If someone wanted to know who my favourite US based boxer is right now I'd have to go with Leo Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15), a destructive and hard working fighting machine who goes in to the ring with the intention of breaking down every opponent he faces. Santa Cruz is one of those truly exciting fighters who you just feel the need to watch. He can look unskilled at times but he's defensively smart and a well oiled offensive machine who cuts the distance and breaks down fighters with work to the head and body. There really is little to dislike about him.
This weekend sees Santa Cruz defending his WBC Super Bantamweight title for the first time as he takes on former Super Flyweight title challenger Cesar Seda (25-1, 17) from Puerto Rico. This bout, another in the long standing Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry has been tipped by some as potentially the most exciting fight of the weekend.
Although some are tipping this to be exciting I can't help but think this is a complete mismatch. Whilst Seda is a decent fighter his limitations were shown up when he faced Omar Andres Narvaez who out maneuvered and out worked Seda. Sure that was a few years ago but since then he hasn't beaten any one of any real note with victories over Miguel Tamayo and Lorenzo Trejo not really being the sort of things that would prepare anyone for facing Santa Cruz.
Seda's good, but Leo is amazing.
I expect Seda to know how good Leo is. Seda will have to try and create distance but Santa Cruz is so startlingly impressive at cutting off the ring that Seda will be walked down, broken down with vicious uppercuts up close and will eventually fold.
Expect this to be action packed but far too short to be a classic.
Prediction-Leo Santa Cruz TKO4
Showing posts with label Mexico v Puerto Rico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico v Puerto Rico. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
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, 4 October 2012
Moises Fuentes v Ivan Calderon
Probably the most interesting title fight from this coming weekend sees future Hall of Famer Ivan Calderon (35-2-1, 6) trying to roll back the clock and regain the WBO Minimumweight title as he faces current champion Moises Fuentes (15-1, 7).
In his prime Calderon was sensational. He was as slippery as they came defensively and yet able to land 3 or 4 punch combinations at will as he out classed opponent after opponent in impressive fashion. Whilst never a hard hitter he was incredibly skilled. Sadly however Calderon is not what he was, he's now a 37 year old who has not looked like a top level boxer in several years and in fact has lost much of what made him great.
Calderon's professional career started way back in 2001 (after having competed at the 2000 Olympic games) and a little over 2 years later he had claimed the WBO Minimumweight title by defeating the then champion Eduardo Ray Marquez. As the champion Calderon was amazing and made 11 successful defenses over the following 4 years.
Having been the stand out Minimumweight fighter of his generation, Calderon moved to Light Flyweight in 2007 and swiftly claimed the WBO title in his new weight by winning a decision over Hugo Fidel Cazares. As the WBO Light Flyweight champion Calderon looked less sensational, whether it was his age or just the opponents he was looking ever more beatable.
After making 6 successful defenses at Light Flyweight (and taking his record to an excellent 34-0-1, 6) Calderon was finally beaten in 2010 by the hard hitting and hugely exciting Giovani Segura in one of the fight of the year contenders. The following year Calderon would again lose to Segura, and this time Calderon looked like a shell of the fighter he had once bean and was no match at all for Segura.
Since the losses to Segura, Calderon has fought just once, struggling to a controversial victory over journeyman Felipe Rivas. Sadly for boxing fans the world over, Calderon looked like a completely spent fighter who many hoped would just hang them up and walk away from the sport before he took much more damage, sadly however he seems to be wanting to continue, maybe looking for one last hurrah.
Whilst Calderon is is a fighter who's career is coming to an end, the champion, Moises Fuentes is a fighter who is just emerging as a really serious fighter at Minimumweight. At 27 years old he's not only the younger fighter, but he's also the fighter who has taken much less overall punishment having fought just 84 combined rounds in 16 fights so far (compared to Calderon's 332 rounds in 38 contests). However unlike Calderon he'll never be described as much of a pure boxer.
When you think of Mexican boxers you think of hard hitting body punchers with questionable defense and big heart and to be honest Fuentes is exactly that. He's not a stand out fighter in terms of raw talent but he's a hard hitting and aggressively minded tough fighter who miraculously makes the 105lb division despite looking huge at it. In all honesty he's a bit of a beat with nasty shot on him (despite his record not showing him to be much of a puncher, he hits hard).
Fuentes really burst on to the scene last year when he won a split decision over the then WBO champion Raul Garcia in an excellent contest. Despite this being his "unearthing" in the boxing world, Fuentes had actually been unlucky earlier in the year to lose his unbeaten record to Juan Hernandez .
Since winning the title from Garcia, Fuentes has defended it once, blowing out the over matched Julio Cesar Felix inside a round thanks to several devastating body shots. Now he looks to score another notable victory by not only beating but retiring Calderon and I think he will. Fuentes has a similar (not the same but similar) traits to Segura. He's naturally a bigger man than Calderon, he hits hard and works very hard looking to landing his punches, something that against this version of Calderon will work.
Prediction-Fuentes TKO6
Note-This is yet another bout in the legendary rivalry of Mexico (Fuentes) v Puerto Rico (Calderon)
In his prime Calderon was sensational. He was as slippery as they came defensively and yet able to land 3 or 4 punch combinations at will as he out classed opponent after opponent in impressive fashion. Whilst never a hard hitter he was incredibly skilled. Sadly however Calderon is not what he was, he's now a 37 year old who has not looked like a top level boxer in several years and in fact has lost much of what made him great.
Calderon's professional career started way back in 2001 (after having competed at the 2000 Olympic games) and a little over 2 years later he had claimed the WBO Minimumweight title by defeating the then champion Eduardo Ray Marquez. As the champion Calderon was amazing and made 11 successful defenses over the following 4 years.
Having been the stand out Minimumweight fighter of his generation, Calderon moved to Light Flyweight in 2007 and swiftly claimed the WBO title in his new weight by winning a decision over Hugo Fidel Cazares. As the WBO Light Flyweight champion Calderon looked less sensational, whether it was his age or just the opponents he was looking ever more beatable.
After making 6 successful defenses at Light Flyweight (and taking his record to an excellent 34-0-1, 6) Calderon was finally beaten in 2010 by the hard hitting and hugely exciting Giovani Segura in one of the fight of the year contenders. The following year Calderon would again lose to Segura, and this time Calderon looked like a shell of the fighter he had once bean and was no match at all for Segura.
Since the losses to Segura, Calderon has fought just once, struggling to a controversial victory over journeyman Felipe Rivas. Sadly for boxing fans the world over, Calderon looked like a completely spent fighter who many hoped would just hang them up and walk away from the sport before he took much more damage, sadly however he seems to be wanting to continue, maybe looking for one last hurrah.
Whilst Calderon is is a fighter who's career is coming to an end, the champion, Moises Fuentes is a fighter who is just emerging as a really serious fighter at Minimumweight. At 27 years old he's not only the younger fighter, but he's also the fighter who has taken much less overall punishment having fought just 84 combined rounds in 16 fights so far (compared to Calderon's 332 rounds in 38 contests). However unlike Calderon he'll never be described as much of a pure boxer.
When you think of Mexican boxers you think of hard hitting body punchers with questionable defense and big heart and to be honest Fuentes is exactly that. He's not a stand out fighter in terms of raw talent but he's a hard hitting and aggressively minded tough fighter who miraculously makes the 105lb division despite looking huge at it. In all honesty he's a bit of a beat with nasty shot on him (despite his record not showing him to be much of a puncher, he hits hard).
Fuentes really burst on to the scene last year when he won a split decision over the then WBO champion Raul Garcia in an excellent contest. Despite this being his "unearthing" in the boxing world, Fuentes had actually been unlucky earlier in the year to lose his unbeaten record to Juan Hernandez .
Since winning the title from Garcia, Fuentes has defended it once, blowing out the over matched Julio Cesar Felix inside a round thanks to several devastating body shots. Now he looks to score another notable victory by not only beating but retiring Calderon and I think he will. Fuentes has a similar (not the same but similar) traits to Segura. He's naturally a bigger man than Calderon, he hits hard and works very hard looking to landing his punches, something that against this version of Calderon will work.
Prediction-Fuentes TKO6
Note-This is yet another bout in the legendary rivalry of Mexico (Fuentes) v Puerto Rico (Calderon)
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Roman Martinez v Miguel Beltran Jr
Everyone who follows boxing knows about the huge rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico and this weekend we get two new chapters to that long and storied history. In the MGM Grand we have Leo Santa Cruz v Eric Morel (for the IBF Bantamweight title) and at the Thomas and Mack Centre we have a bout for the WBO Super Bantamweight title as Roman Martinez (25-1-1, 16) faces Miguel Beltran Jr (27-1-0-1, 17).
Whilst Miguel Beltran Jr will be going into this bout as the under-dog he will feel the pride of his homeland as he has a chance to Mexico proud on the huge holiday "Grito de Dolores" and when driven on a fighter can do great things. Despite the drive and national pride however Beltran is stepping up somewhat going into this bout having only had 2 rounds at world level so far in his career.
Aged 23 Beltran is still a baby in the boxing world though with 29 fights behind him (including 1 no contest) and over 5 years of experience he's a very experienced baby. Beltran started his career with a brilliant 22 fight winning streak, which saw him scoring notable wins over Eduardo Lazcano (who was then 15-0) and recent world title challenger Miguel Roman before suffering the sole loss of his career so far as he was stopped by Joksan Hernandez.
Following the loss to Hernandez (via 10th round KO) Beltran won his following 4 bouts at a lower level before getting his first world title fight, a bout with IBF Super Featherweight champion Juan Carlos Salgado. Sadly for everyone involved, the bout with Salgado lasted less than 2 rounds due to a clash of heads which resulted in a no contest.
Since the bout between Beltran and Salgado, we've only seen Beltran in the ring once, defeating the very low level Carlos Parra by decision over 6 rounds. Sadly this will likely be the key problem for Beltran-his level of competition simply hasn't been very good (Salgado aside) especially since his loss to Hernandez. This level of competition is fine in your first 15 or so fights but for someone with over 20 fights of experience I don't think Beltran will have learned that much and he has notably never been 12 rounds before. That's not to say he's not a good fighter (because he is) he's just a fighter that perhaps needs more development before he'll manage to win a big one. He's a solid fighter but lacks the power to really get a fighters attention and lacks the experience to know what to do when a good fighter turns up in front of him and doesn't go away.
Whilst Beltran is known somewhat by hardcore fans Roman Martinez is much more well known by the boxing community. He's been a professional for over a decade and has previously held the WBO Super Featherweight title as well as having faced a number of well known opponents.
Martinez first came to prominence around 2007 with victories over the likes of Francisco Lorenzo and Daniel Jimenez as he claimed various regional titles. He would build on his success the following year with victories over Santos Benavides and Walter Estrada before claiming his first world title in 2009 by stopping Britain's Nicky Cook.
As the WBO Super Featherweight champion Martinez defended his title twice stopping both Feider Viloria and Gonzalo Munguia before losing a close decision to current WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns (despite putting Burns down in the opening round).
Since losing to Burns, way back in 2010, Martinez has fought only once, stopping former world title contender Daniel Attah in 6 rounds to claim the WBO Inter-Continental Super Featherweight title. Sadly this is the big worry about Martinez, his inactivity in recent years with just 1 fights in the last 24 months! He's a hugely talented fighter with respectable power (more so than his record indicates) and solid skills (though defensively he can be tagged), though how his time off will have effected him is a big question.
If this was the Martinez of 3 years ago this match would be an easy one to call with Martinez's proven class being the difference between the two men, however with the long lay off it's much harder to call. Despite this I still favour Martinez who is a much, much better opponent than anyone Beltran has ever faced (aside from Salgado). Martinez will almost certainly struggle to get going early on though I'd be shocked if he doesn't find his rhythm after 4 rounds and either take a clear decision or score a stoppage in the second half of the bout.
Prediction-Martinez TKO8
Whilst Miguel Beltran Jr will be going into this bout as the under-dog he will feel the pride of his homeland as he has a chance to Mexico proud on the huge holiday "Grito de Dolores" and when driven on a fighter can do great things. Despite the drive and national pride however Beltran is stepping up somewhat going into this bout having only had 2 rounds at world level so far in his career.
Aged 23 Beltran is still a baby in the boxing world though with 29 fights behind him (including 1 no contest) and over 5 years of experience he's a very experienced baby. Beltran started his career with a brilliant 22 fight winning streak, which saw him scoring notable wins over Eduardo Lazcano (who was then 15-0) and recent world title challenger Miguel Roman before suffering the sole loss of his career so far as he was stopped by Joksan Hernandez.
Following the loss to Hernandez (via 10th round KO) Beltran won his following 4 bouts at a lower level before getting his first world title fight, a bout with IBF Super Featherweight champion Juan Carlos Salgado. Sadly for everyone involved, the bout with Salgado lasted less than 2 rounds due to a clash of heads which resulted in a no contest.
Since the bout between Beltran and Salgado, we've only seen Beltran in the ring once, defeating the very low level Carlos Parra by decision over 6 rounds. Sadly this will likely be the key problem for Beltran-his level of competition simply hasn't been very good (Salgado aside) especially since his loss to Hernandez. This level of competition is fine in your first 15 or so fights but for someone with over 20 fights of experience I don't think Beltran will have learned that much and he has notably never been 12 rounds before. That's not to say he's not a good fighter (because he is) he's just a fighter that perhaps needs more development before he'll manage to win a big one. He's a solid fighter but lacks the power to really get a fighters attention and lacks the experience to know what to do when a good fighter turns up in front of him and doesn't go away.
Whilst Beltran is known somewhat by hardcore fans Roman Martinez is much more well known by the boxing community. He's been a professional for over a decade and has previously held the WBO Super Featherweight title as well as having faced a number of well known opponents.
Martinez first came to prominence around 2007 with victories over the likes of Francisco Lorenzo and Daniel Jimenez as he claimed various regional titles. He would build on his success the following year with victories over Santos Benavides and Walter Estrada before claiming his first world title in 2009 by stopping Britain's Nicky Cook.
As the WBO Super Featherweight champion Martinez defended his title twice stopping both Feider Viloria and Gonzalo Munguia before losing a close decision to current WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns (despite putting Burns down in the opening round).
Since losing to Burns, way back in 2010, Martinez has fought only once, stopping former world title contender Daniel Attah in 6 rounds to claim the WBO Inter-Continental Super Featherweight title. Sadly this is the big worry about Martinez, his inactivity in recent years with just 1 fights in the last 24 months! He's a hugely talented fighter with respectable power (more so than his record indicates) and solid skills (though defensively he can be tagged), though how his time off will have effected him is a big question.
If this was the Martinez of 3 years ago this match would be an easy one to call with Martinez's proven class being the difference between the two men, however with the long lay off it's much harder to call. Despite this I still favour Martinez who is a much, much better opponent than anyone Beltran has ever faced (aside from Salgado). Martinez will almost certainly struggle to get going early on though I'd be shocked if he doesn't find his rhythm after 4 rounds and either take a clear decision or score a stoppage in the second half of the bout.
Prediction-Martinez TKO8
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Leo Santa Cruz v Eric Morel
This coming weekend young Mexican Leo Santa Cruz (20-0-1, 11) will make the first defense of IBF Bantamweight title as he faces Puerto Rican veteran Eric Morel (46-3, 23) in a bout that it is expected by many to help propel Santa Cruz to the next level.
The 24 year old Santa Cruz is tipped by many as one of the top young Mexican's in the sport and with huge potential to become a star, despite the fact he fights in the lower divisions. So far his rise has been genuinely swift and incredibly impressive.
Santa Cruz debuted in late 2006 aged just 18 and first started to make a name for himself in 2011 as he stopped tough Belgian Stephane Jamoye (KO6) with a devastating body shot. Since then Santa Cruz's rise to the top has been remarkable and thoroughly impressive with victories over former "interim" world champion Jose Lopez (not to be confused Josesito Lopez) and former title contenders Everth Briceno, Alejandro Hernandez and Vusi Malinga.
Despite being young and relatively inexperienced (certainly when compared to his challenger) Santa Cruz is a fighter who has been compared to Antonio Magarito with his superb work rate and relentless pressure as well as in your face mentality. Like Margarito, Santa Cruz isn't an out and out destructive puncher (though his body shots are devastating) but will grind opponents down and break them, both physically and mentally. Whilst he's certainly not a slickster his defense is under-rated and he appears to be very durable.
At 36 years old Eric Morel, the challenger, is a true veteran having fought professional since 1996 and as well as being experienced he's a born survivor in the ring having never been stopped and really even being hurt.
Morel first made his name in the sport in 2000 when he claimed the WBA Flyweight title by defeating Sornpichai Kratingdaenggym. He would keep this title for 3 years making 5 defenses against the likes of Alberto Ontiveros, Gilberto Keb Baas and Denkaosan Kaovichit before losing to Venezuelan Lorenzo Parra. A little over a year after suffering his first professional loss, Morel attempted to claim the WBA Super Flyweight title from Martin Castillo though was widely beaten by Castillo. Following this loss Morel's would spend much of the following 3 years out of the ring following a sexual assault of a 15 year girl.
Having returned to the ring in 2008 Morel would run off a number of wins over lower level opponents before controversially defeating Filipino legend Gerry Penalosa in a bout that most watching felt Penalosa clearly deserved. The win over Penalosa saw Morel claiming the interim WBO Bantamweight title, a title that Morel would never defend instead choosing to fight above the 118lb Bantamweight limit.
In his most recent bout to date Morel lost to the highly regarded Mexican Abner Mares. Despite dominating the bout Mares failed to score a stoppage against Morel who seemed determined to do little more than survive. Despite having an impressive looking record (46-3, 23) and never being stopped Morel has never been an exceptional fighter. He used to have good speed and respectable power however at Bantamweight he really doesn't hit hard and at 37 he's not as fleet on his feet as he once was.
Whilst Morel has never been stopped he did seem on the verge of being stopped by Mares and against Santa Cruz I imagine we could similar scene. Morel is an old man (especially at the lower weights) and with Santa Cruz's relentless offense and refusal to back away added to his lethal body shots, I actually see Santa Cruz becoming the first man to stop Morel. Whilst I do genuinely like Santa Cruz I don't want fans to get too excited by a performance over the old Morel, even if the Mexican does manage to force a late stoppage.
Prediction-Santa Cruz TKO10
The 24 year old Santa Cruz is tipped by many as one of the top young Mexican's in the sport and with huge potential to become a star, despite the fact he fights in the lower divisions. So far his rise has been genuinely swift and incredibly impressive.
Santa Cruz debuted in late 2006 aged just 18 and first started to make a name for himself in 2011 as he stopped tough Belgian Stephane Jamoye (KO6) with a devastating body shot. Since then Santa Cruz's rise to the top has been remarkable and thoroughly impressive with victories over former "interim" world champion Jose Lopez (not to be confused Josesito Lopez) and former title contenders Everth Briceno, Alejandro Hernandez and Vusi Malinga.
Despite being young and relatively inexperienced (certainly when compared to his challenger) Santa Cruz is a fighter who has been compared to Antonio Magarito with his superb work rate and relentless pressure as well as in your face mentality. Like Margarito, Santa Cruz isn't an out and out destructive puncher (though his body shots are devastating) but will grind opponents down and break them, both physically and mentally. Whilst he's certainly not a slickster his defense is under-rated and he appears to be very durable.
At 36 years old Eric Morel, the challenger, is a true veteran having fought professional since 1996 and as well as being experienced he's a born survivor in the ring having never been stopped and really even being hurt.
Morel first made his name in the sport in 2000 when he claimed the WBA Flyweight title by defeating Sornpichai Kratingdaenggym. He would keep this title for 3 years making 5 defenses against the likes of Alberto Ontiveros, Gilberto Keb Baas and Denkaosan Kaovichit before losing to Venezuelan Lorenzo Parra. A little over a year after suffering his first professional loss, Morel attempted to claim the WBA Super Flyweight title from Martin Castillo though was widely beaten by Castillo. Following this loss Morel's would spend much of the following 3 years out of the ring following a sexual assault of a 15 year girl.
Having returned to the ring in 2008 Morel would run off a number of wins over lower level opponents before controversially defeating Filipino legend Gerry Penalosa in a bout that most watching felt Penalosa clearly deserved. The win over Penalosa saw Morel claiming the interim WBO Bantamweight title, a title that Morel would never defend instead choosing to fight above the 118lb Bantamweight limit.
In his most recent bout to date Morel lost to the highly regarded Mexican Abner Mares. Despite dominating the bout Mares failed to score a stoppage against Morel who seemed determined to do little more than survive. Despite having an impressive looking record (46-3, 23) and never being stopped Morel has never been an exceptional fighter. He used to have good speed and respectable power however at Bantamweight he really doesn't hit hard and at 37 he's not as fleet on his feet as he once was.
Whilst Morel has never been stopped he did seem on the verge of being stopped by Mares and against Santa Cruz I imagine we could similar scene. Morel is an old man (especially at the lower weights) and with Santa Cruz's relentless offense and refusal to back away added to his lethal body shots, I actually see Santa Cruz becoming the first man to stop Morel. Whilst I do genuinely like Santa Cruz I don't want fans to get too excited by a performance over the old Morel, even if the Mexican does manage to force a late stoppage.
Prediction-Santa Cruz TKO10
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