Nah he showed some good heart in that fight I think. IDK why he went away from the jab, he was dominating with that and the left uppercut. But Froch is gonna eat him again.
Official 2012 Boxing Thread: JMM/Manny IV - FOTY.
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Nah he showed some good heart in that fight I think. IDK why he went away from the jab, he was dominating with that and the left uppercut. But Froch is gonna eat him again.
Weekend wrap.
Saturday in Montreal
Lucian Bute W12 Denis Grachev
Light heavyweight
Scores: 118-110, 116-112, 115-113.
Records: Bute (31-1, 24 KOs); Grachev (12-1-1, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: First off, ignore the 118-110 score. That is an abomination from judge Claude Paquette. This was a close, competitive and crowd pleasing fight, and although Bute got the win he deserved, he had a lot of problems with Grachev -- far more than most folks expected. There were times when it looked as if Bute was in deep trouble. But to his credit, he dug down and hung on against a tough and game opponent to notch the hometown victory before an adoring crowd of 10,122 at the Bell Centre. But make no mistake, this was not the kind of performance that should give anyone confidence that Bute has recovered from the fifth-round knockout loss he absorbed May 26, when Bute, 32, went to Carl Froch's hometown of Nottingham, England, and got smashed in what many considered an upset. Froch did a number on Bute. He took his perfect record and his super middleweight title after nine successful defenses.
Making his return, Bute knew going into the fight with Grachev, 30, a native of Russia who lives in San Diego, that he had to get through the fight to preserve his contractual rematch with Froch. The deal is done for them to meet again in March at the Bell Centre. That added even more drama Saturday, considering how hard of a fight it was. Grachev, who announced his arrival by scoring an upset knockout of hot light heavyweight contender Ismayl Sillakh in the eighth round on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" in April, started well against Bute, cutting him on the bridge of the nose in the first round of the fight that headlined a marathon night of boxing on WealthTV, which showed the entire card. Grachev was aggressive throughout the fight and was able to land his right hand with ease for most of the fight.
Bute put himself in even more danger by constantly backing into the ropes, the one place he did not want to be. Grachev had him in some trouble in the fifth round and forced him to hold on in the eighth round when he was cracking him with right hands. Bute was not throwing enough punches and had a hard time dealing with Grachev's pressure -- plus his left eye was in bad shape by the eighth round. Stephan Larouche, Bute's trainer, knew his man was in trouble and was verbally whipping him in the corner after the late rounds. "He's hurting you," Larouche said after the ninth round. Bute managed to get himself together and fought well down the stretch, responding when Larouche told him in the corner before the start of the 12th round that it was "the most important three minutes of your career." Bute, a southpaw, had a tremendous 12th round, landing many hard left hands to seemingly eke out the decision, even though two of the official cards turned out to be wider.
Bute got the victory, but it was the kind of win that should give he and his team cause for concern with a rematch against a much tougher opponent coming next.
Allan Green TKO7 Renan St-Juste
Light heavyweight
Records: Green (32-4, 22 KOs); St-Juste (23-4-1, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Green is a former super middleweight contender who completely crapped out after gaining entry into the Super Six World Boxing Classic as an alternate in 2010. Andre Ward shut him out in a title fight, and Glen Johnson knocked him dead in the eighth round in the next stage of the tournament. Green moved up in weight and, following two low-level victories, faced former super middleweight titlist Mikkel Kessler in Denmark in May. They were supposed to fight in the Super Six, but Kessler dropped out and Green wound up facing Johnson, another alternate. When they finally did meet this year, Kessler crushed Green, knocking him cold in the fourth round in a knockout of the year candidate. In his return, Green, 33, of Tulsa, Okla., overcame a knockdown to stop popular hometown fighter St-Juste, 40, of Quebec. Green swept the first three rounds, using his height and reach advantage to outjab and outbox his southpaw opponent. But in the fourth round, Green got lazy and ate a hard left hand late in the round that knocked him down. He was wobbly and in bad shape but survived the beating St-Juste gave him until the round ended. Another hard left hand had Green in trouble again in the sixth round, but St-Juste's right eye was closing and his face was bloody. At the end of the seventh round, the fight was stopped with St-Juste on his stool with nothing left and unable to continue. Green, by the way, did not make weight for the fight. The contract called for a 175-pound maximum, but he came in at 178¾ and St-Juste agreed to go through with the fight anyway.
Rodrigo Guerrero TKO8 Sebastien Gauthier
Bantamweight
Records: Guerrero (18-4-1, 12 KOs); Gauthier (22-4, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gauthier, 30, of Quebec, was the hometown favorite against Guerrero, 24, of Mexico, but could not take the heat in this blazing action fight that had the Bell Centre crowd amped up. Guerrero, a southpaw, won a vacant junior bantamweight world title in November 2011 against Raul Martinez but lost the belt in his first defense, a decision to countryman Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. After the loss, Guerrero moved up to bantamweight and won his second fight in a row in the weight class by outgunning Gauthier in an outstanding slugfest. They traded back and forth for most of the fight, although Guerrero looked like he might score a stoppage late in the seventh round when he had Gauthier pinned on the ropes and seemingly out on his feet. Gauthier's legs were a mess, but he survived. In the eighth round, Guerrero dropped Gauthier with a left to the body. Gauthier, whose right eye was messed up, made it to his feet but was just about done. Guerrero followed up by trapping him in a corner and blistering him with roughly 18 unanswered shots until referee Steve St-Germain intervened at 2 minutes, 31 seconds -- perhaps a couple of seconds later than he should have. This is a good win for Guerrero, who could the top guys at bantamweight problems if he gets an opportunity.
Mikael Zewski KO1 Cesar Chavez
Junior middleweight
Records: Zewski (17-0, 13 KOs); Chavez (20-3, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Zewski, 23, of Quebec, is an exciting prospect who is managed by Cameron Dunkin. He used to be with Golden Boy before Dunkin bought back his contract and signed him with Top Rank, which has a good relationship with the card's promoter, InterBox, and got him a spot on the show. Zewski has a chance to be another in the long of good attractions in Montreal. He has an exciting style and looks like a good puncher. He needed only one punch of note in this fight -- the first one of he landed in the bout. After touching Mexico's Chavez with a left to the head, he unloaded a flush right uppercut that dropped Chavez for the full count from referee Marlon Wright, who called it off just 37 seconds into the bout. Chavez was writhing in pain and appeared to have a broken nose.
Saturday in Halle/Westphalia, Germany
Marco Huck W12 Firat Arslan
Cruiserweight
Retains a cruiserweight title
Scores: 117-111, 115-113 (twice).
Records: Huck (35-2-1, 25 KOs); Arslan (32-6-2, 21 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Huck has been in so many rough, tough fights that they are clearly beginning to take their toll. This, Huck's 10th title defense, was another brutal slugfest, and he was a bit lucky to walk away with his title after a very close, competitive, grueling fight. Some cried robbery, and Arslan, a former titleholder, was bitterly disappointed by the outcome. It was that kind of give-and-take fight with a lot of close rounds. Whomever you felt won, one thing everyone can agree on is that it was a helluva fight.
Huck, 27, a native Serbian living in Germany, had a bloody nose in the second round, and it was clear he was going to be in for a tough night. Arslan did excellent work throughout the fight, banging Huck around and using an excellent uppercut with both hands, connecting with many of them. Huck may have been rewarded by the judges because, as he usually does, he came alive in the final half-minute of many rounds to make himself look good. Arslan probably had the better of the action through the first half of the fight, but the momentum seemed to turn toward Huck in the seventh round. He was able to pick up the pace enough and outwork Arslan through some heavy exchanges. There was great action as they traded combinations and clean shots. Many of the rounds could have gone either way. After an intense and grinding 10th round, Huck and Arslan, who openly professed to like each other during the buildup to the fight, smiled at each other when the bell rang to end it. The 11th and 12th rounds were filled with tremendous toe-to-toe action, although it seemed as if Huck had the slight advantage against Germany's Arslan, a southpaw who, at 42, was in fantastic condition and displayed great stamina. The crowd did not like the decision, booing the verdict. However, surely they must have enjoyed the highly entertaining fight.
Saturday in Sendai, Japan
Shinsuke Yamanaka KO7 Tomas Rojas
Bantamweight
Retains a bantamweight title
Records: Yamanaka (17-0-2, 12 KOs); Rojas (39-14-1, 26 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Nothing like a knockout of the year candidate to get pumped up about. Poor Rojas, who probably never knew what hit him in this massive-knockout loss. Yamanaka, a 30-year-old southpaw from Japan, won a vacant belt last November, made his first defense against well-known former champion Vic Darchinyan with a decision win in April and blasted former titleholder Rojas, also a southpaw, who was on the wrong end of a crushing second-round knockout by Darchinyan in a 2009 title fight. The speedy Yamanaka put pressure on Rojas, 32, of Mexico, throughout the fight. Although he was not landing anything particularly damaging, Yamanaka was winning through the fourth round, when the scores were announced as 39-37 (twice) for Yamanaka and 38-38. Yamanaka rendered the scorecards pointless, however, 36 seconds into the seventh round with a sick knockout. He shook up Rojas with a right-left combination, and as Rojas opened up to return fire, Yamanaka caught him with a clean left cross to the head. Rojas went down face-first in the center of the ring like he had been shot. He lifted his face off the canvas for a moment but was completely out of it, and referee Michael Griffin called the fight. Rojas was down for several minutes before being able to leave the ring under his own power.
Toshiyuki Igarashi W12 Nestor Daniel Narvaes
Flyweight
Retains a flyweight title
Scores: 114-112 (twice), 113-113
Records: Igarashi (17-1-1, 10 KOs); Narvaes (19-1-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Igarashi, 28, a southpaw and 2004 Japanese Olympian, was lucky to hold on to his belt by majority decision in his first title defense. He had some luck on his side, too, when he won the belt in July by split decision in Japan against Sonny Boy Jaro. Narvaes, 30, of Argentina, had nobody remotely notable on his résumé and was fighting outside of his home country for the first time, but he gave Igarashi a tough challenge. After the fourth round, because the WBC's open scoring system is used in Japan, he knew he held a 39-36, 38-37, 38-37 lead and knew he was up 77-74 on all three scorecards after the eighth round. Narvaes, however, closed strong. Whereas Igarashi has been the aggressor for most of the fight, and worked well to Narvaes' body, he began to slow down. Narvaes picked up his attack in the later rounds. He did enough to get close but not to get over the hump. One-point deductions for each fighter from referee Lupe Garcia offset each other. Igarashi lost a point in the fourth round and Narvaes in the 11th round because of the WBC's rule that says the uncut fighter in the event of an accidental head-butt loses a point.
Saturday in Humble, Texas
Fernando Guerrero TKO6 J.C. Candelo
Middleweight
Records: Guerrero (25-1, 19 KOs); Candelo (32-12-4, 21 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Guerrero, 26, of Salisbury, Md., was a standout amateur and blue-chip prospect when he suffered a huge upset fourth-round knockout loss to Grady Brewer in June 2011. He has been carefully matched since then by Golden Boy Promotions as he rebuilds his career and won his fourth consecutive fight with the stoppage of the long-faded Candelo. Guerrero, a southpaw, dominated the fight, which headlined a Golden Boy Live card on Fox Deportes. He was never in remote danger against Candelo, whose best days came in the late 1990s and early 2000s and who lost a decision to Winky Wright in a 2003 junior middleweight world title fight. Guerrero dropped Candelo, 38, a native of Colombia based in Baytown, Texas, with a nice right-straight left combination in the fourth round, and Candelo looked a bit reluctant to continue. Guerrero, now trained by reigning trainer of the year Virgil Hunter, dished out more punishment in the fifth round, during which time was called by the referee to have Candelo's badly swollen left eye checked out. The fight came to an odd ending just 12 seconds into the sixth round when Guerrero wobbled Candelo with a left hand and Candelo turned, waved his glove and quit.
Saturday in Hermosillo, Mexico
Ulises "Archie" Solis KO7 Jesus Iribe
Flyweight
Records: Solis (35-2-3, 22 KOs); Iribe (16-8-5, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Former two-time junior flyweight titlist Solis, 31, of Mexico, rebounded after 14-month layoff caused by a broken jaw that required two operations. Solis has accused junior middleweight titleholder Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, a man 50 pounds heavier than him, of injuring him in a street fight. During his injury layoff, Solis was stripped of his 108-pound title for missing a mandatory defense. He had not fought since winning a decision against Jether Oliva in an August 2011 title defense. But he returned for a resounding victory against an experienced opponent. Solis dropped Iribe in the second round, had him in trouble in the sixth round and ended it with 36 seconds left in the seventh round when he dug a beautiful left hook to his liver to drop him for the full count. Solis hopes to have one more fight, maybe a title eliminator, before getting a chance to reclaim his old belt. Iribe, of Mexico, was fighting for the first time since June 2010 and lost his second fight in a row and for the third time in his last four. The three defeats came to quality opponents: Solis and in junior flyweight title bouts to Ivan Calderon and Brian Viloria.
Oscar Valdez TKO2 Angel Prado
Featherweight
Records: Valdez (1-0, 1 KOs); Prado (1-2, 0 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The 21-year-old Valdez was a two-time Mexican Olympian -- the only two-time Mexican boxing Olympian -- and is the only Mexican fighter to win a medal at the amateur world championships, claiming a bronze in 2009. He signed with manager Frank Espinoza during the summer and with promoter Top Rank a couple of weeks ago. Valdez was one of the most sought-after amateurs coming out of the 2012 Olympics. Making his professional debut in his hometown, Valdez was not matched tough, but he showed the kind of fighter he probably will be -- an exciting, come-forward boxer who has skill but likes to mix it up. Valdez took control immediately and drilled Prado, of Mexico, in the second round. Valdez landed a well-timed combination that dropped Prado to a knee and was all over him in the follow-up attack, connecting with a flush combination that badly rocked Prado, prompting the referee to jump in and stop the blitz. Valdez's second fight, which will be his American debut, is slated to take place Dec. 7 in Las Vegas or Dec. 15 in Houston.
Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.
Frankie Gomez TKO3 Manuel Leyva
Welterweight
Records: Gomez (13-0, 10 KOs); Leyva (21-9, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gomez, 20, of East Los Angeles, was a hugely sought-after prospect when he decided to give up a shot at the 2012 Olympics and sign with Golden Boy at age 18. After winning a 2009 national amateur championship and a silver medal in the 2009 world amateur tournament, he turned pro with fanfare in April 2010. Although he is still undefeated, he has been a disappointment. He was arrested, had conditioning issues and lacked the dedication that Golden Boy expected from a fighter it had sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars into. Then came an 11-month layoff, caused in part by his legal issues. But Gomez seems to be back on track after a successful return in the main event of the "Solo Boxeo Tecate" card on Telefutura. He was matched quite softly against Leyva but did what he was supposed to do -- look good in a devastating performance. Gomez dropped Leyva three times in the third round before referee David Mendoza called it off at 1 minute, 15 seconds without a count after the third knockdown. Gomez, now training under Freddie Roach, hurt Leyva repeatedly in the first two rounds before finishing him in the third round. Leyva, 29, a southpaw from Mexico who lives in Long Beach, Calif., has become nothing more than fodder. He lost his fourth fight in a row by knockout and lost for the eighth time in his last nine fights, six of which have come by knockout. This ought to be the last time we see him on television, much less in a main event.
Jamie Kavanagh W8 Ramon Valadez
Lightweight
Scores: 80-72, 79-73, 78-74
Records: Kavanagh (12-0-1, 5 KOs); Valadez (11-3, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This was simply a tremendous fight that was action-packed for virtually the entire rumble. Although two of the scores were one-sided, this was no easy fight. This was an absolute brawl. Both of these 22-year-olds deserve applause for leaving it all in the ring. From the outset, they tore into each other, although Kavanagh, a native of Ireland who relocated to live and train in Hollywood, Calif., had the slight edge for most of the fight. In the third round, Kavanagh nearly dropped Valadez with a right hand that badly staggered him. Kavanagh followed the shot with a huge flurry of shots that had Valadez ready to go, but somehow he stayed on his feet. Amazingly, Valadez rebounded just before the end of the round to rock Kavanagh as the crowd cheered. In the seventh round, Valadez had Kavanagh in some trouble when he knocked him off balance with a right hand and opened a cut under his left eye. There were countless heated exchanges in this unexpected gem.
Thursday in London
Frankie Gavin W12 Junior Witter
Junior welterweight
Wins British junior welterweight title
Scores: 119-109, 117-112, 117-110
Records: Gavin (14-0, 10 KOs); Witter (41-6-2, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gavin, 27, of England, was a 2008 British Olympian and a 2007 world amateur champion. There have been great expectations for him as a professional, although he has been sidetracked here and there by personal problems. But the clear victory against Witter, 38, of England, is by far the biggest win of his career. Even though Witter held a world junior welterweight title not that long ago -- from 2006 to 2008 -- and has faced many quality opponents, he is nowhere near what he was. But he was on a four-fight winning streak, including having won the British title on a unanimous decision against Colin Lynes in May. Gavin, however, outclassed him. Witter, whose reputation as fan-unfriendly fighter because of his miserable style, was up to his usual tricks of making things as messy as he could. Gavin maintained his poise and kept putting rounds in the bank. Referee Marcus McDonnell docked a point from Witter for holding in the 10th round. Even Witter's own corner got on his case for putting forth such a lackluster effort. Gavin showed he could deal with a crafty opponent who did not really want to fight, which every prospect has to deal with at some point, but this one is better off being forgotten. Witter is probably better off retiring and leaving us all alone.
Lucian Bute W12 Denis Grachev
Light heavyweight
Scores: 118-110, 116-112, 115-113.
Records: Bute (31-1, 24 KOs); Grachev (12-1-1, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: First off, ignore the 118-110 score. That is an abomination from judge Claude Paquette. This was a close, competitive and crowd pleasing fight, and although Bute got the win he deserved, he had a lot of problems with Grachev -- far more than most folks expected. There were times when it looked as if Bute was in deep trouble. But to his credit, he dug down and hung on against a tough and game opponent to notch the hometown victory before an adoring crowd of 10,122 at the Bell Centre. But make no mistake, this was not the kind of performance that should give anyone confidence that Bute has recovered from the fifth-round knockout loss he absorbed May 26, when Bute, 32, went to Carl Froch's hometown of Nottingham, England, and got smashed in what many considered an upset. Froch did a number on Bute. He took his perfect record and his super middleweight title after nine successful defenses.
Making his return, Bute knew going into the fight with Grachev, 30, a native of Russia who lives in San Diego, that he had to get through the fight to preserve his contractual rematch with Froch. The deal is done for them to meet again in March at the Bell Centre. That added even more drama Saturday, considering how hard of a fight it was. Grachev, who announced his arrival by scoring an upset knockout of hot light heavyweight contender Ismayl Sillakh in the eighth round on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" in April, started well against Bute, cutting him on the bridge of the nose in the first round of the fight that headlined a marathon night of boxing on WealthTV, which showed the entire card. Grachev was aggressive throughout the fight and was able to land his right hand with ease for most of the fight.
Bute put himself in even more danger by constantly backing into the ropes, the one place he did not want to be. Grachev had him in some trouble in the fifth round and forced him to hold on in the eighth round when he was cracking him with right hands. Bute was not throwing enough punches and had a hard time dealing with Grachev's pressure -- plus his left eye was in bad shape by the eighth round. Stephan Larouche, Bute's trainer, knew his man was in trouble and was verbally whipping him in the corner after the late rounds. "He's hurting you," Larouche said after the ninth round. Bute managed to get himself together and fought well down the stretch, responding when Larouche told him in the corner before the start of the 12th round that it was "the most important three minutes of your career." Bute, a southpaw, had a tremendous 12th round, landing many hard left hands to seemingly eke out the decision, even though two of the official cards turned out to be wider.
Bute got the victory, but it was the kind of win that should give he and his team cause for concern with a rematch against a much tougher opponent coming next.
Allan Green TKO7 Renan St-Juste
Light heavyweight
Records: Green (32-4, 22 KOs); St-Juste (23-4-1, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Green is a former super middleweight contender who completely crapped out after gaining entry into the Super Six World Boxing Classic as an alternate in 2010. Andre Ward shut him out in a title fight, and Glen Johnson knocked him dead in the eighth round in the next stage of the tournament. Green moved up in weight and, following two low-level victories, faced former super middleweight titlist Mikkel Kessler in Denmark in May. They were supposed to fight in the Super Six, but Kessler dropped out and Green wound up facing Johnson, another alternate. When they finally did meet this year, Kessler crushed Green, knocking him cold in the fourth round in a knockout of the year candidate. In his return, Green, 33, of Tulsa, Okla., overcame a knockdown to stop popular hometown fighter St-Juste, 40, of Quebec. Green swept the first three rounds, using his height and reach advantage to outjab and outbox his southpaw opponent. But in the fourth round, Green got lazy and ate a hard left hand late in the round that knocked him down. He was wobbly and in bad shape but survived the beating St-Juste gave him until the round ended. Another hard left hand had Green in trouble again in the sixth round, but St-Juste's right eye was closing and his face was bloody. At the end of the seventh round, the fight was stopped with St-Juste on his stool with nothing left and unable to continue. Green, by the way, did not make weight for the fight. The contract called for a 175-pound maximum, but he came in at 178¾ and St-Juste agreed to go through with the fight anyway.
Rodrigo Guerrero TKO8 Sebastien Gauthier
Bantamweight
Records: Guerrero (18-4-1, 12 KOs); Gauthier (22-4, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gauthier, 30, of Quebec, was the hometown favorite against Guerrero, 24, of Mexico, but could not take the heat in this blazing action fight that had the Bell Centre crowd amped up. Guerrero, a southpaw, won a vacant junior bantamweight world title in November 2011 against Raul Martinez but lost the belt in his first defense, a decision to countryman Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. After the loss, Guerrero moved up to bantamweight and won his second fight in a row in the weight class by outgunning Gauthier in an outstanding slugfest. They traded back and forth for most of the fight, although Guerrero looked like he might score a stoppage late in the seventh round when he had Gauthier pinned on the ropes and seemingly out on his feet. Gauthier's legs were a mess, but he survived. In the eighth round, Guerrero dropped Gauthier with a left to the body. Gauthier, whose right eye was messed up, made it to his feet but was just about done. Guerrero followed up by trapping him in a corner and blistering him with roughly 18 unanswered shots until referee Steve St-Germain intervened at 2 minutes, 31 seconds -- perhaps a couple of seconds later than he should have. This is a good win for Guerrero, who could the top guys at bantamweight problems if he gets an opportunity.
Mikael Zewski KO1 Cesar Chavez
Junior middleweight
Records: Zewski (17-0, 13 KOs); Chavez (20-3, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Zewski, 23, of Quebec, is an exciting prospect who is managed by Cameron Dunkin. He used to be with Golden Boy before Dunkin bought back his contract and signed him with Top Rank, which has a good relationship with the card's promoter, InterBox, and got him a spot on the show. Zewski has a chance to be another in the long of good attractions in Montreal. He has an exciting style and looks like a good puncher. He needed only one punch of note in this fight -- the first one of he landed in the bout. After touching Mexico's Chavez with a left to the head, he unloaded a flush right uppercut that dropped Chavez for the full count from referee Marlon Wright, who called it off just 37 seconds into the bout. Chavez was writhing in pain and appeared to have a broken nose.
Saturday in Halle/Westphalia, Germany
Marco Huck W12 Firat Arslan
Cruiserweight
Retains a cruiserweight title
Scores: 117-111, 115-113 (twice).
Records: Huck (35-2-1, 25 KOs); Arslan (32-6-2, 21 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Huck has been in so many rough, tough fights that they are clearly beginning to take their toll. This, Huck's 10th title defense, was another brutal slugfest, and he was a bit lucky to walk away with his title after a very close, competitive, grueling fight. Some cried robbery, and Arslan, a former titleholder, was bitterly disappointed by the outcome. It was that kind of give-and-take fight with a lot of close rounds. Whomever you felt won, one thing everyone can agree on is that it was a helluva fight.
Huck, 27, a native Serbian living in Germany, had a bloody nose in the second round, and it was clear he was going to be in for a tough night. Arslan did excellent work throughout the fight, banging Huck around and using an excellent uppercut with both hands, connecting with many of them. Huck may have been rewarded by the judges because, as he usually does, he came alive in the final half-minute of many rounds to make himself look good. Arslan probably had the better of the action through the first half of the fight, but the momentum seemed to turn toward Huck in the seventh round. He was able to pick up the pace enough and outwork Arslan through some heavy exchanges. There was great action as they traded combinations and clean shots. Many of the rounds could have gone either way. After an intense and grinding 10th round, Huck and Arslan, who openly professed to like each other during the buildup to the fight, smiled at each other when the bell rang to end it. The 11th and 12th rounds were filled with tremendous toe-to-toe action, although it seemed as if Huck had the slight advantage against Germany's Arslan, a southpaw who, at 42, was in fantastic condition and displayed great stamina. The crowd did not like the decision, booing the verdict. However, surely they must have enjoyed the highly entertaining fight.
Saturday in Sendai, Japan
Shinsuke Yamanaka KO7 Tomas Rojas
Bantamweight
Retains a bantamweight title
Records: Yamanaka (17-0-2, 12 KOs); Rojas (39-14-1, 26 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Nothing like a knockout of the year candidate to get pumped up about. Poor Rojas, who probably never knew what hit him in this massive-knockout loss. Yamanaka, a 30-year-old southpaw from Japan, won a vacant belt last November, made his first defense against well-known former champion Vic Darchinyan with a decision win in April and blasted former titleholder Rojas, also a southpaw, who was on the wrong end of a crushing second-round knockout by Darchinyan in a 2009 title fight. The speedy Yamanaka put pressure on Rojas, 32, of Mexico, throughout the fight. Although he was not landing anything particularly damaging, Yamanaka was winning through the fourth round, when the scores were announced as 39-37 (twice) for Yamanaka and 38-38. Yamanaka rendered the scorecards pointless, however, 36 seconds into the seventh round with a sick knockout. He shook up Rojas with a right-left combination, and as Rojas opened up to return fire, Yamanaka caught him with a clean left cross to the head. Rojas went down face-first in the center of the ring like he had been shot. He lifted his face off the canvas for a moment but was completely out of it, and referee Michael Griffin called the fight. Rojas was down for several minutes before being able to leave the ring under his own power.
Toshiyuki Igarashi W12 Nestor Daniel Narvaes
Flyweight
Retains a flyweight title
Scores: 114-112 (twice), 113-113
Records: Igarashi (17-1-1, 10 KOs); Narvaes (19-1-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Igarashi, 28, a southpaw and 2004 Japanese Olympian, was lucky to hold on to his belt by majority decision in his first title defense. He had some luck on his side, too, when he won the belt in July by split decision in Japan against Sonny Boy Jaro. Narvaes, 30, of Argentina, had nobody remotely notable on his résumé and was fighting outside of his home country for the first time, but he gave Igarashi a tough challenge. After the fourth round, because the WBC's open scoring system is used in Japan, he knew he held a 39-36, 38-37, 38-37 lead and knew he was up 77-74 on all three scorecards after the eighth round. Narvaes, however, closed strong. Whereas Igarashi has been the aggressor for most of the fight, and worked well to Narvaes' body, he began to slow down. Narvaes picked up his attack in the later rounds. He did enough to get close but not to get over the hump. One-point deductions for each fighter from referee Lupe Garcia offset each other. Igarashi lost a point in the fourth round and Narvaes in the 11th round because of the WBC's rule that says the uncut fighter in the event of an accidental head-butt loses a point.
Saturday in Humble, Texas
Fernando Guerrero TKO6 J.C. Candelo
Middleweight
Records: Guerrero (25-1, 19 KOs); Candelo (32-12-4, 21 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Guerrero, 26, of Salisbury, Md., was a standout amateur and blue-chip prospect when he suffered a huge upset fourth-round knockout loss to Grady Brewer in June 2011. He has been carefully matched since then by Golden Boy Promotions as he rebuilds his career and won his fourth consecutive fight with the stoppage of the long-faded Candelo. Guerrero, a southpaw, dominated the fight, which headlined a Golden Boy Live card on Fox Deportes. He was never in remote danger against Candelo, whose best days came in the late 1990s and early 2000s and who lost a decision to Winky Wright in a 2003 junior middleweight world title fight. Guerrero dropped Candelo, 38, a native of Colombia based in Baytown, Texas, with a nice right-straight left combination in the fourth round, and Candelo looked a bit reluctant to continue. Guerrero, now trained by reigning trainer of the year Virgil Hunter, dished out more punishment in the fifth round, during which time was called by the referee to have Candelo's badly swollen left eye checked out. The fight came to an odd ending just 12 seconds into the sixth round when Guerrero wobbled Candelo with a left hand and Candelo turned, waved his glove and quit.
Saturday in Hermosillo, Mexico
Ulises "Archie" Solis KO7 Jesus Iribe
Flyweight
Records: Solis (35-2-3, 22 KOs); Iribe (16-8-5, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Former two-time junior flyweight titlist Solis, 31, of Mexico, rebounded after 14-month layoff caused by a broken jaw that required two operations. Solis has accused junior middleweight titleholder Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, a man 50 pounds heavier than him, of injuring him in a street fight. During his injury layoff, Solis was stripped of his 108-pound title for missing a mandatory defense. He had not fought since winning a decision against Jether Oliva in an August 2011 title defense. But he returned for a resounding victory against an experienced opponent. Solis dropped Iribe in the second round, had him in trouble in the sixth round and ended it with 36 seconds left in the seventh round when he dug a beautiful left hook to his liver to drop him for the full count. Solis hopes to have one more fight, maybe a title eliminator, before getting a chance to reclaim his old belt. Iribe, of Mexico, was fighting for the first time since June 2010 and lost his second fight in a row and for the third time in his last four. The three defeats came to quality opponents: Solis and in junior flyweight title bouts to Ivan Calderon and Brian Viloria.
Oscar Valdez TKO2 Angel Prado
Featherweight
Records: Valdez (1-0, 1 KOs); Prado (1-2, 0 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The 21-year-old Valdez was a two-time Mexican Olympian -- the only two-time Mexican boxing Olympian -- and is the only Mexican fighter to win a medal at the amateur world championships, claiming a bronze in 2009. He signed with manager Frank Espinoza during the summer and with promoter Top Rank a couple of weeks ago. Valdez was one of the most sought-after amateurs coming out of the 2012 Olympics. Making his professional debut in his hometown, Valdez was not matched tough, but he showed the kind of fighter he probably will be -- an exciting, come-forward boxer who has skill but likes to mix it up. Valdez took control immediately and drilled Prado, of Mexico, in the second round. Valdez landed a well-timed combination that dropped Prado to a knee and was all over him in the follow-up attack, connecting with a flush combination that badly rocked Prado, prompting the referee to jump in and stop the blitz. Valdez's second fight, which will be his American debut, is slated to take place Dec. 7 in Las Vegas or Dec. 15 in Houston.
Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.
Frankie Gomez TKO3 Manuel Leyva
Welterweight
Records: Gomez (13-0, 10 KOs); Leyva (21-9, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gomez, 20, of East Los Angeles, was a hugely sought-after prospect when he decided to give up a shot at the 2012 Olympics and sign with Golden Boy at age 18. After winning a 2009 national amateur championship and a silver medal in the 2009 world amateur tournament, he turned pro with fanfare in April 2010. Although he is still undefeated, he has been a disappointment. He was arrested, had conditioning issues and lacked the dedication that Golden Boy expected from a fighter it had sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars into. Then came an 11-month layoff, caused in part by his legal issues. But Gomez seems to be back on track after a successful return in the main event of the "Solo Boxeo Tecate" card on Telefutura. He was matched quite softly against Leyva but did what he was supposed to do -- look good in a devastating performance. Gomez dropped Leyva three times in the third round before referee David Mendoza called it off at 1 minute, 15 seconds without a count after the third knockdown. Gomez, now training under Freddie Roach, hurt Leyva repeatedly in the first two rounds before finishing him in the third round. Leyva, 29, a southpaw from Mexico who lives in Long Beach, Calif., has become nothing more than fodder. He lost his fourth fight in a row by knockout and lost for the eighth time in his last nine fights, six of which have come by knockout. This ought to be the last time we see him on television, much less in a main event.
Jamie Kavanagh W8 Ramon Valadez
Lightweight
Scores: 80-72, 79-73, 78-74
Records: Kavanagh (12-0-1, 5 KOs); Valadez (11-3, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This was simply a tremendous fight that was action-packed for virtually the entire rumble. Although two of the scores were one-sided, this was no easy fight. This was an absolute brawl. Both of these 22-year-olds deserve applause for leaving it all in the ring. From the outset, they tore into each other, although Kavanagh, a native of Ireland who relocated to live and train in Hollywood, Calif., had the slight edge for most of the fight. In the third round, Kavanagh nearly dropped Valadez with a right hand that badly staggered him. Kavanagh followed the shot with a huge flurry of shots that had Valadez ready to go, but somehow he stayed on his feet. Amazingly, Valadez rebounded just before the end of the round to rock Kavanagh as the crowd cheered. In the seventh round, Valadez had Kavanagh in some trouble when he knocked him off balance with a right hand and opened a cut under his left eye. There were countless heated exchanges in this unexpected gem.
Thursday in London
Frankie Gavin W12 Junior Witter
Junior welterweight
Wins British junior welterweight title
Scores: 119-109, 117-112, 117-110
Records: Gavin (14-0, 10 KOs); Witter (41-6-2, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gavin, 27, of England, was a 2008 British Olympian and a 2007 world amateur champion. There have been great expectations for him as a professional, although he has been sidetracked here and there by personal problems. But the clear victory against Witter, 38, of England, is by far the biggest win of his career. Even though Witter held a world junior welterweight title not that long ago -- from 2006 to 2008 -- and has faced many quality opponents, he is nowhere near what he was. But he was on a four-fight winning streak, including having won the British title on a unanimous decision against Colin Lynes in May. Gavin, however, outclassed him. Witter, whose reputation as fan-unfriendly fighter because of his miserable style, was up to his usual tricks of making things as messy as he could. Gavin maintained his poise and kept putting rounds in the bank. Referee Marcus McDonnell docked a point from Witter for holding in the 10th round. Even Witter's own corner got on his case for putting forth such a lackluster effort. Gavin showed he could deal with a crafty opponent who did not really want to fight, which every prospect has to deal with at some point, but this one is better off being forgotten. Witter is probably better off retiring and leaving us all alone.
- Dec 1, 2009
- 8,406
- 41
I might put money on Anselmo Moreno and Vanes 
Moreno has been untouchable in his last few, though Mares might be able to slow him with his body punches
But damn Moreno made Darchinyan looked bad
Anyone have predictions?
Also, fights on Showbox tomorrow
Moreno has been untouchable in his last few, though Mares might be able to slow him with his body punches
But damn Moreno made Darchinyan looked bad
Anyone have predictions?
Also, fights on Showbox tomorrow
- Sep 28, 2003
- 28,232
- 12,585
I might put money on Anselmo Moreno and Vanes
Moreno has been untouchable in his last few, though Mares might be able to slow him with his body punches
But damn Moreno made Darchinyan looked bad
Anyone have predictions?
Also, fights on Showbox tomorrow
Moreno and Lara both by decision.
- Sep 4, 2006
- 4,706
- 375
Mares vs. Moreno live weigh in going on right now
http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/11/...ht-time-november-9-10-2012-angulo-boxing-news
http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/11/...ht-time-november-9-10-2012-angulo-boxing-news
- Dec 1, 2009
- 8,406
- 41
looks like he befriended a volleyball
- Jul 23, 2007
- 31,964
- 1,056
- Nov 8, 2004
- 4,946
- 548
Going to east bum **** PA next month to catch USS Cunningham v. Adamek. Team USS cam through with the hook up.
- Sep 4, 2006
- 4,706
- 375
Gary Russell Jr. with the nasty KO last night
- Jul 7, 2011
- 7,728
- 3,808
- Jul 25, 2012
- 827
- 75
I've always found Mikey Garcia to be boring, his record is not indicative of how he fights.
- Dec 1, 2009
- 8,406
- 41
angulo 
- Sep 4, 2006
- 4,706
- 375
It wouldn't hurt if Mikey Garcia threw some body punches.
- Jul 25, 2012
- 827
- 75
i got Lara by decision.
- Jul 23, 2007
- 31,964
- 1,056
Good fights on ShoBox tonite.
Santa Cruz and Mares looked damn good.
Santa Cruz and Mares looked damn good.
- Dec 1, 2009
- 8,406
- 41
No idea what Moreno was thinking, laying on the ropes more than usual and not countering
Almost came back too
mares donaire
Almost came back too
mares donaire
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- Sep 1, 2004
- 25,508
- 667
that HBO fight was trash. lara ant that good.
showtime fights was
showtime fights was
- Jul 23, 2007
- 31,964
- 1,056
Donaire stay ducking. he wont fight Mares.
- Jul 23, 2007
- 31,964
- 1,056
yea Santa Cruz might give Mares the Bidness.
would love to see that fight
Santa Cruz looks like he would return fire below the belt at Mares if he gets hit low. he'll muck it up
would love to see that fight
Santa Cruz looks like he would return fire below the belt at Mares if he gets hit low. he'll muck it up
- Mar 3, 2006
- 24,717
- 436
I wasn't too impressed by Martirosyan chasing around Lara. Not that Lara looked great, but I still thought he was winning that fight, even though Vanes was forcing the fight on Lara. Neither guy looked too impressive, but I'd rather watch Lara again.
I really like Mikey Garcia man. I really do. He's not the flashiest boxer, he started slow in the sense that he wasn't trying to end the fight early, but he still won rounds early. He has power, he boxes, and he wins rounds. I'd really like to see him take on some heavy competition in his next fight. Someone like Jhonny, Ponce de Leon, Salido, or maybe even Chris John. There's a couple guys in weight classes ahead of him I'd love to see him fight, but he's not ready for that yet. Barros wanted NOTHING to do with Mikey.
I didn't like that Moreno/Mares fight. More specifically, I just don't like Mares. I hated the fight he had with Agbeko, and I hated the way the ref controlled the Moreno fight. Maybe I just don't like his style. Just hate seeing him bullrush guys, getting tons of low blows every fight, it's just not pleasing to watch. I'd love to see Nonito whoop him, but I don't know if it would happen. Donaire should get past Arce, but we'll see.
Is it just me? Does Leo Santa Cruz look like Bam Bam Rios and Margarito had a baby?
. I'm really excited to see what he brings to the 122 division once he decides to go up. I don't feel like Mares could push Santa Cruz around like we've seen him push other guys around. He has a bit of Bam Bam in him to me.
I'm happy for Angulo. I saw a little interview with him for what he's gone through in the past year, and it seems like he just wants to get on with his life. He looked kind of out of it at the weigh-in, and his look is definitely different, but he still has power in those gloves.
The Cleverly/Hawk fight did nothing for me. Yeah, Cleverly dominated, but I'm just not too thrilled with the Light Heavyweight division right now.
I was thrilled with what I saw out of Orozco. A lot of promise in him, can't wait for him to face some tougher competition.
Really looking forward to the end-of-the-year fights man.
I want to see DeMarco take out Broner, but as long as it's a good fight, I'm happy.
It'll be good to see Seth Mitchell and how much he's progressed, but I'm not going to look into him too much. No one touches the Klitschko brothers.
Ghost Guerrero has been a long-time favorite because he grew up about 45 minutes away from where I live, and always followed him from his amateur days. I feel confident going into the Berto fight, but we'll see.
I'm not too thrilled with watching Hatton come back, but if he has a good fight, I guess. Paulie calling out Hatton does nothing for me though. Paulie sucks.
Cotto/Trout will be interesting to see the direction of Cotto. I'm not paying money to see that fight though.
Speaking of paying money, I'll be pissed if JMM doesn't win this upcoming fight. Not even because of what's happened in the past, but I want JMM to put a clinic on Manny, to end all this crap.
I really like Mikey Garcia man. I really do. He's not the flashiest boxer, he started slow in the sense that he wasn't trying to end the fight early, but he still won rounds early. He has power, he boxes, and he wins rounds. I'd really like to see him take on some heavy competition in his next fight. Someone like Jhonny, Ponce de Leon, Salido, or maybe even Chris John. There's a couple guys in weight classes ahead of him I'd love to see him fight, but he's not ready for that yet. Barros wanted NOTHING to do with Mikey.
I didn't like that Moreno/Mares fight. More specifically, I just don't like Mares. I hated the fight he had with Agbeko, and I hated the way the ref controlled the Moreno fight. Maybe I just don't like his style. Just hate seeing him bullrush guys, getting tons of low blows every fight, it's just not pleasing to watch. I'd love to see Nonito whoop him, but I don't know if it would happen. Donaire should get past Arce, but we'll see.
Is it just me? Does Leo Santa Cruz look like Bam Bam Rios and Margarito had a baby?
. I'm really excited to see what he brings to the 122 division once he decides to go up. I don't feel like Mares could push Santa Cruz around like we've seen him push other guys around. He has a bit of Bam Bam in him to me. I'm happy for Angulo. I saw a little interview with him for what he's gone through in the past year, and it seems like he just wants to get on with his life. He looked kind of out of it at the weigh-in, and his look is definitely different, but he still has power in those gloves.
The Cleverly/Hawk fight did nothing for me. Yeah, Cleverly dominated, but I'm just not too thrilled with the Light Heavyweight division right now.
I was thrilled with what I saw out of Orozco. A lot of promise in him, can't wait for him to face some tougher competition.
Really looking forward to the end-of-the-year fights man.
I want to see DeMarco take out Broner, but as long as it's a good fight, I'm happy.
It'll be good to see Seth Mitchell and how much he's progressed, but I'm not going to look into him too much. No one touches the Klitschko brothers.
Ghost Guerrero has been a long-time favorite because he grew up about 45 minutes away from where I live, and always followed him from his amateur days. I feel confident going into the Berto fight, but we'll see.
I'm not too thrilled with watching Hatton come back, but if he has a good fight, I guess. Paulie calling out Hatton does nothing for me though. Paulie sucks.
Cotto/Trout will be interesting to see the direction of Cotto. I'm not paying money to see that fight though.
Speaking of paying money, I'll be pissed if JMM doesn't win this upcoming fight. Not even because of what's happened in the past, but I want JMM to put a clinic on Manny, to end all this crap.
- Nov 18, 2010
- 3,128
- 138
JMM by tko. roach will throw in the towel.
- Dec 1, 2009
- 8,406
- 41
Garcia is really smart but damn he takes his time.
Can;t wait for the Salido fight.
Can;t wait for the Salido fight.
- Aug 3, 2012
- 105
- 37
Nobody wants to fight this guy.
Modern day Marciano, style wise.
