When a fighter talks the talk they have to do something to back it up. Unfortunately Englishman Tony Bellew (20-2-1, 12) his mouth wrote cheques he simply couldn't cash as he went over to Canada, talked the talk and was then stopped by the hard hitting Adonis Stevenson (23-1, 20).
The fight started slowly, this was expected with both men showing genuine respect to the others power. Unfortunately this lead to one of the least interesting rounds of the year as Bellew back-tracked like he was doing the 100m backwards running and Stevenson failed to find his range.
Thankfully, for the sake of entertainment, round 2 saw Stevenson picking up the pace and easily dominating the round as Bellew began to look like a genuinely terrified fighter. The confidence had been completely sapped from Bellew. What didn't help the challenger was the fact Stevenson was starting to connect with his left hand on a semi-regular basis.
By the end of round 3 it seemed like the end was imminent as Stevenson began to land left hands on a regular basis. Although Bellew was now throwing shots in return it seemed like he was becoming a desperate man rather than a fighter attempting to fight back.
Having clearly fallen 3-0 down Bellew finally let his hands go like a fighter in round 4 as the two men traded shots. This saw both men looking hurt with Stevenson actually ending up on the canvas, albeit from a push, and it appeared as if we were in for a war. Unfortunately however the excitement lasted just for the round as Bellew got back on his bike in round 5 and continued to use his legs more than his hands.
The negativity of Bellew saw Stevenson taunting him, dropping his hands and calling for him to fight. Unfortunately with neither man landing much of note in the fifth round, it was poor.
The poor round 5 was thankfully followed by Stevenson exploding in to action and dropping Bellew part way through the round. Bellew showed his heart by getting up, though it appeared more like he wasn't thinking straight and soon afterwards he tagged again and his legs stiffened. This gave Stevenson a chance to unload and he did as the referee was forced to step in for the safety of Bellew.
Considering the mouth of Bellew this was really disappointing. There is no harm in losing, but Bellew hardly out up a fight before being stopped. Very disappointing considering the pre-fight comments made by the Englishman.
For Stevenson this would have felt good. He was forced to listen to various comments from Bellew and he shut up Bellew's mouth, he made Bellew look like a chicken and more tellingly he further cemented his case as the best Light Heavyweight on the planet.
The logical match up at 175 right now is Stevenson v Kovalev, come on HBO put up the money for the fight we all want!
Showing posts with label Ring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ring. Show all posts
Saturday, 30 November 2013
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Wladimir Klitschko v Mariusz Wach
Ukrainian Heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 51) successfully defended his WBA "super", WBO, IBF, IBO and Ring Magazine Heavyweight titles as he thoroughly dominated the brave Polish challenger Mariusz Wach (27-1, 15) over 12 rounds.
The bout was one way traffic almost from the off as Klitschko used his exceptional jab and straight to bang against Wach's head not only keeping Wach at range but also keeping Wach behind his his guard. From the opening round Klitschko was immediately finding his range and timing and he really looked like a confident fighter dropping his hands and trying to goad Wach into opening up.
Although much of the bout was 1-sided, we did have some excitement in round 5 as Wach landed a really notable right hand that seemed to wobble the champion. The Pole tried to capitalise on wobbling Klitschko and unleashed a series of shots as he tried to finish off the champion, sadly however the bell stopped the challengers momentum.
After landing his hard right hand in round 5, Wach seemed to look for the punch through out the rest of the fight, though Klitschko's ability to control the range and pace of the fight really neutralised the perceived threat of Wach's power. In fact as the fight went on Klitschko became more and more confident and started to unleash 6 and 7 punch combinations, especially in round 8, the bouts most 1-sided round (and likely a 10-8 round).
Although Wach took a real pasting, especially in rounds 7, 8 and 11 he managed to show real toughness and refused to go down, shocking myself with his ability to absorb numerous thudding right hands from the champion. Sadly however toughness alone doesn't win you rounds and Wach struggle to make a case for any of the rounds as he was out landed, out classed, out boxed and out fought by a fighter who was simply too good for him.
On this showing Wladimir is certainly a fighter who isn't showing signs of aging. Whilst he may not have been able to stop or even drop Wach, that was more a testament to Wach's chin than anything else as he took a real beating. Another defense early next year is almost a given and I'd be surprised if Klitschko could ever have an easier looking 12-round defense.
For Wach, who was nicely given a round by Canadian judge Pasquale Procopio, this shows his level and he's certainly not world level. He's tough and will be a handful for most, though his limitations were obvious through out and despite being the bigger, longer man, he couldn't make his size count. He'll certainly be able to mix it in the fringes of world level though he'll never be a genuine world level fighter.
The bout was one way traffic almost from the off as Klitschko used his exceptional jab and straight to bang against Wach's head not only keeping Wach at range but also keeping Wach behind his his guard. From the opening round Klitschko was immediately finding his range and timing and he really looked like a confident fighter dropping his hands and trying to goad Wach into opening up.
Although much of the bout was 1-sided, we did have some excitement in round 5 as Wach landed a really notable right hand that seemed to wobble the champion. The Pole tried to capitalise on wobbling Klitschko and unleashed a series of shots as he tried to finish off the champion, sadly however the bell stopped the challengers momentum.
After landing his hard right hand in round 5, Wach seemed to look for the punch through out the rest of the fight, though Klitschko's ability to control the range and pace of the fight really neutralised the perceived threat of Wach's power. In fact as the fight went on Klitschko became more and more confident and started to unleash 6 and 7 punch combinations, especially in round 8, the bouts most 1-sided round (and likely a 10-8 round).
Although Wach took a real pasting, especially in rounds 7, 8 and 11 he managed to show real toughness and refused to go down, shocking myself with his ability to absorb numerous thudding right hands from the champion. Sadly however toughness alone doesn't win you rounds and Wach struggle to make a case for any of the rounds as he was out landed, out classed, out boxed and out fought by a fighter who was simply too good for him.
On this showing Wladimir is certainly a fighter who isn't showing signs of aging. Whilst he may not have been able to stop or even drop Wach, that was more a testament to Wach's chin than anything else as he took a real beating. Another defense early next year is almost a given and I'd be surprised if Klitschko could ever have an easier looking 12-round defense.
For Wach, who was nicely given a round by Canadian judge Pasquale Procopio, this shows his level and he's certainly not world level. He's tough and will be a handful for most, though his limitations were obvious through out and despite being the bigger, longer man, he couldn't make his size count. He'll certainly be able to mix it in the fringes of world level though he'll never be a genuine world level fighter.
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Toshiyuki Igarashi v Nestor Daniel Narvaes
In a much closer than expected bout Japanese WBC Flyweight champion Toshiyuki Igarashi (17-1-1, 10) struggled past Argentinian challenger Nestor Daniel Narvaes (19-1-2, 9) in a bout that perhaps shows up the problem with the "Linear" championship. I'm sorry but there is no way on earth that we can really claim that Igarashi is better than either Brian Viloria or Hernan "Tyson" Marquez (who meet each other to decide the division's true #1 in my eyes, later this year).
Narvaes, the younger brother of current WBO Super Flyweight champion Omar Andres Narvaez, started the bout quickly and forced Igarashi to fight back from the opening bell as he really brought the fight to the champion with a very high work rate.
If things were hard for the champion from the off, they just got harder as Igarashi suffered nasty cuts over both eye brows and had to fight back with claret covering his eyes and his face noticeably marked up. It appeared that Narvaes, a real unknown in the boxing world, was on his way to an upset before Igarashi bit down hard and did just enough to claim the victory despite being deducted a point for a head clash.
The hellacious action and back and forth nature of the bout was always going to lead to close scores and it showed with Igarashi taking a majority decision with cards of 114-112 (twice) and 113-113.
For Igarashi my advice is stay from the other other top fighters in the division. He was lucky to be in the right place at the right time after Sonny Boy Jaro defeated a fading Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (who lost again earlier this week) and really shouldn't be regarded as the divisions best fighter. In all honesty, at best, Igarashi is the fourth best fighter in the division (also behind South African Moruti Mthalane). He could well do with a number of easier defenses in Japan to help him mature into a real champion thankfully the WBC rankings do have a few weaker options such as Oscar Blanquet (who has already fought in Japan) and Anuar Salas (who's ranking I simply cannot explain).
It's strange to have a "Linear" and "Ring" champion who isn't ready for a genuine top tier fighter, such as the other 3 "real" champions or the top contenders such as Rocky Fuentes or Milan Melindo, however as I said Igarashi was simply a lucky man to be in the right place at the right time.
For Narvaes this fight should really be a sign that he can copy his brother and become a world champion, however he's unfortunate to have lost here against the weakest champion in the division. It's fair to say that the other 3 champions would almost certainly have had an easier night with Narvaes than Igarashi did. If the little Argentinian cannot force a rematch I'd advise him to look towards an all Argentinian battle with current WBA "regular" champion Juan Carlos Reveco, as long as Reveco gets past Julian Rivera next weekend.
Narvaes, the younger brother of current WBO Super Flyweight champion Omar Andres Narvaez, started the bout quickly and forced Igarashi to fight back from the opening bell as he really brought the fight to the champion with a very high work rate.
If things were hard for the champion from the off, they just got harder as Igarashi suffered nasty cuts over both eye brows and had to fight back with claret covering his eyes and his face noticeably marked up. It appeared that Narvaes, a real unknown in the boxing world, was on his way to an upset before Igarashi bit down hard and did just enough to claim the victory despite being deducted a point for a head clash.
The hellacious action and back and forth nature of the bout was always going to lead to close scores and it showed with Igarashi taking a majority decision with cards of 114-112 (twice) and 113-113.
For Igarashi my advice is stay from the other other top fighters in the division. He was lucky to be in the right place at the right time after Sonny Boy Jaro defeated a fading Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (who lost again earlier this week) and really shouldn't be regarded as the divisions best fighter. In all honesty, at best, Igarashi is the fourth best fighter in the division (also behind South African Moruti Mthalane). He could well do with a number of easier defenses in Japan to help him mature into a real champion thankfully the WBC rankings do have a few weaker options such as Oscar Blanquet (who has already fought in Japan) and Anuar Salas (who's ranking I simply cannot explain).
It's strange to have a "Linear" and "Ring" champion who isn't ready for a genuine top tier fighter, such as the other 3 "real" champions or the top contenders such as Rocky Fuentes or Milan Melindo, however as I said Igarashi was simply a lucky man to be in the right place at the right time.
For Narvaes this fight should really be a sign that he can copy his brother and become a world champion, however he's unfortunate to have lost here against the weakest champion in the division. It's fair to say that the other 3 champions would almost certainly have had an easier night with Narvaes than Igarashi did. If the little Argentinian cannot force a rematch I'd advise him to look towards an all Argentinian battle with current WBA "regular" champion Juan Carlos Reveco, as long as Reveco gets past Julian Rivera next weekend.
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