After the frankly laughable co-main event between Kimbo Slice and Shane Tilyard (trust me, watch it just two laugh at the fight) Australian boxing fans finally got a real fight as IBF Middleweight champion Daniel "The Real Deal" Geale (29-1, 15) defended his world title with a dominant victory over compatriot Anthony "The Man" Mundine (44-5, 26) in a long awaited rematch.
The opening round started slowly with the first minute or so spent feeling each other out before Geale started to step on the gas and just do enough to out work and out land his challenger. The openin round was arguably the closest in the fight as Geale started to go through the gears and assert himself with his speed, work rate and skill making Mundine look like an old clumsy man. Geale was managing to get in and out with his blows whilst making Mundine miss time and time again. In fact for much of the fight Mundine's only successes came in single jabs that Geale walked through.
By the mid point of the fight it was easy to see how Geale could have been 6-0, he was just simply doing everything to win the rounds. If wasn't 6-0 to Geale it was certainly no worse than 5-1 to the champion.
Mundine managed to fight back well in the second half of the fight arguably claiming round 7 and 8 which were again closer rounds as Mundine was forced to change his game plan as desperation started to set in. Despite being competitive in those rounds it was merely that Mundine was competitive enough to make the rounds close enough to give him a share as opposed to winning the rounds.
Despite Mundine having a couple of competitive rounds Geale started to step up a gear in the later rounds as he thoroughly dominated the final rounds with Mundine needing a knockout. Whilst the champion twice slipped to the canvas he was never under any serious threat from Mundine who's shots looked weak and were walked through time and time again.
The fight, fought in a competitive spirit, did see a number of fouls, including elbows and use of the head by Mundine which he was warned for though sadly it was Mundines actions after the fight that really left a bad taste as Mundine celebrated as if he'd won. In fact Mundine seemed to suggest that a loss for him would have been a robbery when instead he'd been thoroughly out classed.
Despite what appeared to be a 1-sided contest the score cards took a very long time to get tallied up before finally Geale was announced the winner by unanimous decision by scores of 116-112 (far too close and 117-111 (twice).
For Mundine this is probably the end of the line, though Geale will be waiting for the result of the upcoming Sturm v Soliman fight to find out about his next mandatory defence.
Wednesday 30 January 2013
Saturday 26 January 2013
Lucas Martin Matthysse v Mike Dallas Jr
Aggressively minded Argentinian Lucas Martin Matthysse (33-2-0-1, 31) made the first successful defense of his interim WBC Light Welterweight title as he viciously stopped Mike Dallas Jr (19-3-1, 8) inside a round.
Although Dallas started the round well with his speed it didn't take long for Matthysse to connect on him and shake up Dallas. Dallas tied up Matthysse after getting rocked though it appeared from then on that Dallas was living in fear having tasted Matthysse's power and with good reason.
Whilst Dallas had managed to see out the first storm he didn't get to see out the first round as Matthysse landed a monster right hand that rendered Dallas unconscious. As Dallas was on his way down Matthysse tried to tag him with 2 more shots though neither connected cleanly as Dallas crashed to the canvas. With Dallas out cold Robert Byrd just waved off the fight with Matthysse having scored a spectacular opening round KO.
Prior to the fight however there was some controversial as Matthysse was seen taking a pill by Virgil Hunter, Dallas' trained .According to Hunter it was an Amino-500 though Matthysse, via a translator explained it as being a vitamin pill. We will all be waiting for the test results to come back, though if it was a vitamin pill, I dare say Hunter should have kept his mouth shut for his fighters safety.
Although Dallas started the round well with his speed it didn't take long for Matthysse to connect on him and shake up Dallas. Dallas tied up Matthysse after getting rocked though it appeared from then on that Dallas was living in fear having tasted Matthysse's power and with good reason.
Whilst Dallas had managed to see out the first storm he didn't get to see out the first round as Matthysse landed a monster right hand that rendered Dallas unconscious. As Dallas was on his way down Matthysse tried to tag him with 2 more shots though neither connected cleanly as Dallas crashed to the canvas. With Dallas out cold Robert Byrd just waved off the fight with Matthysse having scored a spectacular opening round KO.
Prior to the fight however there was some controversial as Matthysse was seen taking a pill by Virgil Hunter, Dallas' trained .According to Hunter it was an Amino-500 though Matthysse, via a translator explained it as being a vitamin pill. We will all be waiting for the test results to come back, though if it was a vitamin pill, I dare say Hunter should have kept his mouth shut for his fighters safety.
Saturday 19 January 2013
Orlando Salido v Miguel Angel Garcia
Talented 25 year old Miguel Angel "Mikey" Garcia (31-0, 26) showed just what an outstanding young fighter he was as he thoroughly dominated Orlando Salido (39-12-2-1, 27) and claimed both the Ring and WBO Featherweight titles via an 8th round technical decision that few could really complain with.
The opening round was eye opening to say the least as Salido was dropped twice with Garcia's power, speed and accuracy really being the distance. Garcia's jab and straight right were simply keeping Salido too far away for the Mexican to have any success whilst he was putting Salido down almost every time he landed a clean shot.
Garcia's clear domination continued through to round 6 with Salido being dropped in both rounds 3 and 4 from sharp accurate shots. This left Garcia well up on the cards having had 2 10-8 rounds and a 10-7 round, though Salido's heart was impressive and he refused to just quit, instead he started to slowly get in to the fight and appeared to claim round 7 as he managed to successfully get inside Garcia for the first time.
Unfortunately the fight came to a premature end in round 8 after Garcia dominated much of the round, the crude Salido followed through after a punch and connected with an accidental headbutt that sadly broke the nose of Garcia. The accidental foul forced the Dr to call an early end to proceedings as we went to the scorecards and the decision was a clear technical unanimous decision in favour of Garcia who was rightfully crowned the champion.
The clear dominance by Garcia really did open the eyes of the boxing world who may well have seen a new star born tonight. A rematch with Salido is possible, if Salido wants to be beaten up again though a more likely fight could be with Daniel Ponce De Leon in what would be an excellent unification bout allowing Garcia to again show his impressive skills against a veteran title holder.
The opening round was eye opening to say the least as Salido was dropped twice with Garcia's power, speed and accuracy really being the distance. Garcia's jab and straight right were simply keeping Salido too far away for the Mexican to have any success whilst he was putting Salido down almost every time he landed a clean shot.
Garcia's clear domination continued through to round 6 with Salido being dropped in both rounds 3 and 4 from sharp accurate shots. This left Garcia well up on the cards having had 2 10-8 rounds and a 10-7 round, though Salido's heart was impressive and he refused to just quit, instead he started to slowly get in to the fight and appeared to claim round 7 as he managed to successfully get inside Garcia for the first time.
Unfortunately the fight came to a premature end in round 8 after Garcia dominated much of the round, the crude Salido followed through after a punch and connected with an accidental headbutt that sadly broke the nose of Garcia. The accidental foul forced the Dr to call an early end to proceedings as we went to the scorecards and the decision was a clear technical unanimous decision in favour of Garcia who was rightfully crowned the champion.
The clear dominance by Garcia really did open the eyes of the boxing world who may well have seen a new star born tonight. A rematch with Salido is possible, if Salido wants to be beaten up again though a more likely fight could be with Daniel Ponce De Leon in what would be an excellent unification bout allowing Garcia to again show his impressive skills against a veteran title holder.
Gennady Golovkin v Gabriel Rosado
WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (25-0, 22) was successful in his second bout on US soil as he defeated the incredibly brave Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13) when Rosado's trainer called for the inspector to stop the fight with Rosado starting to take a bit of a beating.
The first round was incredibly quiet as Golovkin stalked Rosado with a huge amount of pressure though sadly little was landed by either man as Rosado used his legs to stay out of Golovkin's range. This same pattern continued through the second round, though Golovkin did have some notable success in the second with a jab that cut Rosado near the left eye.
Rosado started round 3 with his first major success of the fight as he came forward and had 90 seconds of genuine success as he forced Golovkin on to the back foot. Sadly for Rosado his success came at a cost as Golovkin unleashed on him late in the round as he started to land his own power shots, one of which seemed to really rock Rosado. By the end of the round Rosado's cut was starting to look worse as Golovkin's power started to really take it's toll on Rosado's flesh.
Sadly for Rosado it seemed that no matter what he did Golovkin just took, especially in round 4, when he landed a huge right hand and in round 5 where Rosado seemed to realise he had to try and fight Golovkin off him. Sadly when you try to fight Golovkin off you merely seem to piss him off. By the end of the fifth Rosado's nose was bloody, his face was filling into a bloody mess. Through the sixth round Golovkin really went to town and rocked Rosado with a body shot before further worsening the cuts that the Dr had looked at at the start of the round.
By now it was obvious that Rosado wasn't going going to quit, though unfortunately for him he was simply out gunned and took a real beating in the seventh round that eventually caused his corner to throw in the towel to save their man any further punishment. By now Rosado was running on fumes and giving little more than a blood donation to all at ringside.
As a class act by Golovkin, the champion did invite Rosado to his gym to train in the future, and it sees a mutual bond between the two was formed as both seemed highly complimentary of the other.
The first round was incredibly quiet as Golovkin stalked Rosado with a huge amount of pressure though sadly little was landed by either man as Rosado used his legs to stay out of Golovkin's range. This same pattern continued through the second round, though Golovkin did have some notable success in the second with a jab that cut Rosado near the left eye.
Rosado started round 3 with his first major success of the fight as he came forward and had 90 seconds of genuine success as he forced Golovkin on to the back foot. Sadly for Rosado his success came at a cost as Golovkin unleashed on him late in the round as he started to land his own power shots, one of which seemed to really rock Rosado. By the end of the round Rosado's cut was starting to look worse as Golovkin's power started to really take it's toll on Rosado's flesh.
Sadly for Rosado it seemed that no matter what he did Golovkin just took, especially in round 4, when he landed a huge right hand and in round 5 where Rosado seemed to realise he had to try and fight Golovkin off him. Sadly when you try to fight Golovkin off you merely seem to piss him off. By the end of the fifth Rosado's nose was bloody, his face was filling into a bloody mess. Through the sixth round Golovkin really went to town and rocked Rosado with a body shot before further worsening the cuts that the Dr had looked at at the start of the round.
By now it was obvious that Rosado wasn't going going to quit, though unfortunately for him he was simply out gunned and took a real beating in the seventh round that eventually caused his corner to throw in the towel to save their man any further punishment. By now Rosado was running on fumes and giving little more than a blood donation to all at ringside.
As a class act by Golovkin, the champion did invite Rosado to his gym to train in the future, and it sees a mutual bond between the two was formed as both seemed highly complimentary of the other.
Roman Martinez v Juan Carlos Burgos
Mexican Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-1, 20) will feel incredibly hard done by to not be the WBO Super Featherweight champion as he scored a hugely controversial draw with Roman "Rocky" Martinez (26-1-2, 16) in a hugely impressive performance that will have won him a number of new fans even if he didn't manage to claim the title0
Despite being seen as the boxer going in to the bout Burgos proved that he could do both box or brawl as he thoroughly dominated his Puerto Rican rival with accurate hurtful body shots, a sharp accurate jab and just an overall superior skill set.
The opening round was action from the off with both men landing bombs from the off, those bombs saw Martinez's face reddening as he seemed to have ridiculous success from the off. The following round saw Burgos continuing to establish his dominance by simply out working the former champion who was attempting to make the first defense of his second reign as champion.
It wasn't until round 3 that Martinez had his first notable success as he seemed to gradually grow in to the fight. Martinez continued to grow through many of the middle rounds making rounds 4 and 5 very close whilst arguably taking the 6th. The middle rounds were incredibly close as both men gave it their all, sadly for Martinez he was being ground away with hurtful body shots that seemed to finish every Burgos combination.
Although Martinez was having real success in cutting the distance and forcing Burgos on to the ropes this was oddly not suiting Martinez as Burgos continually caught him with left hooks to the rib cage that seemed to really take their toll on Martinez late. Though the middle rounds there was enough close rounds to give Martinez 4 rounds or at a push 5 (including rounds 8 and 9 which were very clear Martinez rounds).
Despite Burgos looking like a spent force in rounds 8 and 9, the two rounds he clearly lost, he came back hard in the following 3 rounds and seemed to clearly swept them with his aggression, work rate and effectiveness. This was where the body work of Burgos really seemed to have taken it's toll on Martinez who was looking like a fighter staying in their on heart alone.
Amazingly the scorecards, all from inexperienced judges at world championship level, were all over the place. The first card (111-117-Burgos) seemed pretty accurate, at least it had the right guy winning, the second card was the frankly ridiculous 116-112 for Martinez, a card that simply beggars belief whilst the third card was 114-114, a card that seemed to give Martinez too much credit for merely being competitive in a number of rounds.
Sadly the commentary for the bout was awful with them really swinging on Burgos' sack, and whilst the Mexican did deserve the decision, the commentary made it sound like a shut out, when really it wasn't. Burgos did clearly win on my cards but Martinez, except in the first 2 and final 3 was competitive enough to put up a few rounds.
Despite being seen as the boxer going in to the bout Burgos proved that he could do both box or brawl as he thoroughly dominated his Puerto Rican rival with accurate hurtful body shots, a sharp accurate jab and just an overall superior skill set.
The opening round was action from the off with both men landing bombs from the off, those bombs saw Martinez's face reddening as he seemed to have ridiculous success from the off. The following round saw Burgos continuing to establish his dominance by simply out working the former champion who was attempting to make the first defense of his second reign as champion.
It wasn't until round 3 that Martinez had his first notable success as he seemed to gradually grow in to the fight. Martinez continued to grow through many of the middle rounds making rounds 4 and 5 very close whilst arguably taking the 6th. The middle rounds were incredibly close as both men gave it their all, sadly for Martinez he was being ground away with hurtful body shots that seemed to finish every Burgos combination.
Although Martinez was having real success in cutting the distance and forcing Burgos on to the ropes this was oddly not suiting Martinez as Burgos continually caught him with left hooks to the rib cage that seemed to really take their toll on Martinez late. Though the middle rounds there was enough close rounds to give Martinez 4 rounds or at a push 5 (including rounds 8 and 9 which were very clear Martinez rounds).
Despite Burgos looking like a spent force in rounds 8 and 9, the two rounds he clearly lost, he came back hard in the following 3 rounds and seemed to clearly swept them with his aggression, work rate and effectiveness. This was where the body work of Burgos really seemed to have taken it's toll on Martinez who was looking like a fighter staying in their on heart alone.
Amazingly the scorecards, all from inexperienced judges at world championship level, were all over the place. The first card (111-117-Burgos) seemed pretty accurate, at least it had the right guy winning, the second card was the frankly ridiculous 116-112 for Martinez, a card that simply beggars belief whilst the third card was 114-114, a card that seemed to give Martinez too much credit for merely being competitive in a number of rounds.
Sadly the commentary for the bout was awful with them really swinging on Burgos' sack, and whilst the Mexican did deserve the decision, the commentary made it sound like a shut out, when really it wasn't. Burgos did clearly win on my cards but Martinez, except in the first 2 and final 3 was competitive enough to put up a few rounds.
Tuesday 15 January 2013
Adrian Hernandez v Dirceu Cabarca
WBC Light Flyweight champion Adrian Hernandez (26-2-1, 16) made the first world title defense of the year as he took a routine decision victory over undeserving challenger Dirceu Cabarca (13-7, 5) of Panama.
The Panamanian challenger, fighting for the first time in a bout scheduled to go beyond 8 rounds, had very little success as Hernandez, a skilled fighter himself really looked in cruise control from the off, despite a minor worry in round 6.
Hernandez started the bout well and appeared to want an early night as he ramped up the pressure in a number of the early rounds, though after Cabarca withstood the early onslaught Hernandez soon seemed content on just having a work out, giving some rounds away as a result of what looked more and more like a public sparring session.
With the Light Flyweight division expected to change dramatically in 2013 (with Roman Gonzalez expected to move to Flyweight being the most notable change) it's nice to see Hernandez on the board already for the year (especially with it being just 2 months since he defeated Kompayak Porpramook for the title), though we do expect tougher opponents later this year.
For me Light Flyweight is one of the most interesting divisions in the sport with the likes of Hernandez, Kazuto Ioka, Donnie Nietes, John Riel Casimero, Raul Garcia, Roman Gonzalez (if he remains at the the weight), Paipharob Kokietgym and Juan Francisco Estrada so fighters like Cabarca really shouldn't be seen in the title picture again.
The Panamanian challenger, fighting for the first time in a bout scheduled to go beyond 8 rounds, had very little success as Hernandez, a skilled fighter himself really looked in cruise control from the off, despite a minor worry in round 6.
Hernandez started the bout well and appeared to want an early night as he ramped up the pressure in a number of the early rounds, though after Cabarca withstood the early onslaught Hernandez soon seemed content on just having a work out, giving some rounds away as a result of what looked more and more like a public sparring session.
With the Light Flyweight division expected to change dramatically in 2013 (with Roman Gonzalez expected to move to Flyweight being the most notable change) it's nice to see Hernandez on the board already for the year (especially with it being just 2 months since he defeated Kompayak Porpramook for the title), though we do expect tougher opponents later this year.
For me Light Flyweight is one of the most interesting divisions in the sport with the likes of Hernandez, Kazuto Ioka, Donnie Nietes, John Riel Casimero, Raul Garcia, Roman Gonzalez (if he remains at the the weight), Paipharob Kokietgym and Juan Francisco Estrada so fighters like Cabarca really shouldn't be seen in the title picture again.
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