|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
Boxing Blog & Random Thoughts |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Juan Manual Lopez scored a second round TKO victory over Bernabe Concepcion Saturday night on Showtime’s Championship Boxing to retain his WBO Featherweight title. It was a thrilling slugfest while it lasted held in Lopez’s home country of Puerto Rico that may also have an impact on many who will never watch a boxing match. The southpaw Lopez knocked Concepcion down midway through the first with multiple straight left hands. Lopez went in for the finish and appeared he would get it until Concepcion fired a left hook out of no where that sent Lopez down towards the end of the first round. In the second Lopez sent Concepcion reeling and down again with another left. Concepcion would get up but Lopez’s power would be too much. He dropped Bernabe again with a right hook and straight left. Concepcion struggled to get to his feet but with no legs left the referee wisely stopped the fight. What in my mind struck me even more than Juanma’s exciting performance was the charitable work he did as part of the fight. Juan Manuel fought this fight wearing pink gloves, pink trunks, and pink shoes. He entered the ring with a pink ring jacket and pink headband. The jacket had a patch of the pink ribbon for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. In addition Concepcion was donned in pink trunks and pink gloves. Lopez will be auctioning off all the items he wore in the ring with the proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In addition Lopez is donating a portion of his paycheck for the fight to the foundation. You don’t normally see tough boxers in pink so the image resonates in your mind and may go along way just putting the cause into viewer’s thoughts. Several years ago now I lost my Aunt Franny to breast cancer so this certainly meant something to me on a personal level. My Aunt Franny was the kindest, caring, and giving person I ever had the pleasure of knowing in my life. She and mother were as close as sisters can be, so losing her far too early in life was very difficult for our family. Showtime’s announcer Gus Johnson stated before the fight that Lopez has never lost anyone to breast cancer but simply believes they need the support. When I take into consideration my own and my family's feelings on this matter, as well as the many others who are affected by this disease, it was touching to see one athlete make such an effort to do his part in helping out. Lopez’s skills and power make him one of the true rising stars in boxing today. His actions beyond boxing tonight show him to also be rising star in many other ways. From my corner of the world here I just want to extend my thanks to Lopez in Puerto Rico and to all who raise money, attend benefits, run 5K’s and anything else that in some way benefits this cause. Question, comment, agree, disagree, or anything at all, send it to gpurf3@hotmail.com.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Jones Scores KO Win to Continue Ascension up the Welterweight Ladder By Gary Purfield (07/09/10)
Mike Jones scored a fifth round knockout of Irving Garcia in an
exciting main event of Showtime's Sho Box Friday night from the
ballroom of Boardwalk Hall. Jones closed the show during a
heated attack in the fifth round and put Garcia down with a body
shot that likely was below the belt but went unnoticed by the
referee. The official end came at 1 minute and 22 seconds into the
5th round. Jones retains his NABA and NABO welterweight belts.
More importantly he continues his rise in the welterweight division,
gained valuable experience, and put on a crowd pleasing fight for
the television audience.
In the fifth Jones clearly came out with an agenda to make his move. Whether he saw something he could exploit or felt a sense of urgency from the increasing welt on his eye he quickly went to work pushing Garcia to the ropes and firing multiple combinations. The action pleased the close to sell out crowd as they rose to their feet encouraging the Philly prospect to close the show. Jones hammered away to the head and body with the finishing blow that put Garcia down. Garcia dropped and was counted out as he pleaded from the mat that he was hit low. Regardless of where the final punch landed the end seemed inevitable. Jones was clearly applying pressure and relentless combinations that Garcia could not match.
Overall the performance was
good. I believe Jones can get better. He used his height well and
worked behind his jab. He took the time to assess his opponent and
picked the right time to make his move. When Jones was first he
dominated the action. Garcia had no answers when Jones established
ring generalship, used the jab, and fired combinations. Jones ran
into problems when he backed off allowing Garcia to come
forward and land. He will need to improve his defense especially
against the jab if he is going to compete at the elite level. The
maturity and improvement he is showing from fight to fight suggests
he is still growing and very capable of getting even better.
Question, comment, agree, disagree, or anything at all, send it to gpurf3@hotmail.com. Photography from Joe Purfield
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
I will be going to see Philadelphia’s Mike Jones fight Irving Garcia live at Boardwalk Hall in one week on Friday July 9. While emailing back and forth with esteemed trainer Freddy Marratto about the fight he made a good point. Take the opportunity to see Jones now while he is still fighting in the Philadelphia area. Freddy pointed out that with possible big fights on the horizon for Jones (possible big names being mentioned include Andre Berto, Shane Mosley, and Kermit Cintron) he may be out of our proximity soon as his fights move to Las Vegas. This prompted my thinking that while I am happy for the Philadelphia native Jones I feel this aspect of the sport can often be a negative that deprives fans of rooting for hometowns fighters the way they root for hometown sports teams. After all what would the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, and Sixers be without the name Philadelphia preceding the team. Would Phillies vs. Mets or Eagles vs. Cowboys be the same if the game was in Las Vegas. OF course not because the popularity of most sports is largely based on the attachment to a city, geographic area, and local culture. Fights with a hometown guy have a certain energy and enthusiasm in the crowd. The pride and cheers that ring out when a fighter is announced with his hometown (i.e. Mike Jones being announced from Philadelphia on July 9) brings a roar from the crowd that is based on being a fan of the fighter but also the pride in supporting your city. While I have my favorite fighters that I root for (see Miguel Cotto bias here) if Mike Jones one day is at the top of the sport myself and many proud Philadelphia fans will have a connection and support for him that cannot be matched by another boxer. That connection is largely built with small hometown fights that eventually become big hometown fights (Blue Horizon and small room at Boardwalk Hall becomes the Wachovia Center or main room at Boardwalk Hall). Sure Vegas has many advantages and the biggest fights will probably remain in the Vegas casinos. Biggest paydays, a neutral site without as much concern for biased judging, access to hotels, etc. These advantages will almost guarantee the major events such as a possible Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight occur in Vegas. Understood, but take for example if Mike Jones was to fight Shane Mosley in the next year (Mosley did just sign to fight Sergio Mora but maybe after that and this is for a hypothetical point anyway). Sure it could be in Vegas. Yes they would both probably make great money whether it was on HBO or pay-per view. Maybe the arena would look filled with tickets largely given to high rollers at the casino. Even some fans of each fighter from Pomona California for Mosley and Philadelphia for Jones would make the trek. But what if the fight was at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The energy and vibe would be electric as fans in California proudly filled the building to create a hostile environment supporting their aging star to take out another young challenger. Or the opposite, raucous Philadelphia fans packed either Boardwalk Hall, the Wachovia Center, or even a summer fight outdoors at Citizens Bank Ballpark. How loud and thrilling would it be with over 10,000 in any of those places to root Jones on to take down the future hall of famer. Either scenario is guaranteed entertainment for either side. Picture being at home watching on HBO as LA fans with Lakers jerseys booed Jones and rooted for Mosley. Even though a Philly fan would hate the site they would admit that is more exciting than watching them go at a neutral site. Of course the reverse is appealing. Philly fans (in my biased opinion the toughest fans in the country) garbed in Phillies or Eagles gear packing the house in an attempt to motivate Jones and intimidate Mosley, one of the toughest competitors I have ever seen in a ring (note, this is not an endorsement for the actions that get us Philly fans on the wrong side of Sportscenter, just encouraging the pride and loud cheering that has unnerved more than one bullpen pitcher in the past). And it does not always mean fighters in their “hometown” but where he has a following. Cotto is born and lives in Puerto Rico but due to the large contingent of Puerto Ricans in New York he packs the Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican parade with a thrilling atmosphere. Tomas Adamek is drawing 10,000 plus to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey based on being an exciting fighter and the large Polish community in the area. Adamek has even used this as way to buck the trend of only fighting when HBO offers a date. Adamek has chosen to stay active so he fights at the Prudential Center to large crowds despite not getting TV dates. I could go on and on with possibilities. Juan Manuel Lopez taking over the Puerto Rican mantle in New York when Cotto is gone. Gamboa would be huge in Miami as a Cuban fighter. Paul Williams could stay active fighting in Washington DC instead of waiting for big HBO fights. Rising Middleweight Danny Jacobs is a Bronx native and received huge cheers at MSG on the Khan-Maliggnaggi undercard. Devon Alexander could take over for Cory Spinks as the pride of St. Louis. Alexander was born in raised in St. Louis and proudly sports Cardinals gear during his ring entrances. He would be a huge star in is hometown by taking on Zab Judah to avenge the Spinks loss in the last big fight in the Lou. It can be tough to build these atmospheres in a sport that does not have a guaranteed draw or fan base at times. Andre Berto fought Carlos Quintana in his hometown and barely drew 4,000 people. I believe that was a promotional issue because Berto had not been fighting regularly in his hometown and did not build up a following. Andre Ward is doing very well fighting his last three big fights at Oracle Arena in Oakland and the electric atmosphere at those fights is obvious from TV. Juan Diaz is a huge draw and entertainer in Houston. Lucien Bute fights in front of monster crowds in his adopted town of Montreal. Kelly Pavlik provides Youngstown Ohio’s blue collar residents their blue collar champion and they proudly fill arenas in Ohio or even all the way to Atlantic City to support the former Middleweight champ. It can be done and boxing will be better for it the more this happens. These fights benefit from a true hometown sporting atmosphere live and the TV broadcast benefits as well from the atmosphere of the live crowd. I feel the need here at the end to encourage all reading as a Philly fan and boxing fan to get to AC on July 9 and help us make the place shake for Jones and the pride of Philly. Tickets are reasonably affordable between $50 and $100 (look for me about 13 rows from the ring probably in a Phillies jersey with my notepad and my dad snapping pictures). Question, comment, agree, disagree, or anything at all, send it to gpurf3@hotmail.com.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
I had the pleasure of seeing Ivan Calderon fight, or should I say box this past Saturday on the Top Rank Live card from the theatre at Madison Square Garden. The past few years Miguel Cotto has been the man to fight at the Garden on the eve of the Puerto Rican parade. Instead this year Cotto went the week before giving another Puerto Rican star the chance to shine. Calderon for all his talent is rarely available on TV because despite being a top notch pure boxer he does not provide highlight reel knockouts and has the misfortune of only weighing 108lbs. I wanted to see Calderon in action after reading articles describing his talent. I got the opportunity Saturday when he defeated Jose Iribe to retain his titles (now 34-0-1, 6 KO’s). Calderon moved around the ring with a grace and presence that few boxers can sustain for a round much less twelve. Ivan dominated almost every minute of the fight. The only hiccup came late in the second round when Iribe scored a knockdown with a solid right hand sending Calderon to the canvas. Ivan quickly get up and unfazed by the he went straight back to his surgeon like precision inside the ring. He won the unanimous decision 118-109 on two cards and 116-111 on the third. I had it 118-109 as well. Iribe got himself a 10-8 round in the second with the flash knockdown but Calderon whitewashed every other round in the fight. I can understand why some fans don’t have an interest in Calderon and don’t fault them for it. He is not going to knock anyone out cold with a punch and won’t even generate the power to wear someone down to a stoppage. What he will do is give consistent excellent boxing. He moves in circles that are unpredictable. This is not someone who circles in a single motion or in patterns. The only thing consistent is that he will consistently keep his opponent guessing and off balance. He implements the “hit and not get hit” style as well as anyone. As a junky of the sport I enjoy the precision and chess match of a good boxing match Calderon provides. The southpaw aids his circular movement by bouncing in and out quickly while mixing up the jab and lead left. Like his unpredictable footwork his punches come at all angles and styles. The defense is a blur to watch. Iribe gave every ounce of effort he had attempting to cut off the ring and land solid blows but Calderon would bob and weave punches effortlessly. Iribe’s efforts earned nothing more than swinging at air to find his opponent two steps ahead firing counter shots. Maybe I am overemphasizing but seeing Iribe reminded me of overwhelmed hitters facing Roy Hallady with a look saying what do I do against this guy. While he is not a knockout artist he does quiet damage. The announcer said it well during the broadcast in the final rounds mentioning that it seems that Calderon’s punches are not powerful but when you see Iribe’s puffed face it is clear Calderon is landing his punches. I have to imagine being his opponent is a frustrating proposition when you are getting hit and landing nothing all night. Overall I was pleased with my
viewing experience. As I said above I can understand those who are
far more interested in a power punching slugfest. I certainly love
the excitement of Calderon’s Puerto Rican counterpart Miguel Cotto
and the excitement he brings to fights with his power and the
possibility that he is always in danger of being hurt. I also can’t
help but enjoy the abilities of a slick southpaw that makes it look
all so easy to hit and not get hit. My wish is promoters (in this
case Top Rank) find room for Calderon on the under cards of Cotto’s
fights so those who like power and pure boxing like myself can have
it all (because sometimes we should get everything we want even if
the Rolling Stones said otherwise). |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Cotto - Margarito 2: Should This Happen? by Gary Purfield (06/14/10) One rumor quickly floating after the Cotto win was a possible rematch with Antonio Margarito. The popular notion is Cotto would fight once more and then on the eve of the Puerto Rican parade next year the rematch would happen at Yankee Stadium or Madison Square Garden. On one side you could say Cotto should not give Margarito the time of day much less the opportunity to get a large pay day from Cotto’s popularity. If the beating Cotto suffered in their previous fight had anything to do with loaded handwraps then Margarito cheated his way to a victory but even worse left serious damage to Cotto’s health. Why should Cotto get back in the ring with Margarito and allow him to profit from this. Well, how about vindication and a darn big paycheck. Cotto beats Margarito then perception swings further that Antonio had loaded wraps in the first fight. Also Cotto is a proud person and I am sure he would love nothing more than to avenge that fight. And make no mistake the fight would be huge event and generate a ton of money. The buildup and back-story of their first fight and the question of loaded wraps would provide more than enough drama to intrigue boxing enthusiasts and casual fans. The live atmosphere would be electric. The Puerto Rico vs. Mexico boxing rivalry would be a fever pitch. The Garden or Yankee Stadium would be filled with Cotto supporters and plenty of Mexican fans would be out to support Margarito. The question of loaded wraps would only fuel the fire and the electricity of the ethnic crowd even more to support their guy. The fighters themselves may not be at the same skill level they were for the first fight but they still almost guarantee a high energy action fight. This fight could provide everything you want in a big bout. Great arguments can be made on both sides. I for one would rather see Cotto fight a slowed down and softened Margarito than possible fights with Pacquiao, Williams, or Martinez. Margarito at this point is much less risk than those guys. That being said I certainly would not fault Cotto for simply choosing not to give Margarito the opportunity because of the loaded wraps. I just know I will be in NYC to soak it up if it happens. Have a question, comment, agree, disagree, or anything, send it to gpurf3@hotmail.com
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Bouncing Toes and Letting the Left Hook Go by Gary Purfield (06/11/10) I have to start by saying anything I write about Miguel Cotto is biased. He has been the fighter I enjoy watching more than anyone over the last five years. Cotto takes on the best competition, fights in a crowd pleasing style, and genuinely seems like a nice guy. So to see his performance Saturday at Yankee Stadium was a welcome change from the beatings he took against Pacquiao and Margarito. He may not ever beat Pacquiao or Mayweather at 147 and probably won’t rule 154 by beating Paul Williams or Sergio Martinez. With that said Cotto remains one of the best action fighters in the sport and can draw a rowdy crowd as well as anyone. From the jump I was impressed with his renewed commitment to disciplined boxing. In a fight where he was the shorter fighter by several inches he landed his jab with ease while avoiding Foreman’s. Cotto also showed subtle changes that have not been in his game since the first six rounds of the Margarito fight but had previously been a regular part of his arsenal in wins over Mosley, Judah, and others. Cotto was bouncing on his toes, moving laterally, and showed good head movement to avoid the taller punches from Foreman and work his way inside. In addition the heavy hands remain. When Cotto landed the jab Foreman was rocked backwards. When he returned to attacking the body few in boxing can cause damage down low like Cotto. This was highlighted by the perfect left hook to the body that finished the fight. A great deal of credit has to go to Emmanuel Steward. He clearly made style improvements to Cotto that were effective offensively and defensively. On a side note during the undercard HBO showed Steward warming Cotto up in the training room. At sixty three years old Steward was fast and sharp on the mitts working through combinations with Cotto. That is impressive and inspirational to anyone who thinks you can’t keep doing what you love as you get older. Also impressive was Manny Steward looking cool and smooth sporting the pinstripe outfit with Cotto. Of course with the solid performance the question is what’s next. I for one hope to see Cotto have at least one more fight with non-elite competition on about the same level as Foreman (which speaking of Foreman this article is focused on Cotto but Yuri certainly deserves credit for the brave performance, he certainly left everything he had in the ring). I am not sure any other fighter can say they have faced such a line of tough competition over the last five years as Cotto. Possibly Pacquaio but that is about it. If Cotto continues drawing huge crowds in New York facing good fighters but not pound for pound guys his pay days are well earned. Remember this is not someone who has ever ducked a challenge. The issue may be Cotto prides himself on fighting the best and loving a challenge so I would not be surprised to see him go after the best. Maybe even a rematch with Margarito at some point but more on that later. For now I will await the fight on HBO on demand so I can enjoy watching his performance again. Have a question, comment, agree, disagree, or anything, send it to gpurf3@hotmail.com
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Floyd is Just That Good by Gary Purfield (05/05/10) It would be easy to say this went the way it did because Mosley showed his age (38). That age could have been a factor in his energy being gone by the 6th round. It could be said that Mosley just came out too jittery and could not get his game plan executed. All of those things and more could have been factors in Floyd Mayweather (41-0 with 25 KO’S) getting a dominant decision victory over Shane Mosley (46-6-1 with 39 KO’s). None of these points though takes away from how talented and skilled Mayweather performed. The first round played out with little action as the two felt each other out. The one noticeable point was Floyd was going for his quick sharp left hook and Mosley seemed to slip it with ease which is something that was not possible for past Mayweather opponents. In the second round Mosley landed big overhand rights at different points in the round. The shots stunned Mayweather. It appeared the upset was a real possibility and that Shane was the stronger puncher. In the third Mayweather asserted his speed and boxing skills. He continued to assert his boxing ability the rest of the fight without ever allowing Shane to get into a rhythm. Floyd even appeared the much stronger puncher as the fight went on. From the third round on Mayweather did everything right. He fought his style of fight and forced Shane to do the same. Mayweather did not run as some thought he would but controlled the action to short one or two punch exchanges and then movement. Mosley was never able to make it his style with longer exchanges and action against the ropes. By the fourth round Mosley seemed winded. By the sixth he appeared tired and could no longer slip Mayweather’s punches. Mosley being the warrior never stopped trying by the fatigue clearly showed. His punches had very little pop on them as the rounds went by while Floyd’s shots seemed to have more and more pop as the fight wore on. Once again Floyd Mayweather made it look easy. But this time he did it against a truly dangerous opponent with size, speed, and skill. This fight probably more than any other in his career demonstrates how great of a fighter he is. In addition he won in a style that was more offensive minded than in the past. He was still not warrior that goes looking for a knockout but he never shied away from the fight. He used his talent, his style, his attributes (namely speed and boxing intelligence) to dominate one of the best fighters of this era. It was not Mosley’s age, stamina, or anything else that caused this night to be one sided. It was overwhelming talent of Floyd Mayweather Jr. In the final episode of 24/7 during one scene Mayweather is running and he states “you gonna love me or you gonna hate me but you gonna respect me”. I am sure little has changed that many love Floyd, many still hate him, but my guess is he got his wish after last night. All of them respect his abilities in the ring. Who could present a challenge for the Money? I have to admit I thought Mosley was the best candidate to pose a challenge for Floyd. The guy who would match him in speed and skill and would pose a true threat to that undefeated record. At the very least Mosley was supposed to be the guy that placed Floyd in truly pressure situations that would show how Floyd would react to serious adversity and challenge. Unfortunately for boxing fans other than some serious pressure in the second round this was not the case Saturday night. So it leaves boxing fans pondering who can provide a challenge to Mayweather. In addition while Floyd is probably not the greatest of all time as he says he has cemented himself as one of the best. Where he ranks on the all time list I will leave to those more qualified than I such as Bert Sugar. What I do know is Floyd is now in a unique position to climb the ladder and possibly be seen as one the greatest of all time with the right fights in the next few years. So with that in mind I list three fighters that may be able to present Floyd a true challenge and with wins over these fighters would greatly increase his stock in any all time great argument. Manny
Pacquiao: Paul
Williams: Sergio
Martinez:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Questions will be answered when Mayweather and Mosley clash by Gary Purfield (04/29/10)
It’s finally here. The first mega fight of 2010 Saturday night at
the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It is not the fight the general public
wanted between Mayweather and Pacquiao but it is the fight that many
diehards wanted. With such a buildup and promotion for two of the
top fighters of the last ten years we have many questions that will
finally be answered. One could go on for pages with questions for
this one so I will keep it at five. Below I list the points that
may be the key to the fight followed by my pick (advice to all those
who like to call the bookies, I am no Vegas odds maker so don’t
count on me to win the mortgage payment).
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
First let me say I would welcome a rematch for pure excitement value. This lived up to being probably the most exciting heavyweight match up that can be made in the division despite it not being for a title. The fight started well and increasingly became more heated each round building to a very exciting final three rounds. I have a lot to say about the fight and both fighters. The fight itself was clearly in stages as stated by HBO’s announcers. Adamek had the upper hand in the first quarter of the fight. He moved well, landed punches then got out never allowing Arreola to get established. Then in the fourth Arreloa found his way in and controlled the fight with strong punching in the second quarter. Just when it looked like Arreola would assert his size and get the knockout Adamek again took control. In rounds seven through nine Adamek moved and hit to win each round. In the 10th the real firefight began. Arreola came out chasing Adamek and looking for a big punch. Again it seemed he would take over to get his big punch and land the knockout. Then after landing a right on top of Adamek’s head Arreola winced in pain due to hurting his right hand. He tried to keep up the pressure with his left but was not successful. Adamek sensed the advantage and pounced. In the end Adamek earned the decision victory by closing out the final rounds (I had it 114-114 but would readily admit I gave Arreola rounds ten and eleven because he pressured but those rounds likely were Adamek’s because he landed more clean punches). On to the fighters. Adamek I have only praise. He probably will get overwhelmed by a Klitschko but so does everyone so who cares. He fought a very smart, disciplined, and intelligent fight. He knew he had to move well and not get caught in a dog fight with the much bigger man. Despite his nature to get into firefights and Arreola taunting him for running he stayed within his plan/strategy and pulled out his biggest win at heavyweight. Would love to see a rematch with Arreola but if not a fight with Eddie Chambers could be good. Why not have the two skilled little big men put on what I believe would be a very interesting, tactical, and tough heavyweight fight. As for Arreola. I have been a big fan and followed him since he was coming up fighting on Versus. I always felt he had a ton of skill, power, good combination punching, and underrated speed. He fights with a ton of heart evidenced how he kept fighting with everything against Adamek despite hurting his hand and with his face swollen and bleeding (he even showed his humor when he referred to himself looking like Shrek in the post fight interview). One more quality trait is despite his language and appearance in my opinion he has class. After the fight he made no excuses, gave credit to Adamek’s abilities, and admitted defeat. With all that though it is time he took his conditioning seriously. He needs to train hard 365 days a year so he can fight hard for 3 minutes of all 12 rounds. That fight was his to win with his size and power. Yet very early he looked sluggish at times needing to conserve energy. Then he clearly showed frustration at Adamek for not standing toe to toe even putting his hands down and talking. If you don’t like his movement then chase him down, corner him, and force him to fight. As much as I enjoy Arreola’s talking about liking beer and food time to take advantage of your abilities to the fullest extent. Maybe I am bias but I still think of all the heavyweights Arreola has the tools to challenge the Klitschko’s better than anyone else. He has size, skill, experience, tremendous heart in fights, and power to dent Vladimir's chin. Unfortunately until he shows the same heart and tenacity in his training he shows in the ring it will be only potential that is not fulfilled. Gary’s card
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
If you were looking for slick fighters, speed, or a crafty chess match this fight (or any this weekend) was not for you. These two largely stood toe to toe and slugged it out for twelve rounds. Not to say neither guy doesn’t have some craftiness and skill but no one is mistaking Froch or Kessler for Ward or Dirrell. Both used good lateral movement and both made big efforts to establish the jab in the early rounds. In somewhat of a reversal of styles Kessler was the stalker going forward most of the fight and Froch moving back and to the side. As the fight went on you saw less and less lateral movement, less jabs, and less strategy. By the championship rounds most of the action was both guys standing toe to toe and throwing bombs looking to finish it or at least sway the judges in what was clearly a very close fight. While I admit (and I know I am in the minority of boxing fans with this opinion) I like the type of fighters mentioned in the first sentence this was a really exciting fight, especially the last six rounds. I give both guys a lot of credit for having heart to stand in and keep trading. Both guys were clearly dead tired and had blood flowing from multiple spots. In the 12th round both guys looked like a mess but they produced a highly exciting last round trading one power shot after another. I did not keep a scorecard on this fight and am kind of glad about that because my brain might have overheated trying to score those rounds. Ultimately I am glad I was not a judge for that fight because this was one where after each round you shake your head wondering who won. If I look at the fight as a whole I can see giving it to Kessler (although the wide scores of two judges including 117-111 was a little ridiculous in a close fight) because it seemed Mikkel delivered the biggest blows that caused the most damage including his huge right that cut Froch’s nose early. That being said, fights are scored round by round and this one could have gone either way and you really can’t argue with the decision because it was so close. This makes the super six tourney even more exciting because the standings are very tight. The third round fights should be very intense with likely every fighter (except Ward if he beats Green in the final second round fight) will be fighting for a shot at the semi-finals. This tournament was a great idea and has lived up to expectations in my mind so far. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Another exciting fight between guys who are not the fastest but can punch and take a punch. The scores round by round were relatively close but overall the fight was controlled by Angulo pretty much the whole way. Julio had his moments especially in the early rounds by moving around, darting in and out, using quick combination punching, and getting out. Ultimately he did himself in along with a lot of help from Angulo’s power. Julio expended so much energy with his constant movement that he clearly tired in the later rounds. In addition he seemed so concerned with getting away from Angulo in exchanges he never set his feet to throw punches with power and do any damage to Angulo (he reminded me of the wide receiver in football that drops the pass because he is running downfield before securing the ball). On the flip side Angulo constantly stalked, set his feet, and threw punches that had an effect (in the same analogy, Angulo caught the ball, set, then ran down field). The feel of the fight was that eventually Angulo would wear Julio down to a stoppage or pick up all the late rounds for a decision. Angulo in the 11th finished in his style. Julio’s constant movement and Angulo’s power punches slowed Joel and Angulo countered him with a huge right hand that ended it. Julio made it to his feet but was wobbly and it was stopped. Good call by the ref, no need to send Julio back when he did not have his legs and would have just taken further punishment. Anyone who saw when Angulo hurt/dropped Harry Joe Yorgey over and over and the ref allowed it to continue long past when it should have has seen what Angulo can do to a hurt fighter. Gary’s card
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
This past Saturday prior to the Pavlik vs. Martinez fight I got my first live look at Philadelphia welterweight prospect Mike Jones. In his previous fight Jones grinded out a decision victory against veteran Henry Brussels. It was not considered the most entertaining of fights but every contender on the way up is going to have tough fights that often become a good learning experience. This fight seemed set up for Jones to get another win but also to give him the opportunity to thrill a large crowd near his hometown. Really a smart move from his promoters with the recent trend in boxing moving away from Vegas and fighters looking to become big attractions in their hometowns. In AC in front of a crowd of over 6,000 Jones did anything but grind out a win. Against the game but well over matched Hector Munoz Jones demonstrated he can be a top contender and exciting as well. Jones wasted little time feeling Munoz out and quickly went to work. Using his height and reach advantage he dominated Munoz from the start. Jones kept Munoz at a comfortable distance and often landed head snapping shots. By the 5th after several shots that stunned Munoz the referee had seen enough and called a stop to the fight giving Jones a TKO victory and upping his record to 21-0. Jones had the crowd engaged and often on their feet throughout the fight. Afterwards Jones made his way out of the ring stopping to greet many fans and pose for pictures. I was seated where the fighters made their entrances and exits to the locker room and had the opportunity to watch Jones as he came through. He seemed to greatly enjoy the moment and presented very fan friendly stopping for many fans. Reports and rumors are stating that Jones will soon get his shot at a fight on HBO. This is only the first time I have seen Jones but he sure looked ready to fight the better competition. He also looks ready for the big moments and seems to relish the opportunity. My guess is many people in AC walked away with the same feeling I have. Jones accomplished both goals, get the win and do it in a way that people take notice. And what better place to build a hometown fan base for boxing than in Philly. With a rich boxing history and rabid sports fans it sure would be exciting to see Mike Jones in a title fight down the road to a sell out crowd somewhere in the city such as the Liacouras Center or back at boardwalk hall.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
