When it comes to hyped Americans we do tend to see a lot of them. Some, do tend to be the goods such as Andre Ward, others however vanish without a trace after facing a major test and being found out. Anyone remember Mike Jones?
This weekend sees Keith Thurman (21-0-0-1, 19) attempting to prove he's the real deal as he takes on the always game and often exciting Jesus Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18) in the first defence of Thurman's WBA "interim" Welterweight title.. On paper this should be a coming out bout for Thurman though Soto Karass has proven time and time again not to under-estimate him.
From the hype we've been reading about Thurman he's a destructive, 1 punch banger with the ability to take out anyone in the division if he lands "one time". Whilst his power is certainly there and it can be delivered to either the head or the body it doesn't seem quite as powerful as Showtime and Thurman himself would want us to believe.
Other than the power Thurman does have some nice traits. He certainly has personality, confidence, nice speed but nothing about his boxing makes me think he'll be a true superstar. He's more rounded than an Andre Berto but still doesn't look that great with some flaws coming through.
When it comes to Soto Karass he is a limited fighter but one who always comes to fight and one who has been improving markedly in recent fighters. Just a few years ago many had written off Karass who had lost in bouts to Alfonso Gomez, Mike Jones-twice and Gabriel Rosado going 0-4-0-1 over a 5 fight stretch. Since then however he has gone 4-1 with notable victories over Berto and Selcuk Aydin. Yeah they are both a level below Thurman's expected level but both are genuine top 15 fighters in the 147 division.
The key for this bout will be whether or not Thurman's power is going to prevent Soro Karass from making this his type of fight. If the Mexican can turn this bout in a fight then it's easy to at least think about the upset. Of course Thurman has the power, skills and speed to make Soto Karass look stupid but on the other hand can he apply them rightly? Will his power carry up and hurt Soto Karass?
It seems unlikely that Thurman's power won't grind Soto Karass down eventually but I do expect the American to be given an uncomfortably tough contest here before eventually stopping Thurman in the second half of the fight.
Prediction-Thurman TKO8
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Miguel Vazquez v Ammeth Diaz II
It's not often that a fight ends with scores of 120-107 (twice) and 119-108 and less than 2 years later we get a rematch, unfortunately that's exactly what we're getting this weekend when IBF Lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez (33-3, 13) defends his title against Ammeth Diaz (32-11-0-1, 23) for the second time.
It was back in January 2012 that the men first met with Vazquez dominating every single round of the fight as he recorded the third defense of his title and scored a rare knockdown of his own in the process. It was, in all honesty, a bout that never required a rematch, it was so one-sided that even talking about a rematch seemed a bit pointless. In the world of boxing however we do get some pointless match ups.
Before everyone jumps on to Vazquez's case over the bout, this is sadly a mandatory defense for the Mexican champion. Unfortunately Diaz "earned" this fight thanks to a victory over Britain's Martin Gethin, I'm not sure how Gethin v Diaz could ever have been a final eliminator, especially considering that Diaz's loss to Vazquez was just two fights earlier, but the boxing world is a mysterious one at the best of times.
Due to the total white wash of their first bout it's hard to see anything but the same again here. Vazquez may not be a pound-for-pound top fighter but he is someone who is truly frustrating to fight. He has a style that can only be described as a nightmare and whilst he's not exciting he is one of the premier proponents of the "hit and don't get hit" mentality that has helped Floyd Mayweather Jr stay at the top of the sport.
When you put Vazquez in the ring with someone who loads up and looks for big shots he honestly makes them look foolish. He lands his jab, moves and the lands another jab all whilst an opponent is trying to set themselves. The Vazquez style of hit and move disturbs fighters rhythms and when he fights some one like Diaz there is only one out come, barring a freak 1-punch KO.
Put Diaz in with someone like Raymundo Beltran and you get a fun to watch fire fight. Put him in with a technically skilled boxer like Vazquez and you end up with a masterclass.
Prediction-Vazquez UD12 (Very clear)
It was back in January 2012 that the men first met with Vazquez dominating every single round of the fight as he recorded the third defense of his title and scored a rare knockdown of his own in the process. It was, in all honesty, a bout that never required a rematch, it was so one-sided that even talking about a rematch seemed a bit pointless. In the world of boxing however we do get some pointless match ups.
Before everyone jumps on to Vazquez's case over the bout, this is sadly a mandatory defense for the Mexican champion. Unfortunately Diaz "earned" this fight thanks to a victory over Britain's Martin Gethin, I'm not sure how Gethin v Diaz could ever have been a final eliminator, especially considering that Diaz's loss to Vazquez was just two fights earlier, but the boxing world is a mysterious one at the best of times.
Due to the total white wash of their first bout it's hard to see anything but the same again here. Vazquez may not be a pound-for-pound top fighter but he is someone who is truly frustrating to fight. He has a style that can only be described as a nightmare and whilst he's not exciting he is one of the premier proponents of the "hit and don't get hit" mentality that has helped Floyd Mayweather Jr stay at the top of the sport.
When you put Vazquez in the ring with someone who loads up and looks for big shots he honestly makes them look foolish. He lands his jab, moves and the lands another jab all whilst an opponent is trying to set themselves. The Vazquez style of hit and move disturbs fighters rhythms and when he fights some one like Diaz there is only one out come, barring a freak 1-punch KO.
Put Diaz in with someone like Raymundo Beltran and you get a fun to watch fire fight. Put him in with a technically skilled boxer like Vazquez and you end up with a masterclass.
Prediction-Vazquez UD12 (Very clear)
Friday, 27 September 2013
Alberto Rossel v Jose Alfredo Zuniga
With a staggering 6 world title bouts taking place this weekend it's fair to say that some will be ignored by fans. My guess is that the most ignored will be in Peru as Peru's first ever world champion Alberto Rossel (30-8, 13) defends his WBA "interim" Light Flyweight title.
Rossel, looking for the third defense of his belt, will be facing Mexican Jose Alfredo Zuniga (11-4-1, 5) a man I must admit I know very, very little about.
Whilst Zuniga is a mystery to me Rossel has been a bit of a curiosity of mine. He's a man who is certainly not a genuine top fighter in the 108lbs division. He'd not stand a chance with fighter like Kazuto Ioka, Roman Gonzalez, Donnie Nietes, Moises Fuentes or Johnriel Casimero. Saying that however he's not completely awful.
Aged 35 Rossel has been in with a genuine who's who of the lower divisions. He has faced, and lost, to Daniel Reyes, Ivan Calderon, Brian Viloria, Luis Alberto Lazarte, Vusi Malinga and Hugo Fidel Cazares. Losing to those guys however isn't something that should shame any fighter, he tested himself and lost to some great names.
Since the loss to Cazares, Rossel has been on a 6 fight winning streak, highlighted by his victory over Jose Alfredo Rodriguez for the WBA interim belt, and subsequent defenses against Karluis Diaz and Walter Tello, who in all honesty were undeserving title challengers themselves.
In terms of his style Rossel is a scrappy fighter. He's not particularly exciting, or entertaining but due to his status as Peru's first, and only world champion he does have a solid following. His combination of little power and not the greatest of work rate causes many of his bouts to be tough to watch and hard to scored but whilst in Peru he's going to be very difficult to defeat.
Whilst Rossel has faced a string of quality names, Zuniga himself has faced one or two recognisable names, most notably Gannigan Lopez, who he is 1-1 against though also Ulises Lara and Luis Ceja, defeating both with the victory over Ceja coming just a few months ago. It's probably fair to say that Zuniga is getting this bout thanks to the victory over Ceja which is all well and good until you realise he was just 1-1-1 going in to that bout.
Ranked #10 by the WBA Zuniga is the third successive "weak" challenger to Rossel's throne and should again come up short. I actually do expect to see Rossel pushed hard, he's nothing great, but I expect, with the fight being in Peru he'll take a narrow decision, but there is a reason why this fight is being completely ignored by fans, and that's due to the quality of the match up and legitimacy of Rossel's title.
Prediction-Rossel UD12
Rossel, looking for the third defense of his belt, will be facing Mexican Jose Alfredo Zuniga (11-4-1, 5) a man I must admit I know very, very little about.
Whilst Zuniga is a mystery to me Rossel has been a bit of a curiosity of mine. He's a man who is certainly not a genuine top fighter in the 108lbs division. He'd not stand a chance with fighter like Kazuto Ioka, Roman Gonzalez, Donnie Nietes, Moises Fuentes or Johnriel Casimero. Saying that however he's not completely awful.
Aged 35 Rossel has been in with a genuine who's who of the lower divisions. He has faced, and lost, to Daniel Reyes, Ivan Calderon, Brian Viloria, Luis Alberto Lazarte, Vusi Malinga and Hugo Fidel Cazares. Losing to those guys however isn't something that should shame any fighter, he tested himself and lost to some great names.
Since the loss to Cazares, Rossel has been on a 6 fight winning streak, highlighted by his victory over Jose Alfredo Rodriguez for the WBA interim belt, and subsequent defenses against Karluis Diaz and Walter Tello, who in all honesty were undeserving title challengers themselves.
In terms of his style Rossel is a scrappy fighter. He's not particularly exciting, or entertaining but due to his status as Peru's first, and only world champion he does have a solid following. His combination of little power and not the greatest of work rate causes many of his bouts to be tough to watch and hard to scored but whilst in Peru he's going to be very difficult to defeat.
Whilst Rossel has faced a string of quality names, Zuniga himself has faced one or two recognisable names, most notably Gannigan Lopez, who he is 1-1 against though also Ulises Lara and Luis Ceja, defeating both with the victory over Ceja coming just a few months ago. It's probably fair to say that Zuniga is getting this bout thanks to the victory over Ceja which is all well and good until you realise he was just 1-1-1 going in to that bout.
Ranked #10 by the WBA Zuniga is the third successive "weak" challenger to Rossel's throne and should again come up short. I actually do expect to see Rossel pushed hard, he's nothing great, but I expect, with the fight being in Peru he'll take a narrow decision, but there is a reason why this fight is being completely ignored by fans, and that's due to the quality of the match up and legitimacy of Rossel's title.
Prediction-Rossel UD12
Friday, 30 August 2013
Adrian Hernandez v Atsushi Kakutani
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
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
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
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Julian Yedras v Carlos Buitrago
Less than a week after Melito Sabillo of the Philippines successfully defended his WBO Minimumweight title for the first time stopping Jorle Estrada, the WBO "interim" Minimumweight title is up for grabs.
Although on paper I really like the match up on paper between Julian Yedras (21-0, 13) and Carlos Buitrago (26-0-0-1, 16) I can't fathom the WBO's decision to have a belt on the line rather than just making the bout a final eliminator.
As you can see from the records both men are unbeaten with spectacular records, it's also worth noting that both men are young with Yedras being 25 and Buitrago being just 21. In my eyes both men are effectively prospects who shouldn't be fighting for an interim title, but I guess this is the boxing world that we live in.
Nicaraguan Buitrago has been a fighter who has been on my radar for several years. He's a fighter a fighter that many in Nicaragua have been tipping as a potential superstar and has been compared, in terms of potential, to Roman Gonzalez-a man I am a huge fan of. He hasn't just just been touted by his promoters but also sparring partners including Juan Palacios, a former WBC and WBA interim champion at 105lbs and Gonzalez the current WBA Light Flyweight super champion.
Having been lucky enough to have seen Buitrago coming through his development it's great to see the fighter he has become. Sure he's not the next Gonzalez (a total wrecking ball) of the next Alexis Arguello (legend) but he's still an incredible talent with very solid technical grounding, a fantastic jab, hurtful power and the ability to throw almost every punch in the book. Despite his age he's very mature, though he has been a professional for over 5 years and like mentioned has sparred with some genuinely fantastic opponents.
To date the most notable names on Buitrago's record are Jorle Estrada-who lost to Sabillo last weekend, Carlos Melo-a former world title challenger, Eddy Castro-another former world title challenger and the world ranked Yader Escobar. Not a great list of opponents but certainly not bad either for a 21 year old fighter.
Yedras, a Mexican dubbed "El Nino Artillero" (apparently "The Kid Gunner" or something to that effect) isn't a fighter who has been on my radar for as long as Buitrago, though in my defense has hasn't been a professional as long, though he did turn professional in 2009.
From what I've seen of Yedras (or Yedra) he looks somewhat slow and predictable. He has a solid defense though offensively he looks crude with his shots often looping wide or falling short. When he connects he appears to have heavy hands though against the quality of opponents he's been facing it's hard to tell if he actually hits hard or if they would have collapsed with a swift breeze.
Whilst Buitrago has faced fringe world level opponents Yedras has only faced a handful of opponents with winning records, none of which are anywhere near world level. Worryingly a number of these weak opponents have almost beaten Yedras.
Using Boxrec's rating systems Yedras is currently ranked #35 in the division, just 2 places above Ali Raymi who is quickly becoming a name to keep an eye out for, Buitrago on the other hand is ranked at #15.
From the footage available it's impossible to pick against Buitrago. Sure he's fighting in Yedras's native Mexico but the skill level between the two men is huge as is the experience (in terms of real experience, not number of bouts). In fact the only advantage Yedras has is that he's fighting at home and that won't be able to really help him here.
At the beginning of this preview I said I liked this bout on paper. I think that's the only way I actually like this bout because in all honesty it's a mismatch.
Prediction-Buitrago TKO 6
Although on paper I really like the match up on paper between Julian Yedras (21-0, 13) and Carlos Buitrago (26-0-0-1, 16) I can't fathom the WBO's decision to have a belt on the line rather than just making the bout a final eliminator.
As you can see from the records both men are unbeaten with spectacular records, it's also worth noting that both men are young with Yedras being 25 and Buitrago being just 21. In my eyes both men are effectively prospects who shouldn't be fighting for an interim title, but I guess this is the boxing world that we live in.
Nicaraguan Buitrago has been a fighter who has been on my radar for several years. He's a fighter a fighter that many in Nicaragua have been tipping as a potential superstar and has been compared, in terms of potential, to Roman Gonzalez-a man I am a huge fan of. He hasn't just just been touted by his promoters but also sparring partners including Juan Palacios, a former WBC and WBA interim champion at 105lbs and Gonzalez the current WBA Light Flyweight super champion.
Having been lucky enough to have seen Buitrago coming through his development it's great to see the fighter he has become. Sure he's not the next Gonzalez (a total wrecking ball) of the next Alexis Arguello (legend) but he's still an incredible talent with very solid technical grounding, a fantastic jab, hurtful power and the ability to throw almost every punch in the book. Despite his age he's very mature, though he has been a professional for over 5 years and like mentioned has sparred with some genuinely fantastic opponents.
To date the most notable names on Buitrago's record are Jorle Estrada-who lost to Sabillo last weekend, Carlos Melo-a former world title challenger, Eddy Castro-another former world title challenger and the world ranked Yader Escobar. Not a great list of opponents but certainly not bad either for a 21 year old fighter.
Yedras, a Mexican dubbed "El Nino Artillero" (apparently "The Kid Gunner" or something to that effect) isn't a fighter who has been on my radar for as long as Buitrago, though in my defense has hasn't been a professional as long, though he did turn professional in 2009.
From what I've seen of Yedras (or Yedra) he looks somewhat slow and predictable. He has a solid defense though offensively he looks crude with his shots often looping wide or falling short. When he connects he appears to have heavy hands though against the quality of opponents he's been facing it's hard to tell if he actually hits hard or if they would have collapsed with a swift breeze.
Whilst Buitrago has faced fringe world level opponents Yedras has only faced a handful of opponents with winning records, none of which are anywhere near world level. Worryingly a number of these weak opponents have almost beaten Yedras.
Using Boxrec's rating systems Yedras is currently ranked #35 in the division, just 2 places above Ali Raymi who is quickly becoming a name to keep an eye out for, Buitrago on the other hand is ranked at #15.
From the footage available it's impossible to pick against Buitrago. Sure he's fighting in Yedras's native Mexico but the skill level between the two men is huge as is the experience (in terms of real experience, not number of bouts). In fact the only advantage Yedras has is that he's fighting at home and that won't be able to really help him here.
At the beginning of this preview I said I liked this bout on paper. I think that's the only way I actually like this bout because in all honesty it's a mismatch.
Prediction-Buitrago TKO 6
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Austin Trout v Saul Alvarez
The biggest fight of this weekend, by a notable margin sees the much maligned Light Middleweight division thrust into the boxing spotlight as unbeaten fighters collide in a genuinely exciting unification bout. In one corner you have the often over-looked Austin "No Doubt" Trout (26-0, 14) who currently holds the WBA Light Middleweight title in the other corner you have the WBC champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (41-0-1, 30). On the line are both the WBC title and the WBA "super" title and of course bragging rights, the Ring title and the consensus #1 ranking at 154lbs. The stakes could hardly be bigger.
Of the two men the pressure is certainly more on flame haired Mexican Alvarez. The 22 year from Jalisco is seen by many as "the next superstar of boxing" with a huge female fan base, a unique look, a fun to watch style and a genuine charisma about him as well the Golden Boy hype machine which has pushed him in to the limelight in the US in the hope of making him a superstar.
So far in his 42 fight career things have been good for Alvarez who has only been troubled a handful of times a career that dates back to October 2010. In fact the closest Alvarez has come to losing was a split decision victory over Miguel Vazquez (yes, the current IBF Lightweight champion) and a draw to little known Jorge Juarez, though he was rocked in his first high profile US bout by Jose Miguel Cotto (in what was Canelo's 3rd US fight).
The stocky Mexican fighter is certainly a born fighter having been impressive since he was 15 and fighting obscure opponents in Mexico. Though many do doubt his actual creditability in the Light Middleweight division where some have ranked him #1. So far his wins in world title bouts have been against very limited opponents including the brave but outclassed Matthew Hatton, the much smaller Alfonso Gomez and Josesito Lopez, the old Shane Mosley and Ryan Rhodes and the mentally weak Kermit Cintron.
With the other fighters in the division, including Trout, Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather, Javier Maciel, Erislandy Lara, Ishe Smith, James Kirkland and Alfredo Anguloit's fair to say that Alvarez's competition has been beyond poor since becoming a world champion.
Whilst "Canelo" has been fighting poor opponents he's been receiving the media acclaim of a fighter who is a pound-for-pound fighter. Whilst I don't mean to take away from his skills he doesn't look as rounded as the media have portrayed him. In fact defensively Alvarez has looked porous, offensively he's looked surprisingly quick though not as heavy handed as his record would indicate and whilst his shots are crisp he can be made to look lazy at times and his feet certainly aren't the swiftest.
As the under-dog it's fair to say there is less pressure on Trout who although unbeaten was pretty unknown by the wider boxing public just a few fights back, in fact until he beat Miguel Cotto (in what was considered a betting upset) it's fair to say that Trout was a completely overlooked fighter in the 154lb mix. This was despite notable wins in both Panama and Mexico over Nilson Julio Tapia, Rigoberto Alvarez ("Canelo's" brother) and David Lopez as well as a solid victory on Showtime against Delvin Rodriguez.
Like Alvarez, Trout is unbeaten since his debut in 2005 (a month before "Canelo") and although he's not had the hype and the promotional backing of Alvarez he's certainly proven his character fighting on the road on a regular basis. Be it in Panama, Mexico, Canada or Miguel Cotto's "adoptive home" of New York, Trout has had to prove his ability on the road and win decisions when he wasn't expected to.
In terms of his style, Trout has often been called a spoiler and whilst he can spoil fights, the southpaw isn't really that negative just very controlling in a fight. He's very highly skilled, he lacks explosive power but he certainly can hit hard enough to make fighters think twice, he has great movement and whilst not the most active at times he's a fighter who seems capable of putting his foot on the gas if and when needed. Like Canelo it's his hand speed more than anything that really stands out, though he certainly has a foot speed edge over Canelo and probably also a technical edge despite not having the power of the Mexican.
Going in to the bout Trout will know that he will need to clearly win the bout to get a decision. The Golden Boy backing that Alvarez has had won't be written off easily though "The Golden Boy Curse" could of course strike again here as it did Jorge Linares (against Juan Carlos Salgado) and Victor Ortiz (against Marcos Maidana).
With all the variables and intangibles going into this bout it's hardnot to get excited about it. Of course the bout has the potential to be a bit of let down considering whats on the the line especially when we remember back to the last unification bout in the US between unbeaten champions (Timothy Bradley v Devon Alexander) however I'm personally expecting an electric atmosphere and a bout to remember.
Sadly as much as I'm looking forward to this I can't help but feel that the actual result will be less than the fighters deserve. The gut feeling is that Canelo wins a very controversial decision due to his popularity though part of me also sees Trout turning it on very late and making sure the judges can't screw him. If Trout can't stop Alvarez he may end up getting a draw when he deserves a victory.
Prediction- Draw.
Of the two men the pressure is certainly more on flame haired Mexican Alvarez. The 22 year from Jalisco is seen by many as "the next superstar of boxing" with a huge female fan base, a unique look, a fun to watch style and a genuine charisma about him as well the Golden Boy hype machine which has pushed him in to the limelight in the US in the hope of making him a superstar.
So far in his 42 fight career things have been good for Alvarez who has only been troubled a handful of times a career that dates back to October 2010. In fact the closest Alvarez has come to losing was a split decision victory over Miguel Vazquez (yes, the current IBF Lightweight champion) and a draw to little known Jorge Juarez, though he was rocked in his first high profile US bout by Jose Miguel Cotto (in what was Canelo's 3rd US fight).
The stocky Mexican fighter is certainly a born fighter having been impressive since he was 15 and fighting obscure opponents in Mexico. Though many do doubt his actual creditability in the Light Middleweight division where some have ranked him #1. So far his wins in world title bouts have been against very limited opponents including the brave but outclassed Matthew Hatton, the much smaller Alfonso Gomez and Josesito Lopez, the old Shane Mosley and Ryan Rhodes and the mentally weak Kermit Cintron.
With the other fighters in the division, including Trout, Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather, Javier Maciel, Erislandy Lara, Ishe Smith, James Kirkland and Alfredo Anguloit's fair to say that Alvarez's competition has been beyond poor since becoming a world champion.
Whilst "Canelo" has been fighting poor opponents he's been receiving the media acclaim of a fighter who is a pound-for-pound fighter. Whilst I don't mean to take away from his skills he doesn't look as rounded as the media have portrayed him. In fact defensively Alvarez has looked porous, offensively he's looked surprisingly quick though not as heavy handed as his record would indicate and whilst his shots are crisp he can be made to look lazy at times and his feet certainly aren't the swiftest.
As the under-dog it's fair to say there is less pressure on Trout who although unbeaten was pretty unknown by the wider boxing public just a few fights back, in fact until he beat Miguel Cotto (in what was considered a betting upset) it's fair to say that Trout was a completely overlooked fighter in the 154lb mix. This was despite notable wins in both Panama and Mexico over Nilson Julio Tapia, Rigoberto Alvarez ("Canelo's" brother) and David Lopez as well as a solid victory on Showtime against Delvin Rodriguez.
Like Alvarez, Trout is unbeaten since his debut in 2005 (a month before "Canelo") and although he's not had the hype and the promotional backing of Alvarez he's certainly proven his character fighting on the road on a regular basis. Be it in Panama, Mexico, Canada or Miguel Cotto's "adoptive home" of New York, Trout has had to prove his ability on the road and win decisions when he wasn't expected to.
In terms of his style, Trout has often been called a spoiler and whilst he can spoil fights, the southpaw isn't really that negative just very controlling in a fight. He's very highly skilled, he lacks explosive power but he certainly can hit hard enough to make fighters think twice, he has great movement and whilst not the most active at times he's a fighter who seems capable of putting his foot on the gas if and when needed. Like Canelo it's his hand speed more than anything that really stands out, though he certainly has a foot speed edge over Canelo and probably also a technical edge despite not having the power of the Mexican.
Going in to the bout Trout will know that he will need to clearly win the bout to get a decision. The Golden Boy backing that Alvarez has had won't be written off easily though "The Golden Boy Curse" could of course strike again here as it did Jorge Linares (against Juan Carlos Salgado) and Victor Ortiz (against Marcos Maidana).
With all the variables and intangibles going into this bout it's hardnot to get excited about it. Of course the bout has the potential to be a bit of let down considering whats on the the line especially when we remember back to the last unification bout in the US between unbeaten champions (Timothy Bradley v Devon Alexander) however I'm personally expecting an electric atmosphere and a bout to remember.
Sadly as much as I'm looking forward to this I can't help but feel that the actual result will be less than the fighters deserve. The gut feeling is that Canelo wins a very controversial decision due to his popularity though part of me also sees Trout turning it on very late and making sure the judges can't screw him. If Trout can't stop Alvarez he may end up getting a draw when he deserves a victory.
Prediction- Draw.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Victor Terrazas v Cristian Mijares
In what is arguably the most over-looked bout of the weekend, Mexican skillster Cristian Mijares (36-2-1, 21) faces the criminally under-rated Victor Terrazas (47-6-2, 22) in a bout for the vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title. Sure we all know quite clearly right now that Guillermo Rigondeaux is the premier Bantamweight in the world thanks to his performance last week out boxing Nonito Donaire for the WBO and WBA "super" titles, but this is still a hugely promising bout between two Mexicans.
For Mijares, one of the most sound "boxers" Mexico has ever produced it's a chance to become a 3-time, 2 weight world champion after having had 2 title runs at Super Flyweight. It was of course at 115lbs that Mijares made his name as he first claimed the WBC "interim" belt, defeating Katsushige Kawashima in Japan (twice), before thoroughly out boxing the always fun to watch Jorge Arce in a thoroughly one sided domination.
Mijares's WBC title reign would see him defeating Jose Navarro, Alexander Munoz and Chatchai Sasakul. Although several of his fights were close on the cards it was a mystery as to how judges were scoring them close and really the judges in some cases should have been forced to explain their scorecards. Sadly however for Mijares his reign finally came to an end after 7 defenses of the WBC title and one of the WBA he had claimed from Munoz as Vic Darchinyan walked through him before scoring a stoppage in round 9 in eye catching fashion.
Following the loss to Darchinyan, Mijares would suffer back to back decision losses to Nehomar Cermeno in bouts for the WBA Bantamweight title as fans started to write off Mijares as a fighter who was done. Since those losses Cermeno back in 2009 however Mijares has totally rebuilt his career with 11 straight wins which saw him gaining the IBF Super Flyweight title (which he has since given up). This run of 11 wins has seen him defeating Francisco Arce, Juan Alberto Rosas and most notably Rafael Marquez.
As a pure boxer Mijares is a real joy. He can move and box with the best of them and unlike a typical Mexican he seems happier to avoid a battle of machismo than to get dragged in to one, though this is in part due to his less then average power which as seen his stoppage rate standing at a perfect 40%. Whilst this has seen him running up 401 professional rounds since his debut back in 1997 he hasn't taken 401 rounds of damage due to his defensive abilities which have, the Darchinyan fight aside, seen him remain on his feet at the final bell of every bout.
Although co-challenger Victor Terrazas is much less well known by the American boxing fans he's a figure who is pretty well known by the hardcore fans and even British fans oddly enough. The 30 year old, from Jalisco has been a professional since 2003 and although he lost bis debut (KO2 to Adrian Tellez) he has carved out an excellent career of his own.
Following his debut loss, Terrazas won 26 of his next 27 fights before fighting outside of Mexico for the first time in his career as he traveled to Britain to face Rendall Munroe in a WBC Bantamweight eliminator. Sadly for Terrazas the body of Munroe wore him down after a good start and in round 9 Terrazas was stopped following a terrific shot by Munroe (who went on to lose Nishioka in the eventual world title fight).
Since his loss to Munroe, Terrazas has been excellent adding 10 straight victories to his record including victories over Nehomar Cermeno (the man who twice beat Mijares) and Fernando Montiel as he's forced his way back into title contention.
Going in to this is genuinely an intriguing bout. Terrazas, as he showed against Montiel, is a fantastic pressure fighter who can be in your grill and grind you down (he dropped Montiel in that one left him bloodied), but on the opposite side Mijares is a genuine master boxer. If we go on the Darchinyan fight then it's hard to see Mijares winning, though Terrazas isn't Darchinyan, he's not as dynamite fisted or as conventional as the Armenian.
I'm a huge fan of Mijares though I just think with the styles involved here, Terrazas eventually grinds him down, though of course I'd not be shocked by Mijares putting on a master class of boxing and claiming a decision over his fellow Mexican. A really, really good match up.
Prediction-Terrazas TKO10
For Mijares, one of the most sound "boxers" Mexico has ever produced it's a chance to become a 3-time, 2 weight world champion after having had 2 title runs at Super Flyweight. It was of course at 115lbs that Mijares made his name as he first claimed the WBC "interim" belt, defeating Katsushige Kawashima in Japan (twice), before thoroughly out boxing the always fun to watch Jorge Arce in a thoroughly one sided domination.
Mijares's WBC title reign would see him defeating Jose Navarro, Alexander Munoz and Chatchai Sasakul. Although several of his fights were close on the cards it was a mystery as to how judges were scoring them close and really the judges in some cases should have been forced to explain their scorecards. Sadly however for Mijares his reign finally came to an end after 7 defenses of the WBC title and one of the WBA he had claimed from Munoz as Vic Darchinyan walked through him before scoring a stoppage in round 9 in eye catching fashion.
Following the loss to Darchinyan, Mijares would suffer back to back decision losses to Nehomar Cermeno in bouts for the WBA Bantamweight title as fans started to write off Mijares as a fighter who was done. Since those losses Cermeno back in 2009 however Mijares has totally rebuilt his career with 11 straight wins which saw him gaining the IBF Super Flyweight title (which he has since given up). This run of 11 wins has seen him defeating Francisco Arce, Juan Alberto Rosas and most notably Rafael Marquez.
As a pure boxer Mijares is a real joy. He can move and box with the best of them and unlike a typical Mexican he seems happier to avoid a battle of machismo than to get dragged in to one, though this is in part due to his less then average power which as seen his stoppage rate standing at a perfect 40%. Whilst this has seen him running up 401 professional rounds since his debut back in 1997 he hasn't taken 401 rounds of damage due to his defensive abilities which have, the Darchinyan fight aside, seen him remain on his feet at the final bell of every bout.
Although co-challenger Victor Terrazas is much less well known by the American boxing fans he's a figure who is pretty well known by the hardcore fans and even British fans oddly enough. The 30 year old, from Jalisco has been a professional since 2003 and although he lost bis debut (KO2 to Adrian Tellez) he has carved out an excellent career of his own.
Following his debut loss, Terrazas won 26 of his next 27 fights before fighting outside of Mexico for the first time in his career as he traveled to Britain to face Rendall Munroe in a WBC Bantamweight eliminator. Sadly for Terrazas the body of Munroe wore him down after a good start and in round 9 Terrazas was stopped following a terrific shot by Munroe (who went on to lose Nishioka in the eventual world title fight).
Since his loss to Munroe, Terrazas has been excellent adding 10 straight victories to his record including victories over Nehomar Cermeno (the man who twice beat Mijares) and Fernando Montiel as he's forced his way back into title contention.
Going in to this is genuinely an intriguing bout. Terrazas, as he showed against Montiel, is a fantastic pressure fighter who can be in your grill and grind you down (he dropped Montiel in that one left him bloodied), but on the opposite side Mijares is a genuine master boxer. If we go on the Darchinyan fight then it's hard to see Mijares winning, though Terrazas isn't Darchinyan, he's not as dynamite fisted or as conventional as the Armenian.
I'm a huge fan of Mijares though I just think with the styles involved here, Terrazas eventually grinds him down, though of course I'd not be shocked by Mijares putting on a master class of boxing and claiming a decision over his fellow Mexican. A really, really good match up.
Prediction-Terrazas TKO10
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Gamaliel Diaz v Takashi Miura
Mexican Super Featherweight Gamaliel Diaz (37-9-2, 17)) looks to make the first defense of his WBC title when he faces the highly rated Japanese challenger Takashi Miura (24-2-2, 18) in Mirua's homeland of Japan.
Although Diaz is on the road for this fight he'll have fond memories of Japan where he is 3-0 as a professional and had his crowning glory last year defeating Takahiro Ao by unanimous decision for his world title. In fact the 32 year old may well feel that Japan is where he has performed the best over his 14 year career with victories not only against Ao but also Naoto Fujiwara and Makoto Uehara (oddly following those victories with a notable defeat of Robert Guerrero).
Although Diaz's record looks like that of a journeyman he actually picked up more than half of his losses in his first 8 bouts as he started his career 3-5 suffering 2 stoppage losses including 1 to Martin Honorio. Since then Diaz has compiled a very respectable 34-4-2 record with losses to Robert Guerrero (who he had already beaten), Humberto Soto, Jorge Linares and Zolani Marali with the last of those coming 4 years ago to Marali. Against those losses Diaz has beaten not only Guerrero and Ao but also Elio Rojas, Cesar Soto and John Carlo Aparicio.
Diaz isn't anything special but on the flip of that he's a fighter who, if he fights to his best can upset special fighters. Sadly for Diaz though he is a fighter who can blow hot and cold and when he's not on form he can make life very difficult for himself and as we've seen several times he can be hurt when tagged hard, in fact of his last 4 losses 3 have come by stoppage with his chin not holding up at world level. Against Miura this could be an issue as the Japanese fighter is a real puncher, though Diaz has got the experience edge and should know how to get around Miura's biggest shots.
Whilst Diaz is well known around boxing circles his Japanese rival is lesser known in the west. Despite his relative obscurity to Western boxing fans Miura is well known to fans of the East thanks in part to his performance against Takashi Uchiyama which saw Uchiyama decked in round 3 before Miura was retired.
At 28 years old Miura is the younger fighter by 4 years in terms of age but is also younger in terms of "boxing years" having had fewer high profile bouts. Despite this Miura is well tested having fought in 7 Japanese title fights (going 5-1-1 in those bouts) and his bout with Uchiyama. Amongst those he has beaten are Yoshimitsu Yashiro, Seiichi Okada and most recently Ryuji Migaki (who was blasted out in 97 seconds). Whilst his only loss, other than the Uchiyama defeat, coming to former WBA Lightweight champion Yusuke Kobori in Miura's first title bout.
Miura is a genuine hard man despite his loss to Uchiyama (arguably the hard puncher in Super Featherweight division) and with his own fire power is a real danger man in the division. Whilst he has thunderous power he can often seem a bit predictable in trying to set up left hand and he seems to lack any sort of attack from his lead hand at times allowing a smart fighter to out boxing him. He can also get frustrated by a fighter who moves away from his left. It's fair to say however you've got to be pretty stupid to move into his straight left.
Due to the power of Miura with his straight left I've got to go with the Japanese catching Diaz at some point and putting him down. I have a feeling that Diaz may get up from a single knock down but be get stopped sooner afterwards.
Prediction-Mirua TKO5
Although Diaz is on the road for this fight he'll have fond memories of Japan where he is 3-0 as a professional and had his crowning glory last year defeating Takahiro Ao by unanimous decision for his world title. In fact the 32 year old may well feel that Japan is where he has performed the best over his 14 year career with victories not only against Ao but also Naoto Fujiwara and Makoto Uehara (oddly following those victories with a notable defeat of Robert Guerrero).
Although Diaz's record looks like that of a journeyman he actually picked up more than half of his losses in his first 8 bouts as he started his career 3-5 suffering 2 stoppage losses including 1 to Martin Honorio. Since then Diaz has compiled a very respectable 34-4-2 record with losses to Robert Guerrero (who he had already beaten), Humberto Soto, Jorge Linares and Zolani Marali with the last of those coming 4 years ago to Marali. Against those losses Diaz has beaten not only Guerrero and Ao but also Elio Rojas, Cesar Soto and John Carlo Aparicio.
Diaz isn't anything special but on the flip of that he's a fighter who, if he fights to his best can upset special fighters. Sadly for Diaz though he is a fighter who can blow hot and cold and when he's not on form he can make life very difficult for himself and as we've seen several times he can be hurt when tagged hard, in fact of his last 4 losses 3 have come by stoppage with his chin not holding up at world level. Against Miura this could be an issue as the Japanese fighter is a real puncher, though Diaz has got the experience edge and should know how to get around Miura's biggest shots.
Whilst Diaz is well known around boxing circles his Japanese rival is lesser known in the west. Despite his relative obscurity to Western boxing fans Miura is well known to fans of the East thanks in part to his performance against Takashi Uchiyama which saw Uchiyama decked in round 3 before Miura was retired.
At 28 years old Miura is the younger fighter by 4 years in terms of age but is also younger in terms of "boxing years" having had fewer high profile bouts. Despite this Miura is well tested having fought in 7 Japanese title fights (going 5-1-1 in those bouts) and his bout with Uchiyama. Amongst those he has beaten are Yoshimitsu Yashiro, Seiichi Okada and most recently Ryuji Migaki (who was blasted out in 97 seconds). Whilst his only loss, other than the Uchiyama defeat, coming to former WBA Lightweight champion Yusuke Kobori in Miura's first title bout.
Miura is a genuine hard man despite his loss to Uchiyama (arguably the hard puncher in Super Featherweight division) and with his own fire power is a real danger man in the division. Whilst he has thunderous power he can often seem a bit predictable in trying to set up left hand and he seems to lack any sort of attack from his lead hand at times allowing a smart fighter to out boxing him. He can also get frustrated by a fighter who moves away from his left. It's fair to say however you've got to be pretty stupid to move into his straight left.
Due to the power of Miura with his straight left I've got to go with the Japanese catching Diaz at some point and putting him down. I have a feeling that Diaz may get up from a single knock down but be get stopped sooner afterwards.
Prediction-Mirua TKO5
Friday, 29 March 2013
Mario Rodriguez v Katsunari Takayama
After scoring arguably the biggest upset of last year Mexican Mario Rodriguez (15-6-4, 11) makes the first defense of the IBF Minimumweight title he annexed from South African Nkosinathi Joyi as he faces former Joyi rival Katsunari Takayama (24-6-0-1, 10). This bout will be Takayama's first bout in Mexico and he remarkably enters 1-4-0-1 in the last 4 years!
Although Rodriguez's record is scratchy to say the best the 24 year old "Dragoncito" has been a fighter who has had to sink or swim from an early age. He debuted at 17 years old and started his career 10-6-4 with losses to Jose Alfredo Rodriguez and Donnie Nietes and a draw with Pedro Guevara amongst others. Not bad opponents for a young fighter.
In more recent bouts however Rodriguez has been defeating solid and accomplished professionals such as Manuel Jimenez, Karluis Diaz, Gilberto Keb Baas, Armando Vazquez and of course Joyi in a genuinely impressive streak. He hasn't just been beating his opponents he's been stopping them as well with only Jimenez surviving the distance from that impressive series of opponents.
Rodriguez isn't the most skilled but he's a very tough fighter who hasn't been stopped since losing his debut via 2nd round TKO to Geovanny Lopez (who Rodriguez beat in a rematch) and he relies on his toughness, his power and his work rate to over-come opponents. He's a fighter who if given a chance to have a tear up would likely come out on top.
Although Takayama is going through the worst run of his career (as mentioned above he's won just 1 of his last 6) the 29 year old is a proven force at the top level in the division. He's not only a former WBC and WBA interim champion but he's also a fighter who has faced a relative who's who including Isaac Bustos, Eagle Den Junlaphan. Carlos Melo, Yutaka Niida, Roman Gonzalez, Tshepo Lefele and Joyi (twice). As well as fighting that high level of competition he has also been unfortunate in some of his losses, most notably a split decision loss to Mateo Handig last time out and the loss to Niida.
Takayama is, like Rodriguez, a tough fighter (as he showed repeatedly against Gonzalez) and he's also a fighter with a solid work rate though unfortunately he seems to lack power and can be dragged in to a war (as he was with Gonzalez). If Takayama goes to Mexico with a point to prove I think he'll lose a decision though sadly if he chooses to box he may be viewed as negative and may end up losing anyway, it really is a toughy for the Japanese veteran.
Rodriguez isn't as bad as his record indicated and for me this would be a pretty even fight on neutral territory though in Mexico it's hard to imagine Rodriguez losing.
Prediction-Rodriguez by UD in a thoroughly enjoyable bout.
Although Rodriguez's record is scratchy to say the best the 24 year old "Dragoncito" has been a fighter who has had to sink or swim from an early age. He debuted at 17 years old and started his career 10-6-4 with losses to Jose Alfredo Rodriguez and Donnie Nietes and a draw with Pedro Guevara amongst others. Not bad opponents for a young fighter.
In more recent bouts however Rodriguez has been defeating solid and accomplished professionals such as Manuel Jimenez, Karluis Diaz, Gilberto Keb Baas, Armando Vazquez and of course Joyi in a genuinely impressive streak. He hasn't just been beating his opponents he's been stopping them as well with only Jimenez surviving the distance from that impressive series of opponents.
Rodriguez isn't the most skilled but he's a very tough fighter who hasn't been stopped since losing his debut via 2nd round TKO to Geovanny Lopez (who Rodriguez beat in a rematch) and he relies on his toughness, his power and his work rate to over-come opponents. He's a fighter who if given a chance to have a tear up would likely come out on top.
Although Takayama is going through the worst run of his career (as mentioned above he's won just 1 of his last 6) the 29 year old is a proven force at the top level in the division. He's not only a former WBC and WBA interim champion but he's also a fighter who has faced a relative who's who including Isaac Bustos, Eagle Den Junlaphan. Carlos Melo, Yutaka Niida, Roman Gonzalez, Tshepo Lefele and Joyi (twice). As well as fighting that high level of competition he has also been unfortunate in some of his losses, most notably a split decision loss to Mateo Handig last time out and the loss to Niida.
Takayama is, like Rodriguez, a tough fighter (as he showed repeatedly against Gonzalez) and he's also a fighter with a solid work rate though unfortunately he seems to lack power and can be dragged in to a war (as he was with Gonzalez). If Takayama goes to Mexico with a point to prove I think he'll lose a decision though sadly if he chooses to box he may be viewed as negative and may end up losing anyway, it really is a toughy for the Japanese veteran.
Rodriguez isn't as bad as his record indicated and for me this would be a pretty even fight on neutral territory though in Mexico it's hard to imagine Rodriguez losing.
Prediction-Rodriguez by UD in a thoroughly enjoyable bout.
Friday, 8 March 2013
Juan Carlos Salgado v Argenis Mendez II
In what will probably turn out to be the fight of the weekend IBF Super Featherweight champion Juan Carlos Salgado (26-1-1-1, 16) will attempt to defend his belt against the highly ranked Argenis Mendez (20-2, 10) in a rematch of their brilliant 2011 bout which saw Salgado claiming a controversial unanimous decision in his homeland of Mexico.
The 28 year old Salgado burst on to the scene back in 2009 when he scored an upset of the year contender blasting out Jorge Linares in just 168 seconds to claim the WBA Super Featherweight title. Whilst his reign didn't last long, losing hit title to Takashi Uchiyama in just his first defense, he had proven his ability was at least near world class and had actually put on a solid effort against Uchiyama.
Since the loss to Uchiyama, Salgado has claimed the IBF title and gone 5-0-0-1 actually claiming the title when he first beat Mendez. Although he hasn't looked great as a champion, scraping a decision over Martin Honorio and seeing his bout with Miguel Beltran Jr called off early after a clash of heads he has managed to keep a hold of his title significantly longer than his first reign.
Salgado is a solid enough fighter, he's a hurtful puncher, he's a hard worker and whilst he's not the most polished he has solid skills. There is nothing that's going to blow you away about him and he can fight down to his opponents level (as he did with Honorio) though at his best he's probably in the top 5 of a weak Super Featherweight division with out too many questions. He's not invincible but only Mendez and Uchiyama have managed to drop him so far and both of those came in the 12th round.
Whilst the Super Featherweight division is weak Mendez is deservedly ranked highly and boxrec's rating of #5 is around what I'd have him personally. He's a fighter who is very highly skilled and a fighter who has had to prove his ability against some of the other top Super Featherweights to get his chance in title fights.
Prior to the first Salgado fight Mendez had to travel to South Africa in an IBF eliminator, whilst there he widely out pointed former title holder Cassius Baloyi. Although he lost in Mexico the first time he faced Salgado he gave him a very tough fight, dropping Salgado before controversially being out pointed. Since then he has beaten Honorio (for a second time) in an IBF eliminator.
Born in the Dominican Republic though based in the US, the 26 year old Mendez, trained by Brit Lee Beard was a very good amateur and certainly has the superior skills of the two men. As long as he shows those skills he should get the decision this time, especially with the bout now being in the US rather than Mexico. It should also be a fantastic fight just like the first.
Prediction-Mendez by UD
The 28 year old Salgado burst on to the scene back in 2009 when he scored an upset of the year contender blasting out Jorge Linares in just 168 seconds to claim the WBA Super Featherweight title. Whilst his reign didn't last long, losing hit title to Takashi Uchiyama in just his first defense, he had proven his ability was at least near world class and had actually put on a solid effort against Uchiyama.
Since the loss to Uchiyama, Salgado has claimed the IBF title and gone 5-0-0-1 actually claiming the title when he first beat Mendez. Although he hasn't looked great as a champion, scraping a decision over Martin Honorio and seeing his bout with Miguel Beltran Jr called off early after a clash of heads he has managed to keep a hold of his title significantly longer than his first reign.
Salgado is a solid enough fighter, he's a hurtful puncher, he's a hard worker and whilst he's not the most polished he has solid skills. There is nothing that's going to blow you away about him and he can fight down to his opponents level (as he did with Honorio) though at his best he's probably in the top 5 of a weak Super Featherweight division with out too many questions. He's not invincible but only Mendez and Uchiyama have managed to drop him so far and both of those came in the 12th round.
Whilst the Super Featherweight division is weak Mendez is deservedly ranked highly and boxrec's rating of #5 is around what I'd have him personally. He's a fighter who is very highly skilled and a fighter who has had to prove his ability against some of the other top Super Featherweights to get his chance in title fights.
Prior to the first Salgado fight Mendez had to travel to South Africa in an IBF eliminator, whilst there he widely out pointed former title holder Cassius Baloyi. Although he lost in Mexico the first time he faced Salgado he gave him a very tough fight, dropping Salgado before controversially being out pointed. Since then he has beaten Honorio (for a second time) in an IBF eliminator.
Born in the Dominican Republic though based in the US, the 26 year old Mendez, trained by Brit Lee Beard was a very good amateur and certainly has the superior skills of the two men. As long as he shows those skills he should get the decision this time, especially with the bout now being in the US rather than Mexico. It should also be a fantastic fight just like the first.
Prediction-Mendez by UD
Friday, 1 March 2013
Donnie Nietes v Moises Funetes
Filipino Donnie Nietes (31-1-3, 17) has long been one of the most forgotten men in the sport of boxing. He's unbeaten in over 8 years, he's claimed WBO title at both Minimumweight and Flyweight and he's won his last 18 bouts, including 7 world title bouts and yet he's rarely, if ever mentioned online even when fans are talking about under-rated fighters. It's likely however that if Nietes successfully defends his WBO Light Flyweight title this coming Saturday against Mexican Moises Fuentes (16-1, 8) the boxing world may finally start to give him the attention he deserves.
Nietes, 30, has been a professional since 2003 and since then has only suffered a solitary (and highly debatable loss) to Angky Angkotta in Angkotta's native Indonesia. Not only did Angkotta struggle to gain a split decision in front of his own fans but he also failed to make the agreed weight for the fight, coming some 6 lbs over weight.
Since his loss to Angkotta, Nietes has been exceptional defeating the likes of Pornsawan Porpramook, Manuel Vargas, Jesus Silvestre, Mario Rodriguez and Ramon Garcia Hirales using his excellent skills and speed. Despite these notable victories Nietes has remained almost an enigma to many boxing fans who either don't know about, or don't care about the activity in the lower divisions where fighters like Nietes ply their trade.
Whilst he may be overlooked by many fans that really doesn't take away from the huge level of talent Nietes has. He's not a hugely exciting fighter, due to his defensive skill and lack of power, though he is a hugely talented fighter who knows his way around the ring and know how to get rounds in the bag, even if he doesn't tend to dominate fights in the way that perhaps he should. His work in the pocket is beautiful as he ducks and dodges whilst landing hurtful counters and his boxing is hugely under-rated by many. Saying that however the fact he rarely manages to put opponents away is a worry especially when you consider he now has over 230 professional rounds under his belt.
If Neites is to be seen as a masterful boxer then on the other hand we have the wild and somewhat reckless looking slugger from Mexico in Moises Fuentes. Fuentes, who defended his WBO Minimumweight title last time out by stopping Ivan Calderon (who retired from boxing following the loss) is like Neites in only a handful of ways, the most notable is that he's often over looked by boxing fans despite forging a successful career.
Another similarity that Nietes and Fuentes share is that they have only been beaten once, in fact rather oddly their losses both came by controversial split decision to fighters who came in over weight with Fuentes losing to fellow Mexican Juan Hernandez back in 2011. Since the loss to Hernandez however Fuentes has really come in to his own scoring notable wins over Raul Garcia, Julio Cesar Felix and most famously Ivan Calderon in what are by far his biggest wins.
Whilst Fuentes has made his name at Minimumweight he's always been a huge guy at the 105lb limit and standing at 5'7" he's actually taller than Lucas Matthysse. His size advantage has made him very dangerous at Minimumweight though should also easily allow him to make the move up to Light Flyweight for this bout with Nietes. In fact Fuentes should look like the noticeably bigger man in the ring despite being the fighter who's coming up a division.
If you look at Fuentes' record you don't see that of a puncher, though he is a hurtful fighter and if you allow him to catch you, you will know about it. He's hurtful to both the head and body and whilst he can be made to look very clumsy he can also leave fighters wincing in agony at his clubbing shots. If he manages to catch Nietes getting too cute he could genuinely shake up the Filipino, though I think the champion knows how to take care of himself in such a way that he should be able to take a clear decision over Fuentes.
Prediction-Nietes decision.
Nietes, 30, has been a professional since 2003 and since then has only suffered a solitary (and highly debatable loss) to Angky Angkotta in Angkotta's native Indonesia. Not only did Angkotta struggle to gain a split decision in front of his own fans but he also failed to make the agreed weight for the fight, coming some 6 lbs over weight.
Since his loss to Angkotta, Nietes has been exceptional defeating the likes of Pornsawan Porpramook, Manuel Vargas, Jesus Silvestre, Mario Rodriguez and Ramon Garcia Hirales using his excellent skills and speed. Despite these notable victories Nietes has remained almost an enigma to many boxing fans who either don't know about, or don't care about the activity in the lower divisions where fighters like Nietes ply their trade.
Whilst he may be overlooked by many fans that really doesn't take away from the huge level of talent Nietes has. He's not a hugely exciting fighter, due to his defensive skill and lack of power, though he is a hugely talented fighter who knows his way around the ring and know how to get rounds in the bag, even if he doesn't tend to dominate fights in the way that perhaps he should. His work in the pocket is beautiful as he ducks and dodges whilst landing hurtful counters and his boxing is hugely under-rated by many. Saying that however the fact he rarely manages to put opponents away is a worry especially when you consider he now has over 230 professional rounds under his belt.
If Neites is to be seen as a masterful boxer then on the other hand we have the wild and somewhat reckless looking slugger from Mexico in Moises Fuentes. Fuentes, who defended his WBO Minimumweight title last time out by stopping Ivan Calderon (who retired from boxing following the loss) is like Neites in only a handful of ways, the most notable is that he's often over looked by boxing fans despite forging a successful career.
Another similarity that Nietes and Fuentes share is that they have only been beaten once, in fact rather oddly their losses both came by controversial split decision to fighters who came in over weight with Fuentes losing to fellow Mexican Juan Hernandez back in 2011. Since the loss to Hernandez however Fuentes has really come in to his own scoring notable wins over Raul Garcia, Julio Cesar Felix and most famously Ivan Calderon in what are by far his biggest wins.
Whilst Fuentes has made his name at Minimumweight he's always been a huge guy at the 105lb limit and standing at 5'7" he's actually taller than Lucas Matthysse. His size advantage has made him very dangerous at Minimumweight though should also easily allow him to make the move up to Light Flyweight for this bout with Nietes. In fact Fuentes should look like the noticeably bigger man in the ring despite being the fighter who's coming up a division.
If you look at Fuentes' record you don't see that of a puncher, though he is a hurtful fighter and if you allow him to catch you, you will know about it. He's hurtful to both the head and body and whilst he can be made to look very clumsy he can also leave fighters wincing in agony at his clubbing shots. If he manages to catch Nietes getting too cute he could genuinely shake up the Filipino, though I think the champion knows how to take care of himself in such a way that he should be able to take a clear decision over Fuentes.
Prediction-Nietes decision.
Friday, 15 February 2013
Alejandro Lopez v Jonathan Romero
In arguably the forgotten fight of the weekend we see Mexican Alejandro Lopez (24-2, 7) face off against promising Colombian Jonathan Romero (22-0, 12) for the vacant IBF Super Bantamweight title that was given up recently by Nonito Donaire. Although the bout may like star power, it promises to be a great fight between two guys who will be wanting to throw their hats in to the ring to face the Donaire v Rigondeaux winner.
As the home fighter Lopez will be the slight favourite and in all honesty it's probably fair to say that he has the slight better wins having defeated both Teon Kennedy and Takalani Ndlovu though like wise he also has the notable losses. In fact it's probably fair to say that Lopez's losses say more about him than his wins as he has been beaten by both Jorge Diaz (who dropped Lopez twice) and the relatively unknown Aaron Garcia.
Aside from the losses Lopez has generally looked good, not great but good. He has scored wins in both his native Mexico as well as the US though his key issues are his lack of power which will see him taken the distance time and time again, in fact from his 26 bouts Lopez has gone 142 rounds, an average of 5.46 rounds a bout. Equally as telling is the fact he has gone 46 rounds in his last 5 bouts over the space of 24 months, things like that can age a fighter quickly and despite "only" being 25 Lopez may suddenly feel the accumulation of rounds that he's having to go through.
Whilst Lopez arguably has the better wins it's unfair to suggest that talented former Colombian amateur stand out Jonathan Romero hasn't himself scored notable wins, in fact Romero has defeated both Chris Avalos and Efrain Esquivias in recent bouts both in the US as he's started to make a name for himself. Unlike Lopez, Romero is unbeaten and will go in to the bout with an air of extra confidence, despite being the visiting fighter.
Like Lopez, Romero isn't a big hitter, he's a hurtful puncher but not a big hitter having only stopped a little over half of his opponents so far. This has meant that, like Lopez, Romero has been getting a lot of miles on the clock in recent fights, in fact Romero, who has fought 8 times since the start of 2011 has amassed 59 rounds in a little over 2 years. Whilst this is a lot of rounds Romero's 107 rounds from 22 fights is actually less than 5 rounds a bout so far and his high level of activity was done to try and race him up the rankings for an opportunity like this.
If this was at a neutral venue I'd favour Romero who for me is the stronger fighter and also the more well schooled, despite this I feel that Lopez's home crowd may well help him give an extra 10% and narrowly claim a controversial decision in a thoroughly interesting bout that will sadly pass under the radar. In all honesty however it doesn't matter who wins, neither man will be seen as a genuinely top tier fighter at 122lbs until they score another notable victory in a title defense.
Prediction-Lopez by decision
As the home fighter Lopez will be the slight favourite and in all honesty it's probably fair to say that he has the slight better wins having defeated both Teon Kennedy and Takalani Ndlovu though like wise he also has the notable losses. In fact it's probably fair to say that Lopez's losses say more about him than his wins as he has been beaten by both Jorge Diaz (who dropped Lopez twice) and the relatively unknown Aaron Garcia.
Aside from the losses Lopez has generally looked good, not great but good. He has scored wins in both his native Mexico as well as the US though his key issues are his lack of power which will see him taken the distance time and time again, in fact from his 26 bouts Lopez has gone 142 rounds, an average of 5.46 rounds a bout. Equally as telling is the fact he has gone 46 rounds in his last 5 bouts over the space of 24 months, things like that can age a fighter quickly and despite "only" being 25 Lopez may suddenly feel the accumulation of rounds that he's having to go through.
Whilst Lopez arguably has the better wins it's unfair to suggest that talented former Colombian amateur stand out Jonathan Romero hasn't himself scored notable wins, in fact Romero has defeated both Chris Avalos and Efrain Esquivias in recent bouts both in the US as he's started to make a name for himself. Unlike Lopez, Romero is unbeaten and will go in to the bout with an air of extra confidence, despite being the visiting fighter.
Like Lopez, Romero isn't a big hitter, he's a hurtful puncher but not a big hitter having only stopped a little over half of his opponents so far. This has meant that, like Lopez, Romero has been getting a lot of miles on the clock in recent fights, in fact Romero, who has fought 8 times since the start of 2011 has amassed 59 rounds in a little over 2 years. Whilst this is a lot of rounds Romero's 107 rounds from 22 fights is actually less than 5 rounds a bout so far and his high level of activity was done to try and race him up the rankings for an opportunity like this.
If this was at a neutral venue I'd favour Romero who for me is the stronger fighter and also the more well schooled, despite this I feel that Lopez's home crowd may well help him give an extra 10% and narrowly claim a controversial decision in a thoroughly interesting bout that will sadly pass under the radar. In all honesty however it doesn't matter who wins, neither man will be seen as a genuinely top tier fighter at 122lbs until they score another notable victory in a title defense.
Prediction-Lopez by decision
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Roman Martinez v Juan Carlos Burgos
When we talk about fun fighters it's a shame we often forget Puerto Rican Roman "Rocky" Martinez (26-1-1, 16) who became a 2-time WBO Super Featherweight champion back in September after a FOTY contender with Miguel Beltran Jr. He now looks to make the first defense of that title with another fight that could well be a FOTY contender as he takes on the always fun Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1, 20). It's fair to say that this is my tip for fight of the night on Saturday.
At his best Roman Martinez, 29, is an accurate and hurtful puncher from distance with a devastating straight right that famously put Ricky Burns down in the opening round of Martinez's only loss to date. As well as the straight right Martinez has an excellent jab, fantastic work rate and genuine toughness, as he showed in his war with Beltran.
At his worst however Martinez can get dragged into an up close war, a stye fight that his heart seems to love but his skill set isn't made for and it can make his life awfully difficult. It's fair to say that if he can have the distance to work he's genuinely very dangerous and has scored both eye catching clean KO's as well as stoppages from hurting opponents to the point of breaking down.
Although very skilled, with real power and very durable Martinez does have numerous issues, and not just that he's a average in-fighter. He lacks the speed, both hand and foot to really ever be considered a truly tremendous fighter. It's fair to actually admit that his relatively slow speed is what makes him so fun to watch as it ends up getting him involved in real tear ups.
Despite suffering a loss to Burns back in 2010 Martinez is a proven world level fighter having scored wins over Nicky Cook, Walter Estrada, Francisco Lorenzo, Daniel Attah and most recently Beltran Jr. Somehow despite his record Boxrec only rank Martinez as the #19 Super Featherweight in the world (Ring magazine put him at a much more suitable #3).
Whilst Martinez is a very powerful straight puncher it's far to say that Juan Carlos Burgos will be looking to force his own fight. Burgos, despite being the taller man, will likely be looking to cut the distance, force the action and force the pace of the fight whilst also neutralising the deadly straight of Martinez.
Like Martinez, Burgos is a warrior who is tough and likes to fight as he showed in bouts with Luis Cruz and Cristobal Cruz (which was a fantastic fight). If it came to pure toughness though I'd have to strongly favour Martinez, which is why Burgos can't try and jab with Martinez who is simply too tough and hits too hard with his straight to play that game with.
In his only previous world title tilt Burgos did come up short against talented Japanese fighter Hozumi Hasegawa (losing a wide decision in Japan) though that was at Featherweight and Burgos' only fight outside of Mexico or the US. Which actually adds another dimension to this fight, not only is a world title bout between two very exciting fighters but it's one that also has the added edge of Mexico v Puerto Rico, something that always seems to add a little bit of extra spice to bouts.
I'm oddly on the fence as to who will win here, though I'm leaning, slightly towards Martinez as the tougher and more proven fighter, though this is truly a 50-50 match up from where I'm sat and it's something that I cannot wait to watch.
Prediction-Martinez SD
At his best Roman Martinez, 29, is an accurate and hurtful puncher from distance with a devastating straight right that famously put Ricky Burns down in the opening round of Martinez's only loss to date. As well as the straight right Martinez has an excellent jab, fantastic work rate and genuine toughness, as he showed in his war with Beltran.
At his worst however Martinez can get dragged into an up close war, a stye fight that his heart seems to love but his skill set isn't made for and it can make his life awfully difficult. It's fair to say that if he can have the distance to work he's genuinely very dangerous and has scored both eye catching clean KO's as well as stoppages from hurting opponents to the point of breaking down.
Although very skilled, with real power and very durable Martinez does have numerous issues, and not just that he's a average in-fighter. He lacks the speed, both hand and foot to really ever be considered a truly tremendous fighter. It's fair to actually admit that his relatively slow speed is what makes him so fun to watch as it ends up getting him involved in real tear ups.
Despite suffering a loss to Burns back in 2010 Martinez is a proven world level fighter having scored wins over Nicky Cook, Walter Estrada, Francisco Lorenzo, Daniel Attah and most recently Beltran Jr. Somehow despite his record Boxrec only rank Martinez as the #19 Super Featherweight in the world (Ring magazine put him at a much more suitable #3).
Whilst Martinez is a very powerful straight puncher it's far to say that Juan Carlos Burgos will be looking to force his own fight. Burgos, despite being the taller man, will likely be looking to cut the distance, force the action and force the pace of the fight whilst also neutralising the deadly straight of Martinez.
Like Martinez, Burgos is a warrior who is tough and likes to fight as he showed in bouts with Luis Cruz and Cristobal Cruz (which was a fantastic fight). If it came to pure toughness though I'd have to strongly favour Martinez, which is why Burgos can't try and jab with Martinez who is simply too tough and hits too hard with his straight to play that game with.
In his only previous world title tilt Burgos did come up short against talented Japanese fighter Hozumi Hasegawa (losing a wide decision in Japan) though that was at Featherweight and Burgos' only fight outside of Mexico or the US. Which actually adds another dimension to this fight, not only is a world title bout between two very exciting fighters but it's one that also has the added edge of Mexico v Puerto Rico, something that always seems to add a little bit of extra spice to bouts.
I'm oddly on the fence as to who will win here, though I'm leaning, slightly towards Martinez as the tougher and more proven fighter, though this is truly a 50-50 match up from where I'm sat and it's something that I cannot wait to watch.
Prediction-Martinez SD
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
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Leo Santa Cruz v Alberto Guevara
Exciting Mexican youngster Leo Santa Cruz (22-0-1, 13) looks to finish off an excellent year with his third, and likely final IBF Bantamweight title defense as he faces the unbeaten but untested Alberto Guevara (16-0, 6) live on CBS.
Santa Cruz is quickly becoming one of the new stars of Mexican boxing and appears to be one of the sports most fun to watch fighters regardless of nationality. In terms of his style he's a very tough but educated pressure fighter who brings not only an "in your face" attitude to the ring but also very under-rated boxing ability and a deceptively powerful punch which he uses to grind down opponents.
Although Santa Cruz's record doesn't show him to be a puncher he has developed a real mean streak with which he's been able to force numerous stoppages with in recent fights. In fact Santa Cruz has impressively stopped 11 of his last 12 bouts early with only teak tough South African Vusi Malinga seeing the final bell with others such as Eric Morel, Alejandro Hernandez and Stephane Jamoye all being stopped in that run of 12 fights.
I'm expecting this to be the final time we see Santa Cruz at Bantamweight, a division he seems to be out growing and if he puts on an impressive showing it'll be great to see him mixing with some of the top guys at Super Bantamweight.
Whilst Santa Cruz is well known by boxing fans who have seen him becoming a bit of a star this year, it's fair to admit that Alberto Guevara is much more obscure. In fact it's worrying to discover that Guevara (at the time of writing) is unranked by the IBF and is ranked #47 by boxrec. Almost as interesting is that last time out Guervara apparently weighed in at a ridiculous 136lbs, and now needs to cut back down to 118.
Despite being unbeaten since he turned professional a little over 3 years ago Guevara is really, really untested having fought only 6 opponents with "winning records". Despite the level of his opponents it's fair to admit that Guevara has been stepping up in recent fights with arguably his best 3 wins coming in his last 3 bouts however they are all several levels below that of Santa Cruz.
In all honesty I can't see many fighters at 118lbs living with Santa Cruz's aggression, power and work rate. I think he'd be a nightmare for both Anselmo Moreno and Shinsuke Yamanaka (both fighters who I love) and in fact Santa Cruz could well be the division's #1 fighter as a result I can't Guevara upsetting him. I think Guevara will get ground down and quite early as well.
Prediction-Santa Cruz TKO5
Santa Cruz is quickly becoming one of the new stars of Mexican boxing and appears to be one of the sports most fun to watch fighters regardless of nationality. In terms of his style he's a very tough but educated pressure fighter who brings not only an "in your face" attitude to the ring but also very under-rated boxing ability and a deceptively powerful punch which he uses to grind down opponents.
Although Santa Cruz's record doesn't show him to be a puncher he has developed a real mean streak with which he's been able to force numerous stoppages with in recent fights. In fact Santa Cruz has impressively stopped 11 of his last 12 bouts early with only teak tough South African Vusi Malinga seeing the final bell with others such as Eric Morel, Alejandro Hernandez and Stephane Jamoye all being stopped in that run of 12 fights.
I'm expecting this to be the final time we see Santa Cruz at Bantamweight, a division he seems to be out growing and if he puts on an impressive showing it'll be great to see him mixing with some of the top guys at Super Bantamweight.
Whilst Santa Cruz is well known by boxing fans who have seen him becoming a bit of a star this year, it's fair to admit that Alberto Guevara is much more obscure. In fact it's worrying to discover that Guevara (at the time of writing) is unranked by the IBF and is ranked #47 by boxrec. Almost as interesting is that last time out Guervara apparently weighed in at a ridiculous 136lbs, and now needs to cut back down to 118.
Despite being unbeaten since he turned professional a little over 3 years ago Guevara is really, really untested having fought only 6 opponents with "winning records". Despite the level of his opponents it's fair to admit that Guevara has been stepping up in recent fights with arguably his best 3 wins coming in his last 3 bouts however they are all several levels below that of Santa Cruz.
In all honesty I can't see many fighters at 118lbs living with Santa Cruz's aggression, power and work rate. I think he'd be a nightmare for both Anselmo Moreno and Shinsuke Yamanaka (both fighters who I love) and in fact Santa Cruz could well be the division's #1 fighter as a result I can't Guevara upsetting him. I think Guevara will get ground down and quite early as well.
Prediction-Santa Cruz TKO5
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Miguel Vazquez v Mercito Gesta
Mexican Miguel Vazquez (32-3, 13) was less than impressive when he defended his IBF Lightweight title last time out against Marvin Quintero though he will hope to be more impressive this weekend as he faces the unbeaten Mercito Gesta (26-0-1, 14).
At his best Vazquez is a pure boxer with great movement, an excellent jab and a wonderful control of distance as he counters and moves his opponent with ease. At his worst, as we saw against Quintero, he can be a runner who can be forced to move more than box. Though whether he's at his best or worst, Vazquez is a tough man who his hard to hurt, very difficult to drop and very, very slippery to tag cleanly.
For all his trickery and slipperiness Vazquez' also has his negatives, notably his lack of power which has seen him stopping less than 40% of his fights early. He's sharp with his shots though they are rarely thrown with his weight behind them and as a result they lack the concussive force needed to put fighters off coming forward at him.
Vazquez is unbeaten in over 4 years (since suffering a second defeat to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who also beat him on Vazquez's debut) and has improved over that time. Not only has he become a world champion but he's also defeated numerous known fighters such as Breidis Prescott, Ji-Hoon Kim, Leonardo Zappavigna and Ameth Diaz often by frustrating them with his movement and jab. It's fair to say however that if you can take his wheels away, either with body shots or a good ability to cut the ring down, Vazquez could be made to look ordinary.
Whilst Vazquez is well known thanks to his top tier wins and even his loss, Gesta is better known for the fact that there is a lot of hype surrounding him especially from the Filipino fans who feel he could be the next Manny Pacquiao. Sadly however from what I've seen of Gesta he looks awfully ordinary with little to really make him stand out.
Whilst Gesta is unbeaten in 27 fights his best wins are over very limited opponents who have been there to make him look good as opposed to testing his skills. This has made it hard to actually know just how good he really is, though he did his job well last time out as he stopped Ty Barnett in 9 rounds with solid, hurtful shots.
Although Gesta is young and hungry I just can't see him getting to Vazquez who, for me, is a level or two better than Gesta and is much, much more proven. Gesta will put up a tireless effort, though will be clearly out boxed by a very intelligent Mexican fighter who doesn't try to do what other Mexicans do.
Prediction-Vazquez UD
At his best Vazquez is a pure boxer with great movement, an excellent jab and a wonderful control of distance as he counters and moves his opponent with ease. At his worst, as we saw against Quintero, he can be a runner who can be forced to move more than box. Though whether he's at his best or worst, Vazquez is a tough man who his hard to hurt, very difficult to drop and very, very slippery to tag cleanly.
For all his trickery and slipperiness Vazquez' also has his negatives, notably his lack of power which has seen him stopping less than 40% of his fights early. He's sharp with his shots though they are rarely thrown with his weight behind them and as a result they lack the concussive force needed to put fighters off coming forward at him.
Vazquez is unbeaten in over 4 years (since suffering a second defeat to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who also beat him on Vazquez's debut) and has improved over that time. Not only has he become a world champion but he's also defeated numerous known fighters such as Breidis Prescott, Ji-Hoon Kim, Leonardo Zappavigna and Ameth Diaz often by frustrating them with his movement and jab. It's fair to say however that if you can take his wheels away, either with body shots or a good ability to cut the ring down, Vazquez could be made to look ordinary.
Whilst Vazquez is well known thanks to his top tier wins and even his loss, Gesta is better known for the fact that there is a lot of hype surrounding him especially from the Filipino fans who feel he could be the next Manny Pacquiao. Sadly however from what I've seen of Gesta he looks awfully ordinary with little to really make him stand out.
Whilst Gesta is unbeaten in 27 fights his best wins are over very limited opponents who have been there to make him look good as opposed to testing his skills. This has made it hard to actually know just how good he really is, though he did his job well last time out as he stopped Ty Barnett in 9 rounds with solid, hurtful shots.
Although Gesta is young and hungry I just can't see him getting to Vazquez who, for me, is a level or two better than Gesta and is much, much more proven. Gesta will put up a tireless effort, though will be clearly out boxed by a very intelligent Mexican fighter who doesn't try to do what other Mexicans do.
Prediction-Vazquez UD
Monday, 3 December 2012
Koki Kameda v Hugo Ruiz
In a rare mid-week world title fight, we see WBA Bantamweight champion Koki Kameda (28-1, 17) fighting the former WBA interim Bantamweight champion Hugo Ruiz (31-1, 28) on Tuesday at the wonderfully named Bodymaker Colosseum in Osaka. For Kameda this will be his 5th title defense at Bantamweight having also held titles at both Light Flyweight and Flyweight. For Ruiz however it's a chance to finally claim the full version of a world title after having been the inteirm champion for close to 2 years.
The 26 year old Japanese fighter is seen as one of Japans top boxers, and is infect their only ever 3-weight world champion. Despite this many in Japan dislike Koki due to the fact he's a bit, well, cocky and many liken him to Floyd Mayweather Jr in regards to the fact many want to see him lose. Despite the general dislike to Koki he is an attraction and can draw huge numbers on Japanese TV with similar numbers (in terms of%) to what the Klitschko's draw in Germany.
At a smidge over 5'5" Kameda and with a 66" reach Kameda was huge at Light Flyweight and it showed when he fought at the weight. Though at Bantamweight he's not often going to be the bigger man, in fact in all honesty he's probably around the average, though he will be dwarfed by the freakishly tall Ruiz (who's got a 3" height advantage). In the lower weights Kameda's size mattered and he scored 10 stoppages in his first 11 bouts. Since going up through the weights (and facing significantly better opponents) Kameda's stoppage rate has started to nose dive with just 7 stoppages in his last 18 bouts. Interestingly however Kameda has stopped 3 of his last 6, though they were lesser opponents.
In terms of his style Kameda is a fast handed fighter who can fight on on the back foot, though is much better on the front foot. Despite his ability to throw lovely flurries he's not got the hurtful power on them that may bother really genuine Bantamweights and in his most notable bout at the weight he was pushed all the way by Mexican David De La Mora (a bout Kameda won by very debated Unanimous Decision). Tellingly De La Mora was stopped 2 fights later by Anselmo Moreno and thoroughly out boxed by Kameda's countryman Ryosuke Iwasa. The fact Kameda struggled so much with De La Mora tells me, personally that this is a weight that Kameda can't use his physicality to bully the better fighters, and Ruiz is one of the better fighters in the division.
Despite the fact Kameda is unbeaten at Bantamweight and has only suffered one career set back, a decision loss to Thai great Pongsaklek Wonjongkam down at Flyweight, he's also been somewhat selective in his opponents. De La Mora aside the combined record of Kameda's Bantamweight title defenses was 69-19-1 with the last 2 opponents coming in at a rather poor 47-17-1 and the most recent opponent (Nouldy Manakane) has been out boxed by a debutant (Kenji Kubo) since then!
Whilst Kameda is lauded over by many, Mexican Hugo Ruiz (also 26) is often over-looked and seen as being well down the proverbial pecking order at 118lbs with Boxrec and Fightnews both having him ranked #10 (Kameda is #6 Boxrec, #8 Fightnews) whilst Ring give him a more respectable #8 ranking (with Kameda a lofty #5). Despite this Ruiz is a battle hardened fighter who can give almost everyone at 118lb real questions.
Ruiz turned professional almost 6 years ago to the day and after running off 9 straight opening round T/KO's he lost for the first (and only time in his career) as he was stopped by Enrique Quevedo. Since his loss, back in 2007, he has continued to develop whilst maintaining his ridiculous power and whilst he's a bit vulnerable, he's got genuine fight changing power.
Wile Ruiz hasn't yet faced a real genuine world level talent, like Kameda has (Kameda has faced Daisuke Naito and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam amongst others) he has been mowing through B class fighters for fun and has stopped fighters like Francisco Arce, Jean Sampson and Yonfrez Parejo in recent bouts. Despite this Arce did show up Ruiz's vulnerabilities and dropped Ruiz twice in their first encounter (before being stopped in their second).
With the sheer size, power and strength of Ruiz I'm favouring the Mexican here, even though it is his first fight out of his native Mexico. Kameda, who has never been stopped before, will be hit harder than he has ever been hit and I just see him folding when he realises that Ruiz's jab is like a straight from most other Bantamweights. For Kameda to retain he will have to get inside the reach of Ruiz and this is much easier said than done.
Prediction-Ruiz TKO7
The 26 year old Japanese fighter is seen as one of Japans top boxers, and is infect their only ever 3-weight world champion. Despite this many in Japan dislike Koki due to the fact he's a bit, well, cocky and many liken him to Floyd Mayweather Jr in regards to the fact many want to see him lose. Despite the general dislike to Koki he is an attraction and can draw huge numbers on Japanese TV with similar numbers (in terms of%) to what the Klitschko's draw in Germany.
At a smidge over 5'5" Kameda and with a 66" reach Kameda was huge at Light Flyweight and it showed when he fought at the weight. Though at Bantamweight he's not often going to be the bigger man, in fact in all honesty he's probably around the average, though he will be dwarfed by the freakishly tall Ruiz (who's got a 3" height advantage). In the lower weights Kameda's size mattered and he scored 10 stoppages in his first 11 bouts. Since going up through the weights (and facing significantly better opponents) Kameda's stoppage rate has started to nose dive with just 7 stoppages in his last 18 bouts. Interestingly however Kameda has stopped 3 of his last 6, though they were lesser opponents.
In terms of his style Kameda is a fast handed fighter who can fight on on the back foot, though is much better on the front foot. Despite his ability to throw lovely flurries he's not got the hurtful power on them that may bother really genuine Bantamweights and in his most notable bout at the weight he was pushed all the way by Mexican David De La Mora (a bout Kameda won by very debated Unanimous Decision). Tellingly De La Mora was stopped 2 fights later by Anselmo Moreno and thoroughly out boxed by Kameda's countryman Ryosuke Iwasa. The fact Kameda struggled so much with De La Mora tells me, personally that this is a weight that Kameda can't use his physicality to bully the better fighters, and Ruiz is one of the better fighters in the division.
Despite the fact Kameda is unbeaten at Bantamweight and has only suffered one career set back, a decision loss to Thai great Pongsaklek Wonjongkam down at Flyweight, he's also been somewhat selective in his opponents. De La Mora aside the combined record of Kameda's Bantamweight title defenses was 69-19-1 with the last 2 opponents coming in at a rather poor 47-17-1 and the most recent opponent (Nouldy Manakane) has been out boxed by a debutant (Kenji Kubo) since then!
Whilst Kameda is lauded over by many, Mexican Hugo Ruiz (also 26) is often over-looked and seen as being well down the proverbial pecking order at 118lbs with Boxrec and Fightnews both having him ranked #10 (Kameda is #6 Boxrec, #8 Fightnews) whilst Ring give him a more respectable #8 ranking (with Kameda a lofty #5). Despite this Ruiz is a battle hardened fighter who can give almost everyone at 118lb real questions.
Ruiz turned professional almost 6 years ago to the day and after running off 9 straight opening round T/KO's he lost for the first (and only time in his career) as he was stopped by Enrique Quevedo. Since his loss, back in 2007, he has continued to develop whilst maintaining his ridiculous power and whilst he's a bit vulnerable, he's got genuine fight changing power.
Wile Ruiz hasn't yet faced a real genuine world level talent, like Kameda has (Kameda has faced Daisuke Naito and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam amongst others) he has been mowing through B class fighters for fun and has stopped fighters like Francisco Arce, Jean Sampson and Yonfrez Parejo in recent bouts. Despite this Arce did show up Ruiz's vulnerabilities and dropped Ruiz twice in their first encounter (before being stopped in their second).
With the sheer size, power and strength of Ruiz I'm favouring the Mexican here, even though it is his first fight out of his native Mexico. Kameda, who has never been stopped before, will be hit harder than he has ever been hit and I just see him folding when he realises that Ruiz's jab is like a straight from most other Bantamweights. For Kameda to retain he will have to get inside the reach of Ruiz and this is much easier said than done.
Prediction-Ruiz TKO7
Friday, 16 November 2012
Roman Gonzalez v Juan Francisco Estrada
Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez (33-0, 28) seeks to make the 5th defense of his WBA Light Flyweight this coming weekend as he faces once beaten Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada (22-1, 18) in what promises to be an explosive encounter on Showtime.
For my money, Gonzalez (otherwise known as El Chocolatito), is one of the sports true premier level fighters. Although he's generally over-looked by the sport's casual fans the hardcore fan know all about the super skilled, powerful, fast and aggressive Gonzalez who at times looks genuinely unbeatable. In fact in a career spanning 7 years Gonzalez has only been involved in 1 close bout (a majority decision win over Francisco Rosas).
Starting as a teenager, Gonzalez's rise to the top was swift. Within 2 years of his professional debut he had already earned high rankings at both Light Flyweight and Minimumweight thanks to wins over notable opponents including Eriberto Gejon, Miguel Tellez and Jose Luis Varela. Just a year later however Gonzalez showed his class at world level widely out pointing Yutaka Niida for the WBA Minimumweight title to claim his first world title.
As the WBA Minimumweight champion, Gonzalez made 3 title defenses beating Francisco Rosas (as mentioned above), Katsunari Takayama and Ivan Meneses before moving up to Light Flyweight. At Light Flyweight, Gonzalez looked even more dominating, stopping Francisco Rosas in 2 rounds for the interim WBA Light Flyweight title.
After Juan Carlos Reveco moved from Light Flyweight to Flyweight, Gonzalez's title was upgraded from the interim to the regular title. Since then Gonzalez has scored 6 successive victories, including 4 title defenses in which he has beaten Manuel Vargas, Omar Salado, Omar Soto and Ramon Garcia Hirales, all credible challengers.
If Floyd Mayweather Jr is the best defensive fighter in the sport right now then I'd be tempted to say that Gonzalez is the best offensive fighter in the sport right now. The Nicaraguan rarely loses more than a round, he's supremely confident in not only his abilities (which are amazing) but also his durability, often enjoying a war and his power (which suits him well during a war). I dare say that to beat Gonzalez you need to be a bit of a tank who can take one to land one or you manage to land a lucky bomb on Gonzalez when he leaps in on the offensive. In fact the way Gonzalez can leap in at times is pretty much his only real flaw, thankfully however very few fighter can make him pay for this mistake.
Whilst Gonzalez is a known quantity it's fair to say that Mexican challenger Juan Francisco Estrada is much less well known. Despite having been in 23 bouts as a professional, Estrada has only faced a handful of known opponents including current IBF Super Flyweight champion, who out pointed Estrada in 2011 and Filipino Ardin Diale who was stopped in 2 rounds. Those two aside however Estrada lacks the sort of wins to really know what he's made of.
What we do know about the 22 year old "El Gallo" is that he's a hard hitter, at least at the lower levels. He can dig to the body or the head and although not the most skilled he's not a fighter that many will want to get into a war with. He's never been stopped, though has been down (dropped by Sanchez) however he's admittedly never been in with someone approaching Gonzalez's level of power, speed, combinations of spitefulness.
In all honestly I'd be shocked if Gonzalez did anything other than made a statement. He'll be looking to finish this and finish it early, and it's probably fair to say Estrada has been brought in as the opponent to allow Gonzalez to look good. Expect this to be a fun war though one that Gonzalez's all round game will dominate.
Prediction: Gonzalez TKO5
For my money, Gonzalez (otherwise known as El Chocolatito), is one of the sports true premier level fighters. Although he's generally over-looked by the sport's casual fans the hardcore fan know all about the super skilled, powerful, fast and aggressive Gonzalez who at times looks genuinely unbeatable. In fact in a career spanning 7 years Gonzalez has only been involved in 1 close bout (a majority decision win over Francisco Rosas).
Starting as a teenager, Gonzalez's rise to the top was swift. Within 2 years of his professional debut he had already earned high rankings at both Light Flyweight and Minimumweight thanks to wins over notable opponents including Eriberto Gejon, Miguel Tellez and Jose Luis Varela. Just a year later however Gonzalez showed his class at world level widely out pointing Yutaka Niida for the WBA Minimumweight title to claim his first world title.
As the WBA Minimumweight champion, Gonzalez made 3 title defenses beating Francisco Rosas (as mentioned above), Katsunari Takayama and Ivan Meneses before moving up to Light Flyweight. At Light Flyweight, Gonzalez looked even more dominating, stopping Francisco Rosas in 2 rounds for the interim WBA Light Flyweight title.
After Juan Carlos Reveco moved from Light Flyweight to Flyweight, Gonzalez's title was upgraded from the interim to the regular title. Since then Gonzalez has scored 6 successive victories, including 4 title defenses in which he has beaten Manuel Vargas, Omar Salado, Omar Soto and Ramon Garcia Hirales, all credible challengers.
If Floyd Mayweather Jr is the best defensive fighter in the sport right now then I'd be tempted to say that Gonzalez is the best offensive fighter in the sport right now. The Nicaraguan rarely loses more than a round, he's supremely confident in not only his abilities (which are amazing) but also his durability, often enjoying a war and his power (which suits him well during a war). I dare say that to beat Gonzalez you need to be a bit of a tank who can take one to land one or you manage to land a lucky bomb on Gonzalez when he leaps in on the offensive. In fact the way Gonzalez can leap in at times is pretty much his only real flaw, thankfully however very few fighter can make him pay for this mistake.
Whilst Gonzalez is a known quantity it's fair to say that Mexican challenger Juan Francisco Estrada is much less well known. Despite having been in 23 bouts as a professional, Estrada has only faced a handful of known opponents including current IBF Super Flyweight champion, who out pointed Estrada in 2011 and Filipino Ardin Diale who was stopped in 2 rounds. Those two aside however Estrada lacks the sort of wins to really know what he's made of.
What we do know about the 22 year old "El Gallo" is that he's a hard hitter, at least at the lower levels. He can dig to the body or the head and although not the most skilled he's not a fighter that many will want to get into a war with. He's never been stopped, though has been down (dropped by Sanchez) however he's admittedly never been in with someone approaching Gonzalez's level of power, speed, combinations of spitefulness.
In all honestly I'd be shocked if Gonzalez did anything other than made a statement. He'll be looking to finish this and finish it early, and it's probably fair to say Estrada has been brought in as the opponent to allow Gonzalez to look good. Expect this to be a fun war though one that Gonzalez's all round game will dominate.
Prediction: Gonzalez TKO5
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Abner Mares v Anselmo Moreno
This weekend's stand out fight in the world of boxing sees the unbeaten Mexican Abner Mares (24-0-1, 13) attempt to defend his WBC Super Bantamweight title against the supremely talented Panamanian Anselmo Moreno (33-1-1, 12). Whilst neither man is a massive name outside of boxing, every boxing fan knows that these two are two genuinely elite fighters, both meeting in their prime.
Mares goes into this fight as the slight betting favourite and probably with good reason, he's the "house" fighter, the Golden Boy Promotions fighter and the one seen as a marketable fighter, especially with the Mexican audiences. However it's unfair to actually view this as the only reason why Mares would win. In fact Mares is a very hard working fighter, who throws relentless to both the head and body, he's young, he's strong and he's relentless. Also he's quickly improving.
Mares first came to the attention of most boxing fans back in 2010 when he pushed the then IBF Bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez to a very hard fought draw. Following the Perez bout, Mares become one of the 4 men involved in Showtimes' 4-man Bantamweight tournament, a tournament Mares would come out the winner of thanks to victories over Vic Darchinyan and Joseph Agbeko. Despite beating both Darchinyan and Agbeko, many were unimpressed by Mares who had been lucky to win both fights with some favourable officiating (especially by Pat Russell in the Agbeko fight).
Thankfully for Mares he showed real character and had a rematch with Agbeko, clearly defeating the tough Ghanian and making up for the controversy of their first match. Since then he has moved to Super Bantamweight where he defeated veteran Eric Morel for the then vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title.
As a fighter Mares is fun to watch, he throws some of the best combinations in the sport and really makes for exciting fights. Whilst he has a reputation as a bit of a ball breaker (literally) he's actually a very talented fighter and someone who would genuinely give anyone in and around 122lbs a hard night. Saying this however he can be out boxed as Joseph Agbeko showed in their first match and even Vic Darchinyan showed at points. It's fair to say that unless you have real KO power and a high work rate, a war with Mares is a bad idea as that's his fight.
On the same card as Mares' rematch with Agbeko we saw a new star born as Anselmo Moreno put on a boxing masterclass against former Mares opponent Vic Darchinyan. In the bout Moreno really opened the worlds eyes to his sensational talent as he made Vic look like a clueless, raw amateur. To those watching Moreno for the first time, this was a sensational performance, for those who had seen Moreno in the past however it was a case of "told you so".
Despite the Darchinyan fight being the "coming out party" for Moreno, he's actually been one of the best fighters for the last 3 or 4 years. In fact Moreno first claimed a world title, the WBA Bantamweight title, way back in 2008 as he out pointed the previously unbeaten Volodymyr Sydorenko in Germany. Since winning that title Moreno has faced a relative who's who including Sydorenko in a rematch, Mahyar Monshipour, Nehomar Cermeno (twice), Lorenzo Parra, Vic Darchinyan and most recently David De La Mora. Often facing those top fighters away from home.
In terms of his style the 27 year old Panamanian is slippery to say the least. He moves wonderfully well, using his jab to keep opponents at range whilst breaking opponents mentally. Although his work rate is often limited he's a fighter who can genuinely frustrate any opponent as they swing and miss time and time again, tiring them out with just his defensive prowess. This has lead to many fight fans referring to him as a modern day Pernell Whittaker, huge praise indeed.
In his most recent fight, Moreno proved not only to be a slippery fighter but also a spiteful fighter as he gave the unfortunate David De La Mora a real beating, hammering away at De La Mora's body and head and really proving that not only was there a gulf in class but that he could really hurt opponents. Though it's worth noting that this isn't the first time Moreno has shown that he's spiteful, it was an eye catching performance against someone who gave Koki Kameda a real nightmare.
What we have here is a very hard working and aggressive pressure fighter (Mares) against a very slippery counter-puncher (Moreno) in what really does look on paper to be an enthralling battle of both styles, fighters and minds. If Mares can apply constant pressure and have success with his body attack he could very easily slow the legs of Moreno and make the bout easy for himself. Like wise if Moreno can keep just movement going and make Mares miss then a tiring Mares could be there for the taking late, or even get Mares frustrated to the point he does something illegal.
Of those two, I favour Moreno by a close decision, it'll be competitive through out but Moreno, for my money, just has that extra bit of class. Do not be shocked however if the cards favour Mares under-controversial circumstances.
Prediction- Moreno UD12
Mares goes into this fight as the slight betting favourite and probably with good reason, he's the "house" fighter, the Golden Boy Promotions fighter and the one seen as a marketable fighter, especially with the Mexican audiences. However it's unfair to actually view this as the only reason why Mares would win. In fact Mares is a very hard working fighter, who throws relentless to both the head and body, he's young, he's strong and he's relentless. Also he's quickly improving.
Mares first came to the attention of most boxing fans back in 2010 when he pushed the then IBF Bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez to a very hard fought draw. Following the Perez bout, Mares become one of the 4 men involved in Showtimes' 4-man Bantamweight tournament, a tournament Mares would come out the winner of thanks to victories over Vic Darchinyan and Joseph Agbeko. Despite beating both Darchinyan and Agbeko, many were unimpressed by Mares who had been lucky to win both fights with some favourable officiating (especially by Pat Russell in the Agbeko fight).
Thankfully for Mares he showed real character and had a rematch with Agbeko, clearly defeating the tough Ghanian and making up for the controversy of their first match. Since then he has moved to Super Bantamweight where he defeated veteran Eric Morel for the then vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title.
As a fighter Mares is fun to watch, he throws some of the best combinations in the sport and really makes for exciting fights. Whilst he has a reputation as a bit of a ball breaker (literally) he's actually a very talented fighter and someone who would genuinely give anyone in and around 122lbs a hard night. Saying this however he can be out boxed as Joseph Agbeko showed in their first match and even Vic Darchinyan showed at points. It's fair to say that unless you have real KO power and a high work rate, a war with Mares is a bad idea as that's his fight.
On the same card as Mares' rematch with Agbeko we saw a new star born as Anselmo Moreno put on a boxing masterclass against former Mares opponent Vic Darchinyan. In the bout Moreno really opened the worlds eyes to his sensational talent as he made Vic look like a clueless, raw amateur. To those watching Moreno for the first time, this was a sensational performance, for those who had seen Moreno in the past however it was a case of "told you so".
Despite the Darchinyan fight being the "coming out party" for Moreno, he's actually been one of the best fighters for the last 3 or 4 years. In fact Moreno first claimed a world title, the WBA Bantamweight title, way back in 2008 as he out pointed the previously unbeaten Volodymyr Sydorenko in Germany. Since winning that title Moreno has faced a relative who's who including Sydorenko in a rematch, Mahyar Monshipour, Nehomar Cermeno (twice), Lorenzo Parra, Vic Darchinyan and most recently David De La Mora. Often facing those top fighters away from home.
In terms of his style the 27 year old Panamanian is slippery to say the least. He moves wonderfully well, using his jab to keep opponents at range whilst breaking opponents mentally. Although his work rate is often limited he's a fighter who can genuinely frustrate any opponent as they swing and miss time and time again, tiring them out with just his defensive prowess. This has lead to many fight fans referring to him as a modern day Pernell Whittaker, huge praise indeed.
In his most recent fight, Moreno proved not only to be a slippery fighter but also a spiteful fighter as he gave the unfortunate David De La Mora a real beating, hammering away at De La Mora's body and head and really proving that not only was there a gulf in class but that he could really hurt opponents. Though it's worth noting that this isn't the first time Moreno has shown that he's spiteful, it was an eye catching performance against someone who gave Koki Kameda a real nightmare.
What we have here is a very hard working and aggressive pressure fighter (Mares) against a very slippery counter-puncher (Moreno) in what really does look on paper to be an enthralling battle of both styles, fighters and minds. If Mares can apply constant pressure and have success with his body attack he could very easily slow the legs of Moreno and make the bout easy for himself. Like wise if Moreno can keep just movement going and make Mares miss then a tiring Mares could be there for the taking late, or even get Mares frustrated to the point he does something illegal.
Of those two, I favour Moreno by a close decision, it'll be competitive through out but Moreno, for my money, just has that extra bit of class. Do not be shocked however if the cards favour Mares under-controversial circumstances.
Prediction- Moreno UD12
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)