Stiverne picks up the WBC belt, Perez defends the WBA strap whilst IBF female titles change hands5/11/2014 For many boxing fan this past Saturday was all about the action Stateside as we saw a new Heavyweight champion crowned, but that wasn't the only bout of major international significance. It's with that US bout that we start though and what a fight it was as Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21) stopped Chris Arreola (36-4, 31) in a genuine throw back fight that saw both men tearing pumps from the other. Stiverne, who went through hell in rounds 2 and 3, eventually turned the tables and stopped Arreola in round 6 to claim the WBC title and become the first Haitian born Heavyweight world champion. The Arreola/Stiverne fight brought back some memories of fun to watch Heavyweight battles and, whilst not as good as the brilliant bout between Lamon Brewster and Siarhei Liakhovich it was still a great Heavyweight fight, arguably the best since the aforementioned Brewster/Liakhovich bout. A second male "world title" fight took place in Venezuela as Johan Perez (19-1-1, 13) defended his WBA "interim" Light Welterweight title with a 10th round retirement of the very undeserving Fernando Monte de Oca (15-3, 12). De Oca entered as the #15 ranked WBA challenger, somehow having one of those unexplainable ranking, and managed to come in as a Lightweight for the bout. Although Perez is talented, as he showed in back-to-back victories over Yoshihiro Kamegai and Paul Spadafora, we don't view him as a world champion and farces like this won't make us change our mind about him. In regards to female action we had a fair few interesting contests and a fair few surprises. On result that wasn't a surprise came on the under-card of Perez's title defence and that was a bout that saw Perez's compatriot Ogleidis Suarez (20-3-1, 8) over come big hitting Dominican Calixta Silgado (11-4-2, 8) with a well fought 10 round decision to claim the WBA interim female Super Featherweight title. Suarez, who has more outside interests than many fighters, was given some tough rounds by Silgado but did come out on top in an entertaining female scrap. In Mexico we had two female IBF title fights. One of those saw the IBF female Minimumweight title changing hands as Nancy Franco (12-6-2, 4) lost in her first defence, dropping a decision to the once beaten Victoria Argueta (12-1, 4). Both of these fighters will be familiar to Japanese boxing fans with Franco having beaten Kayoko Ebata last November for the title in a very hard fought contest whilst Argueta, the new champion, suffered her sole defeat to Japanese boxing queen Naoko Fujioka. The other IBF female title bout saw the unbeaten Carolina Rodriguez (12-0, 1) becoming Chile's first "big 4" champion as she claimed the IBF Bantamweight title with a majority decision over the defending champion Janeth Perez (19-3-2, 4). Perez, like Franco and Argueta, will be known to Japanese boxing fans for her wins over Riyo Togo and Tenkai Tsunami though since her fight with Tsunami she has been a completely different fighter and could well have been 0-5. For Rodriguez, who has apparently been offered Argentinian citizenship, this will be a career defining victory and the sort of thing that will put her name in the record books as the first "recognised" world champion from Chile. (Image courtesy of Thesweetscience)
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This coming Saturday is one of the biggest talking points in US boxing this year as, for the first time in recent memory, an American will be crowned as a "world Heavyweight champion". Of course we all know the real champion is Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko but this weekend we see Bermane Stiverne (23-1-1, 20) clashing with Chris Arreola (36-3, 31) for the one title Klitschko doesn't hold, the WBC belt. The Stiverne/Arreola rematch is likely to be one of the few "must watch" Heavyweight bouts as we are assured of a US based Heavyweight holding a world title. Stiverne is from Haiti though is based in Nevada whilst Arreola is a popular Mexican-American based in California and with both men having aggressive styles and a lot of power this is almost certainly going to be great fun to watch. On the same card as the Stiverne/Arreola bout we also get the chance to see an excellent bout between the unbeaten Amir Imam (13-0, 12) and Cuba's once promising Yordenis Ugas (15-3, 7). Ugas has failed to live up to his potential though this bout really is a sink or swim bout for both men. Although the biggest bout of the weekend is a male Heavyweight contest we also have a lot of very interesting female bouts. One of those will see the very highly regarded Janeth Perez (19-2-2, 4) defending her IBF female Bantamweight title against the unbeaten Chilean Carolina Rodriguez (11-0, 1). We'd imagine Perez should come out on top. On the same card Nancy Franco (12-5-2, 4) will be defending her IBF feamle Minimumweight title against the once beaten Victoria Argueta (11-1, 4). Franco will be defending her belt for the first time following her victory over Japan's Kayoko Ebata for the belt last November. A card in Venezuela features both a male and a female bout. The male bout will see WBA interim Light Welterweight champion Johan Perez (18-1-1, 12) defending his belt for the first time. Perez, who holds a notable win over Yoshihiro Kamegai, will be taking on WBA #15 ranked fighter Fernando Monte de Oca (15-2, 12). We've got to admit we've no idea who Monte de Oca is but from his record he's not got a chance against the very talented Perez. The female bout on the Venezuelan card will see the popular, and very attractive, Ogleidis Suarez (19-3-1, 8) attempt to claim the WBA interim female Super Featherweight title. Suarez, who lost in a WBA female Featherweight last time out, will be in a tough one here against the big punching Calixta Silgado (11-3-2, 8). This is a great bout though we can't help but feel that "regular" champion Hyun Mi Choi. (Image thanks to http://www.boxnews.com.ua) Mayweather, Khan, Broner and Love all win decisions in the US whilst Abraham defends in Germany5/4/2014 This past Saturday was the biggest day in boxing so far this year. It had the biggest name in boxing, it had two men who split opinion like no other, it had one of the most fan friendly fighters in the world, it had a heavy handed champion and it had a major upset. Of course the day, or rather night, was about money, Floyd "Money" Mayweather (46-0, 26) who faced Argentina slugger Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31) in a WBC/WBA Welterweight unification bout. The contest was widely seen as a mismatch but Maidana made sure to turn it in to a war and gave the #1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet one of, if not the, toughest bout of his career. Maidana took the action to Mayweather and put him under the type of pressure that Mayweather isn't used to. This pressure made the contest compelling from the opening round though unfortunately the scoring left a lot to be desired. On watching the Mayweather/Maidana bout it seemed Maidana started like a house on fire and Mayweather played catch up. On the scorecards however things were different with two of the judges having Mayweather in the lead from round 3 onwards in what can only be called mystifying. We wouldn't argue with a close Mayweather victory but the cards really left some major question marks. Prior to the Mayweather/Maidana bout we had had 3 other bouts on the PPV broadcast. The first of those saw J'Leon Love (18-0-0-1, 10) go through a hell-like 5th round to take a decision over Marco Antonio Periban (20-2-1, 13). The bout was one that had great moments though out felt like Love's jab was the key punch as he took a fair decision, albeit one with odd scores again. The second bout on the show saw the return to the ring of Adrien Broner (28-1, 22) who over-came Carlos Molina (17-2-1, 7) in a bout that was very competitive despite what the score-cards suggested. The cards were basically filled in before the opening round though Molina gave a great account of himself and really gave Broner a serious test in what was supposed to be little more than a confidence builder for Broner, a former 3-weight world champion. On this performance Broner is there for the taking by any top 10 fighter at 140 or 147. Whilst the Mayweather/Maidana bout stole the show with some really good action one man who shared the plaudits was Britain's Amir Khan (29-3, 19) who over-came the tough Luis Collazo (35-6, 18) in a mature and controlled performance. Khan showed a new found intelligence to his boxing, holding up close, boxing on the move and and surprisingly dropped Collazo 3 times in a dominant and self assured display. It was one of the best performances of Khan's career, though it was also one of Collazo's worst with the American fighting like an idiot with his hands down. The whole US card was open for criticism, as seen in Takahiro Onaga's recent "Taka's Title Shot" article, but on the whole the main event was exciting enough, and controversial enough, to keep fans talking about it suggesting it was a show plenty enjoyed even if they aren't in full agreement about the scoring. Prior to the US action fans had been given the opportunity to see WBO Super Middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (40-4, 28) defend his title for the first time since reclaiming it from Robert Stieglitz. Abraham took on the game, albeit light hitting, Nikola Sjekloca (26-2, 8) and took home a decision. From watching the bout we felt Abraham deserved the victory, despite not looking his best, unfortunately we saw another judge who seemed inept at his job as he scored the contest 119-111 to Abraham, a score was simply indefensible. (Image courtesy of http://www.sho.com) This past Friday night was a somewhat interesting one in the world of boxing with a couple of notable bouts in the USA. These bouts, acting as a warm up the "The Moment" on Saturday night, weren't huge but did have a genuine interest to us. The first of the notable bouts was an interim WBA Featherweight title bout that saw Argentinian Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar (24-1, 18) defend his belt by defeating former WBA Super Bantamweight world champion Rico Ramos (23-4, 12). Ramos, who is best known for knocking out Akifumi Shimoda, was made to look second rate by a busy and hard working Cuellar who clearly won the contest and dropped Ramos in the process. At the end of the day this loss, for Ramos, should spell the end of his career at the world level. The other major bout on this show saw former world title holder Ishe Smith (26-6, 12) easily defeat the hapless Ryan Davis (24-14-3, 9) in 2 rounds. Even the generally tame Smith managed to open up on Davis who was out classed, out powered, out skilled and pretty much out everything'd in a total mismatch. (Image, of Cuellar, courtesy of boxrec.com) When May comes around there seems to only be one man worth talking about, Floyd "Money" Mayweather (45-0, 26). The unbeaten American generates money, attention and debate like no other active fighter. Some have described him as being bigger than the sport, others have suggested that when he retires boxing will be sent into a dark age until a new star is born. He is one of the two faces of a boxing generation alongside Manny Pacquiao and it seems that if you like one you must hate the other with a passion. Mayweather will be continuing his trend of fighting on the first weekend on May as he battles Argentinian slugger Marcos Maidana (35-3, 31) in what will be one of, if not the, biggest money fight of the year. The bout is "all about Benjamin's" for many though it's a bout that will unify the WBC and WBA world titles at 147lbs and give Mayweather a chance to avenge the loss of his "baby brother" Adrien Broner who was shocked by an inspired Maidana last year. We're not giving Maidana much of a chance though we're hoping he gives a better effort that either Saul "Canelo" Alvarez or Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero did in recent bouts with Mayweather. Neither Guerrero or Alvarez really put forth much of an effort and seemed to resign themselves to losing before the first bell, hopefully Maidana goes in with the bad-ass intentions that he is known for. On the same card the Mayweather/Maidana fight we have several other interesting bouts, two of which feature former Maidana opponents. One of those will be the aforementioned Adrien Broner (27-1, 22) who will be hoping to bounce back from his loss to Maidana when he battles Carlos Molina (17-1-1, 7). Molina, not to be confused with the Light Middleweight of the same name, isn't very good and has been picked as a "safe opponent" for Broner. Lets not forget just a year ago people were christening Broner as the heir to the Mayweather throne and future face of boxing, he is now fighting for his career and for this bout his career really should be very safe. A man who beat both Molina and Maidana, and was actually in the running for the fight with Mayweather, is Amir Khan (28-3, 19) who has a tricky assignment himself. Khan, one of the most famous names in boxing right now, will be in a serious crossroads fight with the resurgent Luis Collazo (35-5, 18). Collazo is an unlucky fighter who ran both Ricky Hatton and Andre Berto close in fights many felt he deserved to win, though in recent bouts he has been in form winning his last 4. For Khan this is a must win and anything but a stirring performance will see him ruled out of a Mayweather fight in September. The next most significant bout to the trio on the American show is in Germany as multi-time world champion Arthur Abraham (39-4, 28) defends his WBO Super Middleweight title against the once beaten Nikola Sjekloca (26-1, 8). It's hard to view this as anything but an "easy" first defence for Abraham however Sjekloca did prove his toughness in an entertaining scrap with Sakio Bika last year. Bika dominated Sjekloca but couldn't finish him and we'd be a lil shocked if Abraham could finish him inside 12 rounds. (Image courtesy of The13thround and Golden Boy Promotions) It's fair to say everyone involved in boxing is looking forward to Saturday's big show in the US. We know we are, we know fans are and we even know those working in sports media around the world are. Thankfully though the action kicks off a day early as Fox Sports 1 in the US and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas give us a prelude card with several Mayweather associated fighters. The most notable bout on the show will see WBA "interim" Featherweight champion Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar (23-1,18) defend his title against the incredibly frustrating Rico Ramos (23-3, 12). Cuellar, from Argentina, won the title last year when he upset the much fancied Claudio Marrero and has rebuilt his career excellently after suffering a stoppage loss to Oscar Escandon back in October 2011. Ramos is better known to Asian fans as the guy who stopped the then WBA Super Bantamweight champion Akifumi Shimoda with a single shot. Unfortunately Ramos has just frustrated everyone since then and gone 3-3 as a result with many feeling he had the ability to win 5 of those 6 bouts, just not the desire. Whilst we're happy to excuse his loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux we cannot forgive his lack of effort and he really did seem like a man who didn't want to be there. As well the 12 round title fight the show will also features the controversial Mickey Bey (29-1-1-1, 10) who battles Alan Herrera (32-5, 21). We've got to be honest we're unconvinced by Bey's talent and can't see him going very far, especially not considering the fact he's now 30, but he should have more than enough to beat Mexico's Herrera. One other bout on this show features former world champion Ishe Smith (25-6, 11) who fights against the very limited Ryan Davis (24-13-3, 9). Smith, like Ramos, is frustrating to watch though is genuinely talented. Unfortunately for Smith much of his talent lies in his defensive work and his offence suffers as a result. With that in mind we don't imagine this bout will be one that will really have many fight fans all that excited despite the skills of Smith. (Image courtesy of http://www.sportofboxing.com) |
InternationalWe know that not every fight involves an Asian fighter but a lot of fights do affect Asian fighter. As a result we've decided to add this new section to Asian boxing where we look at selected International bouts. Archives
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