The only world title fight this weekend is a fight that could very easily go under the radar of the general boxing public as WBC Light Flyweight champion Adrian Hernandez (27-2-1, 16) faces little known Japanese challenger Atsushi Kakutani (13-3-1, 6) in what appears to be little more than a mismatch in favour of the Mexican champion.
Aged 28 the Japanese challenger is a fighter who appears to have been purposefully selected by the champion as a relatively easy defense. Whilst it's fair to say that Hernandez is staying active with this being his third defense of the year and his fourth fight in just 12 months it's seems like a distant memory since he was last in with a notable opponent in Kompayak Porpramook.
In the ring Hernandez is a talented boxer puncher who really does seem able to out box or out fight opponents depending on his mood. Although he's proven to be capable at the world level with victories over Porpramool, Gilberto Keb Baas and Rodel Mayol he has left many with question marks due to his struggles against some lesser fighters, including Yader Cardoza ina fight he clearly won but yet still seemed to struggle in.
I think, though I may be wrong, that the reason Hernandez has looked so sluggish in some fights, not all fights but some, is his sheer size. He stands around 5'8" which is huge for a light Flyweight and whilst he has made his name at 108lbs it seems likely that he'd be a very good sized fighter at 115lbs or even 118lbs, two weights where I actually think he'll be better suited.
At his best Hernandez is a sound fighter with a stinging jab that he works well off and a solid work rate. At his worst he's a fighter who gives up his size and gets dragged into the wrong type of fight, thankfully however he's tended to avoid those most of the time.
Kakutani himself has never proven to be even close to world class. In his most notable bouts he has been beaten by both Warlito Parrenas (LTKO1) and Teiru Kinoshita (LSD10) and his most notable victory has come against domestic rival Katsuya Matsuura. Not the the record of a championship contender that's for sure.
Not only does Kakutani lack any sort of pedigree but he also has a serious issue in terms of power. With Hernandez being a durable fighter, despite his two stoppage losses, a fighter will need to have power to keep him from doing as he pleases. Unfortunately Kakutani's lack of power is also combined with a relative lack of durability on his side with 2 of his 3 losses coming by stoppage and both coming very early in the bout.
In all honesty this would seem like a bout that Hernandez has in the bag. He can box Kakutani's socks off for 12 rounds or just go in and steam roll him, depending on the mood he's in and the impression he's looking to leave. Personally I'd assume it's going to be a quick job by Hernandez.
Prediction-Hernandez TKO2
Showing posts with label Adrian Hernandez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adrian Hernandez. Show all posts
Friday, 30 August 2013
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Adrian Hernandez v Yader Cardoza
WBC Light Flyweight champion Adrian Hernandez (26-2-1, 16) will be looking to secure his second successive defense of his world title as he takes on the relatively unknown Nicaraguan Yader Cardoza (15-4, 5).
Hernandez, widely regarded as one of the top 3 or 4 at 108lbs really does seem to be taking part in what is little more than a stay busy defense here. The Mexican, who is now a 2-time champion, is genuinely one of the sports over-looked fighters. He's beaten a genuine who's who in the past 5 years including Rodel Mayol, Gilberto Keb Baas, Gideon Buthelez and Kompayak Porpramook, though, due to his division, is relatively obscure.
Stood at 5'8 and with a 71" reach the 27 year old Hernandez is a bit of a physical freak in the division though oddly he doesn't really use his size to box as much as he should. Although he certainly can box he often appears just was will to trade up inside as he does on the outside, though on the outside he is really good. Oddly the size of the champion may actually serve a bigger purpose in the fact that when he rehydrates he likely adds a significant amount of weight back on. This added weight likely helps Hernandez to break down his opponents.
With 2 stoppage loss on his records Hernandez can be hurt (though admittedly his most recent loss did have something to do with the ridiculous conditions the bout was fought in) though he can also hurt others, much, much easier than he get hurt.
Not too much is known about Cardoza. He's a 24 year old Nicaraguan who has been a professional since 2009. His record got off to a pretty bad start as he fell to 2-3 after 5 bouts though since then he has gone 13-1 with his only loss (a decision to Eliecer Quezada) being avenged in his most recent bout.
With 19 bouts behind him and just 98 rounds it's obvious that Cardoza is either a monster puncher or has been fighting most of his fights over the shorter distance, in this case it's the latter. In his 19 bouts he has fought just a single completed 10 round bout and is 1-1 in bouts that have gone beyond the 6th round. This does not bode well with him jumping in to title level for this bout.
For me I really don't see too much reasoning behind this bout. The only logical idea seems to be that Hernandez is trying to force the hand of Roman Gonzalez. Beating up on a Nicaraguan, like Cardoza, may help get Gonzalez (also a Nicaraguan) in to the ring. The bout is little more than a gimme for "El Confessor" who really should finish this when he wants.
Prediction-Hernandez TKO6
Hernandez, widely regarded as one of the top 3 or 4 at 108lbs really does seem to be taking part in what is little more than a stay busy defense here. The Mexican, who is now a 2-time champion, is genuinely one of the sports over-looked fighters. He's beaten a genuine who's who in the past 5 years including Rodel Mayol, Gilberto Keb Baas, Gideon Buthelez and Kompayak Porpramook, though, due to his division, is relatively obscure.
Stood at 5'8 and with a 71" reach the 27 year old Hernandez is a bit of a physical freak in the division though oddly he doesn't really use his size to box as much as he should. Although he certainly can box he often appears just was will to trade up inside as he does on the outside, though on the outside he is really good. Oddly the size of the champion may actually serve a bigger purpose in the fact that when he rehydrates he likely adds a significant amount of weight back on. This added weight likely helps Hernandez to break down his opponents.
With 2 stoppage loss on his records Hernandez can be hurt (though admittedly his most recent loss did have something to do with the ridiculous conditions the bout was fought in) though he can also hurt others, much, much easier than he get hurt.
Not too much is known about Cardoza. He's a 24 year old Nicaraguan who has been a professional since 2009. His record got off to a pretty bad start as he fell to 2-3 after 5 bouts though since then he has gone 13-1 with his only loss (a decision to Eliecer Quezada) being avenged in his most recent bout.
With 19 bouts behind him and just 98 rounds it's obvious that Cardoza is either a monster puncher or has been fighting most of his fights over the shorter distance, in this case it's the latter. In his 19 bouts he has fought just a single completed 10 round bout and is 1-1 in bouts that have gone beyond the 6th round. This does not bode well with him jumping in to title level for this bout.
For me I really don't see too much reasoning behind this bout. The only logical idea seems to be that Hernandez is trying to force the hand of Roman Gonzalez. Beating up on a Nicaraguan, like Cardoza, may help get Gonzalez (also a Nicaraguan) in to the ring. The bout is little more than a gimme for "El Confessor" who really should finish this when he wants.
Prediction-Hernandez TKO6
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Adrian Hernandez v Dirceu Cabarca
WBC Light Flyweight champion Adrian Hernandez (25-2-1, 16) will be the first champion to attempt to defend his world title in 2012 as he faces the very limited Panamanian Dirceu Cabarca (13-6, 5) in what appears to be little more than a gimme defense for Hernandez.
Mexican Hernandez, now a two time WBC Light Flyweight champion having regained his title by stopping Kompayak Porpramook back in October gaining revenge after losing to the Thai in 2011 is seen by many as one of the top guys at 108lbs. At 27 years old he's coming in to his physical prime and when added to his solid boxing skills and hurtful he's a real danger man for anyone at the weight.
Having been around since 2006 Hernandez has already beaten a mini who's who including Rodel Mayol, Gilberto Keb Baas (twice) and of course Kompayak Porpramook though has yet to really get the break through with the hardcore boxing fan base who often turn a blind eye to the lower weights.
As a Light Flyweight Hernandez is huge, he stands at well over 5'6" (reportedly 5'8") and has a freakish 71" reach making him the giant of the division. Not only is he massive but he also knows how to use his size with accurate straight punches though he can also fighter inside with the best of them showing his Mexican machismo when it's called upon. It's this combination of being able to fight both at range or up close that makes Hernandez so dangerous.
Sadly I don't think we'll be seeing Hernandez's pushed too hard against Dirceu Cabarca who in all honesty is very lucky to be getting a title opportunity. To date Cabarca hasn't beaten anyone of note, though has lost when he has faced known fighters (Ulises Solis, Edwin Diaz and Karim Guerfi) and has often struggled to even win a round against the top fighters he's faced.
In his biggest win to date Cabarca did claim the Panamanian Super Flyweight title by winning a split decision over Manuel Vides, though in that fight Cabarca did find himself climbing off the canvas. I think he'll find himself back on the canvas here as Hernandez looks for an quick start to the year. Hernandez's skill and power will be too much and after hurting Cabarca he'll close the show.
Prediction-Hernandez TKO5
Mexican Hernandez, now a two time WBC Light Flyweight champion having regained his title by stopping Kompayak Porpramook back in October gaining revenge after losing to the Thai in 2011 is seen by many as one of the top guys at 108lbs. At 27 years old he's coming in to his physical prime and when added to his solid boxing skills and hurtful he's a real danger man for anyone at the weight.
Having been around since 2006 Hernandez has already beaten a mini who's who including Rodel Mayol, Gilberto Keb Baas (twice) and of course Kompayak Porpramook though has yet to really get the break through with the hardcore boxing fan base who often turn a blind eye to the lower weights.
As a Light Flyweight Hernandez is huge, he stands at well over 5'6" (reportedly 5'8") and has a freakish 71" reach making him the giant of the division. Not only is he massive but he also knows how to use his size with accurate straight punches though he can also fighter inside with the best of them showing his Mexican machismo when it's called upon. It's this combination of being able to fight both at range or up close that makes Hernandez so dangerous.
Sadly I don't think we'll be seeing Hernandez's pushed too hard against Dirceu Cabarca who in all honesty is very lucky to be getting a title opportunity. To date Cabarca hasn't beaten anyone of note, though has lost when he has faced known fighters (Ulises Solis, Edwin Diaz and Karim Guerfi) and has often struggled to even win a round against the top fighters he's faced.
In his biggest win to date Cabarca did claim the Panamanian Super Flyweight title by winning a split decision over Manuel Vides, though in that fight Cabarca did find himself climbing off the canvas. I think he'll find himself back on the canvas here as Hernandez looks for an quick start to the year. Hernandez's skill and power will be too much and after hurting Cabarca he'll close the show.
Prediction-Hernandez TKO5
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Kompayak Porpramook v Adrian Hernandez II
As all true fans of boxing know, the lower weight divisions are all too often over-looked and ignored by both the casual fan and the TV companies in the US and in Britain. This is one of the great shames of our sport as we often miss some absolute tear ups such as last years fight of the year contender between the then WBC Light Flyweight champion Adrian Hernandez (now 24-2-1, 15) and current champion Kompayak Porpramook (now 46-3, 31).
When the two men first met, last December they went at it like caged animals beating the ever loving snot out of each other in a high tempo all action war before Hernandez was stopped in round 10 in the Thai capital of Bangkok. Sadly unless you were a true die hard fan you almost certainly missed watching the fight live and had to go to youtube some days later to watch the bout. Thankfully this coming weekend, fans who unfortunately missed out on the first bout between the two men get to see it all over again as Porpramook travels to Mexico to face Hernandez in a highly anticipated rematch.
Despite being the champion, and having a win already over Hernandez, Porpramook will likely go into this bout as the under-dog. Not only is he the older man by several years but he's also having to travel to the unfamiliar surroundings of Mexico in what will be only his second fight outside of his homeland (last time he traveled was to Australia where he was beaten by Hussein Hussein over 6 years ago). Despite this he will likely feel confident of scoring another win over Hernandez who was a broken man at the end of their first bout.
Sadly however things haven't been great for Porpramook since the first fight with Hernandez and in his first defense he was lucky to retain his title as unheralded Filipino Jonathan Taconing genuinely gave him hell, before he was bailed out by a ringside Dr. after a clash of heads. It's very unlikely that Porpramook will be given any similar favours in Mexico.
With 49 fights behind him, the tough Thai is experienced but isn't the most skilled and is more of a "warrior" than a boxer, willing to go in to a slug fest. For Porpramook this may well be out of necessity as he's a very short fighter (listed at 5′ 0½″, though I think he's slightly taller than that) and needs to get inside to be effective. Thankfully, inside Porpramook has amazing work rate a solid defense and a very hurtful body attack (that was used to great effect when the men met for the first time).
Whilst Porpramook hasn't had the best of times since he claimed the title, Hernandez has looked very solid and bounced back well in defeating two relatively abject opponents who were there for little more than to rebuild the confidence of Hernandez. Though in all honesty Hernandez did deserve an easy fight or two having had a very tough 2011 with fights against Porpramook, Gideon Buthelezi (the the IBO champion) and Gilberto Keb Baas (the then WBC champion).
Despite only being 26 years old Hernandez has faced a relative who's who of the lower divisions and has been in with Rodel Mayol, Eric Ortiz, Oscar Ibarra, Gilberto Keb Bass (twice), Ganigan Lopez, Erik Ramirez and of course Porpramook.
In terms of stature Hernandez is the direct opposite of the champion. He's tall (listed at 5'8" though I don't think he's quite that tall) and rangy and often he looks like he's in the wrong division, however like Porpramook he appears to like a good old tear up, which is the Mexican way I guess. Despite being huge at the weight Hernandez has a solid work rate himself and although he may not be the hardest single-shot puncher he lands a lot of hurtful shots that can mark up opponents and break them mentally.
Despite Porpramook winning last time the two men met, I have to go with Hernandez here. He's at home, he's in front of his own fans and he's away from the humid and hot conditions of Bangkok. It won't be easy, Porpramook won't just want to give up his title, however I think Hernandez will do enough to get the decision in another memorable war.
Prediction-Hernandez UD12
When the two men first met, last December they went at it like caged animals beating the ever loving snot out of each other in a high tempo all action war before Hernandez was stopped in round 10 in the Thai capital of Bangkok. Sadly unless you were a true die hard fan you almost certainly missed watching the fight live and had to go to youtube some days later to watch the bout. Thankfully this coming weekend, fans who unfortunately missed out on the first bout between the two men get to see it all over again as Porpramook travels to Mexico to face Hernandez in a highly anticipated rematch.
Despite being the champion, and having a win already over Hernandez, Porpramook will likely go into this bout as the under-dog. Not only is he the older man by several years but he's also having to travel to the unfamiliar surroundings of Mexico in what will be only his second fight outside of his homeland (last time he traveled was to Australia where he was beaten by Hussein Hussein over 6 years ago). Despite this he will likely feel confident of scoring another win over Hernandez who was a broken man at the end of their first bout.
Sadly however things haven't been great for Porpramook since the first fight with Hernandez and in his first defense he was lucky to retain his title as unheralded Filipino Jonathan Taconing genuinely gave him hell, before he was bailed out by a ringside Dr. after a clash of heads. It's very unlikely that Porpramook will be given any similar favours in Mexico.
With 49 fights behind him, the tough Thai is experienced but isn't the most skilled and is more of a "warrior" than a boxer, willing to go in to a slug fest. For Porpramook this may well be out of necessity as he's a very short fighter (listed at 5′ 0½″, though I think he's slightly taller than that) and needs to get inside to be effective. Thankfully, inside Porpramook has amazing work rate a solid defense and a very hurtful body attack (that was used to great effect when the men met for the first time).
Whilst Porpramook hasn't had the best of times since he claimed the title, Hernandez has looked very solid and bounced back well in defeating two relatively abject opponents who were there for little more than to rebuild the confidence of Hernandez. Though in all honesty Hernandez did deserve an easy fight or two having had a very tough 2011 with fights against Porpramook, Gideon Buthelezi (the the IBO champion) and Gilberto Keb Baas (the then WBC champion).
Despite only being 26 years old Hernandez has faced a relative who's who of the lower divisions and has been in with Rodel Mayol, Eric Ortiz, Oscar Ibarra, Gilberto Keb Bass (twice), Ganigan Lopez, Erik Ramirez and of course Porpramook.
In terms of stature Hernandez is the direct opposite of the champion. He's tall (listed at 5'8" though I don't think he's quite that tall) and rangy and often he looks like he's in the wrong division, however like Porpramook he appears to like a good old tear up, which is the Mexican way I guess. Despite being huge at the weight Hernandez has a solid work rate himself and although he may not be the hardest single-shot puncher he lands a lot of hurtful shots that can mark up opponents and break them mentally.
Despite Porpramook winning last time the two men met, I have to go with Hernandez here. He's at home, he's in front of his own fans and he's away from the humid and hot conditions of Bangkok. It won't be easy, Porpramook won't just want to give up his title, however I think Hernandez will do enough to get the decision in another memorable war.
Prediction-Hernandez UD12
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