World title fights in Spain aren't a regular thing though this weekend sees us getting one as the hard hitting Kiko Martinez (29-4, 21) looks to make the first defense of his IBF Super Bantamweight title. The bout, an early Christmas present for Spanish fans, isn't just a bout that sees a local man defending his world title but sees him doing so against another world level fighter in the form of South African Jeffrey Mathebula (27-4-2, 14), a former holder of this very title.
Martinez shocked the boxing world just a few months back when he traveled to America and beat up the then champion Jhonatan Romero in a real career defining performance. Despite being written off by many, including myself, Martinez took his chance and battered the previously unbeaten Romero around the ring forcing the referee to save Romero near the end of round 6.
This time around their is expectation on Martinez's shoulders as he's the defending champion and he's the man fighting at home. Surprisingly this isn't just the highest profile bout Martinez has had in Spain but is also his first fight there since April 2011 when he beat Jason Booth for the European Super Bantamweight title.
With Martinez you know what you get. A bulldozer type fighter who hasn't got a reverse gear, he's a man who goes into the ring with a seek and destroy mentality, heavy hands and solid work rate. He's crude, can be out boxed and does make mistakes but if he can connect on you he can break you down, so he's never a fighter that you want to exchange with.
Whilst Martinez is well known to Europeans Mathebula is much less well known, despite one major fight that was televised on the world stage against Nonito Donaire. In the Donaire fight we saw that Mathebula was a busy fighter who used his freakish height and reach decently, though not amazingly. His jab seemed to be his key shot and is very, very busy though he lacks power on them and Donaire seemed happy to take one or two of them to land one of his own thudding shots.
It wasn't the work rate of Mathebula that impressed the most against Donaire but instead his toughness. He was hurt, wobbled and downed though fought on with a broken facial bone and continued to fight back. This heart and toughness was incredible even if he was struggling late as a result of his injury.
The toughness of Mathebula will serve him well here but he could be in major problems if Martinez can get inside him and break him down with body shots, something Donaire neglected to throw, as well as the hooks that are a key part of his game. The jab of Mathebula needs to be accurate and forceful to make Martinez think twice, if it's not then this fight could be very much a massacre by Martinez.
Prediction-Martinez TKO7
Showing posts with label Super Bantamweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Bantamweight. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Leo Santa Cruz v Cesar Seda
If someone wanted to know who my favourite US based boxer is right now I'd have to go with Leo Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15), a destructive and hard working fighting machine who goes in to the ring with the intention of breaking down every opponent he faces. Santa Cruz is one of those truly exciting fighters who you just feel the need to watch. He can look unskilled at times but he's defensively smart and a well oiled offensive machine who cuts the distance and breaks down fighters with work to the head and body. There really is little to dislike about him.
This weekend sees Santa Cruz defending his WBC Super Bantamweight title for the first time as he takes on former Super Flyweight title challenger Cesar Seda (25-1, 17) from Puerto Rico. This bout, another in the long standing Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry has been tipped by some as potentially the most exciting fight of the weekend.
Although some are tipping this to be exciting I can't help but think this is a complete mismatch. Whilst Seda is a decent fighter his limitations were shown up when he faced Omar Andres Narvaez who out maneuvered and out worked Seda. Sure that was a few years ago but since then he hasn't beaten any one of any real note with victories over Miguel Tamayo and Lorenzo Trejo not really being the sort of things that would prepare anyone for facing Santa Cruz.
Seda's good, but Leo is amazing.
I expect Seda to know how good Leo is. Seda will have to try and create distance but Santa Cruz is so startlingly impressive at cutting off the ring that Seda will be walked down, broken down with vicious uppercuts up close and will eventually fold.
Expect this to be action packed but far too short to be a classic.
Prediction-Leo Santa Cruz TKO4
This weekend sees Santa Cruz defending his WBC Super Bantamweight title for the first time as he takes on former Super Flyweight title challenger Cesar Seda (25-1, 17) from Puerto Rico. This bout, another in the long standing Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry has been tipped by some as potentially the most exciting fight of the weekend.
Although some are tipping this to be exciting I can't help but think this is a complete mismatch. Whilst Seda is a decent fighter his limitations were shown up when he faced Omar Andres Narvaez who out maneuvered and out worked Seda. Sure that was a few years ago but since then he hasn't beaten any one of any real note with victories over Miguel Tamayo and Lorenzo Trejo not really being the sort of things that would prepare anyone for facing Santa Cruz.
Seda's good, but Leo is amazing.
I expect Seda to know how good Leo is. Seda will have to try and create distance but Santa Cruz is so startlingly impressive at cutting off the ring that Seda will be walked down, broken down with vicious uppercuts up close and will eventually fold.
Expect this to be action packed but far too short to be a classic.
Prediction-Leo Santa Cruz TKO4
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Guillermo Rigondeaux v Joseph Agbeko
When we talk about pure boxers two men really stand out right now. One is Floyd Mayweather Jr, one of the greatest in recent memory, the other is Cuban sensation Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0, 8, the current WBA "super" and WBO Super Bantamweight champion.
Unfortunately pure boxing, as George Foreman once observed, "The better it is, the less people appreciate it". This seems to be the case with Rigondeaux who at times makes boxing look so effortless and easy. Unfortunately however when he makes it look so simple it's easy to see why people don't appreciate it. What's the point in dominating if you can't also put on a show. Boxing whether we like it or not is a business and if you bore fans you can expect to be forgotten.
Following his fight with Nonito Donaire many felt it could be a very long time before saw Rigondeaux back in action. It's been a while I'll admit, some 8 months almost, since that fight but this weekend sees Rigondeaux returning to action as he attempts to defend both of his belts against Ghana's Joseph Agbeko (29-4, 22), a former 2-time IBF Bantamweight champion himself.
When it comes to Rigondeaux he can do everything. He makes fights, like I said, look simple. He slows down the pace when he wants, he lands every punch in the book, he makes other fighters look stupid and is a complete in the ring. Like all geniuses however he can get bored easily and as a result he can get tagged. His negativity can cause even the great man himself to get bored of things and it often seems that either Rigondeaux will destroy an opponent or get get bored of putting on a masterclass.
Agbeko doesn't have those same tricks as Rigondeaux. He's much less a skillster and more of a rough and tough type of fighter. That's not to say he lacks skills but he's more about strength and toughness than the sweet science.
Sadly for Agbeko the toughness and strength he had at 118lbs is unlikely to carry up that well at 122lbs, especially considering he's almost 34 years old and has fought just once the last 24 months. In all honesty the toughness and drive of Agbeko seemed to be leaving him in his most recent notable bout, a clear decision loss to Abner Mares.
With Rigondeaux's power, speed and technique it's hard not to see him landing crisp, clean shots on to the chin of Agbeko, eventually forcing a stoppage of the brave Ghanian who will be left chasing shadows prior to the stoppage. Rigondeaux will know that this is a fight that he needs to make an impression in and that's exactly what he will do.
Prediction-Rigondeaux TKO6
Unfortunately pure boxing, as George Foreman once observed, "The better it is, the less people appreciate it". This seems to be the case with Rigondeaux who at times makes boxing look so effortless and easy. Unfortunately however when he makes it look so simple it's easy to see why people don't appreciate it. What's the point in dominating if you can't also put on a show. Boxing whether we like it or not is a business and if you bore fans you can expect to be forgotten.
Following his fight with Nonito Donaire many felt it could be a very long time before saw Rigondeaux back in action. It's been a while I'll admit, some 8 months almost, since that fight but this weekend sees Rigondeaux returning to action as he attempts to defend both of his belts against Ghana's Joseph Agbeko (29-4, 22), a former 2-time IBF Bantamweight champion himself.
When it comes to Rigondeaux he can do everything. He makes fights, like I said, look simple. He slows down the pace when he wants, he lands every punch in the book, he makes other fighters look stupid and is a complete in the ring. Like all geniuses however he can get bored easily and as a result he can get tagged. His negativity can cause even the great man himself to get bored of things and it often seems that either Rigondeaux will destroy an opponent or get get bored of putting on a masterclass.
Agbeko doesn't have those same tricks as Rigondeaux. He's much less a skillster and more of a rough and tough type of fighter. That's not to say he lacks skills but he's more about strength and toughness than the sweet science.
Sadly for Agbeko the toughness and strength he had at 118lbs is unlikely to carry up that well at 122lbs, especially considering he's almost 34 years old and has fought just once the last 24 months. In all honesty the toughness and drive of Agbeko seemed to be leaving him in his most recent notable bout, a clear decision loss to Abner Mares.
With Rigondeaux's power, speed and technique it's hard not to see him landing crisp, clean shots on to the chin of Agbeko, eventually forcing a stoppage of the brave Ghanian who will be left chasing shadows prior to the stoppage. Rigondeaux will know that this is a fight that he needs to make an impression in and that's exactly what he will do.
Prediction-Rigondeaux TKO6
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Scott Quigg v Diego Oscar Silva
Some world title fights can look good on paper though be awful in the ring. This weekend looks almost certain to have one such fight as WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (26-0-2, 19) defends his title against Argentinian Diego Oscar Silva (29-2-4, 15). On paper it looks fine, in reality however I expect this to be the equivalent of a massacre.
Quigg, although less than impressive last time out when he scored a draw with Cuban Yoandris Salinas, is a fighter with genuine potential. He hit hard, he has an excellent engine and is developing into one of the sports best body punchers. Sure he can be made to look somewhat limited technically and he can be hurt but he's solid enough all round to be a world level fighter.
In Silva however we have a C rate challenger and one who was proven to be a poor challenger at Bantamweight, never mind Super Bantamweight.
Silva's career, which began way back in 2004, has been like many "decent" South Americans. He has been able to pile up numerous victories on the domestic scheme with several coming against the same fighters such as Carlos Gustavo Palacios and Diego Miguel Ramirez. In fact Silva's only fight against a "known" quality came in 2009 when he was stopped by Fernando Montiel.
Whilst it's fair to say that Quigg has never beaten someone of Montiel's class it's also fair to say that Quigg is better than anyone else that Silva has faced. That will be shown up here as the Brit stops Silva around the mid-way point.
Prediction-Quigg TKO 5
Quigg, although less than impressive last time out when he scored a draw with Cuban Yoandris Salinas, is a fighter with genuine potential. He hit hard, he has an excellent engine and is developing into one of the sports best body punchers. Sure he can be made to look somewhat limited technically and he can be hurt but he's solid enough all round to be a world level fighter.
In Silva however we have a C rate challenger and one who was proven to be a poor challenger at Bantamweight, never mind Super Bantamweight.
Silva's career, which began way back in 2004, has been like many "decent" South Americans. He has been able to pile up numerous victories on the domestic scheme with several coming against the same fighters such as Carlos Gustavo Palacios and Diego Miguel Ramirez. In fact Silva's only fight against a "known" quality came in 2009 when he was stopped by Fernando Montiel.
Whilst it's fair to say that Quigg has never beaten someone of Montiel's class it's also fair to say that Quigg is better than anyone else that Silva has faced. That will be shown up here as the Brit stops Silva around the mid-way point.
Prediction-Quigg TKO 5
Friday, 4 October 2013
Scott Quigg v Yoandris Salinas
Whilst much of the boxing world will be turned to Russia this weekend I've got to admit that the bout I'm nost looking forward to this weekend is the upcoming WBA Super Bantamweight title clash between Britain's Scott Quigg (26-0-1, 19) and Cuban Yoandris Salinas (20-0-1, 13).
Despite the "lower" billing than many other bouts this weekend and relatively unhyped nature of the bout I've got to admit that this, at least on paper, looks like it could, potentially, be a very interesting contest between two men looking to make the move to genuine world level having been flirting around the fringes for a while.
Of the two Quigg is the better known fighter. He's a former WBA "interim" Super Bantamweight champion and is a fighter who has been on British numerous times, it's also fair to say that he will have the home crowd behind him. Saying that however Salinas has never had a problem with the crowd being against him, in fact the Miami based Cuban has gone in to the lions den fight after fight and in recent years he has traveled to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Peru.
Quigg isn't just the better known of the two men but is also the clear favourite. He holds the most notable wins of the two men, including a stoppages over Rendall Munroe, Jamie Arthur and Jason Booth, though, with out being rude his most notable victories have been on the British domestic scene and he's never really had a step up from British level to anything like genuine world class.
Interestingly whilst Quigg has scored the more notable victories it's Salinas who has faced the toughest opponent, scoring a draw with Nehomar Cermeno in Cermeno's adoptive Panama, in a bout that many feel Salinas deserved to win. It's fair to say that had Salinas gotten that decision in his favour he'd have had the most outstanding victory between these two.
Style wise his looks like it could be a very interesting bout of boxing.
Quigg is a strong, but basic boxer. He's adapted well after starting his combat sport career in kick boxing and has shown very good development fight after fight. His punches are hurtful, he's tough and more impressively he's shown excellent shot selection especially in in his second bout against Munroe.
Although Salinas isn't as strong or as powerful as Quigg he is an excellent boxer. Cuban's usually are of course though when you look at Salinas's amateur pedigree you realise just how good he is. He was a multi-time Cuban amateur champion, won international medals in competitions such as the Central American & Caribbean Games and Pan Am games and has a reported 300 amateur bouts. This a guy who knows his way around the ring.
With this in mind I expect us to see a fair bit of boxing early in and in fact I actually think Quigg could be frustrated by Salinas's boxing early on. The Cuban is confident, very sound defensively, fast with both hands and goes to the body very well. If he can take the power of Quigg then we are in for something that could become very memorable.
Unfortunately with boxing judging the way it is right now I can't go against Quigg. I think edge in power will just see him over the line in a bout that could be very close on the cards.
Prediction-Quigg SD12
Despite the "lower" billing than many other bouts this weekend and relatively unhyped nature of the bout I've got to admit that this, at least on paper, looks like it could, potentially, be a very interesting contest between two men looking to make the move to genuine world level having been flirting around the fringes for a while.
Of the two Quigg is the better known fighter. He's a former WBA "interim" Super Bantamweight champion and is a fighter who has been on British numerous times, it's also fair to say that he will have the home crowd behind him. Saying that however Salinas has never had a problem with the crowd being against him, in fact the Miami based Cuban has gone in to the lions den fight after fight and in recent years he has traveled to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Peru.
Quigg isn't just the better known of the two men but is also the clear favourite. He holds the most notable wins of the two men, including a stoppages over Rendall Munroe, Jamie Arthur and Jason Booth, though, with out being rude his most notable victories have been on the British domestic scene and he's never really had a step up from British level to anything like genuine world class.
Interestingly whilst Quigg has scored the more notable victories it's Salinas who has faced the toughest opponent, scoring a draw with Nehomar Cermeno in Cermeno's adoptive Panama, in a bout that many feel Salinas deserved to win. It's fair to say that had Salinas gotten that decision in his favour he'd have had the most outstanding victory between these two.
Style wise his looks like it could be a very interesting bout of boxing.
Quigg is a strong, but basic boxer. He's adapted well after starting his combat sport career in kick boxing and has shown very good development fight after fight. His punches are hurtful, he's tough and more impressively he's shown excellent shot selection especially in in his second bout against Munroe.
Although Salinas isn't as strong or as powerful as Quigg he is an excellent boxer. Cuban's usually are of course though when you look at Salinas's amateur pedigree you realise just how good he is. He was a multi-time Cuban amateur champion, won international medals in competitions such as the Central American & Caribbean Games and Pan Am games and has a reported 300 amateur bouts. This a guy who knows his way around the ring.
With this in mind I expect us to see a fair bit of boxing early in and in fact I actually think Quigg could be frustrated by Salinas's boxing early on. The Cuban is confident, very sound defensively, fast with both hands and goes to the body very well. If he can take the power of Quigg then we are in for something that could become very memorable.
Unfortunately with boxing judging the way it is right now I can't go against Quigg. I think edge in power will just see him over the line in a bout that could be very close on the cards.
Prediction-Quigg SD12
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Victor Terrazas v Leo Santa Cruz
When one talks about the most fun to watch fighters in world boxing it's hard not to including the name of Leo Santa Cruz (24-0-1, 14) a really fun to watch, all action fighter who is like a smaller and improved version of Antonio Margarito.
Santa Cruz, who made his name at Bantamweight, looks to step up to Super Bantamweight this week and claim the WBC title at 122lbs as he takes on fellow Mexican Victor Terrazas (37-2-1, 21) in an attempt to become a 2-weight world champion.
The lead story is of course that of Santa Cruz stepping up though for me the real story is that of the fight it's self, a story that is going to be a lot of fun as both men come to fight and both men tend to enjoy letting their hands go.
Terrazas won the title last time out taking a debated decision over the skilled Cristian Mijares, in a bout many felt Mijares had won. Although Terrazas was competitive through out it was a worry that he was dropped by Mijares and despite making a solid start Terrazas was looking like a tired fighter towards the end.
It's the stamina of Terrazas that really leaves me with questions. In his most recent loss, the only one that matters considering his first came on his debut, he started well against Rendall Munroe but tired out in the middle rounds and was stopped as must from exhaustion as anything else. It's fair to say that this is a big issue when when you fight someone who is busy, in your face and will grind you down mentally and physically.
Unfortunately for Terrazas, Santa Cruz is the type of fighter who get in your face from the opening bell, push you around with his strength and then beat you down with his relentless work rate that sees him going to the head and body in clusters. Although no single shot of Santa Cruz's is concussive the sheer number of them is draining and by the middle rounds most of his opponents have either been spent or are starting to think more about protecting themselves than trying to fight back.
Whilst it's true that Santa Cruz is going up a division he did appear to be massive at Bantamweight and aged just 25 he is certainly more of a natural Super Bantamweight now than a Bantamweight. In fact the move up a division may well see him not only maintaining his insane work rate but also have more force on every shot with the extra few pounds counting for a lot in these lower weights.
My view on this fight is that for 6 or 7 rounds we'll have some special. Both guys unloading shots on the other like rock-em-sock-em robots but in the second half of the fight the battle will slowly be beaten out of Terrazas who will be stopped in the later rounds, probably by his corner after a really bad round.
Prediction-Santa Cruz TKO10
Santa Cruz, who made his name at Bantamweight, looks to step up to Super Bantamweight this week and claim the WBC title at 122lbs as he takes on fellow Mexican Victor Terrazas (37-2-1, 21) in an attempt to become a 2-weight world champion.
The lead story is of course that of Santa Cruz stepping up though for me the real story is that of the fight it's self, a story that is going to be a lot of fun as both men come to fight and both men tend to enjoy letting their hands go.
Terrazas won the title last time out taking a debated decision over the skilled Cristian Mijares, in a bout many felt Mijares had won. Although Terrazas was competitive through out it was a worry that he was dropped by Mijares and despite making a solid start Terrazas was looking like a tired fighter towards the end.
It's the stamina of Terrazas that really leaves me with questions. In his most recent loss, the only one that matters considering his first came on his debut, he started well against Rendall Munroe but tired out in the middle rounds and was stopped as must from exhaustion as anything else. It's fair to say that this is a big issue when when you fight someone who is busy, in your face and will grind you down mentally and physically.
Unfortunately for Terrazas, Santa Cruz is the type of fighter who get in your face from the opening bell, push you around with his strength and then beat you down with his relentless work rate that sees him going to the head and body in clusters. Although no single shot of Santa Cruz's is concussive the sheer number of them is draining and by the middle rounds most of his opponents have either been spent or are starting to think more about protecting themselves than trying to fight back.
Whilst it's true that Santa Cruz is going up a division he did appear to be massive at Bantamweight and aged just 25 he is certainly more of a natural Super Bantamweight now than a Bantamweight. In fact the move up a division may well see him not only maintaining his insane work rate but also have more force on every shot with the extra few pounds counting for a lot in these lower weights.
My view on this fight is that for 6 or 7 rounds we'll have some special. Both guys unloading shots on the other like rock-em-sock-em robots but in the second half of the fight the battle will slowly be beaten out of Terrazas who will be stopped in the later rounds, probably by his corner after a really bad round.
Prediction-Santa Cruz TKO10
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Jhonatan Romero v Kiko Martinez
The Super Bantamweight division appears to be a bit of a sleeping division. Guillermo Rigondeaux's victory earlier this year over Nonito Donaire has created an almost untouchable #1. The rest of the pack behind the Cuban create all seem to be playing for the #2 role in the division, a position seems pretty attainable after how human Donaire has been made to look in a number of recent bouts.
One of those men looking to be the division's #2 is Nehomar Cermeno who recently defeated Oscar Escandon in a competitive bout for the WBA interim title, another is IBF champion Jhonathan Romero (23-0, 12) who looks to make the first defense of his belt this weekend.
The talented 26 year old Colombian, who already holds victories over Chris Avalos, Efrain Esquivias and Alejandro Lopez, is one of the front runners to the #2 position thanks to those notable victories.
Unlike many Colombian's Romero isn't a big puncher. He's can hit hard though he's not going to suddenly blast anyone out. Instead he's amongst the new breed of Colombian fighters, the ones that have been taught how to box, how to use his feet and how to counter. He's not the smoothest at it but he is a capable boxer who knows how to take care of himself in the ring.
One trait that Romero does have like many of his compatriots is his ability to look freakish at the weight. Despite fighting at 122lbs Romero stands just shy of 5'10 with long arms and legs. In terms of his height he'd be around 5" taller than the aforementioned Rigondeaux and an inch taller than Shingo Wake, another freaky looking Super Bantamweight. This can mean that when Romero gets his jab going he's very difficult to get close to.
If you're looking for weaknesses in Romero he does have a few. He's been down against both Avalos and Cecilio Santos, so he's not got a chin of steal, he can be hit and drops his hands more than he maybe should. He can also give away his size and more worryingly he can also have real lulls in his activity which can make rounds a lot closer than they should be. At his best however he's a really good boxer capable of fighting on the front foot or the back foot with very little problem.
Romero's opponent Spanish banger Kiko Martinez (28-4, 20) a man who really should not be getting a world title opportunity and is very fortunate that Carl Frampton's career seems to have fallen apart outside of the ring.
Martinez is a fighter well known to British and Irish fans after introducing himself to us by stopping the then unbeaten Bernard Dunne inside a round for the European Super Bantamweight title back in 2007.
It's been just less than 6 years since Martinez stopped Dunne though since then he has been beaten by Rendall Munroe, twice, Takalani Ndlovu and most recently Frampton, who stopped Martinez in the 9th round earlier this year.
Although on paper Martinez's record is an impressive looking one though when you consider his best victories have come over Dunne and a shop worn Jason Booth its hard to really take him as a legitimate challenger for a world title. Around European level he's a real handful and is a 3-time European champion against the fringe world level guys however he can be made to look one dimensional and has shown questionable stamina late.
Although Romero has been dropped twice he's likely to have scouted Martinez well and will know the Spaniard can bang. He'll also be aware that Martinez is predictable in the ring, he's got one gear "forward" and can be out boxed very easily by a clever fighter.
With that in mind I really can't see this as being anything but a show case for Romero's talents. The Colombian should be using his frame to his his advantage, jabbing and moving, catching Martinez as he comes forward and getting out of range before Martinez can land anything. If he does that there really is no way he loses his title.
Prediction-UD12 Romero.
One of those men looking to be the division's #2 is Nehomar Cermeno who recently defeated Oscar Escandon in a competitive bout for the WBA interim title, another is IBF champion Jhonathan Romero (23-0, 12) who looks to make the first defense of his belt this weekend.
The talented 26 year old Colombian, who already holds victories over Chris Avalos, Efrain Esquivias and Alejandro Lopez, is one of the front runners to the #2 position thanks to those notable victories.
Unlike many Colombian's Romero isn't a big puncher. He's can hit hard though he's not going to suddenly blast anyone out. Instead he's amongst the new breed of Colombian fighters, the ones that have been taught how to box, how to use his feet and how to counter. He's not the smoothest at it but he is a capable boxer who knows how to take care of himself in the ring.
One trait that Romero does have like many of his compatriots is his ability to look freakish at the weight. Despite fighting at 122lbs Romero stands just shy of 5'10 with long arms and legs. In terms of his height he'd be around 5" taller than the aforementioned Rigondeaux and an inch taller than Shingo Wake, another freaky looking Super Bantamweight. This can mean that when Romero gets his jab going he's very difficult to get close to.
If you're looking for weaknesses in Romero he does have a few. He's been down against both Avalos and Cecilio Santos, so he's not got a chin of steal, he can be hit and drops his hands more than he maybe should. He can also give away his size and more worryingly he can also have real lulls in his activity which can make rounds a lot closer than they should be. At his best however he's a really good boxer capable of fighting on the front foot or the back foot with very little problem.
Romero's opponent Spanish banger Kiko Martinez (28-4, 20) a man who really should not be getting a world title opportunity and is very fortunate that Carl Frampton's career seems to have fallen apart outside of the ring.
Martinez is a fighter well known to British and Irish fans after introducing himself to us by stopping the then unbeaten Bernard Dunne inside a round for the European Super Bantamweight title back in 2007.
It's been just less than 6 years since Martinez stopped Dunne though since then he has been beaten by Rendall Munroe, twice, Takalani Ndlovu and most recently Frampton, who stopped Martinez in the 9th round earlier this year.
Although on paper Martinez's record is an impressive looking one though when you consider his best victories have come over Dunne and a shop worn Jason Booth its hard to really take him as a legitimate challenger for a world title. Around European level he's a real handful and is a 3-time European champion against the fringe world level guys however he can be made to look one dimensional and has shown questionable stamina late.
Although Romero has been dropped twice he's likely to have scouted Martinez well and will know the Spaniard can bang. He'll also be aware that Martinez is predictable in the ring, he's got one gear "forward" and can be out boxed very easily by a clever fighter.
With that in mind I really can't see this as being anything but a show case for Romero's talents. The Colombian should be using his frame to his his advantage, jabbing and moving, catching Martinez as he comes forward and getting out of range before Martinez can land anything. If he does that there really is no way he loses his title.
Prediction-UD12 Romero.
Friday, 9 August 2013
Oscar Escandon v Nehomar Cermeno
The Super Bantamweight division is a bit of a funny division at the moment with 1 stand out fighter, Guillermo Rigondeaux, and a number of fighters all looking for their place in the division. Amongst those fighters in the "chasing group" are guys like Scott Quigg, Carl Frampton, Shingo Wake, Leo Santa Cruz, Jhonathan Romero and Oscar Escandon.
The unbeaten Escandon (22-0, 15) of Colombia will look for his biggest victory to date on August 10th as he takes on former world title holder Nehomar Cermeno (21-5-1, 13), victory that could well see Escandon become one of the leading contenders in the 122lb division and the WBA Interim Super Bantamweight champion.
Aged 29 Escandon is unlike most typical Colombian fighters. He's not the typical raw banger that we've come to expect from the country with the likes of Edison Miranda and Breidis Prescott, in fact he's more of the "new breed" of Colombian's like Middleweight prospect Alex Theran.
Sure Escandon is heavy handed, not destructive but heavy handed, though he combines his power with a solid amateur background of around 200 fights, including bouts at the highest level. He's not an out and out skillster but he is well schooled and uses those skills from his amateur days to good effect.
With many Colombian's being sluggers it's nice to see that Escandon can fight as an educated pressure fighter, as he showed against Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar when he used a lovely variety of punches to head and body, was relentless and fun to watch. His defense can often go out the window showing he does have some traits of being a typical Colombian but more often than not shows he can use his boxing skills when needed, as he did against Ever Garcia Hernandez.
There is certainly plenty to like about Escandon who appears capable of boxing on the back foot or forcing the action on the front foot. Though there are also worries to be had about him. To date he has only been 10 rounds once, against the very limited Nelson Cantero and his best win as a professional is one over Cuellar, who was then 17-0. The lack of experience in 12 round contests is a massive worry for fans of Escandon here.
Whilst this is a chance for Escandon to announce himself on the world stage it's also a chance for Cermeno, of Venezuela to rebuild his seriously faltering career.
Just 4 years ago Cermeno was the WBA interim Bantamweight champion. He had a 2009 to remember scoring 2 victories over the excellent Cristian Mijares and defeating the then credible Alejandro Valdez, all in Mexico.
Since the victory over Valdez however Cermeno has really struggled winning just 2 of 8 contests. Whilst most of Cermeno's losses in that run have come to good fighters in the form of Anselmo Moreno, twice, Victor Terrazas, Fernando Montiel and Alexander Bakhtin it's become fair to say that he's now looking very much a washed up fighter.
At his best Cermeno was a tricky fighter, no single quality really stood out as world class but he was difficult to read, he could be very cautious at times but always seemed to know when to strike. He seemed able, somehow, to control the distance and pace of a fight without having anything close to exceptional speed or power, though he did have a decent work rate.
Aged 33, 34 in November, Cermeno is now an old fighter, especially for someone in the lower weights. His recent form and age would suggest that he's certainly beyond his best, probably still good enough to beat most fringe contenders but unlikely to ever beat a genuine world class opponent again.
Cermeno might be on a seriously slide but he's a fighter who is proven over the 12 rounds, a distance he has gone 6 times in his 27 fights. In fact he's gone 10 or more rounds in 9 of his contests so far. This is probably his key advantage, and something that will likely be seen late in the fight, if it goes that far.
Prime for prime this a match up that I'd fave Cermeno in. Stylistically he was a frustrating opponent to fight. Now though, with his confidence shot, I'll be going with Escandon to do enough to take a hard fought decision in a bout that might not always be fun to watch but will be interesting through out.
Prediction-Escandon UD12
The unbeaten Escandon (22-0, 15) of Colombia will look for his biggest victory to date on August 10th as he takes on former world title holder Nehomar Cermeno (21-5-1, 13), victory that could well see Escandon become one of the leading contenders in the 122lb division and the WBA Interim Super Bantamweight champion.
Aged 29 Escandon is unlike most typical Colombian fighters. He's not the typical raw banger that we've come to expect from the country with the likes of Edison Miranda and Breidis Prescott, in fact he's more of the "new breed" of Colombian's like Middleweight prospect Alex Theran.
Sure Escandon is heavy handed, not destructive but heavy handed, though he combines his power with a solid amateur background of around 200 fights, including bouts at the highest level. He's not an out and out skillster but he is well schooled and uses those skills from his amateur days to good effect.
With many Colombian's being sluggers it's nice to see that Escandon can fight as an educated pressure fighter, as he showed against Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar when he used a lovely variety of punches to head and body, was relentless and fun to watch. His defense can often go out the window showing he does have some traits of being a typical Colombian but more often than not shows he can use his boxing skills when needed, as he did against Ever Garcia Hernandez.
There is certainly plenty to like about Escandon who appears capable of boxing on the back foot or forcing the action on the front foot. Though there are also worries to be had about him. To date he has only been 10 rounds once, against the very limited Nelson Cantero and his best win as a professional is one over Cuellar, who was then 17-0. The lack of experience in 12 round contests is a massive worry for fans of Escandon here.
Whilst this is a chance for Escandon to announce himself on the world stage it's also a chance for Cermeno, of Venezuela to rebuild his seriously faltering career.
Just 4 years ago Cermeno was the WBA interim Bantamweight champion. He had a 2009 to remember scoring 2 victories over the excellent Cristian Mijares and defeating the then credible Alejandro Valdez, all in Mexico.
Since the victory over Valdez however Cermeno has really struggled winning just 2 of 8 contests. Whilst most of Cermeno's losses in that run have come to good fighters in the form of Anselmo Moreno, twice, Victor Terrazas, Fernando Montiel and Alexander Bakhtin it's become fair to say that he's now looking very much a washed up fighter.
At his best Cermeno was a tricky fighter, no single quality really stood out as world class but he was difficult to read, he could be very cautious at times but always seemed to know when to strike. He seemed able, somehow, to control the distance and pace of a fight without having anything close to exceptional speed or power, though he did have a decent work rate.
Aged 33, 34 in November, Cermeno is now an old fighter, especially for someone in the lower weights. His recent form and age would suggest that he's certainly beyond his best, probably still good enough to beat most fringe contenders but unlikely to ever beat a genuine world class opponent again.
Cermeno might be on a seriously slide but he's a fighter who is proven over the 12 rounds, a distance he has gone 6 times in his 27 fights. In fact he's gone 10 or more rounds in 9 of his contests so far. This is probably his key advantage, and something that will likely be seen late in the fight, if it goes that far.
Prime for prime this a match up that I'd fave Cermeno in. Stylistically he was a frustrating opponent to fight. Now though, with his confidence shot, I'll be going with Escandon to do enough to take a hard fought decision in a bout that might not always be fun to watch but will be interesting through out.
Prediction-Escandon UD12
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Nonito Donaire v Guillermo Rigondeaux
In this weekends stand out fight we see Filipino born American based pound-for-pound fighter Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20) face off against against former Cuban amateur legend Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8) in a unification of the WBO and WBA titles and a bout to decide who truly is the top dog at Super Bantamweight.
Going in to the bout Rigondeaux is the betting under-dog despite having an amazing career as both an amateur and a professional. In fact as an amateur Rigondeaux's will go down as one of the all time greats. He fought around 400 amateur fights and was rumoured to have won 388 of them, which included numerous bouts in Olympics and World Amateur champions, in fact Rigondeaux claimed 2 Olympic gold medals and two World Amateur titles as he dominated the Bantamweight division in the unpaid ranks.
As a professional Rigondeaux has been fast tracked, partly due to his amateur credentials but also partly due to the fact he made his professional debut when he was 28 years old. The speed of Rigondeaux's rise to the top was amazing and within just 18 months of his debut he had already claimed the interim WBA Super Bantamweight title. After a solitary defense of the interim belt Rigondeaux claimed the "regular" title thanks to a victory over Rico Ramos and he has since defended his title twice.
Despite his stellar record and amazing skills Rigondeaux has numerous question marks over his durability as a professional. Although he has only been down once as a professional (thanks to Ricardo Cordoba) he has been rattled several times including in his last fight against the limited Robert Marroquin. It's fair to say that Donaire hit's as hard, if not harder, than both Cordoba and Marroquin but he's also not the sort of fighter who will let a hurt opponent recover with out applying some serious pressure.
Sure Rigondeaux can hurt fighters, especially with his body shots which are amongst the best in the sport right now but the big questions regarding his chin specifically are the big worries.
With Donaire we have an exceptional fighter. Sure the 30 year old lacks the amateur pedigree of Rigondeaux but his professional achievements speak for themselves. Not only is record excellent at 31-1 but he's also unbeaten in 30 bouts (losing only his second professional contest) spread over 12 years which have seen him claiming world titles at Flyweight, Super Flyweight, Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight. He has also been given accolades including "Fighter of the Year" as he's proven to be one of the sports premier fighters.
Over the past 6 years Donaire's record has spoke for it's self with victories over a real who's who of the sport including Vic Darchinyan, Moruti Mthalane, Hernan Marquez, Fernando Montiel, Omar Andres Narvaez, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka and Jorge Arce. It's little wonder that the "Filipino Flash" is so highly ranked, especially when you consider the manner of many of his victories which he has made look very easy.
Despite the fact that Donaire has scored some exceptional victories over top contenders other opponents have made Donaire look bad. For example Narvaez, Mthalane and Vazquez all frustrated Donaire despite losing. These men have shown that Donaire isn't a perfect fighter and where an opponent uses an intelligent defense they can annoy Donaire who appears to be a flat out counter puncher and struggles to force the action, this could certainly come in to play against Rigondeaux.
If Rigondeaux can frustrate Donaire with refusal to engage and his own counter punching and speed he does have a genuine chance of the upset here though he'll need to make sure Donaire can't tag him clean.
For me personally the key to this bout concerns who can be the most patient. I don't imagine this will be a classic but it should be a high speed chess match with both men looking for a gap for their sharp, technically beautiful shots. Neither man will be looking to open up too much but both will be looking to land. Whilst I think Rigondeaux will cope better with the boos that I expect we'll hear I just can't see him avoiding Donaire's power right through the bout and when he's hurt Donaire won't let im off the hook.
Prediction-Donaire TKO7
Going in to the bout Rigondeaux is the betting under-dog despite having an amazing career as both an amateur and a professional. In fact as an amateur Rigondeaux's will go down as one of the all time greats. He fought around 400 amateur fights and was rumoured to have won 388 of them, which included numerous bouts in Olympics and World Amateur champions, in fact Rigondeaux claimed 2 Olympic gold medals and two World Amateur titles as he dominated the Bantamweight division in the unpaid ranks.
As a professional Rigondeaux has been fast tracked, partly due to his amateur credentials but also partly due to the fact he made his professional debut when he was 28 years old. The speed of Rigondeaux's rise to the top was amazing and within just 18 months of his debut he had already claimed the interim WBA Super Bantamweight title. After a solitary defense of the interim belt Rigondeaux claimed the "regular" title thanks to a victory over Rico Ramos and he has since defended his title twice.
Despite his stellar record and amazing skills Rigondeaux has numerous question marks over his durability as a professional. Although he has only been down once as a professional (thanks to Ricardo Cordoba) he has been rattled several times including in his last fight against the limited Robert Marroquin. It's fair to say that Donaire hit's as hard, if not harder, than both Cordoba and Marroquin but he's also not the sort of fighter who will let a hurt opponent recover with out applying some serious pressure.
Sure Rigondeaux can hurt fighters, especially with his body shots which are amongst the best in the sport right now but the big questions regarding his chin specifically are the big worries.
With Donaire we have an exceptional fighter. Sure the 30 year old lacks the amateur pedigree of Rigondeaux but his professional achievements speak for themselves. Not only is record excellent at 31-1 but he's also unbeaten in 30 bouts (losing only his second professional contest) spread over 12 years which have seen him claiming world titles at Flyweight, Super Flyweight, Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight. He has also been given accolades including "Fighter of the Year" as he's proven to be one of the sports premier fighters.
Over the past 6 years Donaire's record has spoke for it's self with victories over a real who's who of the sport including Vic Darchinyan, Moruti Mthalane, Hernan Marquez, Fernando Montiel, Omar Andres Narvaez, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka and Jorge Arce. It's little wonder that the "Filipino Flash" is so highly ranked, especially when you consider the manner of many of his victories which he has made look very easy.
Despite the fact that Donaire has scored some exceptional victories over top contenders other opponents have made Donaire look bad. For example Narvaez, Mthalane and Vazquez all frustrated Donaire despite losing. These men have shown that Donaire isn't a perfect fighter and where an opponent uses an intelligent defense they can annoy Donaire who appears to be a flat out counter puncher and struggles to force the action, this could certainly come in to play against Rigondeaux.
If Rigondeaux can frustrate Donaire with refusal to engage and his own counter punching and speed he does have a genuine chance of the upset here though he'll need to make sure Donaire can't tag him clean.
For me personally the key to this bout concerns who can be the most patient. I don't imagine this will be a classic but it should be a high speed chess match with both men looking for a gap for their sharp, technically beautiful shots. Neither man will be looking to open up too much but both will be looking to land. Whilst I think Rigondeaux will cope better with the boos that I expect we'll hear I just can't see him avoiding Donaire's power right through the bout and when he's hurt Donaire won't let im off the hook.
Prediction-Donaire TKO7
Friday, 15 February 2013
Alejandro Lopez v Jonathan Romero
In arguably the forgotten fight of the weekend we see Mexican Alejandro Lopez (24-2, 7) face off against promising Colombian Jonathan Romero (22-0, 12) for the vacant IBF Super Bantamweight title that was given up recently by Nonito Donaire. Although the bout may like star power, it promises to be a great fight between two guys who will be wanting to throw their hats in to the ring to face the Donaire v Rigondeaux winner.
As the home fighter Lopez will be the slight favourite and in all honesty it's probably fair to say that he has the slight better wins having defeated both Teon Kennedy and Takalani Ndlovu though like wise he also has the notable losses. In fact it's probably fair to say that Lopez's losses say more about him than his wins as he has been beaten by both Jorge Diaz (who dropped Lopez twice) and the relatively unknown Aaron Garcia.
Aside from the losses Lopez has generally looked good, not great but good. He has scored wins in both his native Mexico as well as the US though his key issues are his lack of power which will see him taken the distance time and time again, in fact from his 26 bouts Lopez has gone 142 rounds, an average of 5.46 rounds a bout. Equally as telling is the fact he has gone 46 rounds in his last 5 bouts over the space of 24 months, things like that can age a fighter quickly and despite "only" being 25 Lopez may suddenly feel the accumulation of rounds that he's having to go through.
Whilst Lopez arguably has the better wins it's unfair to suggest that talented former Colombian amateur stand out Jonathan Romero hasn't himself scored notable wins, in fact Romero has defeated both Chris Avalos and Efrain Esquivias in recent bouts both in the US as he's started to make a name for himself. Unlike Lopez, Romero is unbeaten and will go in to the bout with an air of extra confidence, despite being the visiting fighter.
Like Lopez, Romero isn't a big hitter, he's a hurtful puncher but not a big hitter having only stopped a little over half of his opponents so far. This has meant that, like Lopez, Romero has been getting a lot of miles on the clock in recent fights, in fact Romero, who has fought 8 times since the start of 2011 has amassed 59 rounds in a little over 2 years. Whilst this is a lot of rounds Romero's 107 rounds from 22 fights is actually less than 5 rounds a bout so far and his high level of activity was done to try and race him up the rankings for an opportunity like this.
If this was at a neutral venue I'd favour Romero who for me is the stronger fighter and also the more well schooled, despite this I feel that Lopez's home crowd may well help him give an extra 10% and narrowly claim a controversial decision in a thoroughly interesting bout that will sadly pass under the radar. In all honesty however it doesn't matter who wins, neither man will be seen as a genuinely top tier fighter at 122lbs until they score another notable victory in a title defense.
Prediction-Lopez by decision
As the home fighter Lopez will be the slight favourite and in all honesty it's probably fair to say that he has the slight better wins having defeated both Teon Kennedy and Takalani Ndlovu though like wise he also has the notable losses. In fact it's probably fair to say that Lopez's losses say more about him than his wins as he has been beaten by both Jorge Diaz (who dropped Lopez twice) and the relatively unknown Aaron Garcia.
Aside from the losses Lopez has generally looked good, not great but good. He has scored wins in both his native Mexico as well as the US though his key issues are his lack of power which will see him taken the distance time and time again, in fact from his 26 bouts Lopez has gone 142 rounds, an average of 5.46 rounds a bout. Equally as telling is the fact he has gone 46 rounds in his last 5 bouts over the space of 24 months, things like that can age a fighter quickly and despite "only" being 25 Lopez may suddenly feel the accumulation of rounds that he's having to go through.
Whilst Lopez arguably has the better wins it's unfair to suggest that talented former Colombian amateur stand out Jonathan Romero hasn't himself scored notable wins, in fact Romero has defeated both Chris Avalos and Efrain Esquivias in recent bouts both in the US as he's started to make a name for himself. Unlike Lopez, Romero is unbeaten and will go in to the bout with an air of extra confidence, despite being the visiting fighter.
Like Lopez, Romero isn't a big hitter, he's a hurtful puncher but not a big hitter having only stopped a little over half of his opponents so far. This has meant that, like Lopez, Romero has been getting a lot of miles on the clock in recent fights, in fact Romero, who has fought 8 times since the start of 2011 has amassed 59 rounds in a little over 2 years. Whilst this is a lot of rounds Romero's 107 rounds from 22 fights is actually less than 5 rounds a bout so far and his high level of activity was done to try and race him up the rankings for an opportunity like this.
If this was at a neutral venue I'd favour Romero who for me is the stronger fighter and also the more well schooled, despite this I feel that Lopez's home crowd may well help him give an extra 10% and narrowly claim a controversial decision in a thoroughly interesting bout that will sadly pass under the radar. In all honesty however it doesn't matter who wins, neither man will be seen as a genuinely top tier fighter at 122lbs until they score another notable victory in a title defense.
Prediction-Lopez by decision
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Nonito Donaire v Jorge Arce
A week after Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao got starched by Mexican multi-weight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, we get another high profile Filipino v Mexican fight as Nonito Donaire (?-?) defends his WBO Bantamweight title against multi-weight world champion Jorge Arce (?-?). Whilst many are viewing this as forgone conclusion it's fair to say that it'll be fun to watch as neither man is often in a poor bout with one of them being known as a KO artist whilst the other is a blood and guts warrior.
Going into the bout Donaire is a big betting favourite (priced around 1/8) and with good reason having looked like a fighter who has been in cruise control in his his recent victories over solid competition such as Toshiaki Nishioka (TKO9), Jeffrey Mathebula (UD12) and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr (some how scored an SD12). Despite his victories there has been questions asked about whether Donaire actually is in cruise control or is actually not as spectacular as once though and whether or not the 30 year old Filipino born fighter is actually on the slide himself against opponents who were there to make him look good.
At his best Donaire is a hard hitting, swift accurate counter puncher who can fight either as an orthodox fighter or as a southpaw. With that ability he's managed to score highlight reel KO's over the likes of Fernando Montiel and Vic Darchinyan. Sadly however those victories seem a long time ago with Donaire's "cruise control" victories over the much smaller Omar Andres Narvaez, the limited Wilfredo Vazquez Jr and the very clumsy Jeffrey Mathebula.
Despite starting his career as a Flyweight, Donaire is still very capable in terms of his speed and power all the way up at Super Bantamweight, with the likely result of this fight seeing him move up to Featherweight for his next bout. Seen as a genuinely top pound-for-pound fighter Donaire, when he steps through the gears is a special fighter, though when he's fighting with in himself he looks awfully over-rated and unspectacular.
Like the champion, the challenger, Jorge Arce has gone through the weights having first won a world title way down at Light Flyweight and having also claimed versions of various titles at Flyweight, Super Flyweight, Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight. Although several of those titles were "interim" titles he is the first Mexican to have any claim to being a 5-weight world champion.
Although Arce is just 3 years older than the champion he's a very old 33 having not had 402 professional rounds, but also a career that dates back to 1996 and has featured more wars than your typical history book. It goes with out saying that Arce's wars have taken their toll on him and it's incredibly rare to see an Arce bout that doesn't see the Mexican left with claret pouring out of his face. Sadly the damage doesn't seem to have forced Arce to tighten up his defense as he attempts to draw everyone in to a battle of attrition, sometimes it works (such as 2011's 12 round TKO over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr) and sometimes it doesn't (as shown in an 11th round TKO loss to Vic Darchinyan).
Due to the fact Arce likes to come to fight I imagine this may not go the distance. Although Donaire is a big favourite, it's possible that Arce can wear him down if he can cut the distance and keep on Donaire's chest neutralising his deadly counter hooks. Sadly for Arce, one of my favourite fighters over the years, I don't think he can cut the distance with out being tagged by bombs on the way in.
Prediction-Nonito Donaire TKO6
Going into the bout Donaire is a big betting favourite (priced around 1/8) and with good reason having looked like a fighter who has been in cruise control in his his recent victories over solid competition such as Toshiaki Nishioka (TKO9), Jeffrey Mathebula (UD12) and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr (some how scored an SD12). Despite his victories there has been questions asked about whether Donaire actually is in cruise control or is actually not as spectacular as once though and whether or not the 30 year old Filipino born fighter is actually on the slide himself against opponents who were there to make him look good.
At his best Donaire is a hard hitting, swift accurate counter puncher who can fight either as an orthodox fighter or as a southpaw. With that ability he's managed to score highlight reel KO's over the likes of Fernando Montiel and Vic Darchinyan. Sadly however those victories seem a long time ago with Donaire's "cruise control" victories over the much smaller Omar Andres Narvaez, the limited Wilfredo Vazquez Jr and the very clumsy Jeffrey Mathebula.
Despite starting his career as a Flyweight, Donaire is still very capable in terms of his speed and power all the way up at Super Bantamweight, with the likely result of this fight seeing him move up to Featherweight for his next bout. Seen as a genuinely top pound-for-pound fighter Donaire, when he steps through the gears is a special fighter, though when he's fighting with in himself he looks awfully over-rated and unspectacular.
Like the champion, the challenger, Jorge Arce has gone through the weights having first won a world title way down at Light Flyweight and having also claimed versions of various titles at Flyweight, Super Flyweight, Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight. Although several of those titles were "interim" titles he is the first Mexican to have any claim to being a 5-weight world champion.
Although Arce is just 3 years older than the champion he's a very old 33 having not had 402 professional rounds, but also a career that dates back to 1996 and has featured more wars than your typical history book. It goes with out saying that Arce's wars have taken their toll on him and it's incredibly rare to see an Arce bout that doesn't see the Mexican left with claret pouring out of his face. Sadly the damage doesn't seem to have forced Arce to tighten up his defense as he attempts to draw everyone in to a battle of attrition, sometimes it works (such as 2011's 12 round TKO over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr) and sometimes it doesn't (as shown in an 11th round TKO loss to Vic Darchinyan).
Due to the fact Arce likes to come to fight I imagine this may not go the distance. Although Donaire is a big favourite, it's possible that Arce can wear him down if he can cut the distance and keep on Donaire's chest neutralising his deadly counter hooks. Sadly for Arce, one of my favourite fighters over the years, I don't think he can cut the distance with out being tagged by bombs on the way in.
Prediction-Nonito Donaire TKO6
Friday, 23 November 2012
Rendall Munroe v Scott Quigg
The "interim" WBA Super Bantamweight title is up for grabs on the undercard of Hatton v Senchenko as the unbeaten Scott Quigg (24-0-1, 17) rematches Rendall Munroe (24-2-1, 10). When these two men first met, some 5 months ago, their bout ended in disappointing fashion as Munroe, who was leading on 2 of the scorecards, suffered a nasty cut from a clash of heads causing a premature end to the bout in round 3.
Bury based banger Scott Quigg is the favourite going in to this bout, though many have been picking Munroe, due to the fact that Quigg isn't as good as the hype that surrounded him. Despite being a professional for 5 years Quigg has only really been fighting domestic opponents and although they were generally good domestic opponents, such as Jason Booth and Jamie Arthur neither were near world level when Quigg got to them. Worryingly however Arthur almost shocked Quigg and did drop the unbeaten man early in their fight.
Although powerful Quigg's boxing ability is very limited and he often makes very obvious mistakes with not only his defense but also his footwork, an issue from the fact that Quigg has come to boxing from a kick boxing background. So far many of his opponents have been unable to take advantage of those mistakes however Munroe did manage some very notable success when the two men first met. Despite this however Quigg, at distance, can be very effective with his power and natural size (he stands at a shocking 5'8"-huge for a Super Bantamweight).
Whilst Quigg has only mixed with domestic opponents, Munroe is much more experienced at the higher levels having scored victories over Kiko Martinez (twice), Simone Maludrottu and Victor Terrazas as well as losing in a 2010 WBC title tilt against Toshiaki Nishioka. As well as the experience edge he also has the better engine, and the more rounded package of skills, especially up close. However Munroe does have issues himself, notably that he's a slow starter, who often needs 3 or 4 rounds to really get going and that he's also not got fight changing power, instead needing to grind down opponents. However the biggest issue with Munroe is that he's 32 and has fought only 4 rounds in the last 14 months.
With this fight the big question is whether or not Quigg has the power and skills to keep Munroe off him. If Munroe is allowed to enforce his fight, set a high pace and work Quigg's body this could be a very hard night for the unbeaten fighter, however if Quigg can control the distance with his size and straight shots, something he tried in the first bout with mixed success, he could make this bout seem very easy.
For me I feel that Quigg will get the close rounds and just manage to nick a close decision, though at 12/5 I'll be having a small bet on Munroe hoping that his work rate will be rewarded on the score cards.
Prediction-Quigg Split Decision
Bury based banger Scott Quigg is the favourite going in to this bout, though many have been picking Munroe, due to the fact that Quigg isn't as good as the hype that surrounded him. Despite being a professional for 5 years Quigg has only really been fighting domestic opponents and although they were generally good domestic opponents, such as Jason Booth and Jamie Arthur neither were near world level when Quigg got to them. Worryingly however Arthur almost shocked Quigg and did drop the unbeaten man early in their fight.
Although powerful Quigg's boxing ability is very limited and he often makes very obvious mistakes with not only his defense but also his footwork, an issue from the fact that Quigg has come to boxing from a kick boxing background. So far many of his opponents have been unable to take advantage of those mistakes however Munroe did manage some very notable success when the two men first met. Despite this however Quigg, at distance, can be very effective with his power and natural size (he stands at a shocking 5'8"-huge for a Super Bantamweight).
Whilst Quigg has only mixed with domestic opponents, Munroe is much more experienced at the higher levels having scored victories over Kiko Martinez (twice), Simone Maludrottu and Victor Terrazas as well as losing in a 2010 WBC title tilt against Toshiaki Nishioka. As well as the experience edge he also has the better engine, and the more rounded package of skills, especially up close. However Munroe does have issues himself, notably that he's a slow starter, who often needs 3 or 4 rounds to really get going and that he's also not got fight changing power, instead needing to grind down opponents. However the biggest issue with Munroe is that he's 32 and has fought only 4 rounds in the last 14 months.
With this fight the big question is whether or not Quigg has the power and skills to keep Munroe off him. If Munroe is allowed to enforce his fight, set a high pace and work Quigg's body this could be a very hard night for the unbeaten fighter, however if Quigg can control the distance with his size and straight shots, something he tried in the first bout with mixed success, he could make this bout seem very easy.
For me I feel that Quigg will get the close rounds and just manage to nick a close decision, though at 12/5 I'll be having a small bet on Munroe hoping that his work rate will be rewarded on the score cards.
Prediction-Quigg Split Decision
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Abner Mares v Anselmo Moreno
This weekend's stand out fight in the world of boxing sees the unbeaten Mexican Abner Mares (24-0-1, 13) attempt to defend his WBC Super Bantamweight title against the supremely talented Panamanian Anselmo Moreno (33-1-1, 12). Whilst neither man is a massive name outside of boxing, every boxing fan knows that these two are two genuinely elite fighters, both meeting in their prime.
Mares goes into this fight as the slight betting favourite and probably with good reason, he's the "house" fighter, the Golden Boy Promotions fighter and the one seen as a marketable fighter, especially with the Mexican audiences. However it's unfair to actually view this as the only reason why Mares would win. In fact Mares is a very hard working fighter, who throws relentless to both the head and body, he's young, he's strong and he's relentless. Also he's quickly improving.
Mares first came to the attention of most boxing fans back in 2010 when he pushed the then IBF Bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez to a very hard fought draw. Following the Perez bout, Mares become one of the 4 men involved in Showtimes' 4-man Bantamweight tournament, a tournament Mares would come out the winner of thanks to victories over Vic Darchinyan and Joseph Agbeko. Despite beating both Darchinyan and Agbeko, many were unimpressed by Mares who had been lucky to win both fights with some favourable officiating (especially by Pat Russell in the Agbeko fight).
Thankfully for Mares he showed real character and had a rematch with Agbeko, clearly defeating the tough Ghanian and making up for the controversy of their first match. Since then he has moved to Super Bantamweight where he defeated veteran Eric Morel for the then vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title.
As a fighter Mares is fun to watch, he throws some of the best combinations in the sport and really makes for exciting fights. Whilst he has a reputation as a bit of a ball breaker (literally) he's actually a very talented fighter and someone who would genuinely give anyone in and around 122lbs a hard night. Saying this however he can be out boxed as Joseph Agbeko showed in their first match and even Vic Darchinyan showed at points. It's fair to say that unless you have real KO power and a high work rate, a war with Mares is a bad idea as that's his fight.
On the same card as Mares' rematch with Agbeko we saw a new star born as Anselmo Moreno put on a boxing masterclass against former Mares opponent Vic Darchinyan. In the bout Moreno really opened the worlds eyes to his sensational talent as he made Vic look like a clueless, raw amateur. To those watching Moreno for the first time, this was a sensational performance, for those who had seen Moreno in the past however it was a case of "told you so".
Despite the Darchinyan fight being the "coming out party" for Moreno, he's actually been one of the best fighters for the last 3 or 4 years. In fact Moreno first claimed a world title, the WBA Bantamweight title, way back in 2008 as he out pointed the previously unbeaten Volodymyr Sydorenko in Germany. Since winning that title Moreno has faced a relative who's who including Sydorenko in a rematch, Mahyar Monshipour, Nehomar Cermeno (twice), Lorenzo Parra, Vic Darchinyan and most recently David De La Mora. Often facing those top fighters away from home.
In terms of his style the 27 year old Panamanian is slippery to say the least. He moves wonderfully well, using his jab to keep opponents at range whilst breaking opponents mentally. Although his work rate is often limited he's a fighter who can genuinely frustrate any opponent as they swing and miss time and time again, tiring them out with just his defensive prowess. This has lead to many fight fans referring to him as a modern day Pernell Whittaker, huge praise indeed.
In his most recent fight, Moreno proved not only to be a slippery fighter but also a spiteful fighter as he gave the unfortunate David De La Mora a real beating, hammering away at De La Mora's body and head and really proving that not only was there a gulf in class but that he could really hurt opponents. Though it's worth noting that this isn't the first time Moreno has shown that he's spiteful, it was an eye catching performance against someone who gave Koki Kameda a real nightmare.
What we have here is a very hard working and aggressive pressure fighter (Mares) against a very slippery counter-puncher (Moreno) in what really does look on paper to be an enthralling battle of both styles, fighters and minds. If Mares can apply constant pressure and have success with his body attack he could very easily slow the legs of Moreno and make the bout easy for himself. Like wise if Moreno can keep just movement going and make Mares miss then a tiring Mares could be there for the taking late, or even get Mares frustrated to the point he does something illegal.
Of those two, I favour Moreno by a close decision, it'll be competitive through out but Moreno, for my money, just has that extra bit of class. Do not be shocked however if the cards favour Mares under-controversial circumstances.
Prediction- Moreno UD12
Mares goes into this fight as the slight betting favourite and probably with good reason, he's the "house" fighter, the Golden Boy Promotions fighter and the one seen as a marketable fighter, especially with the Mexican audiences. However it's unfair to actually view this as the only reason why Mares would win. In fact Mares is a very hard working fighter, who throws relentless to both the head and body, he's young, he's strong and he's relentless. Also he's quickly improving.
Mares first came to the attention of most boxing fans back in 2010 when he pushed the then IBF Bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez to a very hard fought draw. Following the Perez bout, Mares become one of the 4 men involved in Showtimes' 4-man Bantamweight tournament, a tournament Mares would come out the winner of thanks to victories over Vic Darchinyan and Joseph Agbeko. Despite beating both Darchinyan and Agbeko, many were unimpressed by Mares who had been lucky to win both fights with some favourable officiating (especially by Pat Russell in the Agbeko fight).
Thankfully for Mares he showed real character and had a rematch with Agbeko, clearly defeating the tough Ghanian and making up for the controversy of their first match. Since then he has moved to Super Bantamweight where he defeated veteran Eric Morel for the then vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title.
As a fighter Mares is fun to watch, he throws some of the best combinations in the sport and really makes for exciting fights. Whilst he has a reputation as a bit of a ball breaker (literally) he's actually a very talented fighter and someone who would genuinely give anyone in and around 122lbs a hard night. Saying this however he can be out boxed as Joseph Agbeko showed in their first match and even Vic Darchinyan showed at points. It's fair to say that unless you have real KO power and a high work rate, a war with Mares is a bad idea as that's his fight.
On the same card as Mares' rematch with Agbeko we saw a new star born as Anselmo Moreno put on a boxing masterclass against former Mares opponent Vic Darchinyan. In the bout Moreno really opened the worlds eyes to his sensational talent as he made Vic look like a clueless, raw amateur. To those watching Moreno for the first time, this was a sensational performance, for those who had seen Moreno in the past however it was a case of "told you so".
Despite the Darchinyan fight being the "coming out party" for Moreno, he's actually been one of the best fighters for the last 3 or 4 years. In fact Moreno first claimed a world title, the WBA Bantamweight title, way back in 2008 as he out pointed the previously unbeaten Volodymyr Sydorenko in Germany. Since winning that title Moreno has faced a relative who's who including Sydorenko in a rematch, Mahyar Monshipour, Nehomar Cermeno (twice), Lorenzo Parra, Vic Darchinyan and most recently David De La Mora. Often facing those top fighters away from home.
In terms of his style the 27 year old Panamanian is slippery to say the least. He moves wonderfully well, using his jab to keep opponents at range whilst breaking opponents mentally. Although his work rate is often limited he's a fighter who can genuinely frustrate any opponent as they swing and miss time and time again, tiring them out with just his defensive prowess. This has lead to many fight fans referring to him as a modern day Pernell Whittaker, huge praise indeed.
In his most recent fight, Moreno proved not only to be a slippery fighter but also a spiteful fighter as he gave the unfortunate David De La Mora a real beating, hammering away at De La Mora's body and head and really proving that not only was there a gulf in class but that he could really hurt opponents. Though it's worth noting that this isn't the first time Moreno has shown that he's spiteful, it was an eye catching performance against someone who gave Koki Kameda a real nightmare.
What we have here is a very hard working and aggressive pressure fighter (Mares) against a very slippery counter-puncher (Moreno) in what really does look on paper to be an enthralling battle of both styles, fighters and minds. If Mares can apply constant pressure and have success with his body attack he could very easily slow the legs of Moreno and make the bout easy for himself. Like wise if Moreno can keep just movement going and make Mares miss then a tiring Mares could be there for the taking late, or even get Mares frustrated to the point he does something illegal.
Of those two, I favour Moreno by a close decision, it'll be competitive through out but Moreno, for my money, just has that extra bit of class. Do not be shocked however if the cards favour Mares under-controversial circumstances.
Prediction- Moreno UD12
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Nonito Donaire v Toshiaki Nishioka
The solitary world title fight from this coming weekend sees multi-weight world champion Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18) defending both the WBO and IBF Super Bantamweight titles against the highly regarded Japanese veteran Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24), a former WBC Super Bantamweight champion.
The 29 year old Donaire is seen by many as one of the most talented fighters in the world due to his rise through weights from Flyweight all the way up to Super Bantamweight. Not only has Donaire moved through the weights effectively but he's also picked up a number of belts on his way as well as notable, and often eye catching victories.
Despite having debuted back in 2001, it was until 2007 that Donaire really started to become a boxing star, following his shock upset win the then unbeaten Vic Darchinyan to claim the IBF Flyweight title. Since then he has claimed the WBA "interim" Super Flyweight title, the WBC and WBO Bantamweight titles and, of course, the WBO and IBF Super Bantamweight titles.
Along the way Doanire has scored notable victories over Moruti Mthalane (the current IBF Flyweight champion), Hernan Marquez (the current WBA Flyweight champion), Volodymyr Sydorenko (former WBA Bantamweight champion), Fernando Montiel (the then WBC and WBO Bantamweight champion), Omar Andres Narvaez (the current WBO Super Flyweight champion), Wilfredo Vazquez Jr (former WBO Super Bantamweight champion) and Jeffrey Mathebula (the then IBF Super Bantamweight champion).
Despite his impressive record and list of victims, Donaire has had a lot of complaints, especially in recent fights. The victories over Darchinyan and Montiel were very, very impressive however the victories over Narvaez (a much, much smaller man), Vazquez (who had been stopped in his previous bout) and Mathebula (who looked shocking) have left many doubting Donaire who has started to look like a one trick pony. He has speed and is a fantastic counter puncher, one of the best counter punchers in the sport, especially with his left hook. The counter punching aside he's fast, he's slippery and he's a hurtful puncher. Sadly however Donaire, especially recently, doesn't seem to have a massive punch at Super Bantamweight, he doesn't appear hugely active and he appears to lack the ring intelligence that many claim he has. Despite a reputation as a massive puncher, his last 3 fights have gone the distance (and that includes the much smaller Narvaez) and he hasn't appeared able to really open opponents up like one would wish to see from a top fighter.
The challenger, Toshiaki Nishioka is the older man by far at 36 years old, and is the much more experienced fighter with 292 professional rounds (compared to 170 of Donaire) since 1994 however this may actually be one of his problems. Nishioka has been in hard fights, he's had the sort of bouts that take something out of a fighter and the sort that catch up on a man, especially when they are in their 30's.
The talented Southpaw first made a name for himself back home in 2000 when he attempted to claim the WBC Bantamweight title from Veeraphol Sahaprom. Although Nishioka came up short on that occasion (and 3 subsequent attempts at the legendary Thai) he did eventually break through in the wider boxing consciousness in 2008 when he defeated Napapol Sor Rungvisai for the "interim" WBC Super Bantamweight title (that was upgraded to the full title soon afterwards).
As the WBC Super Bantamweight champion Nishioka really proved himself as one of the sports top fighters as he defended his title 7 times beating the likes of Jhonny Gonzalez, Rendall Munroe and Raul Marquez. Sadly however Nishioka has been out of the ring for 12 months following the excellent victory over Marquez in America, in what was Nishioka's 3rd appearance in the US.
Despite being a Japanese based fighter, Nishioka has fought around the world, not only has he fought 3 times in the US but he has also fought in France and Mexico. Impressively Nishioka is 5-0 (4) away from his native homeland.
In terms of his style Nishioka is a very highly skilled southpaw. He moves well, he's tough (having suffered just a solitary, early career stoppage defeat), he's fast (surprisingly so for someone his age), he's accurate and he's hurtful even if he's not a monster puncher. However, as said above, he is 36 and he's been out of the ring for a year, a very long time for a fighter his age, and it may well be that this coming fight is more about Nishioka collecting a retirement payment than a real attempt at decrowning Donaire.
If, both men were at their very best, I'd certainly take Nishioka to beat Donaire. Sadly, as mentioned several times, Nishioka is 36, he has been inactive, and he has been in tough bouts as well as the fact he'll be fighting away from home. This bout, sadly like a number of Donaire's bouts, has been stacked in his favour to the extent that it's not the match up it perhaps should have been. It's a very cynical match up by Top Rank promotions and one that too many fans don't seem to have seen through.
Despite loving Nishioka, he can't win this, he's been picked as a well respected, though not prime "patsy". I expect he'll try, but he won't find things as easy as he did a few years ago, Donaire won't look great but I do imagine he'll score a late stoppage against a very old looking Nishioka who'll struggle to get his timing down.
Prediction-Donaire TKO10
The 29 year old Donaire is seen by many as one of the most talented fighters in the world due to his rise through weights from Flyweight all the way up to Super Bantamweight. Not only has Donaire moved through the weights effectively but he's also picked up a number of belts on his way as well as notable, and often eye catching victories.
Despite having debuted back in 2001, it was until 2007 that Donaire really started to become a boxing star, following his shock upset win the then unbeaten Vic Darchinyan to claim the IBF Flyweight title. Since then he has claimed the WBA "interim" Super Flyweight title, the WBC and WBO Bantamweight titles and, of course, the WBO and IBF Super Bantamweight titles.
Along the way Doanire has scored notable victories over Moruti Mthalane (the current IBF Flyweight champion), Hernan Marquez (the current WBA Flyweight champion), Volodymyr Sydorenko (former WBA Bantamweight champion), Fernando Montiel (the then WBC and WBO Bantamweight champion), Omar Andres Narvaez (the current WBO Super Flyweight champion), Wilfredo Vazquez Jr (former WBO Super Bantamweight champion) and Jeffrey Mathebula (the then IBF Super Bantamweight champion).
Despite his impressive record and list of victims, Donaire has had a lot of complaints, especially in recent fights. The victories over Darchinyan and Montiel were very, very impressive however the victories over Narvaez (a much, much smaller man), Vazquez (who had been stopped in his previous bout) and Mathebula (who looked shocking) have left many doubting Donaire who has started to look like a one trick pony. He has speed and is a fantastic counter puncher, one of the best counter punchers in the sport, especially with his left hook. The counter punching aside he's fast, he's slippery and he's a hurtful puncher. Sadly however Donaire, especially recently, doesn't seem to have a massive punch at Super Bantamweight, he doesn't appear hugely active and he appears to lack the ring intelligence that many claim he has. Despite a reputation as a massive puncher, his last 3 fights have gone the distance (and that includes the much smaller Narvaez) and he hasn't appeared able to really open opponents up like one would wish to see from a top fighter.
The challenger, Toshiaki Nishioka is the older man by far at 36 years old, and is the much more experienced fighter with 292 professional rounds (compared to 170 of Donaire) since 1994 however this may actually be one of his problems. Nishioka has been in hard fights, he's had the sort of bouts that take something out of a fighter and the sort that catch up on a man, especially when they are in their 30's.
The talented Southpaw first made a name for himself back home in 2000 when he attempted to claim the WBC Bantamweight title from Veeraphol Sahaprom. Although Nishioka came up short on that occasion (and 3 subsequent attempts at the legendary Thai) he did eventually break through in the wider boxing consciousness in 2008 when he defeated Napapol Sor Rungvisai for the "interim" WBC Super Bantamweight title (that was upgraded to the full title soon afterwards).
As the WBC Super Bantamweight champion Nishioka really proved himself as one of the sports top fighters as he defended his title 7 times beating the likes of Jhonny Gonzalez, Rendall Munroe and Raul Marquez. Sadly however Nishioka has been out of the ring for 12 months following the excellent victory over Marquez in America, in what was Nishioka's 3rd appearance in the US.
Despite being a Japanese based fighter, Nishioka has fought around the world, not only has he fought 3 times in the US but he has also fought in France and Mexico. Impressively Nishioka is 5-0 (4) away from his native homeland.
In terms of his style Nishioka is a very highly skilled southpaw. He moves well, he's tough (having suffered just a solitary, early career stoppage defeat), he's fast (surprisingly so for someone his age), he's accurate and he's hurtful even if he's not a monster puncher. However, as said above, he is 36 and he's been out of the ring for a year, a very long time for a fighter his age, and it may well be that this coming fight is more about Nishioka collecting a retirement payment than a real attempt at decrowning Donaire.
If, both men were at their very best, I'd certainly take Nishioka to beat Donaire. Sadly, as mentioned several times, Nishioka is 36, he has been inactive, and he has been in tough bouts as well as the fact he'll be fighting away from home. This bout, sadly like a number of Donaire's bouts, has been stacked in his favour to the extent that it's not the match up it perhaps should have been. It's a very cynical match up by Top Rank promotions and one that too many fans don't seem to have seen through.
Despite loving Nishioka, he can't win this, he's been picked as a well respected, though not prime "patsy". I expect he'll try, but he won't find things as easy as he did a few years ago, Donaire won't look great but I do imagine he'll score a late stoppage against a very old looking Nishioka who'll struggle to get his timing down.
Prediction-Donaire TKO10
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Roman Martinez v Miguel Beltran Jr
Everyone who follows boxing knows about the huge rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico and this weekend we get two new chapters to that long and storied history. In the MGM Grand we have Leo Santa Cruz v Eric Morel (for the IBF Bantamweight title) and at the Thomas and Mack Centre we have a bout for the WBO Super Bantamweight title as Roman Martinez (25-1-1, 16) faces Miguel Beltran Jr (27-1-0-1, 17).
Whilst Miguel Beltran Jr will be going into this bout as the under-dog he will feel the pride of his homeland as he has a chance to Mexico proud on the huge holiday "Grito de Dolores" and when driven on a fighter can do great things. Despite the drive and national pride however Beltran is stepping up somewhat going into this bout having only had 2 rounds at world level so far in his career.
Aged 23 Beltran is still a baby in the boxing world though with 29 fights behind him (including 1 no contest) and over 5 years of experience he's a very experienced baby. Beltran started his career with a brilliant 22 fight winning streak, which saw him scoring notable wins over Eduardo Lazcano (who was then 15-0) and recent world title challenger Miguel Roman before suffering the sole loss of his career so far as he was stopped by Joksan Hernandez.
Following the loss to Hernandez (via 10th round KO) Beltran won his following 4 bouts at a lower level before getting his first world title fight, a bout with IBF Super Featherweight champion Juan Carlos Salgado. Sadly for everyone involved, the bout with Salgado lasted less than 2 rounds due to a clash of heads which resulted in a no contest.
Since the bout between Beltran and Salgado, we've only seen Beltran in the ring once, defeating the very low level Carlos Parra by decision over 6 rounds. Sadly this will likely be the key problem for Beltran-his level of competition simply hasn't been very good (Salgado aside) especially since his loss to Hernandez. This level of competition is fine in your first 15 or so fights but for someone with over 20 fights of experience I don't think Beltran will have learned that much and he has notably never been 12 rounds before. That's not to say he's not a good fighter (because he is) he's just a fighter that perhaps needs more development before he'll manage to win a big one. He's a solid fighter but lacks the power to really get a fighters attention and lacks the experience to know what to do when a good fighter turns up in front of him and doesn't go away.
Whilst Beltran is known somewhat by hardcore fans Roman Martinez is much more well known by the boxing community. He's been a professional for over a decade and has previously held the WBO Super Featherweight title as well as having faced a number of well known opponents.
Martinez first came to prominence around 2007 with victories over the likes of Francisco Lorenzo and Daniel Jimenez as he claimed various regional titles. He would build on his success the following year with victories over Santos Benavides and Walter Estrada before claiming his first world title in 2009 by stopping Britain's Nicky Cook.
As the WBO Super Featherweight champion Martinez defended his title twice stopping both Feider Viloria and Gonzalo Munguia before losing a close decision to current WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns (despite putting Burns down in the opening round).
Since losing to Burns, way back in 2010, Martinez has fought only once, stopping former world title contender Daniel Attah in 6 rounds to claim the WBO Inter-Continental Super Featherweight title. Sadly this is the big worry about Martinez, his inactivity in recent years with just 1 fights in the last 24 months! He's a hugely talented fighter with respectable power (more so than his record indicates) and solid skills (though defensively he can be tagged), though how his time off will have effected him is a big question.
If this was the Martinez of 3 years ago this match would be an easy one to call with Martinez's proven class being the difference between the two men, however with the long lay off it's much harder to call. Despite this I still favour Martinez who is a much, much better opponent than anyone Beltran has ever faced (aside from Salgado). Martinez will almost certainly struggle to get going early on though I'd be shocked if he doesn't find his rhythm after 4 rounds and either take a clear decision or score a stoppage in the second half of the bout.
Prediction-Martinez TKO8
Whilst Miguel Beltran Jr will be going into this bout as the under-dog he will feel the pride of his homeland as he has a chance to Mexico proud on the huge holiday "Grito de Dolores" and when driven on a fighter can do great things. Despite the drive and national pride however Beltran is stepping up somewhat going into this bout having only had 2 rounds at world level so far in his career.
Aged 23 Beltran is still a baby in the boxing world though with 29 fights behind him (including 1 no contest) and over 5 years of experience he's a very experienced baby. Beltran started his career with a brilliant 22 fight winning streak, which saw him scoring notable wins over Eduardo Lazcano (who was then 15-0) and recent world title challenger Miguel Roman before suffering the sole loss of his career so far as he was stopped by Joksan Hernandez.
Following the loss to Hernandez (via 10th round KO) Beltran won his following 4 bouts at a lower level before getting his first world title fight, a bout with IBF Super Featherweight champion Juan Carlos Salgado. Sadly for everyone involved, the bout with Salgado lasted less than 2 rounds due to a clash of heads which resulted in a no contest.
Since the bout between Beltran and Salgado, we've only seen Beltran in the ring once, defeating the very low level Carlos Parra by decision over 6 rounds. Sadly this will likely be the key problem for Beltran-his level of competition simply hasn't been very good (Salgado aside) especially since his loss to Hernandez. This level of competition is fine in your first 15 or so fights but for someone with over 20 fights of experience I don't think Beltran will have learned that much and he has notably never been 12 rounds before. That's not to say he's not a good fighter (because he is) he's just a fighter that perhaps needs more development before he'll manage to win a big one. He's a solid fighter but lacks the power to really get a fighters attention and lacks the experience to know what to do when a good fighter turns up in front of him and doesn't go away.
Whilst Beltran is known somewhat by hardcore fans Roman Martinez is much more well known by the boxing community. He's been a professional for over a decade and has previously held the WBO Super Featherweight title as well as having faced a number of well known opponents.
Martinez first came to prominence around 2007 with victories over the likes of Francisco Lorenzo and Daniel Jimenez as he claimed various regional titles. He would build on his success the following year with victories over Santos Benavides and Walter Estrada before claiming his first world title in 2009 by stopping Britain's Nicky Cook.
As the WBO Super Featherweight champion Martinez defended his title twice stopping both Feider Viloria and Gonzalo Munguia before losing a close decision to current WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns (despite putting Burns down in the opening round).
Since losing to Burns, way back in 2010, Martinez has fought only once, stopping former world title contender Daniel Attah in 6 rounds to claim the WBO Inter-Continental Super Featherweight title. Sadly this is the big worry about Martinez, his inactivity in recent years with just 1 fights in the last 24 months! He's a hugely talented fighter with respectable power (more so than his record indicates) and solid skills (though defensively he can be tagged), though how his time off will have effected him is a big question.
If this was the Martinez of 3 years ago this match would be an easy one to call with Martinez's proven class being the difference between the two men, however with the long lay off it's much harder to call. Despite this I still favour Martinez who is a much, much better opponent than anyone Beltran has ever faced (aside from Salgado). Martinez will almost certainly struggle to get going early on though I'd be shocked if he doesn't find his rhythm after 4 rounds and either take a clear decision or score a stoppage in the second half of the bout.
Prediction-Martinez TKO8
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Guillermo Rigondeaux v Robert Marroquin
Cuban former amateur standout Guillermo Rigondeaux (10-0, 8) may well be the most gifted fighter in world boxing today though sadly the current WBA Super Bantamweight champion isn't yet getting the sort of fights he deserves. This weekend Rigondeaux defends his world title against American youngster Robert Marroquin (22-1, 15) in what appears to be nothing more than a mismatch.
The unbeaten Cuban was one of, if not the best, amateur of the early 00's claiming 2 Olympic gold medals (2000, 2004) and 2 World Amateur titles (2001, 2005) whilst compiling well over 300 wins to just 12 losses. He was sensational. Power, speed, skills, timing Rigondeaux really did have it all.
In 2007 Rigondeaux defected from Cuba though was later captured and brought back to the land of his birth. Just 2 years later however Rigondeaux defected again and was this time successful as he set up home in Miami and started his professional career, a career that has so far seen him swiftly rise to world level with the those same skills he honed in the amateurs rankings.
After making his debut in May 2009, Rigondeaux swiftly raced through the rankings before claiming the interim WBA World Super Bantamweight title in just his 7th bout as he out pointed former world champion Ricardo Cordoba. It had taken Rigondeaux just 18 months to go from his debut to "interim" world champion.
After defending the "interim" WBA title once Rigondeaux would claim the full version of the WBA title by stopping the champion Rico Ramos in 6 rounds via a devastating body shot. Since winning the full version of the title Rigondeaux has made just a solitary defense as he dominated the over-matched Teon Kennedy.
At almost 32 years old Rigondeaux is "getting on a bit" though he is still very fresh due to his short professional career. He is still lightning quick with his hands and even quicker with his brain able to out think opponents as he sets traps and land with devastating counters, though he's also more than capable of going forward and being an accurate aggressive fighter. He will however be seeking to make an impression.
Challenger Robert Marroquin may be significantly younger than the champion (at just 23) though surprisingly he has significantly more professional experience at 23 fights already (and 94 rounds, to Rigondeaux's 47). Sadly however the additional professional experience is unlikely to prevent him from being any more than a sacrificial lamb.
Marroquin himself debuted back in 2008 as just a teenager and won his first 19 fights (14 of those by KO) before suffering the solitary defeat of his career by the upset minded Francisco Leal who took the fight to Marroquin on route to claiming a split decision. Since that loss however Marroquin has bounced back well and recorded 3 successive wins over limited opposition.
In terms of talent Marroquin is "solid", he has respectable power and a solid defense, however the Leal fight proved that he can be marked up. Whilst he has been dropping guys like Eduardo Arcos with solid shots in fights he is sadly taking a massive step up in class to face Rigondeaux who, like Leal is a southpaw.
Whilst some may be giving Marroquin a chance based on his record and the way he has beaten low level opponents (and seriously they have been low level opponents) I really can't see it. I can really only see one winner and that's Rigondeaux, the big question however is "how"? In all honesty Marroquin has never been hit by someone like Rigondeaux and I imagine when he's hit by Rigondeaux he will really feel it and will, as most Rigondeaux opponents, think twice about letting his hands go in fear of being countered. He may survive the distance but I don't see it.
Prediction-Rigondeaux TKO5
The unbeaten Cuban was one of, if not the best, amateur of the early 00's claiming 2 Olympic gold medals (2000, 2004) and 2 World Amateur titles (2001, 2005) whilst compiling well over 300 wins to just 12 losses. He was sensational. Power, speed, skills, timing Rigondeaux really did have it all.
In 2007 Rigondeaux defected from Cuba though was later captured and brought back to the land of his birth. Just 2 years later however Rigondeaux defected again and was this time successful as he set up home in Miami and started his professional career, a career that has so far seen him swiftly rise to world level with the those same skills he honed in the amateurs rankings.
After making his debut in May 2009, Rigondeaux swiftly raced through the rankings before claiming the interim WBA World Super Bantamweight title in just his 7th bout as he out pointed former world champion Ricardo Cordoba. It had taken Rigondeaux just 18 months to go from his debut to "interim" world champion.
After defending the "interim" WBA title once Rigondeaux would claim the full version of the WBA title by stopping the champion Rico Ramos in 6 rounds via a devastating body shot. Since winning the full version of the title Rigondeaux has made just a solitary defense as he dominated the over-matched Teon Kennedy.
At almost 32 years old Rigondeaux is "getting on a bit" though he is still very fresh due to his short professional career. He is still lightning quick with his hands and even quicker with his brain able to out think opponents as he sets traps and land with devastating counters, though he's also more than capable of going forward and being an accurate aggressive fighter. He will however be seeking to make an impression.
Challenger Robert Marroquin may be significantly younger than the champion (at just 23) though surprisingly he has significantly more professional experience at 23 fights already (and 94 rounds, to Rigondeaux's 47). Sadly however the additional professional experience is unlikely to prevent him from being any more than a sacrificial lamb.
Marroquin himself debuted back in 2008 as just a teenager and won his first 19 fights (14 of those by KO) before suffering the solitary defeat of his career by the upset minded Francisco Leal who took the fight to Marroquin on route to claiming a split decision. Since that loss however Marroquin has bounced back well and recorded 3 successive wins over limited opposition.
In terms of talent Marroquin is "solid", he has respectable power and a solid defense, however the Leal fight proved that he can be marked up. Whilst he has been dropping guys like Eduardo Arcos with solid shots in fights he is sadly taking a massive step up in class to face Rigondeaux who, like Leal is a southpaw.
Whilst some may be giving Marroquin a chance based on his record and the way he has beaten low level opponents (and seriously they have been low level opponents) I really can't see it. I can really only see one winner and that's Rigondeaux, the big question however is "how"? In all honesty Marroquin has never been hit by someone like Rigondeaux and I imagine when he's hit by Rigondeaux he will really feel it and will, as most Rigondeaux opponents, think twice about letting his hands go in fear of being countered. He may survive the distance but I don't see it.
Prediction-Rigondeaux TKO5
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