Peruvian veteran Alberto Rossel (30-8-0-1, 13) retained his WBA "interim" Light Flyweight title as he claimed a decision over Panamanian Walter Tello (18-7, 7) in a very forgettable fight that would have helped neither man really make a name for themselves with international fans.
The bout started slowly with a round that could have gone either way as neither man really forced the action, Tello was the slightly more aggressive though he was caught by several counters whilst Rossel almost refused to open up in a fight. Sadly the opening round was a precursor to many similar rounds that saw very little clean action with neither man taking too many risks, though Rossel did seem to open up a bit in round 4.
The fight finally started to come alive, at least for a short time, in round 6 as Tello started to show off his defensively ability in an amusing round that saw Tello compared, by the commentator on ATV (the Peruvian channel airing the bout), to Floyd Mayweather Jr with his shoulder roll. Whilst defensively Tello was impressive during the round he didn't really make a claim to winning it due to a total lack off offense.
Tello's offensive issues were further demonstrated in round 8 as he over-committed to an attack and literally threw himself to the canvas. Surprisingly it was one of Tello's better rounds as he clearly decided to attack for once and managed some success. Interestingly Tello also claimed round 9 on my card as he again showed some aggressiveness and probably took round 10 to as the challenger finally looked like he fancied his chanced of upsetting the champion
Whilst many of the rounds were highlighted by just a few moments by one man or the other, the fight ended on a surprising high as both men gave the crowd a real grandstand finish tagging each other in the centre of the ring with neither relenting until the bell to finally give the the viewers something to remember. Sadly for myself it was too little too late to enjoy the actual bout, though it was enough to help Rossel retain his title in front of his home fans.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
John Riel Casimero v Luis Alberto Rios
Filipino road warrior John Riel Casimero (18-2, 10) managed to retain his IBF Light Flyweight title by winning on the road once again as he out pointed Panamanian Luis Alberto Rios (18-2-1, 13) in a genuinely forgettable fight.
The fight started with the typical feeling out round that Rios taking a number of jabs from the more skillful looking Casimero who appeared to be the quicker and more intelligent fighter. Sadly however the feeling out round seemed to repeat it's self round after round as neither man really managed to open with more than the odd power shot here and there. Sadly the bout seemed to see both men posing and seeking counter opportunities rather than forcing the pace an this lead to a number of dull and uneventful rounds.
Although Casimero was by far the better boxer the better blows in a number of the later rounds came from the challenger who started to land his power shots, though rarely managed to land more than a single one here and there as the bout continued to be dominated by jabs. Sadly for Rios however he had given up too many rounds by the time he had started to land his bigger shots for them to really count on the judges cards.
Despite myself, and TYC Sports, seeing the bout as being relatively close (due to the fact both men did very little in a number of rounds) the official scoring had Casimero as a very clear winner winning by very wide margins with cards that suggested it was a dominating performance when really it wasn't.
The fight started with the typical feeling out round that Rios taking a number of jabs from the more skillful looking Casimero who appeared to be the quicker and more intelligent fighter. Sadly however the feeling out round seemed to repeat it's self round after round as neither man really managed to open with more than the odd power shot here and there. Sadly the bout seemed to see both men posing and seeking counter opportunities rather than forcing the pace an this lead to a number of dull and uneventful rounds.
Although Casimero was by far the better boxer the better blows in a number of the later rounds came from the challenger who started to land his power shots, though rarely managed to land more than a single one here and there as the bout continued to be dominated by jabs. Sadly for Rios however he had given up too many rounds by the time he had started to land his bigger shots for them to really count on the judges cards.
Despite myself, and TYC Sports, seeing the bout as being relatively close (due to the fact both men did very little in a number of rounds) the official scoring had Casimero as a very clear winner winning by very wide margins with cards that suggested it was a dominating performance when really it wasn't.
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Timothy Bradley v Ruslan Provodnikov
American Timothy Bradley (30-0-0-1, 12) made the first successful defense of his WBO Welterweight title as he outpointed the brave Russian challenger Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15) in a bout that really had it all.
The fight started at a genuinely hectic pace as the two men stood next to each other and wailed away relentlessly at each other. For Provodnikov this served well as he appeared to hurt Bradley several times and even sent the champion to the canvas on one occasion, though referee Pat Russell called it a slip. The first 2 rounds could both be contenders for round of the year as Provodnikov rocked Bradley repeatedly with the champion firing back and showing his heart.
In round 3 Bradley finally started to show his skills as he boxed and moved against a very tired looking Provodnikov who only threw a handful of punches in the round after having thrown (and landed) a ridiculous number of power shots in the previous round. The challenger was visibly breathing through his mouth and Bradley was targeting the body to try and keep Provodnikov from having a second win.
After clearly winning round 3 Bradley continued to box through many of the middle rounds as he started to fight his way into the bout and take the lead with his superior boxing, speed and foot movement. In fact it was probably Bradley's movement more than anything else that allowed him to establish himself in the bout as Provodnikov struggled to land on when the champion was on his his toes and landing his jab.
Whilst Bradley boxed well through many of the middle rounds he did get dragged into a real war in round 6 that saw both men hurt and both men tagging the other repeatedly with everything they had. This was by far the best rest round in the middle portion of the fight for Provodnikov who appeared to really shake Bradley late on. In fact after the round Bradley's trainer threatened to pull his man out if he got hurt like that again.
The warning from Bradley's trainer seemed to settle Bradley's boxing down again as the champion showed his boxing and bagged the following round clearly as both men seemed to take a breather. Despite round 7 being a much quieter round than the previous one Provodnikov's face was starting to look a mess and Bradley started to target it opening up a nasty cut on the challengers eyebrow in round 9 that looked like it could threaten an early finish to the bout.
With his face starting to mark up and the blood seeping from his eye, Provodnikov was forced to show that he deserved to be in the bout and that's exactly what he did in the final 3 rounds as he tagged Bradley hard to end the 10th then and started the 11th fast.
The final round saw Provodnikov having arguably his best round since the 6th as he set out with the intention of stopping Bradley and he seriously rocked him several times before forcing Bradley to a knee late in the round. Bradley took his chance to collect himself and survived to the bell before celebrating what appeared to be a hard fought but relatively clear victory.
Surprisingly the score cards were closer than many had imagined with Bradley claiming scores of 114-113 (twice) and 115-112 to take a unanimous decision and retain his title in one of the more memorable bouts of the year.
The fight started at a genuinely hectic pace as the two men stood next to each other and wailed away relentlessly at each other. For Provodnikov this served well as he appeared to hurt Bradley several times and even sent the champion to the canvas on one occasion, though referee Pat Russell called it a slip. The first 2 rounds could both be contenders for round of the year as Provodnikov rocked Bradley repeatedly with the champion firing back and showing his heart.
In round 3 Bradley finally started to show his skills as he boxed and moved against a very tired looking Provodnikov who only threw a handful of punches in the round after having thrown (and landed) a ridiculous number of power shots in the previous round. The challenger was visibly breathing through his mouth and Bradley was targeting the body to try and keep Provodnikov from having a second win.
After clearly winning round 3 Bradley continued to box through many of the middle rounds as he started to fight his way into the bout and take the lead with his superior boxing, speed and foot movement. In fact it was probably Bradley's movement more than anything else that allowed him to establish himself in the bout as Provodnikov struggled to land on when the champion was on his his toes and landing his jab.
Whilst Bradley boxed well through many of the middle rounds he did get dragged into a real war in round 6 that saw both men hurt and both men tagging the other repeatedly with everything they had. This was by far the best rest round in the middle portion of the fight for Provodnikov who appeared to really shake Bradley late on. In fact after the round Bradley's trainer threatened to pull his man out if he got hurt like that again.
The warning from Bradley's trainer seemed to settle Bradley's boxing down again as the champion showed his boxing and bagged the following round clearly as both men seemed to take a breather. Despite round 7 being a much quieter round than the previous one Provodnikov's face was starting to look a mess and Bradley started to target it opening up a nasty cut on the challengers eyebrow in round 9 that looked like it could threaten an early finish to the bout.
With his face starting to mark up and the blood seeping from his eye, Provodnikov was forced to show that he deserved to be in the bout and that's exactly what he did in the final 3 rounds as he tagged Bradley hard to end the 10th then and started the 11th fast.
The final round saw Provodnikov having arguably his best round since the 6th as he set out with the intention of stopping Bradley and he seriously rocked him several times before forcing Bradley to a knee late in the round. Bradley took his chance to collect himself and survived to the bell before celebrating what appeared to be a hard fought but relatively clear victory.
Surprisingly the score cards were closer than many had imagined with Bradley claiming scores of 114-113 (twice) and 115-112 to take a unanimous decision and retain his title in one of the more memorable bouts of the year.
Monday, 11 March 2013
Merlito Sabillo v Luis De La Rosa
Unheralded Filipino Merlito Sabillo (21-0, 10) made a statement this past weekend to the Minimumweight division as he traveled to Colombia and defeated Colombian Luis De La Rosa (21-2-1, 12) in eye catching fashion to claim the WBO interim Minimumweight title.
The fight started fast as both men came out with bad intentions and it was Sabillo who got an early upper hand inflicting a cut on to De La Rosa in the opening round. Although many fighters go in to their shell when cut it seemed to merely spur on De La Rosa who fought like a wounded animal intent on taking out his attacker.
With De La Rosa cut and Sabillo going toe-to-toe with his opponent the fight quickly erupted in to a war as both men took turns in firing bombs at the other. Neither man willing to back down though neither man quite able to get an upper hand against an opponent who was wanting to claim a portion of the world title. The action was relentless as both men tried their hardest to rock the other and take them out of their game plan though neither man could manage it in the opening half of the bout.
After the back and forth action of the first 7 rounds Sabillo finally got a clear upper hand as he felled De La Rosa in round 8. Although De La Rosa rose to his feet he was back down soon afterwards as Sabillo took advantage of his woozy opponent and forced the stoppage just seconds later.
Although the Colombian fighter had lost the crowd gave both men a show of hands as the local mayor also welcomed Sabillo to return to the area to fight another Colombian fighter later this year. Looking at this it would appear that Sabillo has made a new set of fans as boxing for once treat the away fighter with the dignity and respect they deserved.
Although the full version of the WBO Minimumweight title is held by Mexican Moises Fuentes, rumours are rife that Sabillo will be upgraded to the full champion in the coming months as Fuentes, who was a huge guy at Minimumweight, simply cannot make the 105lb limit. Fuentes, who drew recently with Donnie Nietes (who like Sabillo is a Filipino fighter and part of the ALA Gym) is expected to chase a rematch with Nietes if he can even manage to make 108lbs again, if not he could well move to 112lbs later this year.
The fight started fast as both men came out with bad intentions and it was Sabillo who got an early upper hand inflicting a cut on to De La Rosa in the opening round. Although many fighters go in to their shell when cut it seemed to merely spur on De La Rosa who fought like a wounded animal intent on taking out his attacker.
With De La Rosa cut and Sabillo going toe-to-toe with his opponent the fight quickly erupted in to a war as both men took turns in firing bombs at the other. Neither man willing to back down though neither man quite able to get an upper hand against an opponent who was wanting to claim a portion of the world title. The action was relentless as both men tried their hardest to rock the other and take them out of their game plan though neither man could manage it in the opening half of the bout.
After the back and forth action of the first 7 rounds Sabillo finally got a clear upper hand as he felled De La Rosa in round 8. Although De La Rosa rose to his feet he was back down soon afterwards as Sabillo took advantage of his woozy opponent and forced the stoppage just seconds later.
Although the Colombian fighter had lost the crowd gave both men a show of hands as the local mayor also welcomed Sabillo to return to the area to fight another Colombian fighter later this year. Looking at this it would appear that Sabillo has made a new set of fans as boxing for once treat the away fighter with the dignity and respect they deserved.
Although the full version of the WBO Minimumweight title is held by Mexican Moises Fuentes, rumours are rife that Sabillo will be upgraded to the full champion in the coming months as Fuentes, who was a huge guy at Minimumweight, simply cannot make the 105lb limit. Fuentes, who drew recently with Donnie Nietes (who like Sabillo is a Filipino fighter and part of the ALA Gym) is expected to chase a rematch with Nietes if he can even manage to make 108lbs again, if not he could well move to 112lbs later this year.
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).
Sunday, 10 March 2013
Tavoris Cloud v Bernard Hopkins
The legendary Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2-1, 32) made history once again as he claimed the IBF Light Heavyweight title thanks to a clear decision win over the much younger Tavoris Cloud (24-1, 19) who suffered his first professional loss.
The 48 year old Hopkins did what he has made a career out of and controlled the pace and distance of the fight excellently by using his movement to stop Cloud from setting his feet and throwing flurries. Although Hopkins was some 17 years older than the defending champion he looked the more energetic as well as the more technically solid.
Whilst Hopkins often made Cloud look silly and took advantage of the champions lack of finesse, Cloud was dangerous himself and did appear on at least 1 occasion to hurt Hopkins to the body. Sadly for Cloud however his work was so limited due to Hopkin's excellent movement that he really failed to force the action as he should of done. In fact what little success Cloud did have came after he suffered a nasty cut on his eye that threatened to see Hopkins scoring his first stoppage in the better part of a decade.
It's been a whilst since Hopkins "executed" an opponent mentally, like he did to Kelly Pavlik though this was pretty close and I honestly think that Cloud will be a forgotten fighter, a lot like Pavlik is now a days. Cloud was made to question himself, he was made to look clueless at times and he was bullied up close by the veteran who showed his ability to control fighters once again.
After the fight Hopkins and Andre Ward shared a few words though it's highly known that the two share huge respect for each other so it's likely they were doing little more than giving each other props. Whilst many consider Ward to be "this generations" Hopkins it's fair to say that the original Hopkins still refuses to go away and the way he's been fighting in recent years there is every chance he could still be a champion come his 50th birthday.
The 48 year old Hopkins did what he has made a career out of and controlled the pace and distance of the fight excellently by using his movement to stop Cloud from setting his feet and throwing flurries. Although Hopkins was some 17 years older than the defending champion he looked the more energetic as well as the more technically solid.
Whilst Hopkins often made Cloud look silly and took advantage of the champions lack of finesse, Cloud was dangerous himself and did appear on at least 1 occasion to hurt Hopkins to the body. Sadly for Cloud however his work was so limited due to Hopkin's excellent movement that he really failed to force the action as he should of done. In fact what little success Cloud did have came after he suffered a nasty cut on his eye that threatened to see Hopkins scoring his first stoppage in the better part of a decade.
It's been a whilst since Hopkins "executed" an opponent mentally, like he did to Kelly Pavlik though this was pretty close and I honestly think that Cloud will be a forgotten fighter, a lot like Pavlik is now a days. Cloud was made to question himself, he was made to look clueless at times and he was bullied up close by the veteran who showed his ability to control fighters once again.
After the fight Hopkins and Andre Ward shared a few words though it's highly known that the two share huge respect for each other so it's likely they were doing little more than giving each other props. Whilst many consider Ward to be "this generations" Hopkins it's fair to say that the original Hopkins still refuses to go away and the way he's been fighting in recent years there is every chance he could still be a champion come his 50th birthday.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Richar Abril v Sharif Bogere
Cuban Richar Abril (18-3-1, 8), who had previously been the WBA Lightweight champion made the first defense of the full version of the title as he out pointed the previous unbeaten Ugandan born Sharif Bogere (23-1, 15) in a messy yet entertaining bout that was marred by the awful officiating of Russell Mora who again raised more eye brows than anything else.
the bout started well for Bogere who started fast and launched himself at Abril in the early rounds. It wasn't pretty but Bogere's reckless style and aggression was certainly causing the defending champion real issues. Not only were Bogere's punches reckless and wild but he was also leading with his head and giving Abril 3 targets to avoid.
It was with the head that Bogere, who was dirty through out the fight, scored his most notable success as an accidental clash of heads opened up a cut over Abril's eye. Somehow the referee, Russell Mora seemed to avoid the leading with the head and instead repeatedly warned Abril for effectively protecting himself from Bogere's head.
Whilst Abril started to fight back well in the middle rounds and started to bag himself rounds he was always at risk of the head from Bogere. Sadly it was whilst looking after himself that Abril was deducted a point by Russell Mora who had taken it uAbril had been waned the deduction was genuinely unwarranted due to the style of Bogere who was charging forward almost like a rhino.
Thankfully Abril took the point deduction as a hint to get fighting and from then on he looked a class above Bogere as he landed counters on an onrushing and tiring opponent. The Ugandan showed heart and grit yet lacked the finesse in his attacks to really trouble Abril who had started landing combinations on to his challenger.
Unfortunately for the challenger his hopes were further dashed as he not only started to be tagged but was starting to get warned by Mora who was starting to realise that Bogere was the man causing the dirty action with his head. Eventually those infractions of Bogere got a well deserved point deduction in the final round as Abril managed to hold on, despite being bloodied to take a wide and comfortable decision.
Although Abril certainly wasn't at his best here, he showed some of the skills that would make Adrien Broner genuinely struggle with him. Bogere however showed that a size difference could play a big part in a fight as he struggled to get close to the champion and when he did he was smothered excellently.
the bout started well for Bogere who started fast and launched himself at Abril in the early rounds. It wasn't pretty but Bogere's reckless style and aggression was certainly causing the defending champion real issues. Not only were Bogere's punches reckless and wild but he was also leading with his head and giving Abril 3 targets to avoid.
It was with the head that Bogere, who was dirty through out the fight, scored his most notable success as an accidental clash of heads opened up a cut over Abril's eye. Somehow the referee, Russell Mora seemed to avoid the leading with the head and instead repeatedly warned Abril for effectively protecting himself from Bogere's head.
Whilst Abril started to fight back well in the middle rounds and started to bag himself rounds he was always at risk of the head from Bogere. Sadly it was whilst looking after himself that Abril was deducted a point by Russell Mora who had taken it uAbril had been waned the deduction was genuinely unwarranted due to the style of Bogere who was charging forward almost like a rhino.
Thankfully Abril took the point deduction as a hint to get fighting and from then on he looked a class above Bogere as he landed counters on an onrushing and tiring opponent. The Ugandan showed heart and grit yet lacked the finesse in his attacks to really trouble Abril who had started landing combinations on to his challenger.
Unfortunately for the challenger his hopes were further dashed as he not only started to be tagged but was starting to get warned by Mora who was starting to realise that Bogere was the man causing the dirty action with his head. Eventually those infractions of Bogere got a well deserved point deduction in the final round as Abril managed to hold on, despite being bloodied to take a wide and comfortable decision.
Although Abril certainly wasn't at his best here, he showed some of the skills that would make Adrien Broner genuinely struggle with him. Bogere however showed that a size difference could play a big part in a fight as he struggled to get close to the champion and when he did he was smothered excellently.
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