We've only just began the new year but yet we've already seen a major upset and what could well be one of the most controversial fights of 2014 as we kicked off the year with a very early title fight.
The fight, the first world title fight in the career of Cuban "Kid Blast" Rances Barthelemy (20-0, 13), saw him usurping Dominican Argenis Mendez (21-3-1, 11) of the IBF Super Featherweight title, albeit with the help of a very suspect combination.
Barthelemy started well, despite being the under-dog, and seemed to wobble Mendez in the opening round as his powerful left hook was felt by the champion. Mendez saw out the storm though it was obvious that Barthelemy had the power to hurt Mendez. Unfortunately for the champion Barthelemy also had the reach to use his jab and movement to avoid any unnecessary exchanges.
The second round saw Barthelemy turning the screw, especially late as he scored a clean knockdown of the champion in the final seconds. It was the first time Mendez had been down in his professional career and it was clear when he got to his feet that he hadn't recovered. Barthelemy jumped on Mendez and unleashed a combination that had Mendez in further trouble.
Unfortunately for all involve the bell rung with Barthelemy still throwing shots, two of which came clearly after the first ring of the bell. Those two shots were enough to finish off Mendez sending him to the canvas for the second time and this time he never recovered his feet.
Sadly after the two shots the bell rang again giving Barthelemy some defense in actions though leaving us with a lot of question marks about the actions of the referee who had made a giant mistake in not being close enough to separate the two fighters at the first ring.
In a post fight interview Mike Tyson, Mendez's promoter, said he'd request the commission to force a rematch, though in all honesty it wouldn't be a shock if we don't see that, at least not immediately.
Showing posts with label Super Featherweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Featherweight. Show all posts
Friday, 3 January 2014
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Takashi Miura v Dante Jardon
When I read about the fights announced for New Years Eve this year one of them really stood out, Takashi Miura (27-2-2, 20), the WBC Super Featherweight champion, against Mexican challenger Dante "Crazy" Jardon (24-4, 20). This bout, on paper, had fireworks and war written all over it. Both men were known for their aggressive styles, toughness and happiness to let their hands go.
Unfortunately my excitement for this fight had died off with in a round of the fight actually beginning as it was obvious the fighters were in different leagues to each other. Miura came out on fire and poor Jardon simply had no answer, at all. It was obvious that Jardon, for all his hype wasn't capable of holding his own with Miura.
The aggressive Japanese southpaw managed to hurt Jardon in pretty much every round as he unloaded at will to head and body breaking down and beating up his Mexican challenger.
Jardon's heart was the only thing keeping him in the bout and it saw him pull himself off the canvas in round 5 as Miura turned the screw and moved up a gear. If it wasn't for the toughness and heart of Jardon that would have been it. Instead of staying down and taking the count Jardon lived up to his name of "Crazy" and walked into more punishment as Miura continued to hammer away on him, dropping him again in round 8.
By the time we saw the WBC's opening scoring for the time, after round 8, the bout really was beyond hope for Jardon who was a mile behind on the cards, bloodied, beaten up and pretty much broken.
Thankfully the referee was happy to keep an eye on Jardon and after he was dropped in round 9 the referee immediately waved off the bout. Enough had been enough and Miura was simply too good. A shame considering I expected this to be a war rather than an assault, but well done Miura.
With wins over Gamaliel Diaz, Sergio Thompson and Dante Jardon this year it's fair to suggest that Miura has become the new "Mexi-killer" and a possible forgotten man in the "Fighter of the Year" conversation. Well done Takashi, great performance, great year and I hope to see more next year!
Unfortunately my excitement for this fight had died off with in a round of the fight actually beginning as it was obvious the fighters were in different leagues to each other. Miura came out on fire and poor Jardon simply had no answer, at all. It was obvious that Jardon, for all his hype wasn't capable of holding his own with Miura.
The aggressive Japanese southpaw managed to hurt Jardon in pretty much every round as he unloaded at will to head and body breaking down and beating up his Mexican challenger.
Jardon's heart was the only thing keeping him in the bout and it saw him pull himself off the canvas in round 5 as Miura turned the screw and moved up a gear. If it wasn't for the toughness and heart of Jardon that would have been it. Instead of staying down and taking the count Jardon lived up to his name of "Crazy" and walked into more punishment as Miura continued to hammer away on him, dropping him again in round 8.
By the time we saw the WBC's opening scoring for the time, after round 8, the bout really was beyond hope for Jardon who was a mile behind on the cards, bloodied, beaten up and pretty much broken.
Thankfully the referee was happy to keep an eye on Jardon and after he was dropped in round 9 the referee immediately waved off the bout. Enough had been enough and Miura was simply too good. A shame considering I expected this to be a war rather than an assault, but well done Miura.
With wins over Gamaliel Diaz, Sergio Thompson and Dante Jardon this year it's fair to suggest that Miura has become the new "Mexi-killer" and a possible forgotten man in the "Fighter of the Year" conversation. Well done Takashi, great performance, great year and I hope to see more next year!
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, 9 November 2013
Roman Martinez v Mikey Garcia
The third, and final, world title fight from the US this weekend saw the unbeaten Mexican-American Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28) claim his second divisional world title as he became the first man to stop Puerto Rican Roman Martinez (27-2-2, 16) and the new WBO Super Featherweight champion.
The fight started in a very patient manner with Garcia waiting to see what Martinez had, which was mostly jabs. In the second round however Martinez showed he also had a right hand as he connected with a short and set Garcia to the seat of his pants.
In round 3 Mikey began to really find his rhythm and land his own jab almost at will. As everyone knows once Garcia has his jab going the right hand usually isn't that far behind and in round 4 that right started to ping on to the head of Martinez with a regularity. Unfortunately for Martinez his toughness was going to be his key issue and Garcia kept tagging him with rights that became more and more telling.
By round 6 the crisp right hands of Garcia were having a major effect on Martinez who was being broken up round by round. Every time Garcia connected it seemed Martinez's legs turned to jelly for a few moments and although he recovered it was obvious he feeling the power time after time.
After taking a pounding in round 7 it seemed like Martinez had just one chance of winning, Garcia breaking his hand on the tough head of the Puerto Rican. Unfortunately for Martinez it appeared that Garcia realised that and in round 8 landed his first body shot of note, sending Martinez down for the first time.
The Puerto Rican, feeling the effects of the shot, didn't even seem to attempt to get up. Not so much quitting as being in too much agony to truly know where he was with what is quit possibly a broken rib and the best body shot stoppage at the world level since Golovkin stopped Matthew Macklin with one
The fight started in a very patient manner with Garcia waiting to see what Martinez had, which was mostly jabs. In the second round however Martinez showed he also had a right hand as he connected with a short and set Garcia to the seat of his pants.
In round 3 Mikey began to really find his rhythm and land his own jab almost at will. As everyone knows once Garcia has his jab going the right hand usually isn't that far behind and in round 4 that right started to ping on to the head of Martinez with a regularity. Unfortunately for Martinez his toughness was going to be his key issue and Garcia kept tagging him with rights that became more and more telling.
By round 6 the crisp right hands of Garcia were having a major effect on Martinez who was being broken up round by round. Every time Garcia connected it seemed Martinez's legs turned to jelly for a few moments and although he recovered it was obvious he feeling the power time after time.
After taking a pounding in round 7 it seemed like Martinez had just one chance of winning, Garcia breaking his hand on the tough head of the Puerto Rican. Unfortunately for Martinez it appeared that Garcia realised that and in round 8 landed his first body shot of note, sending Martinez down for the first time.
The Puerto Rican, feeling the effects of the shot, didn't even seem to attempt to get up. Not so much quitting as being in too much agony to truly know where he was with what is quit possibly a broken rib and the best body shot stoppage at the world level since Golovkin stopped Matthew Macklin with one
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.
Friday, 23 August 2013
Argenis Mendez v Arash Usmanee
In a genuinely thrilling contest for the IBF Super Featherweight title champion Argenis Mendez (21-2-1, 11) managed just retain his title courtesy of majority decision draw against determined challenger Arash Usmanee (20-1-1, 10).
The Afghan born-Canadian Usmanee set off at an amazing pace forcing Mendez on to to the ropes from the off. Although Mendez was comfortable on the ropes with his counter punching skills it was pretty obvious that he lost the opening round with Usmanee seriously out working him. It was clear from the off that Usmanee wasn't there to just make up the numbers and immediately made an impact with his aggression an workate.
Usmanee's relentless aggression continued through out the fight though Mendez managed to put his foot on the gas with his counters in round 2 as he managed to get through with some clean shots of his own. The success of Mendez grew and in round 3 he made a solid case for the round with his counters which had become more and more regular as the opening few rounds went on.
Although Mendez continue to have success with his counters in rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7 it was becoming harder and harder work for the champion to back up the challenger. Mendez's own bombing counters, although looking like monster shots seemed to just bounce off Usmanee who came straight back at him with flurries of shots of his own as he tried to out work and grind down the champion.
Despite Mendez's success through a series of the middle rounds Usmanee would fight back hard in round 8 and 9 as the two men were dragged in to a war. By now Mendez seemed to realise that Usmanee wasn't going to just tire and realised that he was going to have to show some offense of his own. The champion tried to bomb the challenger with fearsome hooks but the challenger, showing his toughness refused to back down as the rounds finished with both men having major success.
The championship rounds saw it all to play for and both men knew it as Mendez began to hold his ground more often and the two men traded in centre ring in a very eye catching back and forth. It was almost impossible to split them as they went at each other with bad intentions, ufortunately the lack of power both men had saw them being able to take the hardest shots with out going down but it looked thoroughly dramatic through out.
It appeared that both men knew the fight was in the balance in the final round and both men fought as if they needed it, giving us one of the genuine round of the year contenders, it, like much of the fight was tough to score. Did you prefer the relentless if somewhat ineffective aggression of Usmanee or the crisp classy work of Mendez?
The judges decided that they liked the styles equally as well as each other and scored the bout a draw, a fitting result given the effort of both men in a bout that I'd certainly like to see again!
The Afghan born-Canadian Usmanee set off at an amazing pace forcing Mendez on to to the ropes from the off. Although Mendez was comfortable on the ropes with his counter punching skills it was pretty obvious that he lost the opening round with Usmanee seriously out working him. It was clear from the off that Usmanee wasn't there to just make up the numbers and immediately made an impact with his aggression an workate.
Usmanee's relentless aggression continued through out the fight though Mendez managed to put his foot on the gas with his counters in round 2 as he managed to get through with some clean shots of his own. The success of Mendez grew and in round 3 he made a solid case for the round with his counters which had become more and more regular as the opening few rounds went on.
Although Mendez continue to have success with his counters in rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7 it was becoming harder and harder work for the champion to back up the challenger. Mendez's own bombing counters, although looking like monster shots seemed to just bounce off Usmanee who came straight back at him with flurries of shots of his own as he tried to out work and grind down the champion.
Despite Mendez's success through a series of the middle rounds Usmanee would fight back hard in round 8 and 9 as the two men were dragged in to a war. By now Mendez seemed to realise that Usmanee wasn't going to just tire and realised that he was going to have to show some offense of his own. The champion tried to bomb the challenger with fearsome hooks but the challenger, showing his toughness refused to back down as the rounds finished with both men having major success.
The championship rounds saw it all to play for and both men knew it as Mendez began to hold his ground more often and the two men traded in centre ring in a very eye catching back and forth. It was almost impossible to split them as they went at each other with bad intentions, ufortunately the lack of power both men had saw them being able to take the hardest shots with out going down but it looked thoroughly dramatic through out.
It appeared that both men knew the fight was in the balance in the final round and both men fought as if they needed it, giving us one of the genuine round of the year contenders, it, like much of the fight was tough to score. Did you prefer the relentless if somewhat ineffective aggression of Usmanee or the crisp classy work of Mendez?
The judges decided that they liked the styles equally as well as each other and scored the bout a draw, a fitting result given the effort of both men in a bout that I'd certainly like to see again!
Monday, 6 May 2013
Takashi Uchiyama v Jaider Parra
WBA Super Featherweight champion Takashi Uchiyama (20-0-1, 17) showed why his is considered the man at Super Featherweight as he stopped the previously unbeaten challenger Jaider Parra (20-1-1, 10) in eye catching fashion.
The bout started well for the Venezuelan challenger who moved well and used his fast jab to score repeatedly on the champion who although never really troubled was struggling at times to cut the distance. In fact were it not for a nice flash of style from Uchiyama late in the round he could well have lost the opener.
The second round again saw Parra being the busier man with his jab and movement once again being a problem for Uchiyama who took most shots on the guard though was being outworked. Unfortunately for the challenger every puncher Uchiyama landed got major cheers and it seemed that whilst he was being out worked he was landing the better shots including an excellent hook and a cracking right cross. Parra, whilst looking like a feather fisted puncher managed to take everything from Uchiyama with out too many problems, but the power difference was notable.
Round 3 was much like the previous rounds though Uchiyama was starting to get more and more successes when he was attacking and landed several hard and clean shots late in the round. Once again Parra took everything very well though it was obvious that Uchiyama was just starting to move through the gears.
It was in round 4 that Uchiyama managed to hurt Parra for the first time as he landed a body shot late that really bothered the challenger. Although Uchiyama went for the finish straight after the shot Parra did well and managed to see his way to the bell. Despite surviving the round it was obvious that although he could take a shot to the head from Uchiyama his body wasn't so tough and Uchiyama went straight back to the mid section in round 5.
Although Uchiyama had eyed the body of his opponent it took him several opportunities to land just right and one of the misses was a painful looking low blow that had Parra visibly wincing. Parra never really recovered from the shot and just moments after being ordered to fight Uchiyama managed to land a legal blow to the midsection that sent the challenger down to the canvas where he remained writing in agony.
After the fight Uchiyama put on a T-shirt with the slogan "Who's next?" the answer it seems could be Takashi Miura in what would be a highly welcomed rematch after their fantastic bout in 2011. If the two men meet again we could well see the WBA and WBC titles unified and have another great bout on our hands.
The bout started well for the Venezuelan challenger who moved well and used his fast jab to score repeatedly on the champion who although never really troubled was struggling at times to cut the distance. In fact were it not for a nice flash of style from Uchiyama late in the round he could well have lost the opener.
The second round again saw Parra being the busier man with his jab and movement once again being a problem for Uchiyama who took most shots on the guard though was being outworked. Unfortunately for the challenger every puncher Uchiyama landed got major cheers and it seemed that whilst he was being out worked he was landing the better shots including an excellent hook and a cracking right cross. Parra, whilst looking like a feather fisted puncher managed to take everything from Uchiyama with out too many problems, but the power difference was notable.
Round 3 was much like the previous rounds though Uchiyama was starting to get more and more successes when he was attacking and landed several hard and clean shots late in the round. Once again Parra took everything very well though it was obvious that Uchiyama was just starting to move through the gears.
It was in round 4 that Uchiyama managed to hurt Parra for the first time as he landed a body shot late that really bothered the challenger. Although Uchiyama went for the finish straight after the shot Parra did well and managed to see his way to the bell. Despite surviving the round it was obvious that although he could take a shot to the head from Uchiyama his body wasn't so tough and Uchiyama went straight back to the mid section in round 5.
Although Uchiyama had eyed the body of his opponent it took him several opportunities to land just right and one of the misses was a painful looking low blow that had Parra visibly wincing. Parra never really recovered from the shot and just moments after being ordered to fight Uchiyama managed to land a legal blow to the midsection that sent the challenger down to the canvas where he remained writing in agony.
After the fight Uchiyama put on a T-shirt with the slogan "Who's next?" the answer it seems could be Takashi Miura in what would be a highly welcomed rematch after their fantastic bout in 2011. If the two men meet again we could well see the WBA and WBC titles unified and have another great bout on our hands.
Monday, 8 April 2013
Gamaliel Diaz v Takashi Miura
Today we saw the end of Gamaliel Diaz's (37-10-2, 17) short reign as WBC Super Featherweight champion thanks to the hard hitting Japanese fighter Takashi Miura (25-2-2, 19) who genuinely destroyed Diaz.
Miura, who had lost his only previous world title bout by 8th round retirement to Takashi Uchiyama set out with bad intentions and appeared to find a place for his hurtful left hand very early in the bout. The powerful Japanese southpaw, who had actually dropped Uchiyama before being stopped himself, was finding Diaz regularly and managed to drop the defending champion in round 3 as the Mexican was forced to feel the sting. Though at the 4 round mark all the scores were 37-37 with Miura having been deducted a point for a clash of heads in the opening rounds.
Diaz, who had claimed the title last time he was in Japan by upsetting Takahiro Ao, was again forced to taste Miura's bull like power in rounds 6 and 7 as he was dropped in both rounds. By now Miura was pulling well ahead of the champion who simply couldn't take his power.
Sadly for Diaz he couldn't avoid Miura and the Japanese challenger was relentless in looking for the stoppage which eventually came midway through round 9.
This results rather nicely sets us up for a very interesting rematch between Uchiyama and Miura if both fighters want to unify (as Uchiyama still holds the WBA title) though Miura may feel other options better suit him. In fact Miura against someone like Sergio Thompson (WBC #1) or Devis Boschiero (WBC #2) would both be great fights to watch and from a British point of view Miura v Gary Buckland (WBC #12) would also hold a personal interest.
For the 32 year old Diaz this doesn't spell the end of his career though it does likely end his pretension of being a genuine world level fighter.
Miura, who had lost his only previous world title bout by 8th round retirement to Takashi Uchiyama set out with bad intentions and appeared to find a place for his hurtful left hand very early in the bout. The powerful Japanese southpaw, who had actually dropped Uchiyama before being stopped himself, was finding Diaz regularly and managed to drop the defending champion in round 3 as the Mexican was forced to feel the sting. Though at the 4 round mark all the scores were 37-37 with Miura having been deducted a point for a clash of heads in the opening rounds.
Diaz, who had claimed the title last time he was in Japan by upsetting Takahiro Ao, was again forced to taste Miura's bull like power in rounds 6 and 7 as he was dropped in both rounds. By now Miura was pulling well ahead of the champion who simply couldn't take his power.
Sadly for Diaz he couldn't avoid Miura and the Japanese challenger was relentless in looking for the stoppage which eventually came midway through round 9.
This results rather nicely sets us up for a very interesting rematch between Uchiyama and Miura if both fighters want to unify (as Uchiyama still holds the WBA title) though Miura may feel other options better suit him. In fact Miura against someone like Sergio Thompson (WBC #1) or Devis Boschiero (WBC #2) would both be great fights to watch and from a British point of view Miura v Gary Buckland (WBC #12) would also hold a personal interest.
For the 32 year old Diaz this doesn't spell the end of his career though it does likely end his pretension of being a genuine world level fighter.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Roman Martinez v Diego Magdaleno
Puerto Rican Roman "Rocky" Martinez (27-1-2, 16) successfully defended his WBO Super Featherweight title with a hard fought victory over the previously undefeated Diego Magdaleno (23-1, 9) in a hard fought bout.
The bout started well for Magdaleno who used his feet well to move around the much slower Martinez who seemed to be having his usual slow start to a bout. Magdaleno scored numerous times with either hand though his lack of power really did little other than irritate the champion who took the blows with out too many worries. Magdaleno continued to have success in the following round though Martinez appeared to slowly be warming up into the bout and was begging to land his right hands.
It was a shot Martinez in round 4 that really said everything about the bout as he dropped Magdaleno hard and showed who was the man and who was the boy. Magdaleno picked himself off the canvas well and fought back hard though the fact that he simply couldn't discourage Martinez made life so much easier for the champion who started to march forward with growing success behind his jab and straight right hand. What also didn't help Magdaleno was his general style which involved a lot of bouncing and moving with out too much effective aggression. He was clearly the faster man though he was also the fighter who was forced on to the back foot by the bull like Martinez.
Although Magdaleno's single shots were having little effect on the champion the challenger did manage to rock Martinez in round 8 which was by far the best Magdaleno round as he wailed away on the Puerto Rican late in the round. Sadly for the challenger round 8 was his last stand before the champion came back strong and walked through the challenger in round 9 then cut him in round 10 with a solid right hand. In fact in round 10 Martinez seemed to land an alarming number of right hands with out too much coming back his way.
Having never been beyond 10 rounds before I got the feeling that Magdaleno didn't really know what to do in round 11 and seemed to spend some time running with out throwing much. This was really not the reaction many would have wanted to see from Magdaleno. Despite Magdaleno's negativity in round 11 the final round was a belter with both men giving it their all in clearly the round of the bout.
The fight never really caught light until the final round (which saw both men trying to stop the other) but despite this it was never poor. Magdaleno seemed willing to try and beat the champion but despite being the betting favourite he never really showed the sort of offensive mindset that suggested he believed he could win. Martinez, whilst limited (and a very beatable champion) proved he was still a tough fighter and the sort of fighter who could be in FOTY type bouts with fighters willing to meet him in the centre of the ring, unlike Magdaleno who was rarely willing to trade.
The bout started well for Magdaleno who used his feet well to move around the much slower Martinez who seemed to be having his usual slow start to a bout. Magdaleno scored numerous times with either hand though his lack of power really did little other than irritate the champion who took the blows with out too many worries. Magdaleno continued to have success in the following round though Martinez appeared to slowly be warming up into the bout and was begging to land his right hands.
It was a shot Martinez in round 4 that really said everything about the bout as he dropped Magdaleno hard and showed who was the man and who was the boy. Magdaleno picked himself off the canvas well and fought back hard though the fact that he simply couldn't discourage Martinez made life so much easier for the champion who started to march forward with growing success behind his jab and straight right hand. What also didn't help Magdaleno was his general style which involved a lot of bouncing and moving with out too much effective aggression. He was clearly the faster man though he was also the fighter who was forced on to the back foot by the bull like Martinez.
Although Magdaleno's single shots were having little effect on the champion the challenger did manage to rock Martinez in round 8 which was by far the best Magdaleno round as he wailed away on the Puerto Rican late in the round. Sadly for the challenger round 8 was his last stand before the champion came back strong and walked through the challenger in round 9 then cut him in round 10 with a solid right hand. In fact in round 10 Martinez seemed to land an alarming number of right hands with out too much coming back his way.
Having never been beyond 10 rounds before I got the feeling that Magdaleno didn't really know what to do in round 11 and seemed to spend some time running with out throwing much. This was really not the reaction many would have wanted to see from Magdaleno. Despite Magdaleno's negativity in round 11 the final round was a belter with both men giving it their all in clearly the round of the bout.
The fight never really caught light until the final round (which saw both men trying to stop the other) but despite this it was never poor. Magdaleno seemed willing to try and beat the champion but despite being the betting favourite he never really showed the sort of offensive mindset that suggested he believed he could win. Martinez, whilst limited (and a very beatable champion) proved he was still a tough fighter and the sort of fighter who could be in FOTY type bouts with fighters willing to meet him in the centre of the ring, unlike Magdaleno who was rarely willing to trade.
Monday, 11 March 2013
Juan Carlos Salgado v Argenis Mendez II
Dominican fighter Argenis Mendez (21-2, 11) claimed not only the biggest victory of his career so far but also the IBF Super Featherweight title this past weekend as he stunning stopped Mexican Juan Carlos Salgado (26-2-1-1, 16).
Mendez, who had lost controversially to Salgado when the fighters first met back in September 2011 had promised a knock out and delivered as he made his point from the opening bell. Although Salgado is generally seen as durable and Mendez isn't seen as a huge puncher the Dominican was firing with bad intentions and dropped Salgado in the opening round before finishing him off in the fourth.
Salgado had managed to pull himself from the canvas after the first knock down and managed to fight back valiantly in rounds 2 and 3 though with Mendez knowing just how much he could hurt Salgado the Mexican had little real chance other than to avoid the big shots coming his way. Sadly for Salgado he couldn't avoid them all and a vicious shot left him flat on the canvas as Mendez claimed his first world title.
Although Salgado's technical limitations were shown up thanks to the numerous counter shots of the talented Mendez it's likely he'll be back in the title mix soon enough with the Super Featherweight division not being that packed with talent. Sadly the depth at the the division os likely to decrease with Mendez hinting he may move to 135lbs next time out and seemed to be chasing a bout with Yuriorkis Gamboa at Lightweight (despite the face Gamboa himself has never fought at Lightweight).
Mendez, who had lost controversially to Salgado when the fighters first met back in September 2011 had promised a knock out and delivered as he made his point from the opening bell. Although Salgado is generally seen as durable and Mendez isn't seen as a huge puncher the Dominican was firing with bad intentions and dropped Salgado in the opening round before finishing him off in the fourth.
Salgado had managed to pull himself from the canvas after the first knock down and managed to fight back valiantly in rounds 2 and 3 though with Mendez knowing just how much he could hurt Salgado the Mexican had little real chance other than to avoid the big shots coming his way. Sadly for Salgado he couldn't avoid them all and a vicious shot left him flat on the canvas as Mendez claimed his first world title.
Although Salgado's technical limitations were shown up thanks to the numerous counter shots of the talented Mendez it's likely he'll be back in the title mix soon enough with the Super Featherweight division not being that packed with talent. Sadly the depth at the the division os likely to decrease with Mendez hinting he may move to 135lbs next time out and seemed to be chasing a bout with Yuriorkis Gamboa at Lightweight (despite the face Gamboa himself has never fought at Lightweight).
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Roman Martinez v Juan Carlos Burgos
Mexican Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-1, 20) will feel incredibly hard done by to not be the WBO Super Featherweight champion as he scored a hugely controversial draw with Roman "Rocky" Martinez (26-1-2, 16) in a hugely impressive performance that will have won him a number of new fans even if he didn't manage to claim the title0
Despite being seen as the boxer going in to the bout Burgos proved that he could do both box or brawl as he thoroughly dominated his Puerto Rican rival with accurate hurtful body shots, a sharp accurate jab and just an overall superior skill set.
The opening round was action from the off with both men landing bombs from the off, those bombs saw Martinez's face reddening as he seemed to have ridiculous success from the off. The following round saw Burgos continuing to establish his dominance by simply out working the former champion who was attempting to make the first defense of his second reign as champion.
It wasn't until round 3 that Martinez had his first notable success as he seemed to gradually grow in to the fight. Martinez continued to grow through many of the middle rounds making rounds 4 and 5 very close whilst arguably taking the 6th. The middle rounds were incredibly close as both men gave it their all, sadly for Martinez he was being ground away with hurtful body shots that seemed to finish every Burgos combination.
Although Martinez was having real success in cutting the distance and forcing Burgos on to the ropes this was oddly not suiting Martinez as Burgos continually caught him with left hooks to the rib cage that seemed to really take their toll on Martinez late. Though the middle rounds there was enough close rounds to give Martinez 4 rounds or at a push 5 (including rounds 8 and 9 which were very clear Martinez rounds).
Despite Burgos looking like a spent force in rounds 8 and 9, the two rounds he clearly lost, he came back hard in the following 3 rounds and seemed to clearly swept them with his aggression, work rate and effectiveness. This was where the body work of Burgos really seemed to have taken it's toll on Martinez who was looking like a fighter staying in their on heart alone.
Amazingly the scorecards, all from inexperienced judges at world championship level, were all over the place. The first card (111-117-Burgos) seemed pretty accurate, at least it had the right guy winning, the second card was the frankly ridiculous 116-112 for Martinez, a card that simply beggars belief whilst the third card was 114-114, a card that seemed to give Martinez too much credit for merely being competitive in a number of rounds.
Sadly the commentary for the bout was awful with them really swinging on Burgos' sack, and whilst the Mexican did deserve the decision, the commentary made it sound like a shut out, when really it wasn't. Burgos did clearly win on my cards but Martinez, except in the first 2 and final 3 was competitive enough to put up a few rounds.
Despite being seen as the boxer going in to the bout Burgos proved that he could do both box or brawl as he thoroughly dominated his Puerto Rican rival with accurate hurtful body shots, a sharp accurate jab and just an overall superior skill set.
The opening round was action from the off with both men landing bombs from the off, those bombs saw Martinez's face reddening as he seemed to have ridiculous success from the off. The following round saw Burgos continuing to establish his dominance by simply out working the former champion who was attempting to make the first defense of his second reign as champion.
It wasn't until round 3 that Martinez had his first notable success as he seemed to gradually grow in to the fight. Martinez continued to grow through many of the middle rounds making rounds 4 and 5 very close whilst arguably taking the 6th. The middle rounds were incredibly close as both men gave it their all, sadly for Martinez he was being ground away with hurtful body shots that seemed to finish every Burgos combination.
Although Martinez was having real success in cutting the distance and forcing Burgos on to the ropes this was oddly not suiting Martinez as Burgos continually caught him with left hooks to the rib cage that seemed to really take their toll on Martinez late. Though the middle rounds there was enough close rounds to give Martinez 4 rounds or at a push 5 (including rounds 8 and 9 which were very clear Martinez rounds).
Despite Burgos looking like a spent force in rounds 8 and 9, the two rounds he clearly lost, he came back hard in the following 3 rounds and seemed to clearly swept them with his aggression, work rate and effectiveness. This was where the body work of Burgos really seemed to have taken it's toll on Martinez who was looking like a fighter staying in their on heart alone.
Amazingly the scorecards, all from inexperienced judges at world championship level, were all over the place. The first card (111-117-Burgos) seemed pretty accurate, at least it had the right guy winning, the second card was the frankly ridiculous 116-112 for Martinez, a card that simply beggars belief whilst the third card was 114-114, a card that seemed to give Martinez too much credit for merely being competitive in a number of rounds.
Sadly the commentary for the bout was awful with them really swinging on Burgos' sack, and whilst the Mexican did deserve the decision, the commentary made it sound like a shut out, when really it wasn't. Burgos did clearly win on my cards but Martinez, except in the first 2 and final 3 was competitive enough to put up a few rounds.
Monday, 31 December 2012
Takashi Uchiyama v Bryan Vasquez
WBA Super Featherweight champion Takashi Uchiyama (19-0-1, 16) made the sixth defense of his world title as he stopped the game Costa Rican challenger Bryan Vasquez (29-1, 15) in an unexpectedly tough bout.
The opening round saw Vasquez moving wonderfully and keeping Uchiyama at range whilst charging in to land flurries. Whilst Uchiyama did have some success through the round the champion was certainly not getting his own way. In fact through the first 5 rounds it was hard to say that the champion was even in the lead as both men had their success. Whilst it was obvious that Uchiyama was the harder hitter he was often subdued whilst Vasquez would out work him though not have the power to force Uchiyama to step up his work rate.
The first really clear round of the fight was the 6th which saw Uchiyama step up a gear and really bang Vasquez around as he showed his class and power though the Costa Rican challenger bravely fought on showing himself to be a game challenger. In fact Vasquez's gameness was shown excellently in the following round, a round that the challenger thoroughly dominated to bring the cards back to a more even look.
Sadly for Vasquez his success in round 7 seemed only to serve as a wake up to Uchiyama who waited much of the round before going on an all out offensive that saw Vasquez's head rocked back time and time again. The bell couldn't come soon enough for Vasquez who saw the referee jumping in to stop the bout just as the bell was rung.
The opening round saw Vasquez moving wonderfully and keeping Uchiyama at range whilst charging in to land flurries. Whilst Uchiyama did have some success through the round the champion was certainly not getting his own way. In fact through the first 5 rounds it was hard to say that the champion was even in the lead as both men had their success. Whilst it was obvious that Uchiyama was the harder hitter he was often subdued whilst Vasquez would out work him though not have the power to force Uchiyama to step up his work rate.
The first really clear round of the fight was the 6th which saw Uchiyama step up a gear and really bang Vasquez around as he showed his class and power though the Costa Rican challenger bravely fought on showing himself to be a game challenger. In fact Vasquez's gameness was shown excellently in the following round, a round that the challenger thoroughly dominated to bring the cards back to a more even look.
Sadly for Vasquez his success in round 7 seemed only to serve as a wake up to Uchiyama who waited much of the round before going on an all out offensive that saw Vasquez's head rocked back time and time again. The bell couldn't come soon enough for Vasquez who saw the referee jumping in to stop the bout just as the bell was rung.
Saturday, 8 December 2012
Nicholas Walters v Daulis Prescott
Unbeaten Jamaican Nicholas Walters (22-0, 18) successfully claimed the WBA Featherweight title as he demolished Colombian Daulis Prescott (26-2, 19) in a fun but relatively 1-sided war.
The two men didn't take long to get to know each other and by the end of the opening round the stage was set for a war of attrition between to heavy handed fighters. Sadly for Prescott, the young brother of Breidis, it turned out that Walters was tougher and more powerful.
The power of the Jamaican was evident before the fight for all those who had actually watched him, admittedly that was few real boxing fans, though for those who hadn't seen him it was blatantly obvious from round 4, a round in which Prescott was sent to the canvas. Prescott would again visit the canvas in both rounds 5 and 7. Although the Colombian recovered to his feet after the knockdown early in round 7 referee Rafael Ramos waved the contest off.
For Walters this should have been his coming out party, sadly it appears to have slipped under the radar of most boxing fans who likely still think Celestino Caballero is the WBA Featherweight champion. Sadly the news from the US of the Manny Pacquiao v Juan Manuel Marquez fight will likely further hide this result, though hopefully Walters will be given a chance to make a name for himself in the US sooner, rather than later.
The two men didn't take long to get to know each other and by the end of the opening round the stage was set for a war of attrition between to heavy handed fighters. Sadly for Prescott, the young brother of Breidis, it turned out that Walters was tougher and more powerful.
The power of the Jamaican was evident before the fight for all those who had actually watched him, admittedly that was few real boxing fans, though for those who hadn't seen him it was blatantly obvious from round 4, a round in which Prescott was sent to the canvas. Prescott would again visit the canvas in both rounds 5 and 7. Although the Colombian recovered to his feet after the knockdown early in round 7 referee Rafael Ramos waved the contest off.
For Walters this should have been his coming out party, sadly it appears to have slipped under the radar of most boxing fans who likely still think Celestino Caballero is the WBA Featherweight champion. Sadly the news from the US of the Manny Pacquiao v Juan Manuel Marquez fight will likely further hide this result, though hopefully Walters will be given a chance to make a name for himself in the US sooner, rather than later.
Yuriorkis Gamboa v Michael Farenas
The long awaited return to the ring for Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa (22-0, 16) saw the talented Cuban claiming the interim WBA Super Featherweight title as he defeated the unheralded Filipino Michael Farenas (34-4-4-1, 26). Despite the fact Farenas was all but unknown prior to this fight he proved to be a genuinely worthy adversary for Gamboa's return to the ring after 14 months out.
The opening round saw Gamboa looking like he had never been away as the fast handed Cuban landed some wonderful combinations on Farenas who struggled to catch him before he got away. The hand speed was again evident in the following round as Gamboa dropped Farenas who immediately got up as if nothing had happened.
Sadly for Farenas head clashes in the third round saw him suffering two massive cuts that bled through out the remainder of the fight. Despite the cuts however Farenas refused to go away and refused to just roll over and instead he rocked Gamboa at the start of the fourth round as he proved he had the power to hurt the Cuban. Although Gamboa seemed to take the round off it was still interesting to see that Farenas had the power to rock him.
Farenas showed again in round 5 that he wasn't there just to collect the pay day he willingly traded with Gamboa and really brought the action to the Cuban. Whilst Gamboa showed he was a class above his Filipino opponent he also seemed to be slowing and this allowed Farenas chances to land to both the head and body of Gamboa. The battling between the two saw Gamboa rocked in the 6th and 8th however he dropped Farenas in the 7th to really open up the lead on the scorecards.
Due to how much Farenas' shots were hurting Gamboa it only made sense for Gamboa to start to use his boxing skills and box cautiously and that's what he started to do for long periods of rounds. In round 9 however Gamboa went for the finish and was surprisingly dropped by a beauty of a shot by Farenas that seemed to not only drop Gamboa but also scramble his legs for the rest of the round. Sadly for Farenas he couldn't capitalise and Gamboa eventually recovered and appeared to do enough to reestablish himself over the later rounds as he took a clear decision.
Whilst I feel the cards were wide, Gamboa was a clear winner, though he's a fighter who needed a fight like this, a grueling 12 rounds against a crude but tough and hurtful fighter to really shake off every bit of rust that he'll have acquired due to his long lay off.
For Farenas this was the sort of showing that shows he belongs in the ring with the top fighters, for Gamboa it was him saying "I'm back".
The opening round saw Gamboa looking like he had never been away as the fast handed Cuban landed some wonderful combinations on Farenas who struggled to catch him before he got away. The hand speed was again evident in the following round as Gamboa dropped Farenas who immediately got up as if nothing had happened.
Sadly for Farenas head clashes in the third round saw him suffering two massive cuts that bled through out the remainder of the fight. Despite the cuts however Farenas refused to go away and refused to just roll over and instead he rocked Gamboa at the start of the fourth round as he proved he had the power to hurt the Cuban. Although Gamboa seemed to take the round off it was still interesting to see that Farenas had the power to rock him.
Farenas showed again in round 5 that he wasn't there just to collect the pay day he willingly traded with Gamboa and really brought the action to the Cuban. Whilst Gamboa showed he was a class above his Filipino opponent he also seemed to be slowing and this allowed Farenas chances to land to both the head and body of Gamboa. The battling between the two saw Gamboa rocked in the 6th and 8th however he dropped Farenas in the 7th to really open up the lead on the scorecards.
Due to how much Farenas' shots were hurting Gamboa it only made sense for Gamboa to start to use his boxing skills and box cautiously and that's what he started to do for long periods of rounds. In round 9 however Gamboa went for the finish and was surprisingly dropped by a beauty of a shot by Farenas that seemed to not only drop Gamboa but also scramble his legs for the rest of the round. Sadly for Farenas he couldn't capitalise and Gamboa eventually recovered and appeared to do enough to reestablish himself over the later rounds as he took a clear decision.
Whilst I feel the cards were wide, Gamboa was a clear winner, though he's a fighter who needed a fight like this, a grueling 12 rounds against a crude but tough and hurtful fighter to really shake off every bit of rust that he'll have acquired due to his long lay off.
For Farenas this was the sort of showing that shows he belongs in the ring with the top fighters, for Gamboa it was him saying "I'm back".
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Takahiro Ao v Gamaliel Diaz
In this first of this weekends title fights we saw a noteworthy upset as Japanese fighter Takahiro Ao (23-3-1, 10) lost his WBC Super Featherweight title to Mexican Gamaliel Diaz (37-9-2, 17) via decision, despite the fact Diaz was the visiting fighter.
Despite going in to the bout as the under-dog, the upset minded Diaz (who also holds wins over Elio Rojas and Robert Guerrero) managed to rip the title away from Ao in a rather uninteresting fight. The bout started well for Diaz who managed to land long right hands from the off and whilst Ao looked for the counters he was simply getting tagged far too often early on.
Diaz's domination would see him becoming more confident and sadly his confidence was punished as he was deducted points for low blows, however even the deductions wouldn't deny him as he repeatedly threw his looping right hand and repeatedly found the target. Sadly for Ao he didn't seem to have a plan B and even when he upped his own work rate he failed to really force the issue, in fact when he looked to force the bout he merely suffered a cut as Diaz continued to to be the accurate aggressor.
Whilst a rematch is possible, I'd imagine that Diaz will look to "cash out" and make a name in the US. Although he's not the most talented he's a fighter who is confident and on a 14 fight winning streak and a fight with someone Diego Magdaleno could be very interesting. Despite being experienced I don't see Diaz holding the title for long.
For Ao this was a major learning experience. In terms of raw skills he's a much, much better fighter than he showed, he fought the wrong game plan and was punished and hopefully this will serve as a lesson that he will need to do more if he can encourage Diaz to give him a rematch. If Ao cannot get a rematch he will perhaps be looking for a bout with countryman Takashi Uchiyama or some confidence rebuilding "easy" wins.
Despite going in to the bout as the under-dog, the upset minded Diaz (who also holds wins over Elio Rojas and Robert Guerrero) managed to rip the title away from Ao in a rather uninteresting fight. The bout started well for Diaz who managed to land long right hands from the off and whilst Ao looked for the counters he was simply getting tagged far too often early on.
Diaz's domination would see him becoming more confident and sadly his confidence was punished as he was deducted points for low blows, however even the deductions wouldn't deny him as he repeatedly threw his looping right hand and repeatedly found the target. Sadly for Ao he didn't seem to have a plan B and even when he upped his own work rate he failed to really force the issue, in fact when he looked to force the bout he merely suffered a cut as Diaz continued to to be the accurate aggressor.
Whilst a rematch is possible, I'd imagine that Diaz will look to "cash out" and make a name in the US. Although he's not the most talented he's a fighter who is confident and on a 14 fight winning streak and a fight with someone Diego Magdaleno could be very interesting. Despite being experienced I don't see Diaz holding the title for long.
For Ao this was a major learning experience. In terms of raw skills he's a much, much better fighter than he showed, he fought the wrong game plan and was punished and hopefully this will serve as a lesson that he will need to do more if he can encourage Diaz to give him a rematch. If Ao cannot get a rematch he will perhaps be looking for a bout with countryman Takashi Uchiyama or some confidence rebuilding "easy" wins.
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Roman Martinez v Miguel Beltran Jr
We all know that when you pit a top Mexican against a top Puerto Rican you will end up with a fight to remember and that's exactly what we got as Roman Martinez (26-1-1, 16) faced Miguel Beltran Jr (27-2, 17) in a bout for the vacant WBO Super Featherweight title.
The bout started brilliantly with Martinez looking to control the bout behind his powerful straight shots whilst Beltran showed impressive handspeed and combinations rocking Martinez late in the round. Despite the bright start the second round was somewhat more ame as neither man did a great deal, however it was to be the calm before the storm.
Martinez stepped on the gas in round 3 as he started to effectively stalk Beltran and force the Mexican on to the ropes. On the ropes both guys started to mix it up and through the middle rounds the fight just started to get progressively better with the both men hammering away each other other with no respect for the other mans power. The fourth round saw both men rocked to their boots and it seemed almost impossible that the bout was going to go on too long as they teed off on each other in a slug fest.
With the fourth round being amazing the fifth some how got better as the fight became a full on brawl with both men going toe-to-toe in one of the rounds of the year. Despite Beltran being forced on to the ropes for much of the round he was punching off them with great effect landing to both the head and body of Martinez. Martinez however had the biggest success of the round with a nasty cut forming around the left eye of Miguel Beltran, a cut that seemed almost certain to eventually stop the bout.
Despite it seeming ridiculous both men continued at the hectic pace they had set for themselves and both of them refused to slow down as every round become a mini war. Every time one guy was rocked he other came back and shook the other man as they relentlessly battled.
Somehow we'd managed to get into the championship rounds and the pace was just as crazy as it had been in round 5 with neither man showing any signs of fatigue. Sadly it was in round 11 that the fight was effectively decided with Russell Mora taking a point away from Miguel Beltran Jr for leading with his head, this point would sadly decide the outcome of the fight.
Having gone toe-to-toe with each other for 12 none-stop rounds, neither man genuinely deserved to lose however we had a split decision with cards of 116-111 (Beltran) and two of 114-113 (both to Martinez). Sadly the deduction in round 11 cost Beltran a well deserved draw, shame on Russell Mora.
Hopefully, due to the excitement of the bout, we will get a rematch as every fan will be wanting on and I doubt either fighter will complain as they genuinely seemed to enjoy beating the snot out of each other in a real Fight Of The Year Contender. If any fight fans missed this, I advise you to hunt it down immediately!
The bout started brilliantly with Martinez looking to control the bout behind his powerful straight shots whilst Beltran showed impressive handspeed and combinations rocking Martinez late in the round. Despite the bright start the second round was somewhat more ame as neither man did a great deal, however it was to be the calm before the storm.
Martinez stepped on the gas in round 3 as he started to effectively stalk Beltran and force the Mexican on to the ropes. On the ropes both guys started to mix it up and through the middle rounds the fight just started to get progressively better with the both men hammering away each other other with no respect for the other mans power. The fourth round saw both men rocked to their boots and it seemed almost impossible that the bout was going to go on too long as they teed off on each other in a slug fest.
With the fourth round being amazing the fifth some how got better as the fight became a full on brawl with both men going toe-to-toe in one of the rounds of the year. Despite Beltran being forced on to the ropes for much of the round he was punching off them with great effect landing to both the head and body of Martinez. Martinez however had the biggest success of the round with a nasty cut forming around the left eye of Miguel Beltran, a cut that seemed almost certain to eventually stop the bout.
Despite it seeming ridiculous both men continued at the hectic pace they had set for themselves and both of them refused to slow down as every round become a mini war. Every time one guy was rocked he other came back and shook the other man as they relentlessly battled.
Somehow we'd managed to get into the championship rounds and the pace was just as crazy as it had been in round 5 with neither man showing any signs of fatigue. Sadly it was in round 11 that the fight was effectively decided with Russell Mora taking a point away from Miguel Beltran Jr for leading with his head, this point would sadly decide the outcome of the fight.
Having gone toe-to-toe with each other for 12 none-stop rounds, neither man genuinely deserved to lose however we had a split decision with cards of 116-111 (Beltran) and two of 114-113 (both to Martinez). Sadly the deduction in round 11 cost Beltran a well deserved draw, shame on Russell Mora.
Hopefully, due to the excitement of the bout, we will get a rematch as every fan will be wanting on and I doubt either fighter will complain as they genuinely seemed to enjoy beating the snot out of each other in a real Fight Of The Year Contender. If any fight fans missed this, I advise you to hunt it down immediately!
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Juan Carlos Salgado v Jonathan Victor Barros
In arguably the fight of the weekend Mexico's Juan Carlos Salgado (26-1-1-1, 16) successfully defended his IBF Super Featherweight title in an enthralling battle with Argentina's Jonathan Victor Barros (34-3-1, 18) which saw both men freely landing on the other.
The defending champion got off to a very quick start throwing a huge number of punches in the first few rounds as he attempted to mentally break the challenger. The tough Barros failed to break and in the middle rounds, as Salgado slowed slightly Barros started to get into the bout, using a high guard to protect from Salgado's attack whilst landing his own blows on the inside. Salgado, who looked huge compared to the challenger was still the aggressor and still winning the majority of the rounds, though he was starting to get tagged himself.
It was during those middle rounds that the bout really warmed up and started to live up to expectation as the fighters took it in turns to land combinations on each other as Barros started to bag a round here and there. It was during these rounds that Salgado suffered a nasty looking cut around his left eye that bled through to the end of the fight and left a stream of claret running down the side of his cheek. Whilst the cut never really threatened to end the fight it was nasty and it gave heart to the challenger who seemed to up his own work afterwards.
Despite closing up on the score cards Barros' fate was sealed in round 8 with a point deduction that effectively left him with a lot to do in the last 4 rounds. Though he tried hard the tough Argentinian failed to reel in Salgado over those rounds, actually losing a number of them as the crowd helped carry the champion to the victory with scores of 116-111 (twice) and 115-112, a pretty fair reflection on the competitive nature of the fight which despite having a clear winner was competitive throughout.
The defending champion got off to a very quick start throwing a huge number of punches in the first few rounds as he attempted to mentally break the challenger. The tough Barros failed to break and in the middle rounds, as Salgado slowed slightly Barros started to get into the bout, using a high guard to protect from Salgado's attack whilst landing his own blows on the inside. Salgado, who looked huge compared to the challenger was still the aggressor and still winning the majority of the rounds, though he was starting to get tagged himself.
It was during those middle rounds that the bout really warmed up and started to live up to expectation as the fighters took it in turns to land combinations on each other as Barros started to bag a round here and there. It was during these rounds that Salgado suffered a nasty looking cut around his left eye that bled through to the end of the fight and left a stream of claret running down the side of his cheek. Whilst the cut never really threatened to end the fight it was nasty and it gave heart to the challenger who seemed to up his own work afterwards.
Despite closing up on the score cards Barros' fate was sealed in round 8 with a point deduction that effectively left him with a lot to do in the last 4 rounds. Though he tried hard the tough Argentinian failed to reel in Salgado over those rounds, actually losing a number of them as the crowd helped carry the champion to the victory with scores of 116-111 (twice) and 115-112, a pretty fair reflection on the competitive nature of the fight which despite having a clear winner was competitive throughout.
Monday, 23 July 2012
Bryan Vasquez v Jorge Lacierva
Personally I find the whole "world title" scene a bit of a joke and the "interim" WBA Super Featherweight title is a perfect example of what is wrong with the sport. Just days after WBA Super Featherweight champion Takashi Uchiyama scored a 3 round technical draw with Filipino challenger Michael Farenas, the WBA "interim" Super Featherweight Champion Bryan Vazquez (29-0, 15) successfully defneded his title against Jorge Lacierva (41-9-6, 27).
The 24 year old Vazquez, of Costa Rica is one of the more under-rated fighters in world boxing and arguably the most deserving contender out there to currently be fighting for a world title. Sadly however Vazquez holds the "interim" title that he won last November by decisioning Nicaraguan Santos Benavide. Against Lacierva we saw Vazquez making his first defense, sadly however the bout told us little we didn't already know about either guy.
The challenger, Lacierva, a Mexican veteran has been around the block a few times and debuted way back in 1994 when Vazquez himself was only 7 years old. Lecierva's first title was won at Flyweight (112lbs) back in 1997 and since then he has lost at world level at Super Flyweight (technical decision loss to Marc Johnson back in 1999), Super Bantamweight (a 12 round decision loss to Celestino Caballero in 2007) and at Featherweight (a 12 round decision loss to Billy Dib in 2011). Quite what he did to deserve a "world title" fight up at Super Featherweight since losing to Dib is a real mystery to me.
Whilst I'm not a fan of the fight, or the title that was on the line I will admit I'm proud of the way Vazquez did the job at hand. Lacierva tried all the dirty veteran tricks in the book but Vazquez adapted to them and broke down the Mexican with solid counter shots. Lacierva was eventually stopped in round 9 following a body shot having been put down once earlier in the same round. It was only the second time in Lacierva's long career that he'd been stopped.
Now, if the WBA are reading this, can we please stop this nonsense of having interim titles and "regular" titles defended on the same week? If I can't have Uchiyama v Ao later this year how about Uchiyama v Vazquez, if only to get rid of this stupid interim title!
The 24 year old Vazquez, of Costa Rica is one of the more under-rated fighters in world boxing and arguably the most deserving contender out there to currently be fighting for a world title. Sadly however Vazquez holds the "interim" title that he won last November by decisioning Nicaraguan Santos Benavide. Against Lacierva we saw Vazquez making his first defense, sadly however the bout told us little we didn't already know about either guy.
The challenger, Lacierva, a Mexican veteran has been around the block a few times and debuted way back in 1994 when Vazquez himself was only 7 years old. Lecierva's first title was won at Flyweight (112lbs) back in 1997 and since then he has lost at world level at Super Flyweight (technical decision loss to Marc Johnson back in 1999), Super Bantamweight (a 12 round decision loss to Celestino Caballero in 2007) and at Featherweight (a 12 round decision loss to Billy Dib in 2011). Quite what he did to deserve a "world title" fight up at Super Featherweight since losing to Dib is a real mystery to me.
Whilst I'm not a fan of the fight, or the title that was on the line I will admit I'm proud of the way Vazquez did the job at hand. Lacierva tried all the dirty veteran tricks in the book but Vazquez adapted to them and broke down the Mexican with solid counter shots. Lacierva was eventually stopped in round 9 following a body shot having been put down once earlier in the same round. It was only the second time in Lacierva's long career that he'd been stopped.
Now, if the WBA are reading this, can we please stop this nonsense of having interim titles and "regular" titles defended on the same week? If I can't have Uchiyama v Ao later this year how about Uchiyama v Vazquez, if only to get rid of this stupid interim title!
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Takashi Uchiyama v Michael Farenas
WBA Super Featherweight champion Takashi Uchiyama (18-0-1, 15) suffered the first blotch on his record so far after a clash of heads saw his fight with Filipino challenger Michael Farenas (34-3-4-1, 26) ending in a 3rd round technical draw and a very nasty cut for the champion.
Uchiyama, seen by many as the #1 guy at 130lbs came into the bout riding an 8 fight T/KO streak which had seen him stopping top competition including the experienced Jorge Solis and the highly rated Juan Carlos Salgado. Despite his reputation however Uchiyama was unable to impose his will on the much more experienced Farenas who moved well and neutralised much of Uchiyama's thunderous power.
After 2 intriguing, but not hugely exciting rounds, Uchiyama seemed to turn up the heat early in the 3rd before a clash of heads forced referee, Raul Caiz Sr to take Uchiyama over to the ringside Dr. The Dr decided the cut, which was sizable, was too severe to allow the bout to continuing rendering an early and unsatisfactory ending to proceeding.
Although a rematch is a possibility we'd much rather see an all Japanese WBA/WBC "unification" bout between Uchiyama and Takahiro Ao as the division looks for clear direction. Sadly the Super Featherweight division lacks any real star power and the best it has seems to be the group of emerging prospects including Javier Fortuna and Jomthong Chuwatana neither of which are quite ready to fight for a world title.
Uchiyama, seen by many as the #1 guy at 130lbs came into the bout riding an 8 fight T/KO streak which had seen him stopping top competition including the experienced Jorge Solis and the highly rated Juan Carlos Salgado. Despite his reputation however Uchiyama was unable to impose his will on the much more experienced Farenas who moved well and neutralised much of Uchiyama's thunderous power.
After 2 intriguing, but not hugely exciting rounds, Uchiyama seemed to turn up the heat early in the 3rd before a clash of heads forced referee, Raul Caiz Sr to take Uchiyama over to the ringside Dr. The Dr decided the cut, which was sizable, was too severe to allow the bout to continuing rendering an early and unsatisfactory ending to proceeding.
Although a rematch is a possibility we'd much rather see an all Japanese WBA/WBC "unification" bout between Uchiyama and Takahiro Ao as the division looks for clear direction. Sadly the Super Featherweight division lacks any real star power and the best it has seems to be the group of emerging prospects including Javier Fortuna and Jomthong Chuwatana neither of which are quite ready to fight for a world title.
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