THE BREAKDOWN: Abner Mares-Anselmo Moreno

Published

12 years ago

November 5, 2012

Lee Wylie

MaresMorenoPreLAPC BLevins 14 Readers, weigh in on Wylie's take, and add your own prediction in our Forum. Do you like Mares (left) against the underrated Moreno? (Hogan)

Along with Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux, Anselmo Moreno {33-1-1 with 12 Kos} and Abner Mares {24-0-1 with 13 Kos} are considered two of the best super bantamweights in the world. They will meet this Saturday at the Home Depot Centre in California, Los Angeles. Mares’ WBC title will be on the line.

Even though Moreno, 27 years-old, has never campaigned at 122 pounds before, the skilled southpaw technician shouldn’t be at a loss fighting at a slightly higher weight class. Having dominated at 118 pounds, Moreno hasn’t lost a fight in more than 10 years. His last defeat, a split decision to Ricardo Molina back in 2002, has since been twice avenged. Because of his 28 fight-winning streak in the bantamweight division, some consider Moreno to be one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world. There were times during his last two fights against Vic Darchinyan and David De La Morra where Moreno looked every bit as good as those currently residing the pound for pound list.

Abner Mares, 26 years-old, is on a bit of a run himself at the moment. Going undefeated in boxing isn’t the be all and end all, but when you consider that he’s probably faced the sternest opposition available to him outside of Carl Froch, it’s quite the accomplishment. Being new to the division himself -having only fought at 122 pounds just the once when dominating veteran Eric Morel in his last outing- Mares will need to be at his absolute best if he’s to topple his Panamanian opponent. A win over Moreno would certainly be a career best win for the young Mexican.

The bout is intriguing in that both men will be presenting each other with severe stylistic equations; Moreno’s southpaw angles, defense and counterpunching ability and Mares’ well rounded attack, high volume and grit, will surely test one another to the full.

Using video clips along with analysis below, I’ll be highlighting some of the key elements in each fighter’s style and how they could affect the outcome of the fight.

Anselmo Moreno

Moving off at an angle

The staple of Anselmo Moreno’s game is his footwork. What makes Moreno’s movement so effective is how he nearly always manages to get himself on the blind side of an opponent so that they’re constantly being made to turn and never setting themselves.

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Within the first few minutes of his fight with Frederic Patrac, you’ll see Moreno demonstrate one of his signature moves multiple times. Notice how Moreno circles Patrac in a counter-clockwise motion {he’s a southpaw, remember} before sliding off Patrac’s left shoulder behind a double jab. By circling towards the left side of Patrac, who’s an orthodox fighter, and then moving off behind him, Moreno has done two things.Firstly, he’s taken away his opponent’s right hand threat. If Patrac is going to attempt to land or even throw his trailing hand, he’s going to have to punch across himself, which in turn hinders his power and technique while also making him more vulnerable to counters. And secondly, Moreno’s movement forces Patrac into squaring himself up. Notice Patrac’s alignment in relation to Moreno’s left shoulder. Moreno’s footwork always forces Patrac into lining himself up with Moreno’s left hand.

Also, if you skip to around the 5:40 mark of the video, you’ll see another of Anselmo Moreno’s common manoeuvres. Notice how Moreno baits Patrac into following him to the ropes. As Patrac closes the distance, Moreno moves to his left, before quickly reversing his movement and exiting to his right behind a right hook as Patrac is stepping in. This evasive technique was also a favourite of Pernell Whitaker, a fighter who Moreno has often been compared to such is the similarities between their styles.

Abner Mares is no crude slugger, but he can sometimes square himself up on the inside. Moreno’s ability to constantly be on the shoulder of an opponent could make Mares’ job of finding him frustrating.

Ducking under punches

Another of Moreno’s key defensive attributes is his ability to avoid and blunt an opponent’s attack by slipping and ducking under their punches. By standing side on, behind his right shoulder, Moreno is very tough to hit with single power shots from the trailing hand.

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Vic Darchinyan is an overly aggressive fighter. When an opponent forces the action as hard as he does, it isn’t always wise to give them their desired momentum simply by moving away from their attack. A perfect example of Moreno’s effective slipping and ducking can be seen at the 21:15 mark of the video. As Darchinyan tries to land a right jab followed by a left cross, Moreno quickly steps back, ducks under the hook and into a clinch with Darchinyan, forcing a separation by the referee. This happened again and again throughout the fight –also check out 19:00 and 35:03 for further examples of Darchinyan missing with his left hand over the top as Moreno’s ducking under. Yes, Moreno uses a plenty of lateral movement in the ring at times, but it’s his superb upper body movement when slipping and countering that takes his defensive craft to another level, as evident in the video below.

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Notice at 3:36 how Moreno’s subtle upper body movement causes De La Morra to misjudge the distance and over extend with his jab. After slipping inside, Moreno counters De La Morra’s jab {as he’s bringing it back} with a right hook over the top followed by a left uppercut to the body. This is high level counterpunching.

Combination punching

Moreno’s combination punching is truly excellent. By looking at this brilliant highlight package below, you’ll see numerous examples of Moreno’s stellar combination punching which he also integrates into his counterpunching -Moreno prefers to counter using single shots, but he’s also very effective at stringing punches together in twos and threes after countering.

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As I’m sure you’ve noticed in the video above, one of Moreno’s favourite combinations is a double jab, left straight, right hook to the body or head. What makes this combination so effective is;

1. It’s unpredictable in that it involves doubling up with the same hand and uses multiple targets by mixing up a head and body attack.

2. By finishing the combination with his lead hand, Moreno is always in balance after he’s finished punching, leaving himself less vulnerable to counters and also in position to defend.

In the pocket

When we think of fighting in the pocket, we tend to think of Henry Armstrong overwhelming his opponents with wave after wave of unrelenting pressure. There’s more to being effective in the pocket than just applying pressure. Defensive mastery on the inside is equally important. Although he’s probably at his best when moving laterally and working behind his jab, Moreno is supremely adept working at close quarters, both offensively and defensively, as his 2008 fight with Rolly Matsushita shows.

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Take a look at 26:42. Notice how Moreno ducks a left uppercut before countering with a right hook to the body. Then at 26:47 as Matsushita presses the attack, Moreno again counters, this time by way of a left uppercut after blocking a Matushita left hook on his elbows. Moving on to the 26:52 point, Moreno forces Matsushita to miss with four consecutive blows – a left hook and right hand {slipped and elbow blocked by Moreno} followed by a right hook and a right straight {both missed their mark because of Moreno’s excellent upper body movement}. Notice how all of these exchanges took place at close quarters. Moreno is standing in range and avoiding everything his opponent is throwing at him without running.

Using the same video, starting at 30:50, there’s an excellent sequence highlighting many of Moreno’s key attributes.

30:50 Moreno evades a jab by sliding off to his orthodox opponent’s blind side by pivoting on his front foot in a counter clockwise motion while using his elbow to deflect the blow as he turns

30:58 Moreno lets his hands go by throwing a right jab followed by left uppercut, then a straight left, right uppercut, left straight.

31:10 again, Moreno turns his man as he slides off to Matsushita’s blindside. As Matsushita jabs, Moreno pivots while guarding his head with his elbow, before slipping a follow up right hand.

31:26 as Matsushita launches an attack, Moreno shows him the right shoulder in close and begins to slip and counter. During the exchange, nothing lands clean on Moreno, who conversely, pretty much lands with everything he throws -straight left hand, right hook and left uppercut.

Mares is excellent on the inside, particularly with his lead hand, but Moreno is a very intelligent fighter who can neutralize a certain weapon through positioning himself in a certain way. Moreno’s side on stance behind his right shoulder is designed to stymie and frustrate. Mares will have to be very creative if he’s to get beyond Moreno’s defensive construct.

Abner Mares

Doubling and tripling up with the lead hand

A common trait of Abner Mares is to confuse his opponent by throwing multiple punches using his lead/left hand.

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Although he doesn’t connect, notice how at 02:51 Mares thinks nothing of throwing a lead left uppercut at the head of Yonnhy Perez followed by a left hook to the same target -a very unusual combination to be thrown from the lead hand. Because Mares has very good hand speed, he gets away with this type of attack. If you look at the 03:38 mark, you’ll see yet another example of Mares throwing consecutive punches using his lead hand, this time in the form of a double jab, left hook to the body followed by a left hook upstairs. Most fighters are trained to expect conventional punch patterns i.e. jab-jab-right or left-right-left-right. Despite often leaving himself open, Mares’ opponents can’t seem to fathom what punch is coming next from him because of his ability to throw multiple punches from unconventional angles using his lead hand.

Moreno is tough to hit with single shots because of his punch anticipation and elite level defense. Mares’ high volume, particularly with the lead hand, could have good results against a fighter who relies on countering single shots.

From the outside

Although Mares is probably at his best when he’s on the inside, firing off his short combinations, his boxing ability from the outside is much underrated as this clip of his fight with Yonnhy Perez shows.

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From the beginning of the video, notice how Mares is making full use of the ring by employing plenty of lateral movement. At 00:18 Mares begins to step in with combinations –jab, jab, right hand- before getting back out of range again. Notice at 00:24 how Mares uses his jab to separate himself from Perez, who is eager to close the distance. Look at 00:55 how Mares steps in with a one-two before rolling under Perez’s left hook and forcing his way inside where he lands two right hooks to the body during a clinch. These are excellent tactics from Mares.

Left hook to the body

As I mentioned earlier, Mares’ left hand is clearly his dominant hand. Although his jab is good and his uppercuts and left hook upstairs are excellent, one of his key weapons is his left hook to the body as evident in the clip below.

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At 01:59 Mares lands an excellent left hook into the side and underneath Perez’s right elbow, followed by a left hook up top. Again, Mares is brilliant at levering his lead hand up top and down below.

At 02:43 Mares is backing up. As Perez steps in with a right hand lead, Mares slips outside of it, lands a left hook to the body and then exits by rolling under a left hook and moving away. Again, brilliant boxing ability backed up by an excellent left hook to the body. At 03:01 we see almost a repeat of the exact same sequence –left hook to the body, then a roll under a left hook.

Because Moreno has excellent head movement, Mares’ body punching could be a key element for him against an elusive southpaw like Moreno.

Head Movement

Although he isn’t quite as gifted as Moreno when it comes to defense, Mares is very good at making an opponent miss with good head movement when he’s in punching range.

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At 05:34 Mares makes Perez miss four consecutive blows through head movement. As Perez fires three jabs followed by a right hand, Mares is pivoting clockwise on his front foot, weaving under the punches as he moves. At 05:41 Mares slips inside a left jab. Again, his head movement is solid. At 05:47 Mares rolls under a right hook, lands a left uppercut to the body, and then slips a left hook.

Overhand right

Another of Mares’ best shots is his overhand right.

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At 06:51 Mares bends at the waist, takes his head away from the centre and lands an overhand right as Perez is throwing his own right hand. Notice the difference in Perez’s heady and body position as opposed to Mares’ as they’re throwing their right hands. That’s why Mares was successful in connecting with his and Perez wasn’t.

Verdict

Although they hit hard enough to hurt each other, neither of these men are known for their ability to end a fight. Logic suggests that this fight is heading to the scorecards. For me, Moreno is better than Mares in just about every area, whether it be defense, intelligence, skill, you name it. And despite never fighting as a super bantamweight before, at 5’ 8’’ and with a 70’’ reach, he’ll have an advantage in height and length over Mares too. I get the feeling that Moreno will try and make this fight easy for him by keeping Mares, who will likely be the fighter in pursuit, on the end of the jab by attempting to keep the fight at a distance. As I’ve already stated, Mares is excellent at closing the distance by slipping punches before landing short combinations, uppercuts along with overhand rights and lefts. The problem he’ll be faced with, however, is that Moreno is equally as slick on the inside as he is from the outside. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the action did indeed take place at close quarters only for Mares to find it nigh on impossible to land anything worthwhile because of Moreno’s right shoulder posture defense. On the other hand, I can see Moreno’s straight left landing often, especially against a fighter like Mares who may hold his hands high, but is hittable because he often squares himself up to his opponent {remember, Mares was hit often by the straight left hand of Darchinyan often during their fight}. Ultimately, Moreno should have too much polish and skill for Mares. Yes, Mares is probably faster and possibly hits slightly harder, but Moreno is a technician of the highest order and his ring acumen and timing are good enough to nullify any rate of hand speed that Mares should bring. It’s quite possible that Moreno may find it tough to counter Mares’ combinations by waiting on him, but as he showed against David De La Morra, Moreno’s more than capable of forcing the action behind his own combinations and body attack which are reinforced by a superb defense. Moreno should be able to win a decision based on his superior craft and footwork. Along with Floyd Mayweather and Joan Guzman, I consider Anselmo Moreno to be one of the finest pure boxers/technicians on the planet. It’s going to be very difficult for Mares to impose himself on Moreno, who’s one of the best out there at making an opponent fight his fight.

One final thought. Although I’m picking Anselmo Moreno to win, it’s not inconceivable to think that Moreno could outbox Mares for 12 rounds and still wind up losing a decision. Moreno is a counterpuncher who may opt to fight off his back foot, whereas Mares is high volume and will likely be the one pressing the action. If the fight does indeed go the distance, then Mares could receive the benefit of the doubt in close rounds because of aggression, even though he may not be all that effective with it. Remember, judges don’t see every punch that lands but they do usually see every punch that’s thrown. If Mares is the one coming forward throwing twice as many punches as Moreno, then the judges may feel that he’s the one doing all the work in there and may award him the decision. Remember also, Abner Mares is the hometown fighter here.

Not that anything like that ever happens in boxing of course.

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Lee Wylie

The Hauser Report: Some Thoughts on Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul

Published

20 hours ago

November 17, 2024

Thomas Hauser

The-Hauser-Report-Some-Thoughts-on-Mike-Tyson-v-Jake-Paul

Jake Paul boxed his way to a unanimous decision over Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday night. The bout, streamed live on Netflix, was one of the most-watched fights of all time and, in terms of the level of competition, boxing’s least-consequential mega-fight ever.

We’re living in a golden age for spectator sports. Sports generate massive amounts of money from engaged fan bases and are more popular now than ever before. Today’s athletes are more physically gifted, better conditioned, and more skilled than their predecessors. Their prowess is appreciated and understood by tens of millions of fans.

Not so for boxing. For the sweet science, this is an era of “fools’ gold.” Yes, fighters like Oleksandr Usyk, Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, and Naoya Inoue bring honor to the sport. But boxing’s fan base has dwindled to the point where most people have no idea who the heavyweight champion of the world is. The sport’s dominant promoter has a business model that runs hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the red. And most fights of note are contested behind a paywall that shrinks the fan base even more. Few sports fans understand what good boxing is.

Mike Tyson is 58 years old. Once upon a time, he was the most destructive boxer in the world and “the baddest man on the planet.” Prior to last Friday night, he hadn’t fought in nineteen years and hadn’t won a fight since 2003.

Jake Paul is a 27-year-old social media personality who wasn’t born when Tyson lost his aura of invincibility at the hands of Buster Douglas. Paul began boxing professionally three years ago and, before fighting Tyson, had compiled a 10-1 (7 KOs) record against carefully chosen opponents.

Netflix has roughly 283 million subscribers globally, 84 million of them in North America. Recently, it made the decision to move into live sports. On December 25, it will stream the National Football League’s two Christmas games on an exclusive basis.

Netflix took note of the fact that Tyson’s 2020 exhibition against Roy Jones drew 1.6 million pay-per-view buys and concluded that Tyson-Paul had the potential to be the most-viewed fight of all time. It purchased rights to the fight as an attention grabber and subscription seller for (a best-estimate) $40 million.

Tyson-Paul was originally scheduled for July 20. A compliant Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations sanctioned the bout as an official fight, not an exhibition. In deference to Tyson’s age, the fighters agreed that the match would be contested over eight two-minute rounds (women’s rules) with 14-ounce gloves (heavyweight gloves normally weigh ten ounces).

But on May 26, Tyson became nauseous and dizzy while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles and needed medical assistance for what was later described as a bleeding ulcer. The fight was rescheduled for November 15. Later, Tyson described the incident on the plane as follows: “I was in the bathroom throwing up blood. I had, like, eight blood transfusions. The doctor said I lost half my blood. I almost died. I lost 25 pounds in eleven days. Couldn’t eat. Only liquids. Every time I went to the bathroom, it smelled like tar. Didn’t even smell like shit anymore. It was disgusting.”

Does that sound like a 58-year-old man who should be fighting?

As Eliot Worsell noted, Tyson-Paul contained all the elements of a successful reality show. “There are for a start,” he wrote, “celebrities involved, two of them. One is ‘old famous’ and the other ‘new famous’ and both bring large audiences with them. They need only tap something on their phone to guarantee the entire world pays attention. And that, in this day and age, is all you really need to green light a project like this.”

But Worsell added a word of caution, observing, “This has been the story of Jake Paul’s pro boxing career to date; one of smoke and mirrors, one of sycophants telling him only what he wants to hear. He has been fed a lie just as Mike Tyson is now being fed a lie, and on November 15 they will both play dress-up and be watched by millions. They will wear gloves like boxers and they will move like boxers – one hampered in this quest by old age and the other by sheer incompetence – and they will together make ungodly sums of money.”

There was early talk that 90,000 fans would jam AT&T Stadium on fight night. Initially, ticket prices ranged from $381 to $7,956. And those prices were dwarfed by four tiers of VIP packages topped by a two-million-dollar “MVP Owner’s Experience” that included special ringside seating at the fight for six people, luxury hotel accommodations, weigh-in and locker room photo ops, boxing gloves signed by Tyson and Paul, and other amenities.

But by Monday of fight week, ticket prices had dropped to as little as $36. Ringside seats were available for $900. And the press release announcing the eventual MVP Owner’s Experience sale backtracked a bit, saying the package was “valued at $2 million” – not that the actual sale price was $2 million. It also appeared that the purchase price included advertising for the law firm that purchased the package since the release proclaimed, “Just as every fighter in the ring stands to represent resilience, grit, and the pursuit of victory, TorkLaw stands in the corner of the people, fighting for justice and empowering those who need it most.”

That said, the fight drew 72,300 fans (inclusive of giveaway tickets) to AT&T Stadium. And the live gate surpassed $18 million making it the largest onsite gate ever in the United States for a fight card outside of Las Vegas. More than 60 million households watched the event live around the world.

The undercard featured a spirited fight between Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos that ended in a draw. Then came the second dramatic showdown between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.

Taylor-Serrano II was for all four major sanctioning body 140-pound belts. Two years ago, Katie and Amanda did battle at Madison Square Garden on a historic night that saw Taylor emerge with a controversial split-decision win. Katie is now 38 years old and her age is showing. Amanda is 36. Taylor was an early 6-to-5 betting favorite in the rematch but the odds flipped late in Serrano’s favor.

Amanda began Taylor-Serrano II in dominating fashion and wobbled Katie just before the bell ending round one. That set the pattern for the early rounds. Serrano looked like she could hurt Taylor, and Taylor didn’t look like she could hurt Serrano.

Then in round four, Serrano got hurt. A headbutt opened a gruesome gash on her right eyelid. As the bout progressed, the cut became more dangerous. From an armchair perspective, it looked as though the fight should have been stopped and the result determined by the judges’ abbreviated scorecards. But the ring doctor who examined Serrano allowed it to continue even though the flow of blood seemed to handicap Amanda more and more with each passing round.

In round eight, referee Jon Schorle took a point away from Taylor after the fourth clash of heads that he thought Katie had initiated. By then, Serrano’s face resembled a gory Halloween mask and the bout had turned into a non-stop firefight. Each woman pushed herself as far as it seemed possible to go.

In the eyes of most observers, Serrano clearly won the fight. This writer scored the bout 96-93 in Amanda’s favor. Then the judges had their say. Each one favored Taylor by a 95-94 margin.

“My God!” blow-by-blow commentator Mauro Ranallo exclaimed after the verdict was announced. “How does one rob Amanda Serrano after a performance like that?”

In keeping with the hyperbole of the promotion, one might say that it was the most-watched ring robbery (although not the worst) in boxing history.

CompuBox is an inexact tabulation. But there’s a point at which the numbers can’t be ignored. According to CompuBox, Serrano outlanded Taylor in nine of ten rounds with an overall 324-to-217 advantage in punches landed.

From a boxing standpoint, Taylor-Serrano II made the evening special. Casual fans who don’t know much about the sweet science saw a very good fight. But they also saw how bad judging undermines boxing.

Meanwhile, as good as Taylor-Serrano II was, that’s not what Netflix was selling to the public. Jake Paul’s most recent events had engendered disappointing viewer numbers. This one was a cultural touchstone because of Tyson.

Paul has worked hard to become a boxer. In terms of skills, he’s now a club fighter (which is more than 99.9 percent of the population could realistically dream of being). So, what happens when a club fighter fights a 58-year-old man who used to be great?

Jack Johnson fought until the age of 53, losing four of his last six bouts. And the two he won were against opponents named Rough House Wilson (who was disqualified in what would be his only recorded professional fight) and Brad Simmons (who was barred from fighting again in Kansas because he was believed to have thrown the fight against Johnson).

Larry Holmes fought until age 52, knocking out 49-year-old Mike Weaver at age 51 and winning a unanimous decision over Eric Esch (aka Butterbean) in his final bout.

Paul was a 2-to-1 betting favorite. Serious PED testing for the fight was a murky issue but seems to have been minimal. Taylor and Serrano underwent VADA testing in advance of their bout. Tyson and Paul didn’t.

Tyson weighed in for the contest at 228.4 pounds; Paul at 227.2 (well over his previous high of 200). Following the weigh-in, Mike and Jake came face to face for the ritual staredown and Mike slapped Jake. But the incident was self-contained with no ripple effect and had the feel of a WWE confrontation.

That raised a question that was fogging the promotion: “Would Tyson vs. Paul be a ‘real’ fight or a pre-arranged sparring session (which was what Tyson vs. Roy Jones appeared to be)?”

That question was of particular note because sports betting is legal in 38 states and 31 of them were allowing wagers on the fight.

Nakisa Bidarian (co-founder of Paul’s promotional company) sought to lay that issue to rest, telling ESPN, “There’s no reason for us to create a federal fraud, a federal crime. These are pro fights that consumers are making legal bets on. We have never and we’ll never do anything that’s other than above board and one hundred percent a pro fight unless we come out clearly and say, ‘Hey, this is an exhibition fight that is a show.'”

Tyson looked old and worried during his ring walk and wore a sleeve on his right knee. The crowd was overwhelmingly in his favor. But it’s an often-repeated truism that the crowd can’t fight. And neither could Mike.

Once upon a time, Tyson scored nine first-minute knockouts in professional fights. Not first-round. First-minute.

Against Paul, “Iron Mike” came out for round one as hard as he could (which wasn’t very hard) while Jake kept a safe distance between them. Then Tyson tired and took all the air out of the fight. By round three, he was in survival mode with his head tucked safely behind his 14-ounce gloves. And Jake didn’t have the skills to hurt him.

The CompuBox numbers favored Paul by a 78-to-18 margin in punches landed. In other words, Tyson landed an average of two punches per round. The judges’ scores were 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 in Jake’s favor. It was a “real” fight but a bad one.

“I love Mike Tyson,” Terence Crawford posted on X afterward. “But they giving him too much credit. He looked like trash.”

Prior to the bout, Tris Dixon wrote, “Tyson-Paul is a weird event, and I can’t think of anything even remotely like it in terms of the level of fighters, celebrity, and their ages. The event is unique, and morally and ethically it is questionable. It is a cynical cash grab. I can’t see it being particularly entertaining as a high-level sporting event. But I’m sure once it starts you won’t be able to take your eyes off it.”

All true. But let’s remember that there was a time when Mike Tyson was universally recognized as the best fighter in the world. Not many people in history have been able to say that.

—

Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – MY MOTHER and me – is a personal memoir available at www.amazon.com/My-Mother-Me-Thomas-Hauser/dp/1955836191/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5C0TEN4M9ZAH&keywords=thomas+hauser&qid=1707662513&sprefix=thomas+hauser%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1

In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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Golden Boy in Riyadh Results: Zurdo Ramirez Unifies Cruiserweight Titles

Published

2 days ago

November 16, 2024

David A. Avila

Golden-Boy-in-Royadh-Results-Zurdo-Ramirez-Unifies-Cruiserweight-Titles

Mexico’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez endured the grinding style of England’s Chris Billam-Smith to become the unified WBO and WBA cruiserweight champion by unanimous decision after a bruising battle in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

“I’m a true champion,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) used angles and experience to out-maneuver the very strong Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) in Golden Boy Promotion’s first joint adventure with “Riyadh Season” in Riyadh, Saud Arabia.

Footwork by Ramirez seemed to surprise Billiam-Smith whose relentless approach could not corral the Mexican fighter who was fighting only for the second time at cruiserweight.

The former super middleweight champion used his experience and ability to create punching angles to optimum success against Billam-Smith. The movement confused the British fighter who never could find a solution.

“He has consistent shots,” said Billam-Smith. “I had trouble tracking him.”

But Billam-Smith used his relentless attacking style for all 12 rounds despite suffering a cut near his eye in the sixth round. He never quit and pounded away at Ramirez who simply out-punched the incredibly strong British cruiserweight.

No knockdowns were scored. Billam-Smith did have success in the 10^th round but couldn’t overcome the overall success Ramirez had tallied with body shots and straight lefts throughout the contest.

“It meant a lot for me to try and stop him,” said Ramirez. “But he’s pretty tough.”

After 12 rounds of bruising action all three judges saw Ramirez the winner 116-112 twice and 116-113.

Barboza’s Quest

After 11 years Arnold Barboza (31-0, 11 KOs) finally got his wish and met former super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in the boxing ring and handed him only his second defeat.

“It was a long time coming,” Barboza said.

Barboza started slowly against the pressure style of Ramirez but soon gathered enough information to determine his own attack. Accuracy with jabs and body shots opened things up for the Southern California fighter from El Monte.

Ramirez seemed to lose that fire in his legs and usually attacking style. Though he occasionally showed the old fire it was only in spurts. Barboza took advantage of the lulls and pierced the former champion’s guards with accurate jabs and quick body shots.

He was sharp.

After 10 rounds all three judges favored Barboza 96-94 twice and 97-93.

“This was my championship fight,” said the undefeated Barboza. “I respect everything about him (Ramirez) and his team.” Ramirez’s only previous loss came in a bout with Josh Taylor for the undisputed world title at 140 pounds.

Lightweight clash

William Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) survived a knockdown to out-punch former champion Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) and walk away with a split decision victory in their lightweight confrontation.

“I knew it was going to be a tough fight,” said Zepeda. “He surprised me a little bit.”

Zepeda opened up with his usual flood of punches from every angle and soon found himself looking up from the floor after Farmer floored him with a perfect counter-left in the third round.

It took the Mexican fighter a few rounds to find a way to avoid Farmer’s counter lefts and then the deluge of blows resumed. Though Farmer continued to battle he couldn’t match the number of blows coming from Zepeda.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Farmer 95-94 but the two other judges saw Zepeda by 95-94 scores.

“I just brought it to him,” said Farmer who knew it was a close fight.

Puerto Rico’s New Unified Champ

In a battle between minimumweight world titlists Puerto Rico’s Oscar Collazo (11-0, 8 KOs) knocked out Thailand’s KO CP Freshmart (25-1, 9 KOs) to become the WBO and WBA champion.

Freshmart, also known as Thammanoon Niyomtrong, was the longest reigning champion in the 105-division weight class for a total of eight years. That was quickly ended as Collazo’s floored the strong Thai fighter three times during their clash of champions.

Body shots proved beneficial to Collazo as both exchanged blows to the abdomen but the Puerto Rican added flashy combinations to control the fight for six rounds.

“I saw him breathing hard,” said Collazo.

Possibly understanding he was falling behind, Freshmart began to advance more aggressively and forced exchanges with the fast Boricua. Bad idea.

During a furious exchange in the sixth Collazo connected with a counter right hook on the chin and down went Freshmart. He recovered and finished the round.

Collazo opened the seventh searching for an opening and immediately connected with another right hook during an exchange of blows with the Thai fighter. Down went Freshmart again but he got up to fight again. Collazo moved in cautiously again and this time fired a left uppercut that finished Freshmart at 1:29 if the seventh round.

“We got the stoppage,” said Collazo the unified WBO and WBA minimumweight champion.

Puerto Rico has another unified world champion in Collazo.

“I want all the belts,” Collazo said.

Duarte edges Akhmedov

Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (28-2-1, 22 KOs) scrapped past Botirzhon Akhmedov (10-4, 9 KOs) in a rugged super lightweight battle to win by unanimous decision. But it was a close one.

“He’s a great fighter, a warrior,” said Duarte of Akhmedov.

Akhmedov started faster using angles and bursts of punches as Duarte looked to counter. In the second half of the 10-round fight the extra energy expended by the fighter from Uzbekistan seemed to tire him. Mexico’s Duarte took advantage and looked stronger in the second half of the match.

All three judges saw Duarte the winner 98-92, 97-93, 96-94.

Welterweights

Saudi Arabia’s Ziyad Almaayouf (6-0-1) and Mexico’s Juan Garcia (5-6-1) fought to a majority draw after six rounds of action.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Jake Paul Defeats Mike Tyson plus Other Results from Arlington, Texas

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2 days ago

November 16, 2024

David A. Avila

Hake-Paul-Defeats-Mike-Tyson-and-Other-Resulys-from-Arlington-Texas

The power of Mike Tyson.

Tyson’s power was on display in the people he attracted from all over the world to fill up the 72,000-seat Texas stadium and to capture the interest of more than 160 million viewers on Netflix. But, not in the prize ring on Saturday.

Youth and Jake Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) were the winners after eight tepid rounds over legendary heavyweight champion Tyson (50-7, 44 KOs) who failed to beat the chains of time. But he did stir them a bit at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Paul moved in and out of danger against Tyson the former undisputed heavyweight champion whose name struck terror in the 80s and 90s. Though the social media influencer had a 31-year younger body, he could not take full advantage.

“I was afraid he was going to hurt me,” admitted Paul.

In the opening round Tyson stalked Paul like a hungry lion about to pounce on a piece of meat. The younger fighter used his legs and smart jabs to keep separation. It was a wise decision.

At times Paul would unleash quick combinations, but the experienced Tyson’s muscle memory kicked in and he easily avoided the blows. But from the third round on the legs seemed to lock up and every movement seemed a struggle.

Paul landed left hooks to the head but Tyson managed to avoid their full power. And when Tyson connected with a left uppercut in the fifth round Paul wagged his tongue to acknowledge it connected, but the power was not damaging.

The eight two-minute rounds were perfect for this fight.

When a 58-year-old body is forced to fight for its life with all the necessary tools such as agility, endurance and quickness, the mind can play tricks. But Tyson was resolute and kept advancing against Paul in every round.

In the seventh round the aged heavyweight rekindled a second wind and fired dangerous combinations for the first time since the second frame. His winning spirit blazed for a moment or two until Paul unleashed his own combination blows. The moment for miracles had passed.

The final round saw Paul use more jabs and a few combination punches. Tyson tried to fire back but was unable to get his legs to cooperate. Still, his bravado was intact and Paul marked the last 10 seconds by bowing down humbly in front of Tyson. Paul had survived the lion’s maw.

“He’s the greatest heavyweight to ever do it,” said Paul of Tyson. “He’s a really tough and experienced fighter.”

Tyson was almost silent after the fight.

“I knew he was a good fighter. I came prepared,” said Tyson.

Katie Taylor Wins Again

In an even more brutal fight than their first encounter, undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor (24-1) again edged out Amanda Serrano (47-3-1) after 10 bloody rounds to win by unanimous decision.

It was Serrano who jumped on Taylor in the first round and ravaged the Irish fighter with rifling lefts that snapped her head back. There was no wasting time to get acquainted.

Taylor got her footing in the third round with her quick-handed flurries. Though Serrano landed too it was Taylor’s resilience that kept her from being over run by the Puerto Rican’s power blows.

In the third round however, Taylor rushed in with blows and then grabbed Serrano and butted her with her head. A bloody gash opened up on the side of the Puerto Rican’s right eye. The referee quickly acknowledged it was a butt that caused the bad cut.

In the next round the cut opened up even more and the referee and ringside physician asked if she wanted to continue. She acknowledged to continue though the fight could have been stopped and judged by the scores accumulated up to that point. Serrano probably would have won.

Serrano did not want to stop.

“I chose to be great,” Serrano said. “I’m a Boricua. I’ll die in the ring.”

For the remainder of the fight the two combatants battled furiously. It was even more savage than their first encounter in New York two years ago. The referee repeatedly warned Taylor for intentionally diving in with her head and took one point away in the eighth round. He could have deducted more but did not.

“Sometimes it’s tough in there,” explained Taylor.

Serrano’s right hooks and left crosses found their mark repeatedly. Taylor’s quick combinations and strafing rights blazed often. It was up to the judges after 10 rounds had expired. All three judges saw it in favor of Taylor 95-94.

Many in the crowd booed. Even the announcers seemed surprised.

“She’s a fantastic champion,” said Taylor of Serrano. “She’s a hard puncher and tough.”

Serrano seemed displeased by the decision, but happy for the success of the fight card.

WBC Welterweight Title Fight

The theme for the WBC welterweight title fight was only sissies block and slip punches as Mario Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) the champion and challenger Abel Ramos (28-6-3, 22 KOs) slugged each other gruesome for 12 bloody rounds and a split decision.

Barrios retains the WBC title.

“I knew it was a close fight,” Barrios said. “He made it a war.”

The two Mexican-American warriors blasted each other with knockdowns but somehow continued to battle on.

Texas-born Barrios was defending his title for the first time and Arizona’s Ramos was finally invited to challenge for a world title. He accepted.

Barrios opened up with sharp jabs and rocked Ramos with a straight right. He almost went down. In the second round he was not as lucky and was floored with a perfect three-punch combination. Ramos smiled and resumed the fight.

After a few more one-sided rounds in favor of Barrios, who trains in Las Vegas with Bob Santos, the match seemed to be dominated by the welterweight champion. It was a false read.

Ramos opened the sixth round in a more aggressive attack and began hammering Barrios with right hands. A three-punch combination blasted the champion to the ground and forced him to take an eight-count. He barely survived the round as the crowd panted.

“He can crack,” said Barrios.

For the remainder of the match both fought back and forth with Barrios finding success with jabs and rights to the body. Ramos rocketed rights on the champion’s head and occasional left hooks but the right seemed lasered to Barrios head.

Both of their faces were swollen and bloodied by punches to the face and neither seemed willing to quit. After 12 rounds one judge saw Ramos the winner 114-112, another saw Barrios win 116-110, and a third judge saw it 113-113 for a split draw. Barrios retains the WBC title.

“It was a great fight for the crowd,” said Ramos with a smile. “Two warriors like us are going to give an action-packed performance.”

Indian Fighter Wins

Neeraj Goyat (19-4-2) of India defeated Brazil’s Whindersson Nunes (0-1) in a super middleweight fight after six rounds. No knockdowns were scored but Goyat was the busier and more skilled fighter.

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