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
Monday, 6 May 2013
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Takashi Uchiyama v Jaider Parra
The Super Featherweight division has been one of the weakest divisions in recent years though the one man who has managed to stand out in the division is Japanese hard hitter Takashi Uchiyama (19-0-1, 16), the current WBA champion.
Uchiyama claimed his title way back in January 2010 by stopping Juan Carlos Salgado and since then then has been the only really impressive fighter in the division with 6 title defenses including stoppage victories over Takashi Miura (the current WBC champion), Jorge Solis and Bryan Vasquez.
Despite being 33 years old the tank like Uchiyama has only fought 126 professional rounds, a little over 6 per bout as his destructive power has seen him repeatedly finishing opponents off inside the distance. In his 20 career bouts only Hero Bando has managed to see out the 12 round schedule.
Although not the fastest fighter in the division Uchiyama is very deliberate, defensively sound, more intelligent than he seems and has ridiculously quick recuperative powers. To date he has only been down once as a professional, dropped by Miura, but got immediately back to his feet and carried on despite being tagged by what appeared to be a fight ending shot.
Whilst Uchiyama is a slow starter he's a fighter who can defeat opponents both mentally by refusing to go away or physically by just battering them, or taking them out with one shot (as he did to Solis). This means he's always dangerous. Even if he can be out boxed early on he he only needs a single chance to land his destructive power.
For Uchiyama's 7th title defense he will be facing the relatively unknown Jaider Parra (20-0-1, 10), the younger brother of former world champion Lorenzo Parra.
Hailing from Venezuela Parra is a fighter than little is really known about. He's unbeaten and 30 years old having fought his entire career in Latin America, in fact all but 4 of his bouts have been fought in his native Venezuela.
From watching footage of Parra we do see a pretty decent technical boxer with nice movement and a good jab. Sadly though his lack of power and relative lack of activity in the ring can be a major issue and whilst his opponents so far haven't made him pay, they've also been of a much lower level than Uchiyama. In all honesty Parra's best opponents wouldn't even be favourites against Uchiyama's worst title defenses, Parramay be able to beat some of the weaker ones but Parra's opponents wouldn't.
Prediction-Uchiyama TKO8
Uchiyama claimed his title way back in January 2010 by stopping Juan Carlos Salgado and since then then has been the only really impressive fighter in the division with 6 title defenses including stoppage victories over Takashi Miura (the current WBC champion), Jorge Solis and Bryan Vasquez.
Despite being 33 years old the tank like Uchiyama has only fought 126 professional rounds, a little over 6 per bout as his destructive power has seen him repeatedly finishing opponents off inside the distance. In his 20 career bouts only Hero Bando has managed to see out the 12 round schedule.
Although not the fastest fighter in the division Uchiyama is very deliberate, defensively sound, more intelligent than he seems and has ridiculously quick recuperative powers. To date he has only been down once as a professional, dropped by Miura, but got immediately back to his feet and carried on despite being tagged by what appeared to be a fight ending shot.
Whilst Uchiyama is a slow starter he's a fighter who can defeat opponents both mentally by refusing to go away or physically by just battering them, or taking them out with one shot (as he did to Solis). This means he's always dangerous. Even if he can be out boxed early on he he only needs a single chance to land his destructive power.
For Uchiyama's 7th title defense he will be facing the relatively unknown Jaider Parra (20-0-1, 10), the younger brother of former world champion Lorenzo Parra.
Hailing from Venezuela Parra is a fighter than little is really known about. He's unbeaten and 30 years old having fought his entire career in Latin America, in fact all but 4 of his bouts have been fought in his native Venezuela.
From watching footage of Parra we do see a pretty decent technical boxer with nice movement and a good jab. Sadly though his lack of power and relative lack of activity in the ring can be a major issue and whilst his opponents so far haven't made him pay, they've also been of a much lower level than Uchiyama. In all honesty Parra's best opponents wouldn't even be favourites against Uchiyama's worst title defenses, Parramay be able to beat some of the weaker ones but Parra's opponents wouldn't.
Prediction-Uchiyama TKO8
Kohei Kono v Liborio Solis
At the very end of 2012 Japanese "nearly man" Kohei Kono (28-7, 11) claimed the biggest victory of his career as he stopped the highly regarded Thai Tepparith Kokietgym for the WBA Super Flyweight title. This coming Monday he'll look to defend that belt for the first time when he faces Venezuelan Liborio Solis (14-3-1, 7) who has, for the past 17 months or so, been the "interim" WBA Super Flyweight champion.
Although Kono's record looks somewhat disappointing for a world champion he's been one of the more unfortunate fighters in recent years. He suffered a debut loss in 2000 and picked up several others early in his career before going on a great run in 2007 that saw him claiming the Japanese and OPBF titles at 115lbs.
Sadly when Kono first stepped up to the world level he came agonisingly close in a split decision loss to Nobuo Nashiro in a fantastic bout. The set back to Nashiro probably deserved a rematch though unfortunately Kono would have to wait 12 months before he got his next chance at a world title, losing that time to Tomas Rojas despite dropping Rojas.
Since the loss to Rojas, Kono has gone 3-2 with losses to Yohei Tobe (over 8 rounds) and the recently deposed WBC Super Flyweight champion Yota Sato as well as the victory over Tepparith.
Aged 32 it's fair to say that Kono will not be wanting to hand his title over with out going through hell and with his genuine toughness as well as his under-rated power he'll happily drag opponents to hell and back. Sure he's not a major puncher but when he has his man hurt he can really take them out with his aggression. In terms of his boxing, he's not got anything that really stands out, but then he's also not got any major weaknesses. Sure he can be out-boxed, Rojas and Sato showed that, though he's very determined and will refuse to admit defeat until the final bell.
The Venezuelan challenger is slightly younger than the champion though is also less experienced, especially against world level competition and more tellingly comes in to this bout with more than a year out of the ring.
Solis, like Kono made his debut back in 2000 and after making a winning start he would move to 3-0-1 before vanishing off the boxing map for over 5 years. Since returning to the ring in 2007 he has won 11 of 13 contests with his only losses coming against Henry Maldonado and Ricardo Nunez.
Despite his relatively impressive run of results in terms of numbers Solis hasn't yet beaten a genuinely proven opponent, in fact his best wins are over Jose Salgado and Rafael Concepcion. Solid opponents though certainly not proven world championship level (Concepcion did however give Nonito Donaire a difficult fight and did defeat AJ Banal).
With Solis lacking the punch needed to discourage Kono and not quite having the skills to get away with spending a year out I can't help but feel that a determined Kono manages to hurt, and then stop Solis in the middle rounds. I might be wrong (I often am!) but I do see him wanting to prove a point.
Prediction-Kono TKO7
Although Kono's record looks somewhat disappointing for a world champion he's been one of the more unfortunate fighters in recent years. He suffered a debut loss in 2000 and picked up several others early in his career before going on a great run in 2007 that saw him claiming the Japanese and OPBF titles at 115lbs.
Sadly when Kono first stepped up to the world level he came agonisingly close in a split decision loss to Nobuo Nashiro in a fantastic bout. The set back to Nashiro probably deserved a rematch though unfortunately Kono would have to wait 12 months before he got his next chance at a world title, losing that time to Tomas Rojas despite dropping Rojas.
Since the loss to Rojas, Kono has gone 3-2 with losses to Yohei Tobe (over 8 rounds) and the recently deposed WBC Super Flyweight champion Yota Sato as well as the victory over Tepparith.
Aged 32 it's fair to say that Kono will not be wanting to hand his title over with out going through hell and with his genuine toughness as well as his under-rated power he'll happily drag opponents to hell and back. Sure he's not a major puncher but when he has his man hurt he can really take them out with his aggression. In terms of his boxing, he's not got anything that really stands out, but then he's also not got any major weaknesses. Sure he can be out-boxed, Rojas and Sato showed that, though he's very determined and will refuse to admit defeat until the final bell.
The Venezuelan challenger is slightly younger than the champion though is also less experienced, especially against world level competition and more tellingly comes in to this bout with more than a year out of the ring.
Solis, like Kono made his debut back in 2000 and after making a winning start he would move to 3-0-1 before vanishing off the boxing map for over 5 years. Since returning to the ring in 2007 he has won 11 of 13 contests with his only losses coming against Henry Maldonado and Ricardo Nunez.
Despite his relatively impressive run of results in terms of numbers Solis hasn't yet beaten a genuinely proven opponent, in fact his best wins are over Jose Salgado and Rafael Concepcion. Solid opponents though certainly not proven world championship level (Concepcion did however give Nonito Donaire a difficult fight and did defeat AJ Banal).
With Solis lacking the punch needed to discourage Kono and not quite having the skills to get away with spending a year out I can't help but feel that a determined Kono manages to hurt, and then stop Solis in the middle rounds. I might be wrong (I often am!) but I do see him wanting to prove a point.
Prediction-Kono TKO7
Friday, 3 May 2013
Floyd Mayweather Jr v Robert Guerrero
Pound-for-Pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr (43-0, 26) returns to the ring for the first time in almost a year as he defends his WBC Welterweight title against the once beaten Robert Guerrero (31-1-1-2, 18). The bout, the first of a possible 6 bouts that Showtime will show of Mayweather will see "Money" attempting to finish off the recent rise of "The Ghost".
Aged 36 Mayweather takes not only the premier spot on most pound-for-pound charts but also one of the best records in the sport and the position as the #1 pay-per-view attraction. Though with his age comes deteriorating speed and reflexes which won't have been helped by spending a notable time in jail away from the gym and the highly level nutrition he's used to.
At his very best Mayweather is a slick counter puncher who combines very solid technical skills, impressive speed, fantastic accuracy and cat like reflexes. Defensively his shoulder-roll has proven to be near impenetrable and has helped him survive so long at the top whilst taking so little damage. Offensively he's been criticised due to his perceived lack of power though when he wishes to be spiteful he can hurt fighters with his laser guided straight right. So accurate is Mayweather that he can often lead with a straight right hands and get back in to a defensive posture before his opponent knows what has hit them.
Although Mayweather is no longer at his "best" with his feet being visibly slower than they once were he's also become more offensively minded than he once was. His pot shotting is still a delight and his combinations are a thing of beauty. In fact getting older has helped Mayweather become more offensively minded than he was when he was younger. He's not become a swarmer or a fighter looking for a war fight-in-fight out yet he's become a more offensively minded boxer.
Looking for the biggest victory of his career Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero looks to prove that he belongs in the pound-for-pound argument. Aged "just" 30 Guerrero is a fighter who has filled out from a Featherweight into a perfectly sized Welterweight who is 2-0 at 147lbs and has beaten two well regarded fighters in Selcuk Aydin and Andre Berto.
Fighting from the Southpaw stance Guerrero has proven he can box, as he did against both Aydin and Michael Katsidis as well as brawl as he did in a messy bout with Andre Berto. Whilst it was obvious that he was hurt against Aydin (especially late) he appeared to be a fully blown Welterweight against Berto where he was forcing Berto backwards repeatedly and even dropped him twice. Sure Berto is no Mayweather but it was still impressive.
For Guerrero the big question is "how do you solve a problem like Mayweather?" Trying to box him isn't an option and doing so will see him tagged by the accurate and under-rated straight right which, as we all know, is a massive threat to Southpaws. Trying to brawl might be his best option and whilst Mayweather tends not to get drawn in to them he certainly can be dirty and hold his own in them when he needs to.
The battle, at least in my eyes looks to be lost by Guerrero before the first blow has been thrown, despite the fact Guerrero has been stealing the headlines going in to the bout.
Prediction-Mayweather TKO10
Aged 36 Mayweather takes not only the premier spot on most pound-for-pound charts but also one of the best records in the sport and the position as the #1 pay-per-view attraction. Though with his age comes deteriorating speed and reflexes which won't have been helped by spending a notable time in jail away from the gym and the highly level nutrition he's used to.
At his very best Mayweather is a slick counter puncher who combines very solid technical skills, impressive speed, fantastic accuracy and cat like reflexes. Defensively his shoulder-roll has proven to be near impenetrable and has helped him survive so long at the top whilst taking so little damage. Offensively he's been criticised due to his perceived lack of power though when he wishes to be spiteful he can hurt fighters with his laser guided straight right. So accurate is Mayweather that he can often lead with a straight right hands and get back in to a defensive posture before his opponent knows what has hit them.
Although Mayweather is no longer at his "best" with his feet being visibly slower than they once were he's also become more offensively minded than he once was. His pot shotting is still a delight and his combinations are a thing of beauty. In fact getting older has helped Mayweather become more offensively minded than he was when he was younger. He's not become a swarmer or a fighter looking for a war fight-in-fight out yet he's become a more offensively minded boxer.
Looking for the biggest victory of his career Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero looks to prove that he belongs in the pound-for-pound argument. Aged "just" 30 Guerrero is a fighter who has filled out from a Featherweight into a perfectly sized Welterweight who is 2-0 at 147lbs and has beaten two well regarded fighters in Selcuk Aydin and Andre Berto.
Fighting from the Southpaw stance Guerrero has proven he can box, as he did against both Aydin and Michael Katsidis as well as brawl as he did in a messy bout with Andre Berto. Whilst it was obvious that he was hurt against Aydin (especially late) he appeared to be a fully blown Welterweight against Berto where he was forcing Berto backwards repeatedly and even dropped him twice. Sure Berto is no Mayweather but it was still impressive.
For Guerrero the big question is "how do you solve a problem like Mayweather?" Trying to box him isn't an option and doing so will see him tagged by the accurate and under-rated straight right which, as we all know, is a massive threat to Southpaws. Trying to brawl might be his best option and whilst Mayweather tends not to get drawn in to them he certainly can be dirty and hold his own in them when he needs to.
The battle, at least in my eyes looks to be lost by Guerrero before the first blow has been thrown, despite the fact Guerrero has been stealing the headlines going in to the bout.
Prediction-Mayweather TKO10
Daniel Ponce De Leon v Abner Mares
In a really promising all Mexican bout at Featherweight WBC champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (?-?) attempts to defend his title against former Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight title holder Abner Mares (?-?) who will be hoping to become a 3-weight world champion.
On paper this is a case of a smaller man (Mares) moving up to take on not only a world champion but one of the hardest punchers in the sport in a pretty even looking bout. It's bouts like this that have defined the young Mares who has faced a genuinely tough string of opponents in recent years including Yonnhy Perez, Vic Darchinyan, Joseph Agbeko (twice) and Anselmo Moreno in the past 3 years. With such a tough schedule however it's no wonder some are featuring Mares in the top 10 pound-for-pound lists.
With a true "puncher's" record Ponce De Leon doesn't half pack a punch. In fact with a 72.92% KO ratio he is up there with the hardest punchers in the sport and he's proven it at world level himself having claimed world titles at both Super Bantamweight and Featherweight. Sadly however for Ponce De Leon he's never really had the skills to compliment his destructive power and his punch delivery and set ups have been lacking, though in recent years he's certainly developed his boxing ability and hardly looks like the fighter he once was.
Mares on the other hand is a determined and dogged combination puncher with a bullish style that sees him applying relentless pressure and aggression in an attempt to break down an opponent. This mindset combined with his body attack (both legal and illegal) has made him a genuine nightmare to fight against.
The big question mark going in to this fight is whether or not Mares will be able to assert himself against a big, tough, powerful lump like Ponce De Leon who is a genuine Featherweight (and has even pushed Adrien Broner hard at Super Featherweight). If Mares can't bully Ponce De Leon and get on the inside to launch his excellent combinations then this will be a very hard night, though he does have a plan be of out boxing the technically limited Ponce De Leon. If however Ponce De Leon can stamp his power on the bout and make Mares think twice about coming inside this could become a genuinely hard bout for Mares, who is being painted as a future Mexican star.
I've written off Mares too many times in the past to do so again so whilst I view the bout as a very tough one I do see Mares managing to overcome his experienced and hard hitting rival one way or another.
Prediction-Mares UD 12
On paper this is a case of a smaller man (Mares) moving up to take on not only a world champion but one of the hardest punchers in the sport in a pretty even looking bout. It's bouts like this that have defined the young Mares who has faced a genuinely tough string of opponents in recent years including Yonnhy Perez, Vic Darchinyan, Joseph Agbeko (twice) and Anselmo Moreno in the past 3 years. With such a tough schedule however it's no wonder some are featuring Mares in the top 10 pound-for-pound lists.
With a true "puncher's" record Ponce De Leon doesn't half pack a punch. In fact with a 72.92% KO ratio he is up there with the hardest punchers in the sport and he's proven it at world level himself having claimed world titles at both Super Bantamweight and Featherweight. Sadly however for Ponce De Leon he's never really had the skills to compliment his destructive power and his punch delivery and set ups have been lacking, though in recent years he's certainly developed his boxing ability and hardly looks like the fighter he once was.
Mares on the other hand is a determined and dogged combination puncher with a bullish style that sees him applying relentless pressure and aggression in an attempt to break down an opponent. This mindset combined with his body attack (both legal and illegal) has made him a genuine nightmare to fight against.
The big question mark going in to this fight is whether or not Mares will be able to assert himself against a big, tough, powerful lump like Ponce De Leon who is a genuine Featherweight (and has even pushed Adrien Broner hard at Super Featherweight). If Mares can't bully Ponce De Leon and get on the inside to launch his excellent combinations then this will be a very hard night, though he does have a plan be of out boxing the technically limited Ponce De Leon. If however Ponce De Leon can stamp his power on the bout and make Mares think twice about coming inside this could become a genuinely hard bout for Mares, who is being painted as a future Mexican star.
I've written off Mares too many times in the past to do so again so whilst I view the bout as a very tough one I do see Mares managing to overcome his experienced and hard hitting rival one way or another.
Prediction-Mares UD 12
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Wladimir Klitshcko v Francesco Pianeta
The #1 Heavyweight in the world, Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50) will have been watching on in recent weeks as a number of other top Heavyweights have been on action, though now comes his turn as he faces the unbeaten Italian Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15).
Having seen the likes of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne in action it's unlikely that the WBA "Super", WBO, IBF and Ring magazine champion will be shaking in his boots, though at 37 years old those younger men actually look like the future of the division whilst Klitschko himself looks like the present and possibly even the past of the division.
Against the 28 year old Pianeta it's fair to say that Klitschko is a notably older man than his challenger though with age comes his experience and more than twice as many bouts, in fact Klitschko has had almost as many world title fights (22) as Pianeta has total bouts. With "Dr Steel hammer" looking for win #60 it's amazing to think his opponent is entering just his 30's professional bout.
Not only does Klitschko have a clear edge in experience but he's also got the power edge with an eye opening 80.65% of his bouts ending via stoppage in his favour compared to just 51.72% of Pianeta's and that's with out even mentioning the vast quality difference in opponents. To be totally honest it's incredibly difficult to actually point out a Pianeta victory worth talking about with his best opponents so far being the likes of Matt Skelton, Oliver McCall and Robert Sosnowski all distinctly C grade opponents when compared to Klitschko.
Pianeta may be unbeaten but his competition does somewhat explain why and comparing it to Klitschko's competition over the last few years shows the huge disparity in competition with Klitschko holding wins over Sultan Ibragimov, Ruslan Chagaev and David Haye amongst others.
Despite being a southpaw and pretty much the same size as Klitschko it's hard to see Pianeta being anything more than another victim of Klitschko. It's true that Klitschko v Ibragimov (another southpaw) was one of the worst fights in Heavyweight title history but Ibragimov was a very talented fighter and Pianeta really isn't.
Klitschko has a reputation for dragging fights out with his safety first mentality and it's likely he'll do the same here before throwing, and landing the straight right which holds explosive power. With Pianeta being a southpaw he's liable to be caught even more cleanly than orthodox fighters by the straight right ("the kryptonite of southpaw's) and when it connects it'll be good night Mr Pianeta.
Prediction-Klitschko KO8
Having seen the likes of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne in action it's unlikely that the WBA "Super", WBO, IBF and Ring magazine champion will be shaking in his boots, though at 37 years old those younger men actually look like the future of the division whilst Klitschko himself looks like the present and possibly even the past of the division.
Against the 28 year old Pianeta it's fair to say that Klitschko is a notably older man than his challenger though with age comes his experience and more than twice as many bouts, in fact Klitschko has had almost as many world title fights (22) as Pianeta has total bouts. With "Dr Steel hammer" looking for win #60 it's amazing to think his opponent is entering just his 30's professional bout.
Not only does Klitschko have a clear edge in experience but he's also got the power edge with an eye opening 80.65% of his bouts ending via stoppage in his favour compared to just 51.72% of Pianeta's and that's with out even mentioning the vast quality difference in opponents. To be totally honest it's incredibly difficult to actually point out a Pianeta victory worth talking about with his best opponents so far being the likes of Matt Skelton, Oliver McCall and Robert Sosnowski all distinctly C grade opponents when compared to Klitschko.
Pianeta may be unbeaten but his competition does somewhat explain why and comparing it to Klitschko's competition over the last few years shows the huge disparity in competition with Klitschko holding wins over Sultan Ibragimov, Ruslan Chagaev and David Haye amongst others.
Despite being a southpaw and pretty much the same size as Klitschko it's hard to see Pianeta being anything more than another victim of Klitschko. It's true that Klitschko v Ibragimov (another southpaw) was one of the worst fights in Heavyweight title history but Ibragimov was a very talented fighter and Pianeta really isn't.
Klitschko has a reputation for dragging fights out with his safety first mentality and it's likely he'll do the same here before throwing, and landing the straight right which holds explosive power. With Pianeta being a southpaw he's liable to be caught even more cleanly than orthodox fighters by the straight right ("the kryptonite of southpaw's) and when it connects it'll be good night Mr Pianeta.
Prediction-Klitschko KO8
Yota Sato v Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
The first world title fight of the week see's WBC Super Flyweight champion Yota Sato (26-2-1, 12) attempting to make his 3rd title defense as he travels to Thailand in a possibly historic bout against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (18-3-1, 17).
In the history of the sport no native Japanese fighter has ever successfully defended a world title with a victory in Thailand. For Sato this is something that needs to be changed and with the way he won the title back in March 2012 shows that he has the ability to make history.
Back in March of last year Sato put on an incredible performance to claim the WBC title when he out pointed the highly regarded Suriyan Sor Rungvisai over 12 rounds, dropping Suriyan twice on route to the victory. Since then he has defended the title twice defeating both Sylvester Lopez and Ryo Akaho by clear decision.
Aged 29 Sato is a fighter who physically in his prime and a fighter who will not be wanting to lose his title despite going to Thailand where Japanese fighters have an awful record.
From footage Sato has shown himself to be very talented with a good understanding of the ring, fast hands, nice shot selection a genuine toughness and although he's not a huge a huge puncher he's a very clean puncher who lands hurtful shots as opposed to concussive shots. From a distance Sato is an intelligent fighter though he can also mix it up in close with a high work rate and an unexpected toughness.
At 26 years old Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is less experienced than the Japanese champion though his record is nothing short of eye opening, despite losing 3 of his first 5 professional bouts (including a debut loss to current WBC Flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi). Since a 10 round decision loss to Kenji Oba back in February 2010 Srisaket has been on an excellent run of 17 straight wins with 16 coming by way of T/KO.
Whilst Srisaket has been on an excellent run in terms of victories he has been fighting low level opponents with his most notable victories coming against Alvin Bais and Dondon Jimenea (who was the only man not to be stopped during the rug, losing a technical decision when Srisaket was cut). What his results will be like against an experienced opponent could be very different, especially when one considers that Sato has proven to be a tough nut himself.
Whilst Sato certainly has the skills, competition and experience edge it's fair to say that Srisaket's key advantage is the fact he's fighting at home. As mentioned already no Japanese champion has ever won in a title defense in Thailand. This sort of historical challenge lies on the shoulders of Sato and that sort of pressure can be enough to drown a fighters hopes.
If the bout was in Japan I'd assume it'd be an easy win for Sato but with it being in Thailand and being fought in the middle of the day in an outdoor arena it could be a very hard fight for Sato. I think, as long as Sato has prepared properly he should be able to defend his belt, if he's not prepared there is every chance he'll be upset here.
Prediction-Sato by TKO9
In the history of the sport no native Japanese fighter has ever successfully defended a world title with a victory in Thailand. For Sato this is something that needs to be changed and with the way he won the title back in March 2012 shows that he has the ability to make history.
Back in March of last year Sato put on an incredible performance to claim the WBC title when he out pointed the highly regarded Suriyan Sor Rungvisai over 12 rounds, dropping Suriyan twice on route to the victory. Since then he has defended the title twice defeating both Sylvester Lopez and Ryo Akaho by clear decision.
Aged 29 Sato is a fighter who physically in his prime and a fighter who will not be wanting to lose his title despite going to Thailand where Japanese fighters have an awful record.
From footage Sato has shown himself to be very talented with a good understanding of the ring, fast hands, nice shot selection a genuine toughness and although he's not a huge a huge puncher he's a very clean puncher who lands hurtful shots as opposed to concussive shots. From a distance Sato is an intelligent fighter though he can also mix it up in close with a high work rate and an unexpected toughness.
At 26 years old Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is less experienced than the Japanese champion though his record is nothing short of eye opening, despite losing 3 of his first 5 professional bouts (including a debut loss to current WBC Flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi). Since a 10 round decision loss to Kenji Oba back in February 2010 Srisaket has been on an excellent run of 17 straight wins with 16 coming by way of T/KO.
Whilst Srisaket has been on an excellent run in terms of victories he has been fighting low level opponents with his most notable victories coming against Alvin Bais and Dondon Jimenea (who was the only man not to be stopped during the rug, losing a technical decision when Srisaket was cut). What his results will be like against an experienced opponent could be very different, especially when one considers that Sato has proven to be a tough nut himself.
Whilst Sato certainly has the skills, competition and experience edge it's fair to say that Srisaket's key advantage is the fact he's fighting at home. As mentioned already no Japanese champion has ever won in a title defense in Thailand. This sort of historical challenge lies on the shoulders of Sato and that sort of pressure can be enough to drown a fighters hopes.
If the bout was in Japan I'd assume it'd be an easy win for Sato but with it being in Thailand and being fought in the middle of the day in an outdoor arena it could be a very hard fight for Sato. I think, as long as Sato has prepared properly he should be able to defend his belt, if he's not prepared there is every chance he'll be upset here.
Prediction-Sato by TKO9
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