Unbeaten Indonesian Chris John (48-0-2, 22) may well have the longest unbeaten run of any active fighter but the WBA "Super" champion at Featherweight is still a fighter that many boxing fans have either ignored or simply don't know much about. This weekend those same fans who have given up on John's career will again be ignoring him as he defends his title against the relatively unknown Japanese challenger Satoshi Hosono (23-2, 17) in what could actually be a tougher than expected defense.
Although Hosono is pretty unknown in the west the 29 year old dubbed "Bazooka" is actually a 2-time world title challenger and a former OPBF and Japanese title holder. In fact Hosono's only losses to date have come against genuine world level fighters in Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym and Celestino Caballero, both of those losses coming by decision.
Although Hosono has fought at the world level twice in his 7 and a half year career this will be his first bout outside of his native Japan which could put him at a notable disadvantage (despite how close Indonesia and Japan are geographically) especially considering the history between the two countries. Despite fighting on foreign soil for the first time Hosono's biggest issue will actually be with his opponent who hasn't remained unbeaten in 50 fights for no reason. Hosono has the power to hurt anyone in the division though the big question with him is whether or not he has the skills to land on a fighter like John, if he can this bout will be interesting.
For John there is little to really say that hasn't been said numerous times before. In his homeland he's a boxing god. He's been a world champion for a staggering 9 years, he's unbeaten since he turned professional way back in 1998 and he's shown not only genuine toughness but also very solid boxing ability. He's been able to find a way to beat numerous fighters including Ratanachai Sor Vorapin, Derrick Gainer, Juan Manuel Marquez, Hiroyuki Enoki, Rocky Juarez and Daud Cino Yordan.
Sadly for John he's a victim of his own success. Had he not been such a huge fan favourite in Indonesia on television channel RCTI we may well have seen him leaving his homeland more often, to date however John has fought abroad just 9 times with 5 of those fights taking place in the East (and a further 2 in Australia).
For John, now 33 years old his age may be his downfall though it's also amazing that he's managed to remain at Featherweight for pretty much his whole career. Whilst it's impressive that he's made the same weight for 15 years it's also amazing that he still appears to have plenty of miles left on the clock despite fighting for a jaw dropping 407 professional rounds, though this is in part due to his lack of power and it's over 5 years since he last stopped an opponent.
If Hosono goes in there with the idea that John can't hurt him he'll be making a mistake, John isn't a powerful puncher but he puts his shots together excellently and can shake people up with his fantastic flurries. If he can either time John and land a counter right or trap him and unload with the right he has a chance. If John however is able to box at his own pace this probably will be win #49 for the legendary Indonesian who probably doesn't have long left in the sport.
I know some fans can't be bothered to give John a chance though I'd hope that every boxing fan will get to see John at least once as he's a future hall of famer whether fans like to admit it or not.
Prediction-John by UD
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Shinsuke Yamanaka v Malcolm Tunacao
In arguably the most interesting bout on the wonderful Tokyo title trio is the WBC Bantamweight title defense of Shinsuka Yamanaka (17-0-2, 12) who faces Filipino veteran and former WBC Flyweight champion Malcolm Tunacao (32-2-3, 20).
Going in to this bout the 35 year old Tunacao will know that this will be the last major chance he will get in his career. In fact at 35 years old he is ancient for a Bantamweight and is possibly living on borrowed time as it is. Saying that however he's a fighter who knows that he's getting a chance he has been owed for a few years now.
Having been a professional since 1998 Tuncao has had several ups and downs in his career with the most notable up being an upset victory in 2000 over Medgoen Singsurat which saw Tunacao claiming the WBC Flyweight title. Sadly his reign back then was short lived and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam destroyed the young Tuncao inside a round in just his second defense.
Since losing to Wonjongkam in 2001 Tuncao has been the forgotten man of Filipino boxing despite claiming various titles including the OPBF Bantamweight title and the WBC International Super Flyweight titles. In fact since losing Wonjongkam we've seen Tunacao go 21-1-2 in his career over the last 13 years as he has fought hard against unrewarding opponents such as Kohei Oba (who Tunacao has beaten and drawn with), Rolly Matsushita (the only man to beat Tunacao in the last decade) and Christian Esquivel. In fact it was the win over Esquivel that opened up the door for Tunacao to get his first world title bout since his loss to Wonjongkam.
Interestingly Esquivel actually links the two men with a victory by Yamanaka over Esquivel being the fight that put Yamanaka on the world stage and saw him winning the WBC Bantamweight title. Prior the to bout with Esquivel Yamanaka was almost unknown in the West despite having been the Japanese champion (and despite having been in an excellent bout with Ryosuke Iwasa).
Aged 30 himself, Yamanaka is no spring chicken though having only turned professional in 2006 he's a fighter who is notably younger than Tunacao in both age and ring years.
Yamanaka is a much improved fighter to the one who drew 2 of his first 7 bouts (and could well have started his career 3-4) in fact he's now arguably one of the most under-rated champions in the sport and yet also one of the most feared. In the last 2 years or saw he not only battled the highly regarded Iwasa to a stand still but stopped the aforementioned Esquivel, out pointed Vic Darchinyan and stopped Tomas Rojas in eye catching fashion.
With his own power Yamanaka is a dangerous fighter, though we've also seen him hurt. Not only did Iwasa manage to rattle him at times but Esquivel managed to drop him in their encounter before Yamanaka stopped Esquivel in the 11th round showing his power carries through late. Interestingly however Tunacao had a much easier job with Esquivel than Yamanaka, though admittedly Yamanaka did take something out of Esquivel in their battle.
Going in to this bout we know both men can be hurt and we know both men are hard hitters. Sadly for Tunacao I can't help but feel he's facing a man who is just that bit fresher and a bit less battle scarred in Yamanaka. With this in mind I'm going to have to go with Yamanaka to score the victory and although I imagine Tunacao will put his all in to it I think he'll get stopped late.
Prediction-Yamanaka TKO10
Going in to this bout the 35 year old Tunacao will know that this will be the last major chance he will get in his career. In fact at 35 years old he is ancient for a Bantamweight and is possibly living on borrowed time as it is. Saying that however he's a fighter who knows that he's getting a chance he has been owed for a few years now.
Having been a professional since 1998 Tuncao has had several ups and downs in his career with the most notable up being an upset victory in 2000 over Medgoen Singsurat which saw Tunacao claiming the WBC Flyweight title. Sadly his reign back then was short lived and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam destroyed the young Tuncao inside a round in just his second defense.
Since losing to Wonjongkam in 2001 Tuncao has been the forgotten man of Filipino boxing despite claiming various titles including the OPBF Bantamweight title and the WBC International Super Flyweight titles. In fact since losing Wonjongkam we've seen Tunacao go 21-1-2 in his career over the last 13 years as he has fought hard against unrewarding opponents such as Kohei Oba (who Tunacao has beaten and drawn with), Rolly Matsushita (the only man to beat Tunacao in the last decade) and Christian Esquivel. In fact it was the win over Esquivel that opened up the door for Tunacao to get his first world title bout since his loss to Wonjongkam.
Interestingly Esquivel actually links the two men with a victory by Yamanaka over Esquivel being the fight that put Yamanaka on the world stage and saw him winning the WBC Bantamweight title. Prior the to bout with Esquivel Yamanaka was almost unknown in the West despite having been the Japanese champion (and despite having been in an excellent bout with Ryosuke Iwasa).
Aged 30 himself, Yamanaka is no spring chicken though having only turned professional in 2006 he's a fighter who is notably younger than Tunacao in both age and ring years.
Yamanaka is a much improved fighter to the one who drew 2 of his first 7 bouts (and could well have started his career 3-4) in fact he's now arguably one of the most under-rated champions in the sport and yet also one of the most feared. In the last 2 years or saw he not only battled the highly regarded Iwasa to a stand still but stopped the aforementioned Esquivel, out pointed Vic Darchinyan and stopped Tomas Rojas in eye catching fashion.
With his own power Yamanaka is a dangerous fighter, though we've also seen him hurt. Not only did Iwasa manage to rattle him at times but Esquivel managed to drop him in their encounter before Yamanaka stopped Esquivel in the 11th round showing his power carries through late. Interestingly however Tunacao had a much easier job with Esquivel than Yamanaka, though admittedly Yamanaka did take something out of Esquivel in their battle.
Going in to this bout we know both men can be hurt and we know both men are hard hitters. Sadly for Tunacao I can't help but feel he's facing a man who is just that bit fresher and a bit less battle scarred in Yamanaka. With this in mind I'm going to have to go with Yamanaka to score the victory and although I imagine Tunacao will put his all in to it I think he'll get stopped late.
Prediction-Yamanaka TKO10
Toshiyuki Igarashi v Akira Yaegashi
After yesterday's upset with Juan Francisco Estrada defeating Brian Viloria for the WBO and WBA "super" titles at Flyweight we now see WBC champion Toshiyuki Igarashi (17-1-1, 10) attempt to avoid a similar fate when he faces former WBA Minimumweight champion Akira Yaegashi (16-3, 9) in an enticing all Japanese dust up.
Going in to the bout Igarashi is not only the WBC champion but also the Linear champion and the bigger man being a natural at Flyweight. He's not only the naturally heavier man but he also has height and reach advantages over Yaegashi as well as a being a year younger and a southpaw. Despite this however there are plenty of question marks over Igarashi who has defended his belt once.
The champion has been a professional since 2006 and has rebuilt his career well since suffering his lone defeat, a decision loss in 2008 to Tomonobu Shimizu. He has claimed both the Japanese and WBC titles at Flyweight over the past 2 and a bit years and scored notable wins over Wilbert Uicab and Sonny Boy Jaro as well as a title defense over Argentinian Nestor Daniel Narvaes (the younger brother of Omar Andres Narvaez).
Igarashi is a good boxer, he uses he feet well and can box from a distance with his sharp long shots that he bounced of Jaro's head last year. Sadly up close Igarashi can be dragged in to a war and notably in his last 4 bouts he has struggled over the finishing line as his lack of power has failed to keep opponents at bay, in fact opponents have been giving him a real nightmare time and time again. That's not to say Igarashi has no power, but it's certainly not world level power and his last stoppage came 2 years ago against Takayasu Kobayashi who had been stopped 3 times previously.
Igarashi goes into this bout as a small favourite though that's more down to the fact he's a natural Flyweight. Yaegashi, jumping up from Minimumweight however is worthy of a small bet if you can find anyone with odds available on the bout.
Like Igarashi he's a tough fighter, in fact Yaegashi may well be one of the toughest men in the sport. He's never been stopped in a career that dates back to 2005 and has featured memorable bouts against Pornsawan Porpramook and Kazuto Ioka (both FOTY candidates for their respective years). Unlike Igarashi however I feel Yaegashi prefers a war to a boxing contest and if he can cut the distance on any opponent he will give them a real nightmare with his toughness and relentless work rate which is designed to break fighters down (as he did against Porpramook).
If a fighter can keep Yaegashi at range I think they could beat him relatively easily, but keeping him at range is much easier said than done, in fact at the moment I don't think any fighter could keep Yaegashi at range.
For me I can't see Igarashi keeping Yaegashi off him and I think up close it's a no contest, Yaegashi's work rate will simply swamp the more technically skilled fighter. Igarashi may have some success but I think Yaegashi will put on a performance similar to that of Katsunari Takayama recently with his work rate just being too much for his opponent.
Prediction-Yaegashi UD12
Going in to the bout Igarashi is not only the WBC champion but also the Linear champion and the bigger man being a natural at Flyweight. He's not only the naturally heavier man but he also has height and reach advantages over Yaegashi as well as a being a year younger and a southpaw. Despite this however there are plenty of question marks over Igarashi who has defended his belt once.
The champion has been a professional since 2006 and has rebuilt his career well since suffering his lone defeat, a decision loss in 2008 to Tomonobu Shimizu. He has claimed both the Japanese and WBC titles at Flyweight over the past 2 and a bit years and scored notable wins over Wilbert Uicab and Sonny Boy Jaro as well as a title defense over Argentinian Nestor Daniel Narvaes (the younger brother of Omar Andres Narvaez).
Igarashi is a good boxer, he uses he feet well and can box from a distance with his sharp long shots that he bounced of Jaro's head last year. Sadly up close Igarashi can be dragged in to a war and notably in his last 4 bouts he has struggled over the finishing line as his lack of power has failed to keep opponents at bay, in fact opponents have been giving him a real nightmare time and time again. That's not to say Igarashi has no power, but it's certainly not world level power and his last stoppage came 2 years ago against Takayasu Kobayashi who had been stopped 3 times previously.
Igarashi goes into this bout as a small favourite though that's more down to the fact he's a natural Flyweight. Yaegashi, jumping up from Minimumweight however is worthy of a small bet if you can find anyone with odds available on the bout.
Like Igarashi he's a tough fighter, in fact Yaegashi may well be one of the toughest men in the sport. He's never been stopped in a career that dates back to 2005 and has featured memorable bouts against Pornsawan Porpramook and Kazuto Ioka (both FOTY candidates for their respective years). Unlike Igarashi however I feel Yaegashi prefers a war to a boxing contest and if he can cut the distance on any opponent he will give them a real nightmare with his toughness and relentless work rate which is designed to break fighters down (as he did against Porpramook).
If a fighter can keep Yaegashi at range I think they could beat him relatively easily, but keeping him at range is much easier said than done, in fact at the moment I don't think any fighter could keep Yaegashi at range.
For me I can't see Igarashi keeping Yaegashi off him and I think up close it's a no contest, Yaegashi's work rate will simply swamp the more technically skilled fighter. Igarashi may have some success but I think Yaegashi will put on a performance similar to that of Katsunari Takayama recently with his work rate just being too much for his opponent.
Prediction-Yaegashi UD12
Gamaliel Diaz v Takashi Miura
Mexican Super Featherweight Gamaliel Diaz (37-9-2, 17)) looks to make the first defense of his WBC title when he faces the highly rated Japanese challenger Takashi Miura (24-2-2, 18) in Mirua's homeland of Japan.
Although Diaz is on the road for this fight he'll have fond memories of Japan where he is 3-0 as a professional and had his crowning glory last year defeating Takahiro Ao by unanimous decision for his world title. In fact the 32 year old may well feel that Japan is where he has performed the best over his 14 year career with victories not only against Ao but also Naoto Fujiwara and Makoto Uehara (oddly following those victories with a notable defeat of Robert Guerrero).
Although Diaz's record looks like that of a journeyman he actually picked up more than half of his losses in his first 8 bouts as he started his career 3-5 suffering 2 stoppage losses including 1 to Martin Honorio. Since then Diaz has compiled a very respectable 34-4-2 record with losses to Robert Guerrero (who he had already beaten), Humberto Soto, Jorge Linares and Zolani Marali with the last of those coming 4 years ago to Marali. Against those losses Diaz has beaten not only Guerrero and Ao but also Elio Rojas, Cesar Soto and John Carlo Aparicio.
Diaz isn't anything special but on the flip of that he's a fighter who, if he fights to his best can upset special fighters. Sadly for Diaz though he is a fighter who can blow hot and cold and when he's not on form he can make life very difficult for himself and as we've seen several times he can be hurt when tagged hard, in fact of his last 4 losses 3 have come by stoppage with his chin not holding up at world level. Against Miura this could be an issue as the Japanese fighter is a real puncher, though Diaz has got the experience edge and should know how to get around Miura's biggest shots.
Whilst Diaz is well known around boxing circles his Japanese rival is lesser known in the west. Despite his relative obscurity to Western boxing fans Miura is well known to fans of the East thanks in part to his performance against Takashi Uchiyama which saw Uchiyama decked in round 3 before Miura was retired.
At 28 years old Miura is the younger fighter by 4 years in terms of age but is also younger in terms of "boxing years" having had fewer high profile bouts. Despite this Miura is well tested having fought in 7 Japanese title fights (going 5-1-1 in those bouts) and his bout with Uchiyama. Amongst those he has beaten are Yoshimitsu Yashiro, Seiichi Okada and most recently Ryuji Migaki (who was blasted out in 97 seconds). Whilst his only loss, other than the Uchiyama defeat, coming to former WBA Lightweight champion Yusuke Kobori in Miura's first title bout.
Miura is a genuine hard man despite his loss to Uchiyama (arguably the hard puncher in Super Featherweight division) and with his own fire power is a real danger man in the division. Whilst he has thunderous power he can often seem a bit predictable in trying to set up left hand and he seems to lack any sort of attack from his lead hand at times allowing a smart fighter to out boxing him. He can also get frustrated by a fighter who moves away from his left. It's fair to say however you've got to be pretty stupid to move into his straight left.
Due to the power of Miura with his straight left I've got to go with the Japanese catching Diaz at some point and putting him down. I have a feeling that Diaz may get up from a single knock down but be get stopped sooner afterwards.
Prediction-Mirua TKO5
Although Diaz is on the road for this fight he'll have fond memories of Japan where he is 3-0 as a professional and had his crowning glory last year defeating Takahiro Ao by unanimous decision for his world title. In fact the 32 year old may well feel that Japan is where he has performed the best over his 14 year career with victories not only against Ao but also Naoto Fujiwara and Makoto Uehara (oddly following those victories with a notable defeat of Robert Guerrero).
Although Diaz's record looks like that of a journeyman he actually picked up more than half of his losses in his first 8 bouts as he started his career 3-5 suffering 2 stoppage losses including 1 to Martin Honorio. Since then Diaz has compiled a very respectable 34-4-2 record with losses to Robert Guerrero (who he had already beaten), Humberto Soto, Jorge Linares and Zolani Marali with the last of those coming 4 years ago to Marali. Against those losses Diaz has beaten not only Guerrero and Ao but also Elio Rojas, Cesar Soto and John Carlo Aparicio.
Diaz isn't anything special but on the flip of that he's a fighter who, if he fights to his best can upset special fighters. Sadly for Diaz though he is a fighter who can blow hot and cold and when he's not on form he can make life very difficult for himself and as we've seen several times he can be hurt when tagged hard, in fact of his last 4 losses 3 have come by stoppage with his chin not holding up at world level. Against Miura this could be an issue as the Japanese fighter is a real puncher, though Diaz has got the experience edge and should know how to get around Miura's biggest shots.
Whilst Diaz is well known around boxing circles his Japanese rival is lesser known in the west. Despite his relative obscurity to Western boxing fans Miura is well known to fans of the East thanks in part to his performance against Takashi Uchiyama which saw Uchiyama decked in round 3 before Miura was retired.
At 28 years old Miura is the younger fighter by 4 years in terms of age but is also younger in terms of "boxing years" having had fewer high profile bouts. Despite this Miura is well tested having fought in 7 Japanese title fights (going 5-1-1 in those bouts) and his bout with Uchiyama. Amongst those he has beaten are Yoshimitsu Yashiro, Seiichi Okada and most recently Ryuji Migaki (who was blasted out in 97 seconds). Whilst his only loss, other than the Uchiyama defeat, coming to former WBA Lightweight champion Yusuke Kobori in Miura's first title bout.
Miura is a genuine hard man despite his loss to Uchiyama (arguably the hard puncher in Super Featherweight division) and with his own fire power is a real danger man in the division. Whilst he has thunderous power he can often seem a bit predictable in trying to set up left hand and he seems to lack any sort of attack from his lead hand at times allowing a smart fighter to out boxing him. He can also get frustrated by a fighter who moves away from his left. It's fair to say however you've got to be pretty stupid to move into his straight left.
Due to the power of Miura with his straight left I've got to go with the Japanese catching Diaz at some point and putting him down. I have a feeling that Diaz may get up from a single knock down but be get stopped sooner afterwards.
Prediction-Mirua TKO5
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Koki Kameda v Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym
WBA "regular" Bantamweight champion Koki Kameda (29-1, 17) will be looking for win #30 on Sunday as he defends his belt against little known Thai Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym (36-1, 19) who is moving up from Super Flyweight for this bout.
The defending Japanese fighter, 26 is a 3-weight world champion having started his career at Light Flyweight (where he won the WBA title in 2006) and also having claimed the WBC Flyweight title (which he lost in 2010 to the legendary Pongsaklek Wonjongkam) before claiming his current status at Bantamweight. He has proven himself at world level repeatedly over the past 6 years though has often left fans with serious questions marks, especially in his current reign as a Bantamweight champion.
In terms of his style Kameda is a fast punching southpaw who like to fight in bursts and assert himself. When he can't force himself in to the bout Kameda has been shown to struggle and at Bantamweight this has become a regular occurrence with David De La Mora and Hugo Ruiz both arguably being robbed by him and the judges. In fact both of those two showed that Kameda isn't anything special at Bantamweight.
Despite his relative limitations Kameda is a huge draw in his native Japan and this has helped make a him a bit of a star on TV. It's this that has likely help extend his reign as champion especially in his debatable bouts which have seen the crowd making noise and probably helping him over the finishing line.
When it comes to the Thai challenger we really know very little. Like Kameda he's a southpaw though at 29 he's a bit older than the champion. Thankfully if we go through his record we do see some recognisable names including Rocky Fuentes (who Kaiyanghadaogym defeated on debut), Richard Garcia, Dondon Jimnea, Marvin Tampus and Ricky Manufoe. Of course bar Fuentes they are better known as journeymen in Asia.
Like Kameda, Kaiyanghadaogym has also suffered a single loss. Whilst Kameda's came to a top level fighter in Wonjongkam, Kaiyanghadaogym's came to former world title contender Hiroyuki Hisataka who oddly enough Kaiyanghadaogym had already beaten. Worryingly for Kaiyanghadaogym he was actually stopped by Histaka who only has "respectable" power despite his toughness.
Whilst I don't think much of Kameda as a Bantamweight (he's too small and lacks any genuine power at the weight) I feel it would be difficult to pick Kaiyanghadaogym here. Sure Kaiyanghadaogym may put up a spirited effort but with Kameda's recent "success" in close fights it's always going to be a case of a fighter needing to stop him to be sure of a victory and sadly Kaiyanghadaogym doesn't have that sort of power.
Prediction-Kameda UD
The defending Japanese fighter, 26 is a 3-weight world champion having started his career at Light Flyweight (where he won the WBA title in 2006) and also having claimed the WBC Flyweight title (which he lost in 2010 to the legendary Pongsaklek Wonjongkam) before claiming his current status at Bantamweight. He has proven himself at world level repeatedly over the past 6 years though has often left fans with serious questions marks, especially in his current reign as a Bantamweight champion.
In terms of his style Kameda is a fast punching southpaw who like to fight in bursts and assert himself. When he can't force himself in to the bout Kameda has been shown to struggle and at Bantamweight this has become a regular occurrence with David De La Mora and Hugo Ruiz both arguably being robbed by him and the judges. In fact both of those two showed that Kameda isn't anything special at Bantamweight.
Despite his relative limitations Kameda is a huge draw in his native Japan and this has helped make a him a bit of a star on TV. It's this that has likely help extend his reign as champion especially in his debatable bouts which have seen the crowd making noise and probably helping him over the finishing line.
When it comes to the Thai challenger we really know very little. Like Kameda he's a southpaw though at 29 he's a bit older than the champion. Thankfully if we go through his record we do see some recognisable names including Rocky Fuentes (who Kaiyanghadaogym defeated on debut), Richard Garcia, Dondon Jimnea, Marvin Tampus and Ricky Manufoe. Of course bar Fuentes they are better known as journeymen in Asia.
Like Kameda, Kaiyanghadaogym has also suffered a single loss. Whilst Kameda's came to a top level fighter in Wonjongkam, Kaiyanghadaogym's came to former world title contender Hiroyuki Hisataka who oddly enough Kaiyanghadaogym had already beaten. Worryingly for Kaiyanghadaogym he was actually stopped by Histaka who only has "respectable" power despite his toughness.
Whilst I don't think much of Kameda as a Bantamweight (he's too small and lacks any genuine power at the weight) I feel it would be difficult to pick Kaiyanghadaogym here. Sure Kaiyanghadaogym may put up a spirited effort but with Kameda's recent "success" in close fights it's always going to be a case of a fighter needing to stop him to be sure of a victory and sadly Kaiyanghadaogym doesn't have that sort of power.
Prediction-Kameda UD
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Roman Martinez v Diego Magdaleno
Puerto Rican Roman "Rocky" Martinez (26-1-2, 16) may well be one of the luckiest champions in boxing right now having claimed the WBO Super Featherweight in controversial fashion against Miguel Beltran Jr and then retained it in even more controversy against Juan Carlos Burgos. He will now look to extend his reign as champion as he comes up against unbeaten American Diego Magdaleno (23-0, 9) who is stepping up notably for this bout.
Although the 30 year old Martinez has been fortunate in his most recent bouts he is a proven world class fighter who is now having his second reign as a world champion. He's scored notable wins over Francisco Lorenzo, Walter Estrada, Nicky Cook, Daniel Attah and the controversial one over Beltran. The only blotches on his record have come to Jose Leonardo Cruz-who he drew with early in his career, Ricky Burns-who beat Martinez in 2010 and Burgos-who seemed to be denied a clear victory by the judges.
At his best Martinez is a hurtful puncher who can detonate his powerful straight right in impressive fashion whilst also taking heavy punishment himself. At his worst however he's a stiff boxer who can be made to look slow and clumsy and as Burgos showed he can also be worn down with a strong body attack (though admittedly few would have withstood Burgos' body attack that night). He's slow and clumsy but at long range he's very effective and uses his long arms to great effect.
Whilst Martinez is proven at the world level there is a lot of questions marks over him going in to this bout thanks to his lesser than stellar showings against Beltran Jr and Burgos, two opponents who arguably beat Martinez. In fact when you consider the loss to Burns you could make a strong case for Martinez being 1-3 in his last 4 bouts (with only the stoppage over Attah going in his favour).
For unbeaten American Magdaleno this is a massive step up. So far in his career he's been spoken about as a fighter with major potential though he's rarely needed to really prove how good he actually is. In fact the best victories that Magdaleno has scored have come against smaller fighters such as Fernando Beltran and Emmanuel Lucero neither of which will help prepare him for a world title fight with a genuine world level fighter.
Magadaleno's a very talented boxer with quick hands though has appeared to lack power in many of his fights. Although a stoppage of Beltran may convince some that he hits much harder than his record indicates I'm more of the opinion that Beltran's natural size disadvantage helped make Magdaleno's shots seem more powerful than they really were. I'd be shocked if his power had the same sort of effect on a true Super Featherweight like Martinez.
Going in to this bout I'd expect Magdaleno to use his speed and skills to try and over-come the power of Martinez. If he can use feet and stop Martinez from getting off with his power shots he could honestly make this bout look very easily. Sadly for Magdaleno the fact that Alejandro Perez managed to drop him doesn't bode well here and Martinez is a much bigger puncher than Perez.
For some this is the big match up of the weekend and an evenly balance bounced, for me however I can't help but think the step up is simply too much for Magdaleno. Not only is he stepping up in terms of opponent but he's also stepping up to the 12 round distance for the first time and over 12 rounds I'd be shocked if Martinez can't tag him.
Prediction-Martinez TKO8
Although the 30 year old Martinez has been fortunate in his most recent bouts he is a proven world class fighter who is now having his second reign as a world champion. He's scored notable wins over Francisco Lorenzo, Walter Estrada, Nicky Cook, Daniel Attah and the controversial one over Beltran. The only blotches on his record have come to Jose Leonardo Cruz-who he drew with early in his career, Ricky Burns-who beat Martinez in 2010 and Burgos-who seemed to be denied a clear victory by the judges.
At his best Martinez is a hurtful puncher who can detonate his powerful straight right in impressive fashion whilst also taking heavy punishment himself. At his worst however he's a stiff boxer who can be made to look slow and clumsy and as Burgos showed he can also be worn down with a strong body attack (though admittedly few would have withstood Burgos' body attack that night). He's slow and clumsy but at long range he's very effective and uses his long arms to great effect.
Whilst Martinez is proven at the world level there is a lot of questions marks over him going in to this bout thanks to his lesser than stellar showings against Beltran Jr and Burgos, two opponents who arguably beat Martinez. In fact when you consider the loss to Burns you could make a strong case for Martinez being 1-3 in his last 4 bouts (with only the stoppage over Attah going in his favour).
For unbeaten American Magdaleno this is a massive step up. So far in his career he's been spoken about as a fighter with major potential though he's rarely needed to really prove how good he actually is. In fact the best victories that Magdaleno has scored have come against smaller fighters such as Fernando Beltran and Emmanuel Lucero neither of which will help prepare him for a world title fight with a genuine world level fighter.
Magadaleno's a very talented boxer with quick hands though has appeared to lack power in many of his fights. Although a stoppage of Beltran may convince some that he hits much harder than his record indicates I'm more of the opinion that Beltran's natural size disadvantage helped make Magdaleno's shots seem more powerful than they really were. I'd be shocked if his power had the same sort of effect on a true Super Featherweight like Martinez.
Going in to this bout I'd expect Magdaleno to use his speed and skills to try and over-come the power of Martinez. If he can use feet and stop Martinez from getting off with his power shots he could honestly make this bout look very easily. Sadly for Magdaleno the fact that Alejandro Perez managed to drop him doesn't bode well here and Martinez is a much bigger puncher than Perez.
For some this is the big match up of the weekend and an evenly balance bounced, for me however I can't help but think the step up is simply too much for Magdaleno. Not only is he stepping up in terms of opponent but he's also stepping up to the 12 round distance for the first time and over 12 rounds I'd be shocked if Martinez can't tag him.
Prediction-Martinez TKO8
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Brian Viloria v Juan Francisco Estrada
In what is for me the fight of the weekend WBA "super" and WBO Flyweight champion Brian Viloria (32-3-0-2,19) defends his titles against teak tough Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada (22-2, 18). This fight might be seen as a mismatch by many though it's a fight I think all will agree will be fun as long as it lasts with a lot of action and some fantastic exchanges.
Viloria may not be seen by Ring Magazine as the best Flyweight on the planet though generally fans and the wider boxing media seem to have acknowledged his achievements and placed him on an official #1 place at 112lbs. He has proven his ability time and time again and in recent years has been on one of the best runs in the sport with victories against a genuine who's who.
Since turning professional in 2001 the 32 year old Viloria has had a genuine up and down career that now seems to be up (and staying up). He has claimed the WBC and IBF Light Flyweight titles as well as his current WBO and WBA "super" titles at Flyweight but he has also suffered defeats at the hands of Omar Nino Romero, Edgar Sosa and Carlos Tamara.
At his best Viloria is a boxer-puncher who can do both excellently. He can out box most and he can out punch most though he's had issues with his identity in the ring and has often tried fighting as a puncher and as a boxer which has often been when he has struggled. When he's stuck to one style of fighting however Viloria has proven to be excellent with power, skills, movement and a real toughness to him. It's these attributes that have have seen him defeating the likes Alberto Rossel, Gilberto Keb Baas, Eric Ortiz, Jose Antonio Aguirre, Ulises Solis, Julio Cesar Miranda, Giovani Segura, Omar Nino Romero and Hernan Marquez.
At the top level Viloria's ability is well known though his opponent, the 22 year old Estrada, is much less well known despite being in a Fight of the Year contender in 2012 against Roman Gonzalez. Estrada proved against Gonzalez that he can take a punch (my God did he prove that) and had the fighters heart to come back with his own shots in a some what typical Mexican warrior fashion. Not only did he take the best of Gonzalez (who I rate highly) but he also ran Gonzalez very close in a thoroughly engaging and competitive bout.
As well as his loss to Gonzalez, Estrada has also been beaten by Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr, also by decision. Although Estrada and Gonzalez fought at 108lbs Estrada is going up to Flyweight for this bout, the same weight that he fought Sanchez Jr at and we wonder if he'll actually be the smaller man in the ring with Viloria who himself made his name at Light Flyweight. In fact I wouldn't be shocked if Estrada looked the bigger man having fought as high as 118lbs before.
In the ring Estrada is a tough and hard working fighter who can be out boxed by a clever fighter but he doesn't seem to ever get discouraged and his recuperative abilities are amazing. You can rock him, you can hurt him but you can't make him fold, and you'll have to make sure he doesn't get to unload too many on you in return because he has genuinely hurtful power of his own.Admittedly however, Estrada's best wins are against C level fighters like Ardin Diale though he certainly has proved himself in both of his losses, both to current world champions.
It's easy to say that "Viloria will destroy Estrada" but for me this bout isn't that simple and in fact I see Viloria being pushed hard by Estrada who may manage to make this in to a bit of a battle of attrition. If Estrada can take Viloria's power (and that is admittedly a huge if) he could well score an upset late against a tiring Viloria, though if Viloria, who is a very clean puncher, can land his shots and have an effect on Estrada early it may be a case of the referee saving a very brave Mexican challenger.
With the Viloria win being the "obvious one" I'll actually go against the tide and go with Estrada.
Prediction-Estrada TKO11 in a FOTY candidate.
Viloria may not be seen by Ring Magazine as the best Flyweight on the planet though generally fans and the wider boxing media seem to have acknowledged his achievements and placed him on an official #1 place at 112lbs. He has proven his ability time and time again and in recent years has been on one of the best runs in the sport with victories against a genuine who's who.
Since turning professional in 2001 the 32 year old Viloria has had a genuine up and down career that now seems to be up (and staying up). He has claimed the WBC and IBF Light Flyweight titles as well as his current WBO and WBA "super" titles at Flyweight but he has also suffered defeats at the hands of Omar Nino Romero, Edgar Sosa and Carlos Tamara.
At his best Viloria is a boxer-puncher who can do both excellently. He can out box most and he can out punch most though he's had issues with his identity in the ring and has often tried fighting as a puncher and as a boxer which has often been when he has struggled. When he's stuck to one style of fighting however Viloria has proven to be excellent with power, skills, movement and a real toughness to him. It's these attributes that have have seen him defeating the likes Alberto Rossel, Gilberto Keb Baas, Eric Ortiz, Jose Antonio Aguirre, Ulises Solis, Julio Cesar Miranda, Giovani Segura, Omar Nino Romero and Hernan Marquez.
At the top level Viloria's ability is well known though his opponent, the 22 year old Estrada, is much less well known despite being in a Fight of the Year contender in 2012 against Roman Gonzalez. Estrada proved against Gonzalez that he can take a punch (my God did he prove that) and had the fighters heart to come back with his own shots in a some what typical Mexican warrior fashion. Not only did he take the best of Gonzalez (who I rate highly) but he also ran Gonzalez very close in a thoroughly engaging and competitive bout.
As well as his loss to Gonzalez, Estrada has also been beaten by Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr, also by decision. Although Estrada and Gonzalez fought at 108lbs Estrada is going up to Flyweight for this bout, the same weight that he fought Sanchez Jr at and we wonder if he'll actually be the smaller man in the ring with Viloria who himself made his name at Light Flyweight. In fact I wouldn't be shocked if Estrada looked the bigger man having fought as high as 118lbs before.
In the ring Estrada is a tough and hard working fighter who can be out boxed by a clever fighter but he doesn't seem to ever get discouraged and his recuperative abilities are amazing. You can rock him, you can hurt him but you can't make him fold, and you'll have to make sure he doesn't get to unload too many on you in return because he has genuinely hurtful power of his own.Admittedly however, Estrada's best wins are against C level fighters like Ardin Diale though he certainly has proved himself in both of his losses, both to current world champions.
It's easy to say that "Viloria will destroy Estrada" but for me this bout isn't that simple and in fact I see Viloria being pushed hard by Estrada who may manage to make this in to a bit of a battle of attrition. If Estrada can take Viloria's power (and that is admittedly a huge if) he could well score an upset late against a tiring Viloria, though if Viloria, who is a very clean puncher, can land his shots and have an effect on Estrada early it may be a case of the referee saving a very brave Mexican challenger.
With the Viloria win being the "obvious one" I'll actually go against the tide and go with Estrada.
Prediction-Estrada TKO11 in a FOTY candidate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)