Talented Japanese Bantamweight Shinsuke Yamanaka (16-0-2, 11) will make the second defense of his WBC Bantamweight title in just a few days as he faces Mexican veteran Tomas Rojas (39-13-1-1, 26) in what promises to be a genuinely difficult bout.
Yamanaka turned professional in 2006 and has swiftly risen up the rankings despite not being the most active of fighters. Rather than fighting numerous time wasting bouts, Yamanaka has been pushed and forces to either climb the rankings quickly or find another career, thankfully he's climbed and climbed well.
The Japanese warrior claimed his first professional title in 2010 when he claimed the Japanese Bantamweight title via a 7th round TKO over Mikio Yasuda and after defending that belt once (stopping the highly touted Ryosuke Iwasa in 10 rounds) he moved swiftly on to the world scene. In his first world title bout Yamanaka defeated the highly regarded Mexican Christian Esquivel in a thrilling battle for the WBC title.
Since becoming the WBC Bantamweight champion Yamanaka has defended his title once, defeating the always fun to watch Vic Darchinyan. Despite not looking great early on against Darchinyan, Yamanaka eventually found his rhythm and started to out box the much less refined Darchinyan and seemed to think that he could go out and stop Vic in the final round if it was needed. Whilst it's fair to say that Vic isn't the fighter he was at 115lb he has since gone on to defeat the very highly regarded Luis Orlando Del Valle.
Despite not having a record of an out-and-out puncher Yamanaka had stopped 9 straight before the Darchinyan fight. Whilst he's certainly a thunderous 1-punch KO artist he's generally able to mix controlled aggression with hurtful shots eventually breaking opponents down bit by bit. In fact interestingly 5 of Yamanaka's stoppage wins have come in (or after) the 7th round. Whilst he certainly can take out lesser opponents early on (having taken out 6 opponents in the opening 3 rounds) against the high caliber opponents we expect him to just break opponents down.
As well as being a hard hitter Yamanaka is a very skilled boxer who can use his jab and straight to keep opponents at a comfortable range when he wants. Despite his ability to box however his most memorable bout so far was the 10 round war with Iwasa which suggests that Yamanaka is happy for a tear up when he has one, even though he was dropped by Esquivel.
Whilst the champion will be the favourite, the challenger, the freakishly tall Tomas Rojas is a very live under-dog and with good reason.
Despite having numerous losses on his record Rojas has one of the most misleading records in the sport. Sadly this is what happens when you regularly face top quality fighters. Rojas has suffered losses to a relative who's who of the boxing world including Rosendo Alvarez, Cristian Mijares, Gerry Penalosa, Luis Maldonado, Anselmo Moreno, Jorge Arce, Vic Darchinyan and Suriyan Sor Rungvisai.
Having been a professional since 1996, the 32 year old Rojas has really seen everything in the ring and should really be considered a bit of an old school fighter in that he's been willing to not only fight hard fights but use them as his development. He's never avoided a tough fight to keep his record pretty and likewise he's never been one to refuse to travel having fought around in Mexico, Nicaragua, USA, Philippines, Panama, Japan and Thailand. In fact going to Yamanaka's backyard may well be a good thing for Rojas who has never lost in Japan (having beaten both Kohei Kono and Nobuo Nashiro in the land of the rising sun).
Early in his career Rojas was too willing to give away his height for a fight and the 5'8" Banatamweight (who was once making Flyweight!) suffered a number of losses as a result of not boxing clever. He's not only tall, but rangy and more importantly a southpaw making life for all of his opponents a nightmare. When he finally started to use his freakish physical features however Rojas started to have real success and became the WBC Super Flyweight champion as a result, a title that he defended twice before losing to Suriyan Sor Rungvisai in Thailand.
Whilst Rojas is a bit of a physical anomaly his advantages won't be as telling here as Yamanaka is also a taller, rangier fighter and will be almost able to match Rojas for both height and reach (likewise Yamanaka is also a southpaw). Though an advantage that Rojas does have is experience and genuine toughness. In a career spanning 16 years the Mexican has only been stopped twice, most recently by Darchinyan in 2009 with the other coming in 2007 at the hands of Jorge Arce.
Whilst I imagine a hard fight here for both men, I also imagine it'll start as a technical fight with two talented, rangy southpaws cautious of each other. The bout however will warm up and by the middle rounds I can see both men trading a bit more freely with Yamanaka slowly but surely grinding down Rojas and probably even dropping him late on but maybe not quite forcing a stoppage.
Prediction: Yamanaka UD
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Monday, 29 October 2012
Toshiyuki Igarashi v Nestor Daniel Narvaes
This coming weekend sees Ring, Linear and WBC Flyweight champion Toshiyuki Igarashi (16-1-1, 10) making the fist defense of his titles as he faces little known Argentinian Nestor Daniel Narvaes (19-0-2-1, 9). Despite being unbeaten Narvaes is a hugely underwhelming opponent for a Linear title bout such as this, however could he spring an upset?
Although most boxing fans won't really know who Igarashi is, the Japanese fighter is a well regarded fighter who ran up an impressive amateur record of 77-18 and competed at both the 2004 Olympic games and the 2005 World Amateur Championships.
Aged 28 Igarashi is seen as one of the rising stars of Japanese boxing and despite having been a professional since 2006 it's only been in the last year or so that he's really made any sort of an impact on the world stage. In fact Igarashi's rise to success seems to have arisen from his short reign as the Japanese Flyweight champion in early 2011, a title he would defend just once.
After defending the Japanese title Igarashi was swiftly pushed up the WBC rankings and given a title eliminator against highly rated Mexican Wilbert Uicab. Igarashi managed to claim a narrow decision victory over Uicab to earn his shot at the WBC Champion, and after Sonny Boy Jaro defeated Pongsaklek Wonjongkam for the title the match up was made for Igarashi to face Jaro.
Igarashi made the most of his opportunity against Jaro and claimed a narrow decision to win the titles in an enthralling battle between two tough men. Although Igarashi was tagged numerous times he never seemed that hurt as he landed his own flush shots on Jaro in a genuinely fun to watch fight and one that told us a lot about Igarashi's heart as well as his skills. He appeared to be a powerful punching, tough fighter who had very solid boxing skills even if he lacked a massive work-rate, however he still looked "fresh" in rounds 11 and 12 which would suggest he probably could go up a gear if he felt he needed to.
Whilst we might not know a huge amount about Igarashi we certainly know more about him than we know about Nestor Daniel Narvaes a fighter who has yet to face anyone with a pulse. Despite being unbeaten Narvaes hasn't faced anyone to really gauge him against and as a result it's hard to really tell how good, how powerful and how durable he actually is.
From the footage I have seen of Narvaes he appears to be crude and very open. He does have some hurtful body shots though against the likes of Marcelo Antonio Gomez it's hard to really see just how hard he actually hits. Despite this it's worth noting that Narvaes has fought as high as Super Bantamweight, perhaps suggesting that he will be the naturally bigger man against Igarashi.
So far the best win on Narvaes' record has come against Luis Singo, a veteran Ecuador and this really says everything about this match up. One man has beaten Jaro, and Uicab the other has beaten nobody of worthy, with this is mind I have to go with Igarashi to score the victory, almost certainly by stoppage. When Igarashi lands a solid shot I expect Narvaes to crumble.
Prediction-Igarashi TKO4
Although most boxing fans won't really know who Igarashi is, the Japanese fighter is a well regarded fighter who ran up an impressive amateur record of 77-18 and competed at both the 2004 Olympic games and the 2005 World Amateur Championships.
Aged 28 Igarashi is seen as one of the rising stars of Japanese boxing and despite having been a professional since 2006 it's only been in the last year or so that he's really made any sort of an impact on the world stage. In fact Igarashi's rise to success seems to have arisen from his short reign as the Japanese Flyweight champion in early 2011, a title he would defend just once.
After defending the Japanese title Igarashi was swiftly pushed up the WBC rankings and given a title eliminator against highly rated Mexican Wilbert Uicab. Igarashi managed to claim a narrow decision victory over Uicab to earn his shot at the WBC Champion, and after Sonny Boy Jaro defeated Pongsaklek Wonjongkam for the title the match up was made for Igarashi to face Jaro.
Igarashi made the most of his opportunity against Jaro and claimed a narrow decision to win the titles in an enthralling battle between two tough men. Although Igarashi was tagged numerous times he never seemed that hurt as he landed his own flush shots on Jaro in a genuinely fun to watch fight and one that told us a lot about Igarashi's heart as well as his skills. He appeared to be a powerful punching, tough fighter who had very solid boxing skills even if he lacked a massive work-rate, however he still looked "fresh" in rounds 11 and 12 which would suggest he probably could go up a gear if he felt he needed to.
Whilst we might not know a huge amount about Igarashi we certainly know more about him than we know about Nestor Daniel Narvaes a fighter who has yet to face anyone with a pulse. Despite being unbeaten Narvaes hasn't faced anyone to really gauge him against and as a result it's hard to really tell how good, how powerful and how durable he actually is.
From the footage I have seen of Narvaes he appears to be crude and very open. He does have some hurtful body shots though against the likes of Marcelo Antonio Gomez it's hard to really see just how hard he actually hits. Despite this it's worth noting that Narvaes has fought as high as Super Bantamweight, perhaps suggesting that he will be the naturally bigger man against Igarashi.
So far the best win on Narvaes' record has come against Luis Singo, a veteran Ecuador and this really says everything about this match up. One man has beaten Jaro, and Uicab the other has beaten nobody of worthy, with this is mind I have to go with Igarashi to score the victory, almost certainly by stoppage. When Igarashi lands a solid shot I expect Narvaes to crumble.
Prediction-Igarashi TKO4
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Miguel Vazquez v Marvin Quintero
Despite it's historical place in boxing as one of "the original 8" divisions the Lightweight division has somewhat lost it's flair and star power in recent years with the move north of top fighters like Juan Manuel Marquez. Despite this however the division is actually packed with genuine world class talent such as current IBF champion Miguel Vazquez (31-3, 13) who defends his title this weekend against mandatory challenger Marvin Quintero (25-3, 21).
Whilst he may not being a big name in the sport, Vazquez (also known as "Titere" of "Puppet") is one of the sports truly over-looked fighters who lives by the old adage of "hit and don't get hit", which stands out even more when you realise that he's an out and out Mexican.
The 25 year old Vazquez debuted as just a teenager way back in 2006, losing his debut fight to current WBC Light Middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez via a close split decision. Vazquez built well after his debut loss and ran up 18 successive wins to move to 18-1 (9) before running in to current WBO Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, who scored a clear victory over Vazquez in a bout for the WBC Youth Light Welterweight world title.
After losing to Bradley, Vazquez won his following 3 bouts, claiming the lightly regarded WBC FECARBOX Light Welterweight title in the process before losing in a rematch to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez over 10 rounds. Since then however Vazquez has dropped down to Lightweight and really began to make a name for himself with 10 straight wins, including a decision win over the then unbeaten Breidis Prescott.
Alongside the win over Prescott, Vazquez has also gone on to claim the IBF Lightweight title (defeating exciting South Korean Ji-Hoon Kim to claim the title) and defend it 3 times with victories over Ricardo Dominguez, Leonardo Zappavigna and Ammeth Diaz.
In terms of his style Vazquez is very slippery. He can either fight at range disrupting his opponents with his long, accurate jab or he can stand in the pocket, moving and countering at will, with either body movement or foot movement. He hasn't any real power but he is alarmingly accurate and really frustrating for opponents. It also helps Vazquez that, at 5'10" he is tall and long allowing him to dictate the pace of the action with his natural advantages as well as his skills.
With Vazquez seen as the talented pure boxer, it may be fair to say that Quintero is much more of a banger, and his record reflects that with 21 stoppage wins from his 25 victories and an over-all KO rate of 75%. Despite this however his competition has been rather limited with just a solitary stand out victory standing beside his 3 losses.
Quintero debuted back in 2004 as a 17 year old and after winning his first 4 bouts he suffered his first loss, an opening round stoppage to the debuting Balam Castellanos (who would win just 1 of his next 5 bouts). Despite this set back Quintero rebuilt his career running off 12 straight victories (9 by T/KO) to move to 15-1 (11). Despite his growing record his most notable victory up to that point was an 8 round decision over the limited Wes Ferguson.
Just as it seemed that Quintero was about to get his career on track he would suffer his second career loss as Tyrone Harris stopped him in round 8 on a ShowBox Broadcast. Despite his reputation as a big puncher Quintero was unable to intimidate Harris who repeatedly landed solid, hurtful blows on Quintero before forcing the stoppage. Overall it was an embarrassing performance by Quintero and sadly for the challenger the most obvious sign that Vazquez will beat him with his jab and movement, two things Harris used wonderfully.
After his second loss Quintero once again started to rebuild, this time scoring 4 wins before stepping up a level and being stopped by Daniel Attah (who incidentally went on to fight, and lose to, Vazquez himself) in 2 rounds. Once again this was a case of stepping up to fringe level and losing, badly, for Quintero who seemingly found his own level.
Thankfully for Quintero he is now on a 5 fight winning streak, including a solid victory last time out against the highly ranked Filipino Al Sabaupan in what is easily the stand out victory on Quintero's record. Sadly his lack of quality wins doesn't fill me with much expectation going into this bout.
From what footage I've seen Quintero is limited, wild and whilst he certainly has power he doesn't seem to have the ability to land it against someone like Vazquez who will play the role of matador to the bull like Quintero. If Quintero can land a bomb we might see Vazquez troubled, but the champion has faced bigger punchers and made the look like amateurs at times (including Ji-Hoon Kim and Breidis Prescott).
As a big fan of Vazquez I'd like to see him make a statement here, and whilst he should win with relative ease I'd like to see him hunt a stoppage if he hurts Quintero rather than just putting on a masterclass. For Quintero to win he will need to show a lot more than he's ever shown so far.
Prediction-Vazquez by Unanimous Decision
Whilst he may not being a big name in the sport, Vazquez (also known as "Titere" of "Puppet") is one of the sports truly over-looked fighters who lives by the old adage of "hit and don't get hit", which stands out even more when you realise that he's an out and out Mexican.
The 25 year old Vazquez debuted as just a teenager way back in 2006, losing his debut fight to current WBC Light Middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez via a close split decision. Vazquez built well after his debut loss and ran up 18 successive wins to move to 18-1 (9) before running in to current WBO Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, who scored a clear victory over Vazquez in a bout for the WBC Youth Light Welterweight world title.
After losing to Bradley, Vazquez won his following 3 bouts, claiming the lightly regarded WBC FECARBOX Light Welterweight title in the process before losing in a rematch to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez over 10 rounds. Since then however Vazquez has dropped down to Lightweight and really began to make a name for himself with 10 straight wins, including a decision win over the then unbeaten Breidis Prescott.
Alongside the win over Prescott, Vazquez has also gone on to claim the IBF Lightweight title (defeating exciting South Korean Ji-Hoon Kim to claim the title) and defend it 3 times with victories over Ricardo Dominguez, Leonardo Zappavigna and Ammeth Diaz.
In terms of his style Vazquez is very slippery. He can either fight at range disrupting his opponents with his long, accurate jab or he can stand in the pocket, moving and countering at will, with either body movement or foot movement. He hasn't any real power but he is alarmingly accurate and really frustrating for opponents. It also helps Vazquez that, at 5'10" he is tall and long allowing him to dictate the pace of the action with his natural advantages as well as his skills.
With Vazquez seen as the talented pure boxer, it may be fair to say that Quintero is much more of a banger, and his record reflects that with 21 stoppage wins from his 25 victories and an over-all KO rate of 75%. Despite this however his competition has been rather limited with just a solitary stand out victory standing beside his 3 losses.
Quintero debuted back in 2004 as a 17 year old and after winning his first 4 bouts he suffered his first loss, an opening round stoppage to the debuting Balam Castellanos (who would win just 1 of his next 5 bouts). Despite this set back Quintero rebuilt his career running off 12 straight victories (9 by T/KO) to move to 15-1 (11). Despite his growing record his most notable victory up to that point was an 8 round decision over the limited Wes Ferguson.
Just as it seemed that Quintero was about to get his career on track he would suffer his second career loss as Tyrone Harris stopped him in round 8 on a ShowBox Broadcast. Despite his reputation as a big puncher Quintero was unable to intimidate Harris who repeatedly landed solid, hurtful blows on Quintero before forcing the stoppage. Overall it was an embarrassing performance by Quintero and sadly for the challenger the most obvious sign that Vazquez will beat him with his jab and movement, two things Harris used wonderfully.
After his second loss Quintero once again started to rebuild, this time scoring 4 wins before stepping up a level and being stopped by Daniel Attah (who incidentally went on to fight, and lose to, Vazquez himself) in 2 rounds. Once again this was a case of stepping up to fringe level and losing, badly, for Quintero who seemingly found his own level.
Thankfully for Quintero he is now on a 5 fight winning streak, including a solid victory last time out against the highly ranked Filipino Al Sabaupan in what is easily the stand out victory on Quintero's record. Sadly his lack of quality wins doesn't fill me with much expectation going into this bout.
From what footage I've seen Quintero is limited, wild and whilst he certainly has power he doesn't seem to have the ability to land it against someone like Vazquez who will play the role of matador to the bull like Quintero. If Quintero can land a bomb we might see Vazquez troubled, but the champion has faced bigger punchers and made the look like amateurs at times (including Ji-Hoon Kim and Breidis Prescott).
As a big fan of Vazquez I'd like to see him make a statement here, and whilst he should win with relative ease I'd like to see him hunt a stoppage if he hurts Quintero rather than just putting on a masterclass. For Quintero to win he will need to show a lot more than he's ever shown so far.
Prediction-Vazquez by Unanimous Decision
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Takahiro Ao v Gamaliel Diaz
Japan may well have 2 of the best Super Featherweights at the moment with WBA champion Takashi Uchiyama (18-0-1, 15) and WBC Champion Takahiro Ao (23-2-1, 10) however Ao will need to prove his worth this coming weekend as he faces Mexican veteran Gamaliel Diaz (36-9-2, 17).
Despite Diaz's unflattering record, the Mexican can seriously fight and at 31 years old knows that the clock is ticking down on his long career that started way back in 1998 with a decision loss to Luis Alberto Reyes. In fact Diaz's early career goes some way to explaining his poor record as he lost 5 of his first 8 bouts, including one to Martin Honorio, as he spent 3 years trying to get his career off the ground.
After struggling very early in his career Diaz finally got things going and he would go unbeaten over his next 18 bouts. Included in that run of 18 successive bouts were 16 victories and two titles, including the WBC FECARBOX Featherweight title (that he would defend 4 times) and the NABF title that he won by scoring a notable upset over Robert Guerrero (yes, the current WBC interim Welterweight Champion). Sadly however Diaz would suffer at the hands of Guerrero in a rematch as "The Ghost" stopped him in round 6 with a beautiful shot.
Following the loss to Guerrero, Diaz struggled to rebuild his career and went 3-3 in his next 6, scoring a notable win over Elio Rojas whilst suffering losses to Jorge Linares (KO8), Humberto Soto (TKO11) and to South African Zolani Marali (UD12).
Since losing to Marali back in April 2009 Diaz has been on an excellent run winning 13 straight bouts and climbing to #4 in the WBC's rankings. Whilst many of his wins have come against no hopers he has also gone on to defeat the likes of veteran Cesar Soto and the promising Jhean Carlo Aparicio Romero. These probably shouldn't have been enough to earn him such a lofty ranking however the WBC do work in mysterious ways.
Whilst his record isn't pretty Diaz is a decent fighter. Not the most durable admittedly, especially at the world level, however he's still a solid fighter who, if allowed to box, can give almost anyone currently at Super Featherweight real issues. At 5'9" he's tall for the weight, he's experienced, he's tougher than his record indicates (2 of his 5 stoppages came very early in his career) and knows how to box. Sadly however Diaz does lack a serious punch, especially at Super Featherweight and even more so at the world level.
Japanese champion Ao, will be the clear favourite here and with good reason. Not only is he fighting at home in Tokyo but at 28 years old he seems to be coming in to his own and has finally started to fulfill his sizable potential.
Ao turned professional back in 2003 and swiftly rose through the Japanese rankings, taking the Japanese Featherweight title in just his 14th professional bout back, way back in 2007. Ao defended his national title 3 times before moving in to the world level with a bout against the then WBC Featherweight champion Oscar Larios. Despite dropping Larios in round 4, Ao was narrowly beaten by split decision. A rematch 5 months later however saw Ao defeat Larios and claim the world title.
Despite claiming the WBC Featherweight title Ao's reign was very short lived as he lost his belt in his first defense, losing to Elio Rojas (incidentally Rojas had lost to Diaz just 2 fights earlier). This loss saw Ao fleeing the Featherweight division to head to pastures new at Super Feather. At his new weight he swiftly climbed up the rankings before beating former amateur stand out Vitali Tajbert for the WBC title to become a 2-weight world champion.
Since winning the Super Featherweight title Ao has made 3 title defenses beating Humberto Mauro Gutierrez (KO4), Devis Boschiero (SD12) and Terdsak Kokietgym (UD12) and whilst he hasn't looked great in last 2 defenses it does need to be noted that Boschiero is one of the sports most-under rated fighters and has since gone on to claim the European belt.
Like Diaz, Ao is a talented boxer though lacks real venom. It's true that Ao is a hurtful puncher (having dropped Larios, Tajbert and Gutierrez at world level) though he's not a massive hitter and he isn't likely to put a top fighter out of there. At his best Ao is a very good boxer, he's a tricky southpaw who is quick with his hands and feet and seems to be growing in confidence. Unlike compatriot Uchiyama he hasn't the power to nearly behead you, however he has the skills to out box most at the weight and he's proven to be tough having never been stopped.
Although Diaz is capable of springing the upset here I just can't see Ao losing. Diaz doesn't hit hard enough to stop Ao, and I can't see Diaz getting a decision in Japan. It could well be a close and interesting fight, but Ao will likely have the crowd behind him and do enough to claim a comfortable decision. Saying this however Ao has got the power to hurt Diaz and whilst I wouldn't bet on him to score a stoppage, it's not actually out of the question.
Prediction-Ao Unanimous Decision.
Note-For fans watching this card keep a close eye on Ryosuke Iwasa (12-1, 9) who faces former world title challenger David De La Mora (24-2, 17). Iwasa is one of the best prospects in world boxing right now and we imagine he will take a world title in the next few years.
Despite Diaz's unflattering record, the Mexican can seriously fight and at 31 years old knows that the clock is ticking down on his long career that started way back in 1998 with a decision loss to Luis Alberto Reyes. In fact Diaz's early career goes some way to explaining his poor record as he lost 5 of his first 8 bouts, including one to Martin Honorio, as he spent 3 years trying to get his career off the ground.
After struggling very early in his career Diaz finally got things going and he would go unbeaten over his next 18 bouts. Included in that run of 18 successive bouts were 16 victories and two titles, including the WBC FECARBOX Featherweight title (that he would defend 4 times) and the NABF title that he won by scoring a notable upset over Robert Guerrero (yes, the current WBC interim Welterweight Champion). Sadly however Diaz would suffer at the hands of Guerrero in a rematch as "The Ghost" stopped him in round 6 with a beautiful shot.
Following the loss to Guerrero, Diaz struggled to rebuild his career and went 3-3 in his next 6, scoring a notable win over Elio Rojas whilst suffering losses to Jorge Linares (KO8), Humberto Soto (TKO11) and to South African Zolani Marali (UD12).
Since losing to Marali back in April 2009 Diaz has been on an excellent run winning 13 straight bouts and climbing to #4 in the WBC's rankings. Whilst many of his wins have come against no hopers he has also gone on to defeat the likes of veteran Cesar Soto and the promising Jhean Carlo Aparicio Romero. These probably shouldn't have been enough to earn him such a lofty ranking however the WBC do work in mysterious ways.
Whilst his record isn't pretty Diaz is a decent fighter. Not the most durable admittedly, especially at the world level, however he's still a solid fighter who, if allowed to box, can give almost anyone currently at Super Featherweight real issues. At 5'9" he's tall for the weight, he's experienced, he's tougher than his record indicates (2 of his 5 stoppages came very early in his career) and knows how to box. Sadly however Diaz does lack a serious punch, especially at Super Featherweight and even more so at the world level.
Japanese champion Ao, will be the clear favourite here and with good reason. Not only is he fighting at home in Tokyo but at 28 years old he seems to be coming in to his own and has finally started to fulfill his sizable potential.
Ao turned professional back in 2003 and swiftly rose through the Japanese rankings, taking the Japanese Featherweight title in just his 14th professional bout back, way back in 2007. Ao defended his national title 3 times before moving in to the world level with a bout against the then WBC Featherweight champion Oscar Larios. Despite dropping Larios in round 4, Ao was narrowly beaten by split decision. A rematch 5 months later however saw Ao defeat Larios and claim the world title.
Despite claiming the WBC Featherweight title Ao's reign was very short lived as he lost his belt in his first defense, losing to Elio Rojas (incidentally Rojas had lost to Diaz just 2 fights earlier). This loss saw Ao fleeing the Featherweight division to head to pastures new at Super Feather. At his new weight he swiftly climbed up the rankings before beating former amateur stand out Vitali Tajbert for the WBC title to become a 2-weight world champion.
Since winning the Super Featherweight title Ao has made 3 title defenses beating Humberto Mauro Gutierrez (KO4), Devis Boschiero (SD12) and Terdsak Kokietgym (UD12) and whilst he hasn't looked great in last 2 defenses it does need to be noted that Boschiero is one of the sports most-under rated fighters and has since gone on to claim the European belt.
Like Diaz, Ao is a talented boxer though lacks real venom. It's true that Ao is a hurtful puncher (having dropped Larios, Tajbert and Gutierrez at world level) though he's not a massive hitter and he isn't likely to put a top fighter out of there. At his best Ao is a very good boxer, he's a tricky southpaw who is quick with his hands and feet and seems to be growing in confidence. Unlike compatriot Uchiyama he hasn't the power to nearly behead you, however he has the skills to out box most at the weight and he's proven to be tough having never been stopped.
Although Diaz is capable of springing the upset here I just can't see Ao losing. Diaz doesn't hit hard enough to stop Ao, and I can't see Diaz getting a decision in Japan. It could well be a close and interesting fight, but Ao will likely have the crowd behind him and do enough to claim a comfortable decision. Saying this however Ao has got the power to hurt Diaz and whilst I wouldn't bet on him to score a stoppage, it's not actually out of the question.
Prediction-Ao Unanimous Decision.
Note-For fans watching this card keep a close eye on Ryosuke Iwasa (12-1, 9) who faces former world title challenger David De La Mora (24-2, 17). Iwasa is one of the best prospects in world boxing right now and we imagine he will take a world title in the next few years.
Friday, 19 October 2012
Omar Andres Narvaez v Johnny Garcia
Despite the fact Argentina has historically been a notable boxing country, it's on a real high at the moment with a number of world champions and top contenders. One of the top Argentinian fighters, the WBO Super Flyweight champion, Omar Andres Narvaez (36-1-2, 19) looks to make the fifth defense of his title as he faces Mexican Johnny Garcia (16-3-1, 8).
At 37 years old Narvaez is coming to the twilight years of his exceptional career which has seen him become a 2-weight world champion and a fighter who has reigned at the top for almost a decade despite staying in relative obscurity.
Sadly most boxing fans who have seen Narvaez have only seen his fight with Donaire, a mismatch from the offer in which Narvaez clearly spent more time trying to survive against a fighter who was simply too big and too strong. Against men of a similar natural size to himself however, Narvaez is something special with tricky defense, fast hands and some lovely combinations that he rattles off over and over despite his advanced age.
Narvaez first made his name as an amateur and actually appeared in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics before turning professional in 2000. Within 2 years of his professional debut Narvaez had already claimed his first professional title (the WBO Flyweight title) by defeating Adonis Rivas. As the Flyweight champion Narvaez made 16 title defenses and defeated the likes of Luis Alberto Lazarte, Andrea Sarritzu, Bernard Inom, Brahim Asloum and Carlos Tamara before giving up the title in 2009 and moving up to Super Flyweight looking for a challenge.
After moving to Super Flyweight Narvaez swiftly won the WBO title as he defeated Everth Briceno and followed that up with 3 title defenses before his loss to Donaire. Following the loss to Donaire, Narvaez has fought once, defending his title once more by defeating Jose Cabrera.
Despite the claims of Steve Lillis (prior to the Donaire fight), Narvaez has surprisingly fought around the world with fights in Italy, France and Spain as well as the Donaire fight (in America), however this will be his 33rd fight in his native homeland of Argentina, a country in which he is 31-0-1 and 16-0 in title fights.
The challenger for the title, 23 year old Johnny Garcia, is seen as huge betting under-dog and with good reason, and not just because Narvaez is extremely talented. Sadly for Garcia he's really up against it because he himself is unproven at this level.
Garcia made his professional debut back in 2007 when he was just an 18 year old kid. Sadly for Garcia his career started slowly as his record swiftly fell to 3-2-1 after just 14 months. Since then however Garcia has really gotten his career going and has gone 13-1 over the last 4 years.
Not only has Garcia been on an excellent run of results over the past 4 years but he has also been scoring notable victories including wins over Jesus Ruiz, William Urina and most recently Manuel Vargas. The only loss in that time came at the hands of the very highly regarded Carlos Cuadras who stopped Garcia in 2 rounds a little over a year ago.
In terms of pure technique Garcia is quite raw and very aggressively minded however it'd by harsh to flat out call him crude as he does seem to have some technical skills in his arsenal. Sadly, on a technical basis he can't hope to match Narvaez, however in terms of brute power he'll feel that he's easily the more powerful man, and is certainly the younger, more energetic man. Despite the youth, it's fair to say that Narvaez is probably the faster fighter however.
Personally whilst I think Narvaez has slipped a fair bit he is still a fighter who is amongst the top guys in his division and whilst Garcia may have his moments, especially if he starts fast, he won't have enough of the to win a decision. I'd go with Narvaez by a clear decision, I don't think he'll manage to really hurt Garcia too badly but I'd be shocked if Garcia manages to win more than 3 rounds.
Prediction-Narvaez by unanimous decision
At 37 years old Narvaez is coming to the twilight years of his exceptional career which has seen him become a 2-weight world champion and a fighter who has reigned at the top for almost a decade despite staying in relative obscurity.
Sadly most boxing fans who have seen Narvaez have only seen his fight with Donaire, a mismatch from the offer in which Narvaez clearly spent more time trying to survive against a fighter who was simply too big and too strong. Against men of a similar natural size to himself however, Narvaez is something special with tricky defense, fast hands and some lovely combinations that he rattles off over and over despite his advanced age.
Narvaez first made his name as an amateur and actually appeared in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics before turning professional in 2000. Within 2 years of his professional debut Narvaez had already claimed his first professional title (the WBO Flyweight title) by defeating Adonis Rivas. As the Flyweight champion Narvaez made 16 title defenses and defeated the likes of Luis Alberto Lazarte, Andrea Sarritzu, Bernard Inom, Brahim Asloum and Carlos Tamara before giving up the title in 2009 and moving up to Super Flyweight looking for a challenge.
After moving to Super Flyweight Narvaez swiftly won the WBO title as he defeated Everth Briceno and followed that up with 3 title defenses before his loss to Donaire. Following the loss to Donaire, Narvaez has fought once, defending his title once more by defeating Jose Cabrera.
Despite the claims of Steve Lillis (prior to the Donaire fight), Narvaez has surprisingly fought around the world with fights in Italy, France and Spain as well as the Donaire fight (in America), however this will be his 33rd fight in his native homeland of Argentina, a country in which he is 31-0-1 and 16-0 in title fights.
The challenger for the title, 23 year old Johnny Garcia, is seen as huge betting under-dog and with good reason, and not just because Narvaez is extremely talented. Sadly for Garcia he's really up against it because he himself is unproven at this level.
Garcia made his professional debut back in 2007 when he was just an 18 year old kid. Sadly for Garcia his career started slowly as his record swiftly fell to 3-2-1 after just 14 months. Since then however Garcia has really gotten his career going and has gone 13-1 over the last 4 years.
Not only has Garcia been on an excellent run of results over the past 4 years but he has also been scoring notable victories including wins over Jesus Ruiz, William Urina and most recently Manuel Vargas. The only loss in that time came at the hands of the very highly regarded Carlos Cuadras who stopped Garcia in 2 rounds a little over a year ago.
In terms of pure technique Garcia is quite raw and very aggressively minded however it'd by harsh to flat out call him crude as he does seem to have some technical skills in his arsenal. Sadly, on a technical basis he can't hope to match Narvaez, however in terms of brute power he'll feel that he's easily the more powerful man, and is certainly the younger, more energetic man. Despite the youth, it's fair to say that Narvaez is probably the faster fighter however.
Personally whilst I think Narvaez has slipped a fair bit he is still a fighter who is amongst the top guys in his division and whilst Garcia may have his moments, especially if he starts fast, he won't have enough of the to win a decision. I'd go with Narvaez by a clear decision, I don't think he'll manage to really hurt Garcia too badly but I'd be shocked if Garcia manages to win more than 3 rounds.
Prediction-Narvaez by unanimous decision
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
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Randall Bailey v Devon Alexander
Earlier this year veteran hard hitter Randall Bailey (47-7-0-1, 37) scored one of the upsets' of the year by stopping the highly favoured Mike Jones in a bout for the IBF Welterweight crown. This weekend see's Bailey making the first defense of his title as he faces former Welterweight title holder Devon Alexander (23-1, 13), can Bailey really upset the odds twice in a row?
They often say that the last thing a fighter loses is his punch and that seems to be the case for Bailey. The defending champion who at 37 (he turns 38 soon after the bout) is certainly an out and puncher, known by many simply as "The Knock-Out King" the Florida native really has got lights out power in his right hand, commonly referred to simply as "the stick of dynamite" and it's this power that has seen him become a multi-time world champion.
Bailey first turned professional in 1996, an amazing 16 years ago and started his career with a sensational run of 21 straight victories by T/KO. Amongst those victories was a notable one in May 1999 over the then WBO Light Welterweight champion Carlos Gonzalez who was stopped in just 41 seconds as Bailey claimed his first world title. After winning the title in his 19th bout Bailey made 2 defenses stopping both Hector Lopez and Rocky Martinez before losing it by split decision to Ener Julio.
After suffering his first loss Bailey bounced quickly and scored 4 more wins, each of those by T/KO in the first 3 rounds as he claimed the interim WBA World Light Welterweight title. Sadly for Bailey his reign with the WBA was short lived as he was defeated in his next fight as he fought for the full version of the belt against Cuban Diosbelys Hurtado, with Hurtado stopping Bailey in round 7. Following this loss Bailey's career struggled to get re-started as he lost 3 of his next 6 fights including WBO Light Welterweight title bouts to DeMarcus Corley (LUD12) and Miguel Cotto (LTKO6).
Those losses had seen Bailey's record falling to 28-5 (27) and it appeared that Bailey's time at the top was all but done, he was now 30 years old and a certified member of the "Who need him?" Club. Despite this Bailey fought on and ran up 7 straight wins after the Cotto loss to move him back up the rankings. Sadly Bailey's winning run came to an end in early 2007 as Canadian based Cameroonian Herman Ngoudjo won a competitive split decision over Bailey in an IBF Light Welterweight title eliminator.
Following the loss to Ngoudjo it would take 22 months for Bailey to work his way back to an eliminator. This time he took the chance with both hands and stopped Francisco Figueroa in eye catching fashion. Bailey however couldn't over come the then champion Juan Urango and was stopped in the 11th round after running out of gas in an enthralling war that saw both men down and hurt. By now nearing his 35 birthday many expected this bout to be the final chapter in the career of Bailey but instead it just seemed to spur him on and after 4 fights (winning 3 with the other being a bizarre no contest as Said Ouali was literally thrown out of the ring) he was back in line for one more chance at a world title. To claim the vacant IBF Welterweight title however Bailey would have to defeat the highly touted and then unbeaten Mike Jones (who was 26-0, 19). Jones got off to an early lead and it seemed almost certain that Bailey would come up short once again. Things started to change however in round 10 when Bailey dropped Jones and started his fightback. Bailey then did the unthinkable and knocked out Jones the following round with a peach of an uppercut to claim the IBF Welterweight title.
Whilst not the most skilled in the world, or the fastest or the fighter with the best stamina Bailey is a true knock-out artist, if he lands clean on anyone they may not know where they are. Many of his knockouts have left opponents either completely out cold or rolling on the canvas as if they have had a few drinks too many. His power is genuinely scary and something every opponent he faces has to be aware of. If he catches Alexander (or anyone else for that matter) it could well be good night Vienna.
Alexander, as the challenger will be seriously fancying his chances over someone who is 12 years his senior however he is relatively unproven at Welterweight having been a Light Welterweight for much of his career, and certainly for his most notable bouts so far.
The young fighter first made his name in the amateurs where he ran up an amazing record reported to be 300-10 with a huge number of title. Having missed out on the 2004 Olympic games Alexander decided to turn professional, aged just 17. He was seen as a prodigious talent and swiftly moved up the rankings. In 2006, in just his 9th bout he claimed his first title, the WBC Youth World Welterweight title before moving down to Light Welter the following year.
It was as a Light Welterweight that Alexander defined his career (at least to the point of writing) as he continued to improve and beat progressively better opponents. In 2008 he scored his first notable victory as he beat former champion DeMarcus Corley before defeating former title contender Miguel Callist, by the middle of the year it seemed only a matter of waiting to get his shot at a title. The following year the waiting paid off as he got a shot at the vacant WBC Light Welterweight title though he would have to get past former title holder Junior Witter to claim the belt. Despite being just 22 years old Alexander managed to defeat the British veteran who quit in his corner citing a hand injury between rounds 8 and 9.
Having claimed one world title Alexander wanted another and in his first defense he fought the then reigning IBF champion Juan Urango in a unification bout. Alexander managed to not only retain his belt but also add the IBF title to his collection by unexpectedly stopping the teak tough Colombian in the 8th round of a very impressive performance. From there however things started to go wrong for Alexander who was fortunate to defeat the very under-rated Ukrainian Andriy Kotelnyk. Against Kotelnyk Alexander worked hard, throwing over 1000 punches but his jab was next to useless landing at around 10% according to Compubox. In his very next fight Alexander suffered his first loss as a professional losing a 10 round Technical Decision to fellow unbeaten American Timothy Bradley losing his WBC title in the bout and being stripped of his IBF title for failing to fight the mandatory contender (Kaizer Mabuza).
Since suffering the first loss of his career Alexander has won twice. The first of those victories saw Alexander controversially defeating Lucas Martin Matthysse in a bout that most (including myself) felt he comfortably lost) whilst the second saw Alexander put on an excellent performance against Marcos Rene Maidana in a very one sided victory.
Whilst Alexander does have power of his own, as shown in his stoppage of Juan Urango he is at his best boxing ability and speed to stay out of range whilst landing his shots. He can be incredibly busy however a lot of his attacks can be ineffective as his jab isn't the weapon that it should be given his speed and movement. Fighting out of the Southpaw stance he will have to be even more wary than most of Bailey's right hand which will be the punch he needs to look out for.
Despite being the challenger Devon Alexander is seen as a big favourite priced at around 1/5 this is due in part to his youth (as I've mentioned he's significantly younger than the champion) and also due to his career so far which has seen him never (so far). However two things need to be noted by anyone betting on Alexander. Firstly the decision isn't in his back pocket, this fight isn't in Missouri where Alexander has had favourable judging in the past instead it's in Las Vegas. Secondly Alexander has been hurt and was dropped by Matthysse and, without trying to demean the hard hitting Argentinian Bailey hit's harder. That's not to say that Alexander can't win or won't win, but just that those odds are incredibly short for a fighter who is facing a lights out puncher.
For Alexander to win he has to use what he's been given, speed. He needs to get in an out with pot shots, land and move or hit and hold. Just neutralise the right hand of Bailey any way possible, circle away, hold, run anything. If he can bag the rounds with out getting tagged Alexander should win. For Bailey to win however he needs to land the pay day punch, something he's made his career out of. Bailey will be looking for the straight right hand, he'll probably flick out a few weak jabs to distract the challenger before trying to lower the boom with the right. If Bailey can start fast and tag Alexander in the first round things could be very interesting, though the champion does have poor stamina and may intentionally start very slowly like he did against Jones hoping to catch a tiring Alexander.
Despite being the under-dog I need to go with Bailey who is amazingly priced as high as 5/1 at the moment however the smart money is on Bailey by T/KO at around 13/2. Those odds are just unreal on what is a much, much closer fight than the bookies seem to be thinking.
Prediction-Bailey TKO8
Note-This preview was originally written for when the bout was first stated to take place. The Preview has not been edited since then.
They often say that the last thing a fighter loses is his punch and that seems to be the case for Bailey. The defending champion who at 37 (he turns 38 soon after the bout) is certainly an out and puncher, known by many simply as "The Knock-Out King" the Florida native really has got lights out power in his right hand, commonly referred to simply as "the stick of dynamite" and it's this power that has seen him become a multi-time world champion.
Bailey first turned professional in 1996, an amazing 16 years ago and started his career with a sensational run of 21 straight victories by T/KO. Amongst those victories was a notable one in May 1999 over the then WBO Light Welterweight champion Carlos Gonzalez who was stopped in just 41 seconds as Bailey claimed his first world title. After winning the title in his 19th bout Bailey made 2 defenses stopping both Hector Lopez and Rocky Martinez before losing it by split decision to Ener Julio.
After suffering his first loss Bailey bounced quickly and scored 4 more wins, each of those by T/KO in the first 3 rounds as he claimed the interim WBA World Light Welterweight title. Sadly for Bailey his reign with the WBA was short lived as he was defeated in his next fight as he fought for the full version of the belt against Cuban Diosbelys Hurtado, with Hurtado stopping Bailey in round 7. Following this loss Bailey's career struggled to get re-started as he lost 3 of his next 6 fights including WBO Light Welterweight title bouts to DeMarcus Corley (LUD12) and Miguel Cotto (LTKO6).
Those losses had seen Bailey's record falling to 28-5 (27) and it appeared that Bailey's time at the top was all but done, he was now 30 years old and a certified member of the "Who need him?" Club. Despite this Bailey fought on and ran up 7 straight wins after the Cotto loss to move him back up the rankings. Sadly Bailey's winning run came to an end in early 2007 as Canadian based Cameroonian Herman Ngoudjo won a competitive split decision over Bailey in an IBF Light Welterweight title eliminator.
Following the loss to Ngoudjo it would take 22 months for Bailey to work his way back to an eliminator. This time he took the chance with both hands and stopped Francisco Figueroa in eye catching fashion. Bailey however couldn't over come the then champion Juan Urango and was stopped in the 11th round after running out of gas in an enthralling war that saw both men down and hurt. By now nearing his 35 birthday many expected this bout to be the final chapter in the career of Bailey but instead it just seemed to spur him on and after 4 fights (winning 3 with the other being a bizarre no contest as Said Ouali was literally thrown out of the ring) he was back in line for one more chance at a world title. To claim the vacant IBF Welterweight title however Bailey would have to defeat the highly touted and then unbeaten Mike Jones (who was 26-0, 19). Jones got off to an early lead and it seemed almost certain that Bailey would come up short once again. Things started to change however in round 10 when Bailey dropped Jones and started his fightback. Bailey then did the unthinkable and knocked out Jones the following round with a peach of an uppercut to claim the IBF Welterweight title.
Whilst not the most skilled in the world, or the fastest or the fighter with the best stamina Bailey is a true knock-out artist, if he lands clean on anyone they may not know where they are. Many of his knockouts have left opponents either completely out cold or rolling on the canvas as if they have had a few drinks too many. His power is genuinely scary and something every opponent he faces has to be aware of. If he catches Alexander (or anyone else for that matter) it could well be good night Vienna.
Alexander, as the challenger will be seriously fancying his chances over someone who is 12 years his senior however he is relatively unproven at Welterweight having been a Light Welterweight for much of his career, and certainly for his most notable bouts so far.
The young fighter first made his name in the amateurs where he ran up an amazing record reported to be 300-10 with a huge number of title. Having missed out on the 2004 Olympic games Alexander decided to turn professional, aged just 17. He was seen as a prodigious talent and swiftly moved up the rankings. In 2006, in just his 9th bout he claimed his first title, the WBC Youth World Welterweight title before moving down to Light Welter the following year.
It was as a Light Welterweight that Alexander defined his career (at least to the point of writing) as he continued to improve and beat progressively better opponents. In 2008 he scored his first notable victory as he beat former champion DeMarcus Corley before defeating former title contender Miguel Callist, by the middle of the year it seemed only a matter of waiting to get his shot at a title. The following year the waiting paid off as he got a shot at the vacant WBC Light Welterweight title though he would have to get past former title holder Junior Witter to claim the belt. Despite being just 22 years old Alexander managed to defeat the British veteran who quit in his corner citing a hand injury between rounds 8 and 9.
Having claimed one world title Alexander wanted another and in his first defense he fought the then reigning IBF champion Juan Urango in a unification bout. Alexander managed to not only retain his belt but also add the IBF title to his collection by unexpectedly stopping the teak tough Colombian in the 8th round of a very impressive performance. From there however things started to go wrong for Alexander who was fortunate to defeat the very under-rated Ukrainian Andriy Kotelnyk. Against Kotelnyk Alexander worked hard, throwing over 1000 punches but his jab was next to useless landing at around 10% according to Compubox. In his very next fight Alexander suffered his first loss as a professional losing a 10 round Technical Decision to fellow unbeaten American Timothy Bradley losing his WBC title in the bout and being stripped of his IBF title for failing to fight the mandatory contender (Kaizer Mabuza).
Since suffering the first loss of his career Alexander has won twice. The first of those victories saw Alexander controversially defeating Lucas Martin Matthysse in a bout that most (including myself) felt he comfortably lost) whilst the second saw Alexander put on an excellent performance against Marcos Rene Maidana in a very one sided victory.
Whilst Alexander does have power of his own, as shown in his stoppage of Juan Urango he is at his best boxing ability and speed to stay out of range whilst landing his shots. He can be incredibly busy however a lot of his attacks can be ineffective as his jab isn't the weapon that it should be given his speed and movement. Fighting out of the Southpaw stance he will have to be even more wary than most of Bailey's right hand which will be the punch he needs to look out for.
Despite being the challenger Devon Alexander is seen as a big favourite priced at around 1/5 this is due in part to his youth (as I've mentioned he's significantly younger than the champion) and also due to his career so far which has seen him never (so far). However two things need to be noted by anyone betting on Alexander. Firstly the decision isn't in his back pocket, this fight isn't in Missouri where Alexander has had favourable judging in the past instead it's in Las Vegas. Secondly Alexander has been hurt and was dropped by Matthysse and, without trying to demean the hard hitting Argentinian Bailey hit's harder. That's not to say that Alexander can't win or won't win, but just that those odds are incredibly short for a fighter who is facing a lights out puncher.
For Alexander to win he has to use what he's been given, speed. He needs to get in an out with pot shots, land and move or hit and hold. Just neutralise the right hand of Bailey any way possible, circle away, hold, run anything. If he can bag the rounds with out getting tagged Alexander should win. For Bailey to win however he needs to land the pay day punch, something he's made his career out of. Bailey will be looking for the straight right hand, he'll probably flick out a few weak jabs to distract the challenger before trying to lower the boom with the right. If Bailey can start fast and tag Alexander in the first round things could be very interesting, though the champion does have poor stamina and may intentionally start very slowly like he did against Jones hoping to catch a tiring Alexander.
Despite being the under-dog I need to go with Bailey who is amazingly priced as high as 5/1 at the moment however the smart money is on Bailey by T/KO at around 13/2. Those odds are just unreal on what is a much, much closer fight than the bookies seem to be thinking.
Prediction-Bailey TKO8
Note-This preview was originally written for when the bout was first stated to take place. The Preview has not been edited since then.
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