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.
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Monday, 30 September 2013
Alberto Rossel v Jose Alfredo Zuniga
With the boxing world's attention shared between Canada, where Adonis Stevenson schooled Tavoris Cloud, and the US, where Julio Cesar Chavez Jr took a controversial victory over Brian Vera it's fair to say that not many looked towards Peru where Alberto Rossel (31-8, 13) successfully defended his WBA "interim" Light Flyweight title for the third time.
Battling little known Mexican Jose Alfredo Zuniga (11-5-1, 5), Rossel was viewed, at least on paper, as a sure fire winner. Unfortunately for him however, boxing is done in the ring and not on paper and with Zuniga on a confidence high after a victory over Luis Ceja last time out.
The confidence of Zuniga was obvious from the off and it showed as Rossel took several rounds to get to grips wit the reach and height of the taller and longer Zuniga who clearly took round 3 before Rossel found a new gear in round 4, a clear Rossel round.
Rossel, grew and grew from his fourth success with Zuniga failing to really cope with the frustrating Peruvian veteran who, in all honesty, can be a night mare to watch as well as a nightmare to fight.
Interestingly, despite the bout looking like a competitive but clear Rossel victory one judge, Panamanian David Singh, somehow scored the bout 117-117, giving 6 even rounds. Whilst it may seem odd some of the action was some what messy and could be the reason for such an odd card. Thankfully the other two judges did manage to see "the right winner" scoring it 117-114 and 116-113, also both noting a 10-10 round in their cards, to give Rossel his 7th straight victory
Battling little known Mexican Jose Alfredo Zuniga (11-5-1, 5), Rossel was viewed, at least on paper, as a sure fire winner. Unfortunately for him however, boxing is done in the ring and not on paper and with Zuniga on a confidence high after a victory over Luis Ceja last time out.
The confidence of Zuniga was obvious from the off and it showed as Rossel took several rounds to get to grips wit the reach and height of the taller and longer Zuniga who clearly took round 3 before Rossel found a new gear in round 4, a clear Rossel round.
Rossel, grew and grew from his fourth success with Zuniga failing to really cope with the frustrating Peruvian veteran who, in all honesty, can be a night mare to watch as well as a nightmare to fight.
Interestingly, despite the bout looking like a competitive but clear Rossel victory one judge, Panamanian David Singh, somehow scored the bout 117-117, giving 6 even rounds. Whilst it may seem odd some of the action was some what messy and could be the reason for such an odd card. Thankfully the other two judges did manage to see "the right winner" scoring it 117-114 and 116-113, also both noting a 10-10 round in their cards, to give Rossel his 7th straight victory
Saturday, 31 August 2013
Adrian Hernandez v Atsushi Kakutani
Mexican Adrian Hernandez (28-2-1, 17) did as he was expected on Saturday night as he defeated, and stopped, Japanese fighter Atsushi Kakutani (13-4-1, 6) in a defence of the WBC Light Flyweight title.
Hernandez, who was defending the belt for the third time this year was in unexpected trouble in the opening round when he was dropped though he showed the Mexican fighting spiriting by getting back to his feet and battling back hard in what turned out to be a very entertaining contest.
The fight had some highlight real exchanges in rounds 2 and 3 and it was obvious that one man or the other was going to be stopped sooner or later.
The beginning of the end occurred early in round 4 as Kakutani was sent to the canvas. The Japanese warrior managed to recover to his feet but his legs never looked like they were with him and he was sent down again and then again before the referee was forced to intervene calling a half to the bout just 72 seconds in to round 4.
With Kakutani managing to drop Hernandez it could well be that the champion is all but done at the 108lb limit, a limit that his body just seems too big for. If Ohashi can drag Hernandez over to Japan there is every chance that Noaya Inoue could well face him in what would be Inoue's 5th pro bout and on this performance I wouldn't bet against Inoue
Hernandez, who was defending the belt for the third time this year was in unexpected trouble in the opening round when he was dropped though he showed the Mexican fighting spiriting by getting back to his feet and battling back hard in what turned out to be a very entertaining contest.
The fight had some highlight real exchanges in rounds 2 and 3 and it was obvious that one man or the other was going to be stopped sooner or later.
The beginning of the end occurred early in round 4 as Kakutani was sent to the canvas. The Japanese warrior managed to recover to his feet but his legs never looked like they were with him and he was sent down again and then again before the referee was forced to intervene calling a half to the bout just 72 seconds in to round 4.
With Kakutani managing to drop Hernandez it could well be that the champion is all but done at the 108lb limit, a limit that his body just seems too big for. If Ohashi can drag Hernandez over to Japan there is every chance that Noaya Inoue could well face him in what would be Inoue's 5th pro bout and on this performance I wouldn't bet against Inoue
Monday, 12 August 2013
Akira Yaegashi v Oscar Blanquet
If I was to say one of my favourite fights is Akira Yaegashi (18-3, 9) then that it's fair to assume that I was really looking forward to the first defense of his WBC Flyweight title. Unfortunately however the Japanese action man's fight with Oscar Blanquet (32-6-1, 23) really failed to live up to expectation as they styles completely failed to gel.
The first few rounds were by far the most competitive with the scores through 4 showing a genuinely close contest with the open scoring showing 39-37 once to each man a 38-38 score card leaving us effectively with a split draw through the first 4 rounds.
After the competitive nature of the opening few rounds Yaegashi started to turn up the screw and built on his crisp jab by landing lovely sweeping counter left hooks. Unfortunately the more Yaegashi the more and more negative Blanquet became with the Mexican beginning to hold, spoil and turn to the referee after every hurtful body shots. It was obvious from about round 6 onwards that that Blanquet felt he was unable to win and was instead going to make things difficult for Yaegashi.
Despite being held constantly Yaegashi would continue to land the bouts only notable shots which included a low blow and a knockdown both in round 8 which saw the round scored 9-8 in favour of Yaegashi who by now had established a notable lead on all 3 cards.
With the open scoring having Yaegashi well out in the lead he made sure he won round 9 and then almost cruised the final 3 rounds picking his spots and effectively telling Blanquet that he was no longer going to force a fight and be thwarted by a man who wasn't there to fight. As we all know Yaegashi is an action fighter but it was obvious through the later rounds that he was a frustrated fighter and refused to let Blanquet further frustrate him.
Unfortunately this may well go down as Yaegashi's least entertaining televised fight, though on the whole it was due to the negativity of Blanquet as opposed to anything Yaegashi did or could have done. Hopefully next time out he'll face a more willing dance partner.
The first few rounds were by far the most competitive with the scores through 4 showing a genuinely close contest with the open scoring showing 39-37 once to each man a 38-38 score card leaving us effectively with a split draw through the first 4 rounds.
After the competitive nature of the opening few rounds Yaegashi started to turn up the screw and built on his crisp jab by landing lovely sweeping counter left hooks. Unfortunately the more Yaegashi the more and more negative Blanquet became with the Mexican beginning to hold, spoil and turn to the referee after every hurtful body shots. It was obvious from about round 6 onwards that that Blanquet felt he was unable to win and was instead going to make things difficult for Yaegashi.
Despite being held constantly Yaegashi would continue to land the bouts only notable shots which included a low blow and a knockdown both in round 8 which saw the round scored 9-8 in favour of Yaegashi who by now had established a notable lead on all 3 cards.
With the open scoring having Yaegashi well out in the lead he made sure he won round 9 and then almost cruised the final 3 rounds picking his spots and effectively telling Blanquet that he was no longer going to force a fight and be thwarted by a man who wasn't there to fight. As we all know Yaegashi is an action fighter but it was obvious through the later rounds that he was a frustrated fighter and refused to let Blanquet further frustrate him.
Unfortunately this may well go down as Yaegashi's least entertaining televised fight, though on the whole it was due to the negativity of Blanquet as opposed to anything Yaegashi did or could have done. Hopefully next time out he'll face a more willing dance partner.
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Carlos Buitrago v Julian Yedras
The only male world title fight of the past weekend saw Nicaraguan prospect Carlos Buitrago (27-0-0-1, 16) claim the WBO "interim" Minimumweight title.
Buitrago, fighting outside of his homeland for the first time in his career traveled to Mexico and faced fellow unbeaten fighter Julian Yedras (now 21-1, 13). Although the conditions were new the style wasn't as the talented Buitrago showed off his skills from early in the bout as he started to put rounds in the bag with his superior skills.
Whilst Yedras was unable to really cope with the extra gears Buitrago seemed to have he showed his courage and refused to be stopped as he made a number of rounds close. It was these close rounds that allowed Yedras to have any success on the scorecards though they were too limited to help him, even at home.
When the cards came back reading 118-110, 118-111 and 116-113 there was no doubt who the winner was (the only doubt seemed to be how one judge had it close).
Unfortunately for Buitrago (who clearly won here) he showed off some of his flaws, notably the way he rushes his attacks at times and despite his experience he still needs more time to mature before being put into a major fight.
With Filipino Merlito Sabillo holding the "full" version of the WBO world title a bout between Sabillo and Buitrago makes sense though unfortunately for the Nicaraguan I think it'd be a year or two too soon for him. Instead Buitrago needs fights to help him develop and get ready for Sabillo, a bout with someone like Pedro Guevara or Mario Rodriguez would test his mettle and help him "get ready" for Sabillo.
Buitrago, fighting outside of his homeland for the first time in his career traveled to Mexico and faced fellow unbeaten fighter Julian Yedras (now 21-1, 13). Although the conditions were new the style wasn't as the talented Buitrago showed off his skills from early in the bout as he started to put rounds in the bag with his superior skills.
Whilst Yedras was unable to really cope with the extra gears Buitrago seemed to have he showed his courage and refused to be stopped as he made a number of rounds close. It was these close rounds that allowed Yedras to have any success on the scorecards though they were too limited to help him, even at home.
When the cards came back reading 118-110, 118-111 and 116-113 there was no doubt who the winner was (the only doubt seemed to be how one judge had it close).
Unfortunately for Buitrago (who clearly won here) he showed off some of his flaws, notably the way he rushes his attacks at times and despite his experience he still needs more time to mature before being put into a major fight.
With Filipino Merlito Sabillo holding the "full" version of the WBO world title a bout between Sabillo and Buitrago makes sense though unfortunately for the Nicaraguan I think it'd be a year or two too soon for him. Instead Buitrago needs fights to help him develop and get ready for Sabillo, a bout with someone like Pedro Guevara or Mario Rodriguez would test his mettle and help him "get ready" for Sabillo.
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.
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Ryo Miyazaki v Carlos Velarde
Japanese youngster Ryo Miyazaki (19-0-3, 11) made the first successful defense of his WBA Minimumweight title in explosive fashion as he stopped Mexican challenger Carlos Velarde (23-3-1, 13) in the 5th round with an eye catching combination.
The fight started in excellent fashion and the opening round was thoroughly enjoyable as neither man felt the need to feel out the other. This really did warm the fight up in wonderful style with neither man feeling the need to try and figure the other out and the action merely got better as both men ramped up the action in rounds 2 and 3 as it appeared we were on the verge of a real war. In fact round 3 was a genuine contender for round of the year as both men stood toe to toe and dug shots to the head and body.
In round 4 the bout started to change slightly with Miyazaki beginning to use his superior boxing skills to avoid the war and catch the challenger with counters. It appeared as if Miyazaki, who rocked at the end of round 3, had decided that a war wasn't in his best interest and that he had the ability to jab and move to take the round. Whilst Velarde's constant pressure was making the fight the Mexican simply wasn't able to cut the ring off enough to really force Miyazaki's hand.
Miyazaki continued to box rather than brawl in round 5 though landed several eye catching shots through Velarde appeared to take them very well until out of nowhere the champion landed a straight right and a crisp left hook that sent Velarde to the canvas out cold for the count in a KO of the year contender.
Thankfully Velarde appeared to be fine by the time that Miyazaki had been interviewed and although Miyazaki himself had a small cut over his left eye we'd not expect him to be out for long.
The fight started in excellent fashion and the opening round was thoroughly enjoyable as neither man felt the need to feel out the other. This really did warm the fight up in wonderful style with neither man feeling the need to try and figure the other out and the action merely got better as both men ramped up the action in rounds 2 and 3 as it appeared we were on the verge of a real war. In fact round 3 was a genuine contender for round of the year as both men stood toe to toe and dug shots to the head and body.
In round 4 the bout started to change slightly with Miyazaki beginning to use his superior boxing skills to avoid the war and catch the challenger with counters. It appeared as if Miyazaki, who rocked at the end of round 3, had decided that a war wasn't in his best interest and that he had the ability to jab and move to take the round. Whilst Velarde's constant pressure was making the fight the Mexican simply wasn't able to cut the ring off enough to really force Miyazaki's hand.
Miyazaki continued to box rather than brawl in round 5 though landed several eye catching shots through Velarde appeared to take them very well until out of nowhere the champion landed a straight right and a crisp left hook that sent Velarde to the canvas out cold for the count in a KO of the year contender.
Thankfully Velarde appeared to be fine by the time that Miyazaki had been interviewed and although Miyazaki himself had a small cut over his left eye we'd not expect him to be out for long.
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Victor Terrazas v Cristian Mijares
In an excellent but tragically over-looked bout for the vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title Victor Terrazas (37-2-1, 21) controversially became the new champion out pointing the unfortunate Cristian Mijares (47-7-2, 22) via split decision.
The bout started slowly for Terrazas as the speedy and wonderfully talented Mijares landed his sharp straight shots on his co-challenger. Terrazas tried firing back but unfortunately struggled to land much of note in the opener before starting to warm up and taking possible 3 of the first 6 rounds (which were mostly close). You could easily have made a case for either man to have been in the lead but neither was able to dominate (unless you like to watch fights like Stanley Christodoulou and fill in your card depending on which fighter you like the most).
Mijares then started to turn up the heat and after a close round 7 he appeared to dominate 3 of the final 4 rounds as he went on a very good run including and explosive round 12 (likely spurred on by the WBC open scoring) which saw him relentless attacking Terrazas and actually dropping his fellow Mexican though unfortunately he couldn't quite finish him off.
With the scorecards looking against against Mijares going into the final rounds his rally was exceptional especially considering he's not known as much of a finisher. He was unfortunate that the judges don't tend to really regard his work favourably and this isn't the first time that judging has been called in to question regarding Mijares bouts with the most infamous being a genuine "WTF?" card by Doug Tucker who had Jose Navarro pitching a shut out against him back in 2008.
Hopefully this loss won't be the end for Mijares who proved once again what a wonderful boxer he is despite his somewhat "none Mexican" style. Whilst it may be laughed at a Mijares v Rigondeaux bout could well be one of the best match ups to be made a 122lbs and with Terrazas supposedly facing Vic Darchinyan next it appears that the Super Bantamweight division has gotten 2 good looking bouts from this controversy.
The bout started slowly for Terrazas as the speedy and wonderfully talented Mijares landed his sharp straight shots on his co-challenger. Terrazas tried firing back but unfortunately struggled to land much of note in the opener before starting to warm up and taking possible 3 of the first 6 rounds (which were mostly close). You could easily have made a case for either man to have been in the lead but neither was able to dominate (unless you like to watch fights like Stanley Christodoulou and fill in your card depending on which fighter you like the most).
Mijares then started to turn up the heat and after a close round 7 he appeared to dominate 3 of the final 4 rounds as he went on a very good run including and explosive round 12 (likely spurred on by the WBC open scoring) which saw him relentless attacking Terrazas and actually dropping his fellow Mexican though unfortunately he couldn't quite finish him off.
With the scorecards looking against against Mijares going into the final rounds his rally was exceptional especially considering he's not known as much of a finisher. He was unfortunate that the judges don't tend to really regard his work favourably and this isn't the first time that judging has been called in to question regarding Mijares bouts with the most infamous being a genuine "WTF?" card by Doug Tucker who had Jose Navarro pitching a shut out against him back in 2008.
Hopefully this loss won't be the end for Mijares who proved once again what a wonderful boxer he is despite his somewhat "none Mexican" style. Whilst it may be laughed at a Mijares v Rigondeaux bout could well be one of the best match ups to be made a 122lbs and with Terrazas supposedly facing Vic Darchinyan next it appears that the Super Bantamweight division has gotten 2 good looking bouts from this controversy.
Monday, 8 April 2013
Gamaliel Diaz v Takashi Miura
Today we saw the end of Gamaliel Diaz's (37-10-2, 17) short reign as WBC Super Featherweight champion thanks to the hard hitting Japanese fighter Takashi Miura (25-2-2, 19) who genuinely destroyed Diaz.
Miura, who had lost his only previous world title bout by 8th round retirement to Takashi Uchiyama set out with bad intentions and appeared to find a place for his hurtful left hand very early in the bout. The powerful Japanese southpaw, who had actually dropped Uchiyama before being stopped himself, was finding Diaz regularly and managed to drop the defending champion in round 3 as the Mexican was forced to feel the sting. Though at the 4 round mark all the scores were 37-37 with Miura having been deducted a point for a clash of heads in the opening rounds.
Diaz, who had claimed the title last time he was in Japan by upsetting Takahiro Ao, was again forced to taste Miura's bull like power in rounds 6 and 7 as he was dropped in both rounds. By now Miura was pulling well ahead of the champion who simply couldn't take his power.
Sadly for Diaz he couldn't avoid Miura and the Japanese challenger was relentless in looking for the stoppage which eventually came midway through round 9.
This results rather nicely sets us up for a very interesting rematch between Uchiyama and Miura if both fighters want to unify (as Uchiyama still holds the WBA title) though Miura may feel other options better suit him. In fact Miura against someone like Sergio Thompson (WBC #1) or Devis Boschiero (WBC #2) would both be great fights to watch and from a British point of view Miura v Gary Buckland (WBC #12) would also hold a personal interest.
For the 32 year old Diaz this doesn't spell the end of his career though it does likely end his pretension of being a genuine world level fighter.
Miura, who had lost his only previous world title bout by 8th round retirement to Takashi Uchiyama set out with bad intentions and appeared to find a place for his hurtful left hand very early in the bout. The powerful Japanese southpaw, who had actually dropped Uchiyama before being stopped himself, was finding Diaz regularly and managed to drop the defending champion in round 3 as the Mexican was forced to feel the sting. Though at the 4 round mark all the scores were 37-37 with Miura having been deducted a point for a clash of heads in the opening rounds.
Diaz, who had claimed the title last time he was in Japan by upsetting Takahiro Ao, was again forced to taste Miura's bull like power in rounds 6 and 7 as he was dropped in both rounds. By now Miura was pulling well ahead of the champion who simply couldn't take his power.
Sadly for Diaz he couldn't avoid Miura and the Japanese challenger was relentless in looking for the stoppage which eventually came midway through round 9.
This results rather nicely sets us up for a very interesting rematch between Uchiyama and Miura if both fighters want to unify (as Uchiyama still holds the WBA title) though Miura may feel other options better suit him. In fact Miura against someone like Sergio Thompson (WBC #1) or Devis Boschiero (WBC #2) would both be great fights to watch and from a British point of view Miura v Gary Buckland (WBC #12) would also hold a personal interest.
For the 32 year old Diaz this doesn't spell the end of his career though it does likely end his pretension of being a genuine world level fighter.
Monday, 1 April 2013
Mario Rodriguez v Katsunari Takayama
Wow, that's all I can say. Not only did we have the bout between Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios on Saturday but we also had the hidden classic of Mario Rodriguez v Katsunari Takayama for the IBF Minimumweight title the same night. Although I may be in the minority saying this the Rodriguez v Takayama fight was arguable better than Rios v Alvarado II.
Japanese challenger Takayama (25-6-0-1, 10) fighting his fifth successive bout outside of his native Japan traveled to Rodriguez's (15-7-4, 11) homeland of Mexican and despite being the notable betting under-dog put on a performance for the ages as he annexed the world title to become a 2-time world champion.
The bout started fast as Takayama set an incredible pace with none stop work and movement. He wasn't just throwing relentlessly but he was bouncing about using his legs and feet just as much as his arms and hands as he got in, unloaded with fast shots and got out. It was an incredible start by the challenger who was impressive from the off.
Rodriguez wasn't to be totally over-whelmed however and managed to score a knockdown in round 3 in what was certainly his stand out moment of success as Takayama's confidence really grew and grew. The challenger's speed and combinations were amazing to see as he really just worked over the champion to head and body with wonderful eye catching flurries that bagged him round after round.
After having an almost unassailable lead Takayama went from a fighter dominating a world champion to a fighter making a point as he started to show boat in front Rodriguez's home fans, a move that must have infuriated an outclassed champion who's reign came to an end in just his first defense.
As the new champion Takayama is in a very select group of Japanese fighters to have claimed an IBF belt interestingly on his third attempt (after having a No Contest and a loss to South African Nkosinathi Joyi). It'll be interesting to see if the JCB allows him to defend his title at home or forces him to continue his road journey.
For Rodriguez this was a pretty humbling loss after scoring a huge upset victory over Joyi last year. A rematch between the two would not go amiss however I would imagine Takayama may himself want Joyi for a 3rd bout.
Japanese challenger Takayama (25-6-0-1, 10) fighting his fifth successive bout outside of his native Japan traveled to Rodriguez's (15-7-4, 11) homeland of Mexican and despite being the notable betting under-dog put on a performance for the ages as he annexed the world title to become a 2-time world champion.
The bout started fast as Takayama set an incredible pace with none stop work and movement. He wasn't just throwing relentlessly but he was bouncing about using his legs and feet just as much as his arms and hands as he got in, unloaded with fast shots and got out. It was an incredible start by the challenger who was impressive from the off.
Rodriguez wasn't to be totally over-whelmed however and managed to score a knockdown in round 3 in what was certainly his stand out moment of success as Takayama's confidence really grew and grew. The challenger's speed and combinations were amazing to see as he really just worked over the champion to head and body with wonderful eye catching flurries that bagged him round after round.
After having an almost unassailable lead Takayama went from a fighter dominating a world champion to a fighter making a point as he started to show boat in front Rodriguez's home fans, a move that must have infuriated an outclassed champion who's reign came to an end in just his first defense.
As the new champion Takayama is in a very select group of Japanese fighters to have claimed an IBF belt interestingly on his third attempt (after having a No Contest and a loss to South African Nkosinathi Joyi). It'll be interesting to see if the JCB allows him to defend his title at home or forces him to continue his road journey.
For Rodriguez this was a pretty humbling loss after scoring a huge upset victory over Joyi last year. A rematch between the two would not go amiss however I would imagine Takayama may himself want Joyi for a 3rd bout.
Monday, 18 February 2013
Jonathan Romero v Alejandro Lopez
In one of the most bizarrely scored fights of the year, Colombian Jonathan Romero (23-0, 12) claimed a split decision victory over Mexican Alejandro Lopez (24-3, 7) to claim the previously vacant IBF Super Bantamweight title.
From the opening bell the quicker, more talented Romero set the tone of the fight landing at will on his slower, clumsier Mexican rival. Although Lopez was game he was simply unable to neutralise the clear advantages that the visiting Colombian had over him. Lopez, fighting in front of his home crowd was valiant round after round as he struggled to connect anything of note.
Although Romero was clearly dominating the bout, he rarely, if ever had Lopez in any real trouble as his lack of world class power was shown up by the fact that Lopez repeatedly took his shots. Sadly for Lopez however he lacked any sort of an equaliser himself to ever try and turn the fight in his direction.
Despite having a point deducted in round 12, it was hard to see the bout as anything but a shut out by Romero, though oddly when the cards came back, the scores of 115-112 (each way) and 111-116 (Romero) were genuinely a shock. Lopez hadn't clearly won a round yet one judge saw him, some how, winning 7. Thankfully, despite the atrocious cards the right man won and claimed the title. Despite the victory, on foreign soil, for Romero it's hard to imagine him giving any of the top Super Bantamweights any real trouble. His speed is solid but his lack of power really will limit him at the higher levels, where fighters like Nonito Donaire will walk through his shots with ease.
From the opening bell the quicker, more talented Romero set the tone of the fight landing at will on his slower, clumsier Mexican rival. Although Lopez was game he was simply unable to neutralise the clear advantages that the visiting Colombian had over him. Lopez, fighting in front of his home crowd was valiant round after round as he struggled to connect anything of note.
Although Romero was clearly dominating the bout, he rarely, if ever had Lopez in any real trouble as his lack of world class power was shown up by the fact that Lopez repeatedly took his shots. Sadly for Lopez however he lacked any sort of an equaliser himself to ever try and turn the fight in his direction.
Despite having a point deducted in round 12, it was hard to see the bout as anything but a shut out by Romero, though oddly when the cards came back, the scores of 115-112 (each way) and 111-116 (Romero) were genuinely a shock. Lopez hadn't clearly won a round yet one judge saw him, some how, winning 7. Thankfully, despite the atrocious cards the right man won and claimed the title. Despite the victory, on foreign soil, for Romero it's hard to imagine him giving any of the top Super Bantamweights any real trouble. His speed is solid but his lack of power really will limit him at the higher levels, where fighters like Nonito Donaire will walk through his shots with ease.
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Adrian Hernandez v Dirceu Cabarca
WBC Light Flyweight champion Adrian Hernandez (26-2-1, 16) made the first world title defense of the year as he took a routine decision victory over undeserving challenger Dirceu Cabarca (13-7, 5) of Panama.
The Panamanian challenger, fighting for the first time in a bout scheduled to go beyond 8 rounds, had very little success as Hernandez, a skilled fighter himself really looked in cruise control from the off, despite a minor worry in round 6.
Hernandez started the bout well and appeared to want an early night as he ramped up the pressure in a number of the early rounds, though after Cabarca withstood the early onslaught Hernandez soon seemed content on just having a work out, giving some rounds away as a result of what looked more and more like a public sparring session.
With the Light Flyweight division expected to change dramatically in 2013 (with Roman Gonzalez expected to move to Flyweight being the most notable change) it's nice to see Hernandez on the board already for the year (especially with it being just 2 months since he defeated Kompayak Porpramook for the title), though we do expect tougher opponents later this year.
For me Light Flyweight is one of the most interesting divisions in the sport with the likes of Hernandez, Kazuto Ioka, Donnie Nietes, John Riel Casimero, Raul Garcia, Roman Gonzalez (if he remains at the the weight), Paipharob Kokietgym and Juan Francisco Estrada so fighters like Cabarca really shouldn't be seen in the title picture again.
The Panamanian challenger, fighting for the first time in a bout scheduled to go beyond 8 rounds, had very little success as Hernandez, a skilled fighter himself really looked in cruise control from the off, despite a minor worry in round 6.
Hernandez started the bout well and appeared to want an early night as he ramped up the pressure in a number of the early rounds, though after Cabarca withstood the early onslaught Hernandez soon seemed content on just having a work out, giving some rounds away as a result of what looked more and more like a public sparring session.
With the Light Flyweight division expected to change dramatically in 2013 (with Roman Gonzalez expected to move to Flyweight being the most notable change) it's nice to see Hernandez on the board already for the year (especially with it being just 2 months since he defeated Kompayak Porpramook for the title), though we do expect tougher opponents later this year.
For me Light Flyweight is one of the most interesting divisions in the sport with the likes of Hernandez, Kazuto Ioka, Donnie Nietes, John Riel Casimero, Raul Garcia, Roman Gonzalez (if he remains at the the weight), Paipharob Kokietgym and Juan Francisco Estrada so fighters like Cabarca really shouldn't be seen in the title picture again.
Monday, 31 December 2012
Kazuto Ioka v Jose Alfredo Rodriguez
Young Japanese fighter Kazuto Ioka (11-0, 7) became a 2-weight world champion as he claimed the WBA Light Flyweight title by stopping the sadly out classed Mexican Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (28-2, 17) in just 6 very fun to watch rounds.
It was obvious from very early on that Ioka was simply too good for Rodriguez with his power and skills showing from the opening bell. By the end of the opening round it appeared obvious we were in for a short one with Rodriguez being dropped before we'd even finished he first stanza. Rodriguez proved his Mexican bravery as he fought back over the following few rounds in an extremely physical bout, though he was always being out classed by a supremely talented youngster who had made his name at Minimumweight.
Ioka's power, hand speed and accuracy started to wear down Rodriguez and in round 6 Ioka put his foot on the gas and dropped Rodriguez twice before the referee waved the bout off with just seconds of the round left.
Ioka's WBA Light Flyweight title is his third professional world title after having won (and unified) the WBA and WBC Minimumweight titles over the past year or so. It's hard to think of any other fighter with so few fights who has won so much. Even more impressively is the fact that Ioka's title winning fights have come against fighters with very impressive records including Oleydong Sithsamerchai (then 35-0-1), Akira Yaegashi (then 15-2) and now Rodriguez (who entered 28-1). If he continues on this impressive streak the sky really is his limit, especially considering he is just 23.
This is the second successive loss in the career of Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (the first by stoppage) and whilst he is more experienced as a professional than Ioka it was obvious that he wasn't world class. He will need to go back to Mexico and hope to correct some of his flaws that Ioka picked to pieces with ridiculously brilliant combinations.
It was obvious from very early on that Ioka was simply too good for Rodriguez with his power and skills showing from the opening bell. By the end of the opening round it appeared obvious we were in for a short one with Rodriguez being dropped before we'd even finished he first stanza. Rodriguez proved his Mexican bravery as he fought back over the following few rounds in an extremely physical bout, though he was always being out classed by a supremely talented youngster who had made his name at Minimumweight.
Ioka's power, hand speed and accuracy started to wear down Rodriguez and in round 6 Ioka put his foot on the gas and dropped Rodriguez twice before the referee waved the bout off with just seconds of the round left.
Ioka's WBA Light Flyweight title is his third professional world title after having won (and unified) the WBA and WBC Minimumweight titles over the past year or so. It's hard to think of any other fighter with so few fights who has won so much. Even more impressively is the fact that Ioka's title winning fights have come against fighters with very impressive records including Oleydong Sithsamerchai (then 35-0-1), Akira Yaegashi (then 15-2) and now Rodriguez (who entered 28-1). If he continues on this impressive streak the sky really is his limit, especially considering he is just 23.
This is the second successive loss in the career of Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (the first by stoppage) and whilst he is more experienced as a professional than Ioka it was obvious that he wasn't world class. He will need to go back to Mexico and hope to correct some of his flaws that Ioka picked to pieces with ridiculously brilliant combinations.
Saturday, 15 December 2012
Nonito Donaire v Jorge Arce
WBO Bantamweight champiom Nonito Donaire (31-1, 19) made light work of Mexican veteran Jorge Arce (61-7-2-1, 46) as he stopped him in just 3 rounds with a beautiful left hook.
the opening round saw very little action form either man as Arce tried to box whilst Donaire's jab kept him at range. Sadly for Arce however the opening round would be his best with the Mexican being dropped in the following round. From then on things got worse for Arce who opened up in the third and paid the price being dropped early before being stopped just prior to the bell from a beautiful lead left hook.
Sadly after the fight Jorge Arce announced his retirement and he seemed to make it clear that he really was walking away from the fight game. The classy Mexican was out classed and admitted as much though fully congratulated Donaire who he called a friend.
For Donaire a fight with either Guillermo Rigondeaux or Abner Mares is hopeful. Hopefully WE get to see them next year.
The fight other story was that it was legendary broadcaster Larry Merchant's final one. A real, real shame.
the opening round saw very little action form either man as Arce tried to box whilst Donaire's jab kept him at range. Sadly for Arce however the opening round would be his best with the Mexican being dropped in the following round. From then on things got worse for Arce who opened up in the third and paid the price being dropped early before being stopped just prior to the bell from a beautiful lead left hook.
Sadly after the fight Jorge Arce announced his retirement and he seemed to make it clear that he really was walking away from the fight game. The classy Mexican was out classed and admitted as much though fully congratulated Donaire who he called a friend.
For Donaire a fight with either Guillermo Rigondeaux or Abner Mares is hopeful. Hopefully WE get to see them next year.
The fight other story was that it was legendary broadcaster Larry Merchant's final one. A real, real shame.
Saturday, 8 December 2012
Miguel Vazquez v Mercito Gesta
IBF Light Champion Miguel "Titere" Vazquez (33-3, 13) successfully retained his title and made the fifth defense of the belt as he gave a boxing masterclass to the highly hyped and previously unbeaten Filipino Mercito Gesta (26-1-1, 14). In fact it was hard to give Gesta more than a round as the Filipino did very little through out the fight.
The opening round saw Vazquez setting the tone of the fight by moving around Gesta and landing repeated jabs as he controlled the pace and distance of the fight. Although Gesta did go down in the round it was ruled a slip and seemed to come just as much from a collision of legs as much as the punch that came before it. Vazquez went on to clearly dominate the almost all the rounds rounds with out barely taking a shot in return with actually the most meaningful punch of the first 9 rounds being a straight right he hit Gesta with in round 3 that rocked the Filipino fighter.
Vazquez's domination of the fight was helped by the fact Gesta was so inactive, he kept walking forward, taking shots on the guard and firing nothing back. When he had what little successes he did have he failed to follow up and never looked like having Vazquez worried at all as the champion played the matador to wild and novice-like challenger.
Gesta was was told repeatedly to put his foot down and force the fight and it was until round 9 that he actually started to force things. In round 10 Gesta finally got some notable success as he caused blood to trickle from Vazquez' nose in probably the only round you could give to Gesta, though Vazquez reestablished himself and took the final two rounds to claim a very clear and very easy defense.
Sadly for Gesta he seemed to freeze on the big stage and was far too passive to even come close to cutting the ring off for the very talented and very under-rated Vazquez.
The opening round saw Vazquez setting the tone of the fight by moving around Gesta and landing repeated jabs as he controlled the pace and distance of the fight. Although Gesta did go down in the round it was ruled a slip and seemed to come just as much from a collision of legs as much as the punch that came before it. Vazquez went on to clearly dominate the almost all the rounds rounds with out barely taking a shot in return with actually the most meaningful punch of the first 9 rounds being a straight right he hit Gesta with in round 3 that rocked the Filipino fighter.
Vazquez's domination of the fight was helped by the fact Gesta was so inactive, he kept walking forward, taking shots on the guard and firing nothing back. When he had what little successes he did have he failed to follow up and never looked like having Vazquez worried at all as the champion played the matador to wild and novice-like challenger.
Gesta was was told repeatedly to put his foot down and force the fight and it was until round 9 that he actually started to force things. In round 10 Gesta finally got some notable success as he caused blood to trickle from Vazquez' nose in probably the only round you could give to Gesta, though Vazquez reestablished himself and took the final two rounds to claim a very clear and very easy defense.
Sadly for Gesta he seemed to freeze on the big stage and was far too passive to even come close to cutting the ring off for the very talented and very under-rated Vazquez.
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Shinsuke Yamanaka v Tomas Rojas
WBC Bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka (17-0-2, 12) made the second successful defense of his title earlier today surprisingly stopping the generally durable Mexican veteran Tomas Rojas (39-14-1-1, 26).
The champion had established control of the bout early on using his power and skill to neutralise Rojas' reach advantage, however Rojas was certainly still game going in to the second half of the fight. Sadly for Rojas however Yamanaka hits hard and hits quite often as Rojas found out prior to being dropped, face first for the count in round 7 in one of the genuine knockout of the year contenders.
For the 32 year old Rojas this could well be the end of the line after a long 16 year career which has seen him facing genuinely a who's who of top tier boxers ranging from Rosendo Alvarez to Vic Darchinyan. Amazingly this is just the third time Rojas has been stopped with Yamanaka joining Vic Darchinyan and Jorge Arce and this was arguably the most vicious of the three.
With Rojas' career now in tatters it's fair to suggest that Yamanaka will rightfully be claiming the plaudits. This is a bought I genuinely expected to go the distance but Yamanaka's power wouldn't allow that to happen. I'd now like to see the 30 year old Japanese fighter in with one more top Bantamweight, be it domestic rival Koki Kameda (who faces Hugo Ruiz later this year) or exciting Thai Pungluang Sor Singyu (the current WBO champion) before perhaps looking to move up. Yamanaka is in a division that was red hot just a year or two ago however it's now somewhat weaker and aside from Anselmo Moreno (who may well end up staying at Super Bantamweight if he defeats Abner Mares) there is no one I'd expect to really give the Japanese fighter a real fight.
The champion had established control of the bout early on using his power and skill to neutralise Rojas' reach advantage, however Rojas was certainly still game going in to the second half of the fight. Sadly for Rojas however Yamanaka hits hard and hits quite often as Rojas found out prior to being dropped, face first for the count in round 7 in one of the genuine knockout of the year contenders.
For the 32 year old Rojas this could well be the end of the line after a long 16 year career which has seen him facing genuinely a who's who of top tier boxers ranging from Rosendo Alvarez to Vic Darchinyan. Amazingly this is just the third time Rojas has been stopped with Yamanaka joining Vic Darchinyan and Jorge Arce and this was arguably the most vicious of the three.
With Rojas' career now in tatters it's fair to suggest that Yamanaka will rightfully be claiming the plaudits. This is a bought I genuinely expected to go the distance but Yamanaka's power wouldn't allow that to happen. I'd now like to see the 30 year old Japanese fighter in with one more top Bantamweight, be it domestic rival Koki Kameda (who faces Hugo Ruiz later this year) or exciting Thai Pungluang Sor Singyu (the current WBO champion) before perhaps looking to move up. Yamanaka is in a division that was red hot just a year or two ago however it's now somewhat weaker and aside from Anselmo Moreno (who may well end up staying at Super Bantamweight if he defeats Abner Mares) there is no one I'd expect to really give the Japanese fighter a real fight.
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Takahiro Ao v Gamaliel Diaz
In this first of this weekends title fights we saw a noteworthy upset as Japanese fighter Takahiro Ao (23-3-1, 10) lost his WBC Super Featherweight title to Mexican Gamaliel Diaz (37-9-2, 17) via decision, despite the fact Diaz was the visiting fighter.
Despite going in to the bout as the under-dog, the upset minded Diaz (who also holds wins over Elio Rojas and Robert Guerrero) managed to rip the title away from Ao in a rather uninteresting fight. The bout started well for Diaz who managed to land long right hands from the off and whilst Ao looked for the counters he was simply getting tagged far too often early on.
Diaz's domination would see him becoming more confident and sadly his confidence was punished as he was deducted points for low blows, however even the deductions wouldn't deny him as he repeatedly threw his looping right hand and repeatedly found the target. Sadly for Ao he didn't seem to have a plan B and even when he upped his own work rate he failed to really force the issue, in fact when he looked to force the bout he merely suffered a cut as Diaz continued to to be the accurate aggressor.
Whilst a rematch is possible, I'd imagine that Diaz will look to "cash out" and make a name in the US. Although he's not the most talented he's a fighter who is confident and on a 14 fight winning streak and a fight with someone Diego Magdaleno could be very interesting. Despite being experienced I don't see Diaz holding the title for long.
For Ao this was a major learning experience. In terms of raw skills he's a much, much better fighter than he showed, he fought the wrong game plan and was punished and hopefully this will serve as a lesson that he will need to do more if he can encourage Diaz to give him a rematch. If Ao cannot get a rematch he will perhaps be looking for a bout with countryman Takashi Uchiyama or some confidence rebuilding "easy" wins.
Despite going in to the bout as the under-dog, the upset minded Diaz (who also holds wins over Elio Rojas and Robert Guerrero) managed to rip the title away from Ao in a rather uninteresting fight. The bout started well for Diaz who managed to land long right hands from the off and whilst Ao looked for the counters he was simply getting tagged far too often early on.
Diaz's domination would see him becoming more confident and sadly his confidence was punished as he was deducted points for low blows, however even the deductions wouldn't deny him as he repeatedly threw his looping right hand and repeatedly found the target. Sadly for Ao he didn't seem to have a plan B and even when he upped his own work rate he failed to really force the issue, in fact when he looked to force the bout he merely suffered a cut as Diaz continued to to be the accurate aggressor.
Whilst a rematch is possible, I'd imagine that Diaz will look to "cash out" and make a name in the US. Although he's not the most talented he's a fighter who is confident and on a 14 fight winning streak and a fight with someone Diego Magdaleno could be very interesting. Despite being experienced I don't see Diaz holding the title for long.
For Ao this was a major learning experience. In terms of raw skills he's a much, much better fighter than he showed, he fought the wrong game plan and was punished and hopefully this will serve as a lesson that he will need to do more if he can encourage Diaz to give him a rematch. If Ao cannot get a rematch he will perhaps be looking for a bout with countryman Takashi Uchiyama or some confidence rebuilding "easy" wins.
Monday, 22 October 2012
Omar Andres Narvaez v Johnny Garcia
Talented Argentinian Omar Andres Narvaez (37-1-2, 20) successfully defended his WBO Super Flyweight title for the fifth time as he stopped Mexican Johnny Garcia (16-4-1, 8) in the 11th round of an impressive and emotionally charged bout.
The bout, first scheduled for Wednesday, was delayed following the death of Narvaez's father and in the opening round Narvaez did look like his mind was else where as he spent much of the round outside of his own range behind his high guard, allowing Garcia to hit his arms. Midway through round 2 however Narvaez seemed to realise he was in a fight and tried to launch his own hard shorts, often leaping at the much bigger Garcia with big left hands whilst frustrating the challenger with clever movement. Through the first 3 rounds Garcia seemed to be in the lead thanks to hi aggressiveness, however he was looking wild and sent himself to the canvas at one point whilst swinging at Narvaez.
By the mid point of the fourth round you could see Garcia gradually getting more frustrated with Narvaez and not only was Garcia missing a lot, but he was wasting a lot of energy against a very tricky Narvaez who, whilst not winning the fight at this point, was starting to tire the much younger Garcia. In round 5 Narvaez started to close the range and whilst he didn't do enough to really stamp his authority on the round, he seemed to have finally started to warm to the bout, however the round was sadly rather stop start after a number of accidental fouls by the challenger.
In round 6 the snap seemed to have gone from Garcia as Narvaez started to turn the screw and stood in the pocket and looked like he was really getting in the groove in his most impressive round up to that point. If the sixth was Narvaez finding his groove then the seventh was Narvaez showing a mean streak as he continued to stand in the pocket and land numerous, hurtful shots, almost appearing to take his emotions out on Garcia's head and body in a hugely impressive round that saw Garcia dropped officially for the first time in the bout.
As Garcia went back to his corner following round 7 he appeared to be a beaten man whilst Narvaez seemed to be a man with bad thoughts on in his mind. Surprisingly however Garcia came out for round 8 looking like a rejuvenated fighter before a nasty clash of heads had both men wincing with Garcia being deducted a point. Late in round 8 Narvaez seemed to look for the stoppage but Garcia managed to survive thanks to some confusion by both men regarding the end of the round.
Although Narvaez was controlling the bout it wasn't until the final minute of round 11 that he made his control really count for something as he dropped Garcia 3 times forcing the referee to wave the bout off and give Narvaez his first stoppage victory since moving up from Flyweight. Interestingly it's the third time Narvaez has stopped an opponent in the 11th round (with his last stoppage also being in the 11th round).
At 37 years old Narvaez is on the slide. He proved he still has the speed, skills and movement to hang with younger fighters though I wouldn't be surprised if he were to announce his retirement in the next few months, maybe going out with 1 more fight to finish a memorable, if under-rated career. For Garcia however I think we'll probably see him again as a perennial but limited challenger.
The bout, first scheduled for Wednesday, was delayed following the death of Narvaez's father and in the opening round Narvaez did look like his mind was else where as he spent much of the round outside of his own range behind his high guard, allowing Garcia to hit his arms. Midway through round 2 however Narvaez seemed to realise he was in a fight and tried to launch his own hard shorts, often leaping at the much bigger Garcia with big left hands whilst frustrating the challenger with clever movement. Through the first 3 rounds Garcia seemed to be in the lead thanks to hi aggressiveness, however he was looking wild and sent himself to the canvas at one point whilst swinging at Narvaez.
By the mid point of the fourth round you could see Garcia gradually getting more frustrated with Narvaez and not only was Garcia missing a lot, but he was wasting a lot of energy against a very tricky Narvaez who, whilst not winning the fight at this point, was starting to tire the much younger Garcia. In round 5 Narvaez started to close the range and whilst he didn't do enough to really stamp his authority on the round, he seemed to have finally started to warm to the bout, however the round was sadly rather stop start after a number of accidental fouls by the challenger.
In round 6 the snap seemed to have gone from Garcia as Narvaez started to turn the screw and stood in the pocket and looked like he was really getting in the groove in his most impressive round up to that point. If the sixth was Narvaez finding his groove then the seventh was Narvaez showing a mean streak as he continued to stand in the pocket and land numerous, hurtful shots, almost appearing to take his emotions out on Garcia's head and body in a hugely impressive round that saw Garcia dropped officially for the first time in the bout.
As Garcia went back to his corner following round 7 he appeared to be a beaten man whilst Narvaez seemed to be a man with bad thoughts on in his mind. Surprisingly however Garcia came out for round 8 looking like a rejuvenated fighter before a nasty clash of heads had both men wincing with Garcia being deducted a point. Late in round 8 Narvaez seemed to look for the stoppage but Garcia managed to survive thanks to some confusion by both men regarding the end of the round.
Although Narvaez was controlling the bout it wasn't until the final minute of round 11 that he made his control really count for something as he dropped Garcia 3 times forcing the referee to wave the bout off and give Narvaez his first stoppage victory since moving up from Flyweight. Interestingly it's the third time Narvaez has stopped an opponent in the 11th round (with his last stoppage also being in the 11th round).
At 37 years old Narvaez is on the slide. He proved he still has the speed, skills and movement to hang with younger fighters though I wouldn't be surprised if he were to announce his retirement in the next few months, maybe going out with 1 more fight to finish a memorable, if under-rated career. For Garcia however I think we'll probably see him again as a perennial but limited challenger.
Monday, 8 October 2012
Kompayak Porpramook v Adrian Hernandez II
Mexican Adrian Hernandez (25-2-1, 16) regained the WBC Light Flyweight title as he exacted revenge from Thai Kompayak Porpramook (46-4, 31) in a rematch of one of 2011's fight of the year contenders.
When the two men first met back in December 2011 Porpramook managed to stop Hernandez in a 10 round war in Thailand. The then challenger simply broke down the then champion to claim the title and end Hernandez's first reign after just 1 successful defense. This time around however the roles were reversed, the champion, Porpramook, was the visitor to the challengers homeland, and like in the first bout, the champion would be stopped.
The bout started very fast with neither man really feeling the need to feel out the other and from the off it looked like we were in for another very enjoyable war between two genuine warriors who gave their all in their first bout. Through out much of the round Hernandez attempted to control the distance with his hard jab though up close appeared more than willing to go punch-for-punch with the Thai.
The second round followed the same pattern of the opening round with Hernandez trying to control the distance but not too bothered if Porpramook was able to get up close in a trade off. The fights first major talking point was in round 3 as Hernandez's powerful blows started to take their effect on Porpramook with the Thai being wobbled before being dropped late in the round. Hernandez went hell for leather at the end of the round and whilst he failed to stop Porpramook he had done some notable damage before slipping himself. After the bell to end the round both men continued to trade with each other several seconds as the crowd went wild.
At the start of the fourth round an accidental headclash bizarrely so both men deducted a point (at least that's what the referee seemed to indicate). After the clash of heads Porpramook had arguably his best round as he tried to make up for the fact he was dropped in the previous round. Hernandez however fought back well and fight fans were treated to one of the rounds of the year as both guys went at each other hard with a huge variety of shots.
In the fifth round Hernandez seemed to start grinding down Porpramook landing numberous hurtful body shots as well as hurtful head shots forcing Porpramook to fight much of the round off the ropes and appearing to shake him hard at the end of the round. The following round Hernandez dropped Porpramook against the ropes very early on after a series of hard shots. Despite rising on wobbly legs Porpramook appeared clear headed after the 8 count however the referee, controversially, waved an early end to the bout declaring the Thai in no fit state to continue.
The stoppage it's self seemed really poor, especially after their first bout, however Porpramook had been hurt in the previous round and Hernandez was starting to really come on strong. Hopefully the controversial ending will allow us to see a third bout, hopefully in a neutral venue such as Las Vegas and hopefully give both fighters a chance to not only be seen by a wider audience but also collect a pay day they deserve.
When the two men first met back in December 2011 Porpramook managed to stop Hernandez in a 10 round war in Thailand. The then challenger simply broke down the then champion to claim the title and end Hernandez's first reign after just 1 successful defense. This time around however the roles were reversed, the champion, Porpramook, was the visitor to the challengers homeland, and like in the first bout, the champion would be stopped.
The bout started very fast with neither man really feeling the need to feel out the other and from the off it looked like we were in for another very enjoyable war between two genuine warriors who gave their all in their first bout. Through out much of the round Hernandez attempted to control the distance with his hard jab though up close appeared more than willing to go punch-for-punch with the Thai.
The second round followed the same pattern of the opening round with Hernandez trying to control the distance but not too bothered if Porpramook was able to get up close in a trade off. The fights first major talking point was in round 3 as Hernandez's powerful blows started to take their effect on Porpramook with the Thai being wobbled before being dropped late in the round. Hernandez went hell for leather at the end of the round and whilst he failed to stop Porpramook he had done some notable damage before slipping himself. After the bell to end the round both men continued to trade with each other several seconds as the crowd went wild.
At the start of the fourth round an accidental headclash bizarrely so both men deducted a point (at least that's what the referee seemed to indicate). After the clash of heads Porpramook had arguably his best round as he tried to make up for the fact he was dropped in the previous round. Hernandez however fought back well and fight fans were treated to one of the rounds of the year as both guys went at each other hard with a huge variety of shots.
In the fifth round Hernandez seemed to start grinding down Porpramook landing numberous hurtful body shots as well as hurtful head shots forcing Porpramook to fight much of the round off the ropes and appearing to shake him hard at the end of the round. The following round Hernandez dropped Porpramook against the ropes very early on after a series of hard shots. Despite rising on wobbly legs Porpramook appeared clear headed after the 8 count however the referee, controversially, waved an early end to the bout declaring the Thai in no fit state to continue.
The stoppage it's self seemed really poor, especially after their first bout, however Porpramook had been hurt in the previous round and Hernandez was starting to really come on strong. Hopefully the controversial ending will allow us to see a third bout, hopefully in a neutral venue such as Las Vegas and hopefully give both fighters a chance to not only be seen by a wider audience but also collect a pay day they deserve.
Jesus Silvestre v Takuya Mitamura
Mexican Jesus Silvestre (26-3, 19) successfully defended his WBA "interim" Minimumweight title for the first time as he stopped previously unbeaten Japanese challenger Takuya Mitamura (12-1, 2) in just 4 rounds.
Silvestre started the fight well and used both accurate hurtful counters as well as some thudding combinations in the early rounds to hurt Mitamura who, despite landing his own shots did little to really stop Silvestre from doing as he wished.
By the end of the third round it appeared that Silvestre's hurtful body punches were taking their toll out of Mitamura and early in the fourth round the Japanese fighter was stopped effectively a broken man.
Despite the victory being a decent one for Silvestre, I do have to wonder how he would fair with the top guys at 105lbs. Countrymen Mario Rodriguez (IBF) and Moises Fuentes (WBO) would both be great unification bouts with a lot of action and excitement, however Silvestre would likely lose to any of the top Japanese fighters (Kazuto Ioka, Akira Yaegashi or Katsunari Takayama).
For Mitamura the logical next fight is a bout with rising young star Ryuji Hara (13-0, 10) who won Mitamura's old Japanese Minimumweight title in midweek.
Silvestre started the fight well and used both accurate hurtful counters as well as some thudding combinations in the early rounds to hurt Mitamura who, despite landing his own shots did little to really stop Silvestre from doing as he wished.
By the end of the third round it appeared that Silvestre's hurtful body punches were taking their toll out of Mitamura and early in the fourth round the Japanese fighter was stopped effectively a broken man.
Despite the victory being a decent one for Silvestre, I do have to wonder how he would fair with the top guys at 105lbs. Countrymen Mario Rodriguez (IBF) and Moises Fuentes (WBO) would both be great unification bouts with a lot of action and excitement, however Silvestre would likely lose to any of the top Japanese fighters (Kazuto Ioka, Akira Yaegashi or Katsunari Takayama).
For Mitamura the logical next fight is a bout with rising young star Ryuji Hara (13-0, 10) who won Mitamura's old Japanese Minimumweight title in midweek.
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