Mexican youngster Abner Mares (26-1-1, 14) started Saturday as a genuine contender for the pound for pound lists, he was expected by many, including myself, to continue his rise to super stardom he took on the hard hitting Jhonny Gonzalez (55-8, 47) in a defense of the WBC Featherweight title. Unfortunately not everything goes the way people expect, especially not when you face a dynamite puncher like Gonzalez.
The bout started tentatively with both men looking to use their jab and box the other. Neither man could really muster much success in the first 2 minutes of action though Gonzalez finally manged to connect in the final minute or so of the round sending Mares down hard with a hard single left.
Mares, showing the champions heart managed to recover to his feet his feet but was still feeling the ill effects of the shots when he was allowed to continue by the referee. Gonzalez sensed the fact Mares hadn't had time to recover his feet and jumped on him with a with a powerful combination of shots that dropped Mares for a second time. This time the referee didn't allow the bout to continue and instead, rightfully, protected Mares from himself.
After the fight Mares congratulated Gonzalez, who he described as a friend and said that he'll be back again. Gonzalez, seemed vindicated by the result and will be looking for a long and fruitful reign this time, his third as champion
Showing posts with label WBC Featherweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBC Featherweight. Show all posts
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Saturday, 17 August 2013
Takashi Miura v Sergio Thompson
In a barnstormer in Cancun WBC Super Featherweight champion Takashi Miura (26-2-2, 19) managed to successfully defend his title over-coming hard hitting Mexican Sergio Thompson (27-3, 25).
The fight started with a typical feeling out round before the two men really got down two work in round two with both trading monstrous bombs. Unfortunately for the Mexican challenger it appeared the Japanese champion was the bigger puncher and he managed to drop Thompson in the second. A follow up attack from Miura seemed almost certain to see of the challenger who was wobbly legged but miraculously he managed to be saved by the bell.
Miura built on his success in round 2 by really taking the action to Thompson in rounds 3 and 4 though he couldn't again drop the tough Mexican before the opening scoring was read out for the first time. The scoring after 4 favoured Miura, much to the chagrin of the pro-Thompson crowd who loudly booed the announcement.
Thompson had his first notable success in round 5 a round he boxed well in and seemed to clearly win by ditching the brawling tactics and instead boxing and moving, a strategy that he had ignored in the first rounds as he chose to fight a fighter.
Despite the success of his boxing in the fifth Thompson seemed intent on proving he was the better fighter and he was dropped in round 6 as a result of fighting with Miura, despite actually hurting Miura prior to being dropped.
In round 7 it appeared the Mexican had learned hi lesson and got back to his boxing avoiding a tear up and again winning a round by using his actually skills and not trying to out tough a better brawler. It was possibly only the second round Thompson had won but showed that he did have the skills needed to make Miura look bad.
After losing round 7 Miura went on the attack in round 8 and was himself dropped by Thompson who appeared to have began a comeback of his own turning a 3 point swing in the space of just 2 rounds.
Unfortunately for Thompson however his comeback was short lived and despite a good round 9 he was really out fought in round 10 as Miura hammered him around the ring looking for a knockout. Although the KO didn't come for Miura it was obvious that Thompson didn't have much left in the tank and Miura went for the KO again in round 11.
Despite being hammered around the ring for 2 rounds Thompson had a good final round though it wasn't enough to turn around a big points deficit that he had found himself in and rightfully Miura took a decision to retain his title
The fight started with a typical feeling out round before the two men really got down two work in round two with both trading monstrous bombs. Unfortunately for the Mexican challenger it appeared the Japanese champion was the bigger puncher and he managed to drop Thompson in the second. A follow up attack from Miura seemed almost certain to see of the challenger who was wobbly legged but miraculously he managed to be saved by the bell.
Miura built on his success in round 2 by really taking the action to Thompson in rounds 3 and 4 though he couldn't again drop the tough Mexican before the opening scoring was read out for the first time. The scoring after 4 favoured Miura, much to the chagrin of the pro-Thompson crowd who loudly booed the announcement.
Thompson had his first notable success in round 5 a round he boxed well in and seemed to clearly win by ditching the brawling tactics and instead boxing and moving, a strategy that he had ignored in the first rounds as he chose to fight a fighter.
Despite the success of his boxing in the fifth Thompson seemed intent on proving he was the better fighter and he was dropped in round 6 as a result of fighting with Miura, despite actually hurting Miura prior to being dropped.
In round 7 it appeared the Mexican had learned hi lesson and got back to his boxing avoiding a tear up and again winning a round by using his actually skills and not trying to out tough a better brawler. It was possibly only the second round Thompson had won but showed that he did have the skills needed to make Miura look bad.
After losing round 7 Miura went on the attack in round 8 and was himself dropped by Thompson who appeared to have began a comeback of his own turning a 3 point swing in the space of just 2 rounds.
Unfortunately for Thompson however his comeback was short lived and despite a good round 9 he was really out fought in round 10 as Miura hammered him around the ring looking for a knockout. Although the KO didn't come for Miura it was obvious that Thompson didn't have much left in the tank and Miura went for the KO again in round 11.
Despite being hammered around the ring for 2 rounds Thompson had a good final round though it wasn't enough to turn around a big points deficit that he had found himself in and rightfully Miura took a decision to retain his title
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Daniel Ponce De Leon v Abner Mares
Mexican-American Abner Mares (26-0-1, 14) successfully became a 3-weight world champion as he stopped Daniel Ponce De Leon (44-5, 34) for the WBC Featherweight title, in what could well be the best victory of Mares' career so far, and that's actually saying a lot.
Despite having only moved to Super Bantamweight 13 months ago Mares was now starting his campaign at Featherweight and the impressive Mexican seemed to have filled out to 126lbs excellently as he looked the same size as the genuinely big, and strong Ponce De Leon.
With both men looking equal in size the difference it was never going to be a case of who was the bigger man in the ring but who could determine the style of fight. Could Ponce De Leon hurt Mares with his explosive left hand? Could Mares force his fight on to Ponce De Leon?
In the first round the answer to who could dictate the style of the fight became obvious as Mares came forward and forced Ponce De Leon on to the back foot. Although the action wasn't anything notable it was worrying for Ponce De Leon that he was effectively being forced backwards by the smaller man. Things got more worrying just a round later as Mares dropped the champion thanks to his sharp and fast shots that appeared to have more sting on them than they had had at either 118lbs or 122lbs.
Mares continued to force Ponce De Leon on to the back foot though started to mix up what he was doing. For large portions of the following rounds he was fighting as a pure boxer using his jab and movement to keep a controlled distance at other points he was brawling with the champion and landing 3 or 4 punch combinations in little bursts before Ponce De Leon could land much of note. It was this switching between styles and Mares' speed with both hands and feet that really helped to confuse De Leon who landed several left hands but did very little to discourage Mares.
Ponce De Leon, who was, in his defense, forcing the action in several rounds, looked very one dimensional and it didn't take long for Mares to see everything that was coming his way as he became incredibly comfortable in the ring. In fact there was only really one blow that Ponce De Leon landed that really got Mares' attention and that was a major low blow in round 7 that would have seen many fans saying "karma" for the numerous low blows that Mares himself has landed. Aside from that one shot however Mares looked like he could do whatever he want with out taking anything of note.
Having completely dominated the bout with his hand speed it seemed that the challenger could have cruised to a decision victory. Instead however, Mares dropped Ponce De Leon in round 9 before moving in for the finish and forcing the referee to step in and wave the bout off with Ponce De Leon taking major shots with little being fired back.
With the WBC Featherweight title now around his waist Mares has got plenty of options to call out, though he may struggle to get the biggest match ups as the current champions are unlikely to be facing him. The likes of Mikey Garcia, Evgeny Gradovich and Orlando Salido are all Top Rank fighters with the other name of note in the division, Chris John being very comfortable with fighting in the East. It may well be that Mares will have to face someone like the unheralded Robinson Castellanos or a fighter who he could persuade up from 122.
For Ponce De Leon this loss may well spell the end of his hopes at the title level, though the hard hitting Mexican will always be a fighter that fans will want to see in the ring.
Despite having only moved to Super Bantamweight 13 months ago Mares was now starting his campaign at Featherweight and the impressive Mexican seemed to have filled out to 126lbs excellently as he looked the same size as the genuinely big, and strong Ponce De Leon.
With both men looking equal in size the difference it was never going to be a case of who was the bigger man in the ring but who could determine the style of fight. Could Ponce De Leon hurt Mares with his explosive left hand? Could Mares force his fight on to Ponce De Leon?
In the first round the answer to who could dictate the style of the fight became obvious as Mares came forward and forced Ponce De Leon on to the back foot. Although the action wasn't anything notable it was worrying for Ponce De Leon that he was effectively being forced backwards by the smaller man. Things got more worrying just a round later as Mares dropped the champion thanks to his sharp and fast shots that appeared to have more sting on them than they had had at either 118lbs or 122lbs.
Mares continued to force Ponce De Leon on to the back foot though started to mix up what he was doing. For large portions of the following rounds he was fighting as a pure boxer using his jab and movement to keep a controlled distance at other points he was brawling with the champion and landing 3 or 4 punch combinations in little bursts before Ponce De Leon could land much of note. It was this switching between styles and Mares' speed with both hands and feet that really helped to confuse De Leon who landed several left hands but did very little to discourage Mares.
Ponce De Leon, who was, in his defense, forcing the action in several rounds, looked very one dimensional and it didn't take long for Mares to see everything that was coming his way as he became incredibly comfortable in the ring. In fact there was only really one blow that Ponce De Leon landed that really got Mares' attention and that was a major low blow in round 7 that would have seen many fans saying "karma" for the numerous low blows that Mares himself has landed. Aside from that one shot however Mares looked like he could do whatever he want with out taking anything of note.
Having completely dominated the bout with his hand speed it seemed that the challenger could have cruised to a decision victory. Instead however, Mares dropped Ponce De Leon in round 9 before moving in for the finish and forcing the referee to step in and wave the bout off with Ponce De Leon taking major shots with little being fired back.
With the WBC Featherweight title now around his waist Mares has got plenty of options to call out, though he may struggle to get the biggest match ups as the current champions are unlikely to be facing him. The likes of Mikey Garcia, Evgeny Gradovich and Orlando Salido are all Top Rank fighters with the other name of note in the division, Chris John being very comfortable with fighting in the East. It may well be that Mares will have to face someone like the unheralded Robinson Castellanos or a fighter who he could persuade up from 122.
For Ponce De Leon this loss may well spell the end of his hopes at the title level, though the hard hitting Mexican will always be a fighter that fans will want to see in the ring.
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Daniel Ponce De Leon v Jhonny Gonzalez
Hard hitting Mexican Daniel Ponce De Leon (44-4, 35) became a 2-weight world champion as he claimed the WBC Featherweight title via a technical decision victory over fellow hard hitter Jhonny Gonzalez (52-8, 45), in a bout that failed to live up to the expectations many had for it.
The opening round was some what tentative as the two hard punchers seemed to show too much respect to each other early on. Whilst it was competitive it wasn't edge of your seat stuff as both men spent the round try to feel out the other. Sadly the bout didn't catch on fire quickly and the tentative opener was followed by another somewhat tame round as they each felt their way into the fight. Surprisingly however Ponce De Leon was showing some genuine boxing skills, looking to not only find a home for his power but also show that he could land counters and move well.
The bout had it's first major moment in round 3 after a clash of heads opened up a nasty cut on Ponce De Leon. Whilst both men were still being respectful of each other it appeared as if they were both starting to warm to their task and by the end of round 5 it seemed we had a fight on our hands.Ponce De Leon was still looking impressively skilled for a man that many considered a wild slugger whilst Gonzalez seemed to be finding his own rhythm.
With Gonzalez looking to have found his rhythm, Ponce De Leon turned up the heat and in round 6 almost sent Gonzalez out of the ring with a vicious combination that sent Gonzalez partly through the ropes. Despite being really hurt and beaten to the canvas Gonzales was saved by the bell, though it looked like he'd been some what broken by Ponce De Leon's hard body shots. The body shots continued through round 7 as Ponce De Leon continued to break down Gonzalez with heavy, hurtful shots to the midsection.
Sadly with the fight starting to warm up nicely for Ponce De Leon we got a clash of heads in round 8 that left Gonzalez with a nasty cut over his eye and forced the early ending of the bout. The judges scorecards all read in favour of Ponce De Leon who claimed his second world title (having previously held the WBO Super Bantamweight title).
The opening round was some what tentative as the two hard punchers seemed to show too much respect to each other early on. Whilst it was competitive it wasn't edge of your seat stuff as both men spent the round try to feel out the other. Sadly the bout didn't catch on fire quickly and the tentative opener was followed by another somewhat tame round as they each felt their way into the fight. Surprisingly however Ponce De Leon was showing some genuine boxing skills, looking to not only find a home for his power but also show that he could land counters and move well.
The bout had it's first major moment in round 3 after a clash of heads opened up a nasty cut on Ponce De Leon. Whilst both men were still being respectful of each other it appeared as if they were both starting to warm to their task and by the end of round 5 it seemed we had a fight on our hands.Ponce De Leon was still looking impressively skilled for a man that many considered a wild slugger whilst Gonzalez seemed to be finding his own rhythm.
With Gonzalez looking to have found his rhythm, Ponce De Leon turned up the heat and in round 6 almost sent Gonzalez out of the ring with a vicious combination that sent Gonzalez partly through the ropes. Despite being really hurt and beaten to the canvas Gonzales was saved by the bell, though it looked like he'd been some what broken by Ponce De Leon's hard body shots. The body shots continued through round 7 as Ponce De Leon continued to break down Gonzalez with heavy, hurtful shots to the midsection.
Sadly with the fight starting to warm up nicely for Ponce De Leon we got a clash of heads in round 8 that left Gonzalez with a nasty cut over his eye and forced the early ending of the bout. The judges scorecards all read in favour of Ponce De Leon who claimed his second world title (having previously held the WBO Super Bantamweight title).
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