Cotto claims Middleweight crown, Butler beats Hall, Breahmer retains and Breakhus looks sensational6/8/2014 Some weekends are busy without really being busy. They aren't weekends with legions of fights but yet they are weekends with enough notable action to look back and go "that was an interesting day or two in world boxing". We've had one such weekend this week with Saturday boasting more than the typical weekend's worth of fights with a trio of male world title bouts, a female world title bout and a slew of other intriguing contests. We'll start with the biggest fight of the weekend which took place in the legendary Madison Square garden and featured a boxer who could very well describe the place as a second home, in fact there is every chance the venue will begin charging him rent if he keeps returning. That man is Puerto Rican super star Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32) who put on one of his most sensational performances to date to claim the WBC and Lineal Middleweight title with an awe inspiring victory over Argentina's Sergio Gabriel Martinez (51-3-2, 28). Cotto started like a man possessed and dropped Martinez 3 times in the opening round. Unfortunately whilst it was the perfect start for Cotto it was a nightmare start for some who realised immediately that this was just a shell of Martinez. The Argentinian showed great heart to not just get back up but also fight on until being retired in his corner at the start of round 10. The win for Cotto reaffirms his position as the king of MSG and one of the truly elite fighters of his generation. It's a win that gives him a lot of options as to who he will be fighting next. Sadly however the result likely sends Martinez into retirement on what can be described as a humiliating contest for the Argentinian who never got the chance to really show his skills. He was admittedly 39 and physically a broken man but he'll have hated going out like this. This result also moves us all a step further from Gennady Golovkin getting a chance to prove he's the Middleweight on the planet as we cannot see any possible way in which Cotto and Golovkin get in the ring together. On the same card as Cotto's victory we had a little bit of everything. In the first bout of the main broadcast fans saw a KO of the year contender as Andy Lee (33-2, 23) landed saved his career with a perfect right hand that knocked the promising John Jackson (18-2, 15) out cold. Jackson had dropped Lee earlier in the bout and seemed to be going for the kill before being sent to the canvas from a single shot that instantly ended the bout. John Jackson, the son of famed puncher Julian Jackson, will have been feeling exactly the same as Herol "Bomber" Graham was when Graham fought John's father and was seemingly on the way to winning a fight before being caught by one of the greatest KO punches of all time. Another of the bouts on the same card saw exciting Argentinian Javier Francisco Maciel (29-3, 20) score an excellent victory over Puerto Rican puncher Jorge Melendez (28-4-1, 26). Maciel had only taken the bout on a few weeks notice but took his opportunity and really impressed fans who hadn't seen him before. Although, from the reports available, he was paid very little there are hopes that he will be invited back to the US for a more notable bout. Interesting a bout between Maciel and Lee would be something we'd love to see if Top Rank want to put that one one. The same card also saw Marvin Sonsona avenge his sole career defeat as he out pointed Wilfredo Vazquez Jr in a bit of a stinker. The most relevant world title fight for many Asian fighters took place in the UK as the unbeaten Paul Butler (16-0, 8) narrowly over-came Stuart Hall (16-3-2, 7) and claimed the IBF Bantamweight title in a very close bout that one judge, some how, saw as a dominant victory for Butler. Although Butler looked very classy at times he was unable to hurt Hall who came on very strong in the second half of the fight and in all honesty it could have gone either way. Although their was talk of a rematch between Hall and Butler it does seem likely that Butler will be forced to fight IBF mandatory challenger Randy Cabellero next. Cabellero, who travelled to Japan and beat Kohei Oba in an IBF eliminator, has been left waiting longer than expected and will be rearing to go at Butler who is skilled but is more of a natural Super Flyweight than Bantamweight. Despite what British TV suggest Butler would not be eligible to immediately move down and fight for the IBF Super Flyweight title with a bout for that belt now set for month at the amazing Protopia hotel in Kobe between Teiru Kinoshita and Zolani Tete. On the same British card we've got to admit we were very impressed by Bradley Saunders (10-0, 8) who looked sensational in an 81 second blow out of the usually durable Ville Piispanen (18-5-3, 6). This victory saw Saunders winning the WBO Inter-continental Light Welterweight title and at 28 years old we'd expect him to be put on a relative fast track for a British fighter. The other world title action was in Germany where we had both a male world title fight and a female world title bout. The male bout saw the talented but controversial heavyweight Juergen Braehmer (44-2, 32) retain his WBA Light Heavyweight title with a decision victory over Argentina's Roberto Feliciano Bolonti (35-3, 24). Braehmer, although not a spectacular fighter, is experienced skilled, and the sort of fighter who will never be an easy opponent for anyone at Light Heavyweight. Sadly he's also not a big traveller meaning that he's almost certainly not going to get in amongst the divisional elite, such as Sergey Kovalev, Bernard Hopkins or Adonis Stevenson. Instead the WBA title is likely to remain in Germany until someone surprises Braehmer. Whilst Breahmer will never be the best in his division it's almost ludicrous to deny that Cecilia Braekhus (25-0, 7) is the best female Welterweight on the planet. She again showed her class as she defended her WBA, WBC and WBO female titles in impressive fashion clearly defeating the out-classed Jessica Balogun (24-4-, 12) in a masterful performance. At 32 years old there is little out there for Braekhus though there is a mooted super-fight with Christina Hammer, that's almost the only bout that anyone wants to see her in, though contests with Delfine Persoon or Erica Anabella Farias might do if a contest with Hammer can't be organised. (Image courtesy of Top Rank)
0 Comments
When we look at big weekends in the boxing world we tend to speak about weekends which are busy with numerous would title fights across all sorts of divisions. We do have numerous world title bouts this Saturday but we've got to admit that all the excitement surrounds just one of those world title contests with the others coming as more of a pleasant distraction whilst we wait. The big fight is in New York as two of the sports genuinely big names collide in a bout for the WBC Middleweight title. This will see defending champion Sergio Gabriel Martinez (51-2-2, 28), fighting for the first time in over a year, battling against Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31). For Cotto this is a chance to become a 4 weight world champion, for Martinez it's a chance to return to the ring and try and claim another notable victory. Although Martinez/Cotto fight is the main event in Madison Square Garden it is just one of a number of bouts that we feel is of interest. Another of those bouts is obviously the rematch between Marvin Sonsona and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr whilst another is a brilliant Light Middleweight contest between the huge puncher Jorge Melendez (28-3-1, 26) and former world title challenger Javier Francisco Maciel (28-3, 10). This is one that has split us over who will win and looks like a really exciting contest between two men who really can bang. A 4th bout of interest here will see see the popular Andy Lee (32-2, 22) take on the big punching John Jackson (18-1, 15). Jackson is the young son of former world champion Julius Jackson and numerous people from the media are very high on the kid and Lee should be able to give him a genuine test here. One of the few "other" world title buts takes place in the UK where IBF Bantamweight champion Stuart Hall (16-2-2, 7) takes on the promising and unbeaten Paul Butler (15-0, 8). We think this chance really should have gone to Randy Caballero, who beat Kohei Oba in an eliminator earlier this year. We do like the fight in terms f what it should say about both though aren't convinced either man is even the best Bantamweight in the UK so we do feel a little annoyed at the IBF more than the men involved. In Germany we get the two remaining big bouts. The first will see female pound-for-pound queen Cecilia Braekhus (24-0, 7) defending her collection of titles against against the tough but limited Jessica Balogun (24-3, 12). We expect Braekhus to show off her skills here but it's as good a match as you can make for the Welterweight queen who really is untouchable at times. Unfortunately the other bout, which sees WBA Light Heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer (43-2, 32) defending his belt against Roberto Feliciano Bolonti (35-2, 24) looks like a major mismatch, despite the similar records of the men involved. The only other bout real note is in Mexico where the big punching former world champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (45-6, 35) takes on the tough Miguel Roman (45-11, 34) in a bout that could turn out to be a slug fest of the highest order. (Image courtesy of Top Rank) Most busy days in the boxing world have a world title fight as their signature bout. This weekend however the title fights took a back seat to an all Mexican clash between hard hitting fighters in a contest dubbed "Toe-to-Toe". There was title fights going on but they were ever so slightly in the background. The title major bout, the headline act if you will, saw former Light Middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (43-1-1, 31) score arguably his biggest victory as he stopped fellow Mexican Alfredo Angulo (22-4, 18) in what was an entertaining, though one sided, contest. Canelo took control from the onset with his superior speed and skills and although Angulo took the shots well early on they did began to damage up his face rather badly by the middle rounds. Canelo, after running up a clear lead on the scorecards, seemed to slow down in round 6 before turning on the style in round 9 to further punish Angulo who appeared to be building his confidence for one or two rounds. Unfortunately though the 9th round effectively finished off Angulo who took a huge uppercut early in round 9 before referee Tony Weeks stepped in. The stoppage, a controversial one for sure, seemed to come when Angulo was still fighting back and had his senses, even if he was badly marked up at the time. The victory for Canelo is likely to be his final one as a pseudo Light Middleweight and it seems almost certain that his next fight will be as a fully blown Middleweight. Earlier on the same card WBC Super Bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15) managed to make his second defence of the title as he easily defeated Cristian Mijares (49-8-2, 24). The bout, one sided through out, saw Mijares's ring craft keeping him up right but he was too small to ever really the champion who appeared to win every round with out many questions really being asked of him. Despite the clear victory we are starting to wonder if Santa Cruz is as good as we first thought. He no longer looks like a grinding machine but has been made to look somewhat light hitting by naturally smaller men in his last 2 fights. After that fight there were comments suggesting that Santa Cruz was likely to fight the unbeaten Carl Frampton next. There is a lot of talk in Japan about Shinsuke Yamanaka wanting a fight with Santa Cruz and on this performance we genuinely think that Yamanaka would take care of the Mexican without too many issues. In fact on this performance a fighter like Shingo Wake would actually give Santa Cruz a lot of problems. Also on this card we saw former WBC Super Featherweight title challenger Sergio Thompson (29-3, 26) manage to take a decision over Ricardo Alvarez (23-3-3, 14). Thompson, who fought Takashi Miura last year, twice dropped Alvarez and although he looked a clear winner the judges would have the bout a majority draw had it not been for the knockdowns. The action didn't stop there however and the card also saw Jorge Linares (36-3, 25) defeat Nihito Arakawa (24-4-1, 16) in a hard fought but clear bout and a notable upset as the world ranked Will Tomlinson (21-1-1, 12) suffered a hugely shocking loss. Tomlinson, who began the night as the WBC #7 and #8 IBF ranked Super Featherweight, was widely out pointed by the unheralded Jerry Belmontes (19-3, 5) in what was clearly the upset of the weekend. Aside from the Santa Cruz/Mijares bout there was only one other "world title" title bout as WBA interim Light Flyweight champion Alberto Rossel (31-8-0-1, 13) made the 4th defense of his title as he over-came the challenge of Gabriel Mendoza (19-3-2, 16). Mendoza was the WBA #15 ranked Light Flyweight coming in to this bout and was also the WBO #13 and IBF #15 ranked ranked Minimumweight meaning that we expect to see notable changes in the rankings of all three organsiations. Rossel was one of the 3 "WBA champions" at Light Flyweight a month or so or go but right now is the sole claimant after both Roman Gonzalez and Kazuto Ioka vacated their titles. This means that a number of Asian fighters, including Randy Petalcorin and Rey Loreto, could be looking at a WBA title fight in the near future. In the UK the stand out was the very promising Paul Butler (15-0, 8) who managed to dominate and then stop the completely over-matched Oreste Bernabe Nieva (15-3-2, 6). The bout never looked competitive and Butler just did as he wished before sending the Argentinian down for the count with a debilitating body shot. Ranked #6 by the WBO, #9 by the IBF, #10 by the WBC and #12 by the WBA at Super Flyweight Butler is a name who will be on the radar of Asian fighters such as Srisaket Sor Rungvisai though he does appear to need a stiffer test than Nieva before being ready for a world title challenge. Then again his natural talent is obvious and he's the sort of fighter who could make his name at either 115lbs of 118lbs and be a top challenger alongside the likes of Ryosuke Iwasa. (Picture courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions) Some days in boxing are there for the hardcore fans, some are for the mainstream fans but many blur the lines with a little bit for everyone. This coming Saturday appear to be one of those that clearly blurs the lines though has appeal world wide with fights in Europe, North America and South America whilst also featuring fighters from Asia. In fact whilst the day is relatively thin on real world title fights, with just 3 including an interim, it does serve a key feature in helping set up some notable fights in the near future. The two "regular" world title fights are both set to take place on the same card in Nevada. The least interesting of these will see IBF Light Middleweight champion Carlos Molina (22-5-2, 6) attempt to make the first defense of his belt against the promising and unbeaten Jermall Charlo (17-0, 13). Charlo, widely regarded as one of the USA's most promising prospects, is taking a huge step up here though if he's as good as hyped he shouldn't struggle with Mexico's often over-looked Molina. Molina however is the king of upsetting the odds and many are tipping him to retain. The second, and by far more interesting, title fight on the Nevada card sees WBC Super Bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (26-0-1, 15) make the second defense of his title. Santa Cruz is an extremely fun to watch guy who usually brings a lot of pressure and excitement which should make for a great styles match up with his opponent Cristian Mijares (49-7-2, 24) who is a sneaky and technically sound veteran. Mijares will be known to Japanese fans for his two victories over Katsushige Kawashima as well a victory against Teppei Kikui. He's skilled though has a lot of miles on the clock and is seen as a major under-dog against Santa Cruz. The popular belief is that a Santa Cruz victory leaves him with four clear options. He could move up the Featherweight, he could face the unbeaten and highly ranked Carl Frampton, he could call out Anselmo Moreno or, and most interestingly for us, he could answer the challenge of Shinsuke Yamanaka who has repeatedly requested a bout with Santa Cruz. There was supposed to be a third world title bout on this show though unfortunately Omar Figueroa's badly damaged hand saw his bout called off. His scheduled opponent, Ricardo Alvarez (23-2-3, 14), has unfortunately been matched with vicious Mexican Sergio Thompson (28-3, 26) who we imagine will run through Alvarez with relative ease. Thompson, best known for beating Jorge Linares and losing Takashi Miura, is tough, hard hitting and has to be favoured over Alvarez who is lucky to have a well known boxing brother. Talking about brothers that moves us nicely on to Alvarez's brother and the show's main event which features Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-1-1, 30) fighting Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18) in what is an exciting all-Mexican Light Middleweight match up. Whilst both men come in to the bout with a loss their is a lot to like about the match. Neither man likes the other, both are usually fun to watch and both are considered to be amongst the top contenders in the division. Excellent match up and a bout that should be thoroughly enjoyable. Also on this card is the main attraction of the night for ourselves, the bout between Nihito Arakawa (24-3-1, 16) and Jorge Linares (35-3, 23). Strangely we get the "interim" title fight in Peru as Peruvian boxing icon Alberto Rossel (31-8-0-1, 13) makes the fourth defense of his WBA "interim" Light Flyweight title. Rossel might be one of the most obscure men parading around as a world champion and this weekend he takes an equally obscure challenger in the form of Gabriel Mendoza (19-2-2, 16). Although Mendoza has an attractive looking record and is ranked by 3 of the 4 title bodies he's not really beaten anyone of note and his crowning achievement saw far is surviving 10 rounds with Carlos Buitrago. The Peruvian card is also expected to feature WBC #7 ranked Minimumweight Ricardo Astuvilca (10-0, 2) in action though his opponent hasn't yet been announced. Staying in Latin American, just a moment longer, there is another notable bout taking place in Mexico as former multi-weight world champion Jorge Arce (62-7-2-1, 47) returns to action against Brazilian Aldimar Silva Santos (19-7, 10). As well as the action in the America's there is, as mentioned earlier, action in Europe with a British card that has some genuine significance to Asian boxing fans. This is because the world ranked Super Flyweight Paul Butler (14-0, 7) is in action. Butler, ranked by all 4 major bodies, could be a potential opponent for someone like Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Daiki Kameda, Koki Kameda, Kohei Kono, Denkaosen Kaovichit, Teiru Kinoshita, Sho Ishida or Oleydong Sithsamerchai. Butler will however need to get past the challenge of Argentina's Oreste Bernabe Nieva (15-2, 6) before those big fights are spoken about in too much detail. |
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
December 2015
Categories
All
|