Long time unbeaten fighter Paul Spadafora (48-1-1, 19) finally suffered a loss as he was out pointed by Venezuela's Johan Perez (18-1-1-1, 2) who in turn claimed the WBA interim Light Welterweight title for the second time.
The fight started slowly with neither man getting much of an advantage in the early going. Despite this it often appeared that Perez was doing more than Spadafora and narrowly claiming the early rounds. It was unlikely that the judges agreed but it was hard to give any of the early rounds to Spadafora who was looking his age.
Perez stepped up the pace of the fight in round 4 and by the end of that round Spadafora's face was showing the signs of a fight. A small mouse and a cut was forming on his face and his defenses were being penetrated on a frequent basis by Perez who was slowly breaking down the former IBF Lightweight champion.
Spadafora managed to gain some success through the middle rounds with some lovely counters but he was still being out worked and seemingly couldn't manage to launch a full blooded attack of his own. The speed of Spadafora wasn't what it once was and it showed as Perez was capable of controlling the pace and distance with out seemingly needing to work for it.
By the end of round 9 it was clear that Perez should have been in the lead. It appeared that even Spadafora knew it as he put his foot on the gas and tried to turn the fight around. Unfortunately for American he lacked the ability, power or speed to make Perez worry and the assault turned back on Spadafora who appeared to have gambled big in the round.
Spadafora would again pick up the pace in round 12 but by then Perez was safe in the knowledge that he had done more than enough. Barring a horror show from the judges Perez was to take the title.
The Venezuelan's heart was likely in his mouth as the score cards were read out reading 114-114, 115-113 and 117-111. Thankfully, despite the poor scores, Perez managed to get the decision and the title.
Showing posts with label interim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interim. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Saturday, 19 October 2013
Mike Alvarado v Ruslan Provodnikov
It's not every fight that has fans really looking forward to it with anticipation of a sure-fire war but this weekend's WBO Light Welterweight title fight between Mike Alvarado (34-2, 23) and Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16) was one such fight. It was two men who had styles made for each other, two men who had power and heart and two men who knew how to entertain fans.
Whilst many such fights can fall short of their mark I think it's fair to say that this lived to expectation and it seemed clear from the off that this wasn't going to just fall short.
The action kicked off in the way we expected. Provodnikov came forward, living up to the idea that he hasn't got a reverse gear and Alvarado showed off his superior boxing fighting Provodnikov off whilst fighting off the back foot. Alvarado certainly looked the better "boxer" but Provodnikov was having success and seemed to take the round with his harder clearer shots.
The fact Alvarado had lost the opening round saw him going to plan B. Boxing and moving. When Alvarado was fighting on the move he made Provodnikov look rather limited and in fact the movement looked like it was confusing the Russian who clearly lost rounds 2 and 3. Oddly it was whilst Alvarado was boxing on the move that a strange feeling seemed to come over the bout, "this might actually go the distance".
Alvarado's clear successes came to an end in round 4 as he began to get a little over-confident and almost seemed to fight Provodnikov's bout. This was a silly mistake though one that he likely thought could help break Provodnikov's confidence. If he could beat Provodnikov on the inside then where was Provodnikov going to go? Unfortunately, as mentioned, it backfired.
Alvarado returned to his moving tactics in round 5 as he tried to reestablish control of the bout, though unfortunately his output had dropped and the first 2 minutes or so were about Provodnikov who actually threw punches. Alvarado tried to steal in the final minute but it was too little too late as Provodnikov seemed to take a narrow lead. Thankfully for Alvarado his reestablished himself in round 6, which like round 5 had been close though he seemed to have just done enough to claim it as we moved in to the second half of the fight with a level, or near level score card.
The close nature of rounds 5 and 6 was again felt in round 7, a round that for 2 minutes 58 seconds was an even round. Unfortunately for the defending champion he lost the round in those final 2 seconds as he was shaken up, hard.
It wasn't so much that Alvarado had lost round 7 in the final 2 seconds that had proven to be a key, but that Provodnikov had hurt genuinely hurt him. It was less about the "10-9" on a piece of paper but more about the huge confidence boost Provodniov had had from the action at the bell, confidence that seemed to really boost him in round 8.
The eighth round by far the most crucial to the fight. Provodnikov grew from the previous round and hurt Alvarado early in the round. Provodnikov landed a shot upstairs that hurt Alvarado then a body shot that seemed to really shake Alvarado up. A follow up attack sent Alvarado down for a 9 count and from then on it was Alvarado never looked the same man. He was dropped again later in the round then did all he could to survive through the final minute of the round.
By round 9 it looked like we were only going to have a new champion. Unfortunately Provodnikov was starting to look tired and he could capitalise on Alvarado who was still looking very leggy. Alvarado managed to avoid a fight, despite his legs looking tired, through out round 9 though he did lose the round by doing very little in terms of offensive work.
It was starting to look like Provodnikov had missed his chance to stop Alvarado though a huge assault at the end of round 10 forced the defending champions corner to act. They knew their man was spent, they knew he had struggled with weight and they knew that he needed saving before his career was thrown away chasing a lost cause. They refused, rightfully, to let their man out for round 11 conceding the title though saving what was left of their man.
Whilst many such fights can fall short of their mark I think it's fair to say that this lived to expectation and it seemed clear from the off that this wasn't going to just fall short.
The action kicked off in the way we expected. Provodnikov came forward, living up to the idea that he hasn't got a reverse gear and Alvarado showed off his superior boxing fighting Provodnikov off whilst fighting off the back foot. Alvarado certainly looked the better "boxer" but Provodnikov was having success and seemed to take the round with his harder clearer shots.
The fact Alvarado had lost the opening round saw him going to plan B. Boxing and moving. When Alvarado was fighting on the move he made Provodnikov look rather limited and in fact the movement looked like it was confusing the Russian who clearly lost rounds 2 and 3. Oddly it was whilst Alvarado was boxing on the move that a strange feeling seemed to come over the bout, "this might actually go the distance".
Alvarado's clear successes came to an end in round 4 as he began to get a little over-confident and almost seemed to fight Provodnikov's bout. This was a silly mistake though one that he likely thought could help break Provodnikov's confidence. If he could beat Provodnikov on the inside then where was Provodnikov going to go? Unfortunately, as mentioned, it backfired.
Alvarado returned to his moving tactics in round 5 as he tried to reestablish control of the bout, though unfortunately his output had dropped and the first 2 minutes or so were about Provodnikov who actually threw punches. Alvarado tried to steal in the final minute but it was too little too late as Provodnikov seemed to take a narrow lead. Thankfully for Alvarado his reestablished himself in round 6, which like round 5 had been close though he seemed to have just done enough to claim it as we moved in to the second half of the fight with a level, or near level score card.
The close nature of rounds 5 and 6 was again felt in round 7, a round that for 2 minutes 58 seconds was an even round. Unfortunately for the defending champion he lost the round in those final 2 seconds as he was shaken up, hard.
It wasn't so much that Alvarado had lost round 7 in the final 2 seconds that had proven to be a key, but that Provodnikov had hurt genuinely hurt him. It was less about the "10-9" on a piece of paper but more about the huge confidence boost Provodniov had had from the action at the bell, confidence that seemed to really boost him in round 8.
The eighth round by far the most crucial to the fight. Provodnikov grew from the previous round and hurt Alvarado early in the round. Provodnikov landed a shot upstairs that hurt Alvarado then a body shot that seemed to really shake Alvarado up. A follow up attack sent Alvarado down for a 9 count and from then on it was Alvarado never looked the same man. He was dropped again later in the round then did all he could to survive through the final minute of the round.
By round 9 it looked like we were only going to have a new champion. Unfortunately Provodnikov was starting to look tired and he could capitalise on Alvarado who was still looking very leggy. Alvarado managed to avoid a fight, despite his legs looking tired, through out round 9 though he did lose the round by doing very little in terms of offensive work.
It was starting to look like Provodnikov had missed his chance to stop Alvarado though a huge assault at the end of round 10 forced the defending champions corner to act. They knew their man was spent, they knew he had struggled with weight and they knew that he needed saving before his career was thrown away chasing a lost cause. They refused, rightfully, to let their man out for round 11 conceding the title though saving what was left of their man.
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Moises Fuentes v Luis De La Rosa
Just a few hours after Ricky Burns had controversially retained his WBO Lightweight title, Moises Fuentes (18-1-1, 9) claimed WBO interim Light Flyweight title, in circumstances that could not be any more different to the Burns Vs. Beltran fight.
Fuentes stormed out of his corner, refused to back off and took out Colombian co-challenger Luis De La Rosa (22-3-1, 12) in just 160 seconds.
It seemed like Fuentes wasn't there to mess about but were there to make a statement and that's exactly what he did, specifically to Filipino Donnie Nietes, the WBO "regular" champion a man who had retained against Fuentes in similar circumstances as Burns did against Raymundo Beltran.
Against Nietes, Fuentes was in fine form battling the home champion around the ring, smashing him to the ribs, out working him and generally dominating him. Just had Beltran had done to Burns. Like Beltran he'll be hoping to get a rematch, odds are here however, if Fuentes doesn't get a rematch he'll be given the title by default.
For Dela Rosa this is a third loss in a world title bout and by far the most damning. He had been very game and competitive against Raul Garcia, he had battled hard with Merlito Sabillo, here however he was brushed aside like an ugly girl as a night club. I'm afraid that if he can't make 105lbs Minimumweight limit then his dreams of ever being a world champion have to be forgotten about, especially against the bigger men at 108lbs.
Fuentes stormed out of his corner, refused to back off and took out Colombian co-challenger Luis De La Rosa (22-3-1, 12) in just 160 seconds.
It seemed like Fuentes wasn't there to mess about but were there to make a statement and that's exactly what he did, specifically to Filipino Donnie Nietes, the WBO "regular" champion a man who had retained against Fuentes in similar circumstances as Burns did against Raymundo Beltran.
Against Nietes, Fuentes was in fine form battling the home champion around the ring, smashing him to the ribs, out working him and generally dominating him. Just had Beltran had done to Burns. Like Beltran he'll be hoping to get a rematch, odds are here however, if Fuentes doesn't get a rematch he'll be given the title by default.
For Dela Rosa this is a third loss in a world title bout and by far the most damning. He had been very game and competitive against Raul Garcia, he had battled hard with Merlito Sabillo, here however he was brushed aside like an ugly girl as a night club. I'm afraid that if he can't make 105lbs Minimumweight limit then his dreams of ever being a world champion have to be forgotten about, especially against the bigger men at 108lbs.
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Stanyslav Kashtanov v Jaime Barboza
Little known "interim" WBA Super Middleweight champion Stanyslav Kashtanov (31-1, 17) successfully retained his title today as he stopped the usually durable Costa Rican Jaime Barboza (18-8, 8) in the 10th round.
The fight, in Ukraine saw Kashtanov defending his title for the first time and it was obvious his confidence had grown since winning the title last time out. He took the centre of the ring and Barboza really struggled to get in close to the champion.
Although the champion is far from a puncher he is an intelligent fighter and seemed intent to just chip away at Barboza round after round as he slowly broke down the challenger. Although Barboza, who came in to the bout with a 2-4 record in his last 6 bouts, was never a real threat it was a case of staying professional until Barboza was there to put away.
In round 10 Kashtanov finally got he chance he was looking for as he dropped Barboza for the count becoming just the second man to stop the Costa Rican who's title hope must surely be over now.
The victory was never in doubt for Kashtanov though hopefully next time out he will be facing a better opponent than Barboza, how about someone like DeGale?
The fight, in Ukraine saw Kashtanov defending his title for the first time and it was obvious his confidence had grown since winning the title last time out. He took the centre of the ring and Barboza really struggled to get in close to the champion.
Although the champion is far from a puncher he is an intelligent fighter and seemed intent to just chip away at Barboza round after round as he slowly broke down the challenger. Although Barboza, who came in to the bout with a 2-4 record in his last 6 bouts, was never a real threat it was a case of staying professional until Barboza was there to put away.
In round 10 Kashtanov finally got he chance he was looking for as he dropped Barboza for the count becoming just the second man to stop the Costa Rican who's title hope must surely be over now.
The victory was never in doubt for Kashtanov though hopefully next time out he will be facing a better opponent than Barboza, how about someone like DeGale?
Friday, 23 August 2013
Claudio Marrero v Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar
In a battle for the interim WBA Featherweight title Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar (23-1, 18) upset the hotly tipped Claudio Marrero (14-0, 11)
The fight started on a very even keel with both men looking to establish their jabs in the opening round. Although Cuellar seemed to do just enough to claim it it was very even and certainly not a round many would deny could have gone either way. Marrero seemed to claim the second round, though again it was close. In fact many of the early rounds were close with 38-38 seeming the likely outcome but scores of 39-37 or even 40-36 could have been argued either way.
Through the first 4 rounds it was obvious that we had two fighters were not only evenly matched but also had contrasting styles. Cuellar was the busier man easily throwing and landing more than Marrero however Marrero was the man looking more skillful and using his defensive techniques well.
Cuellar's pressure was starting to take it's toll in the fifth round, a round that he appeared to clearly win before opening up some space on the scorecards by dropping Marrero in round 6 to take a 10-8 round. Although the first 4 rounds had been razor thin it now appeared that Cuellar was taking over the bout against his previously unbeaten opponent.
Although Marrero fought back hard in the following round it was obvious that Cuellar was getting to him and the pressure and relentlessness of the Argentinian was really making Marrero work harder and harder than he'd have wanted.
The fact Marrero had a good round 7 was nothing other than a blip as Cuellar re-established control of the bout with his work rate backing up Marrero almost at will. Marrero continued to show good hand speed and movement but by now his lack of power and work effectively allowed Cuellar to do as he wished as he walked in time and time again swinging volley's of shots in Marrero's direction. In fact for many of the later rounds Marrero's best defense was his ability to tie Cuellar who rocked him hard in the final seconds of the bout to confirm his victory.
For Marrero this was disappointing, many had been hyping him, myself included, due to his performances in the past, for Cuellar however it's put him near to the "Big Boys Table" and may well have opened the door to a fight with Vasyl Lomachenko early next year.
The fight started on a very even keel with both men looking to establish their jabs in the opening round. Although Cuellar seemed to do just enough to claim it it was very even and certainly not a round many would deny could have gone either way. Marrero seemed to claim the second round, though again it was close. In fact many of the early rounds were close with 38-38 seeming the likely outcome but scores of 39-37 or even 40-36 could have been argued either way.
Through the first 4 rounds it was obvious that we had two fighters were not only evenly matched but also had contrasting styles. Cuellar was the busier man easily throwing and landing more than Marrero however Marrero was the man looking more skillful and using his defensive techniques well.
Cuellar's pressure was starting to take it's toll in the fifth round, a round that he appeared to clearly win before opening up some space on the scorecards by dropping Marrero in round 6 to take a 10-8 round. Although the first 4 rounds had been razor thin it now appeared that Cuellar was taking over the bout against his previously unbeaten opponent.
Although Marrero fought back hard in the following round it was obvious that Cuellar was getting to him and the pressure and relentlessness of the Argentinian was really making Marrero work harder and harder than he'd have wanted.
The fact Marrero had a good round 7 was nothing other than a blip as Cuellar re-established control of the bout with his work rate backing up Marrero almost at will. Marrero continued to show good hand speed and movement but by now his lack of power and work effectively allowed Cuellar to do as he wished as he walked in time and time again swinging volley's of shots in Marrero's direction. In fact for many of the later rounds Marrero's best defense was his ability to tie Cuellar who rocked him hard in the final seconds of the bout to confirm his victory.
For Marrero this was disappointing, many had been hyping him, myself included, due to his performances in the past, for Cuellar however it's put him near to the "Big Boys Table" and may well have opened the door to a fight with Vasyl Lomachenko early next year.
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Diego Gabriel Chaves v Keith Thurman
Unbeaten American Keith Thurman (21-0-0-1, 19) successfully claimed the WBA interim Welterweight by scoring his biggest win so far, stopping Argentinian Diego Gabriel Chaves (22-1, 18).
The fight started in exciting fashion as both men traded shots with the fight starting in the fashion many expected. The fireworks, whilst not relentless where certainly exciting and seemed to suggest there was no way that the judges would be needed.
The same exciting action continued through the first 4 rounds with Thurman gradually growing into the bout and getting more success. Originally he looked to be getting tagged a fair bit more than he'd have liked and his nose was actually bloodied at the end of round 3 though in round 4 he certainly took the round, arguably his first.
After an excellent round 5 that was brilliant to watch with both men landing huge head shots from both the bout suddenly took a major turn as both men started to box. The trading had taken a break as jabs became the order of the day with both men seemingly becoming aware of the other mans power. This tactical battle seemed to suit Thurman who was longer and faster than Chaves and was getting his jab off and moving well.
The boxing continued for a few rounds as Thurman started to take control of the bout slightly with his boxing and although the men started to trade up a big more in rounds 7 and 8 it seemed neither man could really take control of the trade sequences. It appeared every time one man had success the other would come back and land their own 2 or 3 punch combination.
In round 9 the bout took a huge turn with Thurman landing a lovely body shut that sent Chaves down. Although Chaves regained his feet and saw out the round it was obvious the body shot had left lingering effects and Thurman immediately went on the assault at the start of the tenth before sending Chaves down again and forcing a 10th round stoppage.
With Thurman now the interim champion and Broner the "regular" WBA champion a bout between them two would seeming to be the logical one.
The fight started in exciting fashion as both men traded shots with the fight starting in the fashion many expected. The fireworks, whilst not relentless where certainly exciting and seemed to suggest there was no way that the judges would be needed.
The same exciting action continued through the first 4 rounds with Thurman gradually growing into the bout and getting more success. Originally he looked to be getting tagged a fair bit more than he'd have liked and his nose was actually bloodied at the end of round 3 though in round 4 he certainly took the round, arguably his first.
After an excellent round 5 that was brilliant to watch with both men landing huge head shots from both the bout suddenly took a major turn as both men started to box. The trading had taken a break as jabs became the order of the day with both men seemingly becoming aware of the other mans power. This tactical battle seemed to suit Thurman who was longer and faster than Chaves and was getting his jab off and moving well.
The boxing continued for a few rounds as Thurman started to take control of the bout slightly with his boxing and although the men started to trade up a big more in rounds 7 and 8 it seemed neither man could really take control of the trade sequences. It appeared every time one man had success the other would come back and land their own 2 or 3 punch combination.
In round 9 the bout took a huge turn with Thurman landing a lovely body shut that sent Chaves down. Although Chaves regained his feet and saw out the round it was obvious the body shot had left lingering effects and Thurman immediately went on the assault at the start of the tenth before sending Chaves down again and forcing a 10th round stoppage.
With Thurman now the interim champion and Broner the "regular" WBA champion a bout between them two would seeming to be the logical one.
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Carlos Buitrago v Julian Yedras
The only male world title fight of the past weekend saw Nicaraguan prospect Carlos Buitrago (27-0-0-1, 16) claim the WBO "interim" Minimumweight title.
Buitrago, fighting outside of his homeland for the first time in his career traveled to Mexico and faced fellow unbeaten fighter Julian Yedras (now 21-1, 13). Although the conditions were new the style wasn't as the talented Buitrago showed off his skills from early in the bout as he started to put rounds in the bag with his superior skills.
Whilst Yedras was unable to really cope with the extra gears Buitrago seemed to have he showed his courage and refused to be stopped as he made a number of rounds close. It was these close rounds that allowed Yedras to have any success on the scorecards though they were too limited to help him, even at home.
When the cards came back reading 118-110, 118-111 and 116-113 there was no doubt who the winner was (the only doubt seemed to be how one judge had it close).
Unfortunately for Buitrago (who clearly won here) he showed off some of his flaws, notably the way he rushes his attacks at times and despite his experience he still needs more time to mature before being put into a major fight.
With Filipino Merlito Sabillo holding the "full" version of the WBO world title a bout between Sabillo and Buitrago makes sense though unfortunately for the Nicaraguan I think it'd be a year or two too soon for him. Instead Buitrago needs fights to help him develop and get ready for Sabillo, a bout with someone like Pedro Guevara or Mario Rodriguez would test his mettle and help him "get ready" for Sabillo.
Buitrago, fighting outside of his homeland for the first time in his career traveled to Mexico and faced fellow unbeaten fighter Julian Yedras (now 21-1, 13). Although the conditions were new the style wasn't as the talented Buitrago showed off his skills from early in the bout as he started to put rounds in the bag with his superior skills.
Whilst Yedras was unable to really cope with the extra gears Buitrago seemed to have he showed his courage and refused to be stopped as he made a number of rounds close. It was these close rounds that allowed Yedras to have any success on the scorecards though they were too limited to help him, even at home.
When the cards came back reading 118-110, 118-111 and 116-113 there was no doubt who the winner was (the only doubt seemed to be how one judge had it close).
Unfortunately for Buitrago (who clearly won here) he showed off some of his flaws, notably the way he rushes his attacks at times and despite his experience he still needs more time to mature before being put into a major fight.
With Filipino Merlito Sabillo holding the "full" version of the WBO world title a bout between Sabillo and Buitrago makes sense though unfortunately for the Nicaraguan I think it'd be a year or two too soon for him. Instead Buitrago needs fights to help him develop and get ready for Sabillo, a bout with someone like Pedro Guevara or Mario Rodriguez would test his mettle and help him "get ready" for Sabillo.
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