Top former amateurs are expected to make it in the professional ranks. We see it so often than we almost take it for granted that World Amateur Champions and Olympic champions will, one day, win professional world titles.
Of course things don't always go the way we expect. Audley Harrison is a great example of a former amateur who failed to reach the expected heights as a professional, Yan Barthelemi is another and this weekend we saw Alexander Alekseev (24-3-1, 20) joining that list of high profile "flops".
Alekseev, a Russian who was a repeated medal winner in the unpaid ranks, took on Cuba's enigmatic Yoan Pablo Hernandez (28-1, 14) for the IBF Cruiserweight title that Hernandez was defending for the third time. Funnily despite Hernandez not looking like a champion at times he was in total control of Alekseev who looked out of his depth and fragile through out.
The fight started with Alekseev using his jab well, unfortunately that was all he seemed to have, a sharp jab. Hernandez walked through them whilst landing his own much more eye catching shots to both head and body. Despite Alekseev throwing a lot, it took just one punch, late in the round, to decide the rounds winner as Alekseev was sent to the canvas for the first time in the bout.
Although Alekseev was able to get up from the knockdown it was obvious that he wasn't able to take the full blooded shots that Hernandez was able to land. Hernandez, whilst not having the record of a puncher, does hit hard and Alekseev found that out the hard way.
Through rounds 2,3 and 4 the power of Hernandez wasn't landing cleanly enough to send Alekseev over again though in round 5 the champion managed to connect again with a bomb which really seemed to not just Alekseev but really shake him. Hernandez did go for the finish but his lack of finishing skills were shown up as Alekseev saw out the bell.
Having gotten himself well in to the lead Hernandez then began to fall asleep at times. The Cuban, whose talent is obvious, seemed happy to know that he could land a bomb at any time and relied on this mentally as he took rounds off, fought in very short bursts and relaxed.
By round 10 to appeared that Hernandez had began to be clawed back. He was still in the lead but Alekseev was beginning to make things interesting just due to the fact Hernandez was being that lazy. Suddenly however things were over, a single right hand sent Alekseev down for the third time in the bout and this time the referee stopped the fight, a right decision looking at Alekseev who was in no fit state to continue even if he had gotten back to his feet.
Hernandez, who is regarded by some as the top Cruiserweight in the world, won here comfortably in all honesty but again left me feeling like he's not that good. Physically he has it all, speed, timing, power, size but mentally there is something not there and his finishing seems awful. He has the power to put people away with single shots but if he's forced to take it to a standing opponent out he seems to lack the ability to connect cleanly. A big issue if he faces someone like Lebedev, Huck, Jones, Afolabi or even Drozd.
For Alekseev this is probably the end of his world title dreams. He's been shown, once again, to lack a world class chin and he's also shown that he lacks the skills needed to avoid being tagged on the chin. A shame given his amateur credentials but at the end of the day it is a flaw that he's failed to find a way to defend.
Sunday, 24 November 2013
Evgeny Gradovich v Billy Dib II
Russian fighter Evgeny Gradovich (18-0, 9) successfully defended his IBF Featherweight title for the second time as he defeated Australian Billy Dib (36-3-0-1, 21) for the second time inside a year.
The two men, who fought to a scrappy decision earlier this year, knew that this fight meant a lot. For Dib it was his chance to become a 2-time world champion and a chance to avenge a loss that he probably didn't feel he deserved. For Gradovich however it was a chance to prove he really did deserve to be "a world champion".
Unfortunately for Dib he looked like a fighter who had regressed massively from their first meeting. It was obvious from the first round that he didn't believe in himself and this allowed Gradovich, typically a slow starter, to take the opening round as he began to that infamous engine of his rolling.
Although it took a few rounds for Gradovich to reach full output it was obvious he was claiming rounds with his work rate, aggression and pressure. Dib was struggling to have more than a flash of success here and there and Gradovich on the other hand was beginning to grind down his Australian opponent.
With Gradovich in charge after 4 rounds it was then Dib's turn to have success as he showed some genuine skill and fought back well from off the ropes. Unfortunately for Dib his success was easy to forget as Gradovich managed to flurry excellently just before the bell with what may have stolen him the round.
However round 5 was scored didn't really matter a Gradovich moved up a gear and scored a flash knockdown in the sixth. This was the start of the end for Dib who was ground down in rounds 7 and 8 as the Russian landed at will to the head and body of the Australian who was beginning to mentally fold.
Dib did manage to make it to round 9 though he was a spent force and it was little wonder that the bout was stopped after just 70 seconds of the round. Dib's speed and movement had been sapped and his defense had become porous to say the least.
With the stoppage loss on his record here I actually hope this is the last time I see Dib in action.
The two men, who fought to a scrappy decision earlier this year, knew that this fight meant a lot. For Dib it was his chance to become a 2-time world champion and a chance to avenge a loss that he probably didn't feel he deserved. For Gradovich however it was a chance to prove he really did deserve to be "a world champion".
Unfortunately for Dib he looked like a fighter who had regressed massively from their first meeting. It was obvious from the first round that he didn't believe in himself and this allowed Gradovich, typically a slow starter, to take the opening round as he began to that infamous engine of his rolling.
Although it took a few rounds for Gradovich to reach full output it was obvious he was claiming rounds with his work rate, aggression and pressure. Dib was struggling to have more than a flash of success here and there and Gradovich on the other hand was beginning to grind down his Australian opponent.
With Gradovich in charge after 4 rounds it was then Dib's turn to have success as he showed some genuine skill and fought back well from off the ropes. Unfortunately for Dib his success was easy to forget as Gradovich managed to flurry excellently just before the bell with what may have stolen him the round.
However round 5 was scored didn't really matter a Gradovich moved up a gear and scored a flash knockdown in the sixth. This was the start of the end for Dib who was ground down in rounds 7 and 8 as the Russian landed at will to the head and body of the Australian who was beginning to mentally fold.
Dib did manage to make it to round 9 though he was a spent force and it was little wonder that the bout was stopped after just 70 seconds of the round. Dib's speed and movement had been sapped and his defense had become porous to say the least.
With the stoppage loss on his record here I actually hope this is the last time I see Dib in action.
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Carl Froch v George Groves
The most controversial bout of the weekend occurred in the United Kingdom this past weekend as Carl Froch (32-2, 23) retained both the IBF and WBA "super" Super Middleweight title with a 9th round stoppage of fellow Brit George Groves (19-1, 15). Although a stoppage it was one of those "British Stoppages" that has fans around the world screaming and shouting at their TV's.
The first round was a huge shock as Groves didn't just start well but dropped Froch, scoring just the second knock down against Froch in his 34 fight career. Unfortunately for Groves the clock ran out out of time before he could pounce on a still hurt champion.
Although Groves had failed to jump on Froch when he was hurt he did manage to continue his success through the first four rounds as he used his speed and movement to make Froch look like a somewhat clueless fighter. The right hand hands and jabs of Groves were the dominant factor through these early rounds as Froch was tagged almost at will by Groves.
As we got to round 5 however Froch began to come in to the fight, in fact it was in round 5 that Froch began to have his first real success landing his own right shots whilst Groves began to slow. Although Sky commentator Jim Watt was refusing to give credit to Groves the fight was beginning to turn around and Froch was beginning to have more success on a round by round basis.
Although Froch has a good round 5 Groves came back well in round 6, unfortunately however he was warned for leading with the head and was really not looking like the fighter who had won the first 4 rounds. This was shown in round 7 as Froch has ended the round with a big flurry.
The finish of round 7 by Froch seemed to continue in to round 8 as Froch arguably won his second round of the fight as he rocked Groves. Groves was still certainly in the round but was beginning to make mistakes and show his inexperience as Froch began, finally, to find his own rhythm.
In round 9 Froch had his best round as he hurt Groves then went for the kill. Groves fougfht back as the two men brawled and then, almost as if he was told when to step in, Howard Foster stopped the contest awarding the bout via 9th round TKO, to Froch. This stoppage came as both men traded.
The first round was a huge shock as Groves didn't just start well but dropped Froch, scoring just the second knock down against Froch in his 34 fight career. Unfortunately for Groves the clock ran out out of time before he could pounce on a still hurt champion.
Although Groves had failed to jump on Froch when he was hurt he did manage to continue his success through the first four rounds as he used his speed and movement to make Froch look like a somewhat clueless fighter. The right hand hands and jabs of Groves were the dominant factor through these early rounds as Froch was tagged almost at will by Groves.
As we got to round 5 however Froch began to come in to the fight, in fact it was in round 5 that Froch began to have his first real success landing his own right shots whilst Groves began to slow. Although Sky commentator Jim Watt was refusing to give credit to Groves the fight was beginning to turn around and Froch was beginning to have more success on a round by round basis.
Although Froch has a good round 5 Groves came back well in round 6, unfortunately however he was warned for leading with the head and was really not looking like the fighter who had won the first 4 rounds. This was shown in round 7 as Froch has ended the round with a big flurry.
The finish of round 7 by Froch seemed to continue in to round 8 as Froch arguably won his second round of the fight as he rocked Groves. Groves was still certainly in the round but was beginning to make mistakes and show his inexperience as Froch began, finally, to find his own rhythm.
In round 9 Froch had his best round as he hurt Groves then went for the kill. Groves fougfht back as the two men brawled and then, almost as if he was told when to step in, Howard Foster stopped the contest awarding the bout via 9th round TKO, to Froch. This stoppage came as both men traded.
Scott Quigg v Diego Oscar Silva
Following his disappointing draw with Yoandris Salinas WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (27-0-2, 20) destroyed the limited Argentinian challenger Diego Oscar Silva (29-3-4, 15) in just 2 rounds.
The fight, widely regarded as a mismatch before it began, provided to be a pointless and simple out for Quigg.
The first round saw the champion applying pressure. Although Quigg failed to have any great success in the round he had proven that he felt he was the boss and Silva seemed to mentally realise he was on to a hiding to nothing.
We got shown just what a mismatch this was in the second round as Quigg again applied pressure and then dropped Silva with a body shot against the ropes. From then on the ending was in sight and although Silva got to his feet it was only a matter of time before Quigg would finish the fight, which he dead from ahead shot soon afterwards.
As a fan of Asian boxing I now look forward to seeing Quigg against a genuine title challenger such as Hozumi Hasegawa, Shingo Wake or even Yasutaka Ishimoto.
The fight, widely regarded as a mismatch before it began, provided to be a pointless and simple out for Quigg.
The first round saw the champion applying pressure. Although Quigg failed to have any great success in the round he had proven that he felt he was the boss and Silva seemed to mentally realise he was on to a hiding to nothing.
We got shown just what a mismatch this was in the second round as Quigg again applied pressure and then dropped Silva with a body shot against the ropes. From then on the ending was in sight and although Silva got to his feet it was only a matter of time before Quigg would finish the fight, which he dead from ahead shot soon afterwards.
As a fan of Asian boxing I now look forward to seeing Quigg against a genuine title challenger such as Hozumi Hasegawa, Shingo Wake or even Yasutaka Ishimoto.
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Koki Kameda v Jung-Oh Son
Not many fighters win a lot of split decisions though there is a Japanese fighter who appears to win more than his share, and certainly more than his share of questionable ones. Koki Kameda (32-1, 17), defending his WBA Bantamweight title, got his 4th split decision win earlier today in a bout that is being talked about as one of the worst decisions of the year.
Kameda, who traveled outside of Japan for the first time in over 5 years was expected to deal easily with Korea's very own Jung-Oh Son (20-5-2, 6). Instead however Kameda was given a lesson in over-looking an opponent and was very, very lucky to escape with his title in arguably the most controversial contest of his career.
The Kameda controversy dates back to when Kameda first won a world title way back in 2006 when he took a split decision over Venezuela's Juan Jose Landaeta. That decision at the time was declared a fix by many in Japan. Since then Koki has been seen telling younger brother Daiki Kameda to foul against Daisuke Naito, and had claimed controversial decisions over Hugo Ruiz, David De La Mora (although a unanimous decision it was controversial) and Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym. He has now added the decision over Son.
Early in the bout Kameda looked like he was on course for a routine defense. He took a number of the early rounds and looked relaxed in front the Korean challenger. By the end of the fourth round however things had started to change with Son beginning to establish himself in the bout. Unfortunately for Koki the more Son was able to establish himself the tougher things got, and in round 10 Son scored a knockdown as Koki took a knee.
By the end of round 11 many felt Koki would need a knockdown of his own just to retain his title with a draw. Whilst he certainly won the final round, there was no knockdown.
Some how, despite being dropped, stunned and generally on the receiving end of the better shots Koki retained hit title with scores of 114.5-114 and 115-112 in his favour whilst just a sole judge agreed with the view of many scoring it 115.5-113 for Son who really should have been the new champion. The Korean was inspired and very, very harshly robbed in his own country.
Kameda, who traveled outside of Japan for the first time in over 5 years was expected to deal easily with Korea's very own Jung-Oh Son (20-5-2, 6). Instead however Kameda was given a lesson in over-looking an opponent and was very, very lucky to escape with his title in arguably the most controversial contest of his career.
The Kameda controversy dates back to when Kameda first won a world title way back in 2006 when he took a split decision over Venezuela's Juan Jose Landaeta. That decision at the time was declared a fix by many in Japan. Since then Koki has been seen telling younger brother Daiki Kameda to foul against Daisuke Naito, and had claimed controversial decisions over Hugo Ruiz, David De La Mora (although a unanimous decision it was controversial) and Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym. He has now added the decision over Son.
Early in the bout Kameda looked like he was on course for a routine defense. He took a number of the early rounds and looked relaxed in front the Korean challenger. By the end of the fourth round however things had started to change with Son beginning to establish himself in the bout. Unfortunately for Koki the more Son was able to establish himself the tougher things got, and in round 10 Son scored a knockdown as Koki took a knee.
By the end of round 11 many felt Koki would need a knockdown of his own just to retain his title with a draw. Whilst he certainly won the final round, there was no knockdown.
Some how, despite being dropped, stunned and generally on the receiving end of the better shots Koki retained hit title with scores of 114.5-114 and 115-112 in his favour whilst just a sole judge agreed with the view of many scoring it 115.5-113 for Son who really should have been the new champion. The Korean was inspired and very, very harshly robbed in his own country.
Friday, 15 November 2013
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai v Hirofumi Mukai
Srisaket Sor Rungvisia (23-3-1, 21), who made such a statement earlier this year when he destroyed Yota Sato, successfully made the first defense of his WBC Super Flyweight title as he defeated another Japanese fighter, this time Hirofumi Mukai (9-3-1, 1).
Unfortunately for Mukai he proved, like many Japanese fighters, that he was simply too tough for his own good.
The first round saw Mukai starting well for the first 20 seconds or so before Srisaket imposed himself on the fight and forced the Japanese fighter to think twice about opening up. For Mukai it was unfortunate that he wasn't just up against one of the most fierce fighters in the sport but also the crowd who cheered every punch Srisaket landed.
If the first round was bad for Mukai the second was worse with the Japanese fighter being dropped in the opening seconds. Although he got up and continued it wasn't a round he managed to even get a foot hold in as Srisaket pounded him with both hands. The end looked imminent as Srisaket entered "beat mode" and went on the war path.
Surprisingly Mukai managed to navigate his way through rounds 3 and 4 with out too much trouble. It wasn't that he was about to win the rounds or even make them competitive but he wasn't being savaged like one would have expected following the way Srisaket had ended round 2. In fact if anything it seemed like Mukai was managing to slowly build his confidence with some lovely work, though wasn't doing nearly enough to take the round and was being backed up too easily.
After 4 rounds the judges all agreed with the only possible score one could have had the bout, 40-35 in favour of Srisaket.
Having survived rounds 3 and 4 Mukai managed to get everything going in round 5, a round that fought almost entirely in the pocket with both men having success. It was by far the best round for Mukai and one that you wouldn't begrudge giving him, although it did at times appear that Srisaket was tiring somewhat. The success for Mukai in the fifth continued in to the sixth as Mukai began to have the last word in the exchanges, albeit lesser words than those of Srisaket.
Unfortunately for Mukai 2 minutes of good work in round 6 was undone by a huge assault in the final minute by Srisaket who just stole the round on my card as he attempted to put an end to the proceedings. Mukai, who was genuinely hammered late in the round, refused to go down a second time.
If round 6 had ended badly for Mukai then round 7 was nothing more than a continuation of that. Srisaket set off to break Mukai using hard body shots and by the end of the round it appeared the were having a serious effect on the challenger. Mukai had managed to see out the round, but there was little left in the tank.
In the eighth round Mukai must have wished he was in the UK as he was given a genuine beating. His boxing was falling apart, Srisaket was starting to abuse him and I was wondering how he was managing to stay on his feet. By now it was clear Mukai needed a miracle and in boxing they don't tend to happen.
Down by scores of 80-71, 79-72, twice, on the scorecards it really should have been time for Mukai's corner to have saved their brave charge. Instead they sent him out for round 9. It was unnecessary. Within seconds of the round starting Mukai was hurt and Srisaket let loose as he tried to force the referees hand. Unfortunately for Mukai all the referee did was warn Srisaket for hitting and holding. Whilst that bought him some respite in theory it really just prolonged the beating another 30 seconds before Mukai's corner finally threw in the towel.
Oddly this was a bout where both men genuinely impressed me. Mukai could fair very well if he was put in with a lighter puncher, that is if there much of Mukai left mentally after this contest. Srisaket seems to always impress and I've no doubt that he could beat any fighter currently active at 115lbs. He's a genuine monster.
Unfortunately for Mukai he proved, like many Japanese fighters, that he was simply too tough for his own good.
The first round saw Mukai starting well for the first 20 seconds or so before Srisaket imposed himself on the fight and forced the Japanese fighter to think twice about opening up. For Mukai it was unfortunate that he wasn't just up against one of the most fierce fighters in the sport but also the crowd who cheered every punch Srisaket landed.
If the first round was bad for Mukai the second was worse with the Japanese fighter being dropped in the opening seconds. Although he got up and continued it wasn't a round he managed to even get a foot hold in as Srisaket pounded him with both hands. The end looked imminent as Srisaket entered "beat mode" and went on the war path.
Surprisingly Mukai managed to navigate his way through rounds 3 and 4 with out too much trouble. It wasn't that he was about to win the rounds or even make them competitive but he wasn't being savaged like one would have expected following the way Srisaket had ended round 2. In fact if anything it seemed like Mukai was managing to slowly build his confidence with some lovely work, though wasn't doing nearly enough to take the round and was being backed up too easily.
After 4 rounds the judges all agreed with the only possible score one could have had the bout, 40-35 in favour of Srisaket.
Having survived rounds 3 and 4 Mukai managed to get everything going in round 5, a round that fought almost entirely in the pocket with both men having success. It was by far the best round for Mukai and one that you wouldn't begrudge giving him, although it did at times appear that Srisaket was tiring somewhat. The success for Mukai in the fifth continued in to the sixth as Mukai began to have the last word in the exchanges, albeit lesser words than those of Srisaket.
Unfortunately for Mukai 2 minutes of good work in round 6 was undone by a huge assault in the final minute by Srisaket who just stole the round on my card as he attempted to put an end to the proceedings. Mukai, who was genuinely hammered late in the round, refused to go down a second time.
If round 6 had ended badly for Mukai then round 7 was nothing more than a continuation of that. Srisaket set off to break Mukai using hard body shots and by the end of the round it appeared the were having a serious effect on the challenger. Mukai had managed to see out the round, but there was little left in the tank.
In the eighth round Mukai must have wished he was in the UK as he was given a genuine beating. His boxing was falling apart, Srisaket was starting to abuse him and I was wondering how he was managing to stay on his feet. By now it was clear Mukai needed a miracle and in boxing they don't tend to happen.
Down by scores of 80-71, 79-72, twice, on the scorecards it really should have been time for Mukai's corner to have saved their brave charge. Instead they sent him out for round 9. It was unnecessary. Within seconds of the round starting Mukai was hurt and Srisaket let loose as he tried to force the referees hand. Unfortunately for Mukai all the referee did was warn Srisaket for hitting and holding. Whilst that bought him some respite in theory it really just prolonged the beating another 30 seconds before Mukai's corner finally threw in the towel.
Oddly this was a bout where both men genuinely impressed me. Mukai could fair very well if he was put in with a lighter puncher, that is if there much of Mukai left mentally after this contest. Srisaket seems to always impress and I've no doubt that he could beat any fighter currently active at 115lbs. He's a genuine monster.
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Shinsuke Yamanaka v Alberto Guevara
Right now the Bantamweight division is all but dominated by Japanese fighters. Three of them hold world titles and several of them are highly ranked challengers. Of them all however it's hard to argue with Shinsuke Yamanaka (20-0-2, 15), the WBC champion, being the best. Not Just the best of the Japanese Bantamweights but of Bantamweights worldwide.
Earlier today Yamanaka showed why he is so highly regarded as he became the first man to stop Alberto Guevara (18-2, 6) in what turned out to be a highly impressive result.
Despite taking the victory in the end Yamanaka didn't look like the divisional kingpin early in the fight. In fact for the first 4 rounds it was Guevara who looked like the special fighter using his movement and speed to almost confuse Yamanaka at times. Unfortunately for Guevara his work wasn't really rewarded by the judges who had him behind after the first 4 rounds, rather harshly.
Following the slow start by the Japanese fighter things started to turn around with Yamanaka claiming his first round in the fifth. From then on the bout swung from being competitive to being one sided as Yamanaka started to land his potent left hand.
In round 8 Guevara was forced to feel the power of Yamanaka in a bad way as he was dropped twice. By then Guevara's elusiveness had left him and he was becoming little more than a sitting duck for the power of the champion. Fortunately for the challenger he wasn't forced to take too much more as a knockdown in round 9 saw Guevara taking the 10 count.
Earlier today Yamanaka showed why he is so highly regarded as he became the first man to stop Alberto Guevara (18-2, 6) in what turned out to be a highly impressive result.
Despite taking the victory in the end Yamanaka didn't look like the divisional kingpin early in the fight. In fact for the first 4 rounds it was Guevara who looked like the special fighter using his movement and speed to almost confuse Yamanaka at times. Unfortunately for Guevara his work wasn't really rewarded by the judges who had him behind after the first 4 rounds, rather harshly.
Following the slow start by the Japanese fighter things started to turn around with Yamanaka claiming his first round in the fifth. From then on the bout swung from being competitive to being one sided as Yamanaka started to land his potent left hand.
In round 8 Guevara was forced to feel the power of Yamanaka in a bad way as he was dropped twice. By then Guevara's elusiveness had left him and he was becoming little more than a sitting duck for the power of the champion. Fortunately for the challenger he wasn't forced to take too much more as a knockdown in round 9 saw Guevara taking the 10 count.
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