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.
Showing posts with label Super Middleweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Middleweight. Show all posts
Monday, 9 December 2013
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Carl Froch v George Groves
The most controversial bout of the weekend occurred in the United Kingdom this past weekend as Carl Froch (32-2, 23) retained both the IBF and WBA "super" Super Middleweight title with a 9th round stoppage of fellow Brit George Groves (19-1, 15). Although a stoppage it was one of those "British Stoppages" that has fans around the world screaming and shouting at their TV's.
The first round was a huge shock as Groves didn't just start well but dropped Froch, scoring just the second knock down against Froch in his 34 fight career. Unfortunately for Groves the clock ran out out of time before he could pounce on a still hurt champion.
Although Groves had failed to jump on Froch when he was hurt he did manage to continue his success through the first four rounds as he used his speed and movement to make Froch look like a somewhat clueless fighter. The right hand hands and jabs of Groves were the dominant factor through these early rounds as Froch was tagged almost at will by Groves.
As we got to round 5 however Froch began to come in to the fight, in fact it was in round 5 that Froch began to have his first real success landing his own right shots whilst Groves began to slow. Although Sky commentator Jim Watt was refusing to give credit to Groves the fight was beginning to turn around and Froch was beginning to have more success on a round by round basis.
Although Froch has a good round 5 Groves came back well in round 6, unfortunately however he was warned for leading with the head and was really not looking like the fighter who had won the first 4 rounds. This was shown in round 7 as Froch has ended the round with a big flurry.
The finish of round 7 by Froch seemed to continue in to round 8 as Froch arguably won his second round of the fight as he rocked Groves. Groves was still certainly in the round but was beginning to make mistakes and show his inexperience as Froch began, finally, to find his own rhythm.
In round 9 Froch had his best round as he hurt Groves then went for the kill. Groves fougfht back as the two men brawled and then, almost as if he was told when to step in, Howard Foster stopped the contest awarding the bout via 9th round TKO, to Froch. This stoppage came as both men traded.
The first round was a huge shock as Groves didn't just start well but dropped Froch, scoring just the second knock down against Froch in his 34 fight career. Unfortunately for Groves the clock ran out out of time before he could pounce on a still hurt champion.
Although Groves had failed to jump on Froch when he was hurt he did manage to continue his success through the first four rounds as he used his speed and movement to make Froch look like a somewhat clueless fighter. The right hand hands and jabs of Groves were the dominant factor through these early rounds as Froch was tagged almost at will by Groves.
As we got to round 5 however Froch began to come in to the fight, in fact it was in round 5 that Froch began to have his first real success landing his own right shots whilst Groves began to slow. Although Sky commentator Jim Watt was refusing to give credit to Groves the fight was beginning to turn around and Froch was beginning to have more success on a round by round basis.
Although Froch has a good round 5 Groves came back well in round 6, unfortunately however he was warned for leading with the head and was really not looking like the fighter who had won the first 4 rounds. This was shown in round 7 as Froch has ended the round with a big flurry.
The finish of round 7 by Froch seemed to continue in to round 8 as Froch arguably won his second round of the fight as he rocked Groves. Groves was still certainly in the round but was beginning to make mistakes and show his inexperience as Froch began, finally, to find his own rhythm.
In round 9 Froch had his best round as he hurt Groves then went for the kill. Groves fougfht back as the two men brawled and then, almost as if he was told when to step in, Howard Foster stopped the contest awarding the bout via 9th round TKO, to Froch. This stoppage came as both men traded.
Saturday, 19 October 2013
Robert Stieglitz v Isaac Ekpo
In the first of two world title fights this weekend the WBO Super Middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz (46-3, 26) successfully defended his title thanks to clear decision over Nigerian Isaac Ekpo (22-2, 16) in a scrappy and less than exciting contest.
The opening round was close, it wasn't great but it was competitive as both men seemed to try and feel out what the other had. Neither man really committed themselves to an attack and as a result neither man really found out much about the other as cautious respect seemed to overshadow the round.
Unfortunately the fact the opening round had "failed" as a scouting expedition saw the same cautious attitude applied in the second round by both men. It seemed as if Stieglitz didn't want to find out if Ekpo's power was for real and it seemed that Ekpo, who looked good defensively, didn't want to let Stieglitz know about his power too soon. Unfortunately this played off as a second uninteresting round.
Thankfully it appeared that Stieglitz had began to figure Ekpo out and moved up a gear in round 3, landing the first notable combination of the fight. The class different seemed obvious as soon as Stieglitz let his hands go and this showed over the next few rounds as he began to rack up clear rounds thanks to a single flurry or two of eye catching action.
From round 3 onwards Stieglitz just grew and grew in to the fight. Ekpo, who had entered with an aura of being a hard hitting livewire was beginning to be outclassed, out boxed, out worked and generally made to look like a second rate challenger. A typical WBO challenger if you will. Whilst Ekpo was looking like a typical second rate challenger Stieglitz was beginning to look like a second rate champion and as a result was starting to have a field day with Ekpo who was being broken down physically and forced into a shell mentally.
By the end of round 9 it was becoming a route as Stieglitz moved up the gears and starting to really let his hands go, seemingly staggering Ekpo late in the round. From then on it was game over, Ekpo lacked the power to trouble the German, lacked the skills to compete and lacked any trait at all that could push Stieglitz into looking for a plan B. It was just a matter of what did Stieglitz want, was he happy with a wide decision or would he push for a late stoppage?
The answer didn't really matter, Ekpo, for his faults, did seem to be tough and seemed like he'd find a way to see out the final bell one way or another. That's exactly what he managed thanks to some very scrappy work, especially in a final round marred by holding and and lack of clean action as the fight fizzled to a clear decision in a bout that won't be on any end of year lists I'm afraid.
It's fair to say that despite scores of 118-110-twice, and 119-111 people won't be in a rush to see Stieglitz again on the back of this contest. it was poor and certainly nothing worth re-watching.
The opening round was close, it wasn't great but it was competitive as both men seemed to try and feel out what the other had. Neither man really committed themselves to an attack and as a result neither man really found out much about the other as cautious respect seemed to overshadow the round.
Unfortunately the fact the opening round had "failed" as a scouting expedition saw the same cautious attitude applied in the second round by both men. It seemed as if Stieglitz didn't want to find out if Ekpo's power was for real and it seemed that Ekpo, who looked good defensively, didn't want to let Stieglitz know about his power too soon. Unfortunately this played off as a second uninteresting round.
Thankfully it appeared that Stieglitz had began to figure Ekpo out and moved up a gear in round 3, landing the first notable combination of the fight. The class different seemed obvious as soon as Stieglitz let his hands go and this showed over the next few rounds as he began to rack up clear rounds thanks to a single flurry or two of eye catching action.
From round 3 onwards Stieglitz just grew and grew in to the fight. Ekpo, who had entered with an aura of being a hard hitting livewire was beginning to be outclassed, out boxed, out worked and generally made to look like a second rate challenger. A typical WBO challenger if you will. Whilst Ekpo was looking like a typical second rate challenger Stieglitz was beginning to look like a second rate champion and as a result was starting to have a field day with Ekpo who was being broken down physically and forced into a shell mentally.
By the end of round 9 it was becoming a route as Stieglitz moved up the gears and starting to really let his hands go, seemingly staggering Ekpo late in the round. From then on it was game over, Ekpo lacked the power to trouble the German, lacked the skills to compete and lacked any trait at all that could push Stieglitz into looking for a plan B. It was just a matter of what did Stieglitz want, was he happy with a wide decision or would he push for a late stoppage?
The answer didn't really matter, Ekpo, for his faults, did seem to be tough and seemed like he'd find a way to see out the final bell one way or another. That's exactly what he managed thanks to some very scrappy work, especially in a final round marred by holding and and lack of clean action as the fight fizzled to a clear decision in a bout that won't be on any end of year lists I'm afraid.
It's fair to say that despite scores of 118-110-twice, and 119-111 people won't be in a rush to see Stieglitz again on the back of this contest. it was poor and certainly nothing worth re-watching.
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Stanyslav Kashtanov v Jaime Barboza
Little known "interim" WBA Super Middleweight champion Stanyslav Kashtanov (31-1, 17) successfully retained his title today as he stopped the usually durable Costa Rican Jaime Barboza (18-8, 8) in the 10th round.
The fight, in Ukraine saw Kashtanov defending his title for the first time and it was obvious his confidence had grown since winning the title last time out. He took the centre of the ring and Barboza really struggled to get in close to the champion.
Although the champion is far from a puncher he is an intelligent fighter and seemed intent to just chip away at Barboza round after round as he slowly broke down the challenger. Although Barboza, who came in to the bout with a 2-4 record in his last 6 bouts, was never a real threat it was a case of staying professional until Barboza was there to put away.
In round 10 Kashtanov finally got he chance he was looking for as he dropped Barboza for the count becoming just the second man to stop the Costa Rican who's title hope must surely be over now.
The victory was never in doubt for Kashtanov though hopefully next time out he will be facing a better opponent than Barboza, how about someone like DeGale?
The fight, in Ukraine saw Kashtanov defending his title for the first time and it was obvious his confidence had grown since winning the title last time out. He took the centre of the ring and Barboza really struggled to get in close to the champion.
Although the champion is far from a puncher he is an intelligent fighter and seemed intent to just chip away at Barboza round after round as he slowly broke down the challenger. Although Barboza, who came in to the bout with a 2-4 record in his last 6 bouts, was never a real threat it was a case of staying professional until Barboza was there to put away.
In round 10 Kashtanov finally got he chance he was looking for as he dropped Barboza for the count becoming just the second man to stop the Costa Rican who's title hope must surely be over now.
The victory was never in doubt for Kashtanov though hopefully next time out he will be facing a better opponent than Barboza, how about someone like DeGale?
Saturday, 13 July 2013
Robert Stieglitz v Yuzo Kiyota
WBO Super Middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz (45-3, 25) began his second reign as champion with a less than inspiring technical decision over Japanese puncher Yuzo Kiyota (23-4-1, 21).
The fight was a very slow burner with no more than a handful of clean punches landed through the first 4 rounds as the men wrestled almost continually. What little clean action did occur was solely single shots which were followed up by the fighters clinching and the referee needing to separate them. In fact for much of the bout the referee was busier than the two fighters combined.
It wasn't until round 5 that we actually had some notable action as Kiyota was deducted a point for hitting on the break, both men pushed the other down and Stieglitz landed a memorable right hand that sent Kiyota backwards but didn't seem to really hurt the Japanese fighter. This was a surprise to many who had assumed that Kiyota couldn't take a shot due to his opening round stoppage loss to Jameson Bostic a few back.
Kiyota's problem was that at range his hand speed was so much slower than that of Stieglitz who was able to land and up close he was being tied up. This saw him reverting to launching hail mary style right hands which often missed by a country mile but ended up with the men messily clinching.
Round 8 was arguably the closest with any real action as as Kiyota landed several hard shots of his own though unfortunately a clash of heads left him with a nasty cut above the right eye. The doctor looked at it between rounds 8 and 9 and decided it was fine to continue though it didn't take long for the challengers face to be covered in his own claret. With Kiyota's face becoming a bloody mess he was taken to the doctor in the middle of the round who said it was again fine to continue.
Unfortunately the doctor's opinion changed the following round with him deciding the cut had worsened partway in to the round taking us to the judges scorecards. Unfortunately for Kiyota the scorecards were widely against him with the point deduction in round 5 just making the gap even wider.
Whilst Stieglitz had looked tremendous in his previous outing (a stoppage over Arthur Abraham) he looked really bad here. Sure he won and that's the important part but every other fighter in the division will be circling him like a pack of vultures.
The fight was a very slow burner with no more than a handful of clean punches landed through the first 4 rounds as the men wrestled almost continually. What little clean action did occur was solely single shots which were followed up by the fighters clinching and the referee needing to separate them. In fact for much of the bout the referee was busier than the two fighters combined.
It wasn't until round 5 that we actually had some notable action as Kiyota was deducted a point for hitting on the break, both men pushed the other down and Stieglitz landed a memorable right hand that sent Kiyota backwards but didn't seem to really hurt the Japanese fighter. This was a surprise to many who had assumed that Kiyota couldn't take a shot due to his opening round stoppage loss to Jameson Bostic a few back.
Kiyota's problem was that at range his hand speed was so much slower than that of Stieglitz who was able to land and up close he was being tied up. This saw him reverting to launching hail mary style right hands which often missed by a country mile but ended up with the men messily clinching.
Round 8 was arguably the closest with any real action as as Kiyota landed several hard shots of his own though unfortunately a clash of heads left him with a nasty cut above the right eye. The doctor looked at it between rounds 8 and 9 and decided it was fine to continue though it didn't take long for the challengers face to be covered in his own claret. With Kiyota's face becoming a bloody mess he was taken to the doctor in the middle of the round who said it was again fine to continue.
Unfortunately the doctor's opinion changed the following round with him deciding the cut had worsened partway in to the round taking us to the judges scorecards. Unfortunately for Kiyota the scorecards were widely against him with the point deduction in round 5 just making the gap even wider.
Whilst Stieglitz had looked tremendous in his previous outing (a stoppage over Arthur Abraham) he looked really bad here. Sure he won and that's the important part but every other fighter in the division will be circling him like a pack of vultures.
Saturday, 22 June 2013
Sakio Bika v Marco Antonio Periban
Over the past few years the Super Middleweight division has been on of the standout weight classes. Sadly politics has once again left it's mark on he sport as Andre Ward, the standout fighter in the division, was recently stripped of his WBC title.
To fill the void left by the WBC's decision to strip Ward we had a bout between 3-time former title challenger Sakio Bika and the unbeaten Mexican Marco Antonio Periban.
The bout started slowly with Periban just doing enough to claim the opening few rounds. Neither man looked good and the action wasn't great as the crowd started to boo.
In the middle rounds Bika started to charge back and out work Periban who seemed to decide that his best option was dance on the outside and throw next to nothing. The strange tactic of Periban's seemed to see him just giving rounds away with the flat out negativity.
It wasn't until round 8 that we eventually had some fireworks. A clash of heads lead to Periban being taken over to the ringside Dr. Immediately after the Dr said he was fine the two men started to land bombs for fun, though the bell unfortunately cut the excitement short.
Going in to the final 4 rounds it was still finely in the balance and either man had a great chance to claim a decision.
Round 9 seemed to show the best boxing of the bout with Periban showing some lovely class but he couldn't keep it up and and Bika did just enough to claim the following 2 rounds and take a slim lead in the final round.
It was in round 12 that the action and excitement picked up as both men went for it. They were both aware the fight was close and both seemed to know that a knockdown would win the bout for them. This saw both men leaving their jaws on the line and unloading on each other in what was genuinely fun to watch action despite the fact both men looked technically awful.
The close nature of the bout left, as many would expect, a tight decision though one that just favoured Bika by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114 to claim a majority decision.
This loss sees Periban falling to 20-1 (13) whilst Bika improves to 32-5-2 (21) and claims a world title in his 4th attempt. I'd be very shocked if he kept the belt for long.
To fill the void left by the WBC's decision to strip Ward we had a bout between 3-time former title challenger Sakio Bika and the unbeaten Mexican Marco Antonio Periban.
The bout started slowly with Periban just doing enough to claim the opening few rounds. Neither man looked good and the action wasn't great as the crowd started to boo.
In the middle rounds Bika started to charge back and out work Periban who seemed to decide that his best option was dance on the outside and throw next to nothing. The strange tactic of Periban's seemed to see him just giving rounds away with the flat out negativity.
It wasn't until round 8 that we eventually had some fireworks. A clash of heads lead to Periban being taken over to the ringside Dr. Immediately after the Dr said he was fine the two men started to land bombs for fun, though the bell unfortunately cut the excitement short.
Going in to the final 4 rounds it was still finely in the balance and either man had a great chance to claim a decision.
Round 9 seemed to show the best boxing of the bout with Periban showing some lovely class but he couldn't keep it up and and Bika did just enough to claim the following 2 rounds and take a slim lead in the final round.
It was in round 12 that the action and excitement picked up as both men went for it. They were both aware the fight was close and both seemed to know that a knockdown would win the bout for them. This saw both men leaving their jaws on the line and unloading on each other in what was genuinely fun to watch action despite the fact both men looked technically awful.
The close nature of the bout left, as many would expect, a tight decision though one that just favoured Bika by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114 to claim a majority decision.
This loss sees Periban falling to 20-1 (13) whilst Bika improves to 32-5-2 (21) and claims a world title in his 4th attempt. I'd be very shocked if he kept the belt for long.
Sunday, 26 May 2013
Carl Froch v Mikkel Kessler II
When we get a rematch of an excellent bout they rarely live up to the original though for Carl Froch (31-2, 22) his rematch with Mikkel Kessler (46-3, 35) will have been sweeter than the original.
When the two men first met back in 2010 it was Kessler who came out on top in an enthralling brawl for the WBC Super Middleweight title. That loss was Froch's first as a professional and one that he seemed to genuinely resent having against his name. The rematch was his chance to avenge the loss and unify both the WBA and IBF titles and claim himself as one of the sports genuine stand out fighters.
The fight started as "round 1" as opposed to the expected round 13 and it was a slow paced affair with both men looking to use their jabs and straights. Through the round it was Froch who seemed more at ease with the style of the bout though there was little to separate them as they had a feeling out round.
After the slow opening round the bout did start to warm up with both men unloading more as the fight started to catch light. Kessler seemed, throughout the fight, to be the more cautious fighter throwing significantly less through he was also the most effective landing at a notably higher connect rate, despite this he couldn't keep Froch away as the English men was relentless.
Although Froch was much more active Kessler was doing enough to take a number of the rounds and keep the bout competitive, especially through the middle and later rounds though in round 12 Froch had a huge round and appeared to hurt the Dane with a flurry just before the bell that could have forced a stoppage had it come earlier in the fight.
Despite the fact the fighters are now 1-1 against each other I'd really doubt we'd be seeing a rubber bout between the two as Kessler has faded, notably, since their first bout whilst Froch has become a more confident and much better fighter. A third bout between the two would likely see Froch come out a clearer winner than he did here where the scorecards, although all in his favour, were close (especially the 115-113 card of Jean-Francois Toupin).
When the two men first met back in 2010 it was Kessler who came out on top in an enthralling brawl for the WBC Super Middleweight title. That loss was Froch's first as a professional and one that he seemed to genuinely resent having against his name. The rematch was his chance to avenge the loss and unify both the WBA and IBF titles and claim himself as one of the sports genuine stand out fighters.
The fight started as "round 1" as opposed to the expected round 13 and it was a slow paced affair with both men looking to use their jabs and straights. Through the round it was Froch who seemed more at ease with the style of the bout though there was little to separate them as they had a feeling out round.
After the slow opening round the bout did start to warm up with both men unloading more as the fight started to catch light. Kessler seemed, throughout the fight, to be the more cautious fighter throwing significantly less through he was also the most effective landing at a notably higher connect rate, despite this he couldn't keep Froch away as the English men was relentless.
Although Froch was much more active Kessler was doing enough to take a number of the rounds and keep the bout competitive, especially through the middle and later rounds though in round 12 Froch had a huge round and appeared to hurt the Dane with a flurry just before the bell that could have forced a stoppage had it come earlier in the fight.
Despite the fact the fighters are now 1-1 against each other I'd really doubt we'd be seeing a rubber bout between the two as Kessler has faded, notably, since their first bout whilst Froch has become a more confident and much better fighter. A third bout between the two would likely see Froch come out a clearer winner than he did here where the scorecards, although all in his favour, were close (especially the 115-113 card of Jean-Francois Toupin).
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Arthur Abraham v Robert Stieglitz II
In an early contender for shock of the year Robert Stieglitz (44-3, 25) stopped the teak tough Arthur Abraham (36-4, 28) and regained the WBO Super Middleweight title whilst also getting revenge over the man who beat him last year.
Stieglitz set off for the opening round like a man possessed and was unrelenting in his offensive work which forced Abraham to cover up from the opening bell. Although this was technically round 1 it appeared from the off to be round 13 and a continuation of their previous battle. where Abraham looked for counters, this time however Stieglitz wasn't allowing him the space or time to fire counters back.
The fast start from Stieglitz continued in to the second round and this forced Abraham to fire back which saw both men trading for a short burst of time as Abraham was force to fight back. It seemed as if Stieglitz was wanting to make a point to Abraham and that's exactly what he did as he just kept coming. It was from the relentless shots that Abraham seemed seriously hurt late in the round as his left eye swelled up into an ugly mess.
In round 3 we saw the pace of the fight drop somewhat. Stieglitz was still the fighter pressing the action but Abraham was starting to create some space and distance though was unfortunately not landing anything of note on the challenger. In fact what Abraham did land was the cause of a point deduction for rabbit punches as Stieglitz moved to a shocking 4 point lead after just 3 rounds.
After the third round Abraham's trainer Ulli Wegner refused to leave the ring and retired his fighter in the corner at the start of the 4th as Stieglitz shocked the boxing world and became the first man to stop Abraham.
It seems likely that Abraham will be out for quite some time due to the injury so whilst a rubber match is possible it's likely that Stieglitz will be looking for a new dance partner next time out. There is a strong possibility of it being British fighter George Groves.
Stieglitz set off for the opening round like a man possessed and was unrelenting in his offensive work which forced Abraham to cover up from the opening bell. Although this was technically round 1 it appeared from the off to be round 13 and a continuation of their previous battle. where Abraham looked for counters, this time however Stieglitz wasn't allowing him the space or time to fire counters back.
The fast start from Stieglitz continued in to the second round and this forced Abraham to fire back which saw both men trading for a short burst of time as Abraham was force to fight back. It seemed as if Stieglitz was wanting to make a point to Abraham and that's exactly what he did as he just kept coming. It was from the relentless shots that Abraham seemed seriously hurt late in the round as his left eye swelled up into an ugly mess.
In round 3 we saw the pace of the fight drop somewhat. Stieglitz was still the fighter pressing the action but Abraham was starting to create some space and distance though was unfortunately not landing anything of note on the challenger. In fact what Abraham did land was the cause of a point deduction for rabbit punches as Stieglitz moved to a shocking 4 point lead after just 3 rounds.
After the third round Abraham's trainer Ulli Wegner refused to leave the ring and retired his fighter in the corner at the start of the 4th as Stieglitz shocked the boxing world and became the first man to stop Abraham.
It seems likely that Abraham will be out for quite some time due to the injury so whilst a rubber match is possible it's likely that Stieglitz will be looking for a new dance partner next time out. There is a strong possibility of it being British fighter George Groves.
Saturday, 15 December 2012
Arthur Abraham v Mehdi Bouadla
WBO Super Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham (36-3, 28) successfully defended his title for the first time as he stopped Frenchman Mehdi Bouadla (26-5, 11) becoming only the second man to stop Bouadla (following in the footsteps of the recently crowned WBA Super Middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler).
Abraham, a former Middleweight champion was regarded as a heavy handed fighter, especially at Middleweight and he showed why once again as he came out attempting to take Boudla's head off with some nasty hooks up close. Although the challenger managed to survive the early rounds it didn't take long for Abraham's power to start to take it's toll.
Sadly for fans expecting a good bout Bouadla had neither the ability or the power to to earn Abraham's respect. This instead allowed the champion to do as he pleased and he did just that as he slowly but surely ground down the challenger, busting his eye up in the process. It would be a cut around the eye that would eventually save Bouadla from further punishment, though it genuinely did appear to only be a matter of time before he'd have been down anyway.
For Abraham this was genuinely an easy defense, we'll hope next year that he faces a tougher test. Be it Mikkel Kessler, George Groves or even Lucien Bute. For Bouadla though his level has been found, he's sub world level and hopefully he'll not get another undeserved chance like this.
Abraham, a former Middleweight champion was regarded as a heavy handed fighter, especially at Middleweight and he showed why once again as he came out attempting to take Boudla's head off with some nasty hooks up close. Although the challenger managed to survive the early rounds it didn't take long for Abraham's power to start to take it's toll.
Sadly for fans expecting a good bout Bouadla had neither the ability or the power to to earn Abraham's respect. This instead allowed the champion to do as he pleased and he did just that as he slowly but surely ground down the challenger, busting his eye up in the process. It would be a cut around the eye that would eventually save Bouadla from further punishment, though it genuinely did appear to only be a matter of time before he'd have been down anyway.
For Abraham this was genuinely an easy defense, we'll hope next year that he faces a tougher test. Be it Mikkel Kessler, George Groves or even Lucien Bute. For Bouadla though his level has been found, he's sub world level and hopefully he'll not get another undeserved chance like this.
Saturday, 8 December 2012
Brian Magee v Mikkel Kessler
Sang in by Danish rock band Volbeat, Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35) successfully claimed the WBA Middleweight title as he stopped the brave but thoroughly outclassed Brian Magee (36-5-1, 25) thanks to sickening body shots that took the fight from Magee.
The opening round was relatively even with with neither man landing too much serious though Kessler did seem to just nick it with some solid shots late on. Although it was close Kessler was looking for Magee's body from the off often touching him with the jab and seemed to be working Magee out from the off.
The early jabs to the body turned into hurtful straights in the second round as Kessler settled against a somewhat nervous looking Magee, who did land a left hand early in the round. The straights to the body were effective as soon as they landed and Magee went down early in the round with a genuinely nasty shot. Magee did manage to get back up from the first knockdown though Kessler continued to attack the body and hurt Magee numerous times in the round with shots to the same area. It was another body shot at the end of the round that again saw Magee hurt with the Northern Irish man turning his back on the Dane and then going down.
Kessler wasn't wanting to waste time and inside 20 seconds of the third round he again dropped Magee with a body shot before the referee called a halt to the proceedings with Magee still on the canvas.
Although Magee did get up from the first two, it was clear that he never really recovered from the first body shot and although he showed guts (literally) to continue he was never able to give Kessler any questions at all to answer.
It's likely that this will be the end for Magee who has had a very under-rated career, though for Kessler we're hoping the future includes a rematch with Carl Froch in what could easily be one of the stand out fights of 2013 and a WBA-IBF unification bout.
The opening round was relatively even with with neither man landing too much serious though Kessler did seem to just nick it with some solid shots late on. Although it was close Kessler was looking for Magee's body from the off often touching him with the jab and seemed to be working Magee out from the off.
The early jabs to the body turned into hurtful straights in the second round as Kessler settled against a somewhat nervous looking Magee, who did land a left hand early in the round. The straights to the body were effective as soon as they landed and Magee went down early in the round with a genuinely nasty shot. Magee did manage to get back up from the first knockdown though Kessler continued to attack the body and hurt Magee numerous times in the round with shots to the same area. It was another body shot at the end of the round that again saw Magee hurt with the Northern Irish man turning his back on the Dane and then going down.
Kessler wasn't wanting to waste time and inside 20 seconds of the third round he again dropped Magee with a body shot before the referee called a halt to the proceedings with Magee still on the canvas.
Although Magee did get up from the first two, it was clear that he never really recovered from the first body shot and although he showed guts (literally) to continue he was never able to give Kessler any questions at all to answer.
It's likely that this will be the end for Magee who has had a very under-rated career, though for Kessler we're hoping the future includes a rematch with Carl Froch in what could easily be one of the stand out fights of 2013 and a WBA-IBF unification bout.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Carl Froch v Yusuf Mack
Englishman Carl Froch (30-2, 22) sensationally retained his IBF Super Middleweight title by stopping American Yusuf Mack (31-5-2, 17) in a dominant 3-round display that hardly saw Mack landing a punch.
The opening round saw Froch starting fast and rocking Mack very early. The American tried to keep Froch at range but Froch found ways of landing with both hands, and a left hook early in the round seemed to mentally kill off the fight in Mack who would be dropped later in the round. Froch went for the kill late in the round but Mack, much to his credit, rode out the storm until the bell saved him.
The second round was much slower with very little happening until Froch let his hands go very late in the round stunning Mack and knocking his gum shield out. Sadly Froch had done little before then and Mack managed to again hear the bell. The following round however Froch started quickly again, and almost contemptuously took the fight to Mack, rocking him with a head shot before sending him down with a vicious body shot that left Mack down for the count.
For Mack it's time to go back home and forget the chances of ever claiming a world title. For Froch however he'll be looking to rematch any of Lucien Bute, Mikkel Kessler or even Andre Ward as he attempts to fight his way to the #1 rating at Super Middleweight. On this performance he'd destroy Bute again, he'd likely defeat Kessler and against Ward it'd certainly be interesting (though I'd still favour Ward).
The opening round saw Froch starting fast and rocking Mack very early. The American tried to keep Froch at range but Froch found ways of landing with both hands, and a left hook early in the round seemed to mentally kill off the fight in Mack who would be dropped later in the round. Froch went for the kill late in the round but Mack, much to his credit, rode out the storm until the bell saved him.
The second round was much slower with very little happening until Froch let his hands go very late in the round stunning Mack and knocking his gum shield out. Sadly Froch had done little before then and Mack managed to again hear the bell. The following round however Froch started quickly again, and almost contemptuously took the fight to Mack, rocking him with a head shot before sending him down with a vicious body shot that left Mack down for the count.
For Mack it's time to go back home and forget the chances of ever claiming a world title. For Froch however he'll be looking to rematch any of Lucien Bute, Mikkel Kessler or even Andre Ward as he attempts to fight his way to the #1 rating at Super Middleweight. On this performance he'd destroy Bute again, he'd likely defeat Kessler and against Ward it'd certainly be interesting (though I'd still favour Ward).
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Stanyslav Kashtanov v Server Yemurlayev
Stanyslav Kashtanov (30-1, 16) came out on top in the all Ukrainian bout for the WBA "interim" Super Middleweight title as he out pointed previous unbeaten countryman Server Yemurlayev (22-1, 8) via a split decision.
Kashtanov started the bout well, avoiding the hard jabs of Yemurlayev who was either missing completely or having his jabs blocked. With Yemurlayev missing many of his shots, it allowed Kashtanov to take an early lead, however Yemurlayev did have some success and may have just nicked the fourth round.
Despite Yemurlayev's success in round 4, it didn't take long for Kashtanov to re-stake his control in the bout taking the middle rounds to really open up a gap in the scoring on most cards. By round 9 it looked like a clear decision for Kashtanov was on the cards, but then Yemurlayev started to fight back and arguably showed his best as he clearly won 2 of the last 3 rounds bringing the scores to look more competitive, even if he did still clearly lose.
Shocking the score cards were read out to give Kashtanov only a split decision victory with scores of 116-112, 118-110 (in favour of Kashtanov) and the frankly ludicrous 115-113 in favour of Server Yemurlayev.
Kashtanov started the bout well, avoiding the hard jabs of Yemurlayev who was either missing completely or having his jabs blocked. With Yemurlayev missing many of his shots, it allowed Kashtanov to take an early lead, however Yemurlayev did have some success and may have just nicked the fourth round.
Despite Yemurlayev's success in round 4, it didn't take long for Kashtanov to re-stake his control in the bout taking the middle rounds to really open up a gap in the scoring on most cards. By round 9 it looked like a clear decision for Kashtanov was on the cards, but then Yemurlayev started to fight back and arguably showed his best as he clearly won 2 of the last 3 rounds bringing the scores to look more competitive, even if he did still clearly lose.
Shocking the score cards were read out to give Kashtanov only a split decision victory with scores of 116-112, 118-110 (in favour of Kashtanov) and the frankly ludicrous 115-113 in favour of Server Yemurlayev.
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Andre Ward v Chad Dawson
Often in this sport we are happy to predict that when 2 relatively boring fighters face off, we will end up with a boring fight. Predictions however can be wrong and that's exactly what we saw as Andre Ward (26-0, 14) defended his WBA "super" and WBC "regular" Super Middleweight titles against Chad Dawson (31-2-0-1, 17) in a relatively entertaining bout.
The bout started in the expected manner with neither fighter really doing much at all. To be fair the first 3 rounds were unmemorable with more holding and posing than actual punching. If anything Dawson was perhaps in a slender lead having landed a number of eye catching right hooks in round 2. It wouldn't take long however for Andre Ward's class to pay off.
In round 3 the bout came alive with Andre Ward finding a home for his fast left hook and surprisingly he dropped Dawson with a beautiful single shot. After dropping Dawson, Ward seemed to put his foot on the gas and really started to let his hands go at the end of the round with his left hook tagging Dawson's head time and time again. The following round Ward really turned the screw not only dropping Dawson again but going all out for the stoppage and buckling the legs of Dawson again.
The 2 knockdowns seemed to effectively kill off Dawson's hopes and Ward began to really impose his will on the bout as Dawson struggled to land anything of note. Despite having a reach advantage Dawson was unable to do anything with his jab, his hook's were being neutralised and Dawson was effectively shut down.
After a number of slower rounds Ward again turned up the heat in round 8 as the two men fought up close with Ward ripping a number of hard and clean uppercuts to Dawson's chin. Whilst the two men clashed heads on a number of occasions it was the clean punches that Ward was landing landing that were really catching the eye.
By the start of round 10 Ward really was just beating Dawson up. Dawson was doing very little as Ward did as he pleased landing every shot in the book. Ward just continued to beat up Dawson through out the 10th round and wobbled Dawson before the challenger took a knee. Despite recovering to his feet Dawson looked like he didn't want to continue and Steve Smoger waved the bout off.
This performance really did show how good Ward can be on both the defense and offense. Not only did the "Son Of God" shut down Dawson's offense but he also became the first man to stop Dawson. Sadly however we do need to remember that Dawson was "dragged down" from Light Heavyweight for this bout and as a result he may have been feeling the effects of making the lower weight. The performance was brilliant but it could be considered tainted.
For Dawson, he may write his loss off as a loss at a lower weight however he was simply dominated. He may well return to 175 but I dare say he'll never be the fighter he once was, his confidence will be bust by this loss, he was out sped, out muscled and dropped repeatedly before being forced to quit. It may be a long road back for Dawson mentally.
The bout started in the expected manner with neither fighter really doing much at all. To be fair the first 3 rounds were unmemorable with more holding and posing than actual punching. If anything Dawson was perhaps in a slender lead having landed a number of eye catching right hooks in round 2. It wouldn't take long however for Andre Ward's class to pay off.
In round 3 the bout came alive with Andre Ward finding a home for his fast left hook and surprisingly he dropped Dawson with a beautiful single shot. After dropping Dawson, Ward seemed to put his foot on the gas and really started to let his hands go at the end of the round with his left hook tagging Dawson's head time and time again. The following round Ward really turned the screw not only dropping Dawson again but going all out for the stoppage and buckling the legs of Dawson again.
The 2 knockdowns seemed to effectively kill off Dawson's hopes and Ward began to really impose his will on the bout as Dawson struggled to land anything of note. Despite having a reach advantage Dawson was unable to do anything with his jab, his hook's were being neutralised and Dawson was effectively shut down.
After a number of slower rounds Ward again turned up the heat in round 8 as the two men fought up close with Ward ripping a number of hard and clean uppercuts to Dawson's chin. Whilst the two men clashed heads on a number of occasions it was the clean punches that Ward was landing landing that were really catching the eye.
By the start of round 10 Ward really was just beating Dawson up. Dawson was doing very little as Ward did as he pleased landing every shot in the book. Ward just continued to beat up Dawson through out the 10th round and wobbled Dawson before the challenger took a knee. Despite recovering to his feet Dawson looked like he didn't want to continue and Steve Smoger waved the bout off.
This performance really did show how good Ward can be on both the defense and offense. Not only did the "Son Of God" shut down Dawson's offense but he also became the first man to stop Dawson. Sadly however we do need to remember that Dawson was "dragged down" from Light Heavyweight for this bout and as a result he may have been feeling the effects of making the lower weight. The performance was brilliant but it could be considered tainted.
For Dawson, he may write his loss off as a loss at a lower weight however he was simply dominated. He may well return to 175 but I dare say he'll never be the fighter he once was, his confidence will be bust by this loss, he was out sped, out muscled and dropped repeatedly before being forced to quit. It may be a long road back for Dawson mentally.
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Arthur Abraham v Robert Stieglitz
The O2 World in Berlin was the host of the major bout of the weekend as hard punching, former IBF Middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (35-3, 27) claimed the WBO Super Middleweight title from the much maligned Robert Stieglitz (42-3, 23) in a thoroughly engaging bout that ebbed and flowed wonderfully.
Stieglitz started brightly and whilst he probably gave away the opening he grew in confidence over the following few rounds often forcing Abraham onto the back foot an unleashing eye catching flurries as he sought to bank the early rounds. Abraham, for his part was blocking many of Stieglitz's shots behind his shell like guard whilst looking for chances to unleash his own, much heavier, artillery. Despite not being anywhere near as busy Abraham was landing the much cleaner shots, often piercing right through Stieglitz's guard.
Whilst I had Stieglitz in a slight lead after 4 rounds, Abraham showed his class in round 5 really dominating the defending champion as he marked up his face and appeared to shake him with a really nasty 2 handed salvo that showed just how good Abraham can be when he lets his hands go. Abraham then continued his charge as he took control of the middle rounds, stalking the champion, who was beginning to show signs of tiring. Stieglitz was really starting to show the scars of a battle after rounds 6 and 7 with his face becoming seriously reddened by the thunderous shots of Abraham which were starting to find their target almost at will.
Just as it appeared that Abraham was going to go in for the kill Stieglitz found his second wind, bit down on his gum shield and fought back, like a champion. Stieglitz wasn't going to give up his title with out a fight and despite having both his nose and right eye bleeding noticeably he fought on pressing the action and forcing the fight in the later rounds. A tired looking Abraham was forced on to the back foot time and time as Stieglitz worked incredibly hard trying to cling to his title. Despite looking beaten up Stieglitz just kept coming, attack after attack as he tried so hard to keep his title against a man who just couldn't miss him when he threw.
In the final round we saw Abraham throwing his arms in the air, dancing away in early celebration. It appeared a very risky strategy in a fight that looked incredibly close and could well have seen Stieglitz in the lead going into the 12th and final round. Luckily for Abraham however the judges had him in a comfortable lead with the Armenian born German based fighter taking a unanimous decision with scores of 116-112 (twice) and 115-113. In my eyes, the 116-112 scores were too wide as I fail to see 8 rounds you could have awarded to Abraham. A score of 115-113 either way would have been acceptable though as it was a very closely fought bout. Abraham however will not be a dominant champion at Super Middleweight, his power doesn't have the effect it used to have at Middleweight and Stieglitz, a supposedly "chinny" fighter stood up to a number of solid and clear Abraham right hands.
Now a 2-weight world champion Abraham has put his name in to the history books joining a long list of other 2-weight champions however his reign at 168 is likely to be limited to say the least.
Stieglitz started brightly and whilst he probably gave away the opening he grew in confidence over the following few rounds often forcing Abraham onto the back foot an unleashing eye catching flurries as he sought to bank the early rounds. Abraham, for his part was blocking many of Stieglitz's shots behind his shell like guard whilst looking for chances to unleash his own, much heavier, artillery. Despite not being anywhere near as busy Abraham was landing the much cleaner shots, often piercing right through Stieglitz's guard.
Whilst I had Stieglitz in a slight lead after 4 rounds, Abraham showed his class in round 5 really dominating the defending champion as he marked up his face and appeared to shake him with a really nasty 2 handed salvo that showed just how good Abraham can be when he lets his hands go. Abraham then continued his charge as he took control of the middle rounds, stalking the champion, who was beginning to show signs of tiring. Stieglitz was really starting to show the scars of a battle after rounds 6 and 7 with his face becoming seriously reddened by the thunderous shots of Abraham which were starting to find their target almost at will.
Just as it appeared that Abraham was going to go in for the kill Stieglitz found his second wind, bit down on his gum shield and fought back, like a champion. Stieglitz wasn't going to give up his title with out a fight and despite having both his nose and right eye bleeding noticeably he fought on pressing the action and forcing the fight in the later rounds. A tired looking Abraham was forced on to the back foot time and time as Stieglitz worked incredibly hard trying to cling to his title. Despite looking beaten up Stieglitz just kept coming, attack after attack as he tried so hard to keep his title against a man who just couldn't miss him when he threw.
In the final round we saw Abraham throwing his arms in the air, dancing away in early celebration. It appeared a very risky strategy in a fight that looked incredibly close and could well have seen Stieglitz in the lead going into the 12th and final round. Luckily for Abraham however the judges had him in a comfortable lead with the Armenian born German based fighter taking a unanimous decision with scores of 116-112 (twice) and 115-113. In my eyes, the 116-112 scores were too wide as I fail to see 8 rounds you could have awarded to Abraham. A score of 115-113 either way would have been acceptable though as it was a very closely fought bout. Abraham however will not be a dominant champion at Super Middleweight, his power doesn't have the effect it used to have at Middleweight and Stieglitz, a supposedly "chinny" fighter stood up to a number of solid and clear Abraham right hands.
Now a 2-weight world champion Abraham has put his name in to the history books joining a long list of other 2-weight champions however his reign at 168 is likely to be limited to say the least.
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