For Japanese boxing fans 2013 has been a very interesting year with various fighters making statements, either positive or negative, in the ring. One of those was men was Kazuto Ioka (13-0, 9) who unfortunately avoided a clash with Roman Gonzalez, though did stop two experienced Thai's in a year that saw him retaining his WBA Light Flyweight title.
Ioka ends the year with a fight that sees him battling the highly touted Nicaraguan puncher Felix Alvarado (18-0, 15), it may not be Gonzalez but it's still an unbeaten South American puncher who has a fast growing reputation as a genuine danger-man at 108lbs.
The fight, which will see Ioka making his third and likely final defense of the Light Flyweight title, is one of those rare ones that not only sees both men having unbeaten records but also having records that make both of them look like punchers. Unfortunately though the knockouts of Alvarado have come at a low level with the Nicaraguan being untested anywhere near the world level.
What doesn't help Alvarado isn't just the level of competition but his over-all experience. Despite being in 18 fights the Nicaraguan has only amassed 51 rounds, less than 3 a fight. This is a worry with Alvarado having never gone 12 rounds and having only a single bout that has gone beyond the 6 round distance a real worry in terms of his stamina.
Alvarado is dangerous, especially early, though after the first few rounds it seems that he runs out of ideas and if a fighter can take his power they can certainly give him trouble.
For Ioka the real risk to his title comes in the first 3, or possibly 4 rounds. If the Japanese fighter can see out the expected early storm then I fancy that his experienced and more rounded skills will see him slow picking apart Alvarado who will begin to tire around the middle rounds.
Ioka isn't nearly the puncher that Alvarado looks, at least on paper though he's a very clean puncher who finds a home for his jab and straight. His straight right hand to the body is the real danger punch and I imagine that a tiring Alvarado will feel the effects of them in the middle to late rounds. Ioka has proven capable at pacing himself with an average fight length of more than 7 rounds and this, as well as the fact he has been facing stiff opponents will be the difference between the two men.
Prediction-Ioka TKO9
Showing posts with label WBA Light Flyweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBA Light Flyweight. Show all posts
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Kazuto Ioka v Kwanthai Sithmorseng
One of boxing's top young fighters right now, with out a doubt, is unbeaten Japanese fighter Kazuto Ioka (12-0, 8), a former WBA/WBC Minimumweight champion who is current the WBA Light Flyweight champion.
Amazingly in just 12 fights Ioka has won 3 world titles and a Japanese national title. His rise to the top is almost unrivaled in today's over-protective boxing world with only former amateur standouts Beibut Shumenov and Guillermo Rigondeaux even getting close to rivaling what Ioka has done in recent years.
Ioka's rise to the top really started back in 2011 when he claimed the WBC Minimumweight title defeating Thailand's Oleydong Sithsamerchai in the 5th round of their encounter. This coming Wednesday Ioka looks to continue his his excellent form as he faces another top Thai in the form of Kwanthai Sithmorseng (43-1-1, 22) a former WBA Minimumweight champion himself.
Going in to this fight Ioka is rightfully a huge favourite. Although he has just more than a quarter of the fights that Sithmorseng has Ioka has the innate skills and ability that scream "super talent", the sort of ability that really stands out.
The key traits for Ioka aren't his aggression and toughness, as they are for many Japanese fighters, instead they are his clever and intelligent boxing, most notably his vicious straight right to the body, a shot he has all but trade marked with several stoppages. He can hold his own in a war, as he did with Akira Yaegashi, though seems much better when he's allowed to box at range where his skills with straight shots really standout.
Worryingly for Sithmorseng his sole reversal has come courtesy of a right hand to the mid-section delivered from Indonesian Muhammad Rachman, arguably the most well known of his opponents.
Although Sithmorseng has 45 fights on his ledger he has only fought twice in world title bouts with only Rachman having been a proven world level fighter, and even he was well beyond his prime. Saying that however you don't win 43 of 45 fights unless you do have some talent and Sithmorseng certainly does have some skills to him.
Unfortunately for Sithmorseng his key attribute seems to be his hand speed and his combinations up close. Against Ioka however this speed will be neautralised and his lack of power won't worry Ioka who will likely manage to create space easier than Sithmorseng would like. With the space created the intelligent body work will begin and, ultimately, end the fight.
Prediction-Ioka TKO7
Amazingly in just 12 fights Ioka has won 3 world titles and a Japanese national title. His rise to the top is almost unrivaled in today's over-protective boxing world with only former amateur standouts Beibut Shumenov and Guillermo Rigondeaux even getting close to rivaling what Ioka has done in recent years.
Ioka's rise to the top really started back in 2011 when he claimed the WBC Minimumweight title defeating Thailand's Oleydong Sithsamerchai in the 5th round of their encounter. This coming Wednesday Ioka looks to continue his his excellent form as he faces another top Thai in the form of Kwanthai Sithmorseng (43-1-1, 22) a former WBA Minimumweight champion himself.
Going in to this fight Ioka is rightfully a huge favourite. Although he has just more than a quarter of the fights that Sithmorseng has Ioka has the innate skills and ability that scream "super talent", the sort of ability that really stands out.
The key traits for Ioka aren't his aggression and toughness, as they are for many Japanese fighters, instead they are his clever and intelligent boxing, most notably his vicious straight right to the body, a shot he has all but trade marked with several stoppages. He can hold his own in a war, as he did with Akira Yaegashi, though seems much better when he's allowed to box at range where his skills with straight shots really standout.
Worryingly for Sithmorseng his sole reversal has come courtesy of a right hand to the mid-section delivered from Indonesian Muhammad Rachman, arguably the most well known of his opponents.
Although Sithmorseng has 45 fights on his ledger he has only fought twice in world title bouts with only Rachman having been a proven world level fighter, and even he was well beyond his prime. Saying that however you don't win 43 of 45 fights unless you do have some talent and Sithmorseng certainly does have some skills to him.
Unfortunately for Sithmorseng his key attribute seems to be his hand speed and his combinations up close. Against Ioka however this speed will be neautralised and his lack of power won't worry Ioka who will likely manage to create space easier than Sithmorseng would like. With the space created the intelligent body work will begin and, ultimately, end the fight.
Prediction-Ioka TKO7
Monday, 6 May 2013
Kazuto Ioka v Wisanu Kokietgym
Japanese boxing may be celebrating it's newest star, Naoya Inoue (3-0, 3) moving his way towards a world title and Ryoto Murata (0-0) ready to make his debut but just a few years ago the fast rising Kazuto Ioka (11-0, 7) was the talk of the boxing world. The unbeaten Ioka, now a 2-weight world champion seeks to claim the headlines once more as he looks to make the first defense of his WBA Light Flyweight title when he takes on the experienced Thai Wisanu Kokietgym (43-8-2, 11).
Although Ioka, 24, is a bit of a professional novice he's already fought in a staggering 5 world title bouts, in fact after this bout 50% of his bouts will have been for a world title! In those fights he has shown all the traits of a really outstanding fighter and that includes his trademark body shots which are up there with the very best in the sport today.
Whilst Ioka isn't a massively experienced fighter he has been in boxing most of his life. He had a genuinely vast amateur career and his uncle, Hiroki Ioka, was himself a 2-weight world champion. It's this experience that has seen Ioka fast tracked and although there has had one or two wobbles (notably being dropped by Heri Amol) he has been very impressive stopping the likes of Oleydong Sithsamerchai, Juan Hernandez and Jose Alfredo Rodriguez whilst out pointing the very under-rated Akira Yaegashi.
With more than 4 times the experience of the champion it could be expected that Thai challenger Wisanu Kokietgym could be a worth while opponent. Sadly however if you go through Kokietgym's record it's hard to really be impressed by anything he's done other than the fact he's been active and well matched (on the whole).
In a career dating back to 2001 it's fair to say that Kokietgym's best known opponents are Z Gorres and Duangpetch Kokietgym. Both of those men managed to defeat Kokietgym and actually the Thai's best victories are against the likes of Ricky Manufoe and Sammy Hagler, who, lets be honest, are journeymen through Asia who really shouldn't be any title challengers "best wins".
The best wins of Kokietgym's are on a similar level to the worst victories of Ioka. That's a pretty damning statement but yet a thoroughly fair one and with that in mind it's impossible to go against Ioka. Though rather than just stating the obvious lets go a step further (I feel cocky!) Ioka will stop Kokietgym in impressive fashion inside 5 rounds with a thunderous body shot. I wouldn't be shocked if it was in the first 3. There is simply no way for Kokietgym to win, he lacks the the skills for a decision and the power for a stoppage.
Prediction- Ioka TKO4
Although Ioka, 24, is a bit of a professional novice he's already fought in a staggering 5 world title bouts, in fact after this bout 50% of his bouts will have been for a world title! In those fights he has shown all the traits of a really outstanding fighter and that includes his trademark body shots which are up there with the very best in the sport today.
Whilst Ioka isn't a massively experienced fighter he has been in boxing most of his life. He had a genuinely vast amateur career and his uncle, Hiroki Ioka, was himself a 2-weight world champion. It's this experience that has seen Ioka fast tracked and although there has had one or two wobbles (notably being dropped by Heri Amol) he has been very impressive stopping the likes of Oleydong Sithsamerchai, Juan Hernandez and Jose Alfredo Rodriguez whilst out pointing the very under-rated Akira Yaegashi.
With more than 4 times the experience of the champion it could be expected that Thai challenger Wisanu Kokietgym could be a worth while opponent. Sadly however if you go through Kokietgym's record it's hard to really be impressed by anything he's done other than the fact he's been active and well matched (on the whole).
In a career dating back to 2001 it's fair to say that Kokietgym's best known opponents are Z Gorres and Duangpetch Kokietgym. Both of those men managed to defeat Kokietgym and actually the Thai's best victories are against the likes of Ricky Manufoe and Sammy Hagler, who, lets be honest, are journeymen through Asia who really shouldn't be any title challengers "best wins".
The best wins of Kokietgym's are on a similar level to the worst victories of Ioka. That's a pretty damning statement but yet a thoroughly fair one and with that in mind it's impossible to go against Ioka. Though rather than just stating the obvious lets go a step further (I feel cocky!) Ioka will stop Kokietgym in impressive fashion inside 5 rounds with a thunderous body shot. I wouldn't be shocked if it was in the first 3. There is simply no way for Kokietgym to win, he lacks the the skills for a decision and the power for a stoppage.
Prediction- Ioka TKO4
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Kazuto Ioka v Jose Alfredo Rodriguez
One of the final world title fights this year sees talented Japanese youngster Kazuto Ioka (10-0, 6) attempt to claim a second division world title as he tries to claim the vacant WBA Light Flyweight title against once beaten Mexican Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (28-1, 17). This is a fight all lower weight fans should be hugely excited by with both men looking to really fill the void of Roman Gonzalez who has vacated the title to campaign at Flyweight from next year.
For me personally the clear favourite is Ioka who, despite going up in weight, is a special talent as he proved earlier this year by unifying the WBA and WBC Minimumweight titles as he defeated fellow Japanese warrior Akira Yaegashi in an all out war. Though the win over Yaegashi is the standout win on his record, Ioka also holds wins over Oleydong Sithsamerchai, Juan Hernandez and Masayoshi Segawa, not bad for a guy with just 10 professional bouts under his belt.
Ioka's move to Light Flyweight always looked to be on the cards as the 5'4" 23 year old has simply out grown the 105lb weight division and he looked noticeably drained late in the fight with Yaegashi. At 108lbs I'd hope that Ioka's growing body has filled out with out too many negative effects to his speed as he's a fast, accurate boxer-puncher who can trade as well as box. At his best however I'd say he's a better boxer than puncher and his key punches are the jab and straight, though he does throw some lovely shots to the body as Oleydong found out.
Whilst I could wax lyrical about Ioka I find it much harder to be as complimentary about Rodriguez who despite having an excellent looking record has faced much lesser opponents than Ioka. In fact the best opponents Rodriguez has faced have been Karluis Diaz, Nethra Sasiprapa and current WBA interim champion Alberto Rossel, with his only loss so far coming to Rossel.
Like Ioka, Rodriguez is a growing youngster, in fact Rodriguez despite his huge edge in professional experience, is actually the younger man at just 23 years old. Sadly for him however he lacks the long amateur experience that Ioka has and he also lacks much in terms of international experience having only fought out of Mexico twice, including his loss to Rossel and a split decision victory in Japan over Sho Nakazawa.
Interestingly both men have only fought once this year, with Ioka's win over Yaegashi and Rodriguez's loss to Rossel being their only other action in 2012. I don't think this will play too much of a factor though if it does I'd guess it's more likely to effect Rodriguez who is with out a win in over a year.
I feel that Ioka's excellent amateur school and home field advantage will see him through to a clear win here. I'd fancy him to perhaps look for a stoppage late though thoroughly dominate the fight regardless of stopping Rodriguez who has never been stopped.
Prediction-Ioka TKO 11
For me personally the clear favourite is Ioka who, despite going up in weight, is a special talent as he proved earlier this year by unifying the WBA and WBC Minimumweight titles as he defeated fellow Japanese warrior Akira Yaegashi in an all out war. Though the win over Yaegashi is the standout win on his record, Ioka also holds wins over Oleydong Sithsamerchai, Juan Hernandez and Masayoshi Segawa, not bad for a guy with just 10 professional bouts under his belt.
Ioka's move to Light Flyweight always looked to be on the cards as the 5'4" 23 year old has simply out grown the 105lb weight division and he looked noticeably drained late in the fight with Yaegashi. At 108lbs I'd hope that Ioka's growing body has filled out with out too many negative effects to his speed as he's a fast, accurate boxer-puncher who can trade as well as box. At his best however I'd say he's a better boxer than puncher and his key punches are the jab and straight, though he does throw some lovely shots to the body as Oleydong found out.
Whilst I could wax lyrical about Ioka I find it much harder to be as complimentary about Rodriguez who despite having an excellent looking record has faced much lesser opponents than Ioka. In fact the best opponents Rodriguez has faced have been Karluis Diaz, Nethra Sasiprapa and current WBA interim champion Alberto Rossel, with his only loss so far coming to Rossel.
Like Ioka, Rodriguez is a growing youngster, in fact Rodriguez despite his huge edge in professional experience, is actually the younger man at just 23 years old. Sadly for him however he lacks the long amateur experience that Ioka has and he also lacks much in terms of international experience having only fought out of Mexico twice, including his loss to Rossel and a split decision victory in Japan over Sho Nakazawa.
Interestingly both men have only fought once this year, with Ioka's win over Yaegashi and Rodriguez's loss to Rossel being their only other action in 2012. I don't think this will play too much of a factor though if it does I'd guess it's more likely to effect Rodriguez who is with out a win in over a year.
I feel that Ioka's excellent amateur school and home field advantage will see him through to a clear win here. I'd fancy him to perhaps look for a stoppage late though thoroughly dominate the fight regardless of stopping Rodriguez who has never been stopped.
Prediction-Ioka TKO 11
Friday, 16 November 2012
Roman Gonzalez v Juan Francisco Estrada
Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez (33-0, 28) seeks to make the 5th defense of his WBA Light Flyweight this coming weekend as he faces once beaten Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada (22-1, 18) in what promises to be an explosive encounter on Showtime.
For my money, Gonzalez (otherwise known as El Chocolatito), is one of the sports true premier level fighters. Although he's generally over-looked by the sport's casual fans the hardcore fan know all about the super skilled, powerful, fast and aggressive Gonzalez who at times looks genuinely unbeatable. In fact in a career spanning 7 years Gonzalez has only been involved in 1 close bout (a majority decision win over Francisco Rosas).
Starting as a teenager, Gonzalez's rise to the top was swift. Within 2 years of his professional debut he had already earned high rankings at both Light Flyweight and Minimumweight thanks to wins over notable opponents including Eriberto Gejon, Miguel Tellez and Jose Luis Varela. Just a year later however Gonzalez showed his class at world level widely out pointing Yutaka Niida for the WBA Minimumweight title to claim his first world title.
As the WBA Minimumweight champion, Gonzalez made 3 title defenses beating Francisco Rosas (as mentioned above), Katsunari Takayama and Ivan Meneses before moving up to Light Flyweight. At Light Flyweight, Gonzalez looked even more dominating, stopping Francisco Rosas in 2 rounds for the interim WBA Light Flyweight title.
After Juan Carlos Reveco moved from Light Flyweight to Flyweight, Gonzalez's title was upgraded from the interim to the regular title. Since then Gonzalez has scored 6 successive victories, including 4 title defenses in which he has beaten Manuel Vargas, Omar Salado, Omar Soto and Ramon Garcia Hirales, all credible challengers.
If Floyd Mayweather Jr is the best defensive fighter in the sport right now then I'd be tempted to say that Gonzalez is the best offensive fighter in the sport right now. The Nicaraguan rarely loses more than a round, he's supremely confident in not only his abilities (which are amazing) but also his durability, often enjoying a war and his power (which suits him well during a war). I dare say that to beat Gonzalez you need to be a bit of a tank who can take one to land one or you manage to land a lucky bomb on Gonzalez when he leaps in on the offensive. In fact the way Gonzalez can leap in at times is pretty much his only real flaw, thankfully however very few fighter can make him pay for this mistake.
Whilst Gonzalez is a known quantity it's fair to say that Mexican challenger Juan Francisco Estrada is much less well known. Despite having been in 23 bouts as a professional, Estrada has only faced a handful of known opponents including current IBF Super Flyweight champion, who out pointed Estrada in 2011 and Filipino Ardin Diale who was stopped in 2 rounds. Those two aside however Estrada lacks the sort of wins to really know what he's made of.
What we do know about the 22 year old "El Gallo" is that he's a hard hitter, at least at the lower levels. He can dig to the body or the head and although not the most skilled he's not a fighter that many will want to get into a war with. He's never been stopped, though has been down (dropped by Sanchez) however he's admittedly never been in with someone approaching Gonzalez's level of power, speed, combinations of spitefulness.
In all honestly I'd be shocked if Gonzalez did anything other than made a statement. He'll be looking to finish this and finish it early, and it's probably fair to say Estrada has been brought in as the opponent to allow Gonzalez to look good. Expect this to be a fun war though one that Gonzalez's all round game will dominate.
Prediction: Gonzalez TKO5
For my money, Gonzalez (otherwise known as El Chocolatito), is one of the sports true premier level fighters. Although he's generally over-looked by the sport's casual fans the hardcore fan know all about the super skilled, powerful, fast and aggressive Gonzalez who at times looks genuinely unbeatable. In fact in a career spanning 7 years Gonzalez has only been involved in 1 close bout (a majority decision win over Francisco Rosas).
Starting as a teenager, Gonzalez's rise to the top was swift. Within 2 years of his professional debut he had already earned high rankings at both Light Flyweight and Minimumweight thanks to wins over notable opponents including Eriberto Gejon, Miguel Tellez and Jose Luis Varela. Just a year later however Gonzalez showed his class at world level widely out pointing Yutaka Niida for the WBA Minimumweight title to claim his first world title.
As the WBA Minimumweight champion, Gonzalez made 3 title defenses beating Francisco Rosas (as mentioned above), Katsunari Takayama and Ivan Meneses before moving up to Light Flyweight. At Light Flyweight, Gonzalez looked even more dominating, stopping Francisco Rosas in 2 rounds for the interim WBA Light Flyweight title.
After Juan Carlos Reveco moved from Light Flyweight to Flyweight, Gonzalez's title was upgraded from the interim to the regular title. Since then Gonzalez has scored 6 successive victories, including 4 title defenses in which he has beaten Manuel Vargas, Omar Salado, Omar Soto and Ramon Garcia Hirales, all credible challengers.
If Floyd Mayweather Jr is the best defensive fighter in the sport right now then I'd be tempted to say that Gonzalez is the best offensive fighter in the sport right now. The Nicaraguan rarely loses more than a round, he's supremely confident in not only his abilities (which are amazing) but also his durability, often enjoying a war and his power (which suits him well during a war). I dare say that to beat Gonzalez you need to be a bit of a tank who can take one to land one or you manage to land a lucky bomb on Gonzalez when he leaps in on the offensive. In fact the way Gonzalez can leap in at times is pretty much his only real flaw, thankfully however very few fighter can make him pay for this mistake.
Whilst Gonzalez is a known quantity it's fair to say that Mexican challenger Juan Francisco Estrada is much less well known. Despite having been in 23 bouts as a professional, Estrada has only faced a handful of known opponents including current IBF Super Flyweight champion, who out pointed Estrada in 2011 and Filipino Ardin Diale who was stopped in 2 rounds. Those two aside however Estrada lacks the sort of wins to really know what he's made of.
What we do know about the 22 year old "El Gallo" is that he's a hard hitter, at least at the lower levels. He can dig to the body or the head and although not the most skilled he's not a fighter that many will want to get into a war with. He's never been stopped, though has been down (dropped by Sanchez) however he's admittedly never been in with someone approaching Gonzalez's level of power, speed, combinations of spitefulness.
In all honestly I'd be shocked if Gonzalez did anything other than made a statement. He'll be looking to finish this and finish it early, and it's probably fair to say Estrada has been brought in as the opponent to allow Gonzalez to look good. Expect this to be a fun war though one that Gonzalez's all round game will dominate.
Prediction: Gonzalez TKO5
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