Every so often boxing gives us a major upset, a shock, a earth shattering shock. That happened today when long reigning WBA Super Featherweight “super” champion Takashi Uchiyama's (24-1-1, 20) [内山 高志] was stopped, inside 2 rounds, by Panama's Jezreel Corrales (20-1-0-1, 8), who dethroned Uchiyama after 11 successful defenses. The fight with Uchiyama looking to use his 1-2 to ease way into the bout and get a read of the tricky Panamanian. Corrales however seemed to have the edge in speed and ended looked aggressive towards the end of the round with his speed clearly bothering Uchiyama. In the second round Uchiyama decided to change tact and brought pressure early on. That however played into the hands of Corrales who found a home for his straight left hand which dropped Uchiyama. After recovering to his feet the champion was quickly sent down for a second time and Corrales smelled blood rushing in for the finish. A finish that came moment later when Uchiyama was put down for a third time, following an assault with Uchiyama on the ropes. The official time was 2:59 of round 2 The shock of the result, which had hit twitter before the bout was aired, sent shock waves through Japanese boxing with a number of fans suggesting that those in the venue had lied about the result though quickly it emerged that those fans at the venue weren't on the wind up and that the long reigning champion had indeed been beaten. Given the manner of the result Corrales has sent a statement though the boxing world and potentially set himself up for a very long reign in the 130lb division as well as potentially securing the 2016 Upset of the Year. His confidence, speed and skill will make him a handful for almost anyone. For Uchiyama however this bout could well be the end. It's been a frustrating career at times, with injuries and problems securing big name opponents but this isn't the way he'd have wanted to end things. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)
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Japanese boxing has a number of domestic records that have become targets in recent years, if not been broken. The most notable of those records has been the “speed” record, which has been broken three times in recent years courtesy of Kazuto Ioka, who won a world title in fight #7, Naoya Inoue, who did it in 6 fights, and Kosei Tanaka, who did it in fight #5. Another that is thought to be under threat is the “youngest” champion, with Riku Kano aiming for that one, currently held by Hiroki Ioka, and the most world title defenses. That final record is held by the great Yoko Gushiken, who recorded an impressive 13 defenses of the WBA Light Flyweight world title back in the 1970's and 1980's. That record is coming under serious threat from destructive Super Featherweight Takashi Uchiyama (24-0-1, 20) who notched the 11th defenses of the WBA title today when he stopped Nicaraguan challenger Oliver Flores (27-2-2, 17) in 3 rounds. Uchiyama, a massive betting favourite, started slowly and carefully against Flores, who was actively looking to land solid shots early on and get a foot hold into the bout. Despite the slow start the accurate Uchiyama was very deliberate and within the first 90 seconds had already shown his intentions, landing with a spiteful right hand. The deliberate and controlled style of Uchiyama saw him take over the bout after 2 minutes and it quickly became a case of just how long would Flores survive, as he simply couldn't avoid the right hand of the champion. Within 20 seconds of round 2 Flores rocked to his heels by Uchiyama. The challenger did well to stay in there but it really did look like he had nothing to bother Uchiyama who rarely moved out of neutral whilst landing jab and dangerous right hand will. Those shots took a toll on the challenger who was bruised under the right eye before the end of round 2. Uchiyama finally moved into first gear in round 3 and it seemed like he had had enough of the exhibition. The start of the end came with a body shot, before two monster right hands up top seem to trouble Flores, it was however a gruesome body shot that finished the show. The shot seemed to lift Flores off his feet and plant him on he canvas face first, where he remained well after the referee stopped the bout. With defense #11 wrapped up Uchiyama is closing in on the Japanese record, though looks set to make a different type of statement next time out. After the bout a member of Uchiyama's team restated their intention to kick off 2016 with a bout in the US and stated that his intended target was Nicholas Walters, a man whom is thought to have already agreed a bout with Uchiyama for early next year. A win against Walters would be a huge statement win for “KO Dynamite” and would be the perfect way to introduce him to a US audience. (Image courtesy of boxingnews.jp) Over the last few years we've seen Takashi Miura (29-3-2, 22) make a name for himself as a Mexicutioner as he defeated a string of Mexican opponents, such as Gamaliel Diaz, Sergio Thompson, Dante Jardon and Edgar Puerta. This past Saturday he tried to continue to build his reputation though, sadly, came up short in a brilliant bout with another Mexican, Francisco Vargas (23-0-1, 17). The loss was not only Miura's first to a Mexican but also saw him lose the WBC Super Featherweight title, though despite the loss he built on his fanbase and has seemingly became a man that Western fight fans have finally woke up to. The bout actually started horribly for Miura who was rocked to his core from a hard right hand from Vargas. At that point it seemed almost certain that Miura wasn't going to last long and in fact he was only held up by sheer bloody mindedness. Sadly for the defending champion he was unable to avoid Vargas's right hand and it seemed like a very early night was on the cards. Vargas's success in the opening round grew and in round 2 he again seemed to be unable to miss Miura who's most notable response was left hands to the body. It wasn't until round 3 that we began to see Miura finally find his way into the bout, and although his much vaunted power didn't seem to hurt Vargas during the round it was clear that Miura was coming back into it, and was beginning to find his groove. It was in round 4 that we finally saw the explosive power of Miura in all it's beauty as he dropped Vargas hard, and split his eye. It was a round that saw Miura at his best and it was a round that really acted as a wake up call for Vargas, and the fans, who had perhaps not realised just how hard Miura really punches. The success from round 4 saw Miura start the following round fast, as if he could smell the blood that was on Vargas's face. Sadly though the Japanese fighter seemed to get over-excited at times and was too intent on loading up rather than using his ability to set up the left hand. As a result Vargas got the time he needed to recover and by the end of the round it was Vargas who was looking the better man again. The 6th round was one of the most competitive though seemed to show Vargas outworking Miura, who again focused on loading up. Whilst Miura did have some success, especially to the body, he didn't seem to do enough to re-establish the control he had had earlier on. In fact it seemed like Miura was too focused on the knock out and was defensively naive at times, being forced to eat shots whilst trying to land his left. Despite not looking his best in round 6 Miura was back on top in round 7 and by the end of the round it seemed the end was nigh with Vargas's left eye swelling shut due to the heavy shots that Miura was landing. It was clear that it Miura's power that was the Japanese fighter's key weapon and that Vargas was the better boxer, but the power had made Vargas very wary, and despite the wariness he was being tagged by a lot of clean lefts. It was a clean left near the end of round 8 that rocked Vargas to his core. A follow up attack seemed to have Vargas in all sorts of trouble before the bell saved the Mexican fighter who genuinely looked spent. The fight looked in the bag for Miura who was expecting to come out for round 9 and finish what he had started before the bell. Instead however it was Vargas with the fast start and a right hand early in the 9th dropped Miura. Sadly it was the start of the end, and although Miura got to his feet, and did his best to survive, he was unable to keep Vargas off him eventually forcing the referee to step in and save the gutsy Japanese fighter. Since he bout we've seen fans from Europe and the US describe it as a FOTY contender, high praise indeed, whilst news from Japan has suggested that Miura's camp are hoping to secure a rematch for 2016. If a rematch is indeed made we suspect fans will be more hyped it than they were for this first meeting, which was described by some as a bout for boxing hipsters, though turned out to be one of the fights of the year. (Image courtesy of GBP) Takashi Uchiyama lives up to the "KO Dynamite" moniker as he blows away Jomthong Chuwatana!5/6/2015 Japanese puncher Takashi Uchiyama (23-0-1, 19) is known by the name “Knockout Dynamite” . He's one of the hardest puncher, pound-for-pound, in the sport and that shown today when he recorded the 10th successful defense of his WBA Super Featherweight title, and iced the previously unbeaten, and teak tough, Jomthong Chuwatana (9-1, 4).
Coming in to the bout we were thinking that Uchiyama, at 35 years old, was on the slide and had seen much better days. We were wrong however as Uchiyama rolled back the clock and put on one of his most impressive performances to date whilst punctuating things with a brutal KO of the year contender. The bout started tactically with both trying to control the distance, it didn't take long however for Uchiyama to connect with a thunderous right hand that rocked Jomthong and put him on to his heels. A follow up attack put Jomthong in the corner and Uchiyama went for the kill landing a number of huge shots whilst Jomthong tried to recover. The Thai saw out the storm, some how surviving the onslaught, and managed to fight back at the end of the opening round. It was clear however that he had been hurt. In the second round things again started slowly with a tactical bit of feeling out. That was until the pace quickened and Uchiyama let his intentions be known with a huge right hand that just whizzed past the challenger. It was clear that Uchiyama wasn't here to play about and was instead intent on finishing this early. Not too much later a right hand did connect sending Jomthong's legs into a stumble before he went down, flat on his back. The referee began the count though waved the bout off mid way through. It now seems that we may set for much anticipated rematch between Uchiyama and WBC title holder Takashi Miura, unless one of the men managed to get WBO champion Roman Martinez in to the ring in summer, if that happens the rematch may be put off until December. For Jomthong it's clear he can come back from this, though it may take a while as the Thai seemed to suffer from some notable facial damage. Note-This was Uchiyama's first defense since being upgraded to the WBA Super Featherweight "super" champion but his 10th defense in total Every boxing fan is looking forward to Saturday night's mega-fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. That, however, isn't the only bout this weekend and world title action actually kicked off on Friday evening in Japan as WBC Super Featherweight destroyer Takashi Miura (29-2-2, 22) took to the ring in search of the 4th defense of his title. In the opposite corner to Miura was Australian Billy Dib (39-4-0-1, 23), a former IBF Featherweight champion who had fought in major bouts in Macau and the US. In many ways this was Miura's chance to break out and score a win against a fighter "known" in the west.
The Japanese "Bomber" started as the clear favourite and seemed to feel that Dib had nothing to trouble him and didn't really force the issue in a relatively even opening round that saw Miura apply some basic pressure. Dib however looked the "weaker" man and it was clear that Miura didn't feel under any threat as looked for holes for his terrifying left hand whilst Dib was forced on to the retreat. In the second round things heated up a bit with both connecting, though it was even more apparent that Miura had the clear edge in power and physical strength and Dib's shots did little to deter the champion who found himself more struggling with the holding than the blows as Dib did his best to spoil the action rather than fight. The one thing that did go in Dibs favour was a warning that Miura got for a low blow at the end of the round. The third began with Miura beginning to turn the screw on Dib and a thunderous left hand rocked the Australian hard with a follow up attack sending him down. Dib's fighting spirit saw him managing to to beat the count though he was stopped with his senses looking scrambled. For Miura this was easier than expected and, barring a few shots in round 2, he was unscathed and looked like he could return to the ring next week. He will, of course, be very interested in the upcoming WBA title fight between Takashi Uchiyama and Jomthong Chuwatana, and may well be ringside to call out the winner for a unification bout though this win may well have helped boost his profile to the point where international fans may be wanting to see him and fights against the likes of Roman Martinez, the WBO champion, shouldn't be ruled out. As for Dib this is probably the end. He's not got the power or physical strength to live with the guys at 130lbs and he's not good enough to beat the best at Featherweight. He's effectively between a rock and a hard place. In the main event of the show from Tokyo earlier today fans saw the heavy handed Takashi Uchiyama (22-0-1, 18) successfully defend his WBA Super Featherweight world title with a dominant and clear, though well earned, victory over gutsy Argentinian challenger Israel Perez (27-3-1, 16) who looked like he was up for the biggest fight of his career.
The fight started well with both men trying to establish their jabs, it seemed clear that Uchiyama had the edge in skill and power but Perez wasn't to be intimidated and was happy to let his hands go in an attempt to catch the judges eye and inflict damage on the other man. At times it was a case of both men landing flurries on the guard though it always seemed like Uchiyama's guard was tighter, his offense sharper and his blows heavier. With both men eventually establishing their jabs we then had a case of the two men attempting to build on them. One the most part that saw Perez getting inside and waling away whilst for Uchiyama it was clear he was hoping to land his hurtful straight right hand, one of the heaviest in the sport. Unfortunately for both their game plans were often neutralised as the other man covered up and soaked the pressure up well before trying to return fire. It made for an interesting affair, and one where Perez was certainly holding his own even if he wasn't quite able to win the rounds. It was certainly compelling. Although having battled well early on Perez began to be put under more pressure in the middle portion of the fight as Uchiyama began to find a home for his right hand, even if it did sometimes need to be forced through the guard of Perez. Whilst Uchiyama's offense was getting better the same could not be said for the Argentinian who began see his body blows falling low and he received several warning for landing below the belt, though more often than not Uchiyama paid the low blows back with interest. Unfortunately the "wang bangs" seemed to do more to anger Uchiyama than anything and late in round 6 he began to turn the screw and let his wide array of power shots go, Perez saw off the assault but it was clear that Uchiyama had more in the tank. Uchiayama began round 7 on the offensive, against putting his punches together, though ended the round having taken several borderline low blows as Perez began to struggle more and more with the Japanese fighter, despite showing real grit and toughness. That toughness was tested again in round 8 when Uchiyama against picked up the pace and it began to seem like he was hunting his 18th stoppage. Perez was doing all he could to stop Uchiyama, his tight guard tightening further and although he ate some body shots he was doing his best to survive and try to retaliate when opening arose, by then however Uchiyama didn't seem to care too much about what was coming back as he tried to find a home for his right hand. Uchiyama continue to pressure Perez and in round 9 that pressure began to resemble bullying with the Argentinian being forced backwards a lot and even being cornered at one point. Perez was beginning to be broken down, hurt and was starting to look tired. He was still tough but his offense had completely shut down and even the low blows had stopped as he did more and more to survive. The survival of Perez had seen him through 9 rounds but that was all as he retired in his corner between rounds 9 and 10. A beat man who was down on the cards and beginning to be beaten up. For Uchiyama this was a great return to the ring considering he had been inactive for a year. The hope now has to be that 2015 will be a year where he reestablishes himself rather than sits on the side line like he has done this year, unfortunately. For Perez will likely be his sole major bout and 35 going on 36 we suspect he'll be back in Argentina picking up domestic wins before calling a close on his career with a few more small pay days. Although Japanese fighter Takashi Miura (28-2-2, 21) maybe not be the #1 Super Featherweight in Japan it's hard to dislike him with his vicious style, heavy hands and his ever growing reputation as a Mexecutioner. That reputation was further enhanced today as he retained his WBC world title and made unexpectedly light work of mandatory challenger Edgar Puerta (23-4-1, 19) who was stopped in the 6th round of their world title bout
For our British readers "The Bomber" might be Tony Bellew, who fights in a few hours time, in Japan however that name is owned by Miura who showed off his world class power early on as he dropped Puerta inside the opening round. At that point it looked clear this one wasn't going to go the distance with both men fighting with bad intentions, power shots coming from each man as they looked to hurt their foe. Despite being dropped early the Mexican managed to show genuine grit and resiliency, the sort we expect from Mexican fighters, as he began to have some genuine success of his own in the second round. Unfortunately for the challenger he appeared to be putting a lot into his attacks and was still being forced to take several solid shots in return as Miura continued to find a home for his heavy shots, including an eye catching right hook in round 3 that detonated clean on Puerta's head whilst body shots seemed to regularly connect with the Mexican challenger taking a lot of them. After 4 rounds the open scoring showed the Japanese fighter clearly in control of the bout with the judges scoring it 39-36 39-36 40-35 to the champion. It was hard to believe that Miura was a man who had been inactive for 11 months prior to this bout and instead of looking rusty he looked hungry. He was fighting like a man who wanted to prove he was the best and wanted to move beyond the likes of Puerta and into the realms of unification bouts. Miura's control of the bout grew and in the 5th round round it seemed that Puerta was starting to struggle, the body shots were taking their toll and the Mexican was looking like a fighter who was beginning to break down under the pressure. To his credit Puerta did try to fight back but lacked the power, speed and technique to change the fighter and was being held in there by his guts and determination more than his skills. In round 6 a huge left hand from Miura staggered Puerta before a follow up attack saw Miura over-whelming a tired and beaten looking Mexican who was lucky that the referee was quick to act and save him. With almost a minute of the round left it was likely that Puerta would have been badly battered had the fight been allowed to continue much longer. For Miura this was a 4th successive win over a Mexican fighter and his third would title defense, it seems however he wants a change next time out and will seeking a rematch with fellow Japanese world champion Takashi Uchiyama. The two men met almost 4 years ago with Uchiyama needing to pull himself off the canvas to stop Miura and defend the WBA world title, since then however Miura has really developed into a world class fighter, as shown today in one of his most rounded and complete performances, whilst Uchiyama has shown some signs of slow down. A rematch between the two is looking more likely than ever though it will depend on Uchiyama winning his upcoming bout on December 31st against Israel Hector Enrique Perez, a bout that is widely viewed as a "gimme" for Uchiyama. Some fights look like fireworks as soon as they are made whilst others look very interesting. We'll admit we didn't expect fireworks in this weekend's final notable bout, the WBO interim Super Featherweight title fighter between Thailand's Terdsak Kokietgym (53-5-1, 33) and Mexico's Orlando Salido (42-12-2-1, 29) though what we ended up getting was a truly phenomenal contest with the men trading knockdowns and inflicting career shortening damage on each other. In fact the only negative on the bout was the referee who did his best to make the fight controversial. The fight started well for Terdsak who surprisingly dropped Salido inside a minute to give us a very shocking start. Unfortunately that klnockdown was quickly cancelled out when Salido had a knockdown ruled in his favour from a blatant low blow. How the referee ruled the shot legal is a mystery though it was one of many mysteries that the referee left us with on a night he may wish to forget. In round two we again saw Salido dropped, this time it was a hard knockdown and the Mexican took his time to get up and by the time he was upright the bell had gone to end the round giving him a minute to collect himself. That minute did Salido the world of good and he had his best round up to that point in round 3, the first round of the fight with out a knockdown. It was a Salido round and it was the first time the fans seemed to believe that their man was taking charge of the bout. The success from Salido grew and in round 4 he dropped Terdsak for a second time whilst also landing a lot of body shots which seemed to take their toll on the Thai. Salido seemed to feel that Terdsak was their for the taking and went to work immediately in round 5 whilst neglecting his defense in the process. He paid for that by being dropped for the third time in the bout and giving us the 5th knockdown in as many rounds. Sadly for Terdsak that was his last major moment of success as Salido got up, dusted himself off and went back on the offensive applying constant educated pressure that Terdsak had no real answer for, barring an occasional uppercut. In round 6 we again saw the referee try his best to add major controversy as he stopped the men with Salido on the offensive. It appeared he'd stopped the bout though 10 seconds later he made it clear he hadn't stopped it, though we're unsure what he was doing. Maybe he thought he'd heard the bell or maybe he thought the men in the ring were stealing the show and he wanted to get some of the limelight. Whatever it was was inexcusable from the official. Although Salido may have felt he had had a victory robbed from him in round 6 it didn't stop his offensive work and in round 7 he scored his 3rd knockdown. Terdsak took a follow up attack surprisingly well though it was clear he was tiring, partly by the pace of the bout, partly from Salido's body shots and partly from the low blows which were landing round after round with no warning from the referee. Yes the referee who tried to steal the show managed to miss numerous obvious low blows. The 8th round saw more offensive work from Salido who was really starting to come on strong and break down Terdsak who lost the clearly and the same applied to round 9. Sadly the referee missed more low blows, including a monster of a shot to the "gentleman's area" in round 9 that really deserved a break for the Thai who won't be having any "intimate moments" any time soon. In round 10 it appeared that Terdsak had gone all in. He tried to fight head-to-head with Salido but the Mexican had a much better shot selection and work rate and it showed as he clearly won the round and left Terdsak looking like a tough but very beaten man. Terdsak became a beaten man in round 11 as Salido unleashed a vicious assault that stunned Terdsak and then dropped him hard. The referee, for the first time in the fight, did the right thing and waved off the action immediately to give doctors a chance to get to Terdsak. Thankfully the Thai seemed fully responsive though appeared to be exhausted as much as anything. The fight, which featured a total of 7 knockdowns might have been the last big bout of the weekend but was possibly the most exciting. It was, of course, a hard loss for Terdsak who may now consider retirement though he'll know that fans will be talking about this one for the rest of the year. For Salido his "reward" appears to be a rematch with Mikey Garcia, a man who dropped him repeatedly when the men met as Featherweights 20 months ago. That could be another painful night for "Siri". For those who didn't catch the show we must advise you also watch the under-card war between Ramon Garcia Hirales and Javier Mendoza. It was another sensational contest on one of the best shows of the year. (Image courtesy of Notifight.com) When it was announced that WBC Super Featherweight champion Takashi Miura (27-2-2, 20) would be fighting against Mexican Dante Jardon (24-4, 20) we knew we were in for some early New Year fireworks. Both men are fighters first and boxers second, both like to unload and both have real power in their hands. What we didn't expect however was a bout that was disappointingly one sided. From the first minute of the first round it seemed clear the men were in different leagues. Miura took control from the off and the highly touted Mexican simply had no answer. From first minute the Jardon was put on the back foot, tagged by hard southpaw left from Miura and bossed around. Jardon, a supposedly huge puncher, was simply unable to get Miura's respect and from then on life was always going to be hard. Jardon tried hard to get some respect early in the second round but Miura seemed to take many of the shots of Jardon on the arms as he continued to break down the Mexican challenger who was beginning to swing in hope as much as anything. Whilst Jardon was looking desperate Miura looked like a man with a point to prove, as if he wanted to make a statement to all those who are writing him off as a second rate champion. It was clear that Miura had some anger to take out and unfortunately he was taking it out on Jardon was taking a pasting. By the end of round 4 it wasn't a question of who was going to win but more a question of just how long Jardon could survive and whether or not Miura could keep up the electric pace he had set himself, having seen Miura's fight with Sergio Thompson however it was clear that Miura could do this pace for 12 rounds if he needed to. In round 5 Miura seemed to turn more of his attention to the body of Jardon, it was as if he was wanting to break the Mexican as well as beat him up. Poor Jardon hard no answer to the thunderous body shots which seemed to take their toll early in the round and a follow up flurry eventually sent a beaten looking Jardon to the canvas for the first knockdown of the fight. Jardon managed to show heart to get to his feet though few would have complained had the bout been stopped there with the Mexican's legs looking wobbly, impressively however he saw out the round. The heart of Jardon seemed to be all he had as Miura continued to attack him through round 6. Jardon was landing clean counters through the round but they were having next to no effect on Miura who took them and fired back as he continued to look for the finish. Jardon seemed to be lost on what to do. When he tried to fight back he was tagged, when he retreated his was walked down and tagged. It was as if there was nothing he could do to prevent the inevitable. Jardon had done well to see out round 7 and had a very spirited effort in round 8 before being dropped late in the round as Miura secured a second 10-8 round. The WBC open scoring after 8 told us nothing we didn't already know. Miura was a mile ahead on the cards with scores of 80-71, twice, and 80-70 and the best thing Jardon had done was to make it this far. He had been brave, he had been tough but he had been beaten up round after round after round. In round 9 Miura dropped Jardon for a third time and this time the referee had decided enough was enough waving it off immediately and calling a halt to proceedings with Jardon on his haunches. The Mexican, who was bleeding from the nose, knew that he had given his all but had been clearly beaten by the much, much better man. This wasn't a case of "the better man on the night" winning, but the better fighter winning and the same would happen if they fought again, Miura was simply too much for the Mexican. When you consider this is the third notable victory for Miura this year, after victories against Gamaliel Diaz and Sergio Thompson, in a FOTY contender, then it's hard to argue with Miura being the Japanese Fighter of the Year. Thankfully due to his very fun to watch style he's a man with a lot of options and we'd love to see him fight either Takashi Uchiyama in a WBC/WBA unification or Mikey Garcia in a WBC/WBO unification. If he can't get a match with either of those men then it may well be a case of taking on easier foe, he deserves an "easy" bout after the 3 impressive results this year. Could we have seen the birth of a new Mexi-killer this year?
Courtesy of boxrec.com
A little over a year ago Afghan born Canadian Arash Usmanee (20-1-1, 10) was an unknown in boxing circles. His most notable opponent was someone that really wasn't on the world stage and his profile was that of a local Canadian based fighter. Earlier this year Usmanee launched himself on to the fringes of the world stage with a very controversial loss to the highly touted Cuban Rances Barthelemy. The bout with Barthelemy, although a loss, had come on ESPN's "Friday Night Fights" series and given Usmanee a huge boost in terms of his profile. His performance there had generated him a new fan base and everyone, from Teddy Atlas, working for ESPN, to fight fans were wanting to see Usmanee in action again. Usmanee got that chance earlier today as he stepped back in to the ring in front of the ESPN cameras to take on IBF Super Featherweight champion Argenis Mendez (21-2-1, 11) a highly talented fighter who has real skills, speed and unexpected power. Although everyone who had seen the Barthelemy fight knew that Usmanee was a good fighter many thought that this would be a step too far too soon and he was clearly priced as the under-dog against Mendez. Despite the under-dog tag Usmanee did what he always does and fought his heart out. He set the tone of the fight from the opening round by pushing Mendez to the ropes and throwing shot after shot at Mendez. Although the champion managed to defend himself well and land a number of solid counters in between Usmanee's shots it was clear that the challenger wasn't here to play the under-dog. Usmanee's onslaught continued in a similar fashion round after round as he repeatedly forced Mendez on to the ropes, forcing the champion to show off his defensive skills and his counter punching abilities between eating from a torrent of punches. Sure Usmanee wasn't the most accurate fighter in history but his sheer work rate was making life incredibly difficult for his more skilled opponent who was looking for opportunities but not finding enough of them to really catch the judges attention round after round. Unfortunately for Usmanee, when you throw over 1000 and only around 25% of them connect you leave your self open to some big shots and that's exactly the logic that Mendez used, especially in the middle rounds. Although Usmanee's work rate never really dropped that much Mendez began picking his sports more carefully and claiming rounds with his effective countering. Although Mendez did do enough for a number of rounds he couldn't maintain it and Usmanee fought back hard looking to claim a number of the later rounds. This forced a tired looking Mendez beginning to hold his feet as the men began to trade in some thoroughly exciting action moments. Neither appeared capable of hurting the other but both managed to land really eye catching shots with both hands as the fight became more and more exciting. Unfortunately for all of Usmanee's effort, which reflected well with the Barthelemy bout, he was unable to claim enough points to take home the victory and title need to instead settle for a majority decision draw. Although he "came up short" in the title effort Usmanee again left a lasting impression following an excellent performance and will see many fans calling for him to get a second world title fight. Whilst bouts with Takashi Uchiyama (WBA) and Takashi Miura (WBC) will likely end up with Usmanee taking a beating another bout with Mendez is surely going to be called for. |
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