez and Canelo v Kermit Cintron and some of the biggest disappointments in terms of what we have gotten with the talent available.
Thankfully this weekend we do get a genuinely interesting contest in the division as unbeaten men collide, both of whom have been US Olympians and both of whom have yet to get close to fulfilling the promise they showed early in their career.
In one corner is 2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade (19-0, 13), a former World Amateur champion who has promises a lot though been slow in moving through the ranks. Through his first 19 fights his most notable opponents have been Saul Duran, Grady Brewer and Freddy Hernandez, hardly the resume of a man who was expected to be fast tracked up the rankings.
In the opposite corner is 2004 Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (33-0-1, 21) a man who has been a professional for well over 8 years yet has only faced a handful of opponents of note. Most notably Erislandy Lara, who was unfortunate to only receive a draw with Martirosyan and Kassim Ouma who was on the wrong side of a very hotly debated decision.
It's fair to say that both men have been slow to get to this point, their first world title fight.
In the case if Andrade it is somewhat defensible. The 6'1" southpaw is now just 25, he's taken a bit of time to get to this point but he's young enough to take his time, even if his activity has been poor. At 27 years old however Martirosyan hasn't gotten the same time. His activity has been fine with 34 bouts in a little over 8 years but many of those bouts seemed to be stalling bouts as opposed to progressive contests in his career.
Of the two men Martirosyan is the slightly more proven as a professional. Although he is fortunate to be unbeaten he has scared semi notable victories over Saul Roman, Billy Lyell and Joe Greene. Not murderer's row but certainly no worse than the opponents Andrade has faced. Of the two men however it's Andrade who appears to have the more natural skill-set and the more complete game.
Fast, with long range and a southpaw stance Andrade has the potential to be a nightmare for anyone in the division. He skills still need polishing off somewhat but the potential is there. Martirosyan on the other hand is a fighter who's struck me as nothing better than average. Nothing sticks out about him other than the fact he is possibly not as durable as one would think. He has been dropped by both Saul Roman and Kassim Ouma and whilst they were both solid contender types neither would be classed as a world level puncher (despite Roman's record of 31 KO's in 37 victories).
If anything the fact Andrade has been down before is the biggest worry here. If Andrade goes out to make a statement I honestly don't see Vanes living with him. If Andrade boxes with in himself then a clear decision is on the cards for the man known as "Boo Boo".
Prediction-Andrade TKO8
Nicholas Walters v Alberto Garza
Over the last few years the Featherweight division has been a highly interesting division. It's had big named fighters like Yuriorkis Gamboa, Juan Manuel Lopez and Mikey Garcia all passing through it and it's also seen the emergence of Vasyl Lomachenko as a professional. Unfortunately however it's also been a division with titular issues, especially concerning the WBA who have had multiple champions in the division for far too long.
The biggest issue with the WBA at Featherweight is the fact they've had unbeaten Indonesian Chris John as their "Super Champion" yet never forced him to fight a genuine top contender in what feels like a life time. This has left them looking to fill both "regular" and "interim" title positions on a revolving door basis.
Thankfully the WBA seem to have accidentally stumbled on to a very credible, though under the radar, regular champion in the form of exciting Jamaican Nicholas Walters (22-0, 18). Sure the vast majority of fans haven't seen or heard of Walters but those who have will all tell you just how fun he is to watch. He's got explosive power, a decent amateur background and nasty intentions. Sure he's a bit wild but he is the sort of fighter that fans will love.
Rather amazingly Walters hasn't defended his title since he won the title last December. A title he won by destroying Colombian Daulis Prescott, the brother of Breidis Prescott, in 7 rounds. For those who saw that contest they quickly realised what Walters was about. He dropped Prescott in rounds 4,5 and 7 in a contest that should have made the world sit up and take note, though unfortunately with that fight being in Jamaica saw few fans had the chance to see it.
Thankfully this weekend sees many fans getting their first chance to see Walters in action as he travels to the US to take on challenger Alberto Garza (25-5-1-1, 20) live on HBO.
Whilst I've been fortunate enough to see a few of Walters' fights I'll be honest I've not seen many of Garza's.
Aged 28 Garza is a Mexican who at best could be described as a "fringe contender", few, if any, would regard him as top 15 Featherweight though he does hold several noteworthy victories. These include a 9th round TKO in Japan over Hiroyuki Enoki and a 12 round victory over Justin Savi. Unfortunately however those victories both came in 2010 and since then he suffered a stoppage loss to Robinson Castellanos and fought just twice in 31 months, including a 14 month stretch from his last contest.
Garza's inactivity in the past few years has really put the brakes on his career. Whilst the loss to Castellanos was bad at the time it now looks to have been excusable as Castellanos is beginning to look like a legitimate contender himself, though the inactivity is inexcusable.
Prior to his absence from the ring Garza certainly had power. Whilst he may "only" have scored 80% of his victories via T/KO it's worth noting that 4 of his 5 non-stoppage came in his first 10 contests. Since summer 2006 Garza has gone 15-5-1-1 (14) an incredible showing of his power. On the flipside of that however is the fact he has been stopped 3 times. He hits hard but he's also vulnerable.
With both men having serious power this looks like a genuine shoot out on paper. This is a bout that will see the winner make a mark on television audiences and for me it'll be Walters leaving the lasting impression in a bout made to let him make a name for himself. In a shoot out he who lands first tends to win, with 14 months out Garza will look rusty and whilst Walters has been inactive for a year himself he'll certainly feel less "inactive" given the fact he has since been signed up to a deal with Top Rank.
Prediction- Walters TKO4
The biggest issue with the WBA at Featherweight is the fact they've had unbeaten Indonesian Chris John as their "Super Champion" yet never forced him to fight a genuine top contender in what feels like a life time. This has left them looking to fill both "regular" and "interim" title positions on a revolving door basis.
Thankfully the WBA seem to have accidentally stumbled on to a very credible, though under the radar, regular champion in the form of exciting Jamaican Nicholas Walters (22-0, 18). Sure the vast majority of fans haven't seen or heard of Walters but those who have will all tell you just how fun he is to watch. He's got explosive power, a decent amateur background and nasty intentions. Sure he's a bit wild but he is the sort of fighter that fans will love.
Rather amazingly Walters hasn't defended his title since he won the title last December. A title he won by destroying Colombian Daulis Prescott, the brother of Breidis Prescott, in 7 rounds. For those who saw that contest they quickly realised what Walters was about. He dropped Prescott in rounds 4,5 and 7 in a contest that should have made the world sit up and take note, though unfortunately with that fight being in Jamaica saw few fans had the chance to see it.
Thankfully this weekend sees many fans getting their first chance to see Walters in action as he travels to the US to take on challenger Alberto Garza (25-5-1-1, 20) live on HBO.
Whilst I've been fortunate enough to see a few of Walters' fights I'll be honest I've not seen many of Garza's.
Aged 28 Garza is a Mexican who at best could be described as a "fringe contender", few, if any, would regard him as top 15 Featherweight though he does hold several noteworthy victories. These include a 9th round TKO in Japan over Hiroyuki Enoki and a 12 round victory over Justin Savi. Unfortunately however those victories both came in 2010 and since then he suffered a stoppage loss to Robinson Castellanos and fought just twice in 31 months, including a 14 month stretch from his last contest.
Garza's inactivity in the past few years has really put the brakes on his career. Whilst the loss to Castellanos was bad at the time it now looks to have been excusable as Castellanos is beginning to look like a legitimate contender himself, though the inactivity is inexcusable.
Prior to his absence from the ring Garza certainly had power. Whilst he may "only" have scored 80% of his victories via T/KO it's worth noting that 4 of his 5 non-stoppage came in his first 10 contests. Since summer 2006 Garza has gone 15-5-1-1 (14) an incredible showing of his power. On the flipside of that however is the fact he has been stopped 3 times. He hits hard but he's also vulnerable.
With both men having serious power this looks like a genuine shoot out on paper. This is a bout that will see the winner make a mark on television audiences and for me it'll be Walters leaving the lasting impression in a bout made to let him make a name for himself. In a shoot out he who lands first tends to win, with 14 months out Garza will look rusty and whilst Walters has been inactive for a year himself he'll certainly feel less "inactive" given the fact he has since been signed up to a deal with Top Rank.
Prediction- Walters TKO4
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