How Mares Beat Moreno

Published

12 years ago

November 12, 2012

Lee Wylie

MaresMoreno Hogan30 Abner Mares fought like a man possessed on way to successfully defending his WBC super-bantamweight title against Anselmo Moreno on Saturday night, in what turned out to be the Panamanian’s first defeat in more than a decade.

I’ll be honest here. Prior to the fight, while Mares’ high volume and aggression would likely prove troublesome on the scorecards for the counter punching Moreno, I thought the slick southpaw wizard’s jab and superior mobility would be enough to keep the young Mexican turning and following, resulting in Moreno winning a close decision even though Mares would likely be the one receiving the benefit of the doubt in many of the close rounds based on him being perceived as the “effective aggressor”.

Well, there were certainly some close rounds during the fight, some of which could have gone either way. In the end, however, it turned out that not only was Mares awarded many of those close rounds, but also the rounds in which he seemed to clearly come off second best to Moreno as well. Mares was given the verdict by scores of 116-110 twice, and a truly mind boggling margin of 120-106 by James Gen-Kim.

Although I thought the fight was closely contested –not a robbery- and that Moreno was on the wrong side of some choice officiating –the knockdown in the 5th and the point deduction in the 11th were questionable- I must concede that Abner Mares fought a very good strategic fight against an opponent who’s difficult to work out. Moreno’s style is designed to frustrate and spoil. It’s not easy to keep pressing the attack when you’re faced with an elusive target like Moreno, who is constantly turning, slipping and sliding to his positions. Moreno has a way of disrupting an opponent’s rhythm by moving away, allowing them to close the distance on him before quickly switching direction behind a jab or a hook before starting over, or by blunting an attack by ducking underneath and forcing a clinch. Vic Darchinyan is a solid fighter yet he was mastered like never before or since at the hands of Moreno. At no point in their fight was Darchinyan successful in pinning Moreno to the ropes or in getting beyond Moreno’s right shoulder posture and straight left hand. Although Mares’ physical strength at 122 pounds and Moreno’s lack thereof had plenty to do with the final outcome, I feel Mares’ style and choice of tactics were also largely responsible.

Here, I’d like to focus on some of the key areas where Abner Mares had success against Anselmo Moreno Saturday night. Anselmo Moreno’s style is tough to figure out. Abner Mares found a way.

As on display {above} against Frederic Patrac here, circling behind the double jab is the staple of Moreno’s game. This is how he occupies his opponents as he’s moving to his positions. Notice how Moreno escapes to his opponent’s blindside, over their left shoulder and away from their trailing hand as he’s throwing the double jab. By the time his opponent responds and turns, Moreno has already exited, taken an angle on them. Again, this is how Moreno remains one step ahead of his opponents.

By contrast, notice how Mares has backed Moreno into the corner. As Moreno tries to exit via his double jab, Mares slips, parries, then counters the first Moreno jab with a right cross. As a result, Moreno is forced to abandon his second jab and retreat. Compare Mares’ body alignment to that of Patrac’s in the final pictures above.

Unlike Frederic Patrac, by anticipating the double jab and then countering over the top of it, Mares has avoided being turned by Moreno.

Mares was also effective in forcing Moreno to the ropes.

morenowin11122012 3

As Moreno throws a jab, Mares is able to slip outside and rush Moreno. Because Mares is explosive and quick with his charge, Moreno can’t do a thing but fall back to the ropes, where Mares unleashes a barrage of body shots. See how Mares gets his lead foot outside of Moreno’s as he’s charging in.

Mares knew how to deal with an elusive target on the inside as well.

morenowin11122012 4

Look here how Darchinyan is thinking of nothing but hitting the head as Moreno is up against the ropes. In this position, Moreno’s head is the only thing that can move. Darchinyan neglects this fact and aims for it anyway. Moreno, a defensive specialist, ducks under the punch and easily moves away from the ropes and away from any danger.

Compare how Mares attacked Moreno in the same position.

morenowin11122012 5

As Moreno is backed into the ropes, Mares knows that he’s slick and will be trying to avoid head shots by bending at the waist. As a result, Mares goes about throwing combinations, lefts and rights to both sides of Moreno’s lower body. Even if the shots aren’t landing clean, Mares is still winning the exchange by keeping Moreno on the defensive -one can’t win a fight without first throwing punches.

See how Mares intentionally throws a right hand short of the target, in order to allow himself to come back with a left hook to the body. This is first rate combination punching. Moreno can spot the first blow, but the second shot to the body, is not so easy to detect because it was well disguised.

Abner Mares was comfortable in the center of the ring too. Obviously, part of Mares’ strategy was to stay aggressive and not to give Moreno an inch, but there had to be moments of calm before the storm. Had Mares attacked in a reckless manner, then Moreno would have picked him apart on the way in.

There were a few moments during the fight when Mares actually turned counter puncher in an attempt to find an opening to launch his high pressured assault.

morenowin11122012 7

Look how Mares feints a half jab for Moreno to counter with a left straight. As Moreno throws the left straight, Mares ducks and lands an overhand right {a shot he had repeated success with against Moreno}. One of the most useful weapons against a counter puncher is the feint. By feinting, Mares was able to draw out a lead from Moreno, so he could then counter Moreno’s initial counter.

Another main reason why Mares was successful against Moreno was because he avoided throwing single shots.

morenowin11122012 8

See here how Darchinyan throws one shot at a time. As Vic throws a jab and leaves it hanging, Moreno slips outside and counters with a straight left to the body. Moreno immediately comes back with a jab, followed by a straight left hand to the head of Darchinyan. Vic was easily countered because Moreno knew he only threw single shots in the center of the ring. Moreno landed three shots to Vic’s one.

Let’s see how Mares attacked. Moreno is in his usual defensive posture –left glove by the chin, right shoulder facing Mares. A common attack for an orthodox fighter to lead with is a jab, followed by a right hand. Moreno is a brilliant counter puncher and he obviously knows what punches to expect during certain scenarios in the ring. This is where Mares is very hard to figure out. As Mares comes forward, he leads with a left uppercut, followed by a right cross. Although the pictures don’t show it, Mares is actually punching as he’s moving. Needless to say, as Mares is advancing, Moreno probably isn’t anticipating such an unpredictable attack combination. Counter punchers thrive on anticipation. Mares’ attacks against Moreno gave him nothing to key off.

Of course, the fight wasn’t all one way traffic. Anselmo Moreno had plenty of success himself later in the fight, especially with his body punching. But for me, Abner Mares did enough to stymie Moreno’s style and deserved the decision. Mares managed to handle Moreno in a way that no fighter has managed before because of:

High volume, particularly in combination.
Speed advantage.
Far superior physical strength at 122 pounds.
Extensive body punching.
Unpredictability of attack.
Ability to counter a counter puncher.
Unrelenting inside after shortening the distance.

Moreno, on the other hand, had some success but ultimately fell short because of:

An inability to inflict any real hurt or damage on Mares.
Unable to keep Mares off because physical strength at 122 pounds isn’t as prominent.
Inability to avoid the ropes.
Relatively low volume.
Often on the back foot in a fight going to the score cards.

Regardless of what the judge’s cards suggest, the fight was close and it was contested at a really high level of skill. It was a pleasure to watch two elite talents, both in their primes, test their skills against one another and leave everything on the line the way they did. As always, one man had to lose and unfortunately for him, that man was Anselmo Moreno. I’m certain he’ll likely feel hard done by with the wide scoring, but as I mentioned earlier, this can’t really be deemed a robbery of any kind. Yes, it was reasonably close, but having watched it twice now, I felt there was a clear winner. One man seemed to want it slightly more than the other. That man was Abner Mares.

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Lee Wylie

Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: East Coast Fight Cards Seize the Boxing Spotlight

Published

19 hours ago

November 7, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: East Coast Fight Cards Seize the Boxing Spotlight

Once upon a time Olympic gold medalists provided America’s next great wave of fighters.

No longer.

Keyshawn Davis represents the new breed of American fighters that fell short of gold in the Olympics, but command respect as a professional.

The undefeated Davis (11-0, 7 KOs) meets Argentina’s rugged Gustavo Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) on Friday, Nov. 8, at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. ESPN+ will show the lightweight battle set for 10 rounds on the Top Rank card.

The brash lightweight from Norfolk managed to win a silver medal in the 2021 Olympics but for many, he looked like the winner. Since then, he’s blazed his way through whoever Top Rank put in front of him.

Not winning gold in the Olympics is not a blemish, especially with the East European dominated judging. Unless an American wins by knockout they are not going to be awarded a decision.

It’s a major reason why boxing may not be a sport in the L.A. Olympics.

The pro fight world offers a true glimpse of a boxer’s talent. Capricious judging can be eliminated by a knockout with smaller gloves and no head gear. The hurting game is ruthless and no amount of biased judging can stop a deadly left hook.

Davis has a non-apologetic thirst for ripping through easy trials and sipping success against top tier talent. He wants success and wants it now even against dangerous opponents like Lemos.

“It’s not going to be beautiful. There’s going to be blood everywhere. His nose might be a little lopsided after,” said Davis. “But, I respect you, Gustavo. You are an amazing fighter. I appreciate you for taking the fight in my hometown, but I’m going to f**k you up.”

Lemos, who recently lost a very close and much debated decision to another East Coast American fighter, is happy to be offered another opportunity to showcase his Argentine style.

“I have a strong opponent, and I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Lemos who lost a spirited battle to Richardson Hitchins in Las Vegas last April. ““I’ve always said that he (Davis) is a good opponent and that we’re going to have a beautiful fight.”

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Davis will be joined on the fight card by his brothers Keon Davis who makes his pro debut and Kelvin Davis who fights Yeis Solano in a welterweight bout.

Also on the same card will be elite fighters in featherweight contender Ra’eese Aleem and hot lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason.

Saturday in Philly

Two world champions Jaron Ennis and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez headline an impressive fight card in Philadelphia.

IBF welterweight titlist “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) once again meets Ukraine’s Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs) but this time with a world title at stake on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Wells Fargo Center in Philly. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

Their first encounter was not easy for either and resulted in a decision win for Ennis. But that was back in January. Whoever adjusts quicker will be the winner in this competitive-on-paper world title fight.

Chukhadzhian, 28, can take a punch and has a deceptive style of counters and attacks that seem simple but is effective. In their first match 11 months ago Ennis quickly discovered the Ukrainian fighter’s durability and slipped into a boxing mode to utilize speed and mobility. It proved effective but will it be enough this time?

Ennis, 27, has a world title and seeks more lucrative fights but could stumble if not prepared for another tough clash. But he’s confident that his skills can help him evade any kind of slip.

The Philly fighter filled the arena last time when he defeated David Avanesyan by knockout in the fifth. This time he’s joined by another young gun in Bam Rodriguez, a fellow world titlist.

“He’s going crazy right now. Going up and down in weight divisions. I’m blessed to have him on this card,” said Ennis. “I’m here to steal his fans and he’s here to steal mine.”

Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) 24, meets former world titlist Pedro Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs) a Mexican veteran who wants to take away Bam’s WBC super fly title.

“I’m trying to go undisputed at 115 and then go on from there,” said Rodriguez. “I’m only 24 so I still have some strength to gain.”

Both will be joined by another hot prospect from Pomona, California named Tito Mercado, an undefeated lightweight.

Mercado (16-0, 15 KOs) is a tall and fast lightweight with power who recently signed with Matchroom Boxing. He has a knockout streak of five and meets Mexican banger Jesus Saracho (14-2-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round fight. At 23, he’s fought impressive competition and handled it easily.

Puerto Rico

Former super welterweight world titlist Subriel Matias (20-2, 20 KOs) meets Mexico’s Roberto Ramirez (26-3-1, 19 KOs) on Saturday. Nov. 9, at Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Ramirez is jumping up three weight classes for this fight. PPV.COM will stream the fight card live.

Fights to Watch

Thurs. ESPN+ 3:30 p.m. Osleys Iglesias (12-0) vs Petro Ivanov (18-0-2).

Fri. ESPN + 3:20 p.m. Keyshawn Davis (11-0) vs Gustavo Lemos (29-1);

Sat. PPV.COM 3 p.m. Subriel Matias (20-2) vs Roberto Ramirez (26-3-1).

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With Olympic Boxing on the Ropes, Three Elite U.S. Amateurs Shine in Colorado

Published

3 days ago

November 5, 2024

Arne K. Lang

With-Olympic-Boxing-on-the-Ropes-Three-Elite-U.S.-Amateurs-Shine-in-Colorado

Three USA boxers won gold medals at the recently concluded World Boxing U19 tournament in Pueblo, Colorado. The tournament, restricted to boxers aged 17 and 18, attracted contestants from 30 nations and a contingent from French Polynesia.

The U.S. team, represented by eight male and six female boxers, secured 11 medals in all, an impressive haul.

The three U.S. gold medalists appear to have very bright futures if they choose to remain in the sport. They are:

Light heavyweight (80 kg) ELIJAH LUGO (Marrietta, GA)

Lugo has purportedly scored 42 stoppages in his amateur career, the most since USA Boxing began keeping track. The record was previously held by his older brother Nathan Lugo who is currently 2-0 (2 KOs) at the professional level. The Lugo brothers are represented by David McWater (Split-T Management). One of boxing’s most influential facilitators, McWater’s clients include Teofino Lopez.

Middleweight (75 kg) JOSEPH AWININGYA JR (Joliet, IL)

The son of a Ghanaian immigrant who had a brief career as a professional boxer, competing as a cruiserweight, the precocious Awiningya, mature for his age, is a college student majoring in marketing who once aspired to become a nurse like his mother.

Flyweight (50 kg) LORENZO PATRICIO (Waianae, Hawai)

One of eight children. Patricio (our poster boy for this story) comes from a boxing family. Two of his sisters are involved in the sport.

—

In addition to the three gold medalists, the U.S. men’s team garnered two silver and three bronze. The U.S. women managed only three bronze, somewhat of a disappointment. Lightweight Shamiracle Hardaway (Lagrange, GA), considered one of the favorites, fell to England’s Ella Lonsdale in the semifinals. Ms. Lonsdale has a wonderful surname for a British boxer.

—

The best showing was by fast-rising India which had 17 medal winners including four golds. Although boxer Mery Kom (aka Mary Kom) is one of the most popular sports personalities in India, the South Asian nation, the world’s most populous country, has never had a large presence in boxing, amateur or pro. Ten of the 17 Indian medalists, including three of the gold medal winners, were female.

—

Tournament organizers noted that the Pueblo event was the first major tournament in the next Olympic cycle. Left unsaid was that boxing as an Olympic sport is on the ropes (pardon the pun). As it now stands, boxing, one of the original Olympic sports, is not on the docket for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

The International Olympic Committee de-frocked the International Boxing Association, the governing body of amateur boxing, in 2023. The decision was upheld in April by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an agency headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.

A new body, World Boxing, emerged from the fallout. The Pueblo tournament bore the imprint of the new organization.

The chairman of World Boxing’s “Olympic Commission” is Gennadiy Golovkin who is also the president of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee. A former Olympic silver medalist whose primary residence is in the Los Angeles area, “GGG” is reportedly fluent in four languages. He is tasked with repairing the rent between boxing and the International Olympic Committee so that boxing can continue to be an Olympic sport. A decision is expected next year.

If successful, it is possible that things may revert to the days when professional boxers were ineligible to compete for Olympic medals.

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Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

Published

5 days ago

November 3, 2024

David A. Avila

Floyd-Schofield-Wins-a-Banger-and Gabriella-Fundora-Wins-by-KO

Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

LAS VEGAS-Shades of Henry Armstrong and Baby Arizmendi. If you don’t know those names, look them up.

Floyd Schofield battled his way past Mexico’s super tough Rene Tellez Giron who walked through every blow the Texan could fire but lost by decision on Saturday.

It was a severe test and perfect matchmaking for Schofield who yearns for the big bouts against the lightweight giants roaming the world.

Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) remains undefeated and won the war over thick-necked Mexican Tellez Giron (20-4, 13 KOs) who has never been knocked out and proved to be immune to big punches.

In the opening rounds, the Texas fighter came out firing rapid combinations from the southpaw and orthodox stances. Meanwhile the shorter Tellez Giron studied and fired back an occasional counter for two rounds.

Tellez Giron had seen enough and took his stand in the third stanza. Both unleashed blazing bombs with Schofield turning his back to the Mexican. At that moment referee Tom Taylor could have waved the fight over.

You never turn your back.

The fight resumed and Schofield was damaged. He tried to open up with even more deadly fire but was rebuked by the strong chin of Tellez Giron who fired back in the mad frenzy.

For the remainder of the fight Schofield tried every trick in his arsenal to inflict damage on the thick-necked Mexican. He could not be wobbled. In the 11^th round both opened up with serious swing-from-the-heels combinations and suddenly Schofield was looking up. He beat the count easily and the two remained slugging it out.

“He hit me with a good shot,” Schofield said of the knockdown. “I just had to get up. I’m not going to quit.”

In the final round Schofield moved around looking for the proper moment to engage. The Mexican looked like a cat ready to pounce and the two fired furious blows. Neither was hit with the big bombs in the last seconds.

There was Tellez Giron standing defiantly like Baby Arizmendi must have stood in those five ferocious meetings against the incomparable Henry Armstrong. Three of their wars took place in Los Angeles, two at the Olympic Auditorium in the late 1930s as the U.S. was emerging from the Great Depression.

In this fight, Schofield took the win by unanimous decision by scores 118-109 twice and 116-111. It was well-deserved.

“I tried to bang it out,” said Schofield. “Today I learned you can’t always get the knockout.”

Fundora

IBF flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora needed seven rounds to figure out the darting style of Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz before firing a laser left cross down the middle to end the battle and become the undisputed flyweight world champion.

Fundora now holds all four titles including the WBO, WBA and WBC titles that Alaniz brought in the ring.

Fundora knocked down Alaniz midway through the seventh round. She complained it was due to a tangle of the legs. Several seconds later Fundora blasted the Argentine to the floor again with a single left blast. This time there was no doubt. Her corner wisely waved a white towel to stop the fight at 1:40 of the seventh round.

No one argued the stoppage.

Other Bouts

Bektemir Melikuziev (15-1, 10 KOs) didn’t make weight in a title bout but managed to out-fight David Stevens (14-2, 10 KOs) in a super middleweight fight held at 12 rounds.

Melikuziev used his movement and southpaw stance to keep Pennsylvania’s Stevens from being able to connect with combinations. But Stevens did show he could handle “The Bully’s” punching power over the 12-round fight.

After 12 rounds one judge favored Stevens 116-112, while two others saw Melikuziev the winner by split decision 118-110 and 117-111.

Super middleweight WBA titlist Darius Fulghum (13-0, 11 KOs) pummeled his way to a technical knockout win over southpaw veteran Chris Pearson (17-5-1, 12 KOs) who attempted the rope-a-dope strategy to no avail.

Fulghum floored Pearson in the first round with a four-punch combination and after that just belted Pearson who covered up and fired an occasional blow. Referee Mike Perez stopped the fight at 1:02 of the third round when Pearson did not fire back after a blazing combination.

Young welterweight prospect Joel Iriarte (5-0, 5 KOs) blasted away at the three-inch shorter Xavier Madrid (5-6, 2 KOs) who hung tough for as long as possible. At 2:50 of the first round a one-two delivered Madrid to the floor and referee Thomas Taylor called off the beating.

Iriarte, from Bakersfield, Calif., could not miss with left uppercuts and short rights as New Mexico’s Madrid absorbed every blow but would not quit. It was just too much firepower from Iriarte that forced the stoppage.

Photos credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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