Over the past 12 months boxing has seen some really strange decisions, in fact, up until tonight by robbery of the year was Moises Fuentes being denied a clear victory over Donnie Nietes in a bout for the WBO Light Flyweight title. There was no way in my mind that Fuentes failed to win that contest.
Unfortunately this evening boxing threw us another curve ball, this time in the UK as Scotland's Ricky Burns (36-2-1, 11) retained his title in one of the truly controversial bouts of the year.
Entering as a clear favourite against US based Mexican Raymundo Beltran (28-6-1, 17), Burns was supposed to dominate Beltran, a man viewed by many as a glorified journeyman and merely the "sparring partner" of Manny Pacquiao. It was as if many had looked past Beltran actually being a fine fighter in his own right, and being on an excellent run which included victories over Hank Lundy and Ji-Hoon Kim as well as "losses", take that term lightly, to Luis Ramos Jr and Sharif Bogere in the last 30 months.
It appeared that almost everyone, other than Beltran himself, thought he was there to lose as Burns took a step towards an American showdown with HBO's new star in the making Terrance Crawford. What transpired however was a robbery that even Ronnie Biggs would have been proud of.
The opening round was a good one for Burns, I can't possibly take that away from him as he landed crisp, clean shots time after time. If you merely saw the first round then turned it off, the pre-fight idea of Burns winning with ease would have been a fair conclusion. Then however things began to turn, the second round, another round Burns likely won, saw the Scot given his first taste of Beltran's power as he tagged him to the body and attempted to break down the home town fighter.
At the end of round 2 it appeared that Beltran had damaged the jaw of Burns, with later reports suggesting it had been dislocated. This injury clearly bothered Burns though as it appeared to come from clean punches there was little he could do other than put up with it and fight, especially following comments made from him, and more specifically his team, following his last defense where Jose Gonzalez was forced to pull out of the bout with an injury.
With the damage done in the second round Beltran was spurred on and he moved up a gear landing body shots and bullying Burns around the ring. It wasn't obvious what the injury was to fans but it was clear that Beltran could smell blood as he went on the hunt and applied intelligent pressure round after round, looking to land sweeping shots up top and hurtful blows down low.
Through several of the following rounds Beltran really did all he could to claim the rounds on the scorecards. Unfortunately, despite clearly winning a number of rounds, the judges seemed to be dead set against giving him all the credit he deserved. In fact by the mid way point it seemed difficult to even make a case that Burns was level, never mind actually leading the bout.
Although Burns had fallen behind on almost every neutral's scorecard he did come out firing very impressively in round 7, a round in which it appeared Beltran was starting to tire. The shots from Burns had again looked smooth, snappy and sharp, something that had been absent for several rounds and it appeared the turn around was on.
With Burns claiming round 7 it appeared the momentum shift was on, this was flipped completely in round 8 however as Burns was dropped in the clearest round of the fight. Beltran, who had dropped Burns with a single sweeping shot went for the finish though Burns managed to see out the round and get to his stool unscathed.
Unfortunately for the Scot it was was then difficult to make a case for him winning too much afterwards. He was on his bike for most of rounds 9 and 10 as Beltran tried to drop him again, and although he fought back well in round 11 it was too close to call a clear Burns round with the twelfth being similarly close.
With Beltran having clearly won at least 6 rounds, if not 7, 8 or even 9 and scoring a knockdown it appeared that we had had an upset. Unfortunately the judges failed to see what everyone else seemed to see and in fact they managed to come up with a split decision, leaving many with little more than questions.
What did Beltran need to do to win? What was Carlos Ortiz Jr (115-112 Burns) watching? Was this a second successive "off night" for Burns? Is Burns that good? Will Beltran get a rematch? And, maybe more worryingly, will another world level boxer return to fight in Britain again?
Feel free to come up with your own answers, but I know mine, and I know my stomach is turning with anger towards this sport, at least in Britain, more and more this past year.
Showing posts with label Lightweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lightweight. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Omar Figueroa v Nihito Arakawa
In a genuine fight of the year contender Omar Figueroa (22-0-1, 17) successfully claimed the WBC "interim" Lightweight title with a very hard fought 12 round decision over Japanese challenger Nihito Arakawa (24-3-1, 16).
The fight started at a hectic pace with Figueroa unloading hard shots in flurries whilst Arakawa tried to hold on and see out the first round. It was well known going in that Figueroa was incredibly dangerous in the opening round and it was obvious that Arakawa was trying to weather out the early storm.
Despite seeing out the opening round Arakawa was hurt in the second round and the referee controversially scored a knockdown from what appeared to be a push during a clinch. Sure Arakawa had been hurt prior to the knockdown but the call was certainly a questionable one from Lawrence Cole.
Despite the knockdown against him in the second round Arakawa had actually had some success being able to push Figueroa against the ropes. Unfortunately for the Japanese fighter he failed to really have any success with Figueroa on the ropes.
Arakawa would continue to push Figueroa on to the ropes in many of the following rounds as he tried to out-muscle the youngster. Despite being pushed around Figueroa kept exploding away from the ropes with amazing flurries of fast hurtful shots that landed time and time again. It was these flurries that were clearly the eye catching and classy work which allowed the American to rack up the rounds and hurt Arakawa.
In round 5 the bout saw another moment of note as a clash of heads lead to a cut on the nose of Figueroa. The cut, whilst correctly ruled to be from a head clash seemed to bleed profusely through out the bout leading to a line of blood that almost continually covered the centre of Figueroa's face and later on the shoulder or Arakawa who had out-done most predictions by even surviving to round 5. In fact actually you could have made a case for the round to have belong to Arakawa who had had genuine sustained success for the first time in the bout.
We saw controversy again in round 6 as the referee again gave a count against Arakawa despite the Japanese fighter again remaining on his feet. Yes once again he as hurt, but the count seemed to come whilst he was taking several rabbit shots. Oddly the count probably saved Arakawa from being stopped, as it arguably had done in round 2.
Although Figueroa had looked to have slowed in rounds 4 and 5 the knockdown call in his favour in round 6 seemed to rejuvenate him and he came out all guns blazing in round 7 trying to finish off the job. Although he could do it in round 7 Figueroa did have Arakawa stumbling around the ring in round 8 as it appeared the referee was going to give yet another standing count until Arakawa held on and cleared his head.
Having been in serious trouble in round 8 it was a surprise to see Arakawa having one of his best rounds in round 9 as both men traded shots. By now though Figueroa was clearly a slowing fighter and he seemed unable to sustain any attack for more than 20 seconds. Fighting in these short bursts made the rounds close though Arakawa seemed unable to ever hurt Figueroa despite him slowing in terms of work rate.
Despite being unhurt Figueroa did look very unhappy in his corner at the end of round 9. It was obvious that he was really tiring though so too was was Arakawa who, whilst still applying pressure and pushing Figueroa to the ropes, was unable to really land much of significance allowed the odd burst of punches from Figueroa to take the round.
Figueroa's tiredness continued to effect him in the final two rounds as Arakawa went searching for a stoppage and seemed to rattle the youngster a time or two with Figueroa managing to see out the storm. Although Figueroa had dominated most of the first 10 rounds it seemed as if Arakawa did have a slim chance of stealing the fight with a remarkable stoppage of a tired opponent.
Impressively Figueroa showed not only the heart to see out the hard times late in the bout but also the experience and boxing intelligence to do as Arakawa did in the opening round and hold on to see out round. For a man known for his explosive power it was probably as impressive that he knew how to see out the clock and survive.
With the WBC "interim" Lightweight title around this waist it seems like a waiting game for Figueroa who I expect will be upgraded to full champion when Adrien Broner decides on his next fight. This fight, whilst a clear decision win for the youngster will have done him more good than his previous 20-odd bouts as he was tested in ways almost nobody expected. He showed off his heart, his relatively impressive stamina and also his faults, he squares up a lot and doesn't have the greatest of technique, allowing him to correct things in the gym.
For Arakawa this was a painful night though a night in which he'll have made a lot of new friends stateside. He showed himself to be a tough as nails warrior who is high in action and will refuse to quit. Hopefully some other top Lightweights give him a chance even if he is a nightmare to fight due to his heart and toughness
The fight started at a hectic pace with Figueroa unloading hard shots in flurries whilst Arakawa tried to hold on and see out the first round. It was well known going in that Figueroa was incredibly dangerous in the opening round and it was obvious that Arakawa was trying to weather out the early storm.
Despite seeing out the opening round Arakawa was hurt in the second round and the referee controversially scored a knockdown from what appeared to be a push during a clinch. Sure Arakawa had been hurt prior to the knockdown but the call was certainly a questionable one from Lawrence Cole.
Despite the knockdown against him in the second round Arakawa had actually had some success being able to push Figueroa against the ropes. Unfortunately for the Japanese fighter he failed to really have any success with Figueroa on the ropes.
Arakawa would continue to push Figueroa on to the ropes in many of the following rounds as he tried to out-muscle the youngster. Despite being pushed around Figueroa kept exploding away from the ropes with amazing flurries of fast hurtful shots that landed time and time again. It was these flurries that were clearly the eye catching and classy work which allowed the American to rack up the rounds and hurt Arakawa.
In round 5 the bout saw another moment of note as a clash of heads lead to a cut on the nose of Figueroa. The cut, whilst correctly ruled to be from a head clash seemed to bleed profusely through out the bout leading to a line of blood that almost continually covered the centre of Figueroa's face and later on the shoulder or Arakawa who had out-done most predictions by even surviving to round 5. In fact actually you could have made a case for the round to have belong to Arakawa who had had genuine sustained success for the first time in the bout.
We saw controversy again in round 6 as the referee again gave a count against Arakawa despite the Japanese fighter again remaining on his feet. Yes once again he as hurt, but the count seemed to come whilst he was taking several rabbit shots. Oddly the count probably saved Arakawa from being stopped, as it arguably had done in round 2.
Although Figueroa had looked to have slowed in rounds 4 and 5 the knockdown call in his favour in round 6 seemed to rejuvenate him and he came out all guns blazing in round 7 trying to finish off the job. Although he could do it in round 7 Figueroa did have Arakawa stumbling around the ring in round 8 as it appeared the referee was going to give yet another standing count until Arakawa held on and cleared his head.
Having been in serious trouble in round 8 it was a surprise to see Arakawa having one of his best rounds in round 9 as both men traded shots. By now though Figueroa was clearly a slowing fighter and he seemed unable to sustain any attack for more than 20 seconds. Fighting in these short bursts made the rounds close though Arakawa seemed unable to ever hurt Figueroa despite him slowing in terms of work rate.
Despite being unhurt Figueroa did look very unhappy in his corner at the end of round 9. It was obvious that he was really tiring though so too was was Arakawa who, whilst still applying pressure and pushing Figueroa to the ropes, was unable to really land much of significance allowed the odd burst of punches from Figueroa to take the round.
Figueroa's tiredness continued to effect him in the final two rounds as Arakawa went searching for a stoppage and seemed to rattle the youngster a time or two with Figueroa managing to see out the storm. Although Figueroa had dominated most of the first 10 rounds it seemed as if Arakawa did have a slim chance of stealing the fight with a remarkable stoppage of a tired opponent.
Impressively Figueroa showed not only the heart to see out the hard times late in the bout but also the experience and boxing intelligence to do as Arakawa did in the opening round and hold on to see out round. For a man known for his explosive power it was probably as impressive that he knew how to see out the clock and survive.
With the WBC "interim" Lightweight title around this waist it seems like a waiting game for Figueroa who I expect will be upgraded to full champion when Adrien Broner decides on his next fight. This fight, whilst a clear decision win for the youngster will have done him more good than his previous 20-odd bouts as he was tested in ways almost nobody expected. He showed off his heart, his relatively impressive stamina and also his faults, he squares up a lot and doesn't have the greatest of technique, allowing him to correct things in the gym.
For Arakawa this was a painful night though a night in which he'll have made a lot of new friends stateside. He showed himself to be a tough as nails warrior who is high in action and will refuse to quit. Hopefully some other top Lightweights give him a chance even if he is a nightmare to fight due to his heart and toughness
Saturday, 8 June 2013
Yuriorkis Gamboa v Darleys Perez
The often entertaining Yuriorkis Gamboa (23-0, 16) may have claimed the WBA "interim" Lightweight title by out pointing the previously unbeaten Darley's Perez (28-1, 19) though he'll have made absolutely no new fans on this performance. In all honesty he may well have turned fans, promoters and television networks against him with this awfully tedious performance.
The bout started moderately well as a chess match with Gamboa dropping Perez at the end of the opening round after being caught with a solid counter or two himself. Sadly however the bout failed to take off as both men played a very cagey game of chess for 12 rounds with little of note landed by either man.
Gamboa, often seen as one of the sports most exciting fighters, failed to ever push the action like he seemed capable of and instead was happy to land single fast shots then move and move and move whilst throwing a number of shots from a distance that had no hope of landing. Perez, standing outside of range for the vast part of the fight repeatedly looked for single counters and almost refused to lead in fear of being caught by a counter himself.
With both men being negative there was little wonder that the crowd booed throughout and let their feelings be known. They had been let down and whilst Perez's limitations were obvious Gamboa could, and should, have provided so much more, despite this being his first fight at 135lbs.
With 2 less than impressive performances by Gamboa his already small fan base may well start turning their back on him with performances like this.
The bout started moderately well as a chess match with Gamboa dropping Perez at the end of the opening round after being caught with a solid counter or two himself. Sadly however the bout failed to take off as both men played a very cagey game of chess for 12 rounds with little of note landed by either man.
Gamboa, often seen as one of the sports most exciting fighters, failed to ever push the action like he seemed capable of and instead was happy to land single fast shots then move and move and move whilst throwing a number of shots from a distance that had no hope of landing. Perez, standing outside of range for the vast part of the fight repeatedly looked for single counters and almost refused to lead in fear of being caught by a counter himself.
With both men being negative there was little wonder that the crowd booed throughout and let their feelings be known. They had been let down and whilst Perez's limitations were obvious Gamboa could, and should, have provided so much more, despite this being his first fight at 135lbs.
With 2 less than impressive performances by Gamboa his already small fan base may well start turning their back on him with performances like this.
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Ricky Burns v Jose A Gonzalez
In a surprisingly tougher than expected bout Scotland's Ricky Burns (36-2, 10) successfully defended his WBO Lightweight title as Puerto Rico's Jose A Gonzalez (22-1, 17) retired on his stool at the end of the 9th round.
The bout started badly for Burn's who genuinely struggled to hit his tricky opponent clean and although the opening round was close it was Gonzalez who looked like the man who had the skills edge as well as the power edge.
Gonzalez managed to quickly grow in to the bout and appeared to clearly take rounds 2 and 3 with his superior work both offensively and defensively. Not only was Gonzalez slipping almost everything Burns was throwing at him but he was also landing his own heavy shots from either hand with genuine ease. It was looking like Gonzalez wasn't the challenger stepping up a level but was the champion proving his status as one of the best.
It wasn't until round 4 that Burns managed to have any sort of sustained offense as he managed to land some of his own firepower, though the challenger once again seemed to claim the round whilst looking supremely relaxed and incredibly confident. Burns built on his success of round 4 and seemed to just eek out round 5 as he finally managed to have some continued success, despite a spirited assault by Gonzalez late that may have stole him the round on the score cards.
Burns' momentum was short lived as Gonzalez stormed round 6 and seemed to rock Burns as the Scottish fighter continued to struggle with the Puerto Rican who had been able to out jab Burns at a distance and out slug with him up close. In all honesty it appeared as if Gonzalez could win the bout by either boxing with his sharp jab or by stopping Burns with his devastating uppercuts up close.
By the start of round 7 things were looking awful for Burns but the Scot refused to quit and really took the fight to Gonzalez as the two men traded major shots throughout the round. It seemed there were several times in which Burns was about to go down but he just refused and fired back in what was one of the round's of the year. Neither man seemed willing to give up the round as Burns finally started to have some major success (though was forced to eat heavy shots in return).
Although both men had survived round 7 it appeared to be the start of the end and Gonzalez looked notably slower and less active in round 8. Originally it seemed as if he had needed a breather and took the round off though with round 9 going the same way it was obvious that there was something wrong with Gonzalez. it later turned out that Gonzalez had a suspected broken wrist which sadly forced him to retire in prior to the start of round 10.
Although some have said that Gonzalez "quit" (comments which have been made by British fighters Paul Smith and Tony Bellew amongst others) the injury seems to have been legit and I'm sorry to say those questioning Gonzalez really should hang their heads in shame. The guy had made Burns look like an amateur for the better part of 7 rounds and will certainly come again. For Ricky Burns this was certainly a lucky escape.
The bout started badly for Burn's who genuinely struggled to hit his tricky opponent clean and although the opening round was close it was Gonzalez who looked like the man who had the skills edge as well as the power edge.
Gonzalez managed to quickly grow in to the bout and appeared to clearly take rounds 2 and 3 with his superior work both offensively and defensively. Not only was Gonzalez slipping almost everything Burns was throwing at him but he was also landing his own heavy shots from either hand with genuine ease. It was looking like Gonzalez wasn't the challenger stepping up a level but was the champion proving his status as one of the best.
It wasn't until round 4 that Burns managed to have any sort of sustained offense as he managed to land some of his own firepower, though the challenger once again seemed to claim the round whilst looking supremely relaxed and incredibly confident. Burns built on his success of round 4 and seemed to just eek out round 5 as he finally managed to have some continued success, despite a spirited assault by Gonzalez late that may have stole him the round on the score cards.
Burns' momentum was short lived as Gonzalez stormed round 6 and seemed to rock Burns as the Scottish fighter continued to struggle with the Puerto Rican who had been able to out jab Burns at a distance and out slug with him up close. In all honesty it appeared as if Gonzalez could win the bout by either boxing with his sharp jab or by stopping Burns with his devastating uppercuts up close.
By the start of round 7 things were looking awful for Burns but the Scot refused to quit and really took the fight to Gonzalez as the two men traded major shots throughout the round. It seemed there were several times in which Burns was about to go down but he just refused and fired back in what was one of the round's of the year. Neither man seemed willing to give up the round as Burns finally started to have some major success (though was forced to eat heavy shots in return).
Although both men had survived round 7 it appeared to be the start of the end and Gonzalez looked notably slower and less active in round 8. Originally it seemed as if he had needed a breather and took the round off though with round 9 going the same way it was obvious that there was something wrong with Gonzalez. it later turned out that Gonzalez had a suspected broken wrist which sadly forced him to retire in prior to the start of round 10.
Although some have said that Gonzalez "quit" (comments which have been made by British fighters Paul Smith and Tony Bellew amongst others) the injury seems to have been legit and I'm sorry to say those questioning Gonzalez really should hang their heads in shame. The guy had made Burns look like an amateur for the better part of 7 rounds and will certainly come again. For Ricky Burns this was certainly a lucky escape.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Richar Abril v Sharif Bogere
Cuban Richar Abril (18-3-1, 8), who had previously been the WBA Lightweight champion made the first defense of the full version of the title as he out pointed the previous unbeaten Ugandan born Sharif Bogere (23-1, 15) in a messy yet entertaining bout that was marred by the awful officiating of Russell Mora who again raised more eye brows than anything else.
the bout started well for Bogere who started fast and launched himself at Abril in the early rounds. It wasn't pretty but Bogere's reckless style and aggression was certainly causing the defending champion real issues. Not only were Bogere's punches reckless and wild but he was also leading with his head and giving Abril 3 targets to avoid.
It was with the head that Bogere, who was dirty through out the fight, scored his most notable success as an accidental clash of heads opened up a cut over Abril's eye. Somehow the referee, Russell Mora seemed to avoid the leading with the head and instead repeatedly warned Abril for effectively protecting himself from Bogere's head.
Whilst Abril started to fight back well in the middle rounds and started to bag himself rounds he was always at risk of the head from Bogere. Sadly it was whilst looking after himself that Abril was deducted a point by Russell Mora who had taken it uAbril had been waned the deduction was genuinely unwarranted due to the style of Bogere who was charging forward almost like a rhino.
Thankfully Abril took the point deduction as a hint to get fighting and from then on he looked a class above Bogere as he landed counters on an onrushing and tiring opponent. The Ugandan showed heart and grit yet lacked the finesse in his attacks to really trouble Abril who had started landing combinations on to his challenger.
Unfortunately for the challenger his hopes were further dashed as he not only started to be tagged but was starting to get warned by Mora who was starting to realise that Bogere was the man causing the dirty action with his head. Eventually those infractions of Bogere got a well deserved point deduction in the final round as Abril managed to hold on, despite being bloodied to take a wide and comfortable decision.
Although Abril certainly wasn't at his best here, he showed some of the skills that would make Adrien Broner genuinely struggle with him. Bogere however showed that a size difference could play a big part in a fight as he struggled to get close to the champion and when he did he was smothered excellently.
the bout started well for Bogere who started fast and launched himself at Abril in the early rounds. It wasn't pretty but Bogere's reckless style and aggression was certainly causing the defending champion real issues. Not only were Bogere's punches reckless and wild but he was also leading with his head and giving Abril 3 targets to avoid.
It was with the head that Bogere, who was dirty through out the fight, scored his most notable success as an accidental clash of heads opened up a cut over Abril's eye. Somehow the referee, Russell Mora seemed to avoid the leading with the head and instead repeatedly warned Abril for effectively protecting himself from Bogere's head.
Whilst Abril started to fight back well in the middle rounds and started to bag himself rounds he was always at risk of the head from Bogere. Sadly it was whilst looking after himself that Abril was deducted a point by Russell Mora who had taken it uAbril had been waned the deduction was genuinely unwarranted due to the style of Bogere who was charging forward almost like a rhino.
Thankfully Abril took the point deduction as a hint to get fighting and from then on he looked a class above Bogere as he landed counters on an onrushing and tiring opponent. The Ugandan showed heart and grit yet lacked the finesse in his attacks to really trouble Abril who had started landing combinations on to his challenger.
Unfortunately for the challenger his hopes were further dashed as he not only started to be tagged but was starting to get warned by Mora who was starting to realise that Bogere was the man causing the dirty action with his head. Eventually those infractions of Bogere got a well deserved point deduction in the final round as Abril managed to hold on, despite being bloodied to take a wide and comfortable decision.
Although Abril certainly wasn't at his best here, he showed some of the skills that would make Adrien Broner genuinely struggle with him. Bogere however showed that a size difference could play a big part in a fight as he struggled to get close to the champion and when he did he was smothered excellently.
Saturday, 16 February 2013
Adrien Broner v Gavin Rees
After rapping his own entrance music WBC Lightweight champion Adrien Broner (26-0, 22) had to do something impressive and that's exactly what he did as he broke up and stopped Welshman Gavin Rees (37-2-1, 18) who was saved by his corner man close to the end of round 5.
The opening round was excellent for the challenger who showed an aggressive mindset and high work rate to really out work the champion who took his time to study the challenger and get used to Rees' speed and and size. From then on however the champion started to go throw the gears and appeared to hurt Rees in the second round as he started to show why he is so highly regarded. Despite hurting Rees in round 2 the challenger against made a strong case for the round on his work rate.
Whilst the second round had been close, Broner continued to go through the gears and in round 3 his class started to tell as he exploded in to action rocking Rees and pinning him on to the ropes before unloading. This was the first time Broner really opened up though it was obvious from then on that the bout was a lost cause for Rees who refused to just back down and instead showed his Welsh grit and kept coming forward.
Rees was punished for his bravery in round 4 as an excellent uppercut from Broner dropped him hard. Although Rees got up from the knock down the round turned into a painful one for the diminutive Welshman who was really tagged repeatedly as Broner continued to show his impressive power. Whilst Rees himself was landing plenty of shots they merely seemed to bounce off Broner whilst every shot from the American rocked the challenger to his boots.
If round 4 was painful round 5 was excruciating as Broner went up yet another gear and made Rees pay for the Welshman's own show boating. Broner scored a controversial knockdown with a body shot before beating the ever loving snot out of Rees for the remainder of the round before Rees' trainer Gary Lockett (himself a former Middleweight title challenger) waved the towel with a second of the round left.
Although Rees was a worthy challenger, Broner proved that he was by far and away the stronger, bigger and better man as he hurt Burns every time he landed. With the IBF/WBO unification bout between Miguel "Titere" Vazquez and Ricky Burns coming up, it'd be fair to say that the winner would be best off avoiding Broner who on this sort of form would take the best they have before stopping them.
Saturday, 8 December 2012
Miguel Vazquez v Mercito Gesta
IBF Light Champion Miguel "Titere" Vazquez (33-3, 13) successfully retained his title and made the fifth defense of the belt as he gave a boxing masterclass to the highly hyped and previously unbeaten Filipino Mercito Gesta (26-1-1, 14). In fact it was hard to give Gesta more than a round as the Filipino did very little through out the fight.
The opening round saw Vazquez setting the tone of the fight by moving around Gesta and landing repeated jabs as he controlled the pace and distance of the fight. Although Gesta did go down in the round it was ruled a slip and seemed to come just as much from a collision of legs as much as the punch that came before it. Vazquez went on to clearly dominate the almost all the rounds rounds with out barely taking a shot in return with actually the most meaningful punch of the first 9 rounds being a straight right he hit Gesta with in round 3 that rocked the Filipino fighter.
Vazquez's domination of the fight was helped by the fact Gesta was so inactive, he kept walking forward, taking shots on the guard and firing nothing back. When he had what little successes he did have he failed to follow up and never looked like having Vazquez worried at all as the champion played the matador to wild and novice-like challenger.
Gesta was was told repeatedly to put his foot down and force the fight and it was until round 9 that he actually started to force things. In round 10 Gesta finally got some notable success as he caused blood to trickle from Vazquez' nose in probably the only round you could give to Gesta, though Vazquez reestablished himself and took the final two rounds to claim a very clear and very easy defense.
Sadly for Gesta he seemed to freeze on the big stage and was far too passive to even come close to cutting the ring off for the very talented and very under-rated Vazquez.
The opening round saw Vazquez setting the tone of the fight by moving around Gesta and landing repeated jabs as he controlled the pace and distance of the fight. Although Gesta did go down in the round it was ruled a slip and seemed to come just as much from a collision of legs as much as the punch that came before it. Vazquez went on to clearly dominate the almost all the rounds rounds with out barely taking a shot in return with actually the most meaningful punch of the first 9 rounds being a straight right he hit Gesta with in round 3 that rocked the Filipino fighter.
Vazquez's domination of the fight was helped by the fact Gesta was so inactive, he kept walking forward, taking shots on the guard and firing nothing back. When he had what little successes he did have he failed to follow up and never looked like having Vazquez worried at all as the champion played the matador to wild and novice-like challenger.
Gesta was was told repeatedly to put his foot down and force the fight and it was until round 9 that he actually started to force things. In round 10 Gesta finally got some notable success as he caused blood to trickle from Vazquez' nose in probably the only round you could give to Gesta, though Vazquez reestablished himself and took the final two rounds to claim a very clear and very easy defense.
Sadly for Gesta he seemed to freeze on the big stage and was far too passive to even come close to cutting the ring off for the very talented and very under-rated Vazquez.
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Miguel Vazquez v Marvin Quintero
In a less that entertaining bout Miguel Vazquez (32-3, 13) successfully retained his IBF Lightweight title against the hard hitting Marvin Quintero (25-4, 21) in a bout that really failed to ever come alive.
The champion claimed a number of the early rounds via his movement and jab whilst Quintero, who applied constant pressure, threw little and seemed to be chasing Vazquez as opposed to punching him. Despite Vazquez's successes early on Quintero gradually cut the distance and in the middle rounds the challenger was starting to win rounds and tag the champion time and time again.
By round 8 the bout had really closed up and there was really only a round in it either way as Quintero started to enforce his will on the bout. Despite the huge gulf in technical skill Vazquez wasn't boxing any longer, instead of punching and moving he was almost running away and forcing Quintero to chase him and make the fight, something he did and he did well. The bought didn't widen in either rounds 9 or 10 as both men made legitimate claims for both of the rounds, which meant it was all to fight for in the championship rounds.
With the bout so close it was amazing to see Vazquez really impose himself in round 11, a round that he won so clearly that it was probably the most dominant single round of the fight (despite the fact Quintero didn't land a punch in the opening round according to Compubox). The penultimate round really showed the class of "Titere" who landed at will and completely neutralised Quintero. This lead to Quintero really chasing the fight in the final round and whilst Quintero just won the round on my card, he failed to score the knock down that could have won him the fight.
When it came to the scorecards there was enough close rounds to understand a wide selections of scores and perhaps understandably the judges were split. The first card read out was a 115-113 in favour of Quintero, the second card was 116-112 Vazquez (the same score as I had it) though the third card was simply ludicrous seeing Vazquez as the winner 118-110.
The decision was booed though that may have more to do with the lack of action early on and the third scorecard which deserved a round of boos on it's own. Score cards of 116-112 EITHER way would have been understandable, but 118-110 was a joke card I'm afraid.
This should have been a chance for Vazquez to make an impression though sadly he failed to box to the best of his ability. He spent too much time running and not enough time boxing, and as a result won't have made many new fans tonight. In fact if anyone was the "real winner" here it was Quintero who will almost certainly be on HBO due to the fact he appears to be fun to watch. He's not the most skilled or the most durable but he'll be fun on the fringes of the world level and in fact the perfect opponent for Ricky Burns to make his mark on America against.
The champion claimed a number of the early rounds via his movement and jab whilst Quintero, who applied constant pressure, threw little and seemed to be chasing Vazquez as opposed to punching him. Despite Vazquez's successes early on Quintero gradually cut the distance and in the middle rounds the challenger was starting to win rounds and tag the champion time and time again.
By round 8 the bout had really closed up and there was really only a round in it either way as Quintero started to enforce his will on the bout. Despite the huge gulf in technical skill Vazquez wasn't boxing any longer, instead of punching and moving he was almost running away and forcing Quintero to chase him and make the fight, something he did and he did well. The bought didn't widen in either rounds 9 or 10 as both men made legitimate claims for both of the rounds, which meant it was all to fight for in the championship rounds.
With the bout so close it was amazing to see Vazquez really impose himself in round 11, a round that he won so clearly that it was probably the most dominant single round of the fight (despite the fact Quintero didn't land a punch in the opening round according to Compubox). The penultimate round really showed the class of "Titere" who landed at will and completely neutralised Quintero. This lead to Quintero really chasing the fight in the final round and whilst Quintero just won the round on my card, he failed to score the knock down that could have won him the fight.
When it came to the scorecards there was enough close rounds to understand a wide selections of scores and perhaps understandably the judges were split. The first card read out was a 115-113 in favour of Quintero, the second card was 116-112 Vazquez (the same score as I had it) though the third card was simply ludicrous seeing Vazquez as the winner 118-110.
The decision was booed though that may have more to do with the lack of action early on and the third scorecard which deserved a round of boos on it's own. Score cards of 116-112 EITHER way would have been understandable, but 118-110 was a joke card I'm afraid.
This should have been a chance for Vazquez to make an impression though sadly he failed to box to the best of his ability. He spent too much time running and not enough time boxing, and as a result won't have made many new fans tonight. In fact if anyone was the "real winner" here it was Quintero who will almost certainly be on HBO due to the fact he appears to be fun to watch. He's not the most skilled or the most durable but he'll be fun on the fringes of the world level and in fact the perfect opponent for Ricky Burns to make his mark on America against.
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Ricky Burns v Kevin Mitchell
Ricky Burns (35-2, 10) successfully defended his WBO Lightweight title for a second time with arguably his most impressive victory to date by stopping Englishman Kevin Mitchell in the 4th round. Not only was Burns marvelous in victory but he proved that he hit far harder than fans around the world thought.
The opening round was close with both men having their successes though it seemed as if Mitchell may have done just enough to take it with what appeared to be excellent boxing and fantastic movement. The Englishman appeared to neutralise the fantastic burns jab which wasn't landing with the usual success that Burns often has with it. Sadly however this was to be the only round that Mitchell could even claim to have been close to winning.
In the second round Burns really put his foot on the gas and thoroughly dominated Mitchell, landing time and time again with his right hand. Whilst the right hand was a major weapon Burns was also willing to trade an appeared to be be the stronger man when the two fighters did go toe-to-toe. The fact Burns was winning when the two men were brawling was really a major point and seemed to almost deflate Mitchell who was being out-boxed and out-fought.
Burns' domination continued in the third round where he just looked a class better than Mitchell and much, much stronger. It seemed like everything Burns landed got to the challenger, whilst Mitchell's own shots had little to no effect on the champion who was in complete control by the end of the round.
In the fourth round Burns' dominance showed as he wobbled Mitchell with a hard, hurtful shot, just seconds later Mitchell was dropped. Despite taking his time to get to his feet Mitchell never really recovered and was dropped again soon afterwards. With the clock ticking down, Burns went in for the kill and wailed away on Mitchell forcing the referee to step in and wave the bout off with just seconds remaining in the round.
For Burns this is really the fight that puts him head and shoulders ahead of everyone else in Britain, and concretes his standing as one of the very best in the world. Whilst the likes of Richard Abril, Antonio DeMarco and Miguel Vazquez may all claim to be the best, Burns would give any of them a 50-50 fight and seems to be growing into a fighter who knows he can throw hurtful shots. A very impressive performance.
For Mitchell, I think we are done with thinking he's a "world level" fighter, however he's in an awkward position as he's certainly better than many of the top European Lightweights. I can't help but think that he's simply too small for Lightweight and will be over-powered by any genuine Lightweight. If he can make Super Featherweight the best idea would be to drop down, if he can't then he's in a very, very tough position.
The opening round was close with both men having their successes though it seemed as if Mitchell may have done just enough to take it with what appeared to be excellent boxing and fantastic movement. The Englishman appeared to neutralise the fantastic burns jab which wasn't landing with the usual success that Burns often has with it. Sadly however this was to be the only round that Mitchell could even claim to have been close to winning.
In the second round Burns really put his foot on the gas and thoroughly dominated Mitchell, landing time and time again with his right hand. Whilst the right hand was a major weapon Burns was also willing to trade an appeared to be be the stronger man when the two fighters did go toe-to-toe. The fact Burns was winning when the two men were brawling was really a major point and seemed to almost deflate Mitchell who was being out-boxed and out-fought.
Burns' domination continued in the third round where he just looked a class better than Mitchell and much, much stronger. It seemed like everything Burns landed got to the challenger, whilst Mitchell's own shots had little to no effect on the champion who was in complete control by the end of the round.
In the fourth round Burns' dominance showed as he wobbled Mitchell with a hard, hurtful shot, just seconds later Mitchell was dropped. Despite taking his time to get to his feet Mitchell never really recovered and was dropped again soon afterwards. With the clock ticking down, Burns went in for the kill and wailed away on Mitchell forcing the referee to step in and wave the bout off with just seconds remaining in the round.
For Burns this is really the fight that puts him head and shoulders ahead of everyone else in Britain, and concretes his standing as one of the very best in the world. Whilst the likes of Richard Abril, Antonio DeMarco and Miguel Vazquez may all claim to be the best, Burns would give any of them a 50-50 fight and seems to be growing into a fighter who knows he can throw hurtful shots. A very impressive performance.
For Mitchell, I think we are done with thinking he's a "world level" fighter, however he's in an awkward position as he's certainly better than many of the top European Lightweights. I can't help but think that he's simply too small for Lightweight and will be over-powered by any genuine Lightweight. If he can make Super Featherweight the best idea would be to drop down, if he can't then he's in a very, very tough position.
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Antonio DeMarco v John Molina
Current WBC Lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21) is unlikely to ever have a title defense as easy as his defense against John Molina (24-2, 19) a bout that was over almost as quickly as it started.
Within 30 seconds DeMarco had landed a dynamite straight left hand that sent Molina stumbling backwards towards the corner. This shot effectively ended the bout with DeMarco rushing towards the ailing challenger who never got from the corner as DeMarco unleashed a solid and relentless combination on the challenger. After just 44 seconds the referee, Jack Reiss, stepped in to save Molina who really was doing all he could to defend himself, sadly he couldn't do much.
Whilst the bout really failed to tell us anything new about DeMarco it was an impressive and swift defense of his title and it may allow us to see DeMarco out once more before the year. For Molina however it's likely he will need to return to ESPN Friday Night Fight's and rebuild his confidence which will be shot following this lightning quick loss.
Within 30 seconds DeMarco had landed a dynamite straight left hand that sent Molina stumbling backwards towards the corner. This shot effectively ended the bout with DeMarco rushing towards the ailing challenger who never got from the corner as DeMarco unleashed a solid and relentless combination on the challenger. After just 44 seconds the referee, Jack Reiss, stepped in to save Molina who really was doing all he could to defend himself, sadly he couldn't do much.
Whilst the bout really failed to tell us anything new about DeMarco it was an impressive and swift defense of his title and it may allow us to see DeMarco out once more before the year. For Molina however it's likely he will need to return to ESPN Friday Night Fight's and rebuild his confidence which will be shot following this lightning quick loss.
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