Katsunari Takayama (25-6-0-1, 10) is, if you've never seen him, the embodiment of the lower weight classes. Hard working, gutsy, tough and a damned sight more talented and interesting then men twice his weight. Unfortunately the IBF Minimumweight champion is one of the most over-looked and forgotten fighters on the planet.
For the first time in since 2008 Takayama returns to fight Osaka, the place where he forged much of his early career. Sadly Takayama's journey to the IBF title saw him forced to become a hermit, traveling around the world for fights in the Philippines, South Africa and Mexico. Funnily however his first defense of the belt will be in Japan as he battles Filipino Vergilio Silvano (17-2-1, 10).
Takayama is a certified warrior. He's not a big puncher but he's tough, hard working, skilled and fast. He's a man who isn't afraid of losing, and seems to know that if he loses it's to a world class fighter as seen in losses to Eagle Den Junlaphan, Yutaka Niida, Roman Gonzalez and Nkosinathi Joyi, non of whom got out their contests with him without a fight.
In Silvano Takayama is taking on a man who is far less established but is looking to score a victory that will put him on the boxing map. The Filipino youngster is a confident fighter riding an 18 fight unbeaten streak and a 4-0 record in title fights. Unfortunately for Silvano however he's stepping up in a big way moving from fighting Jetly Purisima for the WBO Oriental Light Flyweight title to fighting Takayama for the IBF world title.
For me it's that step up that will decide the fight. Takayama will have seen everything Silvano has in his arsenal, on the flipside a lot of what Takayama has will be new to the challenger. The gulf in experience, skill and top fight ability will show through here, however I think Silvano will show enough to come again at another point somewhere down the line.
Prediction-Takayama UD12 (clear).
Showing posts with label Minimumweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minimumweight. Show all posts
Monday, 2 December 2013
Friday, 29 November 2013
Xiong Zhao Zhong v Lookrak Kiatmungmee
This weekend's most over-looked, though rightfully so, world title fight is in China as Xiong Zhao Zhong (21-4-1, 11) looks to make the second defense of his WBC Minimumweight title. Originally Zhong was listed to fight Omari Kimweri though unfortunately Kimweri has had issues with his passport and instead been replaced by inactive Thai Lookrak Kiatmungmee (7-4, 4) who is one of the weakest and least qualified world title challengers in recent memory.
Unfortunately for Zhong this was supposed to be his chance to defend in front of his people against a credible, though somewhat obscure, opponent. Instead Zhong will be facing a man who has been inactive for around 2 years and was far from a world beater when he was active.
Zhong, a strong, powerful, tough and bullish fighter is a real beast at 105lbs. He is far from "boxer" but is a fighter and very tough to discourage. Against Kiatmungmee it's difficult to see anything but a Zhong victory via stoppage as he walks through the limited Thai.
For Kiatmungmee he's really not got a chance, however it's great that he's filled in to allow Zhong his chance at history.
Prediction-Zhong TKO5
Unfortunately for Zhong this was supposed to be his chance to defend in front of his people against a credible, though somewhat obscure, opponent. Instead Zhong will be facing a man who has been inactive for around 2 years and was far from a world beater when he was active.
Zhong, a strong, powerful, tough and bullish fighter is a real beast at 105lbs. He is far from "boxer" but is a fighter and very tough to discourage. Against Kiatmungmee it's difficult to see anything but a Zhong victory via stoppage as he walks through the limited Thai.
For Kiatmungmee he's really not got a chance, however it's great that he's filled in to allow Zhong his chance at history.
Prediction-Zhong TKO5
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Merlito Sabillo v Carlos Buitrago
The next few days are amongst the most important in Minimumweight history. Inside a week the WBC, WBO and IBF titles will all be up for grabs and they will all be fought for across Asia.
For me the most interesting of those three bouts is for the WBO title as the unbeaten Filipino Merlito Sabillo (23-0, 12) looks to make the second defense of his title. Sabillo, who successfully defended his belt Jorle Estrada in July, will be facing his third successive Latin America as he takes on unbeaten Nicaraguan Carlos Buitrago (27-0-0-1, 16) in what looks likely to be a special contest.
Of the two men it's probably the challenger who is better known by boxing fans due to the huge amount of hype and expectation Buitrago has had on his shoulders over the past few years. The Nicaraguan, viewed by many as next great fighter from that country, has been tipped as a world champion since he was just a teenager.
It was about 4 years ago that hardcore fans began to hear about a Nicaraguan wonder kid who had the natural tools to go a long, long way. Of course some kids fail to ever reach their potential but Buitrago built on his excellent skills and has shown, in a number of fights, that he can do almost anything.
Unlike many South American's Buitrago has built his style on fundamental building blocks. This has seen him developing an excellent jab, a great straight and wonderful movement. Sure he has been showing it against mostly limited opponents but the fact that he has those tools in his locker is invaluable at the world level.
Although Buitrago is well known it's odd that the champion really isn't. In fact prior to this year almost nobody in the sport was talking about Merlito Sabillo, who has now become one of real dangermen at 105lbs.
Sabillo first popped on to the world stage courtesy of a stunning stoppage over Luis De La Rosa in Colombia back in March. This victory over De La Rosa, an all out war, saw Sabillo claiming the WBO interim world title that was later upgraded to the regular title when Moises Fuentes moved up to the Light Flyweight division.
Sabillo is a bit more of a warrior than Buitrago, in fact he was apparently spotted having street fights prior to becoming a professional boxer. He looks tough, he looks strong and although his record doesn't indicate it he does hit hard, as shown by the fact he has stopped his last 5 opponents.
It's this growing power and belief in Sabillo that makes me favour him by stoppage over the Nicaraguan visitor. In terms of pure boxing skills Buitrago is better but something makes me think that Sabillo's "street fighter" heart will come out and he'll eventually get close and break Buitrago down in the later rounds of an absolute classic.
Prediction-Sabillo TKO11
For me the most interesting of those three bouts is for the WBO title as the unbeaten Filipino Merlito Sabillo (23-0, 12) looks to make the second defense of his title. Sabillo, who successfully defended his belt Jorle Estrada in July, will be facing his third successive Latin America as he takes on unbeaten Nicaraguan Carlos Buitrago (27-0-0-1, 16) in what looks likely to be a special contest.
Of the two men it's probably the challenger who is better known by boxing fans due to the huge amount of hype and expectation Buitrago has had on his shoulders over the past few years. The Nicaraguan, viewed by many as next great fighter from that country, has been tipped as a world champion since he was just a teenager.
It was about 4 years ago that hardcore fans began to hear about a Nicaraguan wonder kid who had the natural tools to go a long, long way. Of course some kids fail to ever reach their potential but Buitrago built on his excellent skills and has shown, in a number of fights, that he can do almost anything.
Unlike many South American's Buitrago has built his style on fundamental building blocks. This has seen him developing an excellent jab, a great straight and wonderful movement. Sure he has been showing it against mostly limited opponents but the fact that he has those tools in his locker is invaluable at the world level.
Although Buitrago is well known it's odd that the champion really isn't. In fact prior to this year almost nobody in the sport was talking about Merlito Sabillo, who has now become one of real dangermen at 105lbs.
Sabillo first popped on to the world stage courtesy of a stunning stoppage over Luis De La Rosa in Colombia back in March. This victory over De La Rosa, an all out war, saw Sabillo claiming the WBO interim world title that was later upgraded to the regular title when Moises Fuentes moved up to the Light Flyweight division.
Sabillo is a bit more of a warrior than Buitrago, in fact he was apparently spotted having street fights prior to becoming a professional boxer. He looks tough, he looks strong and although his record doesn't indicate it he does hit hard, as shown by the fact he has stopped his last 5 opponents.
It's this growing power and belief in Sabillo that makes me favour him by stoppage over the Nicaraguan visitor. In terms of pure boxing skills Buitrago is better but something makes me think that Sabillo's "street fighter" heart will come out and he'll eventually get close and break Buitrago down in the later rounds of an absolute classic.
Prediction-Sabillo TKO11
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Ryo Miyazaki v Jesus Silvestre
Although Ryo Miyazaki (19-0-3, 11) might be one of Japan's least known world champions the WBA Minimumweight champion is a genuinely talented, and improving fighter who is slowly proving to be a genuinely world level fighter. Sure few consider him to be one of the best Minimumweight's on the planet, or even the best 105lb fighter in Japan but he's a fighter who isn't too far off that mark.
This coming Wednesday Miyazaki attempts to prove that he's continually improving as he takes on the highly regarded Mexican Jesus Silvestre (27-3, 20) a fighter who has held the WBA "interim" title prior to getting this fight.
Miyazaki, at his best is a handful. He's not a massive puncher, despite his perfectly time KO of Carlos Velarde last time out, he's not the hardest working and he's not the fastest but over all he's a fighter with enough facets to his game to hold his own with pretty much anyone. He's shown the ability to go to war with someone as he did with Pornsawan Porpramook at the end of last year, he's shown the ability to box and he's also shown the frustrating ability to make life difficulty for himself.
Unfortunately for Miyazaki the longer he shows the ability to turn fights into difficult battles the longer he will be remembered as "the stable mate of Kazuto Ioka" rather managing to create his own legacy.
This weeks fight with Silvestre certainly looks like a bout that Miyazaki won't need to make hard for himself because Silvestre can do that for him.
The young Mexican is a tough and improving fighter who has experienced the harsh conditions of fighting in Asia by fighting in both Thailand and the Philippines. Although he lost both of those bouts he did show the tenacity to one day be a world champion and this bout will be his big chance to live up to that expectation.
Whilst Silvestre himself isn't the most skilled boxer or the hardest hitting he does have a solid punch on him, has a very exciting pressure style and looks like a man who would walk through fire to get to his man. This has worked in many of fights, including bouts with Takuya Mitamura, Yader Escobar and Carlos Velarde though against Donnie Nietes his work rate did eventually cost him with his corner getting him TKO'd late in round 10.
With the style of Silvestre we are guaranteed a very fun fight here, whether he can break down Miyazaki, or whether Miyazaki can manage to land another hayemaker is up for question. If Miyazaki can't find the howitzer that he'll need to discourage Silvestre than he's in for a long, hard night.
With the show being an Ioka Gym card you've got to favour Miyazaki if it goes to a decision, however there would be little shock if the judges render cards that are questionable with Silvestre getting a somewhat harsh decision against him.
One thing is certain here, despite the winner, and that is that I'm really looking forward to this. Potentially this could honestly be a FOTY.
Prediction-Miyazaki SD12 (Controversially)
This coming Wednesday Miyazaki attempts to prove that he's continually improving as he takes on the highly regarded Mexican Jesus Silvestre (27-3, 20) a fighter who has held the WBA "interim" title prior to getting this fight.
Miyazaki, at his best is a handful. He's not a massive puncher, despite his perfectly time KO of Carlos Velarde last time out, he's not the hardest working and he's not the fastest but over all he's a fighter with enough facets to his game to hold his own with pretty much anyone. He's shown the ability to go to war with someone as he did with Pornsawan Porpramook at the end of last year, he's shown the ability to box and he's also shown the frustrating ability to make life difficulty for himself.
Unfortunately for Miyazaki the longer he shows the ability to turn fights into difficult battles the longer he will be remembered as "the stable mate of Kazuto Ioka" rather managing to create his own legacy.
This weeks fight with Silvestre certainly looks like a bout that Miyazaki won't need to make hard for himself because Silvestre can do that for him.
The young Mexican is a tough and improving fighter who has experienced the harsh conditions of fighting in Asia by fighting in both Thailand and the Philippines. Although he lost both of those bouts he did show the tenacity to one day be a world champion and this bout will be his big chance to live up to that expectation.
Whilst Silvestre himself isn't the most skilled boxer or the hardest hitting he does have a solid punch on him, has a very exciting pressure style and looks like a man who would walk through fire to get to his man. This has worked in many of fights, including bouts with Takuya Mitamura, Yader Escobar and Carlos Velarde though against Donnie Nietes his work rate did eventually cost him with his corner getting him TKO'd late in round 10.
With the style of Silvestre we are guaranteed a very fun fight here, whether he can break down Miyazaki, or whether Miyazaki can manage to land another hayemaker is up for question. If Miyazaki can't find the howitzer that he'll need to discourage Silvestre than he's in for a long, hard night.
With the show being an Ioka Gym card you've got to favour Miyazaki if it goes to a decision, however there would be little shock if the judges render cards that are questionable with Silvestre getting a somewhat harsh decision against him.
One thing is certain here, despite the winner, and that is that I'm really looking forward to this. Potentially this could honestly be a FOTY.
Prediction-Miyazaki SD12 (Controversially)
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
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Merlito Sabillo v Jorle Estrada
Unbeaten Filipino Merlito Sabillo (22-0, 11) might be the most obscure champion in world boxing right now despite holding the genuine WBO title at Minimumweight. He'll be looking to make the first defense of that belt when he takes on little known Colombian challenger Jorle Estrada (17-6, 6) in the Solaire Resort Hotel and Casino, Pasay City.
Although the Philippines is a boxing mad country Sabillo has never really had the hype that has been associated with his compatriots such as Froilan Saludar and Denver Cuello instead he's had to fight for his respect. He finally earned that respect last time out when he stopped Luis De La Rosa in De La Rosa's homeland of Colombia.
Although he's relatively unknown Sabillo is a highly talented fighter who had developed wonderfully since turning professionally back in 2008. He's developed not only the skills that have taken him to winning the WBO Minimumweight titles but also developed the power that has seen him stopping his last 4 opponents. Sure Sabillo isn't the next Pacquiao in terms of being a concussive puncher but he hits significantly harder than his record shows.
In Jorle Estrada we have a fighter who is even more obscure than Sabillo though footage does exist of him and information is out there about him nothing seems that impressive about him.
Estrada debuted in 2008 and started his career with 10 straight victories. Following those victories he went 3-6 losing to the likes of Carlos Buitrago, Pedro Guevara, Welter Tello and Carlos Velarde. This run would have discouraged many fighters but Estrada stuck with it and is currently on a 4 fight winning streak which has seen him claiming the South American Minimumweight title.
What I've seen of Estrada hasn't looked good. He appears to push his punches which never seem to have any snap or accuracy on them, his defense is weak and whilst he's been unfortunate to be stopped at least once (the stoppage loss to Buitrago was awfully weak) he doesn't look like he really takes a shot too well.
With the skill of Sabillo and his under-rated power I really can't see this going the distance. I imagine he'll rock Estrada in the middle rounds and then go for the kill unloading until Estrada is eventually stopped.
Prediction-Sabillo TKO7
Although the Philippines is a boxing mad country Sabillo has never really had the hype that has been associated with his compatriots such as Froilan Saludar and Denver Cuello instead he's had to fight for his respect. He finally earned that respect last time out when he stopped Luis De La Rosa in De La Rosa's homeland of Colombia.
Although he's relatively unknown Sabillo is a highly talented fighter who had developed wonderfully since turning professionally back in 2008. He's developed not only the skills that have taken him to winning the WBO Minimumweight titles but also developed the power that has seen him stopping his last 4 opponents. Sure Sabillo isn't the next Pacquiao in terms of being a concussive puncher but he hits significantly harder than his record shows.
In Jorle Estrada we have a fighter who is even more obscure than Sabillo though footage does exist of him and information is out there about him nothing seems that impressive about him.
Estrada debuted in 2008 and started his career with 10 straight victories. Following those victories he went 3-6 losing to the likes of Carlos Buitrago, Pedro Guevara, Welter Tello and Carlos Velarde. This run would have discouraged many fighters but Estrada stuck with it and is currently on a 4 fight winning streak which has seen him claiming the South American Minimumweight title.
What I've seen of Estrada hasn't looked good. He appears to push his punches which never seem to have any snap or accuracy on them, his defense is weak and whilst he's been unfortunate to be stopped at least once (the stoppage loss to Buitrago was awfully weak) he doesn't look like he really takes a shot too well.
With the skill of Sabillo and his under-rated power I really can't see this going the distance. I imagine he'll rock Estrada in the middle rounds and then go for the kill unloading until Estrada is eventually stopped.
Prediction-Sabillo TKO7
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Xiong Zhao Zhong v Denver Cuello
The first title fight of the coming weekend takes place in Dubai as the little known, but yet historic, Xiong Zhao Zhong (20-4-1, 11) defends his WBC Minimumweight title against the highly ranked Filipino Denver Cuello (33-4-6, 21) in what should be a highly enjoyable contests, even if it is in an unfavoured division.
The champion, the first male "world champion" from his native China is widely regarded as a paper champion, a man given a title to help raise the profile of boxing in the untapped Chinese market (something Bob Arum is now trying to tap in to with Zou Shiming). The WBC allowed Zhong, who had never previously fought at the 105lb division, to fight for the vacant belt late last year against the somewhat hopeless Javier Martinez Resendiz.
Zhong defeated Resendiz last year via decision for the belt in a relatively close contest after the WBC had paid a step aside fee to their mandatory contender, Filipino Denver Cuello (who of course, now fights for the belt some 7 months later).
Stylistically Zhong is pretty limited, he's tough and does have plenty of power on his shots, in fact he dropped the then WBC Flyweight champion Daisuke Naito back in 2009 but from a technical stand point he's "acceptable but limited". There is no great work from him and his victories to date don't belie some under-lying "extra gear" that he could move in to if push came to shove.
What Zhong does have going in his favour is the fact he is a naturally bigger man having competed at both Flyweight and Light Flyweight for much of his career. This should help him take the shots of Cuello and even allow him to bully the challenger a bit but at 30 years old he is certainly getting on a bit for a fighter in the lower divisions and he's also stepping in with his best opponent since Naito some 4 years ago.
In the Filipino challenger we have a fighter who has waited his turn for a world title fight, then had to wait a bit longer. More and more obstacles have been thrown in his way over the years and yet they've not prevented him from becoming one of the most exciting fighters in the lower division.
Fighting from the southpaw stance the 26 year old Cuello has become known as "Mr Excitement" due to his vicious power which has helped him become on of the top ranked Minimumweights on the planet and helped him stop 10 of his last 12 opponents.
Having started his career 3-2-4 Cuello has turned things around remarkably well and has lost just 1 of his last 27 fights (and even that was a highly controversial DQ in Mexico against a Mexican fighter). He has done things "the hard way" and developed as a fighter thanks to it. He is now a solid offensive fighter with a hurtful array of shots to the head and body and a fighter who will be a real nightmare for anyone in the division.
Going in to this bout it's obvious the WBC would rather see Zhong retain the title so they could push things in China (and hopefully "help" IK Yang and Zou Shiming to world title bouts). With this in mind I actually see Cuello more determined than ever to stop his opponent. This might back fire with the toughness of Zhong but the body shots that Cuello throws are bound to take an effect sooner or later.
Prediction-Cuello TKO7
The champion, the first male "world champion" from his native China is widely regarded as a paper champion, a man given a title to help raise the profile of boxing in the untapped Chinese market (something Bob Arum is now trying to tap in to with Zou Shiming). The WBC allowed Zhong, who had never previously fought at the 105lb division, to fight for the vacant belt late last year against the somewhat hopeless Javier Martinez Resendiz.
Zhong defeated Resendiz last year via decision for the belt in a relatively close contest after the WBC had paid a step aside fee to their mandatory contender, Filipino Denver Cuello (who of course, now fights for the belt some 7 months later).
Stylistically Zhong is pretty limited, he's tough and does have plenty of power on his shots, in fact he dropped the then WBC Flyweight champion Daisuke Naito back in 2009 but from a technical stand point he's "acceptable but limited". There is no great work from him and his victories to date don't belie some under-lying "extra gear" that he could move in to if push came to shove.
What Zhong does have going in his favour is the fact he is a naturally bigger man having competed at both Flyweight and Light Flyweight for much of his career. This should help him take the shots of Cuello and even allow him to bully the challenger a bit but at 30 years old he is certainly getting on a bit for a fighter in the lower divisions and he's also stepping in with his best opponent since Naito some 4 years ago.
In the Filipino challenger we have a fighter who has waited his turn for a world title fight, then had to wait a bit longer. More and more obstacles have been thrown in his way over the years and yet they've not prevented him from becoming one of the most exciting fighters in the lower division.
Fighting from the southpaw stance the 26 year old Cuello has become known as "Mr Excitement" due to his vicious power which has helped him become on of the top ranked Minimumweights on the planet and helped him stop 10 of his last 12 opponents.
Having started his career 3-2-4 Cuello has turned things around remarkably well and has lost just 1 of his last 27 fights (and even that was a highly controversial DQ in Mexico against a Mexican fighter). He has done things "the hard way" and developed as a fighter thanks to it. He is now a solid offensive fighter with a hurtful array of shots to the head and body and a fighter who will be a real nightmare for anyone in the division.
Going in to this bout it's obvious the WBC would rather see Zhong retain the title so they could push things in China (and hopefully "help" IK Yang and Zou Shiming to world title bouts). With this in mind I actually see Cuello more determined than ever to stop his opponent. This might back fire with the toughness of Zhong but the body shots that Cuello throws are bound to take an effect sooner or later.
Prediction-Cuello TKO7
Monday, 6 May 2013
Ryo Miyazaki v Carlos Velarde
WBA Minimumweight champion Ryo Mayazaki (18-0-3, 10) may have been fortunate to claim the belt on New Years Eve when he over-came the always exciting to watch Kompayak Porpramook though he appears to have an "easy" first defense. The challenger, this coming week to Miyazaki's title is Mexican 22 year old Carlos Velarde (23-2-1, 13), a relatively unknown opponent who has a solid looking record but nothing of any real quality on it.
Miyazaki, a stablemate of Kazuto Ioka was almost gift wrapped the title when Ioka made his move up to Light Flyweight, though as mentioned was pushed unexpectedly hard by Porpramook. This would, I think be fair to say, show the level of difference between Miyazaki and Ioka. Ioka is one of the genuine stand out Japanese fighters whilst Miyazaki is a solid fighter but not on the same level as his gym mate.
With an unbeaten record Miyazaki takes an air of confidence with him in to the ring and like most Japanese fighters he's gone the traditional route to the top claiming both a national title and an OPBF belt prior to his world title winning effort.
Although Miyazaki isn't in the same class as an Ioka (or even a Naoya Inoue) in terms of talent he is a solid fighter who has shown good movement, good work rate and a genuine toughness. It takes a good fighter to defeat Pornsawan Porpramook and Suguru Takizawa though we don't quite know just how good he is.
Whilst the champion has at least his signature win over Porpramook it's fair to say the challenger has yet to score any win of real note. In fact the best opponents on his record are Edwin Diaz and Jesus Silvestre and they both defeated Velarde. Lets also be honest neither Diaz or Silvestre are on the same level as Porpramook.
With Velarde having only really fought on the low level Mexican scene it's fair to say that not only is he stepping up but he's also under-prepared for a world title bout. Equally as worrying for the Mexican is that he hasn't been able to show the power needed to make an impact on a fighter like Miyazaki.
With out the power or the skill level to beat the champion I really can't see any way for Velarde to claim what would not only be the biggest victory of his career but also one of the biggest upsets of the year.
Prediction-Miyazaki TKO10
Miyazaki, a stablemate of Kazuto Ioka was almost gift wrapped the title when Ioka made his move up to Light Flyweight, though as mentioned was pushed unexpectedly hard by Porpramook. This would, I think be fair to say, show the level of difference between Miyazaki and Ioka. Ioka is one of the genuine stand out Japanese fighters whilst Miyazaki is a solid fighter but not on the same level as his gym mate.
With an unbeaten record Miyazaki takes an air of confidence with him in to the ring and like most Japanese fighters he's gone the traditional route to the top claiming both a national title and an OPBF belt prior to his world title winning effort.
Although Miyazaki isn't in the same class as an Ioka (or even a Naoya Inoue) in terms of talent he is a solid fighter who has shown good movement, good work rate and a genuine toughness. It takes a good fighter to defeat Pornsawan Porpramook and Suguru Takizawa though we don't quite know just how good he is.
Whilst the champion has at least his signature win over Porpramook it's fair to say the challenger has yet to score any win of real note. In fact the best opponents on his record are Edwin Diaz and Jesus Silvestre and they both defeated Velarde. Lets also be honest neither Diaz or Silvestre are on the same level as Porpramook.
With Velarde having only really fought on the low level Mexican scene it's fair to say that not only is he stepping up but he's also under-prepared for a world title bout. Equally as worrying for the Mexican is that he hasn't been able to show the power needed to make an impact on a fighter like Miyazaki.
With out the power or the skill level to beat the champion I really can't see any way for Velarde to claim what would not only be the biggest victory of his career but also one of the biggest upsets of the year.
Prediction-Miyazaki TKO10
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.
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Ryo Miyazaki v Pornsawan Porpramook
New Year's Eve goes out with a bang in Japan with 5 title fights, the smallest, in terms of weight, sees unbeaten Japanese fighter Ryo Miyazaki (17-0-3, 10) facing former champion Pornsawan Porpramook (27-4-1, 17) for the now vacant WBA Minimumweight title (which has been vacated due to Kazuto Ioka moving to Light Flyweight). This bout promises nothing but excitement as Miyazaki looks to show he's the next in a very long line of world class Minimumweight's from Japan whilst Porpramook looks to become a 2-time world champion.
The 34 year old Porpramook may not be hugely well known by fight fans in the west though he has proven himself to be a solid world level fighter over the past few years. He's been a professional since 2001 and has been fighting for titles since just his second fight (he claimed the PABA Minimumweight title in his second professional bout). In fact since 2007 Porpramook has been fighting, on and off, at world level.
In his first attempt to claim a world title in 2007 Porpramook came up short against the hugely talented Filipino Donnie Nietes in a bout that was close and hard fought by both men. The following year Porpramook would again fall short, that time again Oleydong Sithsamerchai. In 2009 the Thai would again fall short, being stopped by Edgar Sosa in a Light Flyweight title fight before scoring an unlucky draw with Sithsamerchai in 2010. For Porpramook it was fifth time lucky in 2011 as he out pointed the legendary Muhammad Rachman for the WBA Minimumweight title.
Sadly Porpramook's title reign was short lived as Akira Yaegashi stopped him in a 10 round war just 3 months after Porpramook had eventually won a world title. He now goes back to Japan to seek revenge for the loss of his title and get revenge over Japanese fighters.
In terms of his style Porpramook is a tough fighter, whilst he has been stopped twice he proved his genuine toughness in both of those bouts and he proved he is genuine all action and exciting. He's never let a fighter really have their way with him other than Oleydong in their first meeting.
Whilst Porpramook is certainly part of the "last generation", the 24 year old Miyazaki is part of the new generation of fighters who are swiftly emerging, especially in Japan (along with the likes of Ioka amongst others). Despite being just 24 Miyazaki is experienced and seasoned with 20 professional bouts and 115 rounds under his belt, many of which have been fought at title level with Miyazaki having already claimed both the Japanese and the OPBF Light Flyweight titles.
Although having made his name at Light Flyweight, the rock solid looking Miyazaki is a natural Minimumweight. Stood at just 5'1 he's a true warrior facing bigger men than himself to toughen up before getting world title fights and whilst things haven't always gone to plan (with 3 technical draws on his record due to head clashes) he's proven to be able to hang with naturally bigger men.
For me the youth of Miyazaki as well as the wear and tear of Porpramook are likely the difference here. This could well be the best fight of the 5 world title fights that take place in Japan on New Years Eve with both men giving it their all, though I just think Miyazaki will be a little bit too fresh for the Thai warrior.
Prediction- Miyazaki TKO11
The 34 year old Porpramook may not be hugely well known by fight fans in the west though he has proven himself to be a solid world level fighter over the past few years. He's been a professional since 2001 and has been fighting for titles since just his second fight (he claimed the PABA Minimumweight title in his second professional bout). In fact since 2007 Porpramook has been fighting, on and off, at world level.
In his first attempt to claim a world title in 2007 Porpramook came up short against the hugely talented Filipino Donnie Nietes in a bout that was close and hard fought by both men. The following year Porpramook would again fall short, that time again Oleydong Sithsamerchai. In 2009 the Thai would again fall short, being stopped by Edgar Sosa in a Light Flyweight title fight before scoring an unlucky draw with Sithsamerchai in 2010. For Porpramook it was fifth time lucky in 2011 as he out pointed the legendary Muhammad Rachman for the WBA Minimumweight title.
Sadly Porpramook's title reign was short lived as Akira Yaegashi stopped him in a 10 round war just 3 months after Porpramook had eventually won a world title. He now goes back to Japan to seek revenge for the loss of his title and get revenge over Japanese fighters.
In terms of his style Porpramook is a tough fighter, whilst he has been stopped twice he proved his genuine toughness in both of those bouts and he proved he is genuine all action and exciting. He's never let a fighter really have their way with him other than Oleydong in their first meeting.
Whilst Porpramook is certainly part of the "last generation", the 24 year old Miyazaki is part of the new generation of fighters who are swiftly emerging, especially in Japan (along with the likes of Ioka amongst others). Despite being just 24 Miyazaki is experienced and seasoned with 20 professional bouts and 115 rounds under his belt, many of which have been fought at title level with Miyazaki having already claimed both the Japanese and the OPBF Light Flyweight titles.
Although having made his name at Light Flyweight, the rock solid looking Miyazaki is a natural Minimumweight. Stood at just 5'1 he's a true warrior facing bigger men than himself to toughen up before getting world title fights and whilst things haven't always gone to plan (with 3 technical draws on his record due to head clashes) he's proven to be able to hang with naturally bigger men.
For me the youth of Miyazaki as well as the wear and tear of Porpramook are likely the difference here. This could well be the best fight of the 5 world title fights that take place in Japan on New Years Eve with both men giving it their all, though I just think Miyazaki will be a little bit too fresh for the Thai warrior.
Prediction- Miyazaki TKO11
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Xiong Zhao Zhong v Javier Martinez Resendiz
This coming weekend marks an historic occasion in the boxing world as we will see the first ever world champion, at any weight, to be crowned in China as local favourite Xiong Zhao Zhong (19-4-1, 11) faces Mexican Javier Martinez Resendiz (13-3-2, 6) in a bout for the vacant WBC Minimumweight title. In fact it may well be fair to say that this is the biggest professional boxing contest to have ever taken place in China.
For Xiong, it's fair to say the pressure is really on his shoulders. At 30 years old Xiong may never get another chance to claim a world title, especially not in his homeland. Saying that however Xiong has fought at the world level before losing a close and competitive decision to Daisuke Naito for the WBC Flyweight title back in 2009.
Sadly despite being China's most famous professional boxer, Zhong is really not that good, certainly not matching his amateur counter-parts (such as Zou Shiming, Zhang Xiaoping and Zhang Zhilei). He's a decent fighter with out a doubt and has a solid punch on him, though his WBC "Silver" Light Flyweight title appears to be little more than a political move by the WBC to move into China's untapped market.
Zhong may have an issue here. Despite standing at a diminutive 4'11" he has never, to my knowledge, weighed inside the 105lbs Minimumweight limit and has actually been as high as 113lbs when he faced Japanese fighter Takuya Kogawa. If he can make 105lbs he could be a real handful, especially if he's 90% of the fighter he was when he faced faced both Naito and Kogawa (he gave both men a very hard time).
Zhong's co-challenger, Mexican, Resendiz is almost certainly being seen as a sacrificial lamb by the WBC however I wouldn't be surprised if Resendiz can upset the proverbial applecart. Firstly, as mentioned, Zhong isn't really that good. Just two fights ago Zhong was upset by Japanese Flyweight Shin Ono (14-5-2, 2) who had gone 2-3-2 going in to the fight.
Not only is Zhong not very good, but Resendiz is a tough fighter who hasn't been stopped in 18 fights so far, including a 10 rounder with current "interim" WBA World Minimumweight champion Jesus Silvestre. If Zhong can't dent him there is every chance that Resendiz can make him look as average as he is.
For me, being frankly honest, I think Resendiz will need a knock out to score a draw. This is the big "coming out party" of professional Chinese boxing and it'd take something shocking to happen for someone to piss on Jose Sulaiman's parade. I expect the fight to be close, even controversial but I simply do not see Zhong being denied if it goes to the cards.
Prediction-Zhong SD
For Xiong, it's fair to say the pressure is really on his shoulders. At 30 years old Xiong may never get another chance to claim a world title, especially not in his homeland. Saying that however Xiong has fought at the world level before losing a close and competitive decision to Daisuke Naito for the WBC Flyweight title back in 2009.
Sadly despite being China's most famous professional boxer, Zhong is really not that good, certainly not matching his amateur counter-parts (such as Zou Shiming, Zhang Xiaoping and Zhang Zhilei). He's a decent fighter with out a doubt and has a solid punch on him, though his WBC "Silver" Light Flyweight title appears to be little more than a political move by the WBC to move into China's untapped market.
Zhong may have an issue here. Despite standing at a diminutive 4'11" he has never, to my knowledge, weighed inside the 105lbs Minimumweight limit and has actually been as high as 113lbs when he faced Japanese fighter Takuya Kogawa. If he can make 105lbs he could be a real handful, especially if he's 90% of the fighter he was when he faced faced both Naito and Kogawa (he gave both men a very hard time).
Zhong's co-challenger, Mexican, Resendiz is almost certainly being seen as a sacrificial lamb by the WBC however I wouldn't be surprised if Resendiz can upset the proverbial applecart. Firstly, as mentioned, Zhong isn't really that good. Just two fights ago Zhong was upset by Japanese Flyweight Shin Ono (14-5-2, 2) who had gone 2-3-2 going in to the fight.
Not only is Zhong not very good, but Resendiz is a tough fighter who hasn't been stopped in 18 fights so far, including a 10 rounder with current "interim" WBA World Minimumweight champion Jesus Silvestre. If Zhong can't dent him there is every chance that Resendiz can make him look as average as he is.
For me, being frankly honest, I think Resendiz will need a knock out to score a draw. This is the big "coming out party" of professional Chinese boxing and it'd take something shocking to happen for someone to piss on Jose Sulaiman's parade. I expect the fight to be close, even controversial but I simply do not see Zhong being denied if it goes to the cards.
Prediction-Zhong 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)
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Jesus Silvestre v Takuya Mitamura
This weekend Mexican Jesus Silvestre (25-3, 18) will make the first defense of his WBA "interim" Minimunweight title as he faces unbeaten Japanese fighter Takuya Mitamura (12-0, 2) in a bout that appears to be much, much more meaningful than the bout that saw Silvestre claiming the belt.
Silvestre won the title just a few months back as he out pointed Panamanian Edwin Diaz (15-18, 5) in what I felt was a joke of a fight, so much so that I didn't even attempt to watch it. Whilst it poor that Diaz getting the shot despite a losing record, it was made even worse that the bout for the interim title came just weeks after the the "regular" title had been unified with the WBC title by Kazuto Ioka.
Whilst Silvestre will go into this match as the "champion" he is an awfully weak champion and has very few notable victories. In fact he's lost to his 3 best opponents (Paipharob Kokietgym, Donnie Nites and Jose Alfredo Rodriguez) whilst his best wins have come against the likes of Yader Escobar and Walter Rojas, who are far from special themselves.
Despite being just 22 years old, Silvestre has been a professional for almost 6 years and with 28 fights behind him, I really need to question how much he can actually improve. Sadly from the footage I've seen he's very wide up, and whilst he has a nice array of body punches he's defensively awful and doesn't have any sort of world class quality. Whilst he appears to be big and tough he simply can't keeping eating punches or his career will be over very quickly.
Whilst I don't think much of Silvestre he does have one saving grace, the fact he is fighting at home. In Mexico Silvestre is 25-1 (18) away from Mexico however he is 0-2, more interestingly is that Silvestre is 15-0 (12) in his home state of Nayarit, the same state as this upcoming fight.
Sadly whilst Silvestre isn't great he is a lot more well known than Takuya Mitamura, who appears to be very difficult to find any footage of. Despite this what I do know is that Mitamura is unbeaten in 12 fights since turning professional in 2008 having won all 12 of those fights.
Last year Mitamura won his professional title by claiming the Japanese Minimumweight title by out pointing the experienced Takashi Kunishige (who's best known for fighting Edgar Sosa in a WBC world title fight) and he has since defended that belt once by stopping Toshihiro Nakashima. Despite being the national champion, no one really thinks that Mitamura is the best Minimumweight in Japan after all the country has Kazuto Ioka, Akira Yaegashi and Katsunari Takayama however is likely the best "#4" in world boxing.
Sadly for Mitamura however he's not much of a puncher and he will struggle to get a decision in Mexico against a Mexican fighter. With this is in mind it's hard to feel that the challenger really has a chance. Unless Mitamura can stop Silvestre he'll not win.
Prediction-Silvestre UD
Silvestre won the title just a few months back as he out pointed Panamanian Edwin Diaz (15-18, 5) in what I felt was a joke of a fight, so much so that I didn't even attempt to watch it. Whilst it poor that Diaz getting the shot despite a losing record, it was made even worse that the bout for the interim title came just weeks after the the "regular" title had been unified with the WBC title by Kazuto Ioka.
Whilst Silvestre will go into this match as the "champion" he is an awfully weak champion and has very few notable victories. In fact he's lost to his 3 best opponents (Paipharob Kokietgym, Donnie Nites and Jose Alfredo Rodriguez) whilst his best wins have come against the likes of Yader Escobar and Walter Rojas, who are far from special themselves.
Despite being just 22 years old, Silvestre has been a professional for almost 6 years and with 28 fights behind him, I really need to question how much he can actually improve. Sadly from the footage I've seen he's very wide up, and whilst he has a nice array of body punches he's defensively awful and doesn't have any sort of world class quality. Whilst he appears to be big and tough he simply can't keeping eating punches or his career will be over very quickly.
Whilst I don't think much of Silvestre he does have one saving grace, the fact he is fighting at home. In Mexico Silvestre is 25-1 (18) away from Mexico however he is 0-2, more interestingly is that Silvestre is 15-0 (12) in his home state of Nayarit, the same state as this upcoming fight.
Sadly whilst Silvestre isn't great he is a lot more well known than Takuya Mitamura, who appears to be very difficult to find any footage of. Despite this what I do know is that Mitamura is unbeaten in 12 fights since turning professional in 2008 having won all 12 of those fights.
Last year Mitamura won his professional title by claiming the Japanese Minimumweight title by out pointing the experienced Takashi Kunishige (who's best known for fighting Edgar Sosa in a WBC world title fight) and he has since defended that belt once by stopping Toshihiro Nakashima. Despite being the national champion, no one really thinks that Mitamura is the best Minimumweight in Japan after all the country has Kazuto Ioka, Akira Yaegashi and Katsunari Takayama however is likely the best "#4" in world boxing.
Sadly for Mitamura however he's not much of a puncher and he will struggle to get a decision in Mexico against a Mexican fighter. With this is in mind it's hard to feel that the challenger really has a chance. Unless Mitamura can stop Silvestre he'll not win.
Prediction-Silvestre UD
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Nkosinathi Joyi v Mario Rodriguez
In a hugely busy weekend it may be easy to over look some notable fights, including the IBF Minimumweight title fight which sees the champion, South African Nkosinathi Joyi (22-0-0-1, 15) making the 3rd defence of his title as he travels to Mexico to face Mario Rodriguez (14-6-4, 10).
Despite being one of the best fighters in the lower weights over the past few years Joyi has been criminally over looked by the boxing world. Whilst it's partly down to fans perceptions of lower weight boxers it's also down to the fact he's a bit of a star in South Africa and has had no real need to go to Mexico or Japan where he would have been able to get the exposure he so deserves. All that changes on Saturday when, for the first time in a career dating back to 2002, Joyi fights outside of his homeland, traveling to Sinaloa, Mexico to defend his title.
Whilst Joyi's talents have been hidden from the wider boxing public he has proven he's a very high caliber fighter having been incredibly impressive in defeating a number of well regarded fighters in the 105lb division. Amongst those that Joyi has faced, and defeated are Sammy Gutierrez (who would later claim the WBA interim title), former IBF champion Florante Condes, the then IBF champion Raul Garcia and former WBC and WBA interim champion Katsunari Takayama. Amazingly 3 of those men are still in Ring Magazine's top 10 at the weight, showing just how high of a stand Joyi has been fighting, with only Gutierrez dropping out of the rankings.
Having been a professional since 2002 it maybe surprising to read that Joyi has only fought 23 times, though sadly, for the talented South African, he has had a number of issues in recent years which saw him fighting just once in each of the last 3 years. It seems however that those issues have been sorted and Joyi intends to try and make his mark on the boxing world, rather than just becoming a footnote in sports encyclopedias.
With power in both hands, Joyi is an exceptional boxer puncher who, at 5'6" is very tall for a Minimumweight though has no issues makes the weight limit. He's powerful, strong, quick and technically sound with a solid guard, accurate hard jab and very hurtful straight left, in fact he has every punch in the book. There is very little negative to say about Joyi in the ring, though if pushed to note negatives Joyi has been dropped (by Sammy Gutierrez) and did suffer a broken hand last time out against Takayama. To fair Joyi's biggest issue has been his recent inactivity, aside from that there is little to complain about.
Despite being a massive under dog the challenger, Mexico's Mario Rodriguez will know he has nothing to lose and everything to gain and will be cheered on by a home crowd as the bout takes place in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Despite having a pretty sketchy record with just 14 wins from his 24 fights he has started to come good with a 5 fight unbeaten run, including a draw with recent title contender Pedro Guevara (who's fight with John Riel Casimero was covered here) which many felt Rodriguez deserved to win and wins over recent title challenger Karluis Diaz (who's fight with Alberto Rossel was covered here) and former champion Gilberto Keb Baas. This victories have helped move Rodriguez up to #5 on Boxrec.com's Minimuweight rankings.
Rodriguez's record was bad from the off. He lost his debut (in 2005) by TKO to Geovanny Lopez (Rodriguez's only TKO loss to date) before losing his 3rd fight on points to David Marquez. He later suffered losses to Julio Cesar Felix (who fought for a world title just a few months ago), Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (a recent WBA interim Champion at 108lbs, who lost his title to Alberto Rossel), Raul Castaneda (avenged 7 months later) and current world champion Donnie Nietes. The loss to Nietes, in a WBO Minimumweight title bout has been Rodriguez's only previous world title bout and whilst he clearly lose he was still hanging in at the final bell.
It's fair to say Rodriguez is a fighter who is better than his record shows. He's tough and he hits hard (having taken out Karluis Diaz in just 128 seconds) however he's not a a world level boxer. He is however a hell of a fighter who comes to go to war and always looks to get inside his opponent to fight up close. Despite apparently being 5'7" (according to Televisa) Rodriguez does give away his height fighting out of a crouch though really knows how to bring the action.
Whilst on paper this looks like a mismatch, it's almost certainly going to be a fun mismatch. Joyi should have too much for Rodriguez in almost every way imaginable but the heart and style of the challenger means that it will be fun to watch, even if it does end up being a bit of a beat down in the end. Rodriguez may be too tough and too brave for his own good here and may take a bit of a hiding if the referee and his corner allow it, which would be a shame, though he will, almost certainly, try his heart out.
Prediction-Joyi TKO8
This bout will be televised in Mexico on Televisa, if you have a chance try to catch the full card which not only features this world title bout but also the next bout in the career of the exciting young prospect Julio Ceja (20-0, 19)
Despite being one of the best fighters in the lower weights over the past few years Joyi has been criminally over looked by the boxing world. Whilst it's partly down to fans perceptions of lower weight boxers it's also down to the fact he's a bit of a star in South Africa and has had no real need to go to Mexico or Japan where he would have been able to get the exposure he so deserves. All that changes on Saturday when, for the first time in a career dating back to 2002, Joyi fights outside of his homeland, traveling to Sinaloa, Mexico to defend his title.
Whilst Joyi's talents have been hidden from the wider boxing public he has proven he's a very high caliber fighter having been incredibly impressive in defeating a number of well regarded fighters in the 105lb division. Amongst those that Joyi has faced, and defeated are Sammy Gutierrez (who would later claim the WBA interim title), former IBF champion Florante Condes, the then IBF champion Raul Garcia and former WBC and WBA interim champion Katsunari Takayama. Amazingly 3 of those men are still in Ring Magazine's top 10 at the weight, showing just how high of a stand Joyi has been fighting, with only Gutierrez dropping out of the rankings.
Having been a professional since 2002 it maybe surprising to read that Joyi has only fought 23 times, though sadly, for the talented South African, he has had a number of issues in recent years which saw him fighting just once in each of the last 3 years. It seems however that those issues have been sorted and Joyi intends to try and make his mark on the boxing world, rather than just becoming a footnote in sports encyclopedias.
With power in both hands, Joyi is an exceptional boxer puncher who, at 5'6" is very tall for a Minimumweight though has no issues makes the weight limit. He's powerful, strong, quick and technically sound with a solid guard, accurate hard jab and very hurtful straight left, in fact he has every punch in the book. There is very little negative to say about Joyi in the ring, though if pushed to note negatives Joyi has been dropped (by Sammy Gutierrez) and did suffer a broken hand last time out against Takayama. To fair Joyi's biggest issue has been his recent inactivity, aside from that there is little to complain about.
Despite being a massive under dog the challenger, Mexico's Mario Rodriguez will know he has nothing to lose and everything to gain and will be cheered on by a home crowd as the bout takes place in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Despite having a pretty sketchy record with just 14 wins from his 24 fights he has started to come good with a 5 fight unbeaten run, including a draw with recent title contender Pedro Guevara (who's fight with John Riel Casimero was covered here) which many felt Rodriguez deserved to win and wins over recent title challenger Karluis Diaz (who's fight with Alberto Rossel was covered here) and former champion Gilberto Keb Baas. This victories have helped move Rodriguez up to #5 on Boxrec.com's Minimuweight rankings.
Rodriguez's record was bad from the off. He lost his debut (in 2005) by TKO to Geovanny Lopez (Rodriguez's only TKO loss to date) before losing his 3rd fight on points to David Marquez. He later suffered losses to Julio Cesar Felix (who fought for a world title just a few months ago), Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (a recent WBA interim Champion at 108lbs, who lost his title to Alberto Rossel), Raul Castaneda (avenged 7 months later) and current world champion Donnie Nietes. The loss to Nietes, in a WBO Minimumweight title bout has been Rodriguez's only previous world title bout and whilst he clearly lose he was still hanging in at the final bell.
It's fair to say Rodriguez is a fighter who is better than his record shows. He's tough and he hits hard (having taken out Karluis Diaz in just 128 seconds) however he's not a a world level boxer. He is however a hell of a fighter who comes to go to war and always looks to get inside his opponent to fight up close. Despite apparently being 5'7" (according to Televisa) Rodriguez does give away his height fighting out of a crouch though really knows how to bring the action.
Whilst on paper this looks like a mismatch, it's almost certainly going to be a fun mismatch. Joyi should have too much for Rodriguez in almost every way imaginable but the heart and style of the challenger means that it will be fun to watch, even if it does end up being a bit of a beat down in the end. Rodriguez may be too tough and too brave for his own good here and may take a bit of a hiding if the referee and his corner allow it, which would be a shame, though he will, almost certainly, try his heart out.
Prediction-Joyi TKO8
This bout will be televised in Mexico on Televisa, if you have a chance try to catch the full card which not only features this world title bout but also the next bout in the career of the exciting young prospect Julio Ceja (20-0, 19)
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