Although we have 5 world title fights this weekend there is one that really stands out, a fight that has split opinion on who "will" win and who people "want" to win and that's the fight between loud mouth Adrien Broner (27-0, 22) and Argentina's always exciting Marcos Rene Maidana (34-3, 31). The bout, dubbed "Danger Zone" sees Broner's WBA Welterweight title up for grabs as he takes on easily his most dangerous for so far. Likewise however Miadana takes probably his most talented opponent to date.
For Broner this is a pivotal contest. He is defending his WBA title for the first time since claiming it, in controversial fashion, from Paulie Malignaggi. In that fight Broner looked awful. He posed, he got hit and he looked less like "The Problem" and more like a man "With Problems". It was an awful performance. Was it that he he over-looked Malignaggi, who many had written off? Was it that Welterweight wasn't good for his body? Was it that outside the ring issues had got to him? Whatever it was he really didn't perform.
If a fighter "doesn't perform" against Maidana they tend to feel his power. He's not the greatest of finishers by any stretch of the imagination but he is one of those thudding punchers who hurt you every time they land. If Broner takes half as many Maidana shots as he took Malinaggi shots then he'll be in a lot of trouble.
At his best Broner is a really talented fighter. He has a lovely variety of punches, amazing hand speed, fantastic natural athletic ability and real explosiveness. At his worst he's a fighter who looks to have never mastered the basics. His jab is often none existent, his foot work is awful and his defense is sloppy to say the least. He's one of many fighters who I tend to feel is more athlete than boxer, and this is often not a great trait, especially at the world level where opponents tend to be pretty good.
Whilst a loss for Broner wouldn't necessarily be the end I don't imagine he would ever be the same person if he had an "L" on his record.
In regards to Maidana he's the under-dog, he's not expected to win but he's also unwilling to accept a loss where he can. He's a fighter at heart and whilst he lacks the speed and reflexes and Broner he has the fighters mentality of refusing to quit, getting up when knocked down, biting on the gumshield and going for it.
It's not rare to see Maidana hurt, in fact he's been down numerous time, but we've never seen anyone keep Maidana down. His recuperative powers are genuinely fantastic, his mental toughness is unquestionable and although he'll never be Sugar Ray Robinson his skills do seem to be improving even now. He's still crude but much less saw than when he was fighting the likes of Victor Ortiz.
For this fight I have several questions. Will "the real" Broner turn up? If not he'll lose. Can they take each others power? If saw Maidana will really struggle. Will Maidana be able to turn this in to a war? If he can he has a fantastic chance just on the cumulative effect of his shots.
If Broner turns up and acts like a fighter I honesty believe he can stop Maidana. If he acts like a man who has already won the fight before the first punch is thrown however, he gets stopped.
Prediction-Broner TKO10
Showing posts with label WBA Welterweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBA Welterweight. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Diego Gabriel Chaves v Keith Thurman
Not many bouts have "explosive" written all over them but the upcoming interim WBA Welterweight title bout certainly does as hard hitting Argentinian Diego Gabriel Chaves (22-0, 18) takes on American Keith Thurman (20-0-0-1, 18) live on Showtime.
Although Chaves is relatively unknown by the wider boxing public he's a fighter who has been receiving a lot of TV time in his homeland courtesy of TYC Sports and thus he's gotten plenty of attention as a fighter there.
Prior to turning professional in 2008 Chaves had been a solid amateur competing at 2007 World Amateur Championships and claiming various national and international titles. It was this amateur experience that helped him get the attention from TC Sports, it was also his amateur success that saw him being dubbed "La Joya" ("The Jewel"). Thankfully for Chaves he has transitioned from the amateurs to the professionals well and really developed as a hard hitter.
Chaves claimed the interim title around a year ago when he stopped Ismael El Massoudi in 2 rounds. Since then he has defended the belt once defeating Jose Miranda, also in 2 round. Unfortunately Chaves has been out of the ring since last September when he beat Miranda and this sort of a layoff could see him with a lot of ring rust, especially when you consider he had fought 21 times in the previous 4 years. Unfortunately part of this layoff was spent waiting for a fight in Dubai against Paulie Malignaggi, a fight that failed to come to fruition.
Style wise Chaves is a hard hitter as mentioned above but is a wild fighter. He's defensively open and appears to leave a lot of chances for a fighter to tag him. His defensive woes have seen him suffering several knockdowns however with his power he's looked like he is happy to have a firefight in the hope of taking his opponents out. He can box when he needs to, though often shows the Latin American machismo rather than his boxing brain.
Whilst Chaves is unknown to the US fanbase it's fair to assume that Thurman isn't. He's a brash but yet charismatic fighter who has been on US TV numerous times often as part of a major undercard giving him major exposure to fans.
Like Chaves, Thurman is a big puncher with genuine lights out power if he connects cleanly and hurtful thudding power if he only manages to land glancing shots. Although he's a big puncher he's more well schooled than Chaves, he's not technically perfect by any stretch of the imagination but he's more defensively sound and more aware of what he's doing when he comes forward and throws. Also like Chaves he has a solid amateur background with more than 100 amateur wins.
Nicknamed "One Time", Thurman seems to feel that he only needs one chance to stop an opponent though he did show last time out that he can box for 12 rounds as he took a decision over the always tough Jan Zaveck. This has been Thurman's only bout to go 12 rounds though I feel he's happy to have proved he can manage the championship distance.
When two big bangers face each other you'd usually favour the more technically rounded fighter and with that in mind I've got to with Thurman here. Both men have question marks hanging over them for sure but with Chaves defensive issues it's going to be next to impossible to back him against any top power puncher.
Of course Chaves could be the next Maidana, Matthysse or Abregu but personally I see him being just a level below that of Abregu, a fringe contender as opposed to a world level guy.
Prediction-Thurman TKO5
Although Chaves is relatively unknown by the wider boxing public he's a fighter who has been receiving a lot of TV time in his homeland courtesy of TYC Sports and thus he's gotten plenty of attention as a fighter there.
Prior to turning professional in 2008 Chaves had been a solid amateur competing at 2007 World Amateur Championships and claiming various national and international titles. It was this amateur experience that helped him get the attention from TC Sports, it was also his amateur success that saw him being dubbed "La Joya" ("The Jewel"). Thankfully for Chaves he has transitioned from the amateurs to the professionals well and really developed as a hard hitter.
Chaves claimed the interim title around a year ago when he stopped Ismael El Massoudi in 2 rounds. Since then he has defended the belt once defeating Jose Miranda, also in 2 round. Unfortunately Chaves has been out of the ring since last September when he beat Miranda and this sort of a layoff could see him with a lot of ring rust, especially when you consider he had fought 21 times in the previous 4 years. Unfortunately part of this layoff was spent waiting for a fight in Dubai against Paulie Malignaggi, a fight that failed to come to fruition.
Style wise Chaves is a hard hitter as mentioned above but is a wild fighter. He's defensively open and appears to leave a lot of chances for a fighter to tag him. His defensive woes have seen him suffering several knockdowns however with his power he's looked like he is happy to have a firefight in the hope of taking his opponents out. He can box when he needs to, though often shows the Latin American machismo rather than his boxing brain.
Whilst Chaves is unknown to the US fanbase it's fair to assume that Thurman isn't. He's a brash but yet charismatic fighter who has been on US TV numerous times often as part of a major undercard giving him major exposure to fans.
Like Chaves, Thurman is a big puncher with genuine lights out power if he connects cleanly and hurtful thudding power if he only manages to land glancing shots. Although he's a big puncher he's more well schooled than Chaves, he's not technically perfect by any stretch of the imagination but he's more defensively sound and more aware of what he's doing when he comes forward and throws. Also like Chaves he has a solid amateur background with more than 100 amateur wins.
Nicknamed "One Time", Thurman seems to feel that he only needs one chance to stop an opponent though he did show last time out that he can box for 12 rounds as he took a decision over the always tough Jan Zaveck. This has been Thurman's only bout to go 12 rounds though I feel he's happy to have proved he can manage the championship distance.
When two big bangers face each other you'd usually favour the more technically rounded fighter and with that in mind I've got to with Thurman here. Both men have question marks hanging over them for sure but with Chaves defensive issues it's going to be next to impossible to back him against any top power puncher.
Of course Chaves could be the next Maidana, Matthysse or Abregu but personally I see him being just a level below that of Abregu, a fringe contender as opposed to a world level guy.
Prediction-Thurman TKO5
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Paul Malignaggi v Adrien Broner
The biggest fight of the coming weekend sees WBA Welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (32-4, 7) taking on the fast rising Adrien Broner (26-0, 22) a man dubbed by many as the future star of American boxing. This will be Broner's first fight above 135lbs and the big question is whether or not the weight will be a problem, for the man known as "The Problem"?
Broner, a man who has claimed world titles at both Super Featherweight and Lightweight is viewed as the most exciting young American in boxing. To date however he hasn't really been tested in the way many would like to have seen him tested. His toughest bout to date came against the visibly under-sized Daniel Ponce De Leon and other than that bout he has done as he's wished with opponents.
Aside from the Ponce De Leon bout Broner has beaten a veritable list of B level opponents like Jason Litzau, Eloy Perez, Vicente Escobedo, Antonio DeMarco and Gavin Rees. For a perceived "pound-for-pound" top 10 fighters (as Ring Magazine herald him) his record is weak.
In terms of talent, as opposed to his opponents, Broner does often look very good. He's got fast hands, a seemingly solid chin and explosive power. Every shot he throws seems to be crisp, hurtful and has an effect on an opponent. Despite his strengths he does seem to be technically limited, his jab can be lacking, he can be caught and often looks like Floyd Mayweather's more offensively minded but much less skilled little brother.
One thing we've all seen is that if you let Broner fight his fight and go to him, he will beat you with his power. Gavin Rees showed that he can be tagged, Ponce De Leon showed he can be out boxed but to date he has remained unbeaten as the hype machine has really gone crazy about him.
In Malignaggi we have a champion who will also be the under-dog. This is despite the fact Malignaggi is more proven, the champion and the man who has been fighting at 147lbs in recent bouts.
Like Broner, Malignaggi made his name outside of the Welterweight division having been a multi-time champion at Light Welterweight (a weight that Broner has notably skipped). In the Light Welterweight division Malignaggi fought a genuine who's who in the form of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Juan Diaz. Whilst he lost most of those fights (going 1-1 with Diaz, though should have been 2-0) Malignaggi proved he belong on the world stage with brave performances.
As a Welterweight Malignaggi has gone on to be undefeated (claiming a controversial victory over Pablo Cesar Cano last time out, when Cano failed to make weight) and looked like a rejuvenated fighter against Vyacheslav Senchenko. It was the Senchenko fight that Malignaggi was last viewed as the under-dog and last written off before he put on arguably the best performance of his career showing off a beautiful jab, wonderful movement and blistering combinations. If that Malignaggi shows up again here he could very easily embarrass Broner.
Sadly for Malignaggi it's rare that we actually see him at his very best. He's a fighter who has always lacked power and instead has always had to rely on pure boxing and speed. At 32 that speed could start going very fast, especially against a younger, fresher fighter like Broner. If it does, he could be a sitting duck for the challenger who whilst not great with his own footwork is very deliberate.
In the build up to the fight both men have been talking the talk, there is bad blood here and whilst Malignaggi has seemed to get the better of the verbal sparring he may just have have annoyed Broner to the point where the younger guy really wants to make a point and actually does use his feet to cut the ring off and break down Malignaggi. The natural size difference isn't as big as it would "seem" on paper and I'd expect Broner to be the bigger man in the ring, meaning this could be very painful for Malignaggi.
The champion is tough but with out the fire power to keep Broner away I can't see anything but a Broner stoppage in the middle rounds.
Prediction-Broner TKO8
Broner, a man who has claimed world titles at both Super Featherweight and Lightweight is viewed as the most exciting young American in boxing. To date however he hasn't really been tested in the way many would like to have seen him tested. His toughest bout to date came against the visibly under-sized Daniel Ponce De Leon and other than that bout he has done as he's wished with opponents.
Aside from the Ponce De Leon bout Broner has beaten a veritable list of B level opponents like Jason Litzau, Eloy Perez, Vicente Escobedo, Antonio DeMarco and Gavin Rees. For a perceived "pound-for-pound" top 10 fighters (as Ring Magazine herald him) his record is weak.
In terms of talent, as opposed to his opponents, Broner does often look very good. He's got fast hands, a seemingly solid chin and explosive power. Every shot he throws seems to be crisp, hurtful and has an effect on an opponent. Despite his strengths he does seem to be technically limited, his jab can be lacking, he can be caught and often looks like Floyd Mayweather's more offensively minded but much less skilled little brother.
One thing we've all seen is that if you let Broner fight his fight and go to him, he will beat you with his power. Gavin Rees showed that he can be tagged, Ponce De Leon showed he can be out boxed but to date he has remained unbeaten as the hype machine has really gone crazy about him.
In Malignaggi we have a champion who will also be the under-dog. This is despite the fact Malignaggi is more proven, the champion and the man who has been fighting at 147lbs in recent bouts.
Like Broner, Malignaggi made his name outside of the Welterweight division having been a multi-time champion at Light Welterweight (a weight that Broner has notably skipped). In the Light Welterweight division Malignaggi fought a genuine who's who in the form of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Juan Diaz. Whilst he lost most of those fights (going 1-1 with Diaz, though should have been 2-0) Malignaggi proved he belong on the world stage with brave performances.
As a Welterweight Malignaggi has gone on to be undefeated (claiming a controversial victory over Pablo Cesar Cano last time out, when Cano failed to make weight) and looked like a rejuvenated fighter against Vyacheslav Senchenko. It was the Senchenko fight that Malignaggi was last viewed as the under-dog and last written off before he put on arguably the best performance of his career showing off a beautiful jab, wonderful movement and blistering combinations. If that Malignaggi shows up again here he could very easily embarrass Broner.
Sadly for Malignaggi it's rare that we actually see him at his very best. He's a fighter who has always lacked power and instead has always had to rely on pure boxing and speed. At 32 that speed could start going very fast, especially against a younger, fresher fighter like Broner. If it does, he could be a sitting duck for the challenger who whilst not great with his own footwork is very deliberate.
In the build up to the fight both men have been talking the talk, there is bad blood here and whilst Malignaggi has seemed to get the better of the verbal sparring he may just have have annoyed Broner to the point where the younger guy really wants to make a point and actually does use his feet to cut the ring off and break down Malignaggi. The natural size difference isn't as big as it would "seem" on paper and I'd expect Broner to be the bigger man in the ring, meaning this could be very painful for Malignaggi.
The champion is tough but with out the fire power to keep Broner away I can't see anything but a Broner stoppage in the middle rounds.
Prediction-Broner TKO8
Friday, 19 October 2012
Paulie Malignaggi v Pablo Cesar Cano
Earlier this year out-spoken American Paulie Malignaggi (31-4, 7) really revitalised his career as he claimed the WBA Welterweight title in an impressive performance against Ukrainian Vyacheslav Senchenko. Malignaggi is now set to make the first defense of that title as he prepares to face popular Mexican Pablo Cesar Cano (25-1-1, 19).
Despite being a noted non-puncher Malignaggi has, time and time again, proven himself to be an extremely talented fighter who has brilliant technical skills as well as fantastic speed and movement coupled alongside real heart and genuine toughness. Sadly, most, seem to only remember the fact he is a non-puncher rather than give his skills the credit they deserve.
Malignaggi burst on to the world stage way back in 2006 when he showed his toughness in brave losing effort to hard punching Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto and since then has been a mainstay on the world scene with bouts against the likes of Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Juan Diaz. Sadly, despite his extreme talent he has found it hard to beat the very top guys who just have that something extra.
Malignaggi made his professional debut way back in 2001 and since then has won both the IBF Light Welterweight title (which he defended twice) and the WBA Welterweight title (the belt he is defending this weekend). All this despite having serious hand issues troubling him through out his career. In recent years however the hands seem to be holding up well and remarkably he has stopped 2 of his last 4 opponents, scoring his first stoppage wins since 2003.
In terms of his style Malignaggi is very slippery, he not only judges distance wonderfully well but he also anticipates his opponents next move whilst landing stinging jabs on to his opponents face, often landing his pot shots and getting out of range before he, himself, is tagged. When tagged however, Malignaggi has shown great resiliency and his brave battle with Cotto really earned him some well deserved plaudits. Sadly however his lack of power has always been an issue and has separated him (a very good fighter) from his top contemporary fighters, such as Cotto and Hatton who were simply able to walk through his shuts using educated pressure.
Whilst Malignaggi is a very known fighter, his opponent, Pablo Cesar Cano, is a bit more obscure having only really come to prominence in the last year or so. Aged just 23 the Mexican burst on to the scene last year in his highest profile bout so far, a brave losing effort to Mexican icon Erik Morales in a WBC Light Welterweight bout. Despite being stopped (by his own corner) against Morales, it was easy to like the kids grit and heart as he started to cut up and swell badly at the hands of Morales.
Other than the Morales bout there is little of note on Cano's record, however earlier this year Cano did claim the interim WBA World Light Welterweight title by defeating the relatively unknown Venezuelan Johan Perez, via controversial technical decision. Despite winning this title, it appears Cano is making a move to 147lbs, and if he defeat Malignaggi he may well intend to stay there. Interestingly however Cano did manage to make Super Featherweight less than 2 years ago, which would perhaps show that he is not a true Light Welterweight, never mind a Welterweight.
Like many Mexican's Cano is a tough fighter, he's not massively skilled but he's tough and seems to enjoy a fighter, however he does have decent boxing skills, as he has shown against both Perez and Morales. He is slowly improving and gaining relevant experience and appears to be really developing as not only a boxer but also a man and with this in mind he must come into this bout as a the puncher, despite arguably being the smaller man.
Sadly despite Cano being an improving fighter he is unlikely to have improved to the level of being able to beat Malignaggi who I feel is simply going to be too fast and too skilled for Cano, who may have his moments but will not have enough of them to claim more than a round or two here and there. Due to the fact Cano is a tough and brave Mexican I imagine he will make it to the final bell, however I wouldn't be shocked if his face looked a bit of a mess by the end of the bout as Malignaggi tries to make a statement.
Prediction-Malignaggi UD
Despite being a noted non-puncher Malignaggi has, time and time again, proven himself to be an extremely talented fighter who has brilliant technical skills as well as fantastic speed and movement coupled alongside real heart and genuine toughness. Sadly, most, seem to only remember the fact he is a non-puncher rather than give his skills the credit they deserve.
Malignaggi burst on to the world stage way back in 2006 when he showed his toughness in brave losing effort to hard punching Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto and since then has been a mainstay on the world scene with bouts against the likes of Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Juan Diaz. Sadly, despite his extreme talent he has found it hard to beat the very top guys who just have that something extra.
Malignaggi made his professional debut way back in 2001 and since then has won both the IBF Light Welterweight title (which he defended twice) and the WBA Welterweight title (the belt he is defending this weekend). All this despite having serious hand issues troubling him through out his career. In recent years however the hands seem to be holding up well and remarkably he has stopped 2 of his last 4 opponents, scoring his first stoppage wins since 2003.
In terms of his style Malignaggi is very slippery, he not only judges distance wonderfully well but he also anticipates his opponents next move whilst landing stinging jabs on to his opponents face, often landing his pot shots and getting out of range before he, himself, is tagged. When tagged however, Malignaggi has shown great resiliency and his brave battle with Cotto really earned him some well deserved plaudits. Sadly however his lack of power has always been an issue and has separated him (a very good fighter) from his top contemporary fighters, such as Cotto and Hatton who were simply able to walk through his shuts using educated pressure.
Whilst Malignaggi is a very known fighter, his opponent, Pablo Cesar Cano, is a bit more obscure having only really come to prominence in the last year or so. Aged just 23 the Mexican burst on to the scene last year in his highest profile bout so far, a brave losing effort to Mexican icon Erik Morales in a WBC Light Welterweight bout. Despite being stopped (by his own corner) against Morales, it was easy to like the kids grit and heart as he started to cut up and swell badly at the hands of Morales.
Other than the Morales bout there is little of note on Cano's record, however earlier this year Cano did claim the interim WBA World Light Welterweight title by defeating the relatively unknown Venezuelan Johan Perez, via controversial technical decision. Despite winning this title, it appears Cano is making a move to 147lbs, and if he defeat Malignaggi he may well intend to stay there. Interestingly however Cano did manage to make Super Featherweight less than 2 years ago, which would perhaps show that he is not a true Light Welterweight, never mind a Welterweight.
Like many Mexican's Cano is a tough fighter, he's not massively skilled but he's tough and seems to enjoy a fighter, however he does have decent boxing skills, as he has shown against both Perez and Morales. He is slowly improving and gaining relevant experience and appears to be really developing as not only a boxer but also a man and with this in mind he must come into this bout as a the puncher, despite arguably being the smaller man.
Sadly despite Cano being an improving fighter he is unlikely to have improved to the level of being able to beat Malignaggi who I feel is simply going to be too fast and too skilled for Cano, who may have his moments but will not have enough of them to claim more than a round or two here and there. Due to the fact Cano is a tough and brave Mexican I imagine he will make it to the final bell, however I wouldn't be shocked if his face looked a bit of a mess by the end of the bout as Malignaggi tries to make a statement.
Prediction-Malignaggi UD
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