Sunday 26 May 2013

Omar Andres Narvaez v Felipe Orucuta

WBO Super Flyweight champion Omar Andres Narvaez (39-1-2, 20) may still be amongst the worlds best at Super Flyweight but the legendary Argentinian will know that he doesn't have long at the top and following his very tough bout with Mexican youngster Felipe Orucuta (27-2, 23) he may well be thinking about walking away whilst still at the top.

The two men put on a genuinely great fight for the title that Narvaez has held for 3 years and it really did show two very different styles. For Orucuta his wild but extremely heavy blows were eye catching, many of them missed but they were certainly the shots being thrown with bad intentions as if he knew he'd need to take out Narvaez to claim the belt. On the opposite side of the spectrum was Narvaez, a relatively soft puncher who's accuracy was much better than his much taller rival. It wasn't just the offensive work of both men that was polar opposite but also the defensive side with Narvaez showing off his trademark slipperiness which seemed to be his saving grace at times.

The fight really was a case of what do you like. If you're a type of person who loves a lot of action and a fighter forcing the issue then it was easy to see you scoring the bout for Orucuta who was relentless in his pursuit and assault of Narvaez. At times it appeared the Mexican was going to grind down, and stop Narvaez though his somewhat crude style did allow the Argentinian to get away when he needed to create space. If you were the type of guy who rates effective aggression and impressive defensive work then Narvaez was your guy with after round being hard to score and it was little wonder than the scorecards were split.

Narvaez, a genuine tough guy who went 12 rounds with Nonito Donaire despite being made to look 3 divisions smaller, seemed really fearful of Orucuta's power at times and it was little wonder that he refused to get dragged in to a tear up. It was this mindset that helped the Argentinian veteran hear the final bell and retain his title, though it's obvious that father time is catching up with him. A win here by split decision has allowed him a chance to walk away whilst still a world champion, leaving on his own terms, one more fight however could see that change.

For Orucuta the loss may be a set back but he's really put himself on the map and it's only a matter of time before he gets another chance at a world title, it wouldn't be a surprise at all if he took that chance with both hands and held a title for a very long time, though it'll probably be at Bantamweight as opposed to Super Flyweight (he must be killing himself to make the weight).

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