The first of 3 world title fights televised in Japan today saw WBA Light Flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka (14-0, 9) given one of his toughest bouts to date, as he took on Nicaraguan puncher Felix Alvarado (18-1, 15).
Although both men are, usually, very different fighters with Alvarado being an aggressive fighter who backs opponents up then quickly breaks them down whilst Ioka is a pure boxer-puncher they gelled perfectly here. Alvarado as everyone expected came forward though Ioka, for the most part, decided to stand his ground and fight fire with fire.
From the first round on wards the men stood in front of each other with Alvarado trying to take Ioka's head off with every shot. Ioka showed his intelligence and boxing ability by blocking and slipping before landing counters.
The fight started competitive with Alvarado having plenty of success as he rushed Ioka though as the fight went on Ioka began to time Alvarado more and more whilst also swelling his left eye and landing harder cleaner punches. It had been close through 4 rounds though through the middle stretch of the bout Ioka totally took over as Alvarado's lack of experience cost him dearly.
By round 9 Ioka had put the close start behind him and totally taken over. The steam had gone from Alvarado's attacks and his punches, which had been snappy early on were now pushed and slow, they were easier to counter and Ioka was in total control despite standing at close range to his Nicaraguan challenger.
With the champion dominating the middle and late rounds it was no shock that he retained his title comfortably on the scorecards, well 2 of them anyway with scores of 119-109, though I'm not sure what Sergio Caiz was watching scoring it 115-113 for Ioka who was in charge for 8 or 9 rounds of the 12.
Showing posts with label WBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBA. Show all posts
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Takashi Uchiyama v Daiki Kaneko
Sometimes, albeit rarely, in our sport a fighter who loses manages to impress us all more than the winner of a fight. That happened earlier today as Japan's unheralded Daiki Kaneko (19-3-3, 12) gave a stirring performance en route to losing in his WBA Super Featherweight title fight with the unbeaten Takashi Uchiyama (21-0-1, 17).
The first started tentatively from both with the neither man doing a lot in the first 3 rounds but what was done was mostly from Uchiyama who landed the better, crisper and more eye catching shots. That changed however in round 4 as Kaneko tagged Uchiyama with a solid right that rocked the champion hard. By now it had become clear that Kaneko wasn't there to make up the numbers, but was instead there to prove his skills against one of the truly elite Super Featherweights.
Unfortunately for Kaneko his success in round 4 wasn't immediately followed up as Uchiyama saw out the storm then took rounds 5 and 6. Kaneko wasn't to just give up though and although he dropped round 7 he fought back hard in rounds 8 and 9 as he showed off that he was just as tough and strong as Uchiyama. The strength and power of Kaneko, which had been impressive, really stood out in round 10 as he dropped Uchiyama with a solid and clean left hand.
Although Uchiyama had been dropped, for just the second time in his career, he seemed more embarrassed about the knockdown than hurt and in round 11 he went to war with Kaneko in a round that showed the champion had his senses about him. Uchiyama showed his experience and skills in round 11 as he made Kaneko miss then countered him. It was a great round of action and one that helped to secure Uchiyama of the fight.
Having proven he wasn't done in round 11 Uchiyama looked to finish off Kaneko in round 12 and rocked Kaneko late in the round though the tough challenger saw it out to hear the final bell.
Rather disappointingly the judges didn't hand in cards that reflected just how competitive the fight was. I had it 115-112 to Uchiyama some how the judges all had it 117-110 to the champion, giving Kaneko just 1 round other than the 10-8 round 10. The right guy won but it was closer than the judges had it and a lot more interesting.
The first started tentatively from both with the neither man doing a lot in the first 3 rounds but what was done was mostly from Uchiyama who landed the better, crisper and more eye catching shots. That changed however in round 4 as Kaneko tagged Uchiyama with a solid right that rocked the champion hard. By now it had become clear that Kaneko wasn't there to make up the numbers, but was instead there to prove his skills against one of the truly elite Super Featherweights.
Unfortunately for Kaneko his success in round 4 wasn't immediately followed up as Uchiyama saw out the storm then took rounds 5 and 6. Kaneko wasn't to just give up though and although he dropped round 7 he fought back hard in rounds 8 and 9 as he showed off that he was just as tough and strong as Uchiyama. The strength and power of Kaneko, which had been impressive, really stood out in round 10 as he dropped Uchiyama with a solid and clean left hand.
Although Uchiyama had been dropped, for just the second time in his career, he seemed more embarrassed about the knockdown than hurt and in round 11 he went to war with Kaneko in a round that showed the champion had his senses about him. Uchiyama showed his experience and skills in round 11 as he made Kaneko miss then countered him. It was a great round of action and one that helped to secure Uchiyama of the fight.
Having proven he wasn't done in round 11 Uchiyama looked to finish off Kaneko in round 12 and rocked Kaneko late in the round though the tough challenger saw it out to hear the final bell.
Rather disappointingly the judges didn't hand in cards that reflected just how competitive the fight was. I had it 115-112 to Uchiyama some how the judges all had it 117-110 to the champion, giving Kaneko just 1 round other than the 10-8 round 10. The right guy won but it was closer than the judges had it and a lot more interesting.
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Dmitry Chudinov v Juan Camilo Novoa
In the first title fight of the weekend we saw the now laughable WBA "interim" title on the line. The bout, which pitted Russia's Dmitry Chudinov (12-0-2, 8) against Colombia's Juan Camilo Novoa (22-6-1, 20) looked like an interesting contest between big punchers on paper though was a long way from being a bout that anyone would consider a "world title bout. In fact you'd be hard pushed to find anyone, other than the WBA, who rated either man in the top 20 Middleweights on the planet.
The fight started in an entertaining manner with both fighters standing toe to toe and taking it in turns to unload on the other. It was a clear round for Chudinov though it seemed as if neither man was going to be able to take the other out early.
As it turned the fight became a case of Chudinov grinding down Novoa who by round 3 was already starting to crumble. The Colombian's attacks became less and less regular and it seemed that we were on the way to the end of the fight.
The reprieve, if you can call it that, for Novoa came in round 4 when a clash of heads opened up a cut on Chudinov. Unfortunately the cut didn't seem distract the Russian just fire him up as he stepped on the gas and made it clear that he wanted to destroy Novoa.
Novoa did well to see out the remaining time in round 4 and then see out round 5 but by the end of the fifth he was looking like a done fighter. Chudinov sensed as much and made sure that Novoa wasn't going to see out round 6.
The fight started in an entertaining manner with both fighters standing toe to toe and taking it in turns to unload on the other. It was a clear round for Chudinov though it seemed as if neither man was going to be able to take the other out early.
As it turned the fight became a case of Chudinov grinding down Novoa who by round 3 was already starting to crumble. The Colombian's attacks became less and less regular and it seemed that we were on the way to the end of the fight.
The reprieve, if you can call it that, for Novoa came in round 4 when a clash of heads opened up a cut on Chudinov. Unfortunately the cut didn't seem distract the Russian just fire him up as he stepped on the gas and made it clear that he wanted to destroy Novoa.
Novoa did well to see out the remaining time in round 4 and then see out round 5 but by the end of the fifth he was looking like a done fighter. Chudinov sensed as much and made sure that Novoa wasn't going to see out round 6.
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Beibut Shumenov v Tamas Kovacs
Some fights are just mismatches from the second they are signed to the final bell. We had one such bout this weekend as Kazakhstan's Beibut Shumenov (14-1, 9) faced WBA #14 ranked challenger Tamas Kovacs (23-1, 14).
Shumenov, the WBA Light Heavyweight "super" champion, had been inactive for 18 months, he could have gone in after 5 years out and still made light work of the limited Kovacs who looked out of his depth the first time Shumenov landed a left hook.
Kovacs had a bright 10 seconds to start the fight. From then on though it was all Shumenov who quickly shook off any ringrust, and got his 1-2's going freely. By the end of the first round you could tell one of these men was a championship level fighter and when Shumenov landed a left hook very late in the round you could tell that Kovacs wasn't even close to world level.
To his credit Kovacs did get up and came out for round 2, but things didn't get any better for him as he was dropped from a left uppercut as Shumenov assumed total control of the bout.
Thankfully, for the over-matched Kovacs, his suffering would be ended in round 3 when Shumenov detonated a straight right hand that sent Kovacs down for the 3rd time in the fight. This time the referee had decided enough was enough and called a halt to the fight.
The bout, as much of a mismatch as it was, seemed to be a showcase for Shumenov who now looks likely to be fighting someone like Bernard Hopkins in a much, much more meaningful and tough assignment. Yes this was pointless in terms of competitiveness but it's purpose was to give Hopkins, and Showtime, a man in the 175lb division that they could talk about especially considering rival network HBO have 2 in the form of Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev.
Shumenov, the WBA Light Heavyweight "super" champion, had been inactive for 18 months, he could have gone in after 5 years out and still made light work of the limited Kovacs who looked out of his depth the first time Shumenov landed a left hook.
Kovacs had a bright 10 seconds to start the fight. From then on though it was all Shumenov who quickly shook off any ringrust, and got his 1-2's going freely. By the end of the first round you could tell one of these men was a championship level fighter and when Shumenov landed a left hook very late in the round you could tell that Kovacs wasn't even close to world level.
To his credit Kovacs did get up and came out for round 2, but things didn't get any better for him as he was dropped from a left uppercut as Shumenov assumed total control of the bout.
Thankfully, for the over-matched Kovacs, his suffering would be ended in round 3 when Shumenov detonated a straight right hand that sent Kovacs down for the 3rd time in the fight. This time the referee had decided enough was enough and called a halt to the fight.
The bout, as much of a mismatch as it was, seemed to be a showcase for Shumenov who now looks likely to be fighting someone like Bernard Hopkins in a much, much more meaningful and tough assignment. Yes this was pointless in terms of competitiveness but it's purpose was to give Hopkins, and Showtime, a man in the 175lb division that they could talk about especially considering rival network HBO have 2 in the form of Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev.
Adrien Broner v Marcos Rene Maidana
When a fighter talks themselves up, and when the American boxing media tells us someone is the next big thing...I tend to have a personal warmth when they get exposed. We had one such case this past weekend when Adrien "The Problem" Broner (27-1, 22) got exposed as a loud mouthed fraud by Argentina's Marcos "Chino" Maidana (35-3, 31) who really did blow open the myth that Broner was the next Mayweather.
Maidana set off like a man possessed and really dominated Broner in the opening round. It was the sort of start that Maidana would have dreamed of having as Broner's bravado and confidence seemed to suddenly vanish. If Maidana had dreamed of winning the round his dream got even better in round 2 when he dropped Broner after repeatedly hurting him. It was clear that this wasn't what the American press or Broner, or almost expected. Maidana was there to not just beat Broner but to beat him up.
It wasn't until round 3 that Broner did anything of note in terms of aggression and it was the aggression that just saw him taking the round. He was however threatened with a point deduction for pushing off with his elbow. Bizarrely that same warning came up several times as Broner continued to push Maidana yet no point was ever taken.
With Broner taking round 3 it wasn't beyond thinking that he was going to turn things around. That didn't happen however as Maidana used his very under-rated jab in round 4 to neutralise the speed of Broner. It was only the speed of Broner that he actually seemed to have above Maidana who had power, aggression and more importantly desire. Real desire.
The desire of Maidana was on full show in round 5 as he again hurt Broner who lazy through out. Although Broner saw out that particular storm it was clear that he had no answer to the left hook of Maidana, the jab of Maidana or the flurries of wide shots that Maidana was landing at will.
Although Maidana seemed to slow in rounds 6 and 7 he was still doing the eye catching work. Broner was landing more than he had early in the fight but wasn't landing a significant number of shots and what he was landing looked light and slappy when compared to Maidana's thudding shots.
By the end of round 7 Maidana, according to commentators, had landed 60 more punches than Broner. Broner had landed more in round 7 (22 to 20) but with many of his shots being singles with little sting on them it was still clear that Maidana had the fire in his belly. That fire saw him dropping Broner for a second time in round 8. Unfortunately for Maidana he effectively the knockdown from the books by being deducted a point for a headbutt whilst Broner was holding him. Although the headbutt was stupid Broner's reactions were stupid with him selling it as if he was a WWE "superstar". The fans, knowing what Broner was up to, soundly booed the American who had by now become public enemy #1.
Maidana had come in to the bout assuming he would need a knockout to win. In round 9 he really went for the knockout as he dominated and battered Broner across the the ring. It was as close to a 10-8 round without a knockdown with the American taking a battering and landing very, very little in return. By now it had become obvious, Broner wasn't a special fighter, Broner wasn't the next Mayweather and Broner wasn't some great in the making. Broner was merely the human punch that Maidana was abusing
As with all good punch bags Broner took the shots well and was forced to take them again in round 10 and 11 as Maidana did all he could to prevent the judges from robbing him. The crowd egged on Maidana with chants of "Chino" and by round 11 the fight looked in the bag. Maidana's confidence was through the roof and and he went for the finish again in the 11th.
Having lost the 11th Broner flirted with a point deduction again for a shot well after the bell. Lawrence Cole, who seemed to "know the score" regarding Broner's status as the next American star gave Broner yet another warning but nothing else.
In regards to competitive action round 12 was the most competitive. Broner seemed to be aware he was trailing and he went for a tired Maidana throwing the kitchen sink at him. Maidana, being a South American, showed his machismo and fight back rocking Broner several times with left hooks despite being physically knackered. Thankfully for Maidana Broner's attack never had him in any distress, preventing any sort of dodgy stoppage, instead Maidana saw out the final bell.
There was a fear after the final bell that the judges, which have stunk this year, were going to do the impossible and rob Maiana of his clear victory. Thankfully the judges didn't. They had it 115-110, 116-109, 117-109 all to the right guy and the new WBA Welterweight champion, Marcos Maidana
Maidana set off like a man possessed and really dominated Broner in the opening round. It was the sort of start that Maidana would have dreamed of having as Broner's bravado and confidence seemed to suddenly vanish. If Maidana had dreamed of winning the round his dream got even better in round 2 when he dropped Broner after repeatedly hurting him. It was clear that this wasn't what the American press or Broner, or almost expected. Maidana was there to not just beat Broner but to beat him up.
It wasn't until round 3 that Broner did anything of note in terms of aggression and it was the aggression that just saw him taking the round. He was however threatened with a point deduction for pushing off with his elbow. Bizarrely that same warning came up several times as Broner continued to push Maidana yet no point was ever taken.
With Broner taking round 3 it wasn't beyond thinking that he was going to turn things around. That didn't happen however as Maidana used his very under-rated jab in round 4 to neutralise the speed of Broner. It was only the speed of Broner that he actually seemed to have above Maidana who had power, aggression and more importantly desire. Real desire.
The desire of Maidana was on full show in round 5 as he again hurt Broner who lazy through out. Although Broner saw out that particular storm it was clear that he had no answer to the left hook of Maidana, the jab of Maidana or the flurries of wide shots that Maidana was landing at will.
Although Maidana seemed to slow in rounds 6 and 7 he was still doing the eye catching work. Broner was landing more than he had early in the fight but wasn't landing a significant number of shots and what he was landing looked light and slappy when compared to Maidana's thudding shots.
By the end of round 7 Maidana, according to commentators, had landed 60 more punches than Broner. Broner had landed more in round 7 (22 to 20) but with many of his shots being singles with little sting on them it was still clear that Maidana had the fire in his belly. That fire saw him dropping Broner for a second time in round 8. Unfortunately for Maidana he effectively the knockdown from the books by being deducted a point for a headbutt whilst Broner was holding him. Although the headbutt was stupid Broner's reactions were stupid with him selling it as if he was a WWE "superstar". The fans, knowing what Broner was up to, soundly booed the American who had by now become public enemy #1.
Maidana had come in to the bout assuming he would need a knockout to win. In round 9 he really went for the knockout as he dominated and battered Broner across the the ring. It was as close to a 10-8 round without a knockdown with the American taking a battering and landing very, very little in return. By now it had become obvious, Broner wasn't a special fighter, Broner wasn't the next Mayweather and Broner wasn't some great in the making. Broner was merely the human punch that Maidana was abusing
As with all good punch bags Broner took the shots well and was forced to take them again in round 10 and 11 as Maidana did all he could to prevent the judges from robbing him. The crowd egged on Maidana with chants of "Chino" and by round 11 the fight looked in the bag. Maidana's confidence was through the roof and and he went for the finish again in the 11th.
Having lost the 11th Broner flirted with a point deduction again for a shot well after the bell. Lawrence Cole, who seemed to "know the score" regarding Broner's status as the next American star gave Broner yet another warning but nothing else.
In regards to competitive action round 12 was the most competitive. Broner seemed to be aware he was trailing and he went for a tired Maidana throwing the kitchen sink at him. Maidana, being a South American, showed his machismo and fight back rocking Broner several times with left hooks despite being physically knackered. Thankfully for Maidana Broner's attack never had him in any distress, preventing any sort of dodgy stoppage, instead Maidana saw out the final bell.
There was a fear after the final bell that the judges, which have stunk this year, were going to do the impossible and rob Maiana of his clear victory. Thankfully the judges didn't. They had it 115-110, 116-109, 117-109 all to the right guy and the new WBA Welterweight champion, Marcos Maidana
Keith Thurman v Jesus Soto Karass
Sometimes fights are decided merely on the tactics of the two men. A perfect game plan can, at times, neutralise a slight disadvantage in terms of skills. Unfortunately sometimes a bout isn't decided by a game plan but merely the natural traits of one man over another. We saw just that as WBA Welterweight "interim" champion Keith Thurman (22-0-0-1, 20) used his significantly better speed and movement to dominate the much slower, but game, Jesus Soto Karass (28-9-3, 18)
The fight started pretty well for Soto Karass who tagged Thurman in the first 20 seconds and seemed to rock Thurman. From then on though Thurman took over the bout and Soto Karass genuinely struggled just to land. Unfortunately Soto Karass was made to look 3rd rate as Thurman boxed rings around him, literally. Thurman boxed on the move landing any shot he wanted, upstairs or downstairs.
From rounds 2 through 6 it was all Thurman with Soto Karass landing very little in return. So dominant was the work of Thurman that he was really messing up the face of Soto Karass whilst looking completely untouched himself. In all honesty it seemed for vast parts of the fight that Thurman was untouched.
Not only had Thurman been racking up the rounds but he had also scored a hard knockdown 5. It appeared that Soto Karass was going to inevitably be stopped, especially if Thurman was going to keep unloading as he had been early on in the fight.
It wasn't until round 7 that Soto Karass managed to get any real success. This came one of the few times Thurman held his feet and got trapped on the ropes. Unfortunately for Soto Karass it was too little to win the round but it was finally some success for the Mexican who seemed to know that this was a 12 round fight.
Unfortunately for Soto Karass the bout didn't get to go 12 rounds and in round 9 Thurman exploded hurting Soto Karass who was effectively caught by the referee as the Mexican was finally stopped almost out of nowhere. It took just 1 big combination from Thurman to finish it but it had been a combination that he had struggled to land despite a dominant performance.
For Thurman this was a perfect bout. He had his stamina tested, his heart tested and then showed the finishing instincts that could help make him a star. Sure Soto Karass was made to order due to his lack of speed but this still a show case performance against a deserving challenger.
The fight started pretty well for Soto Karass who tagged Thurman in the first 20 seconds and seemed to rock Thurman. From then on though Thurman took over the bout and Soto Karass genuinely struggled just to land. Unfortunately Soto Karass was made to look 3rd rate as Thurman boxed rings around him, literally. Thurman boxed on the move landing any shot he wanted, upstairs or downstairs.
From rounds 2 through 6 it was all Thurman with Soto Karass landing very little in return. So dominant was the work of Thurman that he was really messing up the face of Soto Karass whilst looking completely untouched himself. In all honesty it seemed for vast parts of the fight that Thurman was untouched.
Not only had Thurman been racking up the rounds but he had also scored a hard knockdown 5. It appeared that Soto Karass was going to inevitably be stopped, especially if Thurman was going to keep unloading as he had been early on in the fight.
It wasn't until round 7 that Soto Karass managed to get any real success. This came one of the few times Thurman held his feet and got trapped on the ropes. Unfortunately for Soto Karass it was too little to win the round but it was finally some success for the Mexican who seemed to know that this was a 12 round fight.
Unfortunately for Soto Karass the bout didn't get to go 12 rounds and in round 9 Thurman exploded hurting Soto Karass who was effectively caught by the referee as the Mexican was finally stopped almost out of nowhere. It took just 1 big combination from Thurman to finish it but it had been a combination that he had struggled to land despite a dominant performance.
For Thurman this was a perfect bout. He had his stamina tested, his heart tested and then showed the finishing instincts that could help make him a star. Sure Soto Karass was made to order due to his lack of speed but this still a show case performance against a deserving challenger.
Juergen Braehmer v Marcus Oliveira
Politics and games are part of boxing, we all know that but sometimes it's a bit of a joke and we saw that tonight as Marcus Oliveira (25-1-1, 2), somehow ranked #1 by the WBA despite no real quality wins, fought for the "vacant" WBA Light Heavyweight title. The WBA, who had promoted Beibut Shumenov to "super" champion prior to this bout, should really be seen as a joke. Not only for upgrading Shumenov or for ranking Oliveira #1 but for having Juergen Braehmer (42-2, 31) fight Oliveira for the vacant title.
I have nothing against Braahmer, who is a world class fighter, but he should have been fighting Shumenov and not Oliveira.
In regards to the "games and politics" it didn't take long for us to get to the games as Don King refused to let his man enter the ring first and instead made us all wait for Braehmer to have his ring walk before Oliveira. This turned the already partisan crowd against his man. Unfortunately this seemed to lead to Oliveira freezing.
I say freezing because, in all honesty, the American did nothing for the first 8 rounds. His shots were massively off target, his foot work was poor and his mindset seem to be that of a survivor and not a fighter. It wasn't just disappointing but somewhat shameful that the #1 ranked fighter wasn't really fighting.Sadly things weren't helped by Boxnation trying to tell us what a warrior, and strong powerful fighter Oliveira was all the while he was stood being out boxed by Braehmer
Unfortunately, for those wanting this to finish early, Braehmer lacked the aggression to see off Oliveira in the early and middle rounds, though he did hurt him notably in round 7 with body shots, including a border shot that sent Oliveira down though was ruled low.
Braehmer's domination of the bout left everyone knowing Oliveira needed a stoppage in the final 4 rounds. Surprisingly in rounds 10 and 11 it was Breahmer going for the KO and he really seemed to really rock Oliveira at one point, as well as scoring the bouts only "ruled" knockdown, which was as debatable as the low blow/body shot from round 7.
It had been disappointing from Oliveira but then, suddenly, in round 12 the American came alive and hurt a tiring Braehmer. By then though it was too late, he needed to stop Braehmer not just hurt him and that was never going to happen I'm afraid.
Oddly despite the bout being 1 sided for 11 rounds the judges managed to be very nice to Oliveira with cards of 117-110, 117-110 and 115-112 making the bout look much, much closer than it was. Thankfully they did all have the right winner.
I have nothing against Braahmer, who is a world class fighter, but he should have been fighting Shumenov and not Oliveira.
In regards to the "games and politics" it didn't take long for us to get to the games as Don King refused to let his man enter the ring first and instead made us all wait for Braehmer to have his ring walk before Oliveira. This turned the already partisan crowd against his man. Unfortunately this seemed to lead to Oliveira freezing.
I say freezing because, in all honesty, the American did nothing for the first 8 rounds. His shots were massively off target, his foot work was poor and his mindset seem to be that of a survivor and not a fighter. It wasn't just disappointing but somewhat shameful that the #1 ranked fighter wasn't really fighting.Sadly things weren't helped by Boxnation trying to tell us what a warrior, and strong powerful fighter Oliveira was all the while he was stood being out boxed by Braehmer
Unfortunately, for those wanting this to finish early, Braehmer lacked the aggression to see off Oliveira in the early and middle rounds, though he did hurt him notably in round 7 with body shots, including a border shot that sent Oliveira down though was ruled low.
Braehmer's domination of the bout left everyone knowing Oliveira needed a stoppage in the final 4 rounds. Surprisingly in rounds 10 and 11 it was Breahmer going for the KO and he really seemed to really rock Oliveira at one point, as well as scoring the bouts only "ruled" knockdown, which was as debatable as the low blow/body shot from round 7.
It had been disappointing from Oliveira but then, suddenly, in round 12 the American came alive and hurt a tiring Braehmer. By then though it was too late, he needed to stop Braehmer not just hurt him and that was never going to happen I'm afraid.
Oddly despite the bout being 1 sided for 11 rounds the judges managed to be very nice to Oliveira with cards of 117-110, 117-110 and 115-112 making the bout look much, much closer than it was. Thankfully they did all have the right winner.
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Erislandy Lara v Austin Trout
Some fights we accept aren't going to be stylistically fun to watch despite being "major fights" in terms of the division. One of those fights happened this Saturday as Cuban Erislandy Lara (19-2-1, 12) and American Austin Trout (26-2, 14) collided for the WBA Light Middleweight title.
When you have counter-punchers facing each other you can often expect to see the boxing equivalent to chess. Technically it's brilliant boxing but as a spectacle it's awful. Unfortunately both Lara and Trout are counter punchers, neither looks comfortable when forced to lead off, neither seem capable of making a fight and neither seem to have a plan B when their counter punching isn't working. Unfortunately that spoiled, what on paper, was an interesting contest.
It took less than a round for the crowd to decided they didn't like what they were watching and they let their emotions be known as they booed the men in the ring. This booing almost seemed to effect Trout who began to fall for the tricks Lara was setting. Lara, kept his form and continued to frustrate, move and out box Trout who became more and more reckless. Trout, after 4 rounds, was forced to concede he wouldn't win a chess game and instead chose to try and walk down Lara. Trout's attempt to walk to Lara were foiled big time by Lara's movement which left the American chasing shadows.
Trout, as one would expect, seemed to become more reckless from the fact he was missing and being tagged in returned. His excellent boxing was vanishing as Trout began to put on a masterclass and after 7 rounds it appeared that we were seeing a genuine schooling of a very good fighter.
Having established a clear lead on the cards Lara seemed to turn off a little bit. He was still using his boxing skills to take the rounds but he was certainly letting the distance between the men close a bit more. It seemed that this was merely a ploy to allow Lara to load up on his shots a bit more and in round 11 we saw the power of Lara take effect as he sent Trout down hard with a hard left hand.
Although Trout got up from knock down it seemed like he was ready to go and Lara went for him rocking him again before the bell saved him.
With Trout having seen out the storm in round 11 it appeared that Lara would jump on him immediately to begin round 12. Trout's corner knew this and made sure he could buy his man some time by "spilling" water on the canvas. This was enough to let Trout's legs recover enough to let him see out round 12 but by then the fight was already over in regards to the scorecards.
The domination by Lara, via his gameplan, of Trout had been excellent it, it was hard to see anything other than a clear decision in favour of Lara and the judges all agree with that view. All the scores varied but they all got the right man.
When you have counter-punchers facing each other you can often expect to see the boxing equivalent to chess. Technically it's brilliant boxing but as a spectacle it's awful. Unfortunately both Lara and Trout are counter punchers, neither looks comfortable when forced to lead off, neither seem capable of making a fight and neither seem to have a plan B when their counter punching isn't working. Unfortunately that spoiled, what on paper, was an interesting contest.
It took less than a round for the crowd to decided they didn't like what they were watching and they let their emotions be known as they booed the men in the ring. This booing almost seemed to effect Trout who began to fall for the tricks Lara was setting. Lara, kept his form and continued to frustrate, move and out box Trout who became more and more reckless. Trout, after 4 rounds, was forced to concede he wouldn't win a chess game and instead chose to try and walk down Lara. Trout's attempt to walk to Lara were foiled big time by Lara's movement which left the American chasing shadows.
Trout, as one would expect, seemed to become more reckless from the fact he was missing and being tagged in returned. His excellent boxing was vanishing as Trout began to put on a masterclass and after 7 rounds it appeared that we were seeing a genuine schooling of a very good fighter.
Having established a clear lead on the cards Lara seemed to turn off a little bit. He was still using his boxing skills to take the rounds but he was certainly letting the distance between the men close a bit more. It seemed that this was merely a ploy to allow Lara to load up on his shots a bit more and in round 11 we saw the power of Lara take effect as he sent Trout down hard with a hard left hand.
Although Trout got up from knock down it seemed like he was ready to go and Lara went for him rocking him again before the bell saved him.
With Trout having seen out the storm in round 11 it appeared that Lara would jump on him immediately to begin round 12. Trout's corner knew this and made sure he could buy his man some time by "spilling" water on the canvas. This was enough to let Trout's legs recover enough to let him see out round 12 but by then the fight was already over in regards to the scorecards.
The domination by Lara, via his gameplan, of Trout had been excellent it, it was hard to see anything other than a clear decision in favour of Lara and the judges all agree with that view. All the scores varied but they all got the right man.
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Johan Perez v Paul Spadafora
Long time unbeaten fighter Paul Spadafora (48-1-1, 19) finally suffered a loss as he was out pointed by Venezuela's Johan Perez (18-1-1-1, 2) who in turn claimed the WBA interim Light Welterweight title for the second time.
The fight started slowly with neither man getting much of an advantage in the early going. Despite this it often appeared that Perez was doing more than Spadafora and narrowly claiming the early rounds. It was unlikely that the judges agreed but it was hard to give any of the early rounds to Spadafora who was looking his age.
Perez stepped up the pace of the fight in round 4 and by the end of that round Spadafora's face was showing the signs of a fight. A small mouse and a cut was forming on his face and his defenses were being penetrated on a frequent basis by Perez who was slowly breaking down the former IBF Lightweight champion.
Spadafora managed to gain some success through the middle rounds with some lovely counters but he was still being out worked and seemingly couldn't manage to launch a full blooded attack of his own. The speed of Spadafora wasn't what it once was and it showed as Perez was capable of controlling the pace and distance with out seemingly needing to work for it.
By the end of round 9 it was clear that Perez should have been in the lead. It appeared that even Spadafora knew it as he put his foot on the gas and tried to turn the fight around. Unfortunately for American he lacked the ability, power or speed to make Perez worry and the assault turned back on Spadafora who appeared to have gambled big in the round.
Spadafora would again pick up the pace in round 12 but by then Perez was safe in the knowledge that he had done more than enough. Barring a horror show from the judges Perez was to take the title.
The Venezuelan's heart was likely in his mouth as the score cards were read out reading 114-114, 115-113 and 117-111. Thankfully, despite the poor scores, Perez managed to get the decision and the title.
The fight started slowly with neither man getting much of an advantage in the early going. Despite this it often appeared that Perez was doing more than Spadafora and narrowly claiming the early rounds. It was unlikely that the judges agreed but it was hard to give any of the early rounds to Spadafora who was looking his age.
Perez stepped up the pace of the fight in round 4 and by the end of that round Spadafora's face was showing the signs of a fight. A small mouse and a cut was forming on his face and his defenses were being penetrated on a frequent basis by Perez who was slowly breaking down the former IBF Lightweight champion.
Spadafora managed to gain some success through the middle rounds with some lovely counters but he was still being out worked and seemingly couldn't manage to launch a full blooded attack of his own. The speed of Spadafora wasn't what it once was and it showed as Perez was capable of controlling the pace and distance with out seemingly needing to work for it.
By the end of round 9 it was clear that Perez should have been in the lead. It appeared that even Spadafora knew it as he put his foot on the gas and tried to turn the fight around. Unfortunately for American he lacked the ability, power or speed to make Perez worry and the assault turned back on Spadafora who appeared to have gambled big in the round.
Spadafora would again pick up the pace in round 12 but by then Perez was safe in the knowledge that he had done more than enough. Barring a horror show from the judges Perez was to take the title.
The Venezuelan's heart was likely in his mouth as the score cards were read out reading 114-114, 115-113 and 117-111. Thankfully, despite the poor scores, Perez managed to get the decision and the title.
Friday, 29 November 2013
Koki Eto v Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep
Earlier this year Koki Eto (14-3-1, 10) put on a memorable performance as he defeated Thailand's Kompayak Porpramook for the WBA interim Flyweight title. Sadly for Eto his reign came to an end earlier today as he traveled to Thailand and was stopped by Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep (33-2, 20).
The Thai started like a man with a point to prove and by the end of round 3 it was obvious that the Champion was in trouble. Although Yodmongkol is far from a puncher he had rocked the Japanese fighter hard in the the third round as the challenge got off to a dream start.
Things went from good to better for the Thai who proved he was capable of shipping shots in the fourth round as Eto managed to tag him with a number of eye catching body shots. Unfortunately for Eto nothing he did had an effect on Yodmongkol who had totally established control by the end of round 5. Although Eto seemed like he was throwing a lot he wasn't having much of an effort and Yodmongkol was landing the better, crisper and cleaner shots time and time again.
The power of Yodmongkol was evident again in round 6 when he dropped Eto. Eto, who hadn't really been rocked in 12 rounds against Porpramook, was caught off balance by the knockdown was legitimate and further proved just how excellent the challenger had been. The pressure was now firmly on the champion.
Eto surprisingly responded very well to the knockdown as he won clearly round 7 and made a solid case for himself in round 8. Sadly however they were his last hurrahs and from round 9 onwards Yodmongkol re-assumed control and slowly but surely beat the fight out of Eto who looked ready to stopped in rounds 10 and 11
With Eto taking a lot of punishment it seemed like the fight could well have been stopped, instead however Eto went in to round 12 in a massive hole. Unfortunately he didn't see out the final round as Yodmongkol drilled him in the twelfth and forced a slightly premature ending to the bout with a truly eye catching knockout
The Thai started like a man with a point to prove and by the end of round 3 it was obvious that the Champion was in trouble. Although Yodmongkol is far from a puncher he had rocked the Japanese fighter hard in the the third round as the challenge got off to a dream start.
Things went from good to better for the Thai who proved he was capable of shipping shots in the fourth round as Eto managed to tag him with a number of eye catching body shots. Unfortunately for Eto nothing he did had an effect on Yodmongkol who had totally established control by the end of round 5. Although Eto seemed like he was throwing a lot he wasn't having much of an effort and Yodmongkol was landing the better, crisper and cleaner shots time and time again.
The power of Yodmongkol was evident again in round 6 when he dropped Eto. Eto, who hadn't really been rocked in 12 rounds against Porpramook, was caught off balance by the knockdown was legitimate and further proved just how excellent the challenger had been. The pressure was now firmly on the champion.
Eto surprisingly responded very well to the knockdown as he won clearly round 7 and made a solid case for himself in round 8. Sadly however they were his last hurrahs and from round 9 onwards Yodmongkol re-assumed control and slowly but surely beat the fight out of Eto who looked ready to stopped in rounds 10 and 11
With Eto taking a lot of punishment it seemed like the fight could well have been stopped, instead however Eto went in to round 12 in a massive hole. Unfortunately he didn't see out the final round as Yodmongkol drilled him in the twelfth and forced a slightly premature ending to the bout with a truly eye catching knockout
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Scott Quigg v Diego Oscar Silva
Following his disappointing draw with Yoandris Salinas WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (27-0-2, 20) destroyed the limited Argentinian challenger Diego Oscar Silva (29-3-4, 15) in just 2 rounds.
The fight, widely regarded as a mismatch before it began, provided to be a pointless and simple out for Quigg.
The first round saw the champion applying pressure. Although Quigg failed to have any great success in the round he had proven that he felt he was the boss and Silva seemed to mentally realise he was on to a hiding to nothing.
We got shown just what a mismatch this was in the second round as Quigg again applied pressure and then dropped Silva with a body shot against the ropes. From then on the ending was in sight and although Silva got to his feet it was only a matter of time before Quigg would finish the fight, which he dead from ahead shot soon afterwards.
As a fan of Asian boxing I now look forward to seeing Quigg against a genuine title challenger such as Hozumi Hasegawa, Shingo Wake or even Yasutaka Ishimoto.
The fight, widely regarded as a mismatch before it began, provided to be a pointless and simple out for Quigg.
The first round saw the champion applying pressure. Although Quigg failed to have any great success in the round he had proven that he felt he was the boss and Silva seemed to mentally realise he was on to a hiding to nothing.
We got shown just what a mismatch this was in the second round as Quigg again applied pressure and then dropped Silva with a body shot against the ropes. From then on the ending was in sight and although Silva got to his feet it was only a matter of time before Quigg would finish the fight, which he dead from ahead shot soon afterwards.
As a fan of Asian boxing I now look forward to seeing Quigg against a genuine title challenger such as Hozumi Hasegawa, Shingo Wake or even Yasutaka Ishimoto.
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Koki Kameda v Jung-Oh Son
Not many fighters win a lot of split decisions though there is a Japanese fighter who appears to win more than his share, and certainly more than his share of questionable ones. Koki Kameda (32-1, 17), defending his WBA Bantamweight title, got his 4th split decision win earlier today in a bout that is being talked about as one of the worst decisions of the year.
Kameda, who traveled outside of Japan for the first time in over 5 years was expected to deal easily with Korea's very own Jung-Oh Son (20-5-2, 6). Instead however Kameda was given a lesson in over-looking an opponent and was very, very lucky to escape with his title in arguably the most controversial contest of his career.
The Kameda controversy dates back to when Kameda first won a world title way back in 2006 when he took a split decision over Venezuela's Juan Jose Landaeta. That decision at the time was declared a fix by many in Japan. Since then Koki has been seen telling younger brother Daiki Kameda to foul against Daisuke Naito, and had claimed controversial decisions over Hugo Ruiz, David De La Mora (although a unanimous decision it was controversial) and Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym. He has now added the decision over Son.
Early in the bout Kameda looked like he was on course for a routine defense. He took a number of the early rounds and looked relaxed in front the Korean challenger. By the end of the fourth round however things had started to change with Son beginning to establish himself in the bout. Unfortunately for Koki the more Son was able to establish himself the tougher things got, and in round 10 Son scored a knockdown as Koki took a knee.
By the end of round 11 many felt Koki would need a knockdown of his own just to retain his title with a draw. Whilst he certainly won the final round, there was no knockdown.
Some how, despite being dropped, stunned and generally on the receiving end of the better shots Koki retained hit title with scores of 114.5-114 and 115-112 in his favour whilst just a sole judge agreed with the view of many scoring it 115.5-113 for Son who really should have been the new champion. The Korean was inspired and very, very harshly robbed in his own country.
Kameda, who traveled outside of Japan for the first time in over 5 years was expected to deal easily with Korea's very own Jung-Oh Son (20-5-2, 6). Instead however Kameda was given a lesson in over-looking an opponent and was very, very lucky to escape with his title in arguably the most controversial contest of his career.
The Kameda controversy dates back to when Kameda first won a world title way back in 2006 when he took a split decision over Venezuela's Juan Jose Landaeta. That decision at the time was declared a fix by many in Japan. Since then Koki has been seen telling younger brother Daiki Kameda to foul against Daisuke Naito, and had claimed controversial decisions over Hugo Ruiz, David De La Mora (although a unanimous decision it was controversial) and Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym. He has now added the decision over Son.
Early in the bout Kameda looked like he was on course for a routine defense. He took a number of the early rounds and looked relaxed in front the Korean challenger. By the end of the fourth round however things had started to change with Son beginning to establish himself in the bout. Unfortunately for Koki the more Son was able to establish himself the tougher things got, and in round 10 Son scored a knockdown as Koki took a knee.
By the end of round 11 many felt Koki would need a knockdown of his own just to retain his title with a draw. Whilst he certainly won the final round, there was no knockdown.
Some how, despite being dropped, stunned and generally on the receiving end of the better shots Koki retained hit title with scores of 114.5-114 and 115-112 in his favour whilst just a sole judge agreed with the view of many scoring it 115.5-113 for Son who really should have been the new champion. The Korean was inspired and very, very harshly robbed in his own country.
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Hekkie Budler v Hugo Hernan Verchelli
With all the US action this past weekend it's easy to forget that the first world title fight of the weekend was actually in South Africa as Hekkie Budler (24-1, 7) took on Argentina's little known Hugo Hernan Verchelli (11-2, 6) in a bout for the WBA interim Minimumweight title.
The fight, which took place in Budler's home area of Gauteng was viewed by some as a solid match up. Instead however it turned out, as I assumed, to be a mismatch as Verchelli's inexperience around this sort of level was exposed very early on.
Budler set off with an all action style and by the end of the first round it appeared that this was the Budler of old, the Budler who had created a buzz due to being so fun and exciting. Although Verchelli saw out the early storm he was always struggling to work his way back in to things and he lacked the power or the skills needed to prevent Budler from fighting like a buzzsaw.
It wasn't long until Budler's power and work rate took it's toll on Verchelli who was dropped 3 times in round 4 before the referee was forced to wave the contest off.
With the victory Budler adds the WBA "interim" title to his IBO title and opens the door to a major international contest with another top guy at 105lbs.
The fight, which took place in Budler's home area of Gauteng was viewed by some as a solid match up. Instead however it turned out, as I assumed, to be a mismatch as Verchelli's inexperience around this sort of level was exposed very early on.
Budler set off with an all action style and by the end of the first round it appeared that this was the Budler of old, the Budler who had created a buzz due to being so fun and exciting. Although Verchelli saw out the early storm he was always struggling to work his way back in to things and he lacked the power or the skills needed to prevent Budler from fighting like a buzzsaw.
It wasn't long until Budler's power and work rate took it's toll on Verchelli who was dropped 3 times in round 4 before the referee was forced to wave the contest off.
With the victory Budler adds the WBA "interim" title to his IBO title and opens the door to a major international contest with another top guy at 105lbs.
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Nicholas Walters v Alberto Garza
In the first of three world title fights in the US this weekend Jamaican Nicholas Walters (23-0, 19) made his first title defense as he took on Mexican Alberto Garza (25-6-1, 20) in a WBA Featherweight title bout.
Making his US debut Walters set out to make a statement and appeared to hurt Garza midway through the opening round. Whilst Garza did look limited it was great to see the positivity of a man looking to make a first impression.
Realising he was in deep Garza tried something new by fighting as a southpaw to start the second round. It worked well for a few moments before Walters took charge once again and showed why some regard this kid as one of the sports hidden gems.
Walters continued to pile up the rounds by taking the third with his jab. He did at times look reckless but had realised that Garza lacked the power to hurt him and merely walked through the shots when he had to in search for a bomb.
It took less than 2 minutes of round 4 for Walters to land a bomb. In fact several. The first, a very hard body shot, saw Garza drop to the canvas in agony. Unfortunately for Garza this was ruled an accidental low blow and Garza, as a result wasn't given a count. This meant Garza had to continue, thankfully for the Mexican he wasn't given too much more of a beating as a huge right hand layed him down and forced the referee to wave the contest off.
Although some may feel Chris John, the WBA "super" champion is the only real WBA champion it's fair to say that Walter is the truly entertaining WBA champion and a man who now has the world at his hands. He could face any of the other Top Rank guys at 126, including Evgeny Gradovich, Orlando Salido, Vasyl Lomachenko or even the winner of the Nonito Donaire/Vic Darchinyan contest (which takes place in just a few hours time).
Making his US debut Walters set out to make a statement and appeared to hurt Garza midway through the opening round. Whilst Garza did look limited it was great to see the positivity of a man looking to make a first impression.
Realising he was in deep Garza tried something new by fighting as a southpaw to start the second round. It worked well for a few moments before Walters took charge once again and showed why some regard this kid as one of the sports hidden gems.
Walters continued to pile up the rounds by taking the third with his jab. He did at times look reckless but had realised that Garza lacked the power to hurt him and merely walked through the shots when he had to in search for a bomb.
It took less than 2 minutes of round 4 for Walters to land a bomb. In fact several. The first, a very hard body shot, saw Garza drop to the canvas in agony. Unfortunately for Garza this was ruled an accidental low blow and Garza, as a result wasn't given a count. This meant Garza had to continue, thankfully for the Mexican he wasn't given too much more of a beating as a huge right hand layed him down and forced the referee to wave the contest off.
Although some may feel Chris John, the WBA "super" champion is the only real WBA champion it's fair to say that Walter is the truly entertaining WBA champion and a man who now has the world at his hands. He could face any of the other Top Rank guys at 126, including Evgeny Gradovich, Orlando Salido, Vasyl Lomachenko or even the winner of the Nonito Donaire/Vic Darchinyan contest (which takes place in just a few hours time).
Saturday, 2 November 2013
Gennady Golovkin v Curtis Stevens
Some fights look like real mismatches on paper and this weekends biggest fight was one such bout as Kazakhstan's Gennady Golovkin (28-0, 25) entered as an 11-1 favourite against American Curtis Stevens (25-4, 18). Surprisingly however Golovkin didn't often look like such a big favourite through out the bout as he struggled to live up to the hype, despite successfully defending his WBA Middleweight title.
The fight started in a very quiet manner. Golovkin tried to get his jab going but Stevens was showing good defensive skills and making the champion struggle to land cleanly. The quiet 2 minutes 30 seconds of the first was only really changed late in the round as Stevens connected with a few hard shots that may have stole him in round.
Golovkin's struggles continued through much of the second round as Stevens covered up well and gave very few opportunities to the champion. The success of Stevens in neutralising Golovkin raised a "USA" chant from the Madison Square Garden crowd though unfortunately this immediately backfired as Golovkin connected with a glancing left hook followed by a solid left hook that dropped Stevens for an 8 count. It was obvious from this point that Golovkin's power could hurt and drop Stevens.
Unfortunately the knockdown seemed to kill off what confidence Stevens was building and the challenger fought very much like a scared fighter in the following round backing up, covering up and trying to survive. This saw Stevens having some success in little bursts on the counter but on the whole Stevens's success in round 3 was very limited.
Despite beginning to look like a beaten man in round 3 Stevens had his best round in the fourth as he landed several hard counters and backed up Golovkin late in the round. It appeared that Stevens had forgotten about the knockdown and thought his best tactic was fighting off the ropes looking to land his highly regarded left hook. Unfortunately when Stevens did land the best he did was force Golovkin backwards for a few seconds before he came right back Stevens.
Golovkin started to have more and more success from round 5 onwards. He seemed confident in his ability to take Steven's best shots and applied constant calculated pressure. The champions successes were still somewhat limited but the challenger was doing next to nothing to make a claim for the rounds. Stevens was doing so little that he was being out worked even if Golovkin was struggling to land too many clean shots.
The success of round 5 grew the following round and then again in round 7. Steven's corner were trying to buoy their man and telling him to stand toe-to-toe with Golovkin, unfortunately when he did this he was forced on to the back foot with Golovkin's crisp punches forcing him back on to the ropes. By the end of round 7 it appeared that Stevens's only hope was to land a knock out punch, something that was becoming less and less likely.
By the start of round 8 Golovkin had really started to take over. Stevens's assaults were becoming less frequent and through the eighth Golovkin himself had started to find his range, especially with his body shots which landed numerous times through the round. Stevens's defenses, whilst still solid were beginning to be cracked more and more frequently by Golovkin who finally turned things up a gear and went for the kill.
Although Stevens managed to see out round 8 his corner had seen enough and immediately called for the referee to stop the bout. It hadn't been a real beating for their man but it appeared that he was on the verge of receiving one as Golovkin began to really show his class. The stoppage may feel to some as though Stevens quit though in all honesty it appears that his corner knew things were only going to get worse and saved their man from what could have been a career and health altering beat down. A wise move considering the way the bout had began to turn.
Although Golovkin hadn't looked like the 11 to 1 favourite for much of the bout he was safe money in the end.
The fight started in a very quiet manner. Golovkin tried to get his jab going but Stevens was showing good defensive skills and making the champion struggle to land cleanly. The quiet 2 minutes 30 seconds of the first was only really changed late in the round as Stevens connected with a few hard shots that may have stole him in round.
Golovkin's struggles continued through much of the second round as Stevens covered up well and gave very few opportunities to the champion. The success of Stevens in neutralising Golovkin raised a "USA" chant from the Madison Square Garden crowd though unfortunately this immediately backfired as Golovkin connected with a glancing left hook followed by a solid left hook that dropped Stevens for an 8 count. It was obvious from this point that Golovkin's power could hurt and drop Stevens.
Unfortunately the knockdown seemed to kill off what confidence Stevens was building and the challenger fought very much like a scared fighter in the following round backing up, covering up and trying to survive. This saw Stevens having some success in little bursts on the counter but on the whole Stevens's success in round 3 was very limited.
Despite beginning to look like a beaten man in round 3 Stevens had his best round in the fourth as he landed several hard counters and backed up Golovkin late in the round. It appeared that Stevens had forgotten about the knockdown and thought his best tactic was fighting off the ropes looking to land his highly regarded left hook. Unfortunately when Stevens did land the best he did was force Golovkin backwards for a few seconds before he came right back Stevens.
Golovkin started to have more and more success from round 5 onwards. He seemed confident in his ability to take Steven's best shots and applied constant calculated pressure. The champions successes were still somewhat limited but the challenger was doing next to nothing to make a claim for the rounds. Stevens was doing so little that he was being out worked even if Golovkin was struggling to land too many clean shots.
The success of round 5 grew the following round and then again in round 7. Steven's corner were trying to buoy their man and telling him to stand toe-to-toe with Golovkin, unfortunately when he did this he was forced on to the back foot with Golovkin's crisp punches forcing him back on to the ropes. By the end of round 7 it appeared that Stevens's only hope was to land a knock out punch, something that was becoming less and less likely.
By the start of round 8 Golovkin had really started to take over. Stevens's assaults were becoming less frequent and through the eighth Golovkin himself had started to find his range, especially with his body shots which landed numerous times through the round. Stevens's defenses, whilst still solid were beginning to be cracked more and more frequently by Golovkin who finally turned things up a gear and went for the kill.
Although Stevens managed to see out round 8 his corner had seen enough and immediately called for the referee to stop the bout. It hadn't been a real beating for their man but it appeared that he was on the verge of receiving one as Golovkin began to really show his class. The stoppage may feel to some as though Stevens quit though in all honesty it appears that his corner knew things were only going to get worse and saved their man from what could have been a career and health altering beat down. A wise move considering the way the bout had began to turn.
Although Golovkin hadn't looked like the 11 to 1 favourite for much of the bout he was safe money in the end.
Sunday, 27 October 2013
Bryan Vasquez v Rene Gonzalez
The most under the radar world title fight of this past weekend saw Costa Rican Bryan Vasquez (32-1, 17) becoming a 2-time WBA "interim" Super Featherweight champion.
The 26 year old Vasquez, known to some as "El Tequito", took on little known Nicaraguan visitor Rene Gonzalez (31-6-1-1, 23). Although Gonzalez isn't known to the wider boxing public he's a fighter who has been mixing on the fringes of world level for a while though often coming up short against the likes of Daniel Estrada, Humberto Mauro Gutierrez and Urbano Antillon.
Once again Gonzalez came up short, albeit in a controversial and somewhat confusing ending.
The fight started evenly with Gonzalez arguably fighting the better though Vasquez was clearly the crowd favourite fighting in front of his home fan. It was perhaps the crowds reaction to Vasquez's work that helped make the judges minds up in regards to the scoring, though it was certainly close. Vasquez was slightly the aggressor whilst Gonzalez was the more controlled man looking to fight off the defensive.
After 4 rounds it seemed like it was nip and tuck. Either guy could have been in the lead.
Sadly as the bout was beginning to really warm up an accidental clash of heads left Vasquez with a badly cut eye. Due to the accidental nature of the bout the judges score cards were called for. Of course due to the technical decision ruling the incomplete fifth round was also scored. This saw the judges coming back with scores that mostly reflected the close nature of the bout with a card of 48-48, 49.5-47.5 and 49-46.5 (yes using half point scoring!) with two of the 3 judges ruling Vasquez the winner.
The 26 year old Vasquez, known to some as "El Tequito", took on little known Nicaraguan visitor Rene Gonzalez (31-6-1-1, 23). Although Gonzalez isn't known to the wider boxing public he's a fighter who has been mixing on the fringes of world level for a while though often coming up short against the likes of Daniel Estrada, Humberto Mauro Gutierrez and Urbano Antillon.
Once again Gonzalez came up short, albeit in a controversial and somewhat confusing ending.
The fight started evenly with Gonzalez arguably fighting the better though Vasquez was clearly the crowd favourite fighting in front of his home fan. It was perhaps the crowds reaction to Vasquez's work that helped make the judges minds up in regards to the scoring, though it was certainly close. Vasquez was slightly the aggressor whilst Gonzalez was the more controlled man looking to fight off the defensive.
After 4 rounds it seemed like it was nip and tuck. Either guy could have been in the lead.
Sadly as the bout was beginning to really warm up an accidental clash of heads left Vasquez with a badly cut eye. Due to the accidental nature of the bout the judges score cards were called for. Of course due to the technical decision ruling the incomplete fifth round was also scored. This saw the judges coming back with scores that mostly reflected the close nature of the bout with a card of 48-48, 49.5-47.5 and 49-46.5 (yes using half point scoring!) with two of the 3 judges ruling Vasquez the winner.
Saturday, 12 October 2013
Juan Carlos Reveco v Ricardo Nunez
Whilst much of the boxing world had their attention on the US with Orlando Salido fought Orlando Cruz, Timothy Bradley fought Juan Manuel Marquez and Vasyl Lomachenko made his professional debut there was also action, at the world level, in Argentina.
Fighting in his home area of Mendoza the WBA Flyweight champion Juan Carlos Reveco (32-1, 17) successfully retained his title defeating Panamanian puncher Ricardo Nunez (26-4, 22), a fighter who always has the power to hurt fighters, even if his boxing skills aren't the most impressive.
The difference in boxing skill was evident from the off with Revecco utilising his speed and skills to hit Nunez with out taking much in return. It seemed almost evident from the off that this was actually a mismatch. Sure, Nunez seemed to have the power to turn things around but he was really struggling to connect with that power as Reveco impressed from the opening bell.
Unfortunately in the 8th round, and whilst well a head on the scorecards, Reveco came off worse from a clash of heads and unfortunately, with his right leaking blood, he was denied the chance to go for a late stoppage with the referee calling for the cards.
Although Reveco was denied his opportunity of going for a stoppage he was able to take a clear, clear decision with scores of 80-71 across all 3 cards to retain his title.
Unfortunately the cut was nasty and Reveco may not be able to fight again this year, effectively ruling out a possible super-fight in Japan with either Roman Gonzalez or Kazuto Ioka, both of whom have shown an interest in a fight with the Argentinian.
Fighting in his home area of Mendoza the WBA Flyweight champion Juan Carlos Reveco (32-1, 17) successfully retained his title defeating Panamanian puncher Ricardo Nunez (26-4, 22), a fighter who always has the power to hurt fighters, even if his boxing skills aren't the most impressive.
The difference in boxing skill was evident from the off with Revecco utilising his speed and skills to hit Nunez with out taking much in return. It seemed almost evident from the off that this was actually a mismatch. Sure, Nunez seemed to have the power to turn things around but he was really struggling to connect with that power as Reveco impressed from the opening bell.
Unfortunately in the 8th round, and whilst well a head on the scorecards, Reveco came off worse from a clash of heads and unfortunately, with his right leaking blood, he was denied the chance to go for a late stoppage with the referee calling for the cards.
Although Reveco was denied his opportunity of going for a stoppage he was able to take a clear, clear decision with scores of 80-71 across all 3 cards to retain his title.
Unfortunately the cut was nasty and Reveco may not be able to fight again this year, effectively ruling out a possible super-fight in Japan with either Roman Gonzalez or Kazuto Ioka, both of whom have shown an interest in a fight with the Argentinian.
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Scott Quigg v Yoandris Salinas
In a less than satisfactory ending Scott Quigg (26-0-2, 19) retained his newly upgraded WBA Super Bantamweight title courtesy of a 12 round majority draw with under-rated Cuban Yoandris Salinas (20-0-2, 13).
Oddly rather than complaining about the draw, I want to be one of the few to compliment good scoring. All too often we complain about bad scoring, as Sky Sport's did on TV, though on this rare occasion the scoring was sport on.
The first began at a very slow pace with Salinas landing his jab at will and making Quigg seem like a novice. It was an almost expected start with both men feeling each other out but few would have expected it to remain so slow so long and in fact it took several for either man to really come alive.
For the Cuban a slow pace was ideal and it helped win a majority of the early rounds with Quigg almost fighting the wrong fight. It was odd that a fighter like Quigg, known for his strength and energy, started so slowly and by the mid-way point it appeared his slow pace was going to cost him his title as he was genuinely in a hole. In fact by round 7 it was easy to make a case for Salinas being 6 rounds to 1 up, effectively securing at the very least a draw, barring a knockdown, or of course a knock out.
Knowing he was well behind on the scorecards Quigg began to go through the gears and in round 8 he finally managed to generate some momentum stepping up his work notably and easily taking the round as he put Salinas under serious pressure. The success from this round saw Quigg building some real momentum and clearly took rounds 9, 10, 11 with a similar strategy of putting his foot on the gas and applying pressure with plenty of work.
By the start of the 12th it was easy to say Quigg was winning, based merely on the way the momentum was going, something I think Sky Sports did in effect, though on my card he was going to need a big final round to take home the decision. Salinas seemed to have the same sort of idea in his head, though perhaps felt he was in the lead. This lead to a very weird 12th round with Salinas back on his toes moving around the ring and flicking out his jab whilst Quigg applied pressure. It was the first time Salinas had used his feet since about round 7 though his lack of work rate meant Quigg took the round anyway.
With the fact I had given Salinas 6 of the first 7 and Quigg had taken the final 5 a draw seemed the most obvious result and, thankfully, two of the judges agreed, with the third viewing Quigg as a 115-113 winner giving us a majority draw. And for once, the right decision.
Oddly rather than complaining about the draw, I want to be one of the few to compliment good scoring. All too often we complain about bad scoring, as Sky Sport's did on TV, though on this rare occasion the scoring was sport on.
The first began at a very slow pace with Salinas landing his jab at will and making Quigg seem like a novice. It was an almost expected start with both men feeling each other out but few would have expected it to remain so slow so long and in fact it took several for either man to really come alive.
For the Cuban a slow pace was ideal and it helped win a majority of the early rounds with Quigg almost fighting the wrong fight. It was odd that a fighter like Quigg, known for his strength and energy, started so slowly and by the mid-way point it appeared his slow pace was going to cost him his title as he was genuinely in a hole. In fact by round 7 it was easy to make a case for Salinas being 6 rounds to 1 up, effectively securing at the very least a draw, barring a knockdown, or of course a knock out.
Knowing he was well behind on the scorecards Quigg began to go through the gears and in round 8 he finally managed to generate some momentum stepping up his work notably and easily taking the round as he put Salinas under serious pressure. The success from this round saw Quigg building some real momentum and clearly took rounds 9, 10, 11 with a similar strategy of putting his foot on the gas and applying pressure with plenty of work.
By the start of the 12th it was easy to say Quigg was winning, based merely on the way the momentum was going, something I think Sky Sports did in effect, though on my card he was going to need a big final round to take home the decision. Salinas seemed to have the same sort of idea in his head, though perhaps felt he was in the lead. This lead to a very weird 12th round with Salinas back on his toes moving around the ring and flicking out his jab whilst Quigg applied pressure. It was the first time Salinas had used his feet since about round 7 though his lack of work rate meant Quigg took the round anyway.
With the fact I had given Salinas 6 of the first 7 and Quigg had taken the final 5 a draw seemed the most obvious result and, thankfully, two of the judges agreed, with the third viewing Quigg as a 115-113 winner giving us a majority draw. And for once, the right decision.
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, 14 September 2013
Floyd Mayweather Jr v Saul Alvarez
The unbeaten Floyd Maywather (45-0, 26) came out as "The One" as well as the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine Light Middleweight champion courtesy of a majority decision (more about that later) over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-1-1, 30).
The opening round was rather weird. Alvarez, the pressure fighter, oddly decided to try and box one of the best pure boxers in recent memory, this was simply a retarded game plan and one that was made to fail, as it did in the first 3 rounds. It was simply shocking that Alvarez would even try to outbox and out jab Mayweather who has one of the smoothest and fastest jabs in the sport today.
Thankfully, for the sake of entertainment if nothing else, the pace of the fight did pick up with Mayweather showing off his class as he landed some breath taking shots including a right hand that immediately bruised Canelo's face, a left hook late in the round and a second eye catching right hand. Whilst Canelo had some success, there was little more than a single right hand that seemed to land clean.
With Canelo in a hole he seemed to realise he had to change something and in round 5 he finally began to let his hands go. Unfortunately he found the Mayweather defense to be as impregnable as every other opponent and instead of landing shots he was being forced to eat more, especially the jab from Mayweather which was being thrown in combinations at times.
By now the Mexican fans were silent, they had cheered their man to the ring but realied he was out of his depth and as a "U-S-A" chant took over the arena.
If the first 5 rounds had been all Mayweather then the sixth was just a continuation of the same dominence. Again Canelo came forward and let his hands go, with little success whilst Mayweather landed at will, especially targeting the already bruised left eye of the Mexican. It was clear that Mayweather was targeting it and landing at will, in fact it was a shock that the eye wasn't beginning to swell from the clean right hands that pierced that Alvarez guard.
Whilst the right hand that had initially bruised Canelo's face had been excellent we had to wait until round 7 for the punch of the fight, a mind blowing uppercut by Mayweather that snapped the head of Canelo back. This was followed by a spiteful Mayweather flurry that saw him force feeding Canelo with right hands. At this point it seemed that Mayweather could, if he wished, finish off the Mexican.
Unfortunately after the amazing attack in round 7 Mayweather then seemed to take round 8 off as Canelo arguably claimed his first round of the fight. Although the Mexican didn't land too much he certainly out worked Mayweather and for the first time really threw in clusters making sure Mayweather was going to have to taste one of his shots every so often. Despite the heightened work of Alvarez the round seemed to hinge more on the fact Mayweather took it off rather than Alvarez winning it on merit.
Canelo seemed to build on his success in the ninth round as he again threw a lot, though unfortunately for him, and his legions of misguided fans, Mayweather did enough to just take the round landing the most notable shot, a huge right hand whilst Canelo himself missed with a vast majority of his shots.
The closeness of the ninth round was repeated in a similar round 10, though again Mayweather seemed to do enough to make Alvarez look silly whilst landing just enough to steal the round, despite an eye catching, though ineffective, flurry late by Canelo.
Unfortunately for Canelo his run of 2 or 3 competitive rounds was ended in a clear Mayweather round during the eleventh. Canelo, again through a fair bit but Mayweather did as he pleased. He landed a huge right right early, show boated with some eye catching pot shots in the middle of the round then taunted Canelo late in the round. It was the sort of round that whilst not technically dominant in terms of what was thrown it was dominant in terms of who controlled it and who was the boss.
With the decision seemingly in the bag Mayweather did very little in the final round, a round that actually saw the fans booing due to a lack of activity by both men. There was little reason for Mayweather to force the action and Canelo was too slow to force anything of note.
To me there was only 3 rounds, if you were being generous, that Canelo could have won. The score of 117-111 that I feasibly had was reflected on the card of Craig Metcalfe, the card of Dave Moretti had some how found 1 more round to give to Alvarez (presumably the 12th as a "pity round") though then we get the simply staggering card of controversial CJ Ross. Ross some how had the bout 114-114.
How Ross came to that is a mystery, though I dare say it should be her last. This woman needs barring from judging, given some glasses and told to find a new job because she's awful at judging a boxing contest.
The opening round was rather weird. Alvarez, the pressure fighter, oddly decided to try and box one of the best pure boxers in recent memory, this was simply a retarded game plan and one that was made to fail, as it did in the first 3 rounds. It was simply shocking that Alvarez would even try to outbox and out jab Mayweather who has one of the smoothest and fastest jabs in the sport today.
Thankfully, for the sake of entertainment if nothing else, the pace of the fight did pick up with Mayweather showing off his class as he landed some breath taking shots including a right hand that immediately bruised Canelo's face, a left hook late in the round and a second eye catching right hand. Whilst Canelo had some success, there was little more than a single right hand that seemed to land clean.
With Canelo in a hole he seemed to realise he had to change something and in round 5 he finally began to let his hands go. Unfortunately he found the Mayweather defense to be as impregnable as every other opponent and instead of landing shots he was being forced to eat more, especially the jab from Mayweather which was being thrown in combinations at times.
By now the Mexican fans were silent, they had cheered their man to the ring but realied he was out of his depth and as a "U-S-A" chant took over the arena.
If the first 5 rounds had been all Mayweather then the sixth was just a continuation of the same dominence. Again Canelo came forward and let his hands go, with little success whilst Mayweather landed at will, especially targeting the already bruised left eye of the Mexican. It was clear that Mayweather was targeting it and landing at will, in fact it was a shock that the eye wasn't beginning to swell from the clean right hands that pierced that Alvarez guard.
Whilst the right hand that had initially bruised Canelo's face had been excellent we had to wait until round 7 for the punch of the fight, a mind blowing uppercut by Mayweather that snapped the head of Canelo back. This was followed by a spiteful Mayweather flurry that saw him force feeding Canelo with right hands. At this point it seemed that Mayweather could, if he wished, finish off the Mexican.
Unfortunately after the amazing attack in round 7 Mayweather then seemed to take round 8 off as Canelo arguably claimed his first round of the fight. Although the Mexican didn't land too much he certainly out worked Mayweather and for the first time really threw in clusters making sure Mayweather was going to have to taste one of his shots every so often. Despite the heightened work of Alvarez the round seemed to hinge more on the fact Mayweather took it off rather than Alvarez winning it on merit.
Canelo seemed to build on his success in the ninth round as he again threw a lot, though unfortunately for him, and his legions of misguided fans, Mayweather did enough to just take the round landing the most notable shot, a huge right hand whilst Canelo himself missed with a vast majority of his shots.
The closeness of the ninth round was repeated in a similar round 10, though again Mayweather seemed to do enough to make Alvarez look silly whilst landing just enough to steal the round, despite an eye catching, though ineffective, flurry late by Canelo.
Unfortunately for Canelo his run of 2 or 3 competitive rounds was ended in a clear Mayweather round during the eleventh. Canelo, again through a fair bit but Mayweather did as he pleased. He landed a huge right right early, show boated with some eye catching pot shots in the middle of the round then taunted Canelo late in the round. It was the sort of round that whilst not technically dominant in terms of what was thrown it was dominant in terms of who controlled it and who was the boss.
With the decision seemingly in the bag Mayweather did very little in the final round, a round that actually saw the fans booing due to a lack of activity by both men. There was little reason for Mayweather to force the action and Canelo was too slow to force anything of note.
To me there was only 3 rounds, if you were being generous, that Canelo could have won. The score of 117-111 that I feasibly had was reflected on the card of Craig Metcalfe, the card of Dave Moretti had some how found 1 more round to give to Alvarez (presumably the 12th as a "pity round") though then we get the simply staggering card of controversial CJ Ross. Ross some how had the bout 114-114.
How Ross came to that is a mystery, though I dare say it should be her last. This woman needs barring from judging, given some glasses and told to find a new job because she's awful at judging a boxing contest.
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