Panamanian Roberto Vasquez (32-5-1, 22) and Filipino John Mark Apolinaro (17-2-2, 4) meet for the second time in a little over 4 months after fighting to a draw in November 2012. Like in their first fight the men will be battling for the WBA "interim" Bantamweight title though unlike last time, they will be fighting in Vasquez's native Panama as opposed to the more neutral Argentina (where their first fight was).
Going in to their first bout I felt Vasquez would simply have too much experience and skill for the untested Apolinario who in all honesty had never fought at Vasquez's level before. In fact Apolinario's losses to Marvin Tampus and Jessie Albaracin were pretty damning results in my eyes, despite this however Apolinario put on the performance of his life and held Vasquez in a hard fought bout.
This time I think Vasquez will know what to expect from the young Filipino and, roared on by the Panamanian fans I think he'll raise his game. Whilst Apolinario fought his best fight last time I don't think Vazquez did and although Apolinaio is the naturally bigger man the experience edge and home advantage makes it hard not to favour Vasquez again this time around.
Showing posts with label WBA Interim Bantamweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBA Interim Bantamweight. Show all posts
Friday, 15 March 2013
Monday, 3 December 2012
Koki Kameda v Hugo Ruiz
In a rare mid-week world title fight, we see WBA Bantamweight champion Koki Kameda (28-1, 17) fighting the former WBA interim Bantamweight champion Hugo Ruiz (31-1, 28) on Tuesday at the wonderfully named Bodymaker Colosseum in Osaka. For Kameda this will be his 5th title defense at Bantamweight having also held titles at both Light Flyweight and Flyweight. For Ruiz however it's a chance to finally claim the full version of a world title after having been the inteirm champion for close to 2 years.
The 26 year old Japanese fighter is seen as one of Japans top boxers, and is infect their only ever 3-weight world champion. Despite this many in Japan dislike Koki due to the fact he's a bit, well, cocky and many liken him to Floyd Mayweather Jr in regards to the fact many want to see him lose. Despite the general dislike to Koki he is an attraction and can draw huge numbers on Japanese TV with similar numbers (in terms of%) to what the Klitschko's draw in Germany.
At a smidge over 5'5" Kameda and with a 66" reach Kameda was huge at Light Flyweight and it showed when he fought at the weight. Though at Bantamweight he's not often going to be the bigger man, in fact in all honesty he's probably around the average, though he will be dwarfed by the freakishly tall Ruiz (who's got a 3" height advantage). In the lower weights Kameda's size mattered and he scored 10 stoppages in his first 11 bouts. Since going up through the weights (and facing significantly better opponents) Kameda's stoppage rate has started to nose dive with just 7 stoppages in his last 18 bouts. Interestingly however Kameda has stopped 3 of his last 6, though they were lesser opponents.
In terms of his style Kameda is a fast handed fighter who can fight on on the back foot, though is much better on the front foot. Despite his ability to throw lovely flurries he's not got the hurtful power on them that may bother really genuine Bantamweights and in his most notable bout at the weight he was pushed all the way by Mexican David De La Mora (a bout Kameda won by very debated Unanimous Decision). Tellingly De La Mora was stopped 2 fights later by Anselmo Moreno and thoroughly out boxed by Kameda's countryman Ryosuke Iwasa. The fact Kameda struggled so much with De La Mora tells me, personally that this is a weight that Kameda can't use his physicality to bully the better fighters, and Ruiz is one of the better fighters in the division.
Despite the fact Kameda is unbeaten at Bantamweight and has only suffered one career set back, a decision loss to Thai great Pongsaklek Wonjongkam down at Flyweight, he's also been somewhat selective in his opponents. De La Mora aside the combined record of Kameda's Bantamweight title defenses was 69-19-1 with the last 2 opponents coming in at a rather poor 47-17-1 and the most recent opponent (Nouldy Manakane) has been out boxed by a debutant (Kenji Kubo) since then!
Whilst Kameda is lauded over by many, Mexican Hugo Ruiz (also 26) is often over-looked and seen as being well down the proverbial pecking order at 118lbs with Boxrec and Fightnews both having him ranked #10 (Kameda is #6 Boxrec, #8 Fightnews) whilst Ring give him a more respectable #8 ranking (with Kameda a lofty #5). Despite this Ruiz is a battle hardened fighter who can give almost everyone at 118lb real questions.
Ruiz turned professional almost 6 years ago to the day and after running off 9 straight opening round T/KO's he lost for the first (and only time in his career) as he was stopped by Enrique Quevedo. Since his loss, back in 2007, he has continued to develop whilst maintaining his ridiculous power and whilst he's a bit vulnerable, he's got genuine fight changing power.
Wile Ruiz hasn't yet faced a real genuine world level talent, like Kameda has (Kameda has faced Daisuke Naito and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam amongst others) he has been mowing through B class fighters for fun and has stopped fighters like Francisco Arce, Jean Sampson and Yonfrez Parejo in recent bouts. Despite this Arce did show up Ruiz's vulnerabilities and dropped Ruiz twice in their first encounter (before being stopped in their second).
With the sheer size, power and strength of Ruiz I'm favouring the Mexican here, even though it is his first fight out of his native Mexico. Kameda, who has never been stopped before, will be hit harder than he has ever been hit and I just see him folding when he realises that Ruiz's jab is like a straight from most other Bantamweights. For Kameda to retain he will have to get inside the reach of Ruiz and this is much easier said than done.
Prediction-Ruiz TKO7
The 26 year old Japanese fighter is seen as one of Japans top boxers, and is infect their only ever 3-weight world champion. Despite this many in Japan dislike Koki due to the fact he's a bit, well, cocky and many liken him to Floyd Mayweather Jr in regards to the fact many want to see him lose. Despite the general dislike to Koki he is an attraction and can draw huge numbers on Japanese TV with similar numbers (in terms of%) to what the Klitschko's draw in Germany.
At a smidge over 5'5" Kameda and with a 66" reach Kameda was huge at Light Flyweight and it showed when he fought at the weight. Though at Bantamweight he's not often going to be the bigger man, in fact in all honesty he's probably around the average, though he will be dwarfed by the freakishly tall Ruiz (who's got a 3" height advantage). In the lower weights Kameda's size mattered and he scored 10 stoppages in his first 11 bouts. Since going up through the weights (and facing significantly better opponents) Kameda's stoppage rate has started to nose dive with just 7 stoppages in his last 18 bouts. Interestingly however Kameda has stopped 3 of his last 6, though they were lesser opponents.
In terms of his style Kameda is a fast handed fighter who can fight on on the back foot, though is much better on the front foot. Despite his ability to throw lovely flurries he's not got the hurtful power on them that may bother really genuine Bantamweights and in his most notable bout at the weight he was pushed all the way by Mexican David De La Mora (a bout Kameda won by very debated Unanimous Decision). Tellingly De La Mora was stopped 2 fights later by Anselmo Moreno and thoroughly out boxed by Kameda's countryman Ryosuke Iwasa. The fact Kameda struggled so much with De La Mora tells me, personally that this is a weight that Kameda can't use his physicality to bully the better fighters, and Ruiz is one of the better fighters in the division.
Despite the fact Kameda is unbeaten at Bantamweight and has only suffered one career set back, a decision loss to Thai great Pongsaklek Wonjongkam down at Flyweight, he's also been somewhat selective in his opponents. De La Mora aside the combined record of Kameda's Bantamweight title defenses was 69-19-1 with the last 2 opponents coming in at a rather poor 47-17-1 and the most recent opponent (Nouldy Manakane) has been out boxed by a debutant (Kenji Kubo) since then!
Whilst Kameda is lauded over by many, Mexican Hugo Ruiz (also 26) is often over-looked and seen as being well down the proverbial pecking order at 118lbs with Boxrec and Fightnews both having him ranked #10 (Kameda is #6 Boxrec, #8 Fightnews) whilst Ring give him a more respectable #8 ranking (with Kameda a lofty #5). Despite this Ruiz is a battle hardened fighter who can give almost everyone at 118lb real questions.
Ruiz turned professional almost 6 years ago to the day and after running off 9 straight opening round T/KO's he lost for the first (and only time in his career) as he was stopped by Enrique Quevedo. Since his loss, back in 2007, he has continued to develop whilst maintaining his ridiculous power and whilst he's a bit vulnerable, he's got genuine fight changing power.
Wile Ruiz hasn't yet faced a real genuine world level talent, like Kameda has (Kameda has faced Daisuke Naito and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam amongst others) he has been mowing through B class fighters for fun and has stopped fighters like Francisco Arce, Jean Sampson and Yonfrez Parejo in recent bouts. Despite this Arce did show up Ruiz's vulnerabilities and dropped Ruiz twice in their first encounter (before being stopped in their second).
With the sheer size, power and strength of Ruiz I'm favouring the Mexican here, even though it is his first fight out of his native Mexico. Kameda, who has never been stopped before, will be hit harder than he has ever been hit and I just see him folding when he realises that Ruiz's jab is like a straight from most other Bantamweights. For Kameda to retain he will have to get inside the reach of Ruiz and this is much easier said than done.
Prediction-Ruiz TKO7
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Roberto Vasquez v John Mark Apolinario
This weekends most "overlooked" title fight is the WBA "interim" Bantamweight title bout between Panamanian Roberto Vasquez (32-5, 22) and Filipino John Mark Apolinario (17-2-1, 4), that is scheduled to take place in the Argentinian city of Colón. As with many "interim" title bouts, the fight really lacks too much to get excited about, however could it be a sleeper classic?
With the belt being a vacant one, both men are challenger, however one man has a bit more pedigree to than the other, in fact poor John Mark Apolinario is so unknown that...well I'd never heard of him (or most of his opponents) until I saw this bout listed. So lets look at him first.
Aged 22 the Filipino challenger John Mark Apolinario has been a professional for almost 6 years (making his debut on November 25th 2006) and since then has compiled a list of fights against very limited opposition.
Apolinario's career started well as he ran up 11 straight wins in the first 15 months of his career before suffering a loss to the novice Jessie Albaracin (who would later go on to claim the WBO Oriental Super Bantamweight title). Sadly for Apolinario this loss soon put the breaks on his rapid climb up the rankings and a year later his record fell to 12-2 as he suffered a stoppage loss to Marvin Tampus.
Since the loss to Tampus, Apolinario's career has recovered somewhat with a several wins, including a notable one in 2010 which saw him claiming his first professional title, the WBO Oriental Super Flyweight title. As well as the wins Apolinario also has a draw on his record, coming in November 2010 to the tough Armando Casa.
Whilst the highlight of Apolinario's career so far may have been the WBO Oriental Super Flyweight title fight, the most interesting thing about his record was actually his last fight. Last time out Apolinario scored a 2nd round TKO over Menard Zaragosa...who had to run off to the toilet forcing the referee to end the bout whilst Zaragosa, relieved himself. Worryingly however this means Apolinario has only fought 2 rounds in the last year and in fact Apolinario has only fought 12 rounds (2 bouts) in the past 24 months!
From what I can see with Apolinario we have an inactive fighter, who lacks any power and has only really been beating very low level domestic opponents. It's with good reason that Boxrec.com rate him as the 71st Bantamweight on the planet (the 12th in his homeland!) and whilst I'll admit I've not seen footage of him, it's fair to say that he's not fought the competition with which to really create a true opinion of just how good he actually is. The lost to Tampus, his most notable opponent so far is perhaps the most telling result with Tampus himself losing 7 of 13 since then.
With the Filipino being pretty unknown it's fair to admit that the co-challenger Roberto Vasquez is much more known and well respected. The 29 year old Panamanian has been a professional for over 11 years and despite starting his career with a loss (a controversial one to Angelo Dottin) he has really forged a solid record.
After losing his debut on points, Vasquez would go 6 years before suffering his next loss. In that time he would record 23 straight victories including 16 by T/KO. Vasquez wasn't just beating scrubs though, he was quickly rising through the rankings and stopping the likes of Beibis Mendoza to claim the WBA World Light Flyweight title, a title he would defend 3 times before moving up to Flyweight.
After moving up to Flyweight in 2006 Vasquez swiftly moved on to the title scene and claimed the interim WBA World Flyweight title thanks to a victory over Japanese fighter Takefumi Sakata. Sadly a rematch the following year saw Sakata earn some measure of revenge by defeating Vasquez to end the Panamanian's long unbeaten run.
Since losing to Sakata, Vasquez has had mixed fortune winning 8 of his subsequent 11 bouts. Whilst his wins have come at a "lesser" level two of his losses have come at the highest level thanks to Hugo Fidel Cazares and Drian Francisco, however his most recent loss, to Oscar Gonzalez is highly debatable.
Vasquez is currently on a 2 fight winning streak, including a notable victory over Mario Briones, however both of those fights too place well above the Bantamweight limit. It's fair to assume that that if Vasquez has any real problem with this bout, it may well be in making the 118lbs limit as I don't think Apolinario will have anything to worry Vasquez.
In terms of Vasquez as a fighter, the southpaw is a hard hitting fighter who despite having been down a number of times in his career is durable with only the monstrously hard hitting Drian Francisco managing to stop him. It's fair to say that Vasquez will bring the pressure here and look to take Apolinario out within 6 rounds, he certainly has the power to do it and certainly has the experience to know that Apolinario isn't going to be able to throw anything new at him.
Prediction-Vasquez TKO5
With the belt being a vacant one, both men are challenger, however one man has a bit more pedigree to than the other, in fact poor John Mark Apolinario is so unknown that...well I'd never heard of him (or most of his opponents) until I saw this bout listed. So lets look at him first.
Aged 22 the Filipino challenger John Mark Apolinario has been a professional for almost 6 years (making his debut on November 25th 2006) and since then has compiled a list of fights against very limited opposition.
Apolinario's career started well as he ran up 11 straight wins in the first 15 months of his career before suffering a loss to the novice Jessie Albaracin (who would later go on to claim the WBO Oriental Super Bantamweight title). Sadly for Apolinario this loss soon put the breaks on his rapid climb up the rankings and a year later his record fell to 12-2 as he suffered a stoppage loss to Marvin Tampus.
Since the loss to Tampus, Apolinario's career has recovered somewhat with a several wins, including a notable one in 2010 which saw him claiming his first professional title, the WBO Oriental Super Flyweight title. As well as the wins Apolinario also has a draw on his record, coming in November 2010 to the tough Armando Casa.
Whilst the highlight of Apolinario's career so far may have been the WBO Oriental Super Flyweight title fight, the most interesting thing about his record was actually his last fight. Last time out Apolinario scored a 2nd round TKO over Menard Zaragosa...who had to run off to the toilet forcing the referee to end the bout whilst Zaragosa, relieved himself. Worryingly however this means Apolinario has only fought 2 rounds in the last year and in fact Apolinario has only fought 12 rounds (2 bouts) in the past 24 months!
From what I can see with Apolinario we have an inactive fighter, who lacks any power and has only really been beating very low level domestic opponents. It's with good reason that Boxrec.com rate him as the 71st Bantamweight on the planet (the 12th in his homeland!) and whilst I'll admit I've not seen footage of him, it's fair to say that he's not fought the competition with which to really create a true opinion of just how good he actually is. The lost to Tampus, his most notable opponent so far is perhaps the most telling result with Tampus himself losing 7 of 13 since then.
With the Filipino being pretty unknown it's fair to admit that the co-challenger Roberto Vasquez is much more known and well respected. The 29 year old Panamanian has been a professional for over 11 years and despite starting his career with a loss (a controversial one to Angelo Dottin) he has really forged a solid record.
After losing his debut on points, Vasquez would go 6 years before suffering his next loss. In that time he would record 23 straight victories including 16 by T/KO. Vasquez wasn't just beating scrubs though, he was quickly rising through the rankings and stopping the likes of Beibis Mendoza to claim the WBA World Light Flyweight title, a title he would defend 3 times before moving up to Flyweight.
After moving up to Flyweight in 2006 Vasquez swiftly moved on to the title scene and claimed the interim WBA World Flyweight title thanks to a victory over Japanese fighter Takefumi Sakata. Sadly a rematch the following year saw Sakata earn some measure of revenge by defeating Vasquez to end the Panamanian's long unbeaten run.
Since losing to Sakata, Vasquez has had mixed fortune winning 8 of his subsequent 11 bouts. Whilst his wins have come at a "lesser" level two of his losses have come at the highest level thanks to Hugo Fidel Cazares and Drian Francisco, however his most recent loss, to Oscar Gonzalez is highly debatable.
Vasquez is currently on a 2 fight winning streak, including a notable victory over Mario Briones, however both of those fights too place well above the Bantamweight limit. It's fair to assume that that if Vasquez has any real problem with this bout, it may well be in making the 118lbs limit as I don't think Apolinario will have anything to worry Vasquez.
In terms of Vasquez as a fighter, the southpaw is a hard hitting fighter who despite having been down a number of times in his career is durable with only the monstrously hard hitting Drian Francisco managing to stop him. It's fair to say that Vasquez will bring the pressure here and look to take Apolinario out within 6 rounds, he certainly has the power to do it and certainly has the experience to know that Apolinario isn't going to be able to throw anything new at him.
Prediction-Vasquez TKO5
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