Although we all hate the politics of boxing sometimes they do lead us to some sensational contests. One such bout came earlier this evening as the IBF's decision to strip Jamie McDonnell of their IBF Bantamweight title lead us to about between Stuart Hall (16-2-1, 7) and Vusi Malinga (21-5-1, 12) for the vacant title.
Hall, fighting in his first world title fight, set off at a hectic pace using his speed and skills to land on Malinga and move out of the way of return fire to make Malinga look second rate. The tempo was amazing with from Hall who clearly took the first 2 rounds and then claimed the round 3 with a knockdown to have a clear lead built on the cards after just 3 rounds.
It wasn't until the end of round 4 that Malinga first had any real success as he arguably claimed his first round, though it was a swing round that could easily have gone to Hall. Through the middle rounds Malinga started to come back in to the fight and arguably claimed rounds 5,6,7, 8 and 9 as he made a great charge in an attempt to defeat Hall. Not only was Malinga pushing on but Hall appeared to be tiring quickly and his left eye was beginning to swell shut. By the end of round 9 the left eye of Hall was was swollen shut and he was beginning to to eat right hands almost at will.
Despite looking shattered Hall managed to get his second win and appeared to make a late charge taking the championship rounds with Malinga himself looking exhausted. Those rounds effectively sealed the fight for Hall who had dug in and done enough for the biggest victory of his career.
The performance, of both men had been excellent, the fight had great with action from both men, and unfortunately the one sour taste were the judges whose cards of 117-110 (twice) and 116-111 didn't fairly reflect the nature of the bout. They did get the right winner but their cards didn't show just how hard Malinga had made things for him.
Showing posts with label IBF Bantamweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IBF Bantamweight. Show all posts
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Jamie McDonnell v Julio Ceja
In the first of this weekend's world title fights Englishman Jamie McDonnell (21-2-1, 9) became the first man from Doncaster to claim a world title as he claimed the IBF Bantamweight title and over came a spirited Julio Ceja (24-1, 22) of Mexico.
With the vacant title up for grabs many felt this could be the fight of the weekend and it certainly lived up to those expectations with a wonderful clash of styles and the expectation of a dramatic ending by either man.
The bout started slowly with the opening round being a pretty typical "feeling out round" with neither man doing too much other than seeing what the other had. Following that it was Ceja who took the initiative upped his work rate as he clearly took the following few rounds and forced the Englishman on to the back foot. Ceja had not just upped the pressure on McDonnell but had shown a determined body attack using his left hook to the body to to really make McDonnell pay for holding his feet and not moving.
After the slow start it appeared as if the Englishman was on his way to losing until he finally started to show the lateral movement that essentially helped make Ceja look like a limited fighter. The movement of McDonnell forced Ceja to chase him and almost completely neutralised the dangerous left hand of the Mexican who began to look lost in the middle rounds.
With Ceja starting to struggle to connect McDonnell really grew in confidence and you could see it in the way he was fighting, he was not only making Ceja look clumsy and lost but landing with his own fast combinations as well as his jab which pierced the defense of the hard hitting Mexican time and time again. Though it was the right hand of McDonnell's that really looked the pick of his offensive work.
Despite looking comfortable McDonnell did have a nightmare round 11 as Ceja put it on the line and appeared to wobble the Doncaster man late with a wonderful flurry of hard and explosive shots, though the Mexican couldn't put his man down as he had been able to with many of his previous opponents.
Whilst he had been rocked in round 11 McDonnell recovered well and took round 12 comfortable, even appearing to rock Ceja with his hard straight hands late in the round as he clearly dominated the round and did enough to secure the decision.
To the fans in attendances and those watching at home it appeared McDonnell, who had started slowly, had done more than enough to secure a clear decision but the scorecards said otherwise as the announcer read out a majority decision (114-114, 115-113 and 118-110) to McDonnell, the rightful winner despite 2 awful scorecards.
The fight, whilst a good win for McDonnell was a disappointment for Dennis Hobson, the promoter who saw the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster almost empty in fact from the televised images the stadium looked about 20% full, a really disappointing turn out for McDonnell who is a cracking chap and deserves more support. Hopefully for McDonnell's first defense their will be a better crowd than this as he really does deserve a better following than he's been getting.
With the vacant title up for grabs many felt this could be the fight of the weekend and it certainly lived up to those expectations with a wonderful clash of styles and the expectation of a dramatic ending by either man.
The bout started slowly with the opening round being a pretty typical "feeling out round" with neither man doing too much other than seeing what the other had. Following that it was Ceja who took the initiative upped his work rate as he clearly took the following few rounds and forced the Englishman on to the back foot. Ceja had not just upped the pressure on McDonnell but had shown a determined body attack using his left hook to the body to to really make McDonnell pay for holding his feet and not moving.
After the slow start it appeared as if the Englishman was on his way to losing until he finally started to show the lateral movement that essentially helped make Ceja look like a limited fighter. The movement of McDonnell forced Ceja to chase him and almost completely neutralised the dangerous left hand of the Mexican who began to look lost in the middle rounds.
With Ceja starting to struggle to connect McDonnell really grew in confidence and you could see it in the way he was fighting, he was not only making Ceja look clumsy and lost but landing with his own fast combinations as well as his jab which pierced the defense of the hard hitting Mexican time and time again. Though it was the right hand of McDonnell's that really looked the pick of his offensive work.
Despite looking comfortable McDonnell did have a nightmare round 11 as Ceja put it on the line and appeared to wobble the Doncaster man late with a wonderful flurry of hard and explosive shots, though the Mexican couldn't put his man down as he had been able to with many of his previous opponents.
Whilst he had been rocked in round 11 McDonnell recovered well and took round 12 comfortable, even appearing to rock Ceja with his hard straight hands late in the round as he clearly dominated the round and did enough to secure the decision.
To the fans in attendances and those watching at home it appeared McDonnell, who had started slowly, had done more than enough to secure a clear decision but the scorecards said otherwise as the announcer read out a majority decision (114-114, 115-113 and 118-110) to McDonnell, the rightful winner despite 2 awful scorecards.
The fight, whilst a good win for McDonnell was a disappointment for Dennis Hobson, the promoter who saw the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster almost empty in fact from the televised images the stadium looked about 20% full, a really disappointing turn out for McDonnell who is a cracking chap and deserves more support. Hopefully for McDonnell's first defense their will be a better crowd than this as he really does deserve a better following than he's been getting.
Saturday, 15 December 2012
Leo Santa Cruz v Alberto Guervara
Just 35 days after defeating Victor Zaleta, IBF Bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (23-0-1, 13) scored his fifth win of the year and made the third defense of his title as he beat the previously unbeaten and thoroughly game Alberto Guervara (16-1, 6) who became just the 2nd man in the last 13 fights to see the final bell against Santa Cruz.
The bout started amazingly well for Guevara who used excellent hand speed and movement to out box Santa Cruz at range, stopping the champion from getting close where he likes to work. This saw Guevara clearly winning the opening 2 rounds and arguably claiming the first 4 as he made Santa Cruz look almost slow and clumsy.
Thankfully for the champion Guevara started to slow, especially in the middle rounds as the champion made his charge and started to achieve more and more success against the light hitting challenger. As Santa Cruz started to get closer he started to rattle off hard, hurtful shots to Guevara's body further slowing the challenger's feet. This paid off in the later rounds as Guevara's work rate dropped and his excellent boxing early in the bout turned into little more than running.
Although the bout was fairly level going into the championship rounds it was obvious that Santa Cruz was still in the ascendancy and it showed as he rocked Guevara time and time again in the later rounds really checking the heart of the challenger who continued to prove he was game, but ultimately out gunned.
Whilst this is likely Santa Cruz's last fight at Bantamweight it's fair to say that Guevara could come again and he genuinely could claim a world title down the line. Many, myself included, expected this to be a bowl over job though Guevara was genuinely impressive and will certainly come again.
The bout started amazingly well for Guevara who used excellent hand speed and movement to out box Santa Cruz at range, stopping the champion from getting close where he likes to work. This saw Guevara clearly winning the opening 2 rounds and arguably claiming the first 4 as he made Santa Cruz look almost slow and clumsy.
Thankfully for the champion Guevara started to slow, especially in the middle rounds as the champion made his charge and started to achieve more and more success against the light hitting challenger. As Santa Cruz started to get closer he started to rattle off hard, hurtful shots to Guevara's body further slowing the challenger's feet. This paid off in the later rounds as Guevara's work rate dropped and his excellent boxing early in the bout turned into little more than running.
Although the bout was fairly level going into the championship rounds it was obvious that Santa Cruz was still in the ascendancy and it showed as he rocked Guevara time and time again in the later rounds really checking the heart of the challenger who continued to prove he was game, but ultimately out gunned.
Whilst this is likely Santa Cruz's last fight at Bantamweight it's fair to say that Guevara could come again and he genuinely could claim a world title down the line. Many, myself included, expected this to be a bowl over job though Guevara was genuinely impressive and will certainly come again.
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Leo Santa Cruz v Victor Zaleta
IBF Bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (22-0-1, 13) successfully retained his title as he defeated the over-matched and under-sized Victor Zaleta (20-3-1, 10) in a thoroughly exciting all action war.
The opening round set the tale of what was to come as both men went at each other from the bell. It was tit for tat action as Santa Cruz pressed forward relentlessly with Zaleta trying to fight him off with his own shots. It was a great start to the fight and it quickly got better as the two men continued to pound on each other in rounds 2 an 3 which were both competitive even if it was a shut out for Santa Cruz.
In round 4 the power of Santa Cruz started to show and he swiftly started to force Zaleta to unravel with the challenger looking very messy early in the round. Santa Cruz continued to unleash and whilst Zaleta was bravely fighting back it was the power of Santa Cruz's body shots that took their toll as he dropped Zaleta with a nasty body blow. Zaleta bravely got up however it seemed as if the shot really took it's toll on him.
Despite surviving rounds 5 and 6 well it seemed only a matter of time before Zaleta would be stopped. He was courageous in fighting back though he was simple lacking the power to get Santa Cruz's attention as the champion proceeded to walk him down and crack him with hurtful shots to both the head and body.
After being competitive in rounds 5 and 6 Santa Cruz scored another knockdown with a vicious body shot that felled Zaleta in round 7. It seemed as if Zaleta was ready to be stopped though he again proved he was a warrior as he came out for round 8, though sadly for Zaleta round 8 was probably the most one sided round as Santa Cruz really wailed away on Zaleta who proved to have a great chin.
The onslaught from round 8 continued into the following round though sadly for Zaleta, Santa Cruz simply wouldn't stop and a straight right finally put Zaleta down with the referee waving the bout off with Zaleta unable to get up.
We now expect Santa Cruz to move up to Super Bantamweight where he will genuinely be a nightmare for anyone. For Victor Zaleta however it's likely to the hospital for him as he really took a bit of a beating, hopefully however Zaleta will get another chance against a less fighter somewhere down the line.
The opening round set the tale of what was to come as both men went at each other from the bell. It was tit for tat action as Santa Cruz pressed forward relentlessly with Zaleta trying to fight him off with his own shots. It was a great start to the fight and it quickly got better as the two men continued to pound on each other in rounds 2 an 3 which were both competitive even if it was a shut out for Santa Cruz.
In round 4 the power of Santa Cruz started to show and he swiftly started to force Zaleta to unravel with the challenger looking very messy early in the round. Santa Cruz continued to unleash and whilst Zaleta was bravely fighting back it was the power of Santa Cruz's body shots that took their toll as he dropped Zaleta with a nasty body blow. Zaleta bravely got up however it seemed as if the shot really took it's toll on him.
Despite surviving rounds 5 and 6 well it seemed only a matter of time before Zaleta would be stopped. He was courageous in fighting back though he was simple lacking the power to get Santa Cruz's attention as the champion proceeded to walk him down and crack him with hurtful shots to both the head and body.
After being competitive in rounds 5 and 6 Santa Cruz scored another knockdown with a vicious body shot that felled Zaleta in round 7. It seemed as if Zaleta was ready to be stopped though he again proved he was a warrior as he came out for round 8, though sadly for Zaleta round 8 was probably the most one sided round as Santa Cruz really wailed away on Zaleta who proved to have a great chin.
The onslaught from round 8 continued into the following round though sadly for Zaleta, Santa Cruz simply wouldn't stop and a straight right finally put Zaleta down with the referee waving the bout off with Zaleta unable to get up.
We now expect Santa Cruz to move up to Super Bantamweight where he will genuinely be a nightmare for anyone. For Victor Zaleta however it's likely to the hospital for him as he really took a bit of a beating, hopefully however Zaleta will get another chance against a less fighter somewhere down the line.
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Leo Santa Cruz v Eric Morel
Young Mexican Leo Santa Cruz (21-0-1, 12) scored the biggest win of his career as he made the first defense of his IBF Bantamweight title and became the first fighter to stop Puerto Rican Eric Morel (46-4, 23).
The relentless Mexican, who many have compared to countryman Antonio Margarito, set off at a fantastic pace attacking the body with left hooks and the head with some devastating combinations from the opening bell. Whilst Morel battled hard with the younger champion in the early rounds he was simply unable to fend off the marauding attack.
By the start of round 4 Morel was visibly breaking down in the ring and starting to wince from the none-stop body work by Santa Cruz who fought like a man possessed to retain his world title.
Despite coming out for round 5 it seemed only a matter of time before the bout would be stopped, and that's exactly what happened as Morel retired on his stool before the 6th round.
Whilst Morel, at 36 years of age and taking part in his 50th professional bout, may be a bit long in the tooth it was still an excellent performance by Santa Cruz who seems to be making a real name for himself. I'm hoping this will be the end for Morel and the platform that Santa Cruz needs to really become a star of the lower weights as he is one of the most fan friendly fighters out there and a real joy to watch, as he proved once again here.
The relentless Mexican, who many have compared to countryman Antonio Margarito, set off at a fantastic pace attacking the body with left hooks and the head with some devastating combinations from the opening bell. Whilst Morel battled hard with the younger champion in the early rounds he was simply unable to fend off the marauding attack.
By the start of round 4 Morel was visibly breaking down in the ring and starting to wince from the none-stop body work by Santa Cruz who fought like a man possessed to retain his world title.
Despite coming out for round 5 it seemed only a matter of time before the bout would be stopped, and that's exactly what happened as Morel retired on his stool before the 6th round.
Whilst Morel, at 36 years of age and taking part in his 50th professional bout, may be a bit long in the tooth it was still an excellent performance by Santa Cruz who seems to be making a real name for himself. I'm hoping this will be the end for Morel and the platform that Santa Cruz needs to really become a star of the lower weights as he is one of the most fan friendly fighters out there and a real joy to watch, as he proved once again here.
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