We've only just began the new year but yet we've already seen a major upset and what could well be one of the most controversial fights of 2014 as we kicked off the year with a very early title fight.
The fight, the first world title fight in the career of Cuban "Kid Blast" Rances Barthelemy (20-0, 13), saw him usurping Dominican Argenis Mendez (21-3-1, 11) of the IBF Super Featherweight title, albeit with the help of a very suspect combination.
Barthelemy started well, despite being the under-dog, and seemed to wobble Mendez in the opening round as his powerful left hook was felt by the champion. Mendez saw out the storm though it was obvious that Barthelemy had the power to hurt Mendez. Unfortunately for the champion Barthelemy also had the reach to use his jab and movement to avoid any unnecessary exchanges.
The second round saw Barthelemy turning the screw, especially late as he scored a clean knockdown of the champion in the final seconds. It was the first time Mendez had been down in his professional career and it was clear when he got to his feet that he hadn't recovered. Barthelemy jumped on Mendez and unleashed a combination that had Mendez in further trouble.
Unfortunately for all involve the bell rung with Barthelemy still throwing shots, two of which came clearly after the first ring of the bell. Those two shots were enough to finish off Mendez sending him to the canvas for the second time and this time he never recovered his feet.
Sadly after the two shots the bell rang again giving Barthelemy some defense in actions though leaving us with a lot of question marks about the actions of the referee who had made a giant mistake in not being close enough to separate the two fighters at the first ring.
In a post fight interview Mike Tyson, Mendez's promoter, said he'd request the commission to force a rematch, though in all honesty it wouldn't be a shock if we don't see that, at least not immediately.
Showing posts with label America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label America. Show all posts
Friday, 3 January 2014
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Beibut Shumenov v Tamas Kovacs
Some fights are just mismatches from the second they are signed to the final bell. We had one such bout this weekend as Kazakhstan's Beibut Shumenov (14-1, 9) faced WBA #14 ranked challenger Tamas Kovacs (23-1, 14).
Shumenov, the WBA Light Heavyweight "super" champion, had been inactive for 18 months, he could have gone in after 5 years out and still made light work of the limited Kovacs who looked out of his depth the first time Shumenov landed a left hook.
Kovacs had a bright 10 seconds to start the fight. From then on though it was all Shumenov who quickly shook off any ringrust, and got his 1-2's going freely. By the end of the first round you could tell one of these men was a championship level fighter and when Shumenov landed a left hook very late in the round you could tell that Kovacs wasn't even close to world level.
To his credit Kovacs did get up and came out for round 2, but things didn't get any better for him as he was dropped from a left uppercut as Shumenov assumed total control of the bout.
Thankfully, for the over-matched Kovacs, his suffering would be ended in round 3 when Shumenov detonated a straight right hand that sent Kovacs down for the 3rd time in the fight. This time the referee had decided enough was enough and called a halt to the fight.
The bout, as much of a mismatch as it was, seemed to be a showcase for Shumenov who now looks likely to be fighting someone like Bernard Hopkins in a much, much more meaningful and tough assignment. Yes this was pointless in terms of competitiveness but it's purpose was to give Hopkins, and Showtime, a man in the 175lb division that they could talk about especially considering rival network HBO have 2 in the form of Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev.
Shumenov, the WBA Light Heavyweight "super" champion, had been inactive for 18 months, he could have gone in after 5 years out and still made light work of the limited Kovacs who looked out of his depth the first time Shumenov landed a left hook.
Kovacs had a bright 10 seconds to start the fight. From then on though it was all Shumenov who quickly shook off any ringrust, and got his 1-2's going freely. By the end of the first round you could tell one of these men was a championship level fighter and when Shumenov landed a left hook very late in the round you could tell that Kovacs wasn't even close to world level.
To his credit Kovacs did get up and came out for round 2, but things didn't get any better for him as he was dropped from a left uppercut as Shumenov assumed total control of the bout.
Thankfully, for the over-matched Kovacs, his suffering would be ended in round 3 when Shumenov detonated a straight right hand that sent Kovacs down for the 3rd time in the fight. This time the referee had decided enough was enough and called a halt to the fight.
The bout, as much of a mismatch as it was, seemed to be a showcase for Shumenov who now looks likely to be fighting someone like Bernard Hopkins in a much, much more meaningful and tough assignment. Yes this was pointless in terms of competitiveness but it's purpose was to give Hopkins, and Showtime, a man in the 175lb division that they could talk about especially considering rival network HBO have 2 in the form of Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev.
Adrien Broner v Marcos Rene Maidana
When a fighter talks themselves up, and when the American boxing media tells us someone is the next big thing...I tend to have a personal warmth when they get exposed. We had one such case this past weekend when Adrien "The Problem" Broner (27-1, 22) got exposed as a loud mouthed fraud by Argentina's Marcos "Chino" Maidana (35-3, 31) who really did blow open the myth that Broner was the next Mayweather.
Maidana set off like a man possessed and really dominated Broner in the opening round. It was the sort of start that Maidana would have dreamed of having as Broner's bravado and confidence seemed to suddenly vanish. If Maidana had dreamed of winning the round his dream got even better in round 2 when he dropped Broner after repeatedly hurting him. It was clear that this wasn't what the American press or Broner, or almost expected. Maidana was there to not just beat Broner but to beat him up.
It wasn't until round 3 that Broner did anything of note in terms of aggression and it was the aggression that just saw him taking the round. He was however threatened with a point deduction for pushing off with his elbow. Bizarrely that same warning came up several times as Broner continued to push Maidana yet no point was ever taken.
With Broner taking round 3 it wasn't beyond thinking that he was going to turn things around. That didn't happen however as Maidana used his very under-rated jab in round 4 to neutralise the speed of Broner. It was only the speed of Broner that he actually seemed to have above Maidana who had power, aggression and more importantly desire. Real desire.
The desire of Maidana was on full show in round 5 as he again hurt Broner who lazy through out. Although Broner saw out that particular storm it was clear that he had no answer to the left hook of Maidana, the jab of Maidana or the flurries of wide shots that Maidana was landing at will.
Although Maidana seemed to slow in rounds 6 and 7 he was still doing the eye catching work. Broner was landing more than he had early in the fight but wasn't landing a significant number of shots and what he was landing looked light and slappy when compared to Maidana's thudding shots.
By the end of round 7 Maidana, according to commentators, had landed 60 more punches than Broner. Broner had landed more in round 7 (22 to 20) but with many of his shots being singles with little sting on them it was still clear that Maidana had the fire in his belly. That fire saw him dropping Broner for a second time in round 8. Unfortunately for Maidana he effectively the knockdown from the books by being deducted a point for a headbutt whilst Broner was holding him. Although the headbutt was stupid Broner's reactions were stupid with him selling it as if he was a WWE "superstar". The fans, knowing what Broner was up to, soundly booed the American who had by now become public enemy #1.
Maidana had come in to the bout assuming he would need a knockout to win. In round 9 he really went for the knockout as he dominated and battered Broner across the the ring. It was as close to a 10-8 round without a knockdown with the American taking a battering and landing very, very little in return. By now it had become obvious, Broner wasn't a special fighter, Broner wasn't the next Mayweather and Broner wasn't some great in the making. Broner was merely the human punch that Maidana was abusing
As with all good punch bags Broner took the shots well and was forced to take them again in round 10 and 11 as Maidana did all he could to prevent the judges from robbing him. The crowd egged on Maidana with chants of "Chino" and by round 11 the fight looked in the bag. Maidana's confidence was through the roof and and he went for the finish again in the 11th.
Having lost the 11th Broner flirted with a point deduction again for a shot well after the bell. Lawrence Cole, who seemed to "know the score" regarding Broner's status as the next American star gave Broner yet another warning but nothing else.
In regards to competitive action round 12 was the most competitive. Broner seemed to be aware he was trailing and he went for a tired Maidana throwing the kitchen sink at him. Maidana, being a South American, showed his machismo and fight back rocking Broner several times with left hooks despite being physically knackered. Thankfully for Maidana Broner's attack never had him in any distress, preventing any sort of dodgy stoppage, instead Maidana saw out the final bell.
There was a fear after the final bell that the judges, which have stunk this year, were going to do the impossible and rob Maiana of his clear victory. Thankfully the judges didn't. They had it 115-110, 116-109, 117-109 all to the right guy and the new WBA Welterweight champion, Marcos Maidana
Maidana set off like a man possessed and really dominated Broner in the opening round. It was the sort of start that Maidana would have dreamed of having as Broner's bravado and confidence seemed to suddenly vanish. If Maidana had dreamed of winning the round his dream got even better in round 2 when he dropped Broner after repeatedly hurting him. It was clear that this wasn't what the American press or Broner, or almost expected. Maidana was there to not just beat Broner but to beat him up.
It wasn't until round 3 that Broner did anything of note in terms of aggression and it was the aggression that just saw him taking the round. He was however threatened with a point deduction for pushing off with his elbow. Bizarrely that same warning came up several times as Broner continued to push Maidana yet no point was ever taken.
With Broner taking round 3 it wasn't beyond thinking that he was going to turn things around. That didn't happen however as Maidana used his very under-rated jab in round 4 to neutralise the speed of Broner. It was only the speed of Broner that he actually seemed to have above Maidana who had power, aggression and more importantly desire. Real desire.
The desire of Maidana was on full show in round 5 as he again hurt Broner who lazy through out. Although Broner saw out that particular storm it was clear that he had no answer to the left hook of Maidana, the jab of Maidana or the flurries of wide shots that Maidana was landing at will.
Although Maidana seemed to slow in rounds 6 and 7 he was still doing the eye catching work. Broner was landing more than he had early in the fight but wasn't landing a significant number of shots and what he was landing looked light and slappy when compared to Maidana's thudding shots.
By the end of round 7 Maidana, according to commentators, had landed 60 more punches than Broner. Broner had landed more in round 7 (22 to 20) but with many of his shots being singles with little sting on them it was still clear that Maidana had the fire in his belly. That fire saw him dropping Broner for a second time in round 8. Unfortunately for Maidana he effectively the knockdown from the books by being deducted a point for a headbutt whilst Broner was holding him. Although the headbutt was stupid Broner's reactions were stupid with him selling it as if he was a WWE "superstar". The fans, knowing what Broner was up to, soundly booed the American who had by now become public enemy #1.
Maidana had come in to the bout assuming he would need a knockout to win. In round 9 he really went for the knockout as he dominated and battered Broner across the the ring. It was as close to a 10-8 round without a knockdown with the American taking a battering and landing very, very little in return. By now it had become obvious, Broner wasn't a special fighter, Broner wasn't the next Mayweather and Broner wasn't some great in the making. Broner was merely the human punch that Maidana was abusing
As with all good punch bags Broner took the shots well and was forced to take them again in round 10 and 11 as Maidana did all he could to prevent the judges from robbing him. The crowd egged on Maidana with chants of "Chino" and by round 11 the fight looked in the bag. Maidana's confidence was through the roof and and he went for the finish again in the 11th.
Having lost the 11th Broner flirted with a point deduction again for a shot well after the bell. Lawrence Cole, who seemed to "know the score" regarding Broner's status as the next American star gave Broner yet another warning but nothing else.
In regards to competitive action round 12 was the most competitive. Broner seemed to be aware he was trailing and he went for a tired Maidana throwing the kitchen sink at him. Maidana, being a South American, showed his machismo and fight back rocking Broner several times with left hooks despite being physically knackered. Thankfully for Maidana Broner's attack never had him in any distress, preventing any sort of dodgy stoppage, instead Maidana saw out the final bell.
There was a fear after the final bell that the judges, which have stunk this year, were going to do the impossible and rob Maiana of his clear victory. Thankfully the judges didn't. They had it 115-110, 116-109, 117-109 all to the right guy and the new WBA Welterweight champion, Marcos Maidana
Keith Thurman v Jesus Soto Karass
Sometimes fights are decided merely on the tactics of the two men. A perfect game plan can, at times, neutralise a slight disadvantage in terms of skills. Unfortunately sometimes a bout isn't decided by a game plan but merely the natural traits of one man over another. We saw just that as WBA Welterweight "interim" champion Keith Thurman (22-0-0-1, 20) used his significantly better speed and movement to dominate the much slower, but game, Jesus Soto Karass (28-9-3, 18)
The fight started pretty well for Soto Karass who tagged Thurman in the first 20 seconds and seemed to rock Thurman. From then on though Thurman took over the bout and Soto Karass genuinely struggled just to land. Unfortunately Soto Karass was made to look 3rd rate as Thurman boxed rings around him, literally. Thurman boxed on the move landing any shot he wanted, upstairs or downstairs.
From rounds 2 through 6 it was all Thurman with Soto Karass landing very little in return. So dominant was the work of Thurman that he was really messing up the face of Soto Karass whilst looking completely untouched himself. In all honesty it seemed for vast parts of the fight that Thurman was untouched.
Not only had Thurman been racking up the rounds but he had also scored a hard knockdown 5. It appeared that Soto Karass was going to inevitably be stopped, especially if Thurman was going to keep unloading as he had been early on in the fight.
It wasn't until round 7 that Soto Karass managed to get any real success. This came one of the few times Thurman held his feet and got trapped on the ropes. Unfortunately for Soto Karass it was too little to win the round but it was finally some success for the Mexican who seemed to know that this was a 12 round fight.
Unfortunately for Soto Karass the bout didn't get to go 12 rounds and in round 9 Thurman exploded hurting Soto Karass who was effectively caught by the referee as the Mexican was finally stopped almost out of nowhere. It took just 1 big combination from Thurman to finish it but it had been a combination that he had struggled to land despite a dominant performance.
For Thurman this was a perfect bout. He had his stamina tested, his heart tested and then showed the finishing instincts that could help make him a star. Sure Soto Karass was made to order due to his lack of speed but this still a show case performance against a deserving challenger.
The fight started pretty well for Soto Karass who tagged Thurman in the first 20 seconds and seemed to rock Thurman. From then on though Thurman took over the bout and Soto Karass genuinely struggled just to land. Unfortunately Soto Karass was made to look 3rd rate as Thurman boxed rings around him, literally. Thurman boxed on the move landing any shot he wanted, upstairs or downstairs.
From rounds 2 through 6 it was all Thurman with Soto Karass landing very little in return. So dominant was the work of Thurman that he was really messing up the face of Soto Karass whilst looking completely untouched himself. In all honesty it seemed for vast parts of the fight that Thurman was untouched.
Not only had Thurman been racking up the rounds but he had also scored a hard knockdown 5. It appeared that Soto Karass was going to inevitably be stopped, especially if Thurman was going to keep unloading as he had been early on in the fight.
It wasn't until round 7 that Soto Karass managed to get any real success. This came one of the few times Thurman held his feet and got trapped on the ropes. Unfortunately for Soto Karass it was too little to win the round but it was finally some success for the Mexican who seemed to know that this was a 12 round fight.
Unfortunately for Soto Karass the bout didn't get to go 12 rounds and in round 9 Thurman exploded hurting Soto Karass who was effectively caught by the referee as the Mexican was finally stopped almost out of nowhere. It took just 1 big combination from Thurman to finish it but it had been a combination that he had struggled to land despite a dominant performance.
For Thurman this was a perfect bout. He had his stamina tested, his heart tested and then showed the finishing instincts that could help make him a star. Sure Soto Karass was made to order due to his lack of speed but this still a show case performance against a deserving challenger.
Leo Santa Cruz v Cesar Seda
When we talk about the most fun fighters in the sport right now it's hard to argue against anyone who says Leo Santa Cruz (26-0-1, 15) the WBC Super Bantamweight champion. Santa Cruz is usually an offensive machine who brings flat out pressure, relentless work rate and pure excitement. In the first defense of his Super Bantamweight title however Santa Cruz showed a different side to his boxing as he out pointed Puerto Rican Cesar Ceda (25-2, 17) by boxing as opposed to brawling.
The first 4 rounds of the bout so both men boxing. There was no flat out pressure from Leo though there was good boxing from both. Yes Leo was applying some pressure but it was much more controlled pressure than we are used to as he instead chose to fight at mid distance instead of turn the fight into a phone booth war. Through the first 4 it was difficult to separate the two men and scores of 40-36 either way would not have been that wrong.
Unfortunately for Ceda he couldn't even force Santa Cruz backwards. Instead Santa Cruz kept coming forward and landing shots upstairs and downstairs. Ceda, the faster man, was landing his own shots but every shot Santa Cruz landed seemed to be more notable and a lot of Ceda's shots were blocked or just flat out missed. The Puerto Rican was making things interesting but never managed to have the sustained success he needed to win any of the middle rounds.
What made things worse for Ceda was knockdown he had scored against him in round 5 that began Santa Cruz's run through the middle rounds, rounds of which he clearly won.
From round 5, a 10-8, through to round 10 Santa Cruz had piled up the rounds. Ceda had tried to win them but couldn't deliver the punches he needed to win them. It wasn't until round 11 that you could make a case for Ceda having won a round outside of the first 4. By that point, even being generous to Ceda, you had to have him needing a knockdown to get a draw, it was fair however to suggest he would need a knock out.
Ceda gave it a go in round 12 as the action heated up but Ceda simply didn't have the power to ever rocked Santa Cruz.
The fight was competitive but there was only ever 1 winner, this was reflected in the score cards which read 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110, all in favour of Santa Cruz who retained his WBC Super Bantamweight title.
This wasn't a typical Santa Cruz performance but it was still an impressive one and Ceda also covered himself in glory having put on a very competitive performance. Ceda would fit in with many of the top 10 in the division and will come again. He's improved markedly from his fight with Omar Andres Narvaez a few years ago, though will struggle with the real standouts in the division.
The first 4 rounds of the bout so both men boxing. There was no flat out pressure from Leo though there was good boxing from both. Yes Leo was applying some pressure but it was much more controlled pressure than we are used to as he instead chose to fight at mid distance instead of turn the fight into a phone booth war. Through the first 4 it was difficult to separate the two men and scores of 40-36 either way would not have been that wrong.
Unfortunately for Ceda he couldn't even force Santa Cruz backwards. Instead Santa Cruz kept coming forward and landing shots upstairs and downstairs. Ceda, the faster man, was landing his own shots but every shot Santa Cruz landed seemed to be more notable and a lot of Ceda's shots were blocked or just flat out missed. The Puerto Rican was making things interesting but never managed to have the sustained success he needed to win any of the middle rounds.
What made things worse for Ceda was knockdown he had scored against him in round 5 that began Santa Cruz's run through the middle rounds, rounds of which he clearly won.
From round 5, a 10-8, through to round 10 Santa Cruz had piled up the rounds. Ceda had tried to win them but couldn't deliver the punches he needed to win them. It wasn't until round 11 that you could make a case for Ceda having won a round outside of the first 4. By that point, even being generous to Ceda, you had to have him needing a knockdown to get a draw, it was fair however to suggest he would need a knock out.
Ceda gave it a go in round 12 as the action heated up but Ceda simply didn't have the power to ever rocked Santa Cruz.
The fight was competitive but there was only ever 1 winner, this was reflected in the score cards which read 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110, all in favour of Santa Cruz who retained his WBC Super Bantamweight title.
This wasn't a typical Santa Cruz performance but it was still an impressive one and Ceda also covered himself in glory having put on a very competitive performance. Ceda would fit in with many of the top 10 in the division and will come again. He's improved markedly from his fight with Omar Andres Narvaez a few years ago, though will struggle with the real standouts in the division.
Monday, 9 December 2013
Sakio Bika v Anthony Dirrell
Not every fighter makes you want to watch them and in fact many fighters have found a way to turn a crowd against them. One such fighter was Anthony Dirrell (26-0-1, 22) who was given the opportunity of a life time this past weekend when he met WBC Super Middleweight champion Sakio Bika (32-5-3, 21). Bika, defending his belt for the first time was the betting under-dog, the older man, the more worn man, the slower man and also the lesser skilled man however he was also the determined man and the man who didn't want to give up his title.
We often talk about champions losing their hunger once they win a world title. What we ended up with in this bout however was a champion who was hungry and a challenger who seemed to have filled his stomach with disappointment.
The first round summed up much of the bout as Dirrell, who looked incredibly classy in spurts, did next to nothing. Bika's wasn't clean or effective but he was doing something. On my card you get points for doing something if the other guy is doing next to nothing.
Having basically taken the opening round off Dirrell then had a good second round and a great third round. At the end of the third it seemed obvious that Dirrell had the speed, power and skills to hurt, rock and possibly even stop Bika.
Sadly the momentum that Dirrell had been building was lost in round 4 as he took the round off and spent it trying to box as a south paw. It was frustrating to see someone with genuine natural talent let Bika off the hook but it was hoped that Dirrell would come back hard in round 5 and that's exactly what he did. It was in round 5 that Dirrell had his best round of the fight dropping Bika and coming close to stopping it Bika looking gone before the bell saved him
Amazingly despite looking completely done in round 5 Bika fought back well and took round 6 as he appeared to rock Dirrell. Out of nowhere it was Dirrell who was in trouble and it seemed that the fight suddenly swung in favour of Bika. The most interesting part of round 6 wasn't the fighting in the ring but Dirrell's resigned look after it. It seemed like the American just didn't want to be there anymore.
Despite looking sick of the fight and the rough and tumble style of Bika who was relentless in coming forward even if he was crude and messy Dirrell had some decent moments in round 7. It was a round that was up for grabs with Dirrell not doing much but Bika not landing much.
Round 7 was arguable the last you could have given to Dirrell who began to really just turn off. He was backing up incessantly, posing and looking ready to strike but actually throwing next to nothing. It seemed that either Dirrell didn't want to win or just didn't care about fighting any more. Bika though was too crude to land the bombs that makes a fighter quit, and instead the marauding fighter kept coming forward with little real success.
By the end of round 10 the good work of Dirrell's was long gone and it was hard to to make any case for Dirrell to be winning. At best it was 95-94 to Bika, at worst it may have been a round wider as Dirrell kept doing nothing. What wasn't helping the American was the awful work of his corner team who weren't shouting things such as "box 'im good", they seemed to be out of ideas when it came to firing their man up whilst Dirrell himself looked so uninterested that it was hard to believe he was in a world title fight.
Dirrell did get a break, of sorts, in round 11 as Bika's clumsiness saw him deducted a point for a low blow. Even with the deduction Dirrell didn't do anything to actually win the round resulting in a 9-9 round.
It seemed like Bika was in the lead, it seemed Dirrell's inability to fight like a challenger was costing him and in round 12 it really did cost him as he threw away a close round by be running around the ring with his hands up high. There was no way you could give him the round after he had been such an idiot.
Despite the fact I had it 114-112 to Bika I couldn't feasibly see a way to favour Dirrell and in fact I felt generous even having it that close. One judge having it a draw however wasn't out of the question as the cards came back with scores of 114-112, 113-113 and the frankly ridiculous 110-116 in favour of Dirrell. I had assumed the 113-113 card was "the bad one" until I heard the final card which genuinely made my stomach turn. How a judge had given Dirrell 8 rounds was and is still a mystery to me.
We often talk about champions losing their hunger once they win a world title. What we ended up with in this bout however was a champion who was hungry and a challenger who seemed to have filled his stomach with disappointment.
The first round summed up much of the bout as Dirrell, who looked incredibly classy in spurts, did next to nothing. Bika's wasn't clean or effective but he was doing something. On my card you get points for doing something if the other guy is doing next to nothing.
Having basically taken the opening round off Dirrell then had a good second round and a great third round. At the end of the third it seemed obvious that Dirrell had the speed, power and skills to hurt, rock and possibly even stop Bika.
Sadly the momentum that Dirrell had been building was lost in round 4 as he took the round off and spent it trying to box as a south paw. It was frustrating to see someone with genuine natural talent let Bika off the hook but it was hoped that Dirrell would come back hard in round 5 and that's exactly what he did. It was in round 5 that Dirrell had his best round of the fight dropping Bika and coming close to stopping it Bika looking gone before the bell saved him
Amazingly despite looking completely done in round 5 Bika fought back well and took round 6 as he appeared to rock Dirrell. Out of nowhere it was Dirrell who was in trouble and it seemed that the fight suddenly swung in favour of Bika. The most interesting part of round 6 wasn't the fighting in the ring but Dirrell's resigned look after it. It seemed like the American just didn't want to be there anymore.
Despite looking sick of the fight and the rough and tumble style of Bika who was relentless in coming forward even if he was crude and messy Dirrell had some decent moments in round 7. It was a round that was up for grabs with Dirrell not doing much but Bika not landing much.
Round 7 was arguable the last you could have given to Dirrell who began to really just turn off. He was backing up incessantly, posing and looking ready to strike but actually throwing next to nothing. It seemed that either Dirrell didn't want to win or just didn't care about fighting any more. Bika though was too crude to land the bombs that makes a fighter quit, and instead the marauding fighter kept coming forward with little real success.
By the end of round 10 the good work of Dirrell's was long gone and it was hard to to make any case for Dirrell to be winning. At best it was 95-94 to Bika, at worst it may have been a round wider as Dirrell kept doing nothing. What wasn't helping the American was the awful work of his corner team who weren't shouting things such as "box 'im good", they seemed to be out of ideas when it came to firing their man up whilst Dirrell himself looked so uninterested that it was hard to believe he was in a world title fight.
Dirrell did get a break, of sorts, in round 11 as Bika's clumsiness saw him deducted a point for a low blow. Even with the deduction Dirrell didn't do anything to actually win the round resulting in a 9-9 round.
It seemed like Bika was in the lead, it seemed Dirrell's inability to fight like a challenger was costing him and in round 12 it really did cost him as he threw away a close round by be running around the ring with his hands up high. There was no way you could give him the round after he had been such an idiot.
Despite the fact I had it 114-112 to Bika I couldn't feasibly see a way to favour Dirrell and in fact I felt generous even having it that close. One judge having it a draw however wasn't out of the question as the cards came back with scores of 114-112, 113-113 and the frankly ridiculous 110-116 in favour of Dirrell. I had assumed the 113-113 card was "the bad one" until I heard the final card which genuinely made my stomach turn. How a judge had given Dirrell 8 rounds was and is still a mystery to me.
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Guillermo Rigondeaux v Joseph Agbeko
Whilst we can laud pure boxing skills all day long boxing is a business and a main event should not be fought in front on a handful of fans. Unfortunately tonight we saw just that as Guillermo Rigondeaux (13-0, 8) defended his WBA "super" and WBO Super Bantamweight titles in front of a scattering of fans at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Rigondeaux, one of the most talented fighters in living memory was expected to be involved in a fight as he took on Joseph Agbeko (29-5, 22) instead what we got was a glorified exhibition. An exhibition that became so uninteresting that only a few members of the press remained in their seat for the bout, and I believe a number of those may well have fallen to sleep.
For the first 6 rounds Rigondeaux landed singes, handcuffed Agbeko with a jab and refused to force the action. Sure it takes two to tango but Agbeko wasn't in a dancing mood. In fact the only thing Agbeko wanted to do was hide behind a tight guard and shuffle forward with little intention of throwing a punch.
By round 7 it appeared even the Cuban was bored. He began to let his shots go in twos and threes and although they were still taken on the gloves of Agbeko he was at least doing something. They weren't having an effect on Agbeko but they were scoring shots and in fact Rigondeaux was landing more than Agbeko was throwing. It was nothing short of a man exhibiting his skills against a human punch bag. Sadly he merely showing off his skills and not how destructive he could be, had he wanted to be destructive then we could have had some entertainment.
For the final few rounds Agbeko slowly began to let his hands go. He wasn't taking many risks but he was finally attempting to fight. This proved to be too little too late and Rigondeaux continued to land the only punches of note in what was one of the most straight forward and simple world title fights of the year.
There was never any doubt in the score cards which were 120-108, in fact if anything the shut out didn't represent the domination of Rigondeaux and it could well have been 120-102 due to how little Agbeko did in a number of the rounds.
Sadly the domination just failed to excite anyone. Thankfully however the fight didn't receive any boos, on the flipside of that, there was no one in the venue to boo the fight. At the end of the day that was only a faint positive as no one will be paying to see another fight like this. I'm afraid that Rigondeaux is giving himself no options. He's too good to fight such a restrained style, but he's too good to change his style. Unless he can find a rival his career is going to be one of the least exciting in history despite the fact he's ridiculously talent.
Rigondeaux, one of the most talented fighters in living memory was expected to be involved in a fight as he took on Joseph Agbeko (29-5, 22) instead what we got was a glorified exhibition. An exhibition that became so uninteresting that only a few members of the press remained in their seat for the bout, and I believe a number of those may well have fallen to sleep.
For the first 6 rounds Rigondeaux landed singes, handcuffed Agbeko with a jab and refused to force the action. Sure it takes two to tango but Agbeko wasn't in a dancing mood. In fact the only thing Agbeko wanted to do was hide behind a tight guard and shuffle forward with little intention of throwing a punch.
By round 7 it appeared even the Cuban was bored. He began to let his shots go in twos and threes and although they were still taken on the gloves of Agbeko he was at least doing something. They weren't having an effect on Agbeko but they were scoring shots and in fact Rigondeaux was landing more than Agbeko was throwing. It was nothing short of a man exhibiting his skills against a human punch bag. Sadly he merely showing off his skills and not how destructive he could be, had he wanted to be destructive then we could have had some entertainment.
For the final few rounds Agbeko slowly began to let his hands go. He wasn't taking many risks but he was finally attempting to fight. This proved to be too little too late and Rigondeaux continued to land the only punches of note in what was one of the most straight forward and simple world title fights of the year.
There was never any doubt in the score cards which were 120-108, in fact if anything the shut out didn't represent the domination of Rigondeaux and it could well have been 120-102 due to how little Agbeko did in a number of the rounds.
Sadly the domination just failed to excite anyone. Thankfully however the fight didn't receive any boos, on the flipside of that, there was no one in the venue to boo the fight. At the end of the day that was only a faint positive as no one will be paying to see another fight like this. I'm afraid that Rigondeaux is giving himself no options. He's too good to fight such a restrained style, but he's too good to change his style. Unless he can find a rival his career is going to be one of the least exciting in history despite the fact he's ridiculously talent.
Devon Alexander v Shawn Porter
Every so often in this sport we get a challenger who is just so determined that they refuse to be denied of a victory. We saw one such fight earlier this year when Kiko Martinez broke down Jhonathan Romero with nothing short of sheer bloodymindedness.
we saw another fighter with that same desire to win earlier tonight as Shawn Porter (23-0-1, 14) took on IBF Welterweight champion Devon Alexander (25-2, 14) and literally took the fight to Alexander and refused to let Alexander fight back.
Whilst the first round was messy with Alexander getting his jab going and tying Porter up the second round saw Porter coming to life. By round 3 Porter was literally beating up the champion, he was getting inside, unloading on the champion and connecting with left hands. He not only connected cleanly on Alexander but several times he appeared to have Alexander ready to go down. The only thing keeping Alexander upright was the fact he held on to Porter at every opportunity getting a warning as a result.
Due to the domination in round 3 by Porter it wasn't out of the question to have given that round as a 10-8 to Porter who looked well on the way to forcing an early ending to the bout.
Porter's domination of the bout continued through the following rounds. Again he shook Alexander in rounds 4, 5 and 6. When Alexander try to hold he was merely pushed off and beaten up, when there was distance Porter was landing booming shots, often in combinations and by the end of the sixth Alexander was cut and looking like a man ready to lose his title.
By the midway point of the bout it seemed Alexander had just one hope, that Porter would punch himself out. Unfortunately for Alexander this did happen and instead Porter started beating Alexander with the jab. When this started to happen it was clear that Alexander had no way back in to this bout. He was being beaten on the inside, he was being beaten on the outside and he was just being beaten up.
For poor Alexander, whose right eye was cut, it wasn't just the headshots that Porter was connecting with but also body shots as he began to break up every part of Alexander. The only saving grace, if you can call it that, was that a headclash in round 9 opened up a nasty cut on Porter. Unfortunately the cut simply didn't bother Porter who continued to press the fight with relentless aggression.
Porter, who was well up going in to the championship rounds, seem to refuse to cruise the final rounds and instead continued to beat up Alexande as he made sure he took the decision.
Surprisingly, despite the dominance of Porter the three judges had the fight remarkably close with cards of 115-113 and two of 116-112. Sorry but those judges need question, Porter possible lost 2 rounds, not 4 or 5 as the judges had it.
we saw another fighter with that same desire to win earlier tonight as Shawn Porter (23-0-1, 14) took on IBF Welterweight champion Devon Alexander (25-2, 14) and literally took the fight to Alexander and refused to let Alexander fight back.
Whilst the first round was messy with Alexander getting his jab going and tying Porter up the second round saw Porter coming to life. By round 3 Porter was literally beating up the champion, he was getting inside, unloading on the champion and connecting with left hands. He not only connected cleanly on Alexander but several times he appeared to have Alexander ready to go down. The only thing keeping Alexander upright was the fact he held on to Porter at every opportunity getting a warning as a result.
Due to the domination in round 3 by Porter it wasn't out of the question to have given that round as a 10-8 to Porter who looked well on the way to forcing an early ending to the bout.
Porter's domination of the bout continued through the following rounds. Again he shook Alexander in rounds 4, 5 and 6. When Alexander try to hold he was merely pushed off and beaten up, when there was distance Porter was landing booming shots, often in combinations and by the end of the sixth Alexander was cut and looking like a man ready to lose his title.
By the midway point of the bout it seemed Alexander had just one hope, that Porter would punch himself out. Unfortunately for Alexander this did happen and instead Porter started beating Alexander with the jab. When this started to happen it was clear that Alexander had no way back in to this bout. He was being beaten on the inside, he was being beaten on the outside and he was just being beaten up.
For poor Alexander, whose right eye was cut, it wasn't just the headshots that Porter was connecting with but also body shots as he began to break up every part of Alexander. The only saving grace, if you can call it that, was that a headclash in round 9 opened up a nasty cut on Porter. Unfortunately the cut simply didn't bother Porter who continued to press the fight with relentless aggression.
Porter, who was well up going in to the championship rounds, seem to refuse to cruise the final rounds and instead continued to beat up Alexande as he made sure he took the decision.
Surprisingly, despite the dominance of Porter the three judges had the fight remarkably close with cards of 115-113 and two of 116-112. Sorry but those judges need question, Porter possible lost 2 rounds, not 4 or 5 as the judges had it.
Erislandy Lara v Austin Trout
Some fights we accept aren't going to be stylistically fun to watch despite being "major fights" in terms of the division. One of those fights happened this Saturday as Cuban Erislandy Lara (19-2-1, 12) and American Austin Trout (26-2, 14) collided for the WBA Light Middleweight title.
When you have counter-punchers facing each other you can often expect to see the boxing equivalent to chess. Technically it's brilliant boxing but as a spectacle it's awful. Unfortunately both Lara and Trout are counter punchers, neither looks comfortable when forced to lead off, neither seem capable of making a fight and neither seem to have a plan B when their counter punching isn't working. Unfortunately that spoiled, what on paper, was an interesting contest.
It took less than a round for the crowd to decided they didn't like what they were watching and they let their emotions be known as they booed the men in the ring. This booing almost seemed to effect Trout who began to fall for the tricks Lara was setting. Lara, kept his form and continued to frustrate, move and out box Trout who became more and more reckless. Trout, after 4 rounds, was forced to concede he wouldn't win a chess game and instead chose to try and walk down Lara. Trout's attempt to walk to Lara were foiled big time by Lara's movement which left the American chasing shadows.
Trout, as one would expect, seemed to become more reckless from the fact he was missing and being tagged in returned. His excellent boxing was vanishing as Trout began to put on a masterclass and after 7 rounds it appeared that we were seeing a genuine schooling of a very good fighter.
Having established a clear lead on the cards Lara seemed to turn off a little bit. He was still using his boxing skills to take the rounds but he was certainly letting the distance between the men close a bit more. It seemed that this was merely a ploy to allow Lara to load up on his shots a bit more and in round 11 we saw the power of Lara take effect as he sent Trout down hard with a hard left hand.
Although Trout got up from knock down it seemed like he was ready to go and Lara went for him rocking him again before the bell saved him.
With Trout having seen out the storm in round 11 it appeared that Lara would jump on him immediately to begin round 12. Trout's corner knew this and made sure he could buy his man some time by "spilling" water on the canvas. This was enough to let Trout's legs recover enough to let him see out round 12 but by then the fight was already over in regards to the scorecards.
The domination by Lara, via his gameplan, of Trout had been excellent it, it was hard to see anything other than a clear decision in favour of Lara and the judges all agree with that view. All the scores varied but they all got the right man.
When you have counter-punchers facing each other you can often expect to see the boxing equivalent to chess. Technically it's brilliant boxing but as a spectacle it's awful. Unfortunately both Lara and Trout are counter punchers, neither looks comfortable when forced to lead off, neither seem capable of making a fight and neither seem to have a plan B when their counter punching isn't working. Unfortunately that spoiled, what on paper, was an interesting contest.
It took less than a round for the crowd to decided they didn't like what they were watching and they let their emotions be known as they booed the men in the ring. This booing almost seemed to effect Trout who began to fall for the tricks Lara was setting. Lara, kept his form and continued to frustrate, move and out box Trout who became more and more reckless. Trout, after 4 rounds, was forced to concede he wouldn't win a chess game and instead chose to try and walk down Lara. Trout's attempt to walk to Lara were foiled big time by Lara's movement which left the American chasing shadows.
Trout, as one would expect, seemed to become more reckless from the fact he was missing and being tagged in returned. His excellent boxing was vanishing as Trout began to put on a masterclass and after 7 rounds it appeared that we were seeing a genuine schooling of a very good fighter.
Having established a clear lead on the cards Lara seemed to turn off a little bit. He was still using his boxing skills to take the rounds but he was certainly letting the distance between the men close a bit more. It seemed that this was merely a ploy to allow Lara to load up on his shots a bit more and in round 11 we saw the power of Lara take effect as he sent Trout down hard with a hard left hand.
Although Trout got up from knock down it seemed like he was ready to go and Lara went for him rocking him again before the bell saved him.
With Trout having seen out the storm in round 11 it appeared that Lara would jump on him immediately to begin round 12. Trout's corner knew this and made sure he could buy his man some time by "spilling" water on the canvas. This was enough to let Trout's legs recover enough to let him see out round 12 but by then the fight was already over in regards to the scorecards.
The domination by Lara, via his gameplan, of Trout had been excellent it, it was hard to see anything other than a clear decision in favour of Lara and the judges all agree with that view. All the scores varied but they all got the right man.
Friday, 6 December 2013
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk v Giacobbe Fragomeni III
We all look a good rivalry in sport and some of the best ever rivalries have come from boxing. Ali-Frazier, Gatti-Ward, Corrales-Castillo, Graziano-Zale and Robinson-Lamotta just to name a few. Unfortunately one that isn't likely to ever make it to that list is Wlodarczyk-Fragomeni, despite the fact the two men have now fought three times for the WBC Cruiserweight title.
The men, who first fought to a draw in 2009 before Wlodarczyk won a rematch in 2010 and not names that will get your average boxing fan excited, them men, whilst entertaining aren't the most watchable and with them being European Cruiserweights most of the boxing world simply doesn't care.
As with their second meeting it was Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (49-2-1, 35) who came out on top stopping Italian veteran Giacobbe Fragomeni (31-4-2, 12). Although the result was the same as their second meeting there was something different about this fight, it was stateside.
The two men took the Cruiserweight division from Europe to Chicago, Illinois and gave the local Polish population a chance a chance to see their only reigning world champion. He didn't disappoint.
Using his his long arms, solid movement and speed Wlodarczyk slowly beat up the short but game Fragomeni. On the front foot Wlodarczyk was controlling with the jab, on the back foot he was pot shotting and landing as Fragomeni came forward.
The power of Wlodarczyk was telling and although he scored a controversial knockdown in round 4, punching Fragomeni whilst the two men were seemingly being broken up from a clinch. It was a mistake from Fragomeni to allow the the shot but it was still cheeky of Wlodarczyk to throw up. It was this shot that seemingly opened up a nasty cut on Fragomeni's cheek. The cut was a bulls-eye for Fragomeni's jab and it was obvious that the Pole was going to peck away at it.
Unfortunately after round 6 it was that cut that saw the doctor stepping in and calling a really anti-climatic ending to the contest.
Sadly the poor ending and the style of the two men would have done little to make the American's want to see more of the Cruiserweight division. It's a shame as the division is one of the best in the sport, but of course not every fight is great.
I hoping that Wlodarczyk will return to Chicago in 2014 against a more testing opponent and we can have one of those memorable Cruiserweight fights that Europeans have been raving about in recent years. For now though, it is nothing more than hope.
The men, who first fought to a draw in 2009 before Wlodarczyk won a rematch in 2010 and not names that will get your average boxing fan excited, them men, whilst entertaining aren't the most watchable and with them being European Cruiserweights most of the boxing world simply doesn't care.
As with their second meeting it was Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (49-2-1, 35) who came out on top stopping Italian veteran Giacobbe Fragomeni (31-4-2, 12). Although the result was the same as their second meeting there was something different about this fight, it was stateside.
The two men took the Cruiserweight division from Europe to Chicago, Illinois and gave the local Polish population a chance a chance to see their only reigning world champion. He didn't disappoint.
Using his his long arms, solid movement and speed Wlodarczyk slowly beat up the short but game Fragomeni. On the front foot Wlodarczyk was controlling with the jab, on the back foot he was pot shotting and landing as Fragomeni came forward.
The power of Wlodarczyk was telling and although he scored a controversial knockdown in round 4, punching Fragomeni whilst the two men were seemingly being broken up from a clinch. It was a mistake from Fragomeni to allow the the shot but it was still cheeky of Wlodarczyk to throw up. It was this shot that seemingly opened up a nasty cut on Fragomeni's cheek. The cut was a bulls-eye for Fragomeni's jab and it was obvious that the Pole was going to peck away at it.
Unfortunately after round 6 it was that cut that saw the doctor stepping in and calling a really anti-climatic ending to the contest.
Sadly the poor ending and the style of the two men would have done little to make the American's want to see more of the Cruiserweight division. It's a shame as the division is one of the best in the sport, but of course not every fight is great.
I hoping that Wlodarczyk will return to Chicago in 2014 against a more testing opponent and we can have one of those memorable Cruiserweight fights that Europeans have been raving about in recent years. For now though, it is nothing more than hope.
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Johan Perez v Paul Spadafora
Long time unbeaten fighter Paul Spadafora (48-1-1, 19) finally suffered a loss as he was out pointed by Venezuela's Johan Perez (18-1-1-1, 2) who in turn claimed the WBA interim Light Welterweight title for the second time.
The fight started slowly with neither man getting much of an advantage in the early going. Despite this it often appeared that Perez was doing more than Spadafora and narrowly claiming the early rounds. It was unlikely that the judges agreed but it was hard to give any of the early rounds to Spadafora who was looking his age.
Perez stepped up the pace of the fight in round 4 and by the end of that round Spadafora's face was showing the signs of a fight. A small mouse and a cut was forming on his face and his defenses were being penetrated on a frequent basis by Perez who was slowly breaking down the former IBF Lightweight champion.
Spadafora managed to gain some success through the middle rounds with some lovely counters but he was still being out worked and seemingly couldn't manage to launch a full blooded attack of his own. The speed of Spadafora wasn't what it once was and it showed as Perez was capable of controlling the pace and distance with out seemingly needing to work for it.
By the end of round 9 it was clear that Perez should have been in the lead. It appeared that even Spadafora knew it as he put his foot on the gas and tried to turn the fight around. Unfortunately for American he lacked the ability, power or speed to make Perez worry and the assault turned back on Spadafora who appeared to have gambled big in the round.
Spadafora would again pick up the pace in round 12 but by then Perez was safe in the knowledge that he had done more than enough. Barring a horror show from the judges Perez was to take the title.
The Venezuelan's heart was likely in his mouth as the score cards were read out reading 114-114, 115-113 and 117-111. Thankfully, despite the poor scores, Perez managed to get the decision and the title.
The fight started slowly with neither man getting much of an advantage in the early going. Despite this it often appeared that Perez was doing more than Spadafora and narrowly claiming the early rounds. It was unlikely that the judges agreed but it was hard to give any of the early rounds to Spadafora who was looking his age.
Perez stepped up the pace of the fight in round 4 and by the end of that round Spadafora's face was showing the signs of a fight. A small mouse and a cut was forming on his face and his defenses were being penetrated on a frequent basis by Perez who was slowly breaking down the former IBF Lightweight champion.
Spadafora managed to gain some success through the middle rounds with some lovely counters but he was still being out worked and seemingly couldn't manage to launch a full blooded attack of his own. The speed of Spadafora wasn't what it once was and it showed as Perez was capable of controlling the pace and distance with out seemingly needing to work for it.
By the end of round 9 it was clear that Perez should have been in the lead. It appeared that even Spadafora knew it as he put his foot on the gas and tried to turn the fight around. Unfortunately for American he lacked the ability, power or speed to make Perez worry and the assault turned back on Spadafora who appeared to have gambled big in the round.
Spadafora would again pick up the pace in round 12 but by then Perez was safe in the knowledge that he had done more than enough. Barring a horror show from the judges Perez was to take the title.
The Venezuelan's heart was likely in his mouth as the score cards were read out reading 114-114, 115-113 and 117-111. Thankfully, despite the poor scores, Perez managed to get the decision and the title.
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Roman Martinez v Mikey Garcia
The third, and final, world title fight from the US this weekend saw the unbeaten Mexican-American Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28) claim his second divisional world title as he became the first man to stop Puerto Rican Roman Martinez (27-2-2, 16) and the new WBO Super Featherweight champion.
The fight started in a very patient manner with Garcia waiting to see what Martinez had, which was mostly jabs. In the second round however Martinez showed he also had a right hand as he connected with a short and set Garcia to the seat of his pants.
In round 3 Mikey began to really find his rhythm and land his own jab almost at will. As everyone knows once Garcia has his jab going the right hand usually isn't that far behind and in round 4 that right started to ping on to the head of Martinez with a regularity. Unfortunately for Martinez his toughness was going to be his key issue and Garcia kept tagging him with rights that became more and more telling.
By round 6 the crisp right hands of Garcia were having a major effect on Martinez who was being broken up round by round. Every time Garcia connected it seemed Martinez's legs turned to jelly for a few moments and although he recovered it was obvious he feeling the power time after time.
After taking a pounding in round 7 it seemed like Martinez had just one chance of winning, Garcia breaking his hand on the tough head of the Puerto Rican. Unfortunately for Martinez it appeared that Garcia realised that and in round 8 landed his first body shot of note, sending Martinez down for the first time.
The Puerto Rican, feeling the effects of the shot, didn't even seem to attempt to get up. Not so much quitting as being in too much agony to truly know where he was with what is quit possibly a broken rib and the best body shot stoppage at the world level since Golovkin stopped Matthew Macklin with one
The fight started in a very patient manner with Garcia waiting to see what Martinez had, which was mostly jabs. In the second round however Martinez showed he also had a right hand as he connected with a short and set Garcia to the seat of his pants.
In round 3 Mikey began to really find his rhythm and land his own jab almost at will. As everyone knows once Garcia has his jab going the right hand usually isn't that far behind and in round 4 that right started to ping on to the head of Martinez with a regularity. Unfortunately for Martinez his toughness was going to be his key issue and Garcia kept tagging him with rights that became more and more telling.
By round 6 the crisp right hands of Garcia were having a major effect on Martinez who was being broken up round by round. Every time Garcia connected it seemed Martinez's legs turned to jelly for a few moments and although he recovered it was obvious he feeling the power time after time.
After taking a pounding in round 7 it seemed like Martinez had just one chance of winning, Garcia breaking his hand on the tough head of the Puerto Rican. Unfortunately for Martinez it appeared that Garcia realised that and in round 8 landed his first body shot of note, sending Martinez down for the first time.
The Puerto Rican, feeling the effects of the shot, didn't even seem to attempt to get up. Not so much quitting as being in too much agony to truly know where he was with what is quit possibly a broken rib and the best body shot stoppage at the world level since Golovkin stopped Matthew Macklin with one
Vanes Martirosyan v Demetrius Andrade
The second world title fight in the US this weekend Demetrius Andrade (20-0, 13) claiming the WBO Light Middle weight title as he defeated the previously unbeaten Vanes Martirosyan (33-1-1, 21).
This fight, the first world title fight for either man, and it showed the difference between a "world title holder" and genuine bona-fide world champion. In fact it probably showed the huge difference between what it means to win a world title and to be recognised as a world champion.
For the first 2 minutes of the fight Andrade did look world class with fantastic speed, good ring control and some lovely punches. Unfortunately much of his was undone as he was caught by a crisp shot that put Andrade down. Whilst a case could have been made for a 10-9 to Vanes it's fair to say that most would have scored it 10-8 to Vanes.
Andrade came back well and made rounds 2 and 3 very close, arguably taking both of them to undo the momentum of the knockdown and it was surprising that Vanes refused to press home his advantage. By round 4 Andrade was beginning to mark up the eye of Vanes and was really starting to look crisp once again using his jab to take control of the action and by now it was easy to forget about the knockdown that Vanes genuinely refused to build on.
It wasn't until round 5 that Vanes found any major success following the opening round. It was in the fifth that Vanes started pressing the action and clearly took the final minute of the round, if not the whole round. Unfortunately his success didn't last long with Andrade coming back very well with his best round in a long time.
Andrade built on his good sixth round by taking the seventh with activity though in round 8 started to look spent as he gave the round away. Fortunately for Andrade he managed to turn things around in round 9, the last competitive round of the fight.
Going in to the championship rounds it was close though unfortunately for Vanes he was unable to keep things close in the final 3 rounds as Andrade boxed within himself but still widely out worked an exhausted looking Martirosyan who did even less than he had done in a number of earlier rounds.
Although Colonel Bob Sheridan had some how viewed the contest as a win for Martirosyan it appeared that Andrade had out worked Vanes in almost every rounds. Barring the knockdown it was difficult to gave Vanes a great deal as he simply didn't do a lot. Sure Andrade wasn't unloading either but he was doing more round after round. This was shared in one of the scorecards which saw Andrade as a 117-110 winner. The other two judges had it closer with scores of 114-113 to Andrade and 115-112 to Vanes, though thankfully we did get the right winner.
This fight, the first world title fight for either man, and it showed the difference between a "world title holder" and genuine bona-fide world champion. In fact it probably showed the huge difference between what it means to win a world title and to be recognised as a world champion.
For the first 2 minutes of the fight Andrade did look world class with fantastic speed, good ring control and some lovely punches. Unfortunately much of his was undone as he was caught by a crisp shot that put Andrade down. Whilst a case could have been made for a 10-9 to Vanes it's fair to say that most would have scored it 10-8 to Vanes.
Andrade came back well and made rounds 2 and 3 very close, arguably taking both of them to undo the momentum of the knockdown and it was surprising that Vanes refused to press home his advantage. By round 4 Andrade was beginning to mark up the eye of Vanes and was really starting to look crisp once again using his jab to take control of the action and by now it was easy to forget about the knockdown that Vanes genuinely refused to build on.
It wasn't until round 5 that Vanes found any major success following the opening round. It was in the fifth that Vanes started pressing the action and clearly took the final minute of the round, if not the whole round. Unfortunately his success didn't last long with Andrade coming back very well with his best round in a long time.
Andrade built on his good sixth round by taking the seventh with activity though in round 8 started to look spent as he gave the round away. Fortunately for Andrade he managed to turn things around in round 9, the last competitive round of the fight.
Going in to the championship rounds it was close though unfortunately for Vanes he was unable to keep things close in the final 3 rounds as Andrade boxed within himself but still widely out worked an exhausted looking Martirosyan who did even less than he had done in a number of earlier rounds.
Although Colonel Bob Sheridan had some how viewed the contest as a win for Martirosyan it appeared that Andrade had out worked Vanes in almost every rounds. Barring the knockdown it was difficult to gave Vanes a great deal as he simply didn't do a lot. Sure Andrade wasn't unloading either but he was doing more round after round. This was shared in one of the scorecards which saw Andrade as a 117-110 winner. The other two judges had it closer with scores of 114-113 to Andrade and 115-112 to Vanes, though thankfully we did get the right winner.
Saturday, 26 October 2013
Bernard Hopkins v Karo Murat
American legend Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2-2, 32) once again made history as he became the oldest man in history to defend a world boxing title. Defending the IBF Light Heavyweight title for the first time since defeating Tavoris Cloud for the belt Hopkins put on a show in defeating mandatory challenger Karo Murat (25-2-1, 15).
The fight actually started well for Murat who made a good case to win the first two rounds as he out worked Hopkins. Despite Murat just starting well his success didn't last much beyond the third round as Hopkins did as Hopkins does and slowly broke Murat mentally. Unfortunately Murat's case wasn't helped by American referee Steve Smoger who appeared to be on Murat's case from the off whilst often turning a blind eye to Hopkins' infringements.
By round 4 Smoger really was making life hard for Murat. Whilst Hopkins was landing flurries on the break Smoger was giving Murat a warning for landing single shots on. Despite that the fourth round was when Hopkins started to turn it on and unload with some crisp shots most notably hard right hands. Murat was still in it, as shown by a late flurry, but his work was sporadic and he was starting to look like the older man.
The tiredness of Murat was becoming even more obvious in round 5 as he backed off from Hopkins and almost invited Hopkins to unload on him, something the American was happy to do. By now the fight was Hopkins.
Despite Smoger really getting in to the face of Murat we saw some leniency in round 6 as Murat twice punched Hopkins when he was down. Although a point deduction would have made sense Smoger didn't take anything and instead seemed to suggest that next time Murat broke the rules he would be deducted. A final hard warning if you will. The shots were seemingly thrown out of frustration by Murat who by now seemed annoyed at both Smoger and Hopkins.
Hopkins made Murat pay for his sins the following round as he rocked the challenger several times. It seemed like Hopkins was seriously going for the stoppage, something he's not scored in years. Despite that the round was best remembered for Murat finally being deducted a point for tapping Hopkins on the break. It was the round of the fight by far and actually saw the fight becoming somewhat entertaining as the two men brawled.
The brawling that ended the sixth round returned in round 7 as Hopkins again went on the offensive with the intention of stopping Murat. By now it was obvious Hopkins had no respect for Murat and he almost bundled him out of the ring before turning away and walking with his back to the challenger, leading to Smoger telling him to turn around. This odd moment saw Murat launching an an attack on Hopkins as the American tried to talk to the fans in what was on of the most peculiar rounds of Bernard Hopkins' long career.
From then on it was rare to see Murat landing much clean. He often tried, as he did at the start of round 8 but Hopkins was too defensively cute for him. This lead to Murat becoming more frustrated and giving Hopkins chance to unload when and as he wanted. Whether it was jabs, right hands or flurries it was all Hopkins or messy holding as the American's lead on the cards grew through rounds 8,9, 10 and 11.
At the end of the eleventh round Hopkins joked that he'd need a knock out to win. Surprisingly he seemed to get close to it at one as Murat turned away and Hopkins unloaded. Later in the round Murat appeared to be wobbled then surprisingly Murat flirted with a disqualification hitting Hopkins on the break again. Amazingly whilst Smoger didn't disqualify Murat, when he could have done despite their only being seconds left, he did physically push Murat by the face. A rather fitting end to a poor performance by Smoger.
Although the bout had started in a close manner it had finished with Hopkins as a clear winner, successfully defending his title with a wide margin on the score cards.
The fight actually started well for Murat who made a good case to win the first two rounds as he out worked Hopkins. Despite Murat just starting well his success didn't last much beyond the third round as Hopkins did as Hopkins does and slowly broke Murat mentally. Unfortunately Murat's case wasn't helped by American referee Steve Smoger who appeared to be on Murat's case from the off whilst often turning a blind eye to Hopkins' infringements.
By round 4 Smoger really was making life hard for Murat. Whilst Hopkins was landing flurries on the break Smoger was giving Murat a warning for landing single shots on. Despite that the fourth round was when Hopkins started to turn it on and unload with some crisp shots most notably hard right hands. Murat was still in it, as shown by a late flurry, but his work was sporadic and he was starting to look like the older man.
The tiredness of Murat was becoming even more obvious in round 5 as he backed off from Hopkins and almost invited Hopkins to unload on him, something the American was happy to do. By now the fight was Hopkins.
Despite Smoger really getting in to the face of Murat we saw some leniency in round 6 as Murat twice punched Hopkins when he was down. Although a point deduction would have made sense Smoger didn't take anything and instead seemed to suggest that next time Murat broke the rules he would be deducted. A final hard warning if you will. The shots were seemingly thrown out of frustration by Murat who by now seemed annoyed at both Smoger and Hopkins.
Hopkins made Murat pay for his sins the following round as he rocked the challenger several times. It seemed like Hopkins was seriously going for the stoppage, something he's not scored in years. Despite that the round was best remembered for Murat finally being deducted a point for tapping Hopkins on the break. It was the round of the fight by far and actually saw the fight becoming somewhat entertaining as the two men brawled.
The brawling that ended the sixth round returned in round 7 as Hopkins again went on the offensive with the intention of stopping Murat. By now it was obvious Hopkins had no respect for Murat and he almost bundled him out of the ring before turning away and walking with his back to the challenger, leading to Smoger telling him to turn around. This odd moment saw Murat launching an an attack on Hopkins as the American tried to talk to the fans in what was on of the most peculiar rounds of Bernard Hopkins' long career.
From then on it was rare to see Murat landing much clean. He often tried, as he did at the start of round 8 but Hopkins was too defensively cute for him. This lead to Murat becoming more frustrated and giving Hopkins chance to unload when and as he wanted. Whether it was jabs, right hands or flurries it was all Hopkins or messy holding as the American's lead on the cards grew through rounds 8,9, 10 and 11.
At the end of the eleventh round Hopkins joked that he'd need a knock out to win. Surprisingly he seemed to get close to it at one as Murat turned away and Hopkins unloaded. Later in the round Murat appeared to be wobbled then surprisingly Murat flirted with a disqualification hitting Hopkins on the break again. Amazingly whilst Smoger didn't disqualify Murat, when he could have done despite their only being seconds left, he did physically push Murat by the face. A rather fitting end to a poor performance by Smoger.
Although the bout had started in a close manner it had finished with Hopkins as a clear winner, successfully defending his title with a wide margin on the score cards.
Peter Quillin v Gabriel Rosado
In the first of two world titles fights in the US Peter Quillin (30-0, 22) the WBO Middleweight champion, successfully retained his title via a TKO over the always game Gabriel Rosado (21-7-0-1, 13).
The opening round was somewhat cautious with both men looking to see what the other had. Although it was mostly quiet there was several punches from both men that caught the eye, most notably two stinging left hooks from Quillin one of which seemed to see Rosado's legs buckle.
For those expecting a firefight to break out early the second round was much like the first. Both guys remained patient, looking for a bomb with out leaving an opening for his opponent. The first real bombs landed came from Quillin with one about 2 minutes into the round sending Rosado down for the fights first knockdown.
Unfortunately the firefight didn't set off in round 3 either. The pace did pick up somewhat but neither man really landed too much clean as they each seemed to anticipate the other man's next move. Saying that however Quillin did land a monster counter late in the round that arguably stole him the round. The same patience was shown through much of round 4 though Quillin did land a nice flashy combo late on before Rosado fought back and rocked Quillin in the final seconds.
The late burst in round 4 from Rosado seemed to see him coming out for round 5 with some new found confidence. Strangely this confidence from Rosado seemed to spur him into show boating rather than trying to build on his success. The challenger did come forward though at times seemed too patient with his hands and when he did throw he seemed too predictable allowing Quillin to avoid many of his shots. By the end of the round it appeared that Quillin was back in to things taking advantage of the fact that Rosado was giving him opportunities rather than really taking it to Quillin.
Round 6 again saw Rosado on the front foot though his actual punch out put was still low. It seemed to be more than Quillin's but it was Quillin that was landing the more notable punches, often thrown as counters. Quillin continued to fight as a counter puncher through round 7 landing a notable counter early in the round as Rosado continued to press the action by following the champion. It was with Rosado following Quillin that the champion managed to land several hard uppercuts that really caught the eye. Although the round ended with Rosado cornering Quillin it looked like the champion was trying to lure the challenger on to another big shot.
By round 8 the fight had taken on a relatively repetitive pattern. Rosado would march forward, Quillin would try to counter and they'd end up throwing very little between them. Rosado did manage to have a bit more success but the fight had taken on the identity of something rather mundane. It seemed that although both men are dangerous fighters with solid power they at times didn't seem able to hurt the other. The action, what little their was, came in short bursts and their was never anything sustained. Despite the lack of hard action Rosado was cut badly over the left eye in round 9.
With Rosado's eye a bloody mess he left a giant bulls eye for Quillin to attack, something he did very early in the tenth round bursting it wider. This saw the referee calling in the doctor who, despite Rosado's appeals, called the fight off awarding Quillin a TKO in a very anti-climatic ending to a very disappointing contest.
On the back of this, it's fair to say that the demand for Quillin/Golovkin has actually gone down. Quillin failed to impress and looked very much like a B rate champion here.
The opening round was somewhat cautious with both men looking to see what the other had. Although it was mostly quiet there was several punches from both men that caught the eye, most notably two stinging left hooks from Quillin one of which seemed to see Rosado's legs buckle.
For those expecting a firefight to break out early the second round was much like the first. Both guys remained patient, looking for a bomb with out leaving an opening for his opponent. The first real bombs landed came from Quillin with one about 2 minutes into the round sending Rosado down for the fights first knockdown.
Unfortunately the firefight didn't set off in round 3 either. The pace did pick up somewhat but neither man really landed too much clean as they each seemed to anticipate the other man's next move. Saying that however Quillin did land a monster counter late in the round that arguably stole him the round. The same patience was shown through much of round 4 though Quillin did land a nice flashy combo late on before Rosado fought back and rocked Quillin in the final seconds.
The late burst in round 4 from Rosado seemed to see him coming out for round 5 with some new found confidence. Strangely this confidence from Rosado seemed to spur him into show boating rather than trying to build on his success. The challenger did come forward though at times seemed too patient with his hands and when he did throw he seemed too predictable allowing Quillin to avoid many of his shots. By the end of the round it appeared that Quillin was back in to things taking advantage of the fact that Rosado was giving him opportunities rather than really taking it to Quillin.
Round 6 again saw Rosado on the front foot though his actual punch out put was still low. It seemed to be more than Quillin's but it was Quillin that was landing the more notable punches, often thrown as counters. Quillin continued to fight as a counter puncher through round 7 landing a notable counter early in the round as Rosado continued to press the action by following the champion. It was with Rosado following Quillin that the champion managed to land several hard uppercuts that really caught the eye. Although the round ended with Rosado cornering Quillin it looked like the champion was trying to lure the challenger on to another big shot.
By round 8 the fight had taken on a relatively repetitive pattern. Rosado would march forward, Quillin would try to counter and they'd end up throwing very little between them. Rosado did manage to have a bit more success but the fight had taken on the identity of something rather mundane. It seemed that although both men are dangerous fighters with solid power they at times didn't seem able to hurt the other. The action, what little their was, came in short bursts and their was never anything sustained. Despite the lack of hard action Rosado was cut badly over the left eye in round 9.
With Rosado's eye a bloody mess he left a giant bulls eye for Quillin to attack, something he did very early in the tenth round bursting it wider. This saw the referee calling in the doctor who, despite Rosado's appeals, called the fight off awarding Quillin a TKO in a very anti-climatic ending to a very disappointing contest.
On the back of this, it's fair to say that the demand for Quillin/Golovkin has actually gone down. Quillin failed to impress and looked very much like a B rate champion here.
Saturday, 12 October 2013
Timothy Bradley v Juan Manuel Marquez
It's unfortunate when the biggest fight of the weekend turns out to be a bit of a dud but that's what we saw this weekend as Timothy Bradley (31-0-0-1, 12) retained his WBO Welterweight title with a split decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, 4) in a less than exciting contest.
It was obvious from the opening bell that the two men had genuine respect for each other and this showed in a very nip and took opening round that saw neither man really landing too much of note. If anything Bradley may have stolen the round with his jab but it going the other way wouldn't have been a surprise.
After the slow opening round Bradley seemed to move in to second gear and used his speed to get in and out, landing single shots whilst preventing Marquez from landing a counter. It was in this round that Marquez actually looked 40 years old, though in the following round Marquez did have his successes in a very quiet and very slow round, a round that was fought to Marquez's pace.
Bradley found his feet again in the following round and took rounds 4 and 5 by using his speed and movement to take advantage of Marquez's age and lack of reactions. It wasn't until round 6 that Marquez seemed to begin having any success as he landed several right hands whilst Bradley seemed to take parts of the round off. Bradley's cruise control again seemed to be in action in round, a round in which Bradley was elusive but relatively inactive as Marquez appeared to show a spirited fightback.
Marquez's fight back was ended in round 8 as Bradley switched back on to his boxing and tried to silence a "Marquez" chant that came from the crowd. This was one of the best Bradley rounds and showed that he had an extra gear when he wanted to find it, it was just a shame that he didn't show the same mentality in the previous rounds. Unfortunately Bradley again seemed to turn off in round 9 as Marquez stole the round with a late flurry as he again took the advantage of another round off from Bradley.
It was funny that Bradley seemed to look class when he decided to step up but kept taking rounds off. Amazingly after his dominance in round 8 and then lack of activity in round 9 he managed to actually shake up Marquez in round 10. It looked as if Bradley could actually take Marquez if he decided to keep up an assault though instead seemed to just be happy to shake the Mexican.
With a big tenth round it seemed almost certain that Bradley would turn up for the championship rounds. Instead he was negative and again acted like he was on cruise control giving away round 11 with out any sort of real fight and then giving away the first 2 minutes 45 seconds of the final round before almost sending Marquez to the canvas in the final 10 seconds. Again it seemed like Bradley could have dropped Marquez had he pushed for the knockdown but instead he stepped off and waited for the bell.
Having given away several rounds the bout was closer than it should have been and the judges scorecards showed it with scorecards of 115-113 either way whilst the deciding card favoured Bradley by a score of 116-112.
Bradley should have won by a wide margin though gave Marquez so many rounds than a close decision was his own fault.
It was obvious from the opening bell that the two men had genuine respect for each other and this showed in a very nip and took opening round that saw neither man really landing too much of note. If anything Bradley may have stolen the round with his jab but it going the other way wouldn't have been a surprise.
After the slow opening round Bradley seemed to move in to second gear and used his speed to get in and out, landing single shots whilst preventing Marquez from landing a counter. It was in this round that Marquez actually looked 40 years old, though in the following round Marquez did have his successes in a very quiet and very slow round, a round that was fought to Marquez's pace.
Bradley found his feet again in the following round and took rounds 4 and 5 by using his speed and movement to take advantage of Marquez's age and lack of reactions. It wasn't until round 6 that Marquez seemed to begin having any success as he landed several right hands whilst Bradley seemed to take parts of the round off. Bradley's cruise control again seemed to be in action in round, a round in which Bradley was elusive but relatively inactive as Marquez appeared to show a spirited fightback.
Marquez's fight back was ended in round 8 as Bradley switched back on to his boxing and tried to silence a "Marquez" chant that came from the crowd. This was one of the best Bradley rounds and showed that he had an extra gear when he wanted to find it, it was just a shame that he didn't show the same mentality in the previous rounds. Unfortunately Bradley again seemed to turn off in round 9 as Marquez stole the round with a late flurry as he again took the advantage of another round off from Bradley.
It was funny that Bradley seemed to look class when he decided to step up but kept taking rounds off. Amazingly after his dominance in round 8 and then lack of activity in round 9 he managed to actually shake up Marquez in round 10. It looked as if Bradley could actually take Marquez if he decided to keep up an assault though instead seemed to just be happy to shake the Mexican.
With a big tenth round it seemed almost certain that Bradley would turn up for the championship rounds. Instead he was negative and again acted like he was on cruise control giving away round 11 with out any sort of real fight and then giving away the first 2 minutes 45 seconds of the final round before almost sending Marquez to the canvas in the final 10 seconds. Again it seemed like Bradley could have dropped Marquez had he pushed for the knockdown but instead he stepped off and waited for the bell.
Having given away several rounds the bout was closer than it should have been and the judges scorecards showed it with scorecards of 115-113 either way whilst the deciding card favoured Bradley by a score of 116-112.
Bradley should have won by a wide margin though gave Marquez so many rounds than a close decision was his own fault.
Saturday, 14 September 2013
Floyd Mayweather Jr v Saul Alvarez
The unbeaten Floyd Maywather (45-0, 26) came out as "The One" as well as the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine Light Middleweight champion courtesy of a majority decision (more about that later) over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-1-1, 30).
The opening round was rather weird. Alvarez, the pressure fighter, oddly decided to try and box one of the best pure boxers in recent memory, this was simply a retarded game plan and one that was made to fail, as it did in the first 3 rounds. It was simply shocking that Alvarez would even try to outbox and out jab Mayweather who has one of the smoothest and fastest jabs in the sport today.
Thankfully, for the sake of entertainment if nothing else, the pace of the fight did pick up with Mayweather showing off his class as he landed some breath taking shots including a right hand that immediately bruised Canelo's face, a left hook late in the round and a second eye catching right hand. Whilst Canelo had some success, there was little more than a single right hand that seemed to land clean.
With Canelo in a hole he seemed to realise he had to change something and in round 5 he finally began to let his hands go. Unfortunately he found the Mayweather defense to be as impregnable as every other opponent and instead of landing shots he was being forced to eat more, especially the jab from Mayweather which was being thrown in combinations at times.
By now the Mexican fans were silent, they had cheered their man to the ring but realied he was out of his depth and as a "U-S-A" chant took over the arena.
If the first 5 rounds had been all Mayweather then the sixth was just a continuation of the same dominence. Again Canelo came forward and let his hands go, with little success whilst Mayweather landed at will, especially targeting the already bruised left eye of the Mexican. It was clear that Mayweather was targeting it and landing at will, in fact it was a shock that the eye wasn't beginning to swell from the clean right hands that pierced that Alvarez guard.
Whilst the right hand that had initially bruised Canelo's face had been excellent we had to wait until round 7 for the punch of the fight, a mind blowing uppercut by Mayweather that snapped the head of Canelo back. This was followed by a spiteful Mayweather flurry that saw him force feeding Canelo with right hands. At this point it seemed that Mayweather could, if he wished, finish off the Mexican.
Unfortunately after the amazing attack in round 7 Mayweather then seemed to take round 8 off as Canelo arguably claimed his first round of the fight. Although the Mexican didn't land too much he certainly out worked Mayweather and for the first time really threw in clusters making sure Mayweather was going to have to taste one of his shots every so often. Despite the heightened work of Alvarez the round seemed to hinge more on the fact Mayweather took it off rather than Alvarez winning it on merit.
Canelo seemed to build on his success in the ninth round as he again threw a lot, though unfortunately for him, and his legions of misguided fans, Mayweather did enough to just take the round landing the most notable shot, a huge right hand whilst Canelo himself missed with a vast majority of his shots.
The closeness of the ninth round was repeated in a similar round 10, though again Mayweather seemed to do enough to make Alvarez look silly whilst landing just enough to steal the round, despite an eye catching, though ineffective, flurry late by Canelo.
Unfortunately for Canelo his run of 2 or 3 competitive rounds was ended in a clear Mayweather round during the eleventh. Canelo, again through a fair bit but Mayweather did as he pleased. He landed a huge right right early, show boated with some eye catching pot shots in the middle of the round then taunted Canelo late in the round. It was the sort of round that whilst not technically dominant in terms of what was thrown it was dominant in terms of who controlled it and who was the boss.
With the decision seemingly in the bag Mayweather did very little in the final round, a round that actually saw the fans booing due to a lack of activity by both men. There was little reason for Mayweather to force the action and Canelo was too slow to force anything of note.
To me there was only 3 rounds, if you were being generous, that Canelo could have won. The score of 117-111 that I feasibly had was reflected on the card of Craig Metcalfe, the card of Dave Moretti had some how found 1 more round to give to Alvarez (presumably the 12th as a "pity round") though then we get the simply staggering card of controversial CJ Ross. Ross some how had the bout 114-114.
How Ross came to that is a mystery, though I dare say it should be her last. This woman needs barring from judging, given some glasses and told to find a new job because she's awful at judging a boxing contest.
The opening round was rather weird. Alvarez, the pressure fighter, oddly decided to try and box one of the best pure boxers in recent memory, this was simply a retarded game plan and one that was made to fail, as it did in the first 3 rounds. It was simply shocking that Alvarez would even try to outbox and out jab Mayweather who has one of the smoothest and fastest jabs in the sport today.
Thankfully, for the sake of entertainment if nothing else, the pace of the fight did pick up with Mayweather showing off his class as he landed some breath taking shots including a right hand that immediately bruised Canelo's face, a left hook late in the round and a second eye catching right hand. Whilst Canelo had some success, there was little more than a single right hand that seemed to land clean.
With Canelo in a hole he seemed to realise he had to change something and in round 5 he finally began to let his hands go. Unfortunately he found the Mayweather defense to be as impregnable as every other opponent and instead of landing shots he was being forced to eat more, especially the jab from Mayweather which was being thrown in combinations at times.
By now the Mexican fans were silent, they had cheered their man to the ring but realied he was out of his depth and as a "U-S-A" chant took over the arena.
If the first 5 rounds had been all Mayweather then the sixth was just a continuation of the same dominence. Again Canelo came forward and let his hands go, with little success whilst Mayweather landed at will, especially targeting the already bruised left eye of the Mexican. It was clear that Mayweather was targeting it and landing at will, in fact it was a shock that the eye wasn't beginning to swell from the clean right hands that pierced that Alvarez guard.
Whilst the right hand that had initially bruised Canelo's face had been excellent we had to wait until round 7 for the punch of the fight, a mind blowing uppercut by Mayweather that snapped the head of Canelo back. This was followed by a spiteful Mayweather flurry that saw him force feeding Canelo with right hands. At this point it seemed that Mayweather could, if he wished, finish off the Mexican.
Unfortunately after the amazing attack in round 7 Mayweather then seemed to take round 8 off as Canelo arguably claimed his first round of the fight. Although the Mexican didn't land too much he certainly out worked Mayweather and for the first time really threw in clusters making sure Mayweather was going to have to taste one of his shots every so often. Despite the heightened work of Alvarez the round seemed to hinge more on the fact Mayweather took it off rather than Alvarez winning it on merit.
Canelo seemed to build on his success in the ninth round as he again threw a lot, though unfortunately for him, and his legions of misguided fans, Mayweather did enough to just take the round landing the most notable shot, a huge right hand whilst Canelo himself missed with a vast majority of his shots.
The closeness of the ninth round was repeated in a similar round 10, though again Mayweather seemed to do enough to make Alvarez look silly whilst landing just enough to steal the round, despite an eye catching, though ineffective, flurry late by Canelo.
Unfortunately for Canelo his run of 2 or 3 competitive rounds was ended in a clear Mayweather round during the eleventh. Canelo, again through a fair bit but Mayweather did as he pleased. He landed a huge right right early, show boated with some eye catching pot shots in the middle of the round then taunted Canelo late in the round. It was the sort of round that whilst not technically dominant in terms of what was thrown it was dominant in terms of who controlled it and who was the boss.
With the decision seemingly in the bag Mayweather did very little in the final round, a round that actually saw the fans booing due to a lack of activity by both men. There was little reason for Mayweather to force the action and Canelo was too slow to force anything of note.
To me there was only 3 rounds, if you were being generous, that Canelo could have won. The score of 117-111 that I feasibly had was reflected on the card of Craig Metcalfe, the card of Dave Moretti had some how found 1 more round to give to Alvarez (presumably the 12th as a "pity round") though then we get the simply staggering card of controversial CJ Ross. Ross some how had the bout 114-114.
How Ross came to that is a mystery, though I dare say it should be her last. This woman needs barring from judging, given some glasses and told to find a new job because she's awful at judging a boxing contest.
Danny Garcia v Lucas Martin Matthysse
In a bout seen as the most "explosive" encounter on "The One" card Danny Garcia (17-0, 16) defeated Lucas Matthysse (34-3, 32) by a decision to successfully retain the combined WBC and WBA Light Welterweight titles.
Prior to the fight their was a clear "Buzz" from the crowd, a shock considering the fact they had all fallen to sleep during the previous bout, a sleep inducing contest between Ishe Smith and Carlos Molina.
The opening round was a careful and slow one with Garcia boxing well with his movement and jab. It wasn't what we expected and wasn't a shoot out but it was a very intelligent round from Garcia. Despite the unexpected start things did heat up in the second round as Matthysse fought back and tagged Garcia several times. Unfortunately the round saw the first, of many, low blows by Garcia in what become a bit of a sub story to the fight.
Round 3 was another where Garcia's boxing made Matthysse look slow and clumsy though again Garcia seemed to get away with shots south of the border. Although Matthysse didn't seem to make much of a fuss they were becoming a common place in the arsenal of Garcia and, at least for me, they were beginning to leave questions as to what he was going to be able to get away with from Tony Weeks.
The "borderline" shots were continuing through round 4 as Garcia, who was genuinely boxing well and moving excellently seemed to have found a nice way to slow down Matthysse's assaults. It wasn't until round 5 that Tony Weeks actually told Garcia to keep them up, and that was after the second or third one in that round alone. It had by now become obvious that Matthysse's balls had become a "legal" area. Despite the low blows Matthysse seemed to take rounds 5 and 6 as he went up a gear and by the mid way point it could well have been scored even.
Despite two good rounds for Matthysse he had a nightmare round 7 in which his right eye was almost swollen shut. This nasty injury seemed to immediately effect the Argentinian who struggled through the following 2 rounds with the doctor taking a serious look at it in between rounds 8 and 9. Those rounds were all Garcia with Matthysse trying to protect the eye rather than really fight back, this saw Garcia landing his much vaunted left hook several times.
With Matthysse now looking like a man who was on the verge of being stopped he some how put on an amazing effort in round 10 as he showed their was still plenty left in "The Machine". The big effort of Matthysse in round 10 gave him his best round since the 6th and was a round he clearly won as Garcia appeared to suddenly tire.
The controversy of the low blows wasn't the only mark on the fight with a huge blown call by the referee in round 11. Matthysse started the round fast again, as he had in the previous round and actually punched Garcia's gum shield out of his mouth at the start of it. Unfortunately Matthysse's good work was undone with a knockdown call against him which appeared to come not only following a punch to the back of the head but whilst Matthysse was stuck between the ropes. The referee, who had in all honesty allowed Garcia away with ball bashing blew the call here and probably swung the round from a 10-9 Matthysse round to a 10-8 Garcia round. Those 3 points would prove to be a major issue just a few minutes later.
Going into the final round it seemed almost certain Matthysse needed a stoppage to win, and he went for it. Unfortunately low blows again came to the fray, though this time Matthysse was dropped by one and the referee, finally, deducted a point from Garcia, something he could have done 3 or 4 rounds earlier. The point however wasn't enough and Matthysse knew it, though he was forced to take another low.
Almost angered by the final low blow Matthysse let it all hang out as the two men traded to the bell, with it seeming almost certain that Garcia has retained his titles. What perhaps became important however was the margin of the victory, with the decision going to Garcia by scores of 114-112 (twice) and 115-111.
That knock down and the swing of it, effectively cost Matthysse, and that's with out mentioning the numerous, unpunished low blows.
Mr Weeks, I'm usually a fan but don't let your new Audi advert go to your head, you had a real stinker here.
Prior to the fight their was a clear "Buzz" from the crowd, a shock considering the fact they had all fallen to sleep during the previous bout, a sleep inducing contest between Ishe Smith and Carlos Molina.
The opening round was a careful and slow one with Garcia boxing well with his movement and jab. It wasn't what we expected and wasn't a shoot out but it was a very intelligent round from Garcia. Despite the unexpected start things did heat up in the second round as Matthysse fought back and tagged Garcia several times. Unfortunately the round saw the first, of many, low blows by Garcia in what become a bit of a sub story to the fight.
Round 3 was another where Garcia's boxing made Matthysse look slow and clumsy though again Garcia seemed to get away with shots south of the border. Although Matthysse didn't seem to make much of a fuss they were becoming a common place in the arsenal of Garcia and, at least for me, they were beginning to leave questions as to what he was going to be able to get away with from Tony Weeks.
The "borderline" shots were continuing through round 4 as Garcia, who was genuinely boxing well and moving excellently seemed to have found a nice way to slow down Matthysse's assaults. It wasn't until round 5 that Tony Weeks actually told Garcia to keep them up, and that was after the second or third one in that round alone. It had by now become obvious that Matthysse's balls had become a "legal" area. Despite the low blows Matthysse seemed to take rounds 5 and 6 as he went up a gear and by the mid way point it could well have been scored even.
Despite two good rounds for Matthysse he had a nightmare round 7 in which his right eye was almost swollen shut. This nasty injury seemed to immediately effect the Argentinian who struggled through the following 2 rounds with the doctor taking a serious look at it in between rounds 8 and 9. Those rounds were all Garcia with Matthysse trying to protect the eye rather than really fight back, this saw Garcia landing his much vaunted left hook several times.
With Matthysse now looking like a man who was on the verge of being stopped he some how put on an amazing effort in round 10 as he showed their was still plenty left in "The Machine". The big effort of Matthysse in round 10 gave him his best round since the 6th and was a round he clearly won as Garcia appeared to suddenly tire.
The controversy of the low blows wasn't the only mark on the fight with a huge blown call by the referee in round 11. Matthysse started the round fast again, as he had in the previous round and actually punched Garcia's gum shield out of his mouth at the start of it. Unfortunately Matthysse's good work was undone with a knockdown call against him which appeared to come not only following a punch to the back of the head but whilst Matthysse was stuck between the ropes. The referee, who had in all honesty allowed Garcia away with ball bashing blew the call here and probably swung the round from a 10-9 Matthysse round to a 10-8 Garcia round. Those 3 points would prove to be a major issue just a few minutes later.
Going into the final round it seemed almost certain Matthysse needed a stoppage to win, and he went for it. Unfortunately low blows again came to the fray, though this time Matthysse was dropped by one and the referee, finally, deducted a point from Garcia, something he could have done 3 or 4 rounds earlier. The point however wasn't enough and Matthysse knew it, though he was forced to take another low.
Almost angered by the final low blow Matthysse let it all hang out as the two men traded to the bell, with it seeming almost certain that Garcia has retained his titles. What perhaps became important however was the margin of the victory, with the decision going to Garcia by scores of 114-112 (twice) and 115-111.
That knock down and the swing of it, effectively cost Matthysse, and that's with out mentioning the numerous, unpunished low blows.
Mr Weeks, I'm usually a fan but don't let your new Audi advert go to your head, you had a real stinker here.
Ishe Smith v Carlos Molina
In a turgid and unexciting battle highlighted by the vocal chords of Jay Nady, Carlos Molina (22-5-2, 6) claimed the IBF Light Middleweight title defeating Ishe Smith (25-6, 11)
The first of 3 title fights on "The One" was marked out as "the one to send fans to sleep" and unfortunately it lived up to that idea.
Surprisingly the fight started brightly with Molina being an aggressive front foot fighter throwing lots of shots with Smith trying to counter things with his left hook. Unfortunately Smith's shots were rarely landing in the early portion and Molina, for all his good work, was unable too land too much clean past the intelligent defense of Smith.
After clearly taking the first 4 rounds Molina's work become scrappier and in fact he started to recieve persistent warnings from the referee who was warning him for leading with the head on a regular basis. The warnings seemed to kill off Molina's work somewhat whilst Smith continued to make the bout ugly. The ugly rounds, which started in rounds 5 or 6, become a consistent which lacked any sort of clean work. Interestingly the ugliness of these rounds seemed to suit Smith who was able to land the few eye catching shots whilst Molina threw a lot but landed little.
By the time we'd reached the championship rounds it was fair to say fan interested in the contest had died. The rounds through the middle had been close but uninteresting. They'd been close due to how awful and messy they'd been and unfortunately they'd completely killed any entertainment value any fans had. In fact it was probably fair to say that fans were using the bout as a toilet break by this point.
With the bout in the balance the two men finally came alive with some clean work in the championship rounds.
The 11th round saw Smith having by far his best round before Molina came back in the final round, clearly winning that one.
With the middle rounds so difficult to score it was no shock to see a split decision rendered with 2 of the judges feeling Molina's work deserved to take the decision in what was a fair decision given the work he put in compared to Smith's lazy and lethargic effort.
If you missed this one, don't bother trying to catch it!
The first of 3 title fights on "The One" was marked out as "the one to send fans to sleep" and unfortunately it lived up to that idea.
Surprisingly the fight started brightly with Molina being an aggressive front foot fighter throwing lots of shots with Smith trying to counter things with his left hook. Unfortunately Smith's shots were rarely landing in the early portion and Molina, for all his good work, was unable too land too much clean past the intelligent defense of Smith.
After clearly taking the first 4 rounds Molina's work become scrappier and in fact he started to recieve persistent warnings from the referee who was warning him for leading with the head on a regular basis. The warnings seemed to kill off Molina's work somewhat whilst Smith continued to make the bout ugly. The ugly rounds, which started in rounds 5 or 6, become a consistent which lacked any sort of clean work. Interestingly the ugliness of these rounds seemed to suit Smith who was able to land the few eye catching shots whilst Molina threw a lot but landed little.
By the time we'd reached the championship rounds it was fair to say fan interested in the contest had died. The rounds through the middle had been close but uninteresting. They'd been close due to how awful and messy they'd been and unfortunately they'd completely killed any entertainment value any fans had. In fact it was probably fair to say that fans were using the bout as a toilet break by this point.
With the bout in the balance the two men finally came alive with some clean work in the championship rounds.
The 11th round saw Smith having by far his best round before Molina came back in the final round, clearly winning that one.
With the middle rounds so difficult to score it was no shock to see a split decision rendered with 2 of the judges feeling Molina's work deserved to take the decision in what was a fair decision given the work he put in compared to Smith's lazy and lethargic effort.
If you missed this one, don't bother trying to catch it!
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Abner Mares v Jhonny Gonzalez
Mexican youngster Abner Mares (26-1-1, 14) started Saturday as a genuine contender for the pound for pound lists, he was expected by many, including myself, to continue his rise to super stardom he took on the hard hitting Jhonny Gonzalez (55-8, 47) in a defense of the WBC Featherweight title. Unfortunately not everything goes the way people expect, especially not when you face a dynamite puncher like Gonzalez.
The bout started tentatively with both men looking to use their jab and box the other. Neither man could really muster much success in the first 2 minutes of action though Gonzalez finally manged to connect in the final minute or so of the round sending Mares down hard with a hard single left.
Mares, showing the champions heart managed to recover to his feet his feet but was still feeling the ill effects of the shots when he was allowed to continue by the referee. Gonzalez sensed the fact Mares hadn't had time to recover his feet and jumped on him with a with a powerful combination of shots that dropped Mares for a second time. This time the referee didn't allow the bout to continue and instead, rightfully, protected Mares from himself.
After the fight Mares congratulated Gonzalez, who he described as a friend and said that he'll be back again. Gonzalez, seemed vindicated by the result and will be looking for a long and fruitful reign this time, his third as champion
The bout started tentatively with both men looking to use their jab and box the other. Neither man could really muster much success in the first 2 minutes of action though Gonzalez finally manged to connect in the final minute or so of the round sending Mares down hard with a hard single left.
Mares, showing the champions heart managed to recover to his feet his feet but was still feeling the ill effects of the shots when he was allowed to continue by the referee. Gonzalez sensed the fact Mares hadn't had time to recover his feet and jumped on him with a with a powerful combination of shots that dropped Mares for a second time. This time the referee didn't allow the bout to continue and instead, rightfully, protected Mares from himself.
After the fight Mares congratulated Gonzalez, who he described as a friend and said that he'll be back again. Gonzalez, seemed vindicated by the result and will be looking for a long and fruitful reign this time, his third as champion
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