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)
Showing posts with label Flyweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flyweight. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
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
Friday, 11 October 2013
Juan Carlos Reveco v Ricardo Nunez
In a bout that screams the word "fun", Argentinian Juan Carlos Reveco (31-1, 17) will defend his WBA Flyweight title against Panamanian puncher Ricardo Nunez (26-3, 22). Although the bout, televised on TYC Sports, is unlikely to capture the attention of most boxing fans it's potentially the fight of the weekend, and I don't say that lightly.
Reveco is a fighter I've come to like, I'll never be a flat out fan, but I will happily admire his talent. He's hard working, skilled, has lovely snap on his punches and most tellingly judges distance amazingly, this quality is why he is one of the elite body punchers currently in the sport.
Sadly the reason why I will never be a "fan" of Reveco's is that his matchmaking has, so far, left much to be desired. After taking a good win he usually faces an appalling opponent. For example after beating Nethra Sasiprapa he then took on Humberto Pool; after beating Karim Guerfi he then defeated Julian Rivera and after traveling to Japan to defeat Masayuki Kuroda he returned home to beat Ulises Lara.
In the current Flyweight division there is no excuses for defending against the likes of Lara and the fight it's self saw Lara dropped 5 times by Reveco.
Thankfully Reveco is stepping back up to genuine world level here as he fights Nunez, a man who has proven to be around world level and is always fun to watch, win or lose.
Whilst Reveco is a skilled fighter with some textbook moves in the ring Nunez is a pure puncher. The Panamanian isn't going to win awards for beauty in the ring, he's not an artist in the ring and he won't paint pictures with his punches. Though he will do is take the canvas, smash it over your head then bash you with a paint can. His style can only be described as crude but exciting, every punch is thrown with the intentions of beheading and opponents and whilst this leaves him open he is tough enough to take a fair few shots.
Unfortunately for Nunez all 3 of his losses have come by stoppage, with the most recent of those coming coming 12 months ago to Moruti Mthalane via a vicious stoppage in round 8. Thankfully for Nunez's brain cells and long term health Reveco isn't a concussive puncher, though he's stylistically a type of fighter who will take advantage of Nunez's looping shots.
Although Reveco has the style to pick Nunez apart the Panamanian's danger cannot be over-stated. He has stopped world class opponents such as Carlos Tamara and Oscar Blanquet whilst also taking a decision over Liborio Solis and dropping Mthalane. To be frankly honest if he can tag Reveco he can scramble Reveco's senses and possibly stop him. Reveco might have the style to beat Nunez, but Nunez has the power to stop Reveco. That's what makes this fight so much fun.
I'd say that if Nunez is going to win he probably has 6 rounds to score the stoppage, after that things swing strongly in favour of Reveco who should manage to defeat a tiring and mentally weakening Nunez in the later rounds. One thing is for certain, this will have fireworks!
Prediction-Reveco UD12 (after getting himself off the canvas at least once)
Reveco is a fighter I've come to like, I'll never be a flat out fan, but I will happily admire his talent. He's hard working, skilled, has lovely snap on his punches and most tellingly judges distance amazingly, this quality is why he is one of the elite body punchers currently in the sport.
Sadly the reason why I will never be a "fan" of Reveco's is that his matchmaking has, so far, left much to be desired. After taking a good win he usually faces an appalling opponent. For example after beating Nethra Sasiprapa he then took on Humberto Pool; after beating Karim Guerfi he then defeated Julian Rivera and after traveling to Japan to defeat Masayuki Kuroda he returned home to beat Ulises Lara.
In the current Flyweight division there is no excuses for defending against the likes of Lara and the fight it's self saw Lara dropped 5 times by Reveco.
Thankfully Reveco is stepping back up to genuine world level here as he fights Nunez, a man who has proven to be around world level and is always fun to watch, win or lose.
Whilst Reveco is a skilled fighter with some textbook moves in the ring Nunez is a pure puncher. The Panamanian isn't going to win awards for beauty in the ring, he's not an artist in the ring and he won't paint pictures with his punches. Though he will do is take the canvas, smash it over your head then bash you with a paint can. His style can only be described as crude but exciting, every punch is thrown with the intentions of beheading and opponents and whilst this leaves him open he is tough enough to take a fair few shots.
Unfortunately for Nunez all 3 of his losses have come by stoppage, with the most recent of those coming coming 12 months ago to Moruti Mthalane via a vicious stoppage in round 8. Thankfully for Nunez's brain cells and long term health Reveco isn't a concussive puncher, though he's stylistically a type of fighter who will take advantage of Nunez's looping shots.
Although Reveco has the style to pick Nunez apart the Panamanian's danger cannot be over-stated. He has stopped world class opponents such as Carlos Tamara and Oscar Blanquet whilst also taking a decision over Liborio Solis and dropping Mthalane. To be frankly honest if he can tag Reveco he can scramble Reveco's senses and possibly stop him. Reveco might have the style to beat Nunez, but Nunez has the power to stop Reveco. That's what makes this fight so much fun.
I'd say that if Nunez is going to win he probably has 6 rounds to score the stoppage, after that things swing strongly in favour of Reveco who should manage to defeat a tiring and mentally weakening Nunez in the later rounds. One thing is for certain, this will have fireworks!
Prediction-Reveco UD12 (after getting himself off the canvas at least once)
Sunday, 11 August 2013
Akira Yaegashi v Oscar Blanquet
One of my favourite fighters right now is Akira Yaegashi (17-3, 9) who is with out a doubt one of the most fun to watch fighters in the sport. Yaegashi is not just fun to watch however but he is also incredibly talented ans is a former WBA Minimumweight champion and the reigning WBC and Linear Flyweight champion.
It's those Flyweight titles that Yegashi defends for the first time this coming week as he takes on Mexican challenger Oscar Blanquet (32-5-1, 23).
Yaegashi is a true warrior who gets in the ring and looks for a fight. He won't run if an opponent hits him, he won't try to avoid a tear up and although he can box he seems to know that his best weapons are his work rate, toughness and ability to turn almost any fight into a war.
It's the ability to have a war that has helped make Yaegashi such a cult fighter. His 2011 battle with Pornsawan Porpramook was arguably the fight of the year, his 2012 bout with Kazuto Ioka was absolutely breath taking and his 2013 fight with Toshiyuki Igarashi was again something special. Those 3 bouts have really turned Yaegashi into a lower-weight fan favourite.
Despite his ability to make a war with anyone Yaegashi doesn't have huge fire power. He's not going to knock anyone out with a single shot. In fact Yaegashi has only stopped 2 of his last 8 opponents. Though what he lacks in power he makes up for in heart and energy. He's relentless on offense, tough in defense and has an insatiable appetite for victory.
Not many "world champions" deserve an easy fight. Carl Froch is one, Abner Mares another and, in my mind, Akira Yaegashi is another considering the opponents he has fought in 3 of his last 4 bouts. It's fair to say that Blanquet, despite his record, is an easier opponent.
The 28 year old Mexican, who has been a professional for a little over 10 years is with out a genuine world class victory on his record. He has fought a real mixed bag of opponents though the one standout guy was Ricardo Nunez who stopped Blanquet in 7 rounds back in 2011. Aside from Nunez the best opponents are Wilbert Uicab, who defeated Blanquet in his last bout.
On the Mexican domestic scene Blanquet is a hard hitter, though above the Mexican domestic level it doesn't seem like he has any real power. Certainly not the sort of power than would make Yaegashi turn to plan B, or in fact discourage the Japanese fighter in anyway at all.
Against a fighter unable to hurt him or out maneuver him, Yaegashi is scary fighter. In this particular bout I can't imagine anything but a marauding Yaegashi steam rollering forward from the off with the intention to break Blanquet either physically or mentally.
Whether Blanquet sees the final bell or not is the only real question here. My guess is that he doesn't, he eventually wilts under the onslaught of the Japanese fighter and Yaegashi successfully makes the first defense of his Flyweight titles. He could survive, but I'm doubting it.
Prediction-Yaegashi TKO10
It's those Flyweight titles that Yegashi defends for the first time this coming week as he takes on Mexican challenger Oscar Blanquet (32-5-1, 23).
Yaegashi is a true warrior who gets in the ring and looks for a fight. He won't run if an opponent hits him, he won't try to avoid a tear up and although he can box he seems to know that his best weapons are his work rate, toughness and ability to turn almost any fight into a war.
It's the ability to have a war that has helped make Yaegashi such a cult fighter. His 2011 battle with Pornsawan Porpramook was arguably the fight of the year, his 2012 bout with Kazuto Ioka was absolutely breath taking and his 2013 fight with Toshiyuki Igarashi was again something special. Those 3 bouts have really turned Yaegashi into a lower-weight fan favourite.
Despite his ability to make a war with anyone Yaegashi doesn't have huge fire power. He's not going to knock anyone out with a single shot. In fact Yaegashi has only stopped 2 of his last 8 opponents. Though what he lacks in power he makes up for in heart and energy. He's relentless on offense, tough in defense and has an insatiable appetite for victory.
Not many "world champions" deserve an easy fight. Carl Froch is one, Abner Mares another and, in my mind, Akira Yaegashi is another considering the opponents he has fought in 3 of his last 4 bouts. It's fair to say that Blanquet, despite his record, is an easier opponent.
The 28 year old Mexican, who has been a professional for a little over 10 years is with out a genuine world class victory on his record. He has fought a real mixed bag of opponents though the one standout guy was Ricardo Nunez who stopped Blanquet in 7 rounds back in 2011. Aside from Nunez the best opponents are Wilbert Uicab, who defeated Blanquet in his last bout.
On the Mexican domestic scene Blanquet is a hard hitter, though above the Mexican domestic level it doesn't seem like he has any real power. Certainly not the sort of power than would make Yaegashi turn to plan B, or in fact discourage the Japanese fighter in anyway at all.
Against a fighter unable to hurt him or out maneuver him, Yaegashi is scary fighter. In this particular bout I can't imagine anything but a marauding Yaegashi steam rollering forward from the off with the intention to break Blanquet either physically or mentally.
Whether Blanquet sees the final bell or not is the only real question here. My guess is that he doesn't, he eventually wilts under the onslaught of the Japanese fighter and Yaegashi successfully makes the first defense of his Flyweight titles. He could survive, but I'm doubting it.
Prediction-Yaegashi TKO10
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Kompayak Porpramook v Koki Eto
This weeks first title fight takes place in Thailand as WBA "interim" Flyweight champion Kompayak Porpramook (50-4, 35) defends his title against little known Japanese fighter Koki Eto (13-2-1, 10).
The hardcore amongst us will know a bit about Porpramook who is best known for his 2011 war with Adrian Hernandez for the WBC Flyweight title. That bout may not have have screamed "big names" or even "give me attention" but it was a genuinely wonderful battle that Porpramook came out on top of stopping Hernandez in the 10th round.
Although Porpramook would lose in a rematch to Hernandez in Mexico in 2012 he had shown his heart and warrior spirit by climbing back to his feet twice before the referee waved an early conclusion to events.
In terms of style Porpramook is a bit of the "typical Thai" in that he's more of a fighter than a boxer. He's not a concussive puncher or a defensively intelligent fighter but he has an excellent engine that seems to never stop, he often applies constant offensive work and walks forward through whatever is thrown his way. Often this is enough to over-whelm his opponents but a clever boxer who has an equally impressive tank could defeat him or a powerful hitter who can dent his chin also seems likely to beat him (as Hernandez did).
Whilst the hardcore will Porpramook only the extremely hardcore will know too much about Koki Eto. One of 3 boxing brothers Eto is technically awful, he's almost without a defense or a clue of what to do in the actual ring though he does, rather thankfully for his career, have a dynamite punch, the heart of a lion and the refusal to just lose.
Aged 25 Eto is significantly younger in both "real years" and "ring years" though his youth hasn't been spent using reflexes to avoid shots, instead he often seems to take a few in the hope of landing his dynamite fists.
The power of Eto really cannot be over-stated. He may technically have just a 62.5% KO rate from all his fights but 3 of his 6 distance bouts were in his first 4 contests and his 2nd round stoppage of Denchailek Kratingdaenggym last November showed that power as he left the Thai reeling from wild and genuinely reckless blows.
With the power of Eto and the toughness of Porpramook I think we're actually in for a lower level version of the recent Omar Figueroa v Nihito Arakawa bout from this past Saturday. This time however the tough veteran probably manages to see off his hard hitting and much younger rival after a few shaky moments.
Prediction-Porpramook TKO7
The hardcore amongst us will know a bit about Porpramook who is best known for his 2011 war with Adrian Hernandez for the WBC Flyweight title. That bout may not have have screamed "big names" or even "give me attention" but it was a genuinely wonderful battle that Porpramook came out on top of stopping Hernandez in the 10th round.
Although Porpramook would lose in a rematch to Hernandez in Mexico in 2012 he had shown his heart and warrior spirit by climbing back to his feet twice before the referee waved an early conclusion to events.
In terms of style Porpramook is a bit of the "typical Thai" in that he's more of a fighter than a boxer. He's not a concussive puncher or a defensively intelligent fighter but he has an excellent engine that seems to never stop, he often applies constant offensive work and walks forward through whatever is thrown his way. Often this is enough to over-whelm his opponents but a clever boxer who has an equally impressive tank could defeat him or a powerful hitter who can dent his chin also seems likely to beat him (as Hernandez did).
Whilst the hardcore will Porpramook only the extremely hardcore will know too much about Koki Eto. One of 3 boxing brothers Eto is technically awful, he's almost without a defense or a clue of what to do in the actual ring though he does, rather thankfully for his career, have a dynamite punch, the heart of a lion and the refusal to just lose.
Aged 25 Eto is significantly younger in both "real years" and "ring years" though his youth hasn't been spent using reflexes to avoid shots, instead he often seems to take a few in the hope of landing his dynamite fists.
The power of Eto really cannot be over-stated. He may technically have just a 62.5% KO rate from all his fights but 3 of his 6 distance bouts were in his first 4 contests and his 2nd round stoppage of Denchailek Kratingdaenggym last November showed that power as he left the Thai reeling from wild and genuinely reckless blows.
With the power of Eto and the toughness of Porpramook I think we're actually in for a lower level version of the recent Omar Figueroa v Nihito Arakawa bout from this past Saturday. This time however the tough veteran probably manages to see off his hard hitting and much younger rival after a few shaky moments.
Prediction-Porpramook TKO7
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Juan Francisco Estrada v Milan Melindo
Emerging Mexican star Juan Francisco Estrada (24-2, 18) makes the first defense of his WBA and WBO Flyweight titles that he claimed from Brian Viloria earlier this year. Estrada returns to the scene of that victory over Viloria as he faces unbeaten Filipino challenger Milan Melindo (29-0, 12).
The 23 year old Estrada really came to the attention of boxing fans late last year when he narrowly lost in a Light Flyweight title bout to Roman Gonzalez. Since then Estrada has become a favourite of mine with his heart and style.
At Flyweight Estrada is huge and uses his size and strength to his advantage as he brings a lot of pressure, true toughness (both mentally and physically) and very solid work rate. His toughness is draining to any opponent and he appeared to take the best shots of both Gonzalez (one of the hardest punchers pound-for-pound in world boxing) and Viloria with out ever being that hurt.
Against Viloria it was the relentless pressure that saw Estrada winning. He took everything Viloria had and kept coming forward, in the second half of the fight he started to take over and came very close to stopping an exhausted Viloria late.
With a wonderful variety of punches to both head and body Estrada is a difficult fighter to defend against, he's impossible to discourage and he's a fighter who break opponents mentally or physically if they are anything other than a special fighter themselves.
Unbeaten Filipino Melindo is a fighter who has been on the verges of a world title fight for several years. He has scored impressive victories over a mini-who's who such as Muhammad Rachman, Carlos Tamara, Jesus Geles and Jean Piero Perez though has had to wait several years for his first world title bout.
Unfortunately for Melindo he's probably managed to get his world title fight at the worst time. If you look at the current Flyweight champions they are exceptional, Estrada is one of the sports most over-looked men, no one will have an easy time with Moruti Mthalane (the IBF champion) and WBC champion Akira Yaegashi is a bundle of action encased in a teak tough man. Basically every champion at the weight is special, and Estrada is probably the best.
Melindo is a talented counter puncher. He slips shots well before firing back his own and although he's not as slippery or as skilled as either Floyd Mayweather Jr or Guillermo Rigondeaux who is? At the fringes of world level his counter punching sees him to victories with out too many problems (usually) though I'm not sure how well those skills will cope at genuine world level.
Having seen Melindo pushed hard by Perez however I've got to admit I have worries about him here. If he attempts to slip shots from Estrada he will get caught, repeatedly and eventually worn down and sadly I can't Melindo having enough in his arsenal to defeat Estrada.
Prediction-Estrada TKO7
The 23 year old Estrada really came to the attention of boxing fans late last year when he narrowly lost in a Light Flyweight title bout to Roman Gonzalez. Since then Estrada has become a favourite of mine with his heart and style.
At Flyweight Estrada is huge and uses his size and strength to his advantage as he brings a lot of pressure, true toughness (both mentally and physically) and very solid work rate. His toughness is draining to any opponent and he appeared to take the best shots of both Gonzalez (one of the hardest punchers pound-for-pound in world boxing) and Viloria with out ever being that hurt.
Against Viloria it was the relentless pressure that saw Estrada winning. He took everything Viloria had and kept coming forward, in the second half of the fight he started to take over and came very close to stopping an exhausted Viloria late.
With a wonderful variety of punches to both head and body Estrada is a difficult fighter to defend against, he's impossible to discourage and he's a fighter who break opponents mentally or physically if they are anything other than a special fighter themselves.
Unbeaten Filipino Melindo is a fighter who has been on the verges of a world title fight for several years. He has scored impressive victories over a mini-who's who such as Muhammad Rachman, Carlos Tamara, Jesus Geles and Jean Piero Perez though has had to wait several years for his first world title bout.
Unfortunately for Melindo he's probably managed to get his world title fight at the worst time. If you look at the current Flyweight champions they are exceptional, Estrada is one of the sports most over-looked men, no one will have an easy time with Moruti Mthalane (the IBF champion) and WBC champion Akira Yaegashi is a bundle of action encased in a teak tough man. Basically every champion at the weight is special, and Estrada is probably the best.
Melindo is a talented counter puncher. He slips shots well before firing back his own and although he's not as slippery or as skilled as either Floyd Mayweather Jr or Guillermo Rigondeaux who is? At the fringes of world level his counter punching sees him to victories with out too many problems (usually) though I'm not sure how well those skills will cope at genuine world level.
Having seen Melindo pushed hard by Perez however I've got to admit I have worries about him here. If he attempts to slip shots from Estrada he will get caught, repeatedly and eventually worn down and sadly I can't Melindo having enough in his arsenal to defeat Estrada.
Prediction-Estrada TKO7
Friday, 21 June 2013
Juan Carlos Reveco v Ulises Lara
When we talk about "world title fights" we often want to see the best fighting the best and instead end up with a very good fighter facing a very undeserving challenger. We end up with yet another mismatch in a world title bout this coming weekend as WBA Flyweight champion Juan Carlos Reveco (30-1, 16) defends against the undeserving Ulises Lara (12-13-2, 7).
The Flyweight division is, for me, one of the best out there. The likes of Juan Francisco Estrada, Brian Viloria, Akira Yaegashi, Edgar Sosa, Moruti Mthalane, Rocky Fuentes, Hernan Marquez, Milan Melindo, Giovani Segura, Kompayak Porpramook, Ulises Solis, Toshiyuki Igarashi and Froilan Saludar leave the division looking like an amazingly deep division.
Sadly when we go through those names there is no Ulises Lara who, despite a good result against Omar Soto last time out, is a journeyman.
Other than the Soto result there are "names" on Lara's record though all of them have beaten him. Fighters like Jesus Silvestre, Juan Hernandez and Javier Martinez Resendiz have all competed on the world stage and all beaten Lara.
As well as his sub .500 record Lara has also suffered 4 stoppage losses, been knocked down numerous times and really isn't a world class fighter. His boxrec ranking of #18 at Flyweight is genuinely generous and over-inflated due to the victory over Soto (who had himself been inactive and had been stopped 5 times previously).
In Reveco we have a genuinely talented fighter. The 29 year old Argentinian is one of the sports best body punchers, he's a proven fighter who's only loss was a controversial one in France to Brahim Asloum. Sure he's not a big name fighter around the world but he's big news at home and has fought solid competition such as Nethra Sasiprapa, Asloum, Francisco Rosas, Ronald Barrera, Karim Guerfi and most recently Masayuki Kuroda.
With a solid jab, decent work rate and hurtful power Reveco is possibly the 4th best fighter in the division (which as mentioned is very deep). I think we'll see a showcase performance in what really should be considered a stay busy fight more than anything else.
Hopefully Reveco will get the job done nice and quickly and then face a more notable opponent, for example Kompayak Porpramook (the WBA "interim" champion), Rocky Fuentes or the winner of the upcoming bout between Milan Melindo and Juan Francisco Estrada.
Prediction-Reveco TKO6
The Flyweight division is, for me, one of the best out there. The likes of Juan Francisco Estrada, Brian Viloria, Akira Yaegashi, Edgar Sosa, Moruti Mthalane, Rocky Fuentes, Hernan Marquez, Milan Melindo, Giovani Segura, Kompayak Porpramook, Ulises Solis, Toshiyuki Igarashi and Froilan Saludar leave the division looking like an amazingly deep division.
Sadly when we go through those names there is no Ulises Lara who, despite a good result against Omar Soto last time out, is a journeyman.
Other than the Soto result there are "names" on Lara's record though all of them have beaten him. Fighters like Jesus Silvestre, Juan Hernandez and Javier Martinez Resendiz have all competed on the world stage and all beaten Lara.
As well as his sub .500 record Lara has also suffered 4 stoppage losses, been knocked down numerous times and really isn't a world class fighter. His boxrec ranking of #18 at Flyweight is genuinely generous and over-inflated due to the victory over Soto (who had himself been inactive and had been stopped 5 times previously).
In Reveco we have a genuinely talented fighter. The 29 year old Argentinian is one of the sports best body punchers, he's a proven fighter who's only loss was a controversial one in France to Brahim Asloum. Sure he's not a big name fighter around the world but he's big news at home and has fought solid competition such as Nethra Sasiprapa, Asloum, Francisco Rosas, Ronald Barrera, Karim Guerfi and most recently Masayuki Kuroda.
With a solid jab, decent work rate and hurtful power Reveco is possibly the 4th best fighter in the division (which as mentioned is very deep). I think we'll see a showcase performance in what really should be considered a stay busy fight more than anything else.
Hopefully Reveco will get the job done nice and quickly and then face a more notable opponent, for example Kompayak Porpramook (the WBA "interim" champion), Rocky Fuentes or the winner of the upcoming bout between Milan Melindo and Juan Francisco Estrada.
Prediction-Reveco TKO6
Friday, 19 April 2013
Kompayak Porpramook v Jean Piero Perez
Our first title fight this week sees former WBC Light Flyweight champion Kompayak Porpramook (49-4, 34) attempting to add the WBA "interim" Flyweight title to his collection of belts as he takes on the unheralded Jean Piero Perez (20-5-1, 14) of Venezuela who himself has actually held the WBA "interim" Flyweight title.
This bout, being fought on Friday in Khon Kaen, Thailand will allow the winner a big chance to make their name in one of boxing's most entertaining, though over-looked divisions.
Going in to the bout it's fair to say that the 32 year Perez is the under-dog. No fighters ever enjoy going to Thailand to fight as the bouts held in the country are usually fought outdoors in the middle of the day with blistering heat and uncomfortable humidity, giving the away fighters a notable disadvantage.
Despite being the away fighter Perez is used to fighting on hostile territory having fought only once in Venezuela. In fact so far in his career date Perez has fought in Panama, Mexico, Argentina, the Philippines and Costa Rica as well as his homeland. In fact it was only 7 months ago that he almost scored the biggest win of his career losing a majority decision to the highly touted Milan Melindo.
In a 9 year long career Perez has been stopped just twice with the most notable of those coming against talented Argentinian Juan Carlos Reveco who connected with a sickening body shot whilst the other came in a shoot out with Rafael Concepcion. Those losses,and the defeat to Melindo, are of course the most notable men that Perez has faced, though he does hold victories over several fringe names such as Ronald Ramos, Jhon Alberto Molina and Jesus Jimenez.
Perez is a fighter with a record that indicates he has a solid punch on him though he hasn't stopped anyone in or around the world level before and his power, whilst likely respectable, isn't going to starch out people with a single shot. In fact his bout with Reveco seemed to suggest his power was vastly over-rated by his record.
Whilst Perez is highly unknown outside of his bouts with Reveco and Melindo it's fair to say that Porpramook is more well known. He was not only involved in 2011 FOTY contender with Adrian Hernandez for the WBC Light Flyweight but also fought a memorable (though less exciting) rematch with Hernandez as well as a bout Australian Hussein Hussein and a controversial victory over Jonathan Taconing.
Although the Thai is stepping up a weight for this title bout the 30 year old is a fighter who had probably been struggling to make the 108lb Light Flyweight division. He'd won the interim PABA Light Flyweight title way back in 2003 and seems to have finally allowed his powerful, yet short (5'0) body to fill out properly. This could prove to be an issue at the higher weight where fighters tend to hit harder and take a shot better, though it could well be an advantage for Porpramook who may feel more comfortable with out needing to drain down.
The stockily built fighter who has amassed a staggering 53 professional bouts since 2000 is a highly impressive 49-2 (34) in his homeland. This has seen Porpramook unbeaten at home since losing to Allan Ranada way back in 2002 an impressive run that has only been interrupted by losses in Mexico and Australia.
With a bucket load of heart and an aggressive mindset Porpramook is a fighter who is destined to be in fun to watch bouts as long as he and his opponents can last, as a result this promise to be an all action battle for at least a few rounds. Sadly I can't help but feel that the conditions will play a major part in the bout and favour the home man.
Prediction-Porpramook TKO8
This bout, being fought on Friday in Khon Kaen, Thailand will allow the winner a big chance to make their name in one of boxing's most entertaining, though over-looked divisions.
Going in to the bout it's fair to say that the 32 year Perez is the under-dog. No fighters ever enjoy going to Thailand to fight as the bouts held in the country are usually fought outdoors in the middle of the day with blistering heat and uncomfortable humidity, giving the away fighters a notable disadvantage.
Despite being the away fighter Perez is used to fighting on hostile territory having fought only once in Venezuela. In fact so far in his career date Perez has fought in Panama, Mexico, Argentina, the Philippines and Costa Rica as well as his homeland. In fact it was only 7 months ago that he almost scored the biggest win of his career losing a majority decision to the highly touted Milan Melindo.
In a 9 year long career Perez has been stopped just twice with the most notable of those coming against talented Argentinian Juan Carlos Reveco who connected with a sickening body shot whilst the other came in a shoot out with Rafael Concepcion. Those losses,and the defeat to Melindo, are of course the most notable men that Perez has faced, though he does hold victories over several fringe names such as Ronald Ramos, Jhon Alberto Molina and Jesus Jimenez.
Perez is a fighter with a record that indicates he has a solid punch on him though he hasn't stopped anyone in or around the world level before and his power, whilst likely respectable, isn't going to starch out people with a single shot. In fact his bout with Reveco seemed to suggest his power was vastly over-rated by his record.
Whilst Perez is highly unknown outside of his bouts with Reveco and Melindo it's fair to say that Porpramook is more well known. He was not only involved in 2011 FOTY contender with Adrian Hernandez for the WBC Light Flyweight but also fought a memorable (though less exciting) rematch with Hernandez as well as a bout Australian Hussein Hussein and a controversial victory over Jonathan Taconing.
Although the Thai is stepping up a weight for this title bout the 30 year old is a fighter who had probably been struggling to make the 108lb Light Flyweight division. He'd won the interim PABA Light Flyweight title way back in 2003 and seems to have finally allowed his powerful, yet short (5'0) body to fill out properly. This could prove to be an issue at the higher weight where fighters tend to hit harder and take a shot better, though it could well be an advantage for Porpramook who may feel more comfortable with out needing to drain down.
The stockily built fighter who has amassed a staggering 53 professional bouts since 2000 is a highly impressive 49-2 (34) in his homeland. This has seen Porpramook unbeaten at home since losing to Allan Ranada way back in 2002 an impressive run that has only been interrupted by losses in Mexico and Australia.
With a bucket load of heart and an aggressive mindset Porpramook is a fighter who is destined to be in fun to watch bouts as long as he and his opponents can last, as a result this promise to be an all action battle for at least a few rounds. Sadly I can't help but feel that the conditions will play a major part in the bout and favour the home man.
Prediction-Porpramook TKO8
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Toshiyuki Igarashi v Akira Yaegashi
After yesterday's upset with Juan Francisco Estrada defeating Brian Viloria for the WBO and WBA "super" titles at Flyweight we now see WBC champion Toshiyuki Igarashi (17-1-1, 10) attempt to avoid a similar fate when he faces former WBA Minimumweight champion Akira Yaegashi (16-3, 9) in an enticing all Japanese dust up.
Going in to the bout Igarashi is not only the WBC champion but also the Linear champion and the bigger man being a natural at Flyweight. He's not only the naturally heavier man but he also has height and reach advantages over Yaegashi as well as a being a year younger and a southpaw. Despite this however there are plenty of question marks over Igarashi who has defended his belt once.
The champion has been a professional since 2006 and has rebuilt his career well since suffering his lone defeat, a decision loss in 2008 to Tomonobu Shimizu. He has claimed both the Japanese and WBC titles at Flyweight over the past 2 and a bit years and scored notable wins over Wilbert Uicab and Sonny Boy Jaro as well as a title defense over Argentinian Nestor Daniel Narvaes (the younger brother of Omar Andres Narvaez).
Igarashi is a good boxer, he uses he feet well and can box from a distance with his sharp long shots that he bounced of Jaro's head last year. Sadly up close Igarashi can be dragged in to a war and notably in his last 4 bouts he has struggled over the finishing line as his lack of power has failed to keep opponents at bay, in fact opponents have been giving him a real nightmare time and time again. That's not to say Igarashi has no power, but it's certainly not world level power and his last stoppage came 2 years ago against Takayasu Kobayashi who had been stopped 3 times previously.
Igarashi goes into this bout as a small favourite though that's more down to the fact he's a natural Flyweight. Yaegashi, jumping up from Minimumweight however is worthy of a small bet if you can find anyone with odds available on the bout.
Like Igarashi he's a tough fighter, in fact Yaegashi may well be one of the toughest men in the sport. He's never been stopped in a career that dates back to 2005 and has featured memorable bouts against Pornsawan Porpramook and Kazuto Ioka (both FOTY candidates for their respective years). Unlike Igarashi however I feel Yaegashi prefers a war to a boxing contest and if he can cut the distance on any opponent he will give them a real nightmare with his toughness and relentless work rate which is designed to break fighters down (as he did against Porpramook).
If a fighter can keep Yaegashi at range I think they could beat him relatively easily, but keeping him at range is much easier said than done, in fact at the moment I don't think any fighter could keep Yaegashi at range.
For me I can't see Igarashi keeping Yaegashi off him and I think up close it's a no contest, Yaegashi's work rate will simply swamp the more technically skilled fighter. Igarashi may have some success but I think Yaegashi will put on a performance similar to that of Katsunari Takayama recently with his work rate just being too much for his opponent.
Prediction-Yaegashi UD12
Going in to the bout Igarashi is not only the WBC champion but also the Linear champion and the bigger man being a natural at Flyweight. He's not only the naturally heavier man but he also has height and reach advantages over Yaegashi as well as a being a year younger and a southpaw. Despite this however there are plenty of question marks over Igarashi who has defended his belt once.
The champion has been a professional since 2006 and has rebuilt his career well since suffering his lone defeat, a decision loss in 2008 to Tomonobu Shimizu. He has claimed both the Japanese and WBC titles at Flyweight over the past 2 and a bit years and scored notable wins over Wilbert Uicab and Sonny Boy Jaro as well as a title defense over Argentinian Nestor Daniel Narvaes (the younger brother of Omar Andres Narvaez).
Igarashi is a good boxer, he uses he feet well and can box from a distance with his sharp long shots that he bounced of Jaro's head last year. Sadly up close Igarashi can be dragged in to a war and notably in his last 4 bouts he has struggled over the finishing line as his lack of power has failed to keep opponents at bay, in fact opponents have been giving him a real nightmare time and time again. That's not to say Igarashi has no power, but it's certainly not world level power and his last stoppage came 2 years ago against Takayasu Kobayashi who had been stopped 3 times previously.
Igarashi goes into this bout as a small favourite though that's more down to the fact he's a natural Flyweight. Yaegashi, jumping up from Minimumweight however is worthy of a small bet if you can find anyone with odds available on the bout.
Like Igarashi he's a tough fighter, in fact Yaegashi may well be one of the toughest men in the sport. He's never been stopped in a career that dates back to 2005 and has featured memorable bouts against Pornsawan Porpramook and Kazuto Ioka (both FOTY candidates for their respective years). Unlike Igarashi however I feel Yaegashi prefers a war to a boxing contest and if he can cut the distance on any opponent he will give them a real nightmare with his toughness and relentless work rate which is designed to break fighters down (as he did against Porpramook).
If a fighter can keep Yaegashi at range I think they could beat him relatively easily, but keeping him at range is much easier said than done, in fact at the moment I don't think any fighter could keep Yaegashi at range.
For me I can't see Igarashi keeping Yaegashi off him and I think up close it's a no contest, Yaegashi's work rate will simply swamp the more technically skilled fighter. Igarashi may have some success but I think Yaegashi will put on a performance similar to that of Katsunari Takayama recently with his work rate just being too much for his opponent.
Prediction-Yaegashi UD12
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Juan Carlos Reveco v Masayuki Kuroda
The first of 5 world title fights this week sees Argentinian Juan Carlos Revecco (29-1, 16) travel to Japan to defend his WBA Flyweight title against Japanese fighter Masayuki Kuroda (21-3-2, 13) in what promises to be an intriguing contest.
The once beaten Revecco is seen as one of the best kept secrets in boxing mainly due to the fact he's spent much of his career fighting in his homeland. Despite this Revecco has faced notable names through his almost 9 year career which has seen him claiming world titles at both Light Flyweight and Flyweight.
In his first notable bout Revecco claimed the previously vacant WBA Light Flyweight title stopping the previously unbeaten Thai Nethra Sasiprapa in the 8th round. The victory over Sasiprapa was followed by an impressive defense over Humberto Pool before Revecco suffered his lone defeat on points, in France, to the talented Brahim Asloum.
Revecco would bounce back well from his solitary defeat and less than 2 years later Revecco would once again claim a world title as he defeated Mexican Francisco Rosas by split decision to pick up the WBA interim Light Flyweight title. Rather than attempt to make a name for himself at the time in what was a hot division, Revecco instead defended his belt twice against limited opponents including (Ronald Barrera and Armando Torres).
In 2011 Revecco moved up to 112lbs and swiftly claimed the interim WBA Flyweight title, a title he defended twice, including and impressive and hard fought defense against Karim Guerfi, before his status was upgraded to being the full WBA Flyweight champion, a title he will defend for the first time against Kuroda.
Although he has been mixing in world level for around 6 years Revecco has unfortunately been over-looked time and time again due to his relatively poor level of opposition. For example defenses against Humberto Pool and Julian Rivera have done little to reaffirm Revecco as a top level fighter, despite this he has shown very solid skills, fantastic speed and hurtful (though not concussive) punching ability. It's due to his level of competition that Boxrec.com rank him at a relatively poor 13 whilst Ring Magazine currently rank him at a much loftier #7.
Whilst Revecco is a settled fighter at Flyweight the first thing to note about Japanese challenger Kuroda is that he's actually stepping up to the Flyweight division having been a career Light Flyweight and the most recent Japanese Light Flyweight champion. It's as a Light Flyweight that Ring Magazine rank him (#6) and Boxrec rank him (#11) though in all honesty his competition hasn't been great at 108lbs.
Aged 26 Kuroda is a fighter reaching his physical, though unlike many 26 years olds in the sport, he's also a hardened veteran having been a professional for almost 8 years and compiling 142 rounds of professional activity. Though admittedly many of those rounds have come at a limited level and his most notable opponents are probably fringe contender Shigetaka Ikehara and former OPBF champion Katsuhiko Iezumi. Not exactly names on the world stage.
Whilst Kuroda certainly hasn't mixed with the level of opponents that Revecco has (despite Revecco having not faced many genuinely top tier opponents) he does have one very notable advantage going in to this fight and that's home field advantage. The Todoroki Arena in Kawasaki has become a home in recent fights for Kuroda who has fought 3 of his last 4 bouts there (including a draw last time out to the brilliantly named Toshimasa Ouchi). When you factor in that Revecco is 2-1 outside of Argentina and 0-1 out side of the American continent, it's a notable advantage for Kuroda.
Sadly footage of Kuroda is limited and the most notable video I've seen is of Kuroda's loss in 2009 to Richard Garcia in which Kuroda looks slow and a bit too green. Since then he has fought 11 times (winning 9 and drawing 2) and is by all accounts an improved fighter. Despite this however a story from Japan was that hot prospect Naoya Inoue really beat him up in Inoue's test fight for a Japanese license, if that's true then Kuroda may be in trouble here.
This isn't an easy pick, Revecco is a very good fighter but traveling from South America to Asia is never an easy task for a fighter. If Revecco was at home, it'd be a no brainer, though the travel, jet lag and change of environment is likely to be a major factor and with that, I feel Kuroda may just eek out a controversial decision.
Interestingly IF Kuroda does win, a bout between the new champion and Inoue (who is currently just 2-0) could well attract a lot of attention with Inoue attempting to tie the long standing record of Saensak Muangsurin.
Prediction-Kuroda by Split Decision
The once beaten Revecco is seen as one of the best kept secrets in boxing mainly due to the fact he's spent much of his career fighting in his homeland. Despite this Revecco has faced notable names through his almost 9 year career which has seen him claiming world titles at both Light Flyweight and Flyweight.
In his first notable bout Revecco claimed the previously vacant WBA Light Flyweight title stopping the previously unbeaten Thai Nethra Sasiprapa in the 8th round. The victory over Sasiprapa was followed by an impressive defense over Humberto Pool before Revecco suffered his lone defeat on points, in France, to the talented Brahim Asloum.
Revecco would bounce back well from his solitary defeat and less than 2 years later Revecco would once again claim a world title as he defeated Mexican Francisco Rosas by split decision to pick up the WBA interim Light Flyweight title. Rather than attempt to make a name for himself at the time in what was a hot division, Revecco instead defended his belt twice against limited opponents including (Ronald Barrera and Armando Torres).
In 2011 Revecco moved up to 112lbs and swiftly claimed the interim WBA Flyweight title, a title he defended twice, including and impressive and hard fought defense against Karim Guerfi, before his status was upgraded to being the full WBA Flyweight champion, a title he will defend for the first time against Kuroda.
Although he has been mixing in world level for around 6 years Revecco has unfortunately been over-looked time and time again due to his relatively poor level of opposition. For example defenses against Humberto Pool and Julian Rivera have done little to reaffirm Revecco as a top level fighter, despite this he has shown very solid skills, fantastic speed and hurtful (though not concussive) punching ability. It's due to his level of competition that Boxrec.com rank him at a relatively poor 13 whilst Ring Magazine currently rank him at a much loftier #7.
Whilst Revecco is a settled fighter at Flyweight the first thing to note about Japanese challenger Kuroda is that he's actually stepping up to the Flyweight division having been a career Light Flyweight and the most recent Japanese Light Flyweight champion. It's as a Light Flyweight that Ring Magazine rank him (#6) and Boxrec rank him (#11) though in all honesty his competition hasn't been great at 108lbs.
Aged 26 Kuroda is a fighter reaching his physical, though unlike many 26 years olds in the sport, he's also a hardened veteran having been a professional for almost 8 years and compiling 142 rounds of professional activity. Though admittedly many of those rounds have come at a limited level and his most notable opponents are probably fringe contender Shigetaka Ikehara and former OPBF champion Katsuhiko Iezumi. Not exactly names on the world stage.
Whilst Kuroda certainly hasn't mixed with the level of opponents that Revecco has (despite Revecco having not faced many genuinely top tier opponents) he does have one very notable advantage going in to this fight and that's home field advantage. The Todoroki Arena in Kawasaki has become a home in recent fights for Kuroda who has fought 3 of his last 4 bouts there (including a draw last time out to the brilliantly named Toshimasa Ouchi). When you factor in that Revecco is 2-1 outside of Argentina and 0-1 out side of the American continent, it's a notable advantage for Kuroda.
Sadly footage of Kuroda is limited and the most notable video I've seen is of Kuroda's loss in 2009 to Richard Garcia in which Kuroda looks slow and a bit too green. Since then he has fought 11 times (winning 9 and drawing 2) and is by all accounts an improved fighter. Despite this however a story from Japan was that hot prospect Naoya Inoue really beat him up in Inoue's test fight for a Japanese license, if that's true then Kuroda may be in trouble here.
This isn't an easy pick, Revecco is a very good fighter but traveling from South America to Asia is never an easy task for a fighter. If Revecco was at home, it'd be a no brainer, though the travel, jet lag and change of environment is likely to be a major factor and with that, I feel Kuroda may just eek out a controversial decision.
Interestingly IF Kuroda does win, a bout between the new champion and Inoue (who is currently just 2-0) could well attract a lot of attention with Inoue attempting to tie the long standing record of Saensak Muangsurin.
Prediction-Kuroda by Split Decision
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Brian Viloria v Hernan Marquez
In the stand out match up of the weekend, if not the year, WBO Flyweight champion Brian Viloria (31-3-0-2, 18) faces hard hitting WBA Flyweight champion Hernan "Tyson" Marquez (34-2, 25) in a bout that oozes with quality on paper and in the mind. Whilst this may not be a high-profile mega fight in terms of the wider public, for boxing fans like myself this is something special, a real hardcore fans wet dream.
2000 US Olympian Brian Viloria has long been one of the sports most under-rated fighter. Aged 31 he knows that a loss now can derail a career that he has tried hard to rebuild after numerous set backs. Those setbacks however have helped develop the fighter that Viloria has become, they've helped cut out the mistakes, and issues that plagued Viloria through out his career and have genuinely helped him to become one of the premier fighters in the sport.
Viloria turned professional in 2001 after competing in the 2000 Olympic Games. Although Viloria failed to medal in the Games he had proven himself to be a top level amateur having won the World Amateur Championships in 1999. Since turning professional he has become one of the most exciting men in the little divisions with the ability to both bang and to box. Sadly however it's the fact he can do both which had been his issue as he's often found himself stuck between the two mindsets as opposed to showing off his skills at one, or the other.
Throughout his 11 year career Viloria has genuine been there done that. He has faced multiple current, former or future world champions. Those included two fights with Alberto Rossel (going 1-0-0-1 against Rossel) and one with Gilberto Keb Baas (going 1-0) as Viloria was climbing the rankings on the way to claiming his first world title in 2005 when he stopped Eric Ortiz for the WBC Light Flyweight title.
Sadly for Viloria his first title reign was short lived and after successfully defending his title once, out pointing Jose Antonio Aguirre, he would suffer his first loss being out-pointed by Omar Nino Romero. This loss started a dark part for Viloria who struggled in a rematch with Romero (a bout that was declared a no-contest after Romero failed a drugs test) and lost to Edgar Sosa. Those results saw Viloria going from unbeaten to 19-2-0-2 and a fighter who really was having major questions asked about how good he was.
Rather than sulking, Viloria took a step away from the big stage and fought in number of confidence building bouts, disappearing from the world stage for 2 years before reclaiming a world title by stopping Ulises Solis in 11 rounds. Again however, Viloria's reign as champion came to an untimely end as he lost in his second defense, being stopped by Carlos Tamara in the final round. This bout saw Viloria being left with a lot of questions as he appeared to blow his load and was clearly exhausted in the championship rounds prior to being stopped.
Since the loss to Tamara, Viloria has tried to correct his flaws. He's no-longer a fighter who can't choose what to do, he's instead molded the features of his game together. He's become a boxer-puncher, a fighter who can move and hit, but moves and hits hard. He no longer blows himself out, instead picking his shots carefully. This slight change in style has seen Viloria claiming the WBO Flyweight title and picking up wins over Julio Cesar Miranda (UD12), Giovani Segura (TKO8) and Omar Nino Romero (TKO9) as he goes into this bout with Marquez.
Although questions remain about Viloria's stamina, especially late on, he appears to have slowed down slightly in recent bouts, using better ring control and a more controlled pace to win bouts. He no longer goes for broke when he has an opponent hurt, something he did in the past and instead boxes to find opportunities to land his power shots. Despite his record, suggesting he's only an average puncher, Viloria hits hard, he hits clean and he can hurt anyone in the Flyweight division, though the big question is whether or not he can do it if forced to fight at a high tempo.
Of course this fight isn't all about Viloria but also about WBA champion Hernan Marquez. Hailing from Mexico, the Southpaw, known as "Tyson" is also a fighter who has come back from adversity and losses to build up a real reputation as one of the monsters of the lighter divisions.
Aged just 24, Marquez has a lot of time to come back from a loss, however he'll not be thinking about that going going in to this fight. Instead the hard hitting and thoroughly exciting youngster will be thinking that this is his opportunity to make a real name for himself. Despite his age, Marquez has been a professional for over 7 years and is hugely experienced for someone so young with 161 rounds behind and the same amount of fights as Viloria has (though Viloria does have many, many more rounds under his belt).
Marquez started his career with 27 straight wins, albeit it mostly against limited opposition, before losing twice in 2010. The first of those loses, a minor upset, came against Filipino Richie Mepranum who was simply too active for an off colour Marquez who was fighting outside of his native Mexico for the first time. Just months later Marquez would lose again, this time being stopped by Nonito Donaire, again outside of his homeland in a WBA "interim" world title bout at Super Flyweight.
Since those two losses Marquez has rebuilt his career well running up 7 successive wins, including his first outside of Mexico, where he beat Luis Concepcion for the WBA Flyweight title in a real tear up. As well as defending his title twice (stopping Luis Concepcion again and stopping Edrin Dapudong) Marquez has also earned revenge over Richie Mepranum in those recent wins.
In terms of his style Marquez is a warrior with a nasty mean streak and really hurtful power. He is not only a hard hitting brawler but he is actually an under-rated boxer who has a solid defense and when he gets tagged he knows how to fight back, as he showed in the first bout with Concepcion. He can fight at a high pace if needed and will certainly look to dictate the pace against Viloria however he may not be able to ask the questions about Viloria's stamina with the fact he himself, has never been 12 rounds. Going into this bout, Marquez will certainly feel like he's the puncher and will want to set off at a high pace trying to force the bout into a war from the off, if he can do this he may feel he can break down Viloria.
On paper this is a bit of a brawler v boxer type of match up. Sure both men are very talented and both can bang but though it's a matter of who can control the pace and distance of the bout. If Marquez can make it a war early on he may face his chances of breaking down Viloria as he did to Concepcion in their first bout. In fact if Marquez can force Viloria to fight at a high tempo he could even come on strong and copy what Carlos Tamara did to Viloria. If instead Viloria can control the distance and fight at a slower, more controlled pace he should be able to take a clear decision. Wonderfully however their is a third option, and the option that I think many fans are hoping for, both guys will meet each other in the centre of the ring and unload on each other in a test of intestinal fortitude. If we get the third option, well, anything could happen.
I tend to feel that Viloria's superior boxing will be the difference here, but don't expect him to win with out at least a few hairy moments.
Prediction-Viloria UD
2000 US Olympian Brian Viloria has long been one of the sports most under-rated fighter. Aged 31 he knows that a loss now can derail a career that he has tried hard to rebuild after numerous set backs. Those setbacks however have helped develop the fighter that Viloria has become, they've helped cut out the mistakes, and issues that plagued Viloria through out his career and have genuinely helped him to become one of the premier fighters in the sport.
Viloria turned professional in 2001 after competing in the 2000 Olympic Games. Although Viloria failed to medal in the Games he had proven himself to be a top level amateur having won the World Amateur Championships in 1999. Since turning professional he has become one of the most exciting men in the little divisions with the ability to both bang and to box. Sadly however it's the fact he can do both which had been his issue as he's often found himself stuck between the two mindsets as opposed to showing off his skills at one, or the other.
Throughout his 11 year career Viloria has genuine been there done that. He has faced multiple current, former or future world champions. Those included two fights with Alberto Rossel (going 1-0-0-1 against Rossel) and one with Gilberto Keb Baas (going 1-0) as Viloria was climbing the rankings on the way to claiming his first world title in 2005 when he stopped Eric Ortiz for the WBC Light Flyweight title.
Sadly for Viloria his first title reign was short lived and after successfully defending his title once, out pointing Jose Antonio Aguirre, he would suffer his first loss being out-pointed by Omar Nino Romero. This loss started a dark part for Viloria who struggled in a rematch with Romero (a bout that was declared a no-contest after Romero failed a drugs test) and lost to Edgar Sosa. Those results saw Viloria going from unbeaten to 19-2-0-2 and a fighter who really was having major questions asked about how good he was.
Rather than sulking, Viloria took a step away from the big stage and fought in number of confidence building bouts, disappearing from the world stage for 2 years before reclaiming a world title by stopping Ulises Solis in 11 rounds. Again however, Viloria's reign as champion came to an untimely end as he lost in his second defense, being stopped by Carlos Tamara in the final round. This bout saw Viloria being left with a lot of questions as he appeared to blow his load and was clearly exhausted in the championship rounds prior to being stopped.
Since the loss to Tamara, Viloria has tried to correct his flaws. He's no-longer a fighter who can't choose what to do, he's instead molded the features of his game together. He's become a boxer-puncher, a fighter who can move and hit, but moves and hits hard. He no longer blows himself out, instead picking his shots carefully. This slight change in style has seen Viloria claiming the WBO Flyweight title and picking up wins over Julio Cesar Miranda (UD12), Giovani Segura (TKO8) and Omar Nino Romero (TKO9) as he goes into this bout with Marquez.
Although questions remain about Viloria's stamina, especially late on, he appears to have slowed down slightly in recent bouts, using better ring control and a more controlled pace to win bouts. He no longer goes for broke when he has an opponent hurt, something he did in the past and instead boxes to find opportunities to land his power shots. Despite his record, suggesting he's only an average puncher, Viloria hits hard, he hits clean and he can hurt anyone in the Flyweight division, though the big question is whether or not he can do it if forced to fight at a high tempo.
Of course this fight isn't all about Viloria but also about WBA champion Hernan Marquez. Hailing from Mexico, the Southpaw, known as "Tyson" is also a fighter who has come back from adversity and losses to build up a real reputation as one of the monsters of the lighter divisions.
Aged just 24, Marquez has a lot of time to come back from a loss, however he'll not be thinking about that going going in to this fight. Instead the hard hitting and thoroughly exciting youngster will be thinking that this is his opportunity to make a real name for himself. Despite his age, Marquez has been a professional for over 7 years and is hugely experienced for someone so young with 161 rounds behind and the same amount of fights as Viloria has (though Viloria does have many, many more rounds under his belt).
Marquez started his career with 27 straight wins, albeit it mostly against limited opposition, before losing twice in 2010. The first of those loses, a minor upset, came against Filipino Richie Mepranum who was simply too active for an off colour Marquez who was fighting outside of his native Mexico for the first time. Just months later Marquez would lose again, this time being stopped by Nonito Donaire, again outside of his homeland in a WBA "interim" world title bout at Super Flyweight.
Since those two losses Marquez has rebuilt his career well running up 7 successive wins, including his first outside of Mexico, where he beat Luis Concepcion for the WBA Flyweight title in a real tear up. As well as defending his title twice (stopping Luis Concepcion again and stopping Edrin Dapudong) Marquez has also earned revenge over Richie Mepranum in those recent wins.
In terms of his style Marquez is a warrior with a nasty mean streak and really hurtful power. He is not only a hard hitting brawler but he is actually an under-rated boxer who has a solid defense and when he gets tagged he knows how to fight back, as he showed in the first bout with Concepcion. He can fight at a high pace if needed and will certainly look to dictate the pace against Viloria however he may not be able to ask the questions about Viloria's stamina with the fact he himself, has never been 12 rounds. Going into this bout, Marquez will certainly feel like he's the puncher and will want to set off at a high pace trying to force the bout into a war from the off, if he can do this he may feel he can break down Viloria.
On paper this is a bit of a brawler v boxer type of match up. Sure both men are very talented and both can bang but though it's a matter of who can control the pace and distance of the bout. If Marquez can make it a war early on he may face his chances of breaking down Viloria as he did to Concepcion in their first bout. In fact if Marquez can force Viloria to fight at a high tempo he could even come on strong and copy what Carlos Tamara did to Viloria. If instead Viloria can control the distance and fight at a slower, more controlled pace he should be able to take a clear decision. Wonderfully however their is a third option, and the option that I think many fans are hoping for, both guys will meet each other in the centre of the ring and unload on each other in a test of intestinal fortitude. If we get the third option, well, anything could happen.
I tend to feel that Viloria's superior boxing will be the difference here, but don't expect him to win with out at least a few hairy moments.
Prediction-Viloria UD
Monday, 29 October 2012
Toshiyuki Igarashi v Nestor Daniel Narvaes
This coming weekend sees Ring, Linear and WBC Flyweight champion Toshiyuki Igarashi (16-1-1, 10) making the fist defense of his titles as he faces little known Argentinian Nestor Daniel Narvaes (19-0-2-1, 9). Despite being unbeaten Narvaes is a hugely underwhelming opponent for a Linear title bout such as this, however could he spring an upset?
Although most boxing fans won't really know who Igarashi is, the Japanese fighter is a well regarded fighter who ran up an impressive amateur record of 77-18 and competed at both the 2004 Olympic games and the 2005 World Amateur Championships.
Aged 28 Igarashi is seen as one of the rising stars of Japanese boxing and despite having been a professional since 2006 it's only been in the last year or so that he's really made any sort of an impact on the world stage. In fact Igarashi's rise to success seems to have arisen from his short reign as the Japanese Flyweight champion in early 2011, a title he would defend just once.
After defending the Japanese title Igarashi was swiftly pushed up the WBC rankings and given a title eliminator against highly rated Mexican Wilbert Uicab. Igarashi managed to claim a narrow decision victory over Uicab to earn his shot at the WBC Champion, and after Sonny Boy Jaro defeated Pongsaklek Wonjongkam for the title the match up was made for Igarashi to face Jaro.
Igarashi made the most of his opportunity against Jaro and claimed a narrow decision to win the titles in an enthralling battle between two tough men. Although Igarashi was tagged numerous times he never seemed that hurt as he landed his own flush shots on Jaro in a genuinely fun to watch fight and one that told us a lot about Igarashi's heart as well as his skills. He appeared to be a powerful punching, tough fighter who had very solid boxing skills even if he lacked a massive work-rate, however he still looked "fresh" in rounds 11 and 12 which would suggest he probably could go up a gear if he felt he needed to.
Whilst we might not know a huge amount about Igarashi we certainly know more about him than we know about Nestor Daniel Narvaes a fighter who has yet to face anyone with a pulse. Despite being unbeaten Narvaes hasn't faced anyone to really gauge him against and as a result it's hard to really tell how good, how powerful and how durable he actually is.
From the footage I have seen of Narvaes he appears to be crude and very open. He does have some hurtful body shots though against the likes of Marcelo Antonio Gomez it's hard to really see just how hard he actually hits. Despite this it's worth noting that Narvaes has fought as high as Super Bantamweight, perhaps suggesting that he will be the naturally bigger man against Igarashi.
So far the best win on Narvaes' record has come against Luis Singo, a veteran Ecuador and this really says everything about this match up. One man has beaten Jaro, and Uicab the other has beaten nobody of worthy, with this is mind I have to go with Igarashi to score the victory, almost certainly by stoppage. When Igarashi lands a solid shot I expect Narvaes to crumble.
Prediction-Igarashi TKO4
Although most boxing fans won't really know who Igarashi is, the Japanese fighter is a well regarded fighter who ran up an impressive amateur record of 77-18 and competed at both the 2004 Olympic games and the 2005 World Amateur Championships.
Aged 28 Igarashi is seen as one of the rising stars of Japanese boxing and despite having been a professional since 2006 it's only been in the last year or so that he's really made any sort of an impact on the world stage. In fact Igarashi's rise to success seems to have arisen from his short reign as the Japanese Flyweight champion in early 2011, a title he would defend just once.
After defending the Japanese title Igarashi was swiftly pushed up the WBC rankings and given a title eliminator against highly rated Mexican Wilbert Uicab. Igarashi managed to claim a narrow decision victory over Uicab to earn his shot at the WBC Champion, and after Sonny Boy Jaro defeated Pongsaklek Wonjongkam for the title the match up was made for Igarashi to face Jaro.
Igarashi made the most of his opportunity against Jaro and claimed a narrow decision to win the titles in an enthralling battle between two tough men. Although Igarashi was tagged numerous times he never seemed that hurt as he landed his own flush shots on Jaro in a genuinely fun to watch fight and one that told us a lot about Igarashi's heart as well as his skills. He appeared to be a powerful punching, tough fighter who had very solid boxing skills even if he lacked a massive work-rate, however he still looked "fresh" in rounds 11 and 12 which would suggest he probably could go up a gear if he felt he needed to.
Whilst we might not know a huge amount about Igarashi we certainly know more about him than we know about Nestor Daniel Narvaes a fighter who has yet to face anyone with a pulse. Despite being unbeaten Narvaes hasn't faced anyone to really gauge him against and as a result it's hard to really tell how good, how powerful and how durable he actually is.
From the footage I have seen of Narvaes he appears to be crude and very open. He does have some hurtful body shots though against the likes of Marcelo Antonio Gomez it's hard to really see just how hard he actually hits. Despite this it's worth noting that Narvaes has fought as high as Super Bantamweight, perhaps suggesting that he will be the naturally bigger man against Igarashi.
So far the best win on Narvaes' record has come against Luis Singo, a veteran Ecuador and this really says everything about this match up. One man has beaten Jaro, and Uicab the other has beaten nobody of worthy, with this is mind I have to go with Igarashi to score the victory, almost certainly by stoppage. When Igarashi lands a solid shot I expect Narvaes to crumble.
Prediction-Igarashi TKO4
Monday, 27 August 2012
Moruti Mthalane v Ricardo Nunez
In Panama this coming weekend we have another over looked world title fight, and one that promises a lot as the IBF Flyweight champion Moruti Mthalane (28-2, 19) defends against Panama's very own hard hitter, Ricardo Nunez (24-2, 20). Whilst I know many fans aren't particularly interested in the Flyweight division (or for that matter any of the smaller divisions) some fights in those divisions have "exciting" written on them, and this is certainly one of them.
South African Mthalane is, like compatriot Nkosinathi Joyi (who defends against Mario Rodriguez on the same night), very under-rated by the international boxing community. This is due to 3 separate reasons firstly his weight (112lbs) which generally doesn't appeal to US, secondly he's not been featured much on US television (thus hiding him from the US TV audience) and thirdly in his only US fight to date he was stopped, on cuts by the highly touted Nonito Donaire. Despite the lack of exposure he is very talented and he does a lot of things very well. Whilst he's not lighting quick, or has dynamite in his fists he is a very solid fighter with a good defense, hurtful power and solid technique as well as excellent composure.
Mthalane made his professional debut way back in 2000 and won his first 14 fights before being shockingly stopped in 2004 by the then national Flyweight champion Nkqubela Gwazela in round 11. Mthalane bounced back well from his first defeat and claimed the South African Flyweight title less than 2 years later by stopping Akhona Aliva in 6 rounds.
Having made a number of defenses of his South African title Mthalane moved into the world level with an excellent victory over former world title challenger Hussein Hussein in an IBF eliminator. Having got the #1 ranking Mthalane went to the US to face the then champion Nonito Donaire. Despite putting up a solid effort against Donaire, Mthalane was cut in round 6 and unfortunately it took the steam out of his attack before the doctor stopped the bout. Prior to the 6th round Mthalane had out landed Donaire and had appeared to have won rounds 4 and 5 as he seriously pushed the highly rated Filipino hard.
Since losing to Donaire, Mthalane has been on a 6 fight winning streak which has seen him claiming the IBF Flyweight title (that had been vacated by Donaire) by defeating the teak tough Julio Cesar Miranda. As well as winning the title Mthalane has made 3 defenses of the belt by defeating fellow South African Zolani Tete (TKO5), current IBF Light Flyweight champion John Riel Casimero (TKO5) and former WBO title challenger challenger Andrea Sarritzu (TKO7). Whilst looking more impressive in every outing. However, despite 3 solid title defences (including beating Sarritzu in Italy) Mthalane has been inactive since October 2011, a notably absence from the ring.
The challenger, Ricardo Nunez, who will be fighting at home will go into this bout with the feeling that he's probably a slight favourite, due to the home field advantage with Mthalane needing to go from South Africa to Panama. Though if he's expecting anything other than a tough night ahead I'd be very surprised.
Nunez debuted back in 2006 and showed some really impressive power and finishing as he stopped his first 6 opponents, 5 of them in the opening round and actually started his career 10-0 (9) before suffering the first loss of his career in 2008. It what could only be described as a giant upset Nunez was stopped by the hard hitting journeyman William De Sousa in just 37 seconds.
Despite suffering his first loss Nunez swiftly rebuilt his career and ran up 7 more wins (6 by T/KO) as he moved to 17-1 (15). Sadly his winning run would again come to an end prematurely, this time at the hands of power and exciting Filipino Drian Francisco who almost beheaded Nunez in round 5 before eventually knocking him out in what turned out to be a real beat down. Despite looking really poor against Francisco (and I mean really poor) Nunez proved his chin as he literally ate power shots from Francisco before finally being laid out.
Since losing to Francisco we've seen Nunez dropping down to Flyweight from Super Flyweight a change that seems to have really helped him rebuild career once again. Nunez is now on a 7 fight winning streak which has seen him stopping 5 opponents including Carlos Tamara the former IBF Light Flyweight champion, a win that helped Nunez to get this world title opportunity.
With an aggressive mindset Nunez is very fun to watch and whilst he's not particularly quick he has has a must watch style of fighting. Not only does Nunez have genuinely hurtful power but he also really likes to let his hands go with a bit of a reckless abandon at times and whilst his defense is sloppy (to say the least) he appears to be able to take a solid shot or two, in fact from the number of shots he took from Francisco he can take an awful lot of flush shots. He appears to like to grind opponents down and whilst having heavy hands he's probably not quite what you'd term as a concussive puncher, certainly not at the top level.
Despite the fact Nunez will have the crowd behind him I just don't think that'll be enough to win him the bout. Mthalane is the more talented fighter, he's much more defensively sound, more technical in the ring and whilst possible not quite as powerful he's more likely to land his blows cleanly than Nunez. Whilst a decision would likely favour Nunez I don't see it going that far as I don't think Nunez will be able to cope with the hard accurate counters of Mthalane.
Prediction-Mthalane TKO8
Interestingly in the same division just weeks later the WBA "super" title and the WBO title will be unified as Hernan "Tyson" Maruqez (34-2, 25) faces Brian Viloria (31-3-0-3, 18), a bout between the winners would be a huge fight for the division and the sort of bout that would deserve a major TV slot in the US.
South African Mthalane is, like compatriot Nkosinathi Joyi (who defends against Mario Rodriguez on the same night), very under-rated by the international boxing community. This is due to 3 separate reasons firstly his weight (112lbs) which generally doesn't appeal to US, secondly he's not been featured much on US television (thus hiding him from the US TV audience) and thirdly in his only US fight to date he was stopped, on cuts by the highly touted Nonito Donaire. Despite the lack of exposure he is very talented and he does a lot of things very well. Whilst he's not lighting quick, or has dynamite in his fists he is a very solid fighter with a good defense, hurtful power and solid technique as well as excellent composure.
Mthalane made his professional debut way back in 2000 and won his first 14 fights before being shockingly stopped in 2004 by the then national Flyweight champion Nkqubela Gwazela in round 11. Mthalane bounced back well from his first defeat and claimed the South African Flyweight title less than 2 years later by stopping Akhona Aliva in 6 rounds.
Having made a number of defenses of his South African title Mthalane moved into the world level with an excellent victory over former world title challenger Hussein Hussein in an IBF eliminator. Having got the #1 ranking Mthalane went to the US to face the then champion Nonito Donaire. Despite putting up a solid effort against Donaire, Mthalane was cut in round 6 and unfortunately it took the steam out of his attack before the doctor stopped the bout. Prior to the 6th round Mthalane had out landed Donaire and had appeared to have won rounds 4 and 5 as he seriously pushed the highly rated Filipino hard.
Since losing to Donaire, Mthalane has been on a 6 fight winning streak which has seen him claiming the IBF Flyweight title (that had been vacated by Donaire) by defeating the teak tough Julio Cesar Miranda. As well as winning the title Mthalane has made 3 defenses of the belt by defeating fellow South African Zolani Tete (TKO5), current IBF Light Flyweight champion John Riel Casimero (TKO5) and former WBO title challenger challenger Andrea Sarritzu (TKO7). Whilst looking more impressive in every outing. However, despite 3 solid title defences (including beating Sarritzu in Italy) Mthalane has been inactive since October 2011, a notably absence from the ring.
The challenger, Ricardo Nunez, who will be fighting at home will go into this bout with the feeling that he's probably a slight favourite, due to the home field advantage with Mthalane needing to go from South Africa to Panama. Though if he's expecting anything other than a tough night ahead I'd be very surprised.
Nunez debuted back in 2006 and showed some really impressive power and finishing as he stopped his first 6 opponents, 5 of them in the opening round and actually started his career 10-0 (9) before suffering the first loss of his career in 2008. It what could only be described as a giant upset Nunez was stopped by the hard hitting journeyman William De Sousa in just 37 seconds.
Despite suffering his first loss Nunez swiftly rebuilt his career and ran up 7 more wins (6 by T/KO) as he moved to 17-1 (15). Sadly his winning run would again come to an end prematurely, this time at the hands of power and exciting Filipino Drian Francisco who almost beheaded Nunez in round 5 before eventually knocking him out in what turned out to be a real beat down. Despite looking really poor against Francisco (and I mean really poor) Nunez proved his chin as he literally ate power shots from Francisco before finally being laid out.
Since losing to Francisco we've seen Nunez dropping down to Flyweight from Super Flyweight a change that seems to have really helped him rebuild career once again. Nunez is now on a 7 fight winning streak which has seen him stopping 5 opponents including Carlos Tamara the former IBF Light Flyweight champion, a win that helped Nunez to get this world title opportunity.
With an aggressive mindset Nunez is very fun to watch and whilst he's not particularly quick he has has a must watch style of fighting. Not only does Nunez have genuinely hurtful power but he also really likes to let his hands go with a bit of a reckless abandon at times and whilst his defense is sloppy (to say the least) he appears to be able to take a solid shot or two, in fact from the number of shots he took from Francisco he can take an awful lot of flush shots. He appears to like to grind opponents down and whilst having heavy hands he's probably not quite what you'd term as a concussive puncher, certainly not at the top level.
Despite the fact Nunez will have the crowd behind him I just don't think that'll be enough to win him the bout. Mthalane is the more talented fighter, he's much more defensively sound, more technical in the ring and whilst possible not quite as powerful he's more likely to land his blows cleanly than Nunez. Whilst a decision would likely favour Nunez I don't see it going that far as I don't think Nunez will be able to cope with the hard accurate counters of Mthalane.
Prediction-Mthalane TKO8
Interestingly in the same division just weeks later the WBA "super" title and the WBO title will be unified as Hernan "Tyson" Maruqez (34-2, 25) faces Brian Viloria (31-3-0-3, 18), a bout between the winners would be a huge fight for the division and the sort of bout that would deserve a major TV slot in the US.
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