The lower divisions seem to be always evolving in one way or another. Whether it's fighters moving up to prove themselves, fighters moving up because they can't make weight or fighters skipping division to find themselves a meaningful challenger.
One such drastic change has seen the WBA Minimumweight title passed from Kazuto Ioka to Ryo Miyazaki in the last 12 months. That title now seems likely to be made vacant in the coming weeks with Miyazaki likely to vacate the belt before new year. The WBA have thought one step ahead of Miyazaki and have ordered an interim title fight, actually fulfilling one of the few reason's that interim titles exist.
For this interim belt South African Hekkie Budler (23-1, 6) will fight little known Argentinian Hugo Hernan Verchelli (11-1, 6). I'll admit that plenty of fans will know something about Budler but even the hardcore of the hardcore will be hard pushed to say much about Verchelli a very obscure challenger in the most obscure of weight divisions.
The 25 year old Budler is a fighter who has been on the fringes of world level for several years. Although he regularly been over-shadowed by several of his countrymen is now appears that this is his time to shine and in fact his win last time over Nkosinathi Joyi seemed to be the sign that South Africa now has a new force in the 105lb division.
Although far from a big puncher Budler is an incredibly talented fighter. He has solid skills, good movement, fantastic hand speed and a genuine desire to win. He's not going to knock people but he will refuse to lose.
With victories already notched over Joyi, Juanito Rubillar, Florante Condes and Michael Landero it seems fair to say that Budler has genuinely earned a world title fight. On the other hand Verchelli really hasn't earned the opportunity to fight for a world title.
Like Joyi, Verchelli is a 25 year old. Though unlike the South African it's hard to find a recognisable name on Verchelli's record. The most notable opponent that Verchelli has faced is arguably Adrian Eduardo Mendoza, the then reigning South American and Argentinian Light Flyweight champion, who lasted just 3 rounds with Verchelli last year.
Whilst both men have the same amount of stoppages it's fair to say that Verchelli is the bigger puncher. His 6 stoppages have come in just 12 bouts whilst Budler has taken 24 bouts for stoppages. Sure there is more to it than that but I'm happy to say that Verchelli is bigger single punch puncher, after all Argentinians do seem to have this knock of having some serious power in their hands. The power of Verchelli has seen him stopping his last 5 straight and he will go in to this bout with real belief in his punching power.
Despite the belief in Verchelli's power I feel that Budler's skills, speed and the fact the fight is in South Africa will see Budler taking a victory here. It's rare for Budler to score stoppages but this could be one of those rare ones, especially when you consider that Verchelli has never been beyond 6 rounds.
Prediction-Budler TKO10
Showing posts with label WBA Minimumweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBA Minimumweight. Show all posts
Friday, 8 November 2013
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Ryo Miyazaki v Jesus Silvestre
Although Ryo Miyazaki (19-0-3, 11) might be one of Japan's least known world champions the WBA Minimumweight champion is a genuinely talented, and improving fighter who is slowly proving to be a genuinely world level fighter. Sure few consider him to be one of the best Minimumweight's on the planet, or even the best 105lb fighter in Japan but he's a fighter who isn't too far off that mark.
This coming Wednesday Miyazaki attempts to prove that he's continually improving as he takes on the highly regarded Mexican Jesus Silvestre (27-3, 20) a fighter who has held the WBA "interim" title prior to getting this fight.
Miyazaki, at his best is a handful. He's not a massive puncher, despite his perfectly time KO of Carlos Velarde last time out, he's not the hardest working and he's not the fastest but over all he's a fighter with enough facets to his game to hold his own with pretty much anyone. He's shown the ability to go to war with someone as he did with Pornsawan Porpramook at the end of last year, he's shown the ability to box and he's also shown the frustrating ability to make life difficulty for himself.
Unfortunately for Miyazaki the longer he shows the ability to turn fights into difficult battles the longer he will be remembered as "the stable mate of Kazuto Ioka" rather managing to create his own legacy.
This weeks fight with Silvestre certainly looks like a bout that Miyazaki won't need to make hard for himself because Silvestre can do that for him.
The young Mexican is a tough and improving fighter who has experienced the harsh conditions of fighting in Asia by fighting in both Thailand and the Philippines. Although he lost both of those bouts he did show the tenacity to one day be a world champion and this bout will be his big chance to live up to that expectation.
Whilst Silvestre himself isn't the most skilled boxer or the hardest hitting he does have a solid punch on him, has a very exciting pressure style and looks like a man who would walk through fire to get to his man. This has worked in many of fights, including bouts with Takuya Mitamura, Yader Escobar and Carlos Velarde though against Donnie Nietes his work rate did eventually cost him with his corner getting him TKO'd late in round 10.
With the style of Silvestre we are guaranteed a very fun fight here, whether he can break down Miyazaki, or whether Miyazaki can manage to land another hayemaker is up for question. If Miyazaki can't find the howitzer that he'll need to discourage Silvestre than he's in for a long, hard night.
With the show being an Ioka Gym card you've got to favour Miyazaki if it goes to a decision, however there would be little shock if the judges render cards that are questionable with Silvestre getting a somewhat harsh decision against him.
One thing is certain here, despite the winner, and that is that I'm really looking forward to this. Potentially this could honestly be a FOTY.
Prediction-Miyazaki SD12 (Controversially)
This coming Wednesday Miyazaki attempts to prove that he's continually improving as he takes on the highly regarded Mexican Jesus Silvestre (27-3, 20) a fighter who has held the WBA "interim" title prior to getting this fight.
Miyazaki, at his best is a handful. He's not a massive puncher, despite his perfectly time KO of Carlos Velarde last time out, he's not the hardest working and he's not the fastest but over all he's a fighter with enough facets to his game to hold his own with pretty much anyone. He's shown the ability to go to war with someone as he did with Pornsawan Porpramook at the end of last year, he's shown the ability to box and he's also shown the frustrating ability to make life difficulty for himself.
Unfortunately for Miyazaki the longer he shows the ability to turn fights into difficult battles the longer he will be remembered as "the stable mate of Kazuto Ioka" rather managing to create his own legacy.
This weeks fight with Silvestre certainly looks like a bout that Miyazaki won't need to make hard for himself because Silvestre can do that for him.
The young Mexican is a tough and improving fighter who has experienced the harsh conditions of fighting in Asia by fighting in both Thailand and the Philippines. Although he lost both of those bouts he did show the tenacity to one day be a world champion and this bout will be his big chance to live up to that expectation.
Whilst Silvestre himself isn't the most skilled boxer or the hardest hitting he does have a solid punch on him, has a very exciting pressure style and looks like a man who would walk through fire to get to his man. This has worked in many of fights, including bouts with Takuya Mitamura, Yader Escobar and Carlos Velarde though against Donnie Nietes his work rate did eventually cost him with his corner getting him TKO'd late in round 10.
With the style of Silvestre we are guaranteed a very fun fight here, whether he can break down Miyazaki, or whether Miyazaki can manage to land another hayemaker is up for question. If Miyazaki can't find the howitzer that he'll need to discourage Silvestre than he's in for a long, hard night.
With the show being an Ioka Gym card you've got to favour Miyazaki if it goes to a decision, however there would be little shock if the judges render cards that are questionable with Silvestre getting a somewhat harsh decision against him.
One thing is certain here, despite the winner, and that is that I'm really looking forward to this. Potentially this could honestly be a FOTY.
Prediction-Miyazaki SD12 (Controversially)
Monday, 6 May 2013
Ryo Miyazaki v Carlos Velarde
WBA Minimumweight champion Ryo Mayazaki (18-0-3, 10) may have been fortunate to claim the belt on New Years Eve when he over-came the always exciting to watch Kompayak Porpramook though he appears to have an "easy" first defense. The challenger, this coming week to Miyazaki's title is Mexican 22 year old Carlos Velarde (23-2-1, 13), a relatively unknown opponent who has a solid looking record but nothing of any real quality on it.
Miyazaki, a stablemate of Kazuto Ioka was almost gift wrapped the title when Ioka made his move up to Light Flyweight, though as mentioned was pushed unexpectedly hard by Porpramook. This would, I think be fair to say, show the level of difference between Miyazaki and Ioka. Ioka is one of the genuine stand out Japanese fighters whilst Miyazaki is a solid fighter but not on the same level as his gym mate.
With an unbeaten record Miyazaki takes an air of confidence with him in to the ring and like most Japanese fighters he's gone the traditional route to the top claiming both a national title and an OPBF belt prior to his world title winning effort.
Although Miyazaki isn't in the same class as an Ioka (or even a Naoya Inoue) in terms of talent he is a solid fighter who has shown good movement, good work rate and a genuine toughness. It takes a good fighter to defeat Pornsawan Porpramook and Suguru Takizawa though we don't quite know just how good he is.
Whilst the champion has at least his signature win over Porpramook it's fair to say the challenger has yet to score any win of real note. In fact the best opponents on his record are Edwin Diaz and Jesus Silvestre and they both defeated Velarde. Lets also be honest neither Diaz or Silvestre are on the same level as Porpramook.
With Velarde having only really fought on the low level Mexican scene it's fair to say that not only is he stepping up but he's also under-prepared for a world title bout. Equally as worrying for the Mexican is that he hasn't been able to show the power needed to make an impact on a fighter like Miyazaki.
With out the power or the skill level to beat the champion I really can't see any way for Velarde to claim what would not only be the biggest victory of his career but also one of the biggest upsets of the year.
Prediction-Miyazaki TKO10
Miyazaki, a stablemate of Kazuto Ioka was almost gift wrapped the title when Ioka made his move up to Light Flyweight, though as mentioned was pushed unexpectedly hard by Porpramook. This would, I think be fair to say, show the level of difference between Miyazaki and Ioka. Ioka is one of the genuine stand out Japanese fighters whilst Miyazaki is a solid fighter but not on the same level as his gym mate.
With an unbeaten record Miyazaki takes an air of confidence with him in to the ring and like most Japanese fighters he's gone the traditional route to the top claiming both a national title and an OPBF belt prior to his world title winning effort.
Although Miyazaki isn't in the same class as an Ioka (or even a Naoya Inoue) in terms of talent he is a solid fighter who has shown good movement, good work rate and a genuine toughness. It takes a good fighter to defeat Pornsawan Porpramook and Suguru Takizawa though we don't quite know just how good he is.
Whilst the champion has at least his signature win over Porpramook it's fair to say the challenger has yet to score any win of real note. In fact the best opponents on his record are Edwin Diaz and Jesus Silvestre and they both defeated Velarde. Lets also be honest neither Diaz or Silvestre are on the same level as Porpramook.
With Velarde having only really fought on the low level Mexican scene it's fair to say that not only is he stepping up but he's also under-prepared for a world title bout. Equally as worrying for the Mexican is that he hasn't been able to show the power needed to make an impact on a fighter like Miyazaki.
With out the power or the skill level to beat the champion I really can't see any way for Velarde to claim what would not only be the biggest victory of his career but also one of the biggest upsets of the year.
Prediction-Miyazaki TKO10
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Ryo Miyazaki v Pornsawan Porpramook
New Year's Eve goes out with a bang in Japan with 5 title fights, the smallest, in terms of weight, sees unbeaten Japanese fighter Ryo Miyazaki (17-0-3, 10) facing former champion Pornsawan Porpramook (27-4-1, 17) for the now vacant WBA Minimumweight title (which has been vacated due to Kazuto Ioka moving to Light Flyweight). This bout promises nothing but excitement as Miyazaki looks to show he's the next in a very long line of world class Minimumweight's from Japan whilst Porpramook looks to become a 2-time world champion.
The 34 year old Porpramook may not be hugely well known by fight fans in the west though he has proven himself to be a solid world level fighter over the past few years. He's been a professional since 2001 and has been fighting for titles since just his second fight (he claimed the PABA Minimumweight title in his second professional bout). In fact since 2007 Porpramook has been fighting, on and off, at world level.
In his first attempt to claim a world title in 2007 Porpramook came up short against the hugely talented Filipino Donnie Nietes in a bout that was close and hard fought by both men. The following year Porpramook would again fall short, that time again Oleydong Sithsamerchai. In 2009 the Thai would again fall short, being stopped by Edgar Sosa in a Light Flyweight title fight before scoring an unlucky draw with Sithsamerchai in 2010. For Porpramook it was fifth time lucky in 2011 as he out pointed the legendary Muhammad Rachman for the WBA Minimumweight title.
Sadly Porpramook's title reign was short lived as Akira Yaegashi stopped him in a 10 round war just 3 months after Porpramook had eventually won a world title. He now goes back to Japan to seek revenge for the loss of his title and get revenge over Japanese fighters.
In terms of his style Porpramook is a tough fighter, whilst he has been stopped twice he proved his genuine toughness in both of those bouts and he proved he is genuine all action and exciting. He's never let a fighter really have their way with him other than Oleydong in their first meeting.
Whilst Porpramook is certainly part of the "last generation", the 24 year old Miyazaki is part of the new generation of fighters who are swiftly emerging, especially in Japan (along with the likes of Ioka amongst others). Despite being just 24 Miyazaki is experienced and seasoned with 20 professional bouts and 115 rounds under his belt, many of which have been fought at title level with Miyazaki having already claimed both the Japanese and the OPBF Light Flyweight titles.
Although having made his name at Light Flyweight, the rock solid looking Miyazaki is a natural Minimumweight. Stood at just 5'1 he's a true warrior facing bigger men than himself to toughen up before getting world title fights and whilst things haven't always gone to plan (with 3 technical draws on his record due to head clashes) he's proven to be able to hang with naturally bigger men.
For me the youth of Miyazaki as well as the wear and tear of Porpramook are likely the difference here. This could well be the best fight of the 5 world title fights that take place in Japan on New Years Eve with both men giving it their all, though I just think Miyazaki will be a little bit too fresh for the Thai warrior.
Prediction- Miyazaki TKO11
The 34 year old Porpramook may not be hugely well known by fight fans in the west though he has proven himself to be a solid world level fighter over the past few years. He's been a professional since 2001 and has been fighting for titles since just his second fight (he claimed the PABA Minimumweight title in his second professional bout). In fact since 2007 Porpramook has been fighting, on and off, at world level.
In his first attempt to claim a world title in 2007 Porpramook came up short against the hugely talented Filipino Donnie Nietes in a bout that was close and hard fought by both men. The following year Porpramook would again fall short, that time again Oleydong Sithsamerchai. In 2009 the Thai would again fall short, being stopped by Edgar Sosa in a Light Flyweight title fight before scoring an unlucky draw with Sithsamerchai in 2010. For Porpramook it was fifth time lucky in 2011 as he out pointed the legendary Muhammad Rachman for the WBA Minimumweight title.
Sadly Porpramook's title reign was short lived as Akira Yaegashi stopped him in a 10 round war just 3 months after Porpramook had eventually won a world title. He now goes back to Japan to seek revenge for the loss of his title and get revenge over Japanese fighters.
In terms of his style Porpramook is a tough fighter, whilst he has been stopped twice he proved his genuine toughness in both of those bouts and he proved he is genuine all action and exciting. He's never let a fighter really have their way with him other than Oleydong in their first meeting.
Whilst Porpramook is certainly part of the "last generation", the 24 year old Miyazaki is part of the new generation of fighters who are swiftly emerging, especially in Japan (along with the likes of Ioka amongst others). Despite being just 24 Miyazaki is experienced and seasoned with 20 professional bouts and 115 rounds under his belt, many of which have been fought at title level with Miyazaki having already claimed both the Japanese and the OPBF Light Flyweight titles.
Although having made his name at Light Flyweight, the rock solid looking Miyazaki is a natural Minimumweight. Stood at just 5'1 he's a true warrior facing bigger men than himself to toughen up before getting world title fights and whilst things haven't always gone to plan (with 3 technical draws on his record due to head clashes) he's proven to be able to hang with naturally bigger men.
For me the youth of Miyazaki as well as the wear and tear of Porpramook are likely the difference here. This could well be the best fight of the 5 world title fights that take place in Japan on New Years Eve with both men giving it their all, though I just think Miyazaki will be a little bit too fresh for the Thai warrior.
Prediction- Miyazaki TKO11
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