In a bout that screams the word "fun", Argentinian Juan Carlos Reveco (31-1, 17) will defend his WBA Flyweight title against Panamanian puncher Ricardo Nunez (26-3, 22). Although the bout, televised on TYC Sports, is unlikely to capture the attention of most boxing fans it's potentially the fight of the weekend, and I don't say that lightly.
Reveco is a fighter I've come to like, I'll never be a flat out fan, but I will happily admire his talent. He's hard working, skilled, has lovely snap on his punches and most tellingly judges distance amazingly, this quality is why he is one of the elite body punchers currently in the sport.
Sadly the reason why I will never be a "fan" of Reveco's is that his matchmaking has, so far, left much to be desired. After taking a good win he usually faces an appalling opponent. For example after beating Nethra Sasiprapa he then took on Humberto Pool; after beating Karim Guerfi he then defeated Julian Rivera and after traveling to Japan to defeat Masayuki Kuroda he returned home to beat Ulises Lara.
In the current Flyweight division there is no excuses for defending against the likes of Lara and the fight it's self saw Lara dropped 5 times by Reveco.
Thankfully Reveco is stepping back up to genuine world level here as he fights Nunez, a man who has proven to be around world level and is always fun to watch, win or lose.
Whilst Reveco is a skilled fighter with some textbook moves in the ring Nunez is a pure puncher. The Panamanian isn't going to win awards for beauty in the ring, he's not an artist in the ring and he won't paint pictures with his punches. Though he will do is take the canvas, smash it over your head then bash you with a paint can. His style can only be described as crude but exciting, every punch is thrown with the intentions of beheading and opponents and whilst this leaves him open he is tough enough to take a fair few shots.
Unfortunately for Nunez all 3 of his losses have come by stoppage, with the most recent of those coming coming 12 months ago to Moruti Mthalane via a vicious stoppage in round 8. Thankfully for Nunez's brain cells and long term health Reveco isn't a concussive puncher, though he's stylistically a type of fighter who will take advantage of Nunez's looping shots.
Although Reveco has the style to pick Nunez apart the Panamanian's danger cannot be over-stated. He has stopped world class opponents such as Carlos Tamara and Oscar Blanquet whilst also taking a decision over Liborio Solis and dropping Mthalane. To be frankly honest if he can tag Reveco he can scramble Reveco's senses and possibly stop him. Reveco might have the style to beat Nunez, but Nunez has the power to stop Reveco. That's what makes this fight so much fun.
I'd say that if Nunez is going to win he probably has 6 rounds to score the stoppage, after that things swing strongly in favour of Reveco who should manage to defeat a tiring and mentally weakening Nunez in the later rounds. One thing is for certain, this will have fireworks!
Prediction-Reveco UD12 (after getting himself off the canvas at least once)
Showing posts with label Panamanian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panamanian. Show all posts
Friday, 11 October 2013
Saturday, 10 August 2013
Anselmo Moreno v William Urina
It's been a while since we've seen Panamanian Anselmo Moreno (33-2-1, 12) in the ring, 9 months in fact, though this Saturday he returns to action and defends the WBA "super" title at Bantamweight as he faces Colombian challenger William Urina (24-2, 20).
The last time we saw Moreno in action he suffered his first career defeat in a over decade as the highly talented Abner Mares claimed a very impressive decision over him up at Super Bantamweight. It's shocking to actually say he's fighting at Bantamweight for the first time since stopping David De La Mora last April, some 16 or so months ago.
At Bantamweight many regard Moreno as the #1 guy, his loss at Super Bantamweight really doesn't effect that. In fact losing to Mares, who now holds a title at Featherweight, is no great shame at all.
Moreno's resume at Bantamweight is genuine exceptional. He holds wins over Volodymyr Sydorenko, twice, Rolly "Matsushita" Lunas, Mahyar Monshipour, Nehomar Cermeno, twice, Lorenzo Parra, Vic Darchinyan and De La Mora.
It's not just the resume that has made "Chemito" stand out in the eyes of the hardcore fans but also his style of fighting. He is one of the truly elite pure boxers. He's as slippery as they come, has an accurate jab, is an outstanding counter puncher and uses the ring as good as any fighter not named "Mayweather" or "Rigondeaux".
I'll admit I was shocked by the way Mares beat Moreno though in all honesty it says more about how good Mares is than how bad Moreno is. I honestly cannot see any fighter at 118 doing the same to Moreno as Mares did, and that's despite the fact I think Shinsuke Yamanaka is an exceptional fighter.
Colombian challenger Urina is 27 and surprisingly only around 6 months younger than the champion. Despite the relatively close age of the two men in terms of raw years, the challenger is easily the younger man in terms of ring years. Moreno has fought 36 bouts and a combined 268 rounds, including more than 10 world title bouts, Urina has fought just 26 bouts for a combined 108 rounds and has just 1 world title bout behind him.
It's the previous world title bout of Urina's that is by far the most interesting bout of his career. In that bout he went to Argentina and was widely out pointed by Omar Narvaez in a bout for the WBO Super Flyweight title.
Against Narvaez, Urina tried hard and had some success though was widely outclassed by the talented and oft-overlooked Argentinian. Despite the loss he had impressed some with his desire to win and he has improved on the back of that loss.
In terms of his style Urina is a bit of the "typical Colombian". Hits hard, especially against the C grade opponents, is some what limited and seems to have little success out of his homeland, he is 0-2 outside of Colombia.
To me this bout is much less about Moreno defending his title but actually looking good and Urina has been selected as an opponent because he is made to order for Moreno. He'll come forward all night, he'll throw plenty and he'll give Moreno a lot of chances to counter and make him look stupid. Sure Urina may take a round or two early as Moreno shakes off the ring rust but for the most part he'll be chasing shadows and getting hitting by sharp shots through out the 12 round contest.
Prediction-Moreno UD12
The last time we saw Moreno in action he suffered his first career defeat in a over decade as the highly talented Abner Mares claimed a very impressive decision over him up at Super Bantamweight. It's shocking to actually say he's fighting at Bantamweight for the first time since stopping David De La Mora last April, some 16 or so months ago.
At Bantamweight many regard Moreno as the #1 guy, his loss at Super Bantamweight really doesn't effect that. In fact losing to Mares, who now holds a title at Featherweight, is no great shame at all.
Moreno's resume at Bantamweight is genuine exceptional. He holds wins over Volodymyr Sydorenko, twice, Rolly "Matsushita" Lunas, Mahyar Monshipour, Nehomar Cermeno, twice, Lorenzo Parra, Vic Darchinyan and De La Mora.
It's not just the resume that has made "Chemito" stand out in the eyes of the hardcore fans but also his style of fighting. He is one of the truly elite pure boxers. He's as slippery as they come, has an accurate jab, is an outstanding counter puncher and uses the ring as good as any fighter not named "Mayweather" or "Rigondeaux".
I'll admit I was shocked by the way Mares beat Moreno though in all honesty it says more about how good Mares is than how bad Moreno is. I honestly cannot see any fighter at 118 doing the same to Moreno as Mares did, and that's despite the fact I think Shinsuke Yamanaka is an exceptional fighter.
Colombian challenger Urina is 27 and surprisingly only around 6 months younger than the champion. Despite the relatively close age of the two men in terms of raw years, the challenger is easily the younger man in terms of ring years. Moreno has fought 36 bouts and a combined 268 rounds, including more than 10 world title bouts, Urina has fought just 26 bouts for a combined 108 rounds and has just 1 world title bout behind him.
It's the previous world title bout of Urina's that is by far the most interesting bout of his career. In that bout he went to Argentina and was widely out pointed by Omar Narvaez in a bout for the WBO Super Flyweight title.
Against Narvaez, Urina tried hard and had some success though was widely outclassed by the talented and oft-overlooked Argentinian. Despite the loss he had impressed some with his desire to win and he has improved on the back of that loss.
In terms of his style Urina is a bit of the "typical Colombian". Hits hard, especially against the C grade opponents, is some what limited and seems to have little success out of his homeland, he is 0-2 outside of Colombia.
To me this bout is much less about Moreno defending his title but actually looking good and Urina has been selected as an opponent because he is made to order for Moreno. He'll come forward all night, he'll throw plenty and he'll give Moreno a lot of chances to counter and make him look stupid. Sure Urina may take a round or two early as Moreno shakes off the ring rust but for the most part he'll be chasing shadows and getting hitting by sharp shots through out the 12 round contest.
Prediction-Moreno UD12
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Joan Guzman v Vicente Mosquera
Some world title bouts just confuse me. Last weeks bout between Juan Carlos Reveco and Ulises Lara was one such fight and another one is this as the ever expanding Joan Guzman (33-1-1, 20) faces the very under-rated Vicente Mosquera (32-2-1, 17) in a WBA "interim" Light Welterweight title bout.
What makes this bout so confusing, and also shows up what is a big problem with professional boxing, is that the WBA "interim" Light Welterweight title is on the line. The full version of the title is held by Khabib Allakhverdiev, who defeated Guzman last November and will be defending the title in about 2 weeks time. So why the WBA feels the need to slash their creditability so hard here is a mystery.
Anyway lets forget politics and just look at the fight, because it really could be a very interesting one.
Aged 37 this really is Guzman's last chance. Despite all the talent he had (and he was highly talented) he has really "under-achieved", as stupid as that sounds for a fighter who has claimed world titles at Super Bantamweight and Super Featherweight.
Had he been fully committed to the sport there is no doubt in my mind Guzman could have claimed world titles at Featherweight, Lightweight and picked up a paper strap at Light Welterweight. Had he done that he'd have been a 5-weight "world champion" and cemented a memorable legacy as the greatest Dominican fighter of all time.
Instead however Guzman has piled on the pounds and thrown away his legacy. He failed to really make a mark on the Featherweight division (despite beating Terdsak Kokietgym in a world title eliminator), he ate himself out of the Lightweight division (coming in a disgraceful 9lbs over the limit for his rematch with Ali Funeka) and by the time he moved up to Light Welterweight he was alread in his mid 30's (and he later missed weight again and tested positive for a banned substance).
Having scored victories over Agapito Sanchez, Fernando Beltran, Terdsak Kokietgym, Jorge Rodrigo Barrios (albeit controversially), Humberto Soto and Ali Funeka (also controversially, due to weight issues) you cannot argue that Guzman has a solid record. But you can say that his career has been highly frustrating and immensely disappointing.
At his best Guzman was a talented boxer. He possessed lighting quick hands, incredible ring intelligence, hurtful power and god blessed talent. Sadly those traits went to his head and he could often become complacent both in and out of the ring. It's this complacency which has really over-shadowed his career.
Up against Guzman is the 33 year old Panamanian Vicente Mosquera who himself has had a very credible career though often remained under the radar of the average boxing fan (bar 2 notable bouts).
Mosquera, like Guzman, made his name in the lower weight divisions. The first title he ever competed for was the Panamanian Super Bantamweight title, a bout he twice fought for but never actually held. Instead Mosquera skip Featherweight (coincidentally this was similar to Guzman) and really make his name at Super Featherweight.
As a Super Featherweight Mosquera would claim 2 regional titles before later claiming the WBA world title thanks to a thrilling victory over Thai hard man Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai (or, as he was known at the time Yodsanan 3K Battery). The bout over Yodsanan should have put Mosquera on the boxing map though unfortunately it didn't and Mosquera wouldn't defend his title for 13 months.
Mosquera's title reign came to an end after just 1 defense as he was stopped by the hard hitting Edwin Valero just months later. Despite losing to Valero, Mosquera had actually put up a very credible effort, dropping Valero in the 3rd round before being stopped in the 10th by the Venezuelan.
Following the loss to Valero, Mosquera actually took over 4 years away from the ring though has since run up 8 straight victories between Light Middleweight and Light Welterweight, where he looks to be settling. This bout with Guzman however will be a major step up from the opponents he has been fighting so far.
This bout isn't so much about who is the better fighter but who has the most left in the tank. Prime for prime I'd have gone with Guzman no questions asked, though at 37 and coming in on the back of the Allakhverdiev loss, he may well be done. The fact that bout was stopped due to a knee injury could well take away his mobility further and leave a really good chance for Mosquera. On the reverse Mosquera hasn't looked great since his comeback.
One thing is for sure and that's that neither man should ever dream of calling himself a genuine Light Welterweight champion. The likes of Lucas Matthysse and Danny Garcia would really finish off either mans career.
Prediction-Guzman SD12 (VERY controversially)
What makes this bout so confusing, and also shows up what is a big problem with professional boxing, is that the WBA "interim" Light Welterweight title is on the line. The full version of the title is held by Khabib Allakhverdiev, who defeated Guzman last November and will be defending the title in about 2 weeks time. So why the WBA feels the need to slash their creditability so hard here is a mystery.
Anyway lets forget politics and just look at the fight, because it really could be a very interesting one.
Aged 37 this really is Guzman's last chance. Despite all the talent he had (and he was highly talented) he has really "under-achieved", as stupid as that sounds for a fighter who has claimed world titles at Super Bantamweight and Super Featherweight.
Had he been fully committed to the sport there is no doubt in my mind Guzman could have claimed world titles at Featherweight, Lightweight and picked up a paper strap at Light Welterweight. Had he done that he'd have been a 5-weight "world champion" and cemented a memorable legacy as the greatest Dominican fighter of all time.
Instead however Guzman has piled on the pounds and thrown away his legacy. He failed to really make a mark on the Featherweight division (despite beating Terdsak Kokietgym in a world title eliminator), he ate himself out of the Lightweight division (coming in a disgraceful 9lbs over the limit for his rematch with Ali Funeka) and by the time he moved up to Light Welterweight he was alread in his mid 30's (and he later missed weight again and tested positive for a banned substance).
Having scored victories over Agapito Sanchez, Fernando Beltran, Terdsak Kokietgym, Jorge Rodrigo Barrios (albeit controversially), Humberto Soto and Ali Funeka (also controversially, due to weight issues) you cannot argue that Guzman has a solid record. But you can say that his career has been highly frustrating and immensely disappointing.
At his best Guzman was a talented boxer. He possessed lighting quick hands, incredible ring intelligence, hurtful power and god blessed talent. Sadly those traits went to his head and he could often become complacent both in and out of the ring. It's this complacency which has really over-shadowed his career.
Up against Guzman is the 33 year old Panamanian Vicente Mosquera who himself has had a very credible career though often remained under the radar of the average boxing fan (bar 2 notable bouts).
Mosquera, like Guzman, made his name in the lower weight divisions. The first title he ever competed for was the Panamanian Super Bantamweight title, a bout he twice fought for but never actually held. Instead Mosquera skip Featherweight (coincidentally this was similar to Guzman) and really make his name at Super Featherweight.
As a Super Featherweight Mosquera would claim 2 regional titles before later claiming the WBA world title thanks to a thrilling victory over Thai hard man Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai (or, as he was known at the time Yodsanan 3K Battery). The bout over Yodsanan should have put Mosquera on the boxing map though unfortunately it didn't and Mosquera wouldn't defend his title for 13 months.
Mosquera's title reign came to an end after just 1 defense as he was stopped by the hard hitting Edwin Valero just months later. Despite losing to Valero, Mosquera had actually put up a very credible effort, dropping Valero in the 3rd round before being stopped in the 10th by the Venezuelan.
Following the loss to Valero, Mosquera actually took over 4 years away from the ring though has since run up 8 straight victories between Light Middleweight and Light Welterweight, where he looks to be settling. This bout with Guzman however will be a major step up from the opponents he has been fighting so far.
This bout isn't so much about who is the better fighter but who has the most left in the tank. Prime for prime I'd have gone with Guzman no questions asked, though at 37 and coming in on the back of the Allakhverdiev loss, he may well be done. The fact that bout was stopped due to a knee injury could well take away his mobility further and leave a really good chance for Mosquera. On the reverse Mosquera hasn't looked great since his comeback.
One thing is for sure and that's that neither man should ever dream of calling himself a genuine Light Welterweight champion. The likes of Lucas Matthysse and Danny Garcia would really finish off either mans career.
Prediction-Guzman SD12 (VERY controversially)
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