Although I believe Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is the best fighter at 115lbs the best boxer there, at least for now, is Argentinian veteran Omar Andres Narvaez (40-1-2, 21). Narvaez, the long term WBO champion is a man who, at 38 years old, has been denying father time like no one else in the lower weights.
Although thoroughly ancient for a Super Flyweight Narvaez has shown he still has all the traits of a man who isn't really on the slide as much as some would like. He's still sharp, fast, able to throw lovely blazing combinations and is still light on his feet. He may be 38 but he fighters like a man who is only in his 20's.
Whilst he still has the speed and style of a younger man Narvaez's key issue is that he lacks lights out power. He can break guys down over the course but no single shot he lands will have guys thinking twice and as a result he can be forced to fight a little harder than a man of his skills perhaps should. Thankfully his flurries of shots do tend to wear opponents down either physically or mentally.
Narvaez defends his title once again this weekend as he takes on the once beaten David Carmona (16-1-4, 8) of Mexico. Carmona the WBO Youth Super Flyweight champion is by far the younger man though with that also comes the fact he is untested near the same level as Narvaez.
In his 21 bouts to date Carmona's most notable foe has been been, well none of them really. Carmona has fought no one of note, no one nearly world class and no one who could possibly have prepared him for someone like Narvaez. That's not to say Carmona isn't talented but his talented has only been shown as a much, much, much lower level than that of Narvaez.
As for the bout it's fair to say that gulf in opponent will show up here. Carmona will go to win but will quickly discover that Narvaez isn't just an old man. Carmona's shots will be picked off and his body and head tagged almost at will by Narvaez.
Whilst Carmona hasn't shown durability issues he's also not shown the ability to do 12 rounds. With that in mind I expect Narvaez to pick up the pace late and force a stoppage against a tiring Carmona in the final 3 rounds.
Prediction-Narvaez TKO11
Showing posts with label Super Flyweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Flyweight. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai v Hirofumi Mukai
The first world title fight this week is in Thailand as WBC Super
Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (22-3-1, 20) makes the first
defense of a title he won in stunning fashion earlier this year.
Srisaket, who was all but an unknown in April of this year burst on to the scene in a big way back in May when he didn't just beat Yota Sato but totally destroyed him and sending him in to retirement courtesy of a destructive 8th round TKO. Unlike many champions however Srisaket hasn't just sat waiting for a challenger but has instead piled up a trio of none title victories keeping the ring rust off and his bank balance looking moderately healthy in the process.
For his first defense Srisaket will be facing Japanese southpaw Hirofumi Mukai (9-2-1, 1), a man who promised much when he first turned professional back in 2009 though has failed to deliver with losses to Rocky Fuentes and Mark Anthony Geraldo two solid but unspectacular fighters.
Mukai is a pure boxer. He's talented for sure and holds a very notable victory over Sonny Boy Jaro though in all honesty that's his most notable victory and came before his loss to Fuentes and technical draw with Pongsaklek Wonjongkam.
Unfortunately since beating Jaro it's been hard to be impressed by what Mukai has actually achieved. He has gone 4-2-1 since then with his most notable victory following Jaro being a decision over Saenmuangloei Kokietgym.
If we call Mukai a boxer then we need to call Srisaket a bulldozer. The guy is as strong as an ox and when he gets in the ring he is nothing short of destructive with every punch thrown with bad intentions. Against a fighter like Mukai, who was stopped just 2 fights ago, this power is simply going to be too much to handle.
Mukai may last longer here than he did with Geraldo but it's hard to view this as anything more than an easy and quick first defense for a champion who may be very, very hard to dethrone, as long as he can make the weight comfortably enough.
Prediction-Srisaket TKO 4
Srisaket, who was all but an unknown in April of this year burst on to the scene in a big way back in May when he didn't just beat Yota Sato but totally destroyed him and sending him in to retirement courtesy of a destructive 8th round TKO. Unlike many champions however Srisaket hasn't just sat waiting for a challenger but has instead piled up a trio of none title victories keeping the ring rust off and his bank balance looking moderately healthy in the process.
For his first defense Srisaket will be facing Japanese southpaw Hirofumi Mukai (9-2-1, 1), a man who promised much when he first turned professional back in 2009 though has failed to deliver with losses to Rocky Fuentes and Mark Anthony Geraldo two solid but unspectacular fighters.
Mukai is a pure boxer. He's talented for sure and holds a very notable victory over Sonny Boy Jaro though in all honesty that's his most notable victory and came before his loss to Fuentes and technical draw with Pongsaklek Wonjongkam.
Unfortunately since beating Jaro it's been hard to be impressed by what Mukai has actually achieved. He has gone 4-2-1 since then with his most notable victory following Jaro being a decision over Saenmuangloei Kokietgym.
If we call Mukai a boxer then we need to call Srisaket a bulldozer. The guy is as strong as an ox and when he gets in the ring he is nothing short of destructive with every punch thrown with bad intentions. Against a fighter like Mukai, who was stopped just 2 fights ago, this power is simply going to be too much to handle.
Mukai may last longer here than he did with Geraldo but it's hard to view this as anything more than an easy and quick first defense for a champion who may be very, very hard to dethrone, as long as he can make the weight comfortably enough.
Prediction-Srisaket TKO 4
Monday, 2 September 2013
Nobuo Nashiro v Denkaosan Kaovichit
It's not often a Japanese fighter has much success in Thailand, in fact the only victory in a world title fight by a Japanese born fighter in Thailand was Koki Eto's recent victory over Kompayak Porpramook earlier this year.
Despite the awful record of Japanese fighters in Thailand I've got a feeling we may see history repeat it's self this weekend as former 2-time world champion Nobuo Nashiro (19-5-1, 13) travels to Nakhon Ratchasima to face Thai veteran Denkaosan Kaovichit (61-3-1, 26), himself a former world champion, in a battle for the WBA interim Super Flyweight title.
Although many of those outside of the East haven't seen, or even heard of these two men both have been genuine world champions. Unfortunately both are now faded fighters and neither man has looked to be at their best in several years.
With both men looking ton be notably on the slide it's fair to say that I'm siding with the fighter who has shown more in recent fights, that is Nashiro.
The 31 year old from Japan claimed his first world title back in 2006 when he defeated Martin Castillo in his 8th bout for the WBA Flyweight title. Although he lost the title just a few fights later being beaten by Alexander Munoz he would later regain the belt beating domestic rival Kohei Kono for the belt.
Unfortunately after winning the title for the second time Nashiro's form has been less than stellar going 7-4-1 and 1-4-1 in world title bouts. Despite this he did look very good in his most recent loss dropping a very close decision to Tepparith Kokietgym in a fight that seemed to suggest there was more left in the sport for Nashiro, who had been talking about retirement prior to the fight.
At his best Nashiro was a limited fighter but yet a nightmare. Teak tough, hard working with more than respectable power and solid work rate. Had it not been for his somewhat slow hands and relatively stationary feet he'd have been a genuinely nasty guy to fight.
Nashiro's opponent, Kaovichit has an excellent record on paper with an incredible winning % however like many Thai's he has stacked his record with victories over limited foes collecting paydays, in fact he's already fought 3 times this year.
At his best Kaovichit was himself a bit of a nightmare to fight. He started his career with 20 straight victories before fighting Eric Morel and losing via an 11th round TKO in what was Kaovichit's first foray into world level.
Since the loss to Morel, Kaovichit would go on to claim the WBA Flyweight title defeating Takefumi Sakata and defend it twice beating both Hiroyuki Hisataka and Daiki Kameda before losing a rematch to Kameda. Unfortunately the Kameda fights appear to be the beginning of the end for Kaovichit at world level and he's only fought once more in "world" level action suffering an opening round blast out defeat at the hands of Luis Concepcion in 2010.
Although the loss to Concepcion was less than 3 years ago Kaovichit has managed to bank himself 11 subsequent victories, albeit at a much, much lower level.
Going on their last losses it's fair to say that Nashiro showed he could still compete at the world level whilst Kaovichit's punch resistance was certainly not what it once was. With this in mind I've got to favour Nashiro who I expect will have more than enough to defeat the 37 year old Kaovichit by stoppage late in the bout.
Prediction-Nashiro TKO10
Despite the awful record of Japanese fighters in Thailand I've got a feeling we may see history repeat it's self this weekend as former 2-time world champion Nobuo Nashiro (19-5-1, 13) travels to Nakhon Ratchasima to face Thai veteran Denkaosan Kaovichit (61-3-1, 26), himself a former world champion, in a battle for the WBA interim Super Flyweight title.
Although many of those outside of the East haven't seen, or even heard of these two men both have been genuine world champions. Unfortunately both are now faded fighters and neither man has looked to be at their best in several years.
With both men looking ton be notably on the slide it's fair to say that I'm siding with the fighter who has shown more in recent fights, that is Nashiro.
The 31 year old from Japan claimed his first world title back in 2006 when he defeated Martin Castillo in his 8th bout for the WBA Flyweight title. Although he lost the title just a few fights later being beaten by Alexander Munoz he would later regain the belt beating domestic rival Kohei Kono for the belt.
Unfortunately after winning the title for the second time Nashiro's form has been less than stellar going 7-4-1 and 1-4-1 in world title bouts. Despite this he did look very good in his most recent loss dropping a very close decision to Tepparith Kokietgym in a fight that seemed to suggest there was more left in the sport for Nashiro, who had been talking about retirement prior to the fight.
At his best Nashiro was a limited fighter but yet a nightmare. Teak tough, hard working with more than respectable power and solid work rate. Had it not been for his somewhat slow hands and relatively stationary feet he'd have been a genuinely nasty guy to fight.
Nashiro's opponent, Kaovichit has an excellent record on paper with an incredible winning % however like many Thai's he has stacked his record with victories over limited foes collecting paydays, in fact he's already fought 3 times this year.
At his best Kaovichit was himself a bit of a nightmare to fight. He started his career with 20 straight victories before fighting Eric Morel and losing via an 11th round TKO in what was Kaovichit's first foray into world level.
Since the loss to Morel, Kaovichit would go on to claim the WBA Flyweight title defeating Takefumi Sakata and defend it twice beating both Hiroyuki Hisataka and Daiki Kameda before losing a rematch to Kameda. Unfortunately the Kameda fights appear to be the beginning of the end for Kaovichit at world level and he's only fought once more in "world" level action suffering an opening round blast out defeat at the hands of Luis Concepcion in 2010.
Although the loss to Concepcion was less than 3 years ago Kaovichit has managed to bank himself 11 subsequent victories, albeit at a much, much lower level.
Going on their last losses it's fair to say that Nashiro showed he could still compete at the world level whilst Kaovichit's punch resistance was certainly not what it once was. With this in mind I've got to favour Nashiro who I expect will have more than enough to defeat the 37 year old Kaovichit by stoppage late in the bout.
Prediction-Nashiro TKO10
Friday, 30 August 2013
Daiki Kameda v Rodrigo Guerrero
It's rare for a boxing family to be looking at 3 simultaneous champions but this week that's a real possibility for the Japanese Kameda family as middle child Daiki Kameda (28-3, 18) attempts to claim the vacant IBF Super Flyweight title taking on former champion Rodrigo Guerrero (19-4-1, 12).
Kameda, you younger brother of Koki-the current WBA Bantamweight champion, and older broher of Tomoki-the current WBO Bantamweight champion, has seen both of his brother's having title success in recent weeks and will now be looking to join them as he attempts to become just the 3rd IBF champion in Japanese boxing history.
Although Daiki is a former WBA Flyweight champion he is widely viewed as the most limited of the 3 fighting brothers. He lacks the counter punching of both of his brothers and the boxing brain and whilst still a decent fighter in his own right he's certainly helped by having the name "Kameda".
In terms of his style the Japanese fighter fighter is a limited, he tends to work hard yet always manages to make fights difficult for himself at the world level. Whilst he holds wins over the likes of Denkaosan Kaovichit, Takefumi Sakata and Silvio Olteanu it's difficult to say that he actually proved to be their superior in the fights and was arguably lucky in all 3.
Whilst Daiki may go in to the fight as the favourite due to home field advantage his Mexican opponent Guerrero will not feel as if it's anything he's not experienced before.
Despite being a Mexican based in Mexico city many of Guerrero's best performances have come outside of his homeland. The first of those was a 12 round decision loss to Vic Darchinyan, a battle in which Guerrero impressed despite being widely out pointed, soon after he was controversially beaten in the US by Raul Martinez and most recently he traveled to Canada and stopped Sebastien Gauthier.
Although not the most skilled fighter on the planet Guerrero is a nightmare for anyone with his toughness, work-rate and in your face style. Unless he's fighting a genuinely top tier fighter he will give a hard fight to anyone as he attempts to out to out tough and out work opponents, as he did in eye catching fashion to Gauthier late last year.
On a neutral venue I'd have had to take Guerrero taking a decision over Kameda quite comfortably based on his aggressive work rate, never say die attitude and general skills. In Japan however Kameda will certainly have things stacked in his favour with the crowd on his side and this may be the difference maker come fight time with the judges. Although the "3 wise men" will try to be fair sometimes it's difficult, especially when there is a few thousand screaming fans going crazy when ever their guy throws a punch, this is a real possibility here and if it occurs then Kameda will do enough to get the nod despite the views of those watching around the world on TBS.
Prediction-Kameda SD12 (controversially)
Kameda, you younger brother of Koki-the current WBA Bantamweight champion, and older broher of Tomoki-the current WBO Bantamweight champion, has seen both of his brother's having title success in recent weeks and will now be looking to join them as he attempts to become just the 3rd IBF champion in Japanese boxing history.
Although Daiki is a former WBA Flyweight champion he is widely viewed as the most limited of the 3 fighting brothers. He lacks the counter punching of both of his brothers and the boxing brain and whilst still a decent fighter in his own right he's certainly helped by having the name "Kameda".
In terms of his style the Japanese fighter fighter is a limited, he tends to work hard yet always manages to make fights difficult for himself at the world level. Whilst he holds wins over the likes of Denkaosan Kaovichit, Takefumi Sakata and Silvio Olteanu it's difficult to say that he actually proved to be their superior in the fights and was arguably lucky in all 3.
Whilst Daiki may go in to the fight as the favourite due to home field advantage his Mexican opponent Guerrero will not feel as if it's anything he's not experienced before.
Despite being a Mexican based in Mexico city many of Guerrero's best performances have come outside of his homeland. The first of those was a 12 round decision loss to Vic Darchinyan, a battle in which Guerrero impressed despite being widely out pointed, soon after he was controversially beaten in the US by Raul Martinez and most recently he traveled to Canada and stopped Sebastien Gauthier.
Although not the most skilled fighter on the planet Guerrero is a nightmare for anyone with his toughness, work-rate and in your face style. Unless he's fighting a genuinely top tier fighter he will give a hard fight to anyone as he attempts to out to out tough and out work opponents, as he did in eye catching fashion to Gauthier late last year.
On a neutral venue I'd have had to take Guerrero taking a decision over Kameda quite comfortably based on his aggressive work rate, never say die attitude and general skills. In Japan however Kameda will certainly have things stacked in his favour with the crowd on his side and this may be the difference maker come fight time with the judges. Although the "3 wise men" will try to be fair sometimes it's difficult, especially when there is a few thousand screaming fans going crazy when ever their guy throws a punch, this is a real possibility here and if it occurs then Kameda will do enough to get the nod despite the views of those watching around the world on TBS.
Prediction-Kameda SD12 (controversially)
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Omar Andres Narvaez v Hiroyuki Hisataka
It's often said that fighters in the smaller divisions age significantly quicker than their heavier counterparts. If that's true Argentinian veteran Omar Andres Narvaez (39-1-2, 20) must be boxing's version of a octogenarian holding the WBO Super Flyweight title despite being 38.
Narvaez, who was the first of the 2000 Olympians to claim a world title, is a fighter who widely splits the opinion of the boxing world depending on whether or not you've actually followed him or not. If you've not followed him you've probably only seen his bout with Nonito Donaire, a bout that he was out-gunned in from the off and a fight that he stood no chance in. Rather than giving Donaire a chance to behead him Narvaez covered up and actually showed how poor Donaire was when he was forced to make the action, something we saw again when Donaire fought Guillermo Rigondeaux.
If you've instead followed Narvaez's career you'll be fully aware of what a talented fighter he is. He's quick, skilled, slippery and a nightmare to fight. He's not strong or hard hitting but he's slippery, intelligent and knows how to get in and out whilst landing his own flurry of shots. From the outside he can be neutralised but he's got unbelievable quickness for such an "old man" that he tends to find his way inside whenever he wants.
Although it's fair to say that Narvaez is slipping as a fighter and I certainly wouldn't fancy his chances against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, he's still a more than capable fighter. Despite still be good we did see him showing cracks in his armour last time out as Mexican Felipe Orucuta almost dethroned him and he looks like he's certainly becoming more beatable fight after fight.
Narvaez looks for the 8th defense of his WBO Super Flyweight title this coming weekend when he takes on Japanese fighter Hiroyuki Hisataka (22-10-1, 10) a fighter who's record makes him look like an easy mark for Narvaez.
Surprisingly Hisataka has one of those misleading records. His record really looks much worse than it should simply because he's been matched so very hard and it's left his record looking like a who's who which includes Tomonobu Shimizu, Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym, Takefumi Sakata, Denkaosan Kaovichit, Hugo Fidel Cazares and Oleydong Sithsamerchai.
At 28 years old Hisataka is notably younger than the champion and is probably just coming into his boxing prime. He's no longer a child but he's a fully grown man who is tough, hard working and has given good fighters, Kaovichit for example, a very good run for their money.
Although Hisataka isn't near the skill level of Narvaez, very few are, the intangibles do oddly favour Hisataka to really give Narvaez a very tough night. I'm not saying Hisataka will win but he will certainly give a very good account of himself and maybe help open doors to another world title fight.
This it a bout that the under-dog has been written off before he's stepped foot in the ring though is a surprisingly live under-dog.
Prediction-UD12 Narvaez
Narvaez, who was the first of the 2000 Olympians to claim a world title, is a fighter who widely splits the opinion of the boxing world depending on whether or not you've actually followed him or not. If you've not followed him you've probably only seen his bout with Nonito Donaire, a bout that he was out-gunned in from the off and a fight that he stood no chance in. Rather than giving Donaire a chance to behead him Narvaez covered up and actually showed how poor Donaire was when he was forced to make the action, something we saw again when Donaire fought Guillermo Rigondeaux.
If you've instead followed Narvaez's career you'll be fully aware of what a talented fighter he is. He's quick, skilled, slippery and a nightmare to fight. He's not strong or hard hitting but he's slippery, intelligent and knows how to get in and out whilst landing his own flurry of shots. From the outside he can be neutralised but he's got unbelievable quickness for such an "old man" that he tends to find his way inside whenever he wants.
Although it's fair to say that Narvaez is slipping as a fighter and I certainly wouldn't fancy his chances against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, he's still a more than capable fighter. Despite still be good we did see him showing cracks in his armour last time out as Mexican Felipe Orucuta almost dethroned him and he looks like he's certainly becoming more beatable fight after fight.
Narvaez looks for the 8th defense of his WBO Super Flyweight title this coming weekend when he takes on Japanese fighter Hiroyuki Hisataka (22-10-1, 10) a fighter who's record makes him look like an easy mark for Narvaez.
Surprisingly Hisataka has one of those misleading records. His record really looks much worse than it should simply because he's been matched so very hard and it's left his record looking like a who's who which includes Tomonobu Shimizu, Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym, Takefumi Sakata, Denkaosan Kaovichit, Hugo Fidel Cazares and Oleydong Sithsamerchai.
At 28 years old Hisataka is notably younger than the champion and is probably just coming into his boxing prime. He's no longer a child but he's a fully grown man who is tough, hard working and has given good fighters, Kaovichit for example, a very good run for their money.
Although Hisataka isn't near the skill level of Narvaez, very few are, the intangibles do oddly favour Hisataka to really give Narvaez a very tough night. I'm not saying Hisataka will win but he will certainly give a very good account of himself and maybe help open doors to another world title fight.
This it a bout that the under-dog has been written off before he's stepped foot in the ring though is a surprisingly live under-dog.
Prediction-UD12 Narvaez
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr v Roberto Domingo Sosa
IBF Super Flyweight Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr (15-1-1, 8) was one of boxing's unsung hero's in 2012. He'll be hoping to keep up his impressive run as he attempts to defend his belt for the first time 3rd time in total (and first time this year) and takes on the unbeaten mandatory challenger Roberto Domingo Sosa (24-0, 14).
The 22 year old Sanchez Jr seemed to burst out of nowhere last year as he scored 3 really notable wins. Those first of those saw him upset Rodrigo Guerrero to win the world title before he defended it against Juan Alberto Rosas and Rodel Mayol. All three victories saw Sanchez over-coming more experienced opponents and whilst none are elite class opponents all were solid.
Before he scored his 3 title victories however Sanchez had actually defeated Juan Francisco Estrada a victory that now looks to be his most impressive (considering Estrada pushed Roman Gonzalez close and defeated Brian Viloria).
Sanchez is a very mentally strong fighter. He's not the most technically solid, though he's a fighter who has improved drastically from the fighter who was stopped in 2 rounds by Daniel Rosas back in February 2010. He's still flawed, and can still be hurt but he's still a tough fighter and is very awkward due to not only being a southpaw but also a very tall fighter for the weight.
Argentinian challenger Sosa is a bit of a mystery man to many boxing fans. He's been a professional since March 2006 but has yet to fight outside of his native Argentina. As well as being hidden in South America he's also only fought one or two "names" with the only really notable one being South African southpaw Zolani Tete.
Tete fought Sosa last time in an IBF Flyweight eliminator. Although Sosa claimed a majority decision over Tete many felt that the Argentinian fighter had been given a very favourable decision in a bout that he appeared to lose. Tete was able to land his straight left time and time again on Sosa and with that in mind Sanchez Jr may be looking to land his own straight left on Sosa.
In the ring Sosa is pretty wild looking fighter, he appears to want to get inside but looks limited. In his fight with Sosa he was spending a lot of time on the outside and being tagged at range on the inside he was being tied up easily and made to look very toothless.
Although Sosa is unbeaten it's hard to see him beating Sanchez. Sanchez has a number of the qualities that Tete gave Sosa a nightmare with (the southpaw stance, the height and reach), sure the styles are different but he's also good enough. This time however Sosa lacks his "equaliser" of fighting at home, it was only really that that allowed him the win over Tete.
Prediction-Sanchez Jr UD12
The 22 year old Sanchez Jr seemed to burst out of nowhere last year as he scored 3 really notable wins. Those first of those saw him upset Rodrigo Guerrero to win the world title before he defended it against Juan Alberto Rosas and Rodel Mayol. All three victories saw Sanchez over-coming more experienced opponents and whilst none are elite class opponents all were solid.
Before he scored his 3 title victories however Sanchez had actually defeated Juan Francisco Estrada a victory that now looks to be his most impressive (considering Estrada pushed Roman Gonzalez close and defeated Brian Viloria).
Sanchez is a very mentally strong fighter. He's not the most technically solid, though he's a fighter who has improved drastically from the fighter who was stopped in 2 rounds by Daniel Rosas back in February 2010. He's still flawed, and can still be hurt but he's still a tough fighter and is very awkward due to not only being a southpaw but also a very tall fighter for the weight.
Argentinian challenger Sosa is a bit of a mystery man to many boxing fans. He's been a professional since March 2006 but has yet to fight outside of his native Argentina. As well as being hidden in South America he's also only fought one or two "names" with the only really notable one being South African southpaw Zolani Tete.
Tete fought Sosa last time in an IBF Flyweight eliminator. Although Sosa claimed a majority decision over Tete many felt that the Argentinian fighter had been given a very favourable decision in a bout that he appeared to lose. Tete was able to land his straight left time and time again on Sosa and with that in mind Sanchez Jr may be looking to land his own straight left on Sosa.
In the ring Sosa is pretty wild looking fighter, he appears to want to get inside but looks limited. In his fight with Sosa he was spending a lot of time on the outside and being tagged at range on the inside he was being tied up easily and made to look very toothless.
Although Sosa is unbeaten it's hard to see him beating Sanchez. Sanchez has a number of the qualities that Tete gave Sosa a nightmare with (the southpaw stance, the height and reach), sure the styles are different but he's also good enough. This time however Sosa lacks his "equaliser" of fighting at home, it was only really that that allowed him the win over Tete.
Prediction-Sanchez Jr UD12
Friday, 24 May 2013
Omar Andres Narvaez v Felipe Orucuta
Argentinian veteran Omar Andres Narvaez (38-1-2, 20) may be fast heading to his 38th birthday but the skilled and slippery fighter is still rated by many as the premier Super Flyweight on the planet. The WBO champion will need to show why he is so highly regard this coming weekend as he takes on the very dangerous Mexican Felipe Orucuta (27-1, 23), a younger, stronger and bigger fighter.
The once beaten Narvaez, a 2-time Olympian, has been one of the hardcore boxing fans favourite boxers over the past decade or so. He's proven to be hugely skilled and intelligent fighter who has been able to thrive at the top for years thanks to his fast hands and elusiveness which has seen him making a trademark out of slipping opponents shots, landing a flurry then getting away.
Although clearly slowing as he nears his 40th birthday Narvaez is still surprisingly fast and in recent bouts he has started to show a spitefulness, especially in his stoppage of Johnny Garcia late last year. Saying that however Narvaez was never a powerful fighter (despite the ridiculous comments of both Steve Bunce and Steve Lillis back in 2011 on Boxnation) and that was also the case when he was carving out his career at Flyweight, now at Super Flyweight his power is even less significant.
With retirement looming it's hard to really say what Narvaez has left, though we've been saying that for the past few years and he's kept pushing challengers back such as Victor Zaleta, Cesar Seda, William Urina and Jose Cabrera, rarely losing a round in the fights. In all honesty, the Donaire fight aside, Narvaez has really been forced to do things he doesn't want to do in the ring, it's fair to say however that Orucuta will be looking to change that.
Aged 27, Orucuta is a much younger fighter with some 9 years of youth on his side as well as a stunning 5" in height and a notable physical advantage with longer arms and a thicker body. It's likely that the Mexican could well be a division, if not 2, bigger than Narvaez in the ring.
Orucuta debuted back in 2006 and after winning his first 18 fights he suffered his sole professional loss to Daniel Rosas, a close decision. Since the loss to Rosas, Orucuta has gone 9-0 (9) and scored notable victories over Julio David Roque Ler, Roberto Castaneda Julio Cesar Miranda and Fernando Lumacad. It's the manner of those victories that have seen many tipping Orucuta here as he's been blasting out experienced and talented opponents time and time again.
With age, size, power and energy on his side Orucuta should well be a betting favourite though the skill, experience and edge do all favour Narvaez, as does the fact that the Argentinian fighter will be at home in front of his loyal fans whilst Orucuta will be fighting his first fight outside of his native Mexico. The fact that Orucuta has never fought outside of Mexico will be a major disadvantage here and could well be what swings the fight in the way of Narvaez.
This is seen by the bookies as a genuine toss up fight, we don't get many of those in this sport. I'm actually very much split here but always find it hard to pick against Narvaez who could make Orucuta look silly if he's as sharp as he once was.
Prediction-Narvaez UD12 (but very competitively)
The once beaten Narvaez, a 2-time Olympian, has been one of the hardcore boxing fans favourite boxers over the past decade or so. He's proven to be hugely skilled and intelligent fighter who has been able to thrive at the top for years thanks to his fast hands and elusiveness which has seen him making a trademark out of slipping opponents shots, landing a flurry then getting away.
Although clearly slowing as he nears his 40th birthday Narvaez is still surprisingly fast and in recent bouts he has started to show a spitefulness, especially in his stoppage of Johnny Garcia late last year. Saying that however Narvaez was never a powerful fighter (despite the ridiculous comments of both Steve Bunce and Steve Lillis back in 2011 on Boxnation) and that was also the case when he was carving out his career at Flyweight, now at Super Flyweight his power is even less significant.
With retirement looming it's hard to really say what Narvaez has left, though we've been saying that for the past few years and he's kept pushing challengers back such as Victor Zaleta, Cesar Seda, William Urina and Jose Cabrera, rarely losing a round in the fights. In all honesty, the Donaire fight aside, Narvaez has really been forced to do things he doesn't want to do in the ring, it's fair to say however that Orucuta will be looking to change that.
Aged 27, Orucuta is a much younger fighter with some 9 years of youth on his side as well as a stunning 5" in height and a notable physical advantage with longer arms and a thicker body. It's likely that the Mexican could well be a division, if not 2, bigger than Narvaez in the ring.
Orucuta debuted back in 2006 and after winning his first 18 fights he suffered his sole professional loss to Daniel Rosas, a close decision. Since the loss to Rosas, Orucuta has gone 9-0 (9) and scored notable victories over Julio David Roque Ler, Roberto Castaneda Julio Cesar Miranda and Fernando Lumacad. It's the manner of those victories that have seen many tipping Orucuta here as he's been blasting out experienced and talented opponents time and time again.
With age, size, power and energy on his side Orucuta should well be a betting favourite though the skill, experience and edge do all favour Narvaez, as does the fact that the Argentinian fighter will be at home in front of his loyal fans whilst Orucuta will be fighting his first fight outside of his native Mexico. The fact that Orucuta has never fought outside of Mexico will be a major disadvantage here and could well be what swings the fight in the way of Narvaez.
This is seen by the bookies as a genuine toss up fight, we don't get many of those in this sport. I'm actually very much split here but always find it hard to pick against Narvaez who could make Orucuta look silly if he's as sharp as he once was.
Prediction-Narvaez UD12 (but very competitively)
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Kohei Kono v Liborio Solis
At the very end of 2012 Japanese "nearly man" Kohei Kono (28-7, 11) claimed the biggest victory of his career as he stopped the highly regarded Thai Tepparith Kokietgym for the WBA Super Flyweight title. This coming Monday he'll look to defend that belt for the first time when he faces Venezuelan Liborio Solis (14-3-1, 7) who has, for the past 17 months or so, been the "interim" WBA Super Flyweight champion.
Although Kono's record looks somewhat disappointing for a world champion he's been one of the more unfortunate fighters in recent years. He suffered a debut loss in 2000 and picked up several others early in his career before going on a great run in 2007 that saw him claiming the Japanese and OPBF titles at 115lbs.
Sadly when Kono first stepped up to the world level he came agonisingly close in a split decision loss to Nobuo Nashiro in a fantastic bout. The set back to Nashiro probably deserved a rematch though unfortunately Kono would have to wait 12 months before he got his next chance at a world title, losing that time to Tomas Rojas despite dropping Rojas.
Since the loss to Rojas, Kono has gone 3-2 with losses to Yohei Tobe (over 8 rounds) and the recently deposed WBC Super Flyweight champion Yota Sato as well as the victory over Tepparith.
Aged 32 it's fair to say that Kono will not be wanting to hand his title over with out going through hell and with his genuine toughness as well as his under-rated power he'll happily drag opponents to hell and back. Sure he's not a major puncher but when he has his man hurt he can really take them out with his aggression. In terms of his boxing, he's not got anything that really stands out, but then he's also not got any major weaknesses. Sure he can be out-boxed, Rojas and Sato showed that, though he's very determined and will refuse to admit defeat until the final bell.
The Venezuelan challenger is slightly younger than the champion though is also less experienced, especially against world level competition and more tellingly comes in to this bout with more than a year out of the ring.
Solis, like Kono made his debut back in 2000 and after making a winning start he would move to 3-0-1 before vanishing off the boxing map for over 5 years. Since returning to the ring in 2007 he has won 11 of 13 contests with his only losses coming against Henry Maldonado and Ricardo Nunez.
Despite his relatively impressive run of results in terms of numbers Solis hasn't yet beaten a genuinely proven opponent, in fact his best wins are over Jose Salgado and Rafael Concepcion. Solid opponents though certainly not proven world championship level (Concepcion did however give Nonito Donaire a difficult fight and did defeat AJ Banal).
With Solis lacking the punch needed to discourage Kono and not quite having the skills to get away with spending a year out I can't help but feel that a determined Kono manages to hurt, and then stop Solis in the middle rounds. I might be wrong (I often am!) but I do see him wanting to prove a point.
Prediction-Kono TKO7
Although Kono's record looks somewhat disappointing for a world champion he's been one of the more unfortunate fighters in recent years. He suffered a debut loss in 2000 and picked up several others early in his career before going on a great run in 2007 that saw him claiming the Japanese and OPBF titles at 115lbs.
Sadly when Kono first stepped up to the world level he came agonisingly close in a split decision loss to Nobuo Nashiro in a fantastic bout. The set back to Nashiro probably deserved a rematch though unfortunately Kono would have to wait 12 months before he got his next chance at a world title, losing that time to Tomas Rojas despite dropping Rojas.
Since the loss to Rojas, Kono has gone 3-2 with losses to Yohei Tobe (over 8 rounds) and the recently deposed WBC Super Flyweight champion Yota Sato as well as the victory over Tepparith.
Aged 32 it's fair to say that Kono will not be wanting to hand his title over with out going through hell and with his genuine toughness as well as his under-rated power he'll happily drag opponents to hell and back. Sure he's not a major puncher but when he has his man hurt he can really take them out with his aggression. In terms of his boxing, he's not got anything that really stands out, but then he's also not got any major weaknesses. Sure he can be out-boxed, Rojas and Sato showed that, though he's very determined and will refuse to admit defeat until the final bell.
The Venezuelan challenger is slightly younger than the champion though is also less experienced, especially against world level competition and more tellingly comes in to this bout with more than a year out of the ring.
Solis, like Kono made his debut back in 2000 and after making a winning start he would move to 3-0-1 before vanishing off the boxing map for over 5 years. Since returning to the ring in 2007 he has won 11 of 13 contests with his only losses coming against Henry Maldonado and Ricardo Nunez.
Despite his relatively impressive run of results in terms of numbers Solis hasn't yet beaten a genuinely proven opponent, in fact his best wins are over Jose Salgado and Rafael Concepcion. Solid opponents though certainly not proven world championship level (Concepcion did however give Nonito Donaire a difficult fight and did defeat AJ Banal).
With Solis lacking the punch needed to discourage Kono and not quite having the skills to get away with spending a year out I can't help but feel that a determined Kono manages to hurt, and then stop Solis in the middle rounds. I might be wrong (I often am!) but I do see him wanting to prove a point.
Prediction-Kono TKO7
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Yota Sato v Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
The first world title fight of the week see's WBC Super Flyweight champion Yota Sato (26-2-1, 12) attempting to make his 3rd title defense as he travels to Thailand in a possibly historic bout against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (18-3-1, 17).
In the history of the sport no native Japanese fighter has ever successfully defended a world title with a victory in Thailand. For Sato this is something that needs to be changed and with the way he won the title back in March 2012 shows that he has the ability to make history.
Back in March of last year Sato put on an incredible performance to claim the WBC title when he out pointed the highly regarded Suriyan Sor Rungvisai over 12 rounds, dropping Suriyan twice on route to the victory. Since then he has defended the title twice defeating both Sylvester Lopez and Ryo Akaho by clear decision.
Aged 29 Sato is a fighter who physically in his prime and a fighter who will not be wanting to lose his title despite going to Thailand where Japanese fighters have an awful record.
From footage Sato has shown himself to be very talented with a good understanding of the ring, fast hands, nice shot selection a genuine toughness and although he's not a huge a huge puncher he's a very clean puncher who lands hurtful shots as opposed to concussive shots. From a distance Sato is an intelligent fighter though he can also mix it up in close with a high work rate and an unexpected toughness.
At 26 years old Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is less experienced than the Japanese champion though his record is nothing short of eye opening, despite losing 3 of his first 5 professional bouts (including a debut loss to current WBC Flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi). Since a 10 round decision loss to Kenji Oba back in February 2010 Srisaket has been on an excellent run of 17 straight wins with 16 coming by way of T/KO.
Whilst Srisaket has been on an excellent run in terms of victories he has been fighting low level opponents with his most notable victories coming against Alvin Bais and Dondon Jimenea (who was the only man not to be stopped during the rug, losing a technical decision when Srisaket was cut). What his results will be like against an experienced opponent could be very different, especially when one considers that Sato has proven to be a tough nut himself.
Whilst Sato certainly has the skills, competition and experience edge it's fair to say that Srisaket's key advantage is the fact he's fighting at home. As mentioned already no Japanese champion has ever won in a title defense in Thailand. This sort of historical challenge lies on the shoulders of Sato and that sort of pressure can be enough to drown a fighters hopes.
If the bout was in Japan I'd assume it'd be an easy win for Sato but with it being in Thailand and being fought in the middle of the day in an outdoor arena it could be a very hard fight for Sato. I think, as long as Sato has prepared properly he should be able to defend his belt, if he's not prepared there is every chance he'll be upset here.
Prediction-Sato by TKO9
In the history of the sport no native Japanese fighter has ever successfully defended a world title with a victory in Thailand. For Sato this is something that needs to be changed and with the way he won the title back in March 2012 shows that he has the ability to make history.
Back in March of last year Sato put on an incredible performance to claim the WBC title when he out pointed the highly regarded Suriyan Sor Rungvisai over 12 rounds, dropping Suriyan twice on route to the victory. Since then he has defended the title twice defeating both Sylvester Lopez and Ryo Akaho by clear decision.
Aged 29 Sato is a fighter who physically in his prime and a fighter who will not be wanting to lose his title despite going to Thailand where Japanese fighters have an awful record.
From footage Sato has shown himself to be very talented with a good understanding of the ring, fast hands, nice shot selection a genuine toughness and although he's not a huge a huge puncher he's a very clean puncher who lands hurtful shots as opposed to concussive shots. From a distance Sato is an intelligent fighter though he can also mix it up in close with a high work rate and an unexpected toughness.
At 26 years old Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is less experienced than the Japanese champion though his record is nothing short of eye opening, despite losing 3 of his first 5 professional bouts (including a debut loss to current WBC Flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi). Since a 10 round decision loss to Kenji Oba back in February 2010 Srisaket has been on an excellent run of 17 straight wins with 16 coming by way of T/KO.
Whilst Srisaket has been on an excellent run in terms of victories he has been fighting low level opponents with his most notable victories coming against Alvin Bais and Dondon Jimenea (who was the only man not to be stopped during the rug, losing a technical decision when Srisaket was cut). What his results will be like against an experienced opponent could be very different, especially when one considers that Sato has proven to be a tough nut himself.
Whilst Sato certainly has the skills, competition and experience edge it's fair to say that Srisaket's key advantage is the fact he's fighting at home. As mentioned already no Japanese champion has ever won in a title defense in Thailand. This sort of historical challenge lies on the shoulders of Sato and that sort of pressure can be enough to drown a fighters hopes.
If the bout was in Japan I'd assume it'd be an easy win for Sato but with it being in Thailand and being fought in the middle of the day in an outdoor arena it could be a very hard fight for Sato. I think, as long as Sato has prepared properly he should be able to defend his belt, if he's not prepared there is every chance he'll be upset here.
Prediction-Sato by TKO9
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Tepparith Kokietgym v Kohei Kono
WBA Super Flyweight champion Tepparith Kokietgym (21-2, 13) made 2011 a break out year as he claimed notable wins over Drian Francisco and Daiki Kameda. Since then the little Thai has been continued to make his name thanks to notable victories over top Japanese fighters Tomonobu Shimizu and Nobuo Nashiro. He will return to Japan once again as he face former 2 time title challenger Kohei Kono (27-7, 10).
Whilst it's true that Tepparith, a talented boxer, did struggle last time out with Japanese hard man Nashiro, that was more due to Tepparith being brought in to a brawl rather than a boxing contest. When the 24 year old "Astro Boy" is allowed to box and control the pace and distance of the fight he is exceptional using his jab as well as solid work rate. If he's forced to brawl however he can be out powered at times and, as we saw against Nashiro, can be forced out of his comfortable rhythm.
Although not a massive puncher Tepparith is capableof landing hard, hurtful shots, such as the shots that stopped Shimizu earlier this year (in what is notable Tepparith's only stoppage on the world level). Against a tough fighter, like Nashiro, this wasn't enough to establish the range, though not many fighters are as tough as Nashiro, unfortunately for Tepparith, Kono is.
Like Nashiro, Kono is a genuine Japanese hard man. Despite suffering 7 losses in 34 fights Kono has never been stopped and has hardly ever looked hurt despite facing some great opponents including the aforementioned Nashiro, former world champion Tomas Rojas, and current world champion Yota Sato. As well as those losses, he has only lost 1 other bout in the last 7 years, an 8 round decision to the highly regarded prospect Yohei Tobe.
For Tepparith it's the victory by Tobe that should really be the battle plan to use. Tobe used his speed, jab and movement to keep Kono away and although Tobe is a taller fighter than Tepparith the Thai has the class and ability to follow that sort of game plan. I don't think Kono will just take the loss but I think Tepparith will show the difference in class.
Prediction-Tepparith UD12
Whilst it's true that Tepparith, a talented boxer, did struggle last time out with Japanese hard man Nashiro, that was more due to Tepparith being brought in to a brawl rather than a boxing contest. When the 24 year old "Astro Boy" is allowed to box and control the pace and distance of the fight he is exceptional using his jab as well as solid work rate. If he's forced to brawl however he can be out powered at times and, as we saw against Nashiro, can be forced out of his comfortable rhythm.
Although not a massive puncher Tepparith is capableof landing hard, hurtful shots, such as the shots that stopped Shimizu earlier this year (in what is notable Tepparith's only stoppage on the world level). Against a tough fighter, like Nashiro, this wasn't enough to establish the range, though not many fighters are as tough as Nashiro, unfortunately for Tepparith, Kono is.
Like Nashiro, Kono is a genuine Japanese hard man. Despite suffering 7 losses in 34 fights Kono has never been stopped and has hardly ever looked hurt despite facing some great opponents including the aforementioned Nashiro, former world champion Tomas Rojas, and current world champion Yota Sato. As well as those losses, he has only lost 1 other bout in the last 7 years, an 8 round decision to the highly regarded prospect Yohei Tobe.
For Tepparith it's the victory by Tobe that should really be the battle plan to use. Tobe used his speed, jab and movement to keep Kono away and although Tobe is a taller fighter than Tepparith the Thai has the class and ability to follow that sort of game plan. I don't think Kono will just take the loss but I think Tepparith will show the difference in class.
Prediction-Tepparith UD12
Yota Sato v Ryo Akaho
All the eyes of the boxing world will
be pointing towards Japan this New Years Eve with the country hosting
5 world title fights. Of those fights we have just a solitary all
Japanese fight as WBC Super Flyweight champion Yota Sato (25-2-1, 12)
attempt to make the second defense of his title as he faces
countryman Ryo Akaho (19-0-2, 12).
Sato emerged as one of the top Japanese fighters back in 2010 when he stopped Go Onaga for the interim Japanese Super Flyweight title, a title that would later be upgraded to the full version of the belt. As the Japanese Super Flyweight champion Sato was impressive defeating the likes of Kohei Kono (who faces Tepparith Kokietgym on the same card) and the previously unbeaten Kenji Oba. He moved in to the world elite earlier this year as he defeated highly regarded Thai Suriyan Sor Rungvisai for the WBC title, dropping Rungvisai twice.
Since winning the world title Sato has defended it once out pointing the under-rated Filipino Sylvester Lopez though will now need to show his skill to end a year on a high against the very talented Akaho (who I will get on to in a minute). In terms of ability Sato is perhaps “the best fighter you've never seen” with excellent boxing, great speed and under-rated power (just ask Suriyan). The biggest issue is perhaps his inexperience over 12 rounds, a distance he has only done twice in his 28 fight career.
As well his ability Sato will be very confident having been unbeaten since 2005 with both of his losses coming in his first 7 professional contests (and they were both razor thin losses to more experienced fighters). Also, interestingly, the 28 year old is tall for a Super Flyweight at 5'7” and arguably he is in his physical prime. It's fair to say that whilst he may not have a punchers record he's grown into his power and knows how to use his size wonderfully well.
Whilst Sato is regarded by hardcore fans as one of the elite at Super Flyweight Ryo Akaho is much lesser known despite also being unbeaten since 2005 (the year in which he debuted). Akaho, sadly, lacks the notable names (such as Kono, Suriyan and Lopez) on his record however he has been fighting at national and continental title level for a few himself having drawn in a Japanese title fight back in 2009.
Despite failing to claim a title in his first title fight, Akaho has since gone on to claim the OPBF Super Flyweight title, a title that he has defended 4 times, with the most recent of those defense coming against super prospect Yohei Tobe (who was forced in to the fight a few bouts too early). Sadly for Akaho his best opponent was Daigo Nakahiro, the fight he drew with in his failed attempt at the Japanese Super Flyweight title (interestingly Nakahiro was beaten in his very next fight by Sato).
For Akaho this is a great chance and he will, like Sato, go in to this fight with a lot of confidence sadly however his limited competition worries me somewhat, especially having seen how good Sato is. I think that the level of the fighters will be obvious here and Sato will take a wide decision in a thoroughly engaging fight. Akaho will try hard but Sato's speed and jab will keep him out of range for long portions of the bout. At just 26 years old however I imagine that Akaho will come again.
Prediction-Sato UD12
Sato emerged as one of the top Japanese fighters back in 2010 when he stopped Go Onaga for the interim Japanese Super Flyweight title, a title that would later be upgraded to the full version of the belt. As the Japanese Super Flyweight champion Sato was impressive defeating the likes of Kohei Kono (who faces Tepparith Kokietgym on the same card) and the previously unbeaten Kenji Oba. He moved in to the world elite earlier this year as he defeated highly regarded Thai Suriyan Sor Rungvisai for the WBC title, dropping Rungvisai twice.
Since winning the world title Sato has defended it once out pointing the under-rated Filipino Sylvester Lopez though will now need to show his skill to end a year on a high against the very talented Akaho (who I will get on to in a minute). In terms of ability Sato is perhaps “the best fighter you've never seen” with excellent boxing, great speed and under-rated power (just ask Suriyan). The biggest issue is perhaps his inexperience over 12 rounds, a distance he has only done twice in his 28 fight career.
As well his ability Sato will be very confident having been unbeaten since 2005 with both of his losses coming in his first 7 professional contests (and they were both razor thin losses to more experienced fighters). Also, interestingly, the 28 year old is tall for a Super Flyweight at 5'7” and arguably he is in his physical prime. It's fair to say that whilst he may not have a punchers record he's grown into his power and knows how to use his size wonderfully well.
Whilst Sato is regarded by hardcore fans as one of the elite at Super Flyweight Ryo Akaho is much lesser known despite also being unbeaten since 2005 (the year in which he debuted). Akaho, sadly, lacks the notable names (such as Kono, Suriyan and Lopez) on his record however he has been fighting at national and continental title level for a few himself having drawn in a Japanese title fight back in 2009.
Despite failing to claim a title in his first title fight, Akaho has since gone on to claim the OPBF Super Flyweight title, a title that he has defended 4 times, with the most recent of those defense coming against super prospect Yohei Tobe (who was forced in to the fight a few bouts too early). Sadly for Akaho his best opponent was Daigo Nakahiro, the fight he drew with in his failed attempt at the Japanese Super Flyweight title (interestingly Nakahiro was beaten in his very next fight by Sato).
For Akaho this is a great chance and he will, like Sato, go in to this fight with a lot of confidence sadly however his limited competition worries me somewhat, especially having seen how good Sato is. I think that the level of the fighters will be obvious here and Sato will take a wide decision in a thoroughly engaging fight. Akaho will try hard but Sato's speed and jab will keep him out of range for long portions of the bout. At just 26 years old however I imagine that Akaho will come again.
Prediction-Sato UD12
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Omar Andres Narvaez v David Quijano
Argentinian veteran Omar Andres Narvaez (37-1-2, 20) looks to make the sixth defense of his WBO Super Flyweight title this weekend as he faces the relatively unknown Puerto Rican David Quijano (15-2-1, 9).
On paper this appears to be a bit of a mismatch, as Narvaez, arguably a top 20 pound-for-pound fighter faces someone who's lacking not only name recognition but also any stand out wins. However at 37 years old the defending champion is a fighter who is getting on and may well be on the slide.
Narvaez last fought back in October (stopping Johnny Garcia in 11 rounds) and for much of that fight didn't look himself. His fast handed combinations from the pocket and ability to slip punches often looked lacking as he instead used his movement to frustrate Garcia whilst leaping in with his own shots. The big question is why did Narvaez fight like that? Was it because he was getting old and can't fight with the intensity he used to be able to, or was it because of personal issues, including his father's death just days earlier.
At his best Narvaez was a little demon, he was quick, smart, and whilst not a hard puncher he was hurtful enough to stop fighters walking him down. Oddly the stoppage over Garcia was his first for over 3 years (the previous stoppage being a TKO11 over Omar Soto) and perhaps showed a lot about Narvaez's mental state and how he had some spent up emotion to be throwing at a faded fighter. If however it was Narvaez realising that 12 rounds is a long time to be fighting, he may well be looking for a bow out fight in the coming months.
With an astonishing 334 professional rounds under his belt from his 40 fights (average of 8.35 rounds a fight) Narvaez is very experienced as a professional and also as an amateur having twice competed at the Olympics. Though what's even more impressive is that he's been fighting at a world level since 2002 with over 20 title fights, as impressively as that is that Narvaez is 23-1-1 in world title bouts across 3 weight divisions!
Unlike the champion, the challenger is yet to fight in a world title bout however at 26 years old Quijano he is coming in to his own physical prime and will certainly have youth on his side. Though sadly from his competition I think youth is his only real advantage as his best win to date (a 10 round technical decision over Juanito Rubillar) isn't even nearing the quality of Narvaez's top 10 or so wins.
In terms of his style Quijano is a fighter with a very good guard who comes to fight. In his bout with Rubillar he showed an excellent jab, very good movement and and the ability to slip shots wonderfully, however aside from his jab he did look clumsy and left himself open at times and had it been a fighter better than Rubillar I think Quijano would have been punished.
Interestingly, for once perhaps, Narvaez won't actually be the smaller man in the ring with a 1" height advantage. Despite this I think if Narvaez is 80% of the fighter he was he'll use his usual tactic, fight from the pocket and we'll have a very fun to watch bout between two very short men with similar movement, but a whole world of difference in class. I don't see a stoppage here as Quijano does have a good guard, though I think he'll be dropped with a counter at some point before going into survival mode for the final few rounds.
Prediction- Narvaez UD12
On paper this appears to be a bit of a mismatch, as Narvaez, arguably a top 20 pound-for-pound fighter faces someone who's lacking not only name recognition but also any stand out wins. However at 37 years old the defending champion is a fighter who is getting on and may well be on the slide.
Narvaez last fought back in October (stopping Johnny Garcia in 11 rounds) and for much of that fight didn't look himself. His fast handed combinations from the pocket and ability to slip punches often looked lacking as he instead used his movement to frustrate Garcia whilst leaping in with his own shots. The big question is why did Narvaez fight like that? Was it because he was getting old and can't fight with the intensity he used to be able to, or was it because of personal issues, including his father's death just days earlier.
At his best Narvaez was a little demon, he was quick, smart, and whilst not a hard puncher he was hurtful enough to stop fighters walking him down. Oddly the stoppage over Garcia was his first for over 3 years (the previous stoppage being a TKO11 over Omar Soto) and perhaps showed a lot about Narvaez's mental state and how he had some spent up emotion to be throwing at a faded fighter. If however it was Narvaez realising that 12 rounds is a long time to be fighting, he may well be looking for a bow out fight in the coming months.
With an astonishing 334 professional rounds under his belt from his 40 fights (average of 8.35 rounds a fight) Narvaez is very experienced as a professional and also as an amateur having twice competed at the Olympics. Though what's even more impressive is that he's been fighting at a world level since 2002 with over 20 title fights, as impressively as that is that Narvaez is 23-1-1 in world title bouts across 3 weight divisions!
Unlike the champion, the challenger is yet to fight in a world title bout however at 26 years old Quijano he is coming in to his own physical prime and will certainly have youth on his side. Though sadly from his competition I think youth is his only real advantage as his best win to date (a 10 round technical decision over Juanito Rubillar) isn't even nearing the quality of Narvaez's top 10 or so wins.
In terms of his style Quijano is a fighter with a very good guard who comes to fight. In his bout with Rubillar he showed an excellent jab, very good movement and and the ability to slip shots wonderfully, however aside from his jab he did look clumsy and left himself open at times and had it been a fighter better than Rubillar I think Quijano would have been punished.
Interestingly, for once perhaps, Narvaez won't actually be the smaller man in the ring with a 1" height advantage. Despite this I think if Narvaez is 80% of the fighter he was he'll use his usual tactic, fight from the pocket and we'll have a very fun to watch bout between two very short men with similar movement, but a whole world of difference in class. I don't see a stoppage here as Quijano does have a good guard, though I think he'll be dropped with a counter at some point before going into survival mode for the final few rounds.
Prediction- Narvaez UD12
Friday, 19 October 2012
Omar Andres Narvaez v Johnny Garcia
Despite the fact Argentina has historically been a notable boxing country, it's on a real high at the moment with a number of world champions and top contenders. One of the top Argentinian fighters, the WBO Super Flyweight champion, Omar Andres Narvaez (36-1-2, 19) looks to make the fifth defense of his title as he faces Mexican Johnny Garcia (16-3-1, 8).
At 37 years old Narvaez is coming to the twilight years of his exceptional career which has seen him become a 2-weight world champion and a fighter who has reigned at the top for almost a decade despite staying in relative obscurity.
Sadly most boxing fans who have seen Narvaez have only seen his fight with Donaire, a mismatch from the offer in which Narvaez clearly spent more time trying to survive against a fighter who was simply too big and too strong. Against men of a similar natural size to himself however, Narvaez is something special with tricky defense, fast hands and some lovely combinations that he rattles off over and over despite his advanced age.
Narvaez first made his name as an amateur and actually appeared in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics before turning professional in 2000. Within 2 years of his professional debut Narvaez had already claimed his first professional title (the WBO Flyweight title) by defeating Adonis Rivas. As the Flyweight champion Narvaez made 16 title defenses and defeated the likes of Luis Alberto Lazarte, Andrea Sarritzu, Bernard Inom, Brahim Asloum and Carlos Tamara before giving up the title in 2009 and moving up to Super Flyweight looking for a challenge.
After moving to Super Flyweight Narvaez swiftly won the WBO title as he defeated Everth Briceno and followed that up with 3 title defenses before his loss to Donaire. Following the loss to Donaire, Narvaez has fought once, defending his title once more by defeating Jose Cabrera.
Despite the claims of Steve Lillis (prior to the Donaire fight), Narvaez has surprisingly fought around the world with fights in Italy, France and Spain as well as the Donaire fight (in America), however this will be his 33rd fight in his native homeland of Argentina, a country in which he is 31-0-1 and 16-0 in title fights.
The challenger for the title, 23 year old Johnny Garcia, is seen as huge betting under-dog and with good reason, and not just because Narvaez is extremely talented. Sadly for Garcia he's really up against it because he himself is unproven at this level.
Garcia made his professional debut back in 2007 when he was just an 18 year old kid. Sadly for Garcia his career started slowly as his record swiftly fell to 3-2-1 after just 14 months. Since then however Garcia has really gotten his career going and has gone 13-1 over the last 4 years.
Not only has Garcia been on an excellent run of results over the past 4 years but he has also been scoring notable victories including wins over Jesus Ruiz, William Urina and most recently Manuel Vargas. The only loss in that time came at the hands of the very highly regarded Carlos Cuadras who stopped Garcia in 2 rounds a little over a year ago.
In terms of pure technique Garcia is quite raw and very aggressively minded however it'd by harsh to flat out call him crude as he does seem to have some technical skills in his arsenal. Sadly, on a technical basis he can't hope to match Narvaez, however in terms of brute power he'll feel that he's easily the more powerful man, and is certainly the younger, more energetic man. Despite the youth, it's fair to say that Narvaez is probably the faster fighter however.
Personally whilst I think Narvaez has slipped a fair bit he is still a fighter who is amongst the top guys in his division and whilst Garcia may have his moments, especially if he starts fast, he won't have enough of the to win a decision. I'd go with Narvaez by a clear decision, I don't think he'll manage to really hurt Garcia too badly but I'd be shocked if Garcia manages to win more than 3 rounds.
Prediction-Narvaez by unanimous decision
At 37 years old Narvaez is coming to the twilight years of his exceptional career which has seen him become a 2-weight world champion and a fighter who has reigned at the top for almost a decade despite staying in relative obscurity.
Sadly most boxing fans who have seen Narvaez have only seen his fight with Donaire, a mismatch from the offer in which Narvaez clearly spent more time trying to survive against a fighter who was simply too big and too strong. Against men of a similar natural size to himself however, Narvaez is something special with tricky defense, fast hands and some lovely combinations that he rattles off over and over despite his advanced age.
Narvaez first made his name as an amateur and actually appeared in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics before turning professional in 2000. Within 2 years of his professional debut Narvaez had already claimed his first professional title (the WBO Flyweight title) by defeating Adonis Rivas. As the Flyweight champion Narvaez made 16 title defenses and defeated the likes of Luis Alberto Lazarte, Andrea Sarritzu, Bernard Inom, Brahim Asloum and Carlos Tamara before giving up the title in 2009 and moving up to Super Flyweight looking for a challenge.
After moving to Super Flyweight Narvaez swiftly won the WBO title as he defeated Everth Briceno and followed that up with 3 title defenses before his loss to Donaire. Following the loss to Donaire, Narvaez has fought once, defending his title once more by defeating Jose Cabrera.
Despite the claims of Steve Lillis (prior to the Donaire fight), Narvaez has surprisingly fought around the world with fights in Italy, France and Spain as well as the Donaire fight (in America), however this will be his 33rd fight in his native homeland of Argentina, a country in which he is 31-0-1 and 16-0 in title fights.
The challenger for the title, 23 year old Johnny Garcia, is seen as huge betting under-dog and with good reason, and not just because Narvaez is extremely talented. Sadly for Garcia he's really up against it because he himself is unproven at this level.
Garcia made his professional debut back in 2007 when he was just an 18 year old kid. Sadly for Garcia his career started slowly as his record swiftly fell to 3-2-1 after just 14 months. Since then however Garcia has really gotten his career going and has gone 13-1 over the last 4 years.
Not only has Garcia been on an excellent run of results over the past 4 years but he has also been scoring notable victories including wins over Jesus Ruiz, William Urina and most recently Manuel Vargas. The only loss in that time came at the hands of the very highly regarded Carlos Cuadras who stopped Garcia in 2 rounds a little over a year ago.
In terms of pure technique Garcia is quite raw and very aggressively minded however it'd by harsh to flat out call him crude as he does seem to have some technical skills in his arsenal. Sadly, on a technical basis he can't hope to match Narvaez, however in terms of brute power he'll feel that he's easily the more powerful man, and is certainly the younger, more energetic man. Despite the youth, it's fair to say that Narvaez is probably the faster fighter however.
Personally whilst I think Narvaez has slipped a fair bit he is still a fighter who is amongst the top guys in his division and whilst Garcia may have his moments, especially if he starts fast, he won't have enough of the to win a decision. I'd go with Narvaez by a clear decision, I don't think he'll manage to really hurt Garcia too badly but I'd be shocked if Garcia manages to win more than 3 rounds.
Prediction-Narvaez by unanimous decision
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr v Rodel Mayol
Earlier this year the young Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr (14-1-1, 7) claimed his first world title by defeating the more experienced Rodrigo Guerrero for the IBF Super Flyweight title. Sanchez Jr has defended that title once, by defeating former champion Juan Alberto Rosas and this week end will be looking to defeat another former world champion in a defense of his own title as he faces Rodel Mayol (31-5-2, 22).
At just 21 years old Sanchez is one of, if not the, youngest world champion out there at the moment, and is also one of the least experienced. Despite this he's not being given the softly softly treatment of so many young fighters out there who refuse to face a decent test until they've milked their world title for a year or two.
Sanchez has been a professional since 2008, when he was just 17. He would start his career with 7 straight victories with 6 of those coming by T/KO. His winning run however ended abruptly with an opening round technical decision with journeyman Felipe Acosta. Following the Acosta bout, Sanchez suffered his first (and so far only) loss as he was stopped in 2 rounds by Daniel Rosas (who later went on to fight for a world title himself).
Since suffering the loss to Rosas, Sanchez has rebuilt his career brilliantly with 7 straight wins. Not only has he scored notable wins over Guerrero and Rosas (as mentioned in the paragraph) but he has also beaten the then 18-0 Juan Francisco Estrada (who has recently stopped former world title challenger Ardin Diale). These victories have proven that Sanchez at least deserves his place amongst the top men at 115lbs even if he's not the top dog himself.
In terms of Sanchez the fighter, he is a huge southpaw who is not only difficult due to his stance but also his freaky frame. He manages to make 115lbs despite standing over 5'8". This freakish size sees him towering almost everyone else at the weight and although he may not be the most powerful guy at the weight (in fact he's only scored 1 T/KO in his last 9 fights) he does hit hard enough to hurt guys.
Unlike the champion, the challenge is an experienced veteran. Not only has Mayol been in more than twice as many bouts but he's been in the ring with some true top talent in a career that spans over a decade.
Mayol debuted as a professional 2000 when he was just 18 and he started his career with an excellent 22 fight winning streak before fighting for his first world title. In his first title tilt, he faced Japanese based Thai Eagle Den Junlaphan and despite putting up a spirited effort Mayol was out pointed.
Ever since his first world title bout, Mayol has been in the title picture with a number of world title fights against some of the best fighters out there. Over the past few years Mayol has faced Ulises Solis, Adrian Hernandez, Ivan Calderon (twice), Edgar Sosa, Omar Nino Romero (twice) and Julio Cesar Miranda. Whilst he suffered losses in a number of those bouts (Solis, Hernandez, Calderon and Romero) he also picked up some credible wins, including stopping Sosa and out pointing the tough Julio Cesar Miranda.
Whilst he's an experienced fighter and a tough fighter, Mayol does have a reputation for being dirty. Not only has he got 2 technical decisions with Ivan Calderon due to head clashes but his victory over Sosa was also marred by a nasty headbutt that Sosa never recovered from.
Despite being quick handed and aggressive Mayol doesn't have the power in his punches that he maybe needs against the best fighters at 115lbs. Whilst he did drop Miranda numerous times last time out in a bout made at the Super Flyweight limit it needs to be noted that Miranda himself was a career Flyweight going into that bout.
So now, to this bout. Whilst Mayol certainly has the experience and the craftiness to make life difficult for everyone in the lower divisions of the sport, I can't help but think that the size difference here will really show. Sanchez is longer, taller and not going to be easy to headbutt, he'll try to stay on the outside but even on the inside the Mexican should be stronger and able to almost push Mayol away with his shots. Mayol is tough and tenacious, having not been stopped in over 4 years and whilst I expect he will see the end, don't be shocked if he is down at some point.
Prediction-Sanchez UD12
At just 21 years old Sanchez is one of, if not the, youngest world champion out there at the moment, and is also one of the least experienced. Despite this he's not being given the softly softly treatment of so many young fighters out there who refuse to face a decent test until they've milked their world title for a year or two.
Sanchez has been a professional since 2008, when he was just 17. He would start his career with 7 straight victories with 6 of those coming by T/KO. His winning run however ended abruptly with an opening round technical decision with journeyman Felipe Acosta. Following the Acosta bout, Sanchez suffered his first (and so far only) loss as he was stopped in 2 rounds by Daniel Rosas (who later went on to fight for a world title himself).
Since suffering the loss to Rosas, Sanchez has rebuilt his career brilliantly with 7 straight wins. Not only has he scored notable wins over Guerrero and Rosas (as mentioned in the paragraph) but he has also beaten the then 18-0 Juan Francisco Estrada (who has recently stopped former world title challenger Ardin Diale). These victories have proven that Sanchez at least deserves his place amongst the top men at 115lbs even if he's not the top dog himself.
In terms of Sanchez the fighter, he is a huge southpaw who is not only difficult due to his stance but also his freaky frame. He manages to make 115lbs despite standing over 5'8". This freakish size sees him towering almost everyone else at the weight and although he may not be the most powerful guy at the weight (in fact he's only scored 1 T/KO in his last 9 fights) he does hit hard enough to hurt guys.
Unlike the champion, the challenge is an experienced veteran. Not only has Mayol been in more than twice as many bouts but he's been in the ring with some true top talent in a career that spans over a decade.
Mayol debuted as a professional 2000 when he was just 18 and he started his career with an excellent 22 fight winning streak before fighting for his first world title. In his first title tilt, he faced Japanese based Thai Eagle Den Junlaphan and despite putting up a spirited effort Mayol was out pointed.
Ever since his first world title bout, Mayol has been in the title picture with a number of world title fights against some of the best fighters out there. Over the past few years Mayol has faced Ulises Solis, Adrian Hernandez, Ivan Calderon (twice), Edgar Sosa, Omar Nino Romero (twice) and Julio Cesar Miranda. Whilst he suffered losses in a number of those bouts (Solis, Hernandez, Calderon and Romero) he also picked up some credible wins, including stopping Sosa and out pointing the tough Julio Cesar Miranda.
Whilst he's an experienced fighter and a tough fighter, Mayol does have a reputation for being dirty. Not only has he got 2 technical decisions with Ivan Calderon due to head clashes but his victory over Sosa was also marred by a nasty headbutt that Sosa never recovered from.
Despite being quick handed and aggressive Mayol doesn't have the power in his punches that he maybe needs against the best fighters at 115lbs. Whilst he did drop Miranda numerous times last time out in a bout made at the Super Flyweight limit it needs to be noted that Miranda himself was a career Flyweight going into that bout.
So now, to this bout. Whilst Mayol certainly has the experience and the craftiness to make life difficult for everyone in the lower divisions of the sport, I can't help but think that the size difference here will really show. Sanchez is longer, taller and not going to be easy to headbutt, he'll try to stay on the outside but even on the inside the Mexican should be stronger and able to almost push Mayol away with his shots. Mayol is tough and tenacious, having not been stopped in over 4 years and whilst I expect he will see the end, don't be shocked if he is down at some point.
Prediction-Sanchez UD12
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Tepparith Kokietgym v Nobuo Nashiro
With there being 5 world title fights it could be difficult to decide which one to watch though for me personally the pick of the bunch takes place in Japan as the unheralded Thai Tepparith Kokietgym (20-2, 13) defends his WBA Super Flyweight title against former 2-time champion Nobuo Nashiro (18-4-1, 12) in what promises to be something special.
In a bit of an oddity the challenger Nobuo Nashiro, will be the home town favourite with the bout taking place in Osaka, Osaka though is actually likely to go into the bout as the under-dog due to his recent results in world title fights, which includes losses in his last 3. In fact of Nashiro's fights so far all 4 of his losses have come in world title fights, as has his draw as he's spent much of the last 6 years facing the worlds best.
Nashiro started his career in 2003 and quickly raced to Japanese title beating the experienced Seiji Tanaka by TKO10 (sadly Tanaka passed away from the injuries he suffered in this bout). After making just a single defence of his national title (defeating Prosper Matsuura) Nashiro gave up the belt to fight for the WBA world title against Mexican Martin Castillo, who had twice traveled to Japan to defeat Hideyasu Ishihara. In a notable upset Nashiro, who had had only 7 professional contests prior to facing Castillo managed to stop the Mexican in the 10th round on cuts.
Nashiro's title reign lasted less than 10 months and consisted of just a single successful defense as he out pointed Eduardo Garcia before losing the belt to former champion Alexander Munoz by a wide decision. After Munoz made 2 successful defences he attempted to unify the WBA belt with the WBC belt by taking on the extremely talented Cristian Mijares, this left the WBA in a position of having a "Super" champion, so they vacated the "regular belt" and allowed Nashiro to face fellow Japanese hard man Kohei Kono in a bout for the vacant "regular belt". The two men fought each other hard with Nashiro taking a narrow split decision to become a 2-time world champion.
Nashiro's second reign as a world champion lasted notably longer than his original reign and this time featured 2 successful defenses. In his first defense Nashiro defeated fellow Japanese fighter Konosuke Tomiyama in an enthralling battle that saw Nashiro dropped in the opening minute and again in round 6 before battling back to stop Tomiyama in an exhilarating 8th round that had the crowd in a frenzy. In his second defense Nashiro managed to score a draw with excellent Mexican Hugo Fidel Cazares before losing his title in a rematch wit Cazares less than 8 months later.
Since the loss to Cazares, Nashiro has twice challenged for the WBC Super Flyweight title, losing decisions to both Tomas Rojas and Suriyan Sor Rungvisai to take his record in world title fights to 4-4-1 (2).
Due to often being the shorter man in the ring Nashiro depends on his pressure and his ox like strength which has seen him often able to just out power or out tough opponents.His key weapon in the ring is his thunderous straight right hand which really seems to rattle opponents at world level and whilst he's not got the longest arms he has an effective jab which seems to always be hurtful. Despite this if fighters can keep Nashiro at range with their movement and jab they can out point him, though no one will ever have an easy night with the hard hitting and fearless warrior.
Whilst the challenger has been around the world level for the better part of the last 6 years Tepparith, the champion is a bit of a new kid on the block having only claimed the WBA "interim" Super Flyweight title around 15 months ago by upsetting the then fast rising Filipino Drian Francisco scoring a clear decision over the highly touted Francisco. Since then however he has really started to make a name for himself with 2 very impressive defenses.
The 23 year old Thai debuted in 2008 aged just 19 and after winning his debut he went on to lose 2 of his following 4 bouts (including one to future champion Suriyan Sor Rungvisai) as his record fell to 3-2 in December 2008. Since then however Tepparith has developed amazingly having claimed the interim PABA Flyweight title in just his 10th professional contest before adding the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Flyweight title just 3 fights later.
Despite developing well it was until his victory over Drian Francisco (who entered 20-0-1, 16) in 2011 that the boxing world really sat up and took any notice of the young Thai. Not only had he beaten Francisco, who at the time looked like a rising phenom but he'd scored a knockdown of the highly fancied Filipino in the 4rd round to claim the interim WBA Super Flyweight title.
Despite the victory over Francisco some thought little of Tepparith who, after being upgraded to the WBA's full champion, traveled to Japan to face the former WBA Flyweight champion Daiki Kameda who had moved up to the Super Flyweight division. Although Kameda was the home fighter, with the bout taking place in Osaka, the crowd couldn't help Kameda who was was pretty clearly beaten by an excellent champion who looked fantastic on the night.
Having beaten both Francisco and Kameda it was perhaps time that Tepparith had started to get some serious acclaim that however didn't come until earlier this year as Tepparith faced the WBA Super Flyweight champion in Recess Tomonobu Shimizu. Shimizu, a credible fighter had upset Hugo Fidel Cazares by split decision in August 2011 to claim the WBA Super Flyweight title, his reign was to be short lived as Tepparith stopped him in round 9.
Whilst not a particularly big puncher Tepparith is well schooled and has excellent movement with both his head and his feet allowing him to move out of danger with his feet or moving his head as he looks for a counter. Like his feet and head he has quick hands and can really catch unsuspecting opponents with razor sharp shorts from a variety of angles. Whilst skilled defensively he's also an extremely good finisher when he lets his hands go, as he did against Shimizu in round 9 stopping his Japanese opponent with a series of hurtful shots against the ropes.
Going into this fight it's hard to actually predict who will win. Whilst Nashiro has been on a poor run at world title level he is by far the more experienced man at the top level with 9 world title fights to Tepparith's 3 and he will also have the home crowd support as well as a clear edge in power. Though Tepparith will certainly not hold any fear by fighting in Japan having fought his last 2 bouts there and is clearly the faster, younger fighter though he's never been hit by anything like Nashiro's right hand which could well lead to a lights out moment if it lands cleanly on Tepparith who's chin is also pretty untested.
If Tepparith fights to the most of his ability I feel he should be able to use his youth (7 years difference), speed, movement and counters to out point Nashiro who genuinely never gives up. The Thai will have to be very cautious of Nashiro's right hand which if it lands, well, anything could happen, if can he avoid it however he should run out a winner and further cement his place as one of the world's top Super Flyweights.
Prediction-Tepparith Kokietgym by decision
Please note-Tepparith Kokietgym was previously known as Tepparith Singwancha
In a bit of an oddity the challenger Nobuo Nashiro, will be the home town favourite with the bout taking place in Osaka, Osaka though is actually likely to go into the bout as the under-dog due to his recent results in world title fights, which includes losses in his last 3. In fact of Nashiro's fights so far all 4 of his losses have come in world title fights, as has his draw as he's spent much of the last 6 years facing the worlds best.
Nashiro started his career in 2003 and quickly raced to Japanese title beating the experienced Seiji Tanaka by TKO10 (sadly Tanaka passed away from the injuries he suffered in this bout). After making just a single defence of his national title (defeating Prosper Matsuura) Nashiro gave up the belt to fight for the WBA world title against Mexican Martin Castillo, who had twice traveled to Japan to defeat Hideyasu Ishihara. In a notable upset Nashiro, who had had only 7 professional contests prior to facing Castillo managed to stop the Mexican in the 10th round on cuts.
Nashiro's title reign lasted less than 10 months and consisted of just a single successful defense as he out pointed Eduardo Garcia before losing the belt to former champion Alexander Munoz by a wide decision. After Munoz made 2 successful defences he attempted to unify the WBA belt with the WBC belt by taking on the extremely talented Cristian Mijares, this left the WBA in a position of having a "Super" champion, so they vacated the "regular belt" and allowed Nashiro to face fellow Japanese hard man Kohei Kono in a bout for the vacant "regular belt". The two men fought each other hard with Nashiro taking a narrow split decision to become a 2-time world champion.
Nashiro's second reign as a world champion lasted notably longer than his original reign and this time featured 2 successful defenses. In his first defense Nashiro defeated fellow Japanese fighter Konosuke Tomiyama in an enthralling battle that saw Nashiro dropped in the opening minute and again in round 6 before battling back to stop Tomiyama in an exhilarating 8th round that had the crowd in a frenzy. In his second defense Nashiro managed to score a draw with excellent Mexican Hugo Fidel Cazares before losing his title in a rematch wit Cazares less than 8 months later.
Since the loss to Cazares, Nashiro has twice challenged for the WBC Super Flyweight title, losing decisions to both Tomas Rojas and Suriyan Sor Rungvisai to take his record in world title fights to 4-4-1 (2).
Due to often being the shorter man in the ring Nashiro depends on his pressure and his ox like strength which has seen him often able to just out power or out tough opponents.His key weapon in the ring is his thunderous straight right hand which really seems to rattle opponents at world level and whilst he's not got the longest arms he has an effective jab which seems to always be hurtful. Despite this if fighters can keep Nashiro at range with their movement and jab they can out point him, though no one will ever have an easy night with the hard hitting and fearless warrior.
Whilst the challenger has been around the world level for the better part of the last 6 years Tepparith, the champion is a bit of a new kid on the block having only claimed the WBA "interim" Super Flyweight title around 15 months ago by upsetting the then fast rising Filipino Drian Francisco scoring a clear decision over the highly touted Francisco. Since then however he has really started to make a name for himself with 2 very impressive defenses.
The 23 year old Thai debuted in 2008 aged just 19 and after winning his debut he went on to lose 2 of his following 4 bouts (including one to future champion Suriyan Sor Rungvisai) as his record fell to 3-2 in December 2008. Since then however Tepparith has developed amazingly having claimed the interim PABA Flyweight title in just his 10th professional contest before adding the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Flyweight title just 3 fights later.
Despite developing well it was until his victory over Drian Francisco (who entered 20-0-1, 16) in 2011 that the boxing world really sat up and took any notice of the young Thai. Not only had he beaten Francisco, who at the time looked like a rising phenom but he'd scored a knockdown of the highly fancied Filipino in the 4rd round to claim the interim WBA Super Flyweight title.
Despite the victory over Francisco some thought little of Tepparith who, after being upgraded to the WBA's full champion, traveled to Japan to face the former WBA Flyweight champion Daiki Kameda who had moved up to the Super Flyweight division. Although Kameda was the home fighter, with the bout taking place in Osaka, the crowd couldn't help Kameda who was was pretty clearly beaten by an excellent champion who looked fantastic on the night.
Having beaten both Francisco and Kameda it was perhaps time that Tepparith had started to get some serious acclaim that however didn't come until earlier this year as Tepparith faced the WBA Super Flyweight champion in Recess Tomonobu Shimizu. Shimizu, a credible fighter had upset Hugo Fidel Cazares by split decision in August 2011 to claim the WBA Super Flyweight title, his reign was to be short lived as Tepparith stopped him in round 9.
Whilst not a particularly big puncher Tepparith is well schooled and has excellent movement with both his head and his feet allowing him to move out of danger with his feet or moving his head as he looks for a counter. Like his feet and head he has quick hands and can really catch unsuspecting opponents with razor sharp shorts from a variety of angles. Whilst skilled defensively he's also an extremely good finisher when he lets his hands go, as he did against Shimizu in round 9 stopping his Japanese opponent with a series of hurtful shots against the ropes.
Going into this fight it's hard to actually predict who will win. Whilst Nashiro has been on a poor run at world title level he is by far the more experienced man at the top level with 9 world title fights to Tepparith's 3 and he will also have the home crowd support as well as a clear edge in power. Though Tepparith will certainly not hold any fear by fighting in Japan having fought his last 2 bouts there and is clearly the faster, younger fighter though he's never been hit by anything like Nashiro's right hand which could well lead to a lights out moment if it lands cleanly on Tepparith who's chin is also pretty untested.
If Tepparith fights to the most of his ability I feel he should be able to use his youth (7 years difference), speed, movement and counters to out point Nashiro who genuinely never gives up. The Thai will have to be very cautious of Nashiro's right hand which if it lands, well, anything could happen, if can he avoid it however he should run out a winner and further cement his place as one of the world's top Super Flyweights.
Prediction-Tepparith Kokietgym by decision
Please note-Tepparith Kokietgym was previously known as Tepparith Singwancha
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