Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez is the Boss at 115, but Don’t Sleep on Ioka vs Martinez

Published

3 months ago

July 1, 2024

Jesse-'Bam'-Rodriguez-is-the-Boss-at-115,but-Don't Sleep-on-Ioka-vs-Martinez

The knockout by Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez of ring immortal Juan Francisco Estrada last weekend did more than lift Rodriguez to the top of the 115lb division and close to the top of the pound-for-pound ranking; it also staged a significant interruption to the equally compelling super-flyweight match being staged this Sunday in the Kokugikan, Tokyo. Kazuto Ioka vs Fernando Daniel Martinez was to be a fight between the two best in the world at the poundage until Bam made mincemeat out of a fighter that had seemed impervious to knockout blows. Now Rodriguez stands atop the mountain and Ioka and Martinez will settle who is the best of the rest – and hopefully determine who will face Bam in a showdown for the ages.

Ioka, boxing out of Tokyo, stands five-feet-four-and-a-half with a reach measured at just over sixty-four inches. He is thirty-five years old. With Estrada now collecting himself post-beating, Ioka is also the senior man at the poundage, the oldest of the ten best 115lb men in the world and the one with the greatest longevity on top.

01 – Jesse Rodriguez

02 – Kazuto Ioka

03 – Fernando Martinez

04 – Juan Francisco Estrada

05 – Kosei Tanaka

06 – Pedro Guevara

07 – Carlos Cuadras

08 – David Jimenez

09 – Israel Gonzalez

10 – Andrew Moloney

Ioka, then, takes on the role of Estrada, senior, brilliant, past his prime. Fernando Martinez meanwhile takes on the role of Bam Rodriguez. At just five-feet-two, Martinez all but matches reach with Ioka and it is likely size will not be a problem. Like Bam, Martinez is inexperienced at just 16-0 (Ioka is 31-2-1) but unlike Bam, time is not on his side. By the time his bruises from his tussle with Ioka have healed, Martinez will be 33 years old.

What this means is that while Ioka remains a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer, Martinez has it all on the line. If he loses, he is drawn back into the pack. 115lbs is a division of losers, in a literal sense. Andrew Moloney clings on by his fingernails after losing to Pedro Guevara. Guevara is on the comeback trail post his loss to Carlos Cuadras. Cuadras was unlucky enough to be battered by Estrada and Bam in back-to-back fights. Estrada was separated from the lineal championship by Bam last weekend. Kosei Tanaka, David Jimenez, Israel Gonzalez, they all have losses. If Martinez loses, he falls behind many of these men by virtue of his having the most recent loss and because of some of the promotional vagaries that purvey boxing below 126lbs.

These loses, for the most part are a positive: they indicate that the best are fighting the best, and it hasn’t taken Saudi millions to make it happen. Two fights over two weekends to determine the two best fighters at a given weight-class. This is how boxing operated in all eight divisions in 1935; now that we have 17 divisions and a globalised sport, things are more complicated which is fair – but the current white-hot pace of matchmaking at 115lbs shows that it can be done.

Globalised indeed. Martinez left behind his base in Argentina when he struck out for Japan, a round trip of 23,000 miles. Fortunately, fighting far from home is not alien to him, he is something of a road warrior. He has boxed in South America just once this decade, otherwise plying his trade in Dubai, Las Vegas, South Africa, Minneapolis and LA (more precisely Carson). He will be unphased, one would imagine, by fighting in Japan.

The style he carries with him is a good one for the job at hand. Aggressive and direct by nature, Martinez has tempered his high-pressure, high-volume style as he has matured and although he still has a steam-engine in him, he can be seen using his feet to make a twelve-round fight more manageable now. A vaunted body-puncher, in his most recent outing he abandoned the body attack early because he believed opponent Jade Bornea was defensively limited and therefore vulnerable to headshots. Martinez behaves more like a 16-0 boxer than a thirty-three-year-old man, more like a learning fighter than a man at the end of his road, and that bodes well for this fight, and for his future.

Busy in matches, Martinez has been stung with scheduling inactivity. Fighting just once in 2023, and looking a little rusty in the early rounds of the Bornea fight, he has since treated himself to a year out of the ring. Ioka, meanwhile, has not been busy but he has been the busier of the two, out-classing Josber Perez, a fighter who might be relied upon to provide Ioka with reasonable sparring, on the last day of 2023. Ioka was impressive that night, but it is impossible for this writer to say just how impressive given the limitations of the opponent. The year preceding this was mixed.

On the final day of 2022, Joshua Franco out of Texas was rampaging out of a three-fight series with Andrew Moloney when he took Ioka to a draw on Ioka’s own patch. The draw was just, and Ioka looked troubled by beltline work. Work was the operative word. Franco was no fistic genius, improvising one-twos and slipping to punch, he was working aggressively in pursuit of control of the range and he achieved this. Historically, this has been very difficult to do against Ioka, who has his own improvisational skills at range, and benefits from pinpoint punching in close, an accurate, weaving puncher. Franco found a Goldilocks zone though and came within about two punches of taking a decision. In the rematch, which I thought Ioka would lose, Franco collapsed utterly, missing weight after ducking training in a disaster of failing mental health. Ioka dominated him.

I am not sure where that leaves the Japanese in terms of his status. He looked vulnerable against Franco to exactly the sort of beltline attack I expect Martinez to lay on him. More than that, in all his big fights against good opposition, Ioka, for all his accuracy, has shown a tendency to get involved in indeterminate squabbles. This was true of his first fight with Franco, his first fight with Donnie Nietes, and against Akira Yaegashi. I have seen Ioka lose fights, against Amnat Ruenroeng for example, where he was clearly the more talented man, even the better boxer, but losing nip-tuck sections of the combat that he didn’t necessarily have to fight, made him a loser.

Truthfully, Martinez has never been tested by a fighter as complete as Ioka and if he struggles to find his range he could lose this fight in a confusion. Ioka is that good when he is allowed to fight the fight he wants. Martinez, however, is built to prevent him from fighting that fight. My guess is that the volume, pressure, and most of all the speed of pressure will win Martinez enough important moments that he will get over the line for the decision. Ioka could startle him early, especially if he is rusty, but Ioka did the same against Franco and Franco came back to all but pip him. A faster start for Franco would have seen a different result in that fight and for me, Martinez is Franco’s superior.

I like this fight, not just because it is the B-side of a 115lb symphony but because each man will act as a truth-machine for the other. Does Ioka still have it? He will need to show his 2021 form to defeat Martinez. That said, is Martinez real? If he isn’t, there is no way he can put one over on a clever, accurate puncher like Ioka. Ioka remains a slender favourite in betting, and on home turf that is probably fair – I’ll pick Martinez to spring a minor upset in a fight full of tempered aggression that fascinates.

Photo credit: Naoko Fukuda

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Matt McGrain

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WBA Feather Champ Nick Ball Chops Down Rugged Ronny Rios in Liverpool

Published

6 hours ago

October 5, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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In his first fight in his native Liverpool since February of 2020, Nick Ball successfully defended his WBA title with a 10^th-round stoppage of SoCal veteran Ronny Rios. The five-foot-two “Wrecking Ball” was making the first defense of a world featherweight strap he won in his second stab at it, taking the belt from Raymond Ford on a split decision after previously fighting Rey Vargas to a draw in a match that many thought Ball had won.

This fight looked like it was going to be over early. Ball strafed Rios with an assortment of punches in the first two rounds, and likely came within a punch or two of ending the match in the third when he put Rios on the canvas with a short left hook and then tore after him relentlessly. But Rios, a glutton for punishment, weathered the storm and actually had some good moments in round four and five.

The brother of welterweight contender Alexis Rocha and a two-time world title challenger at 122 pounds, Rios returned to the ring in April on a ProBox card in Florida and this was his second start after being out of the ring for 28 months. He would be on the canvas twice more before the bout was halted. The punch that knocked him off his pins in round seven wasn’t a clean shot, but he would be in dire straits three rounds later when he was hammered onto the ring apron with a barrage of punches. He managed to maneuver his way back into the ring, but his corner sensibly threw in the towel when it seemed as if referee Bob Williams would let the match continue.

The official time was 2:06 of round ten. Ball improved to 21-0-1 (12 KOs). Rios, 34, declined to 34-5.

Semi-wind-up

A bout contested for a multiplicity of regional 140-pound titles produced a mild upset when Jack Rafferty wore down and eventually stopped Henry Turner whose corner pulled him out after the ninth frame.

Both fighters were undefeated coming in. Turner, now 13-1, was the better boxer and had the best of the early rounds. However, he used up a lot of energy moving side-to-side as he fought off his back foot, and Rafferty, who improved to 24-0 (15 KOs), never wavered as he continued to press forward.

The tide turned dramatically in round eight. One could see Turner’s legs getting loggy and the confidence draining from his face. The ninth round was all Rafferty. Turner was a cooked goose when Rafferty collapsed him with four unanswered body punches, but he made it to the final bell before his corner wisely pulled him out. Through the completed rounds, two of the judges had it even and the third had the vanquished Turner up by 4 points.

Other Bouts of Note

In a lightweight affair, Jadier Herrera, a highly-touted 22-year-old Cuban who had been campaigning in Dubai, advanced to 16-0 (14 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of Oliver Flores (31-6-2) a Nicaraguan southpaw making his UK debut. After two even rounds, Herrera put Flores on the deck with a left to the solar plexus. Flores spit out his mouthpiece as he lay there in obvious distress and referee Steve Gray waived the fight off as he was attempting to rise. The end came 30 seconds into round three.

In a bantamweight contest slated for 10, Liverpool’s Andrew Cain (13-1, 12 KOs) dismissed Colombia’s Lazaro Casseres at the 1:48 mark of the second round.

A stablemate and sparring partner of Nick Ball, Cain knocked Casseres to the canvas in the second round with a short uppercut and forced the stoppage later in the round when he knocked the Colombian into the ropes with a double left hook. Casseres. 27, brought an 11-1 record but had defeated only two opponents with winning records.

In a contest between super welterweights, Walter Fury pitched a 4-round shutout over Dale Arrowsmith. This was the second pro fight for the 27-year-old Fury who had his famous cousin Tyson Fury rooting him on from ringside. Stylistically, Walter resembles Tyson, but his defense is hardly as tight; he was clipped a few times.

Arrowsmith is a weekend warrior and a professional loser, a species indigenous to the British Isles. This was his twenty-fourth fight this year and his 186^th pro fight overall! His record is “illuminated” by nine wins and 10 draws.

A Queensberry Promotion, the Ball vs Rios card aired in the UK on TNT Sports and in the US on ESPN+.

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Alimkhanuly TKOs Mikhailovich and Motu TKOs O’Connell in Sydney

Published

2 days ago

October 4, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Alimkhanuly-TKOs-Mikhailovich-and-Motu-TKOs-O'Connell-in-Sydney

IBF/WBO world middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, generally regarded as the best of the current crop of middleweights, retained his IBF title today in Sydney, Australia, with a ninth-round stoppage of game but overmatched Andrei Mikhailovich. The end came at the 2:45 mark of round nine.

Favored in the 8/1 range although he was in a hostile environment, Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs) beat Mikhailovich to a pulp in the second round and knocked him down with one second remaining in the frame, but Mikhailovich survived the onslaught and had several good moments in the ensuing rounds as he pressed the action. However, Alimkhanuly’s punches were cleaner and one could sense that it was only a matter of time before the referee would rescue Mikhailovich from further punishment. When a short left deposited Mikhailovich on the seat of his pants on the lower strand of rope, the ref had seen enough.

Alimkhanuly, a 2016 Olympian for Kazakhstan, was making his first start since October of last year. He and Mikhailovich were slated to fight in Las Vegas in July, but the bout fell apart after the weigh-in when the Kazakh fainted from dehydration.

Owing to a technicality, Alimkhanuly’s WBO belt wasn’t at stake today. Although he has expressed an interest in unifying the title –Eislandy Lara (WBA) and Carlos Adames (WBC) are the other middleweight belt-holders — Alimkhanuly is big for the weight class and it’s a fair assumption that this was his final fight at 160.

The brave Mikhailovich, who was born in Russia but grew up in New Zealand after he and his twin brother were adopted, suffered his first pro loss, declining to 21-1.

Semi-wind-up

Topping the flimsy undercard was a scheduled 8-rounder between Mikhailovich’s stablemate Mea Motu, a 34-year-old Maori, and veteran Australian campaigner Shannon O’Connell, 41. The ladies share eight children between them (Motu, trained by her mother in her amateur days, has five).

A clash of heads in the opening round left O’Connell with a bad gash on her forehead. She had a big lump developing over her right eye when her corner threw in the towel at the 1:06 mark of round four.

Motu (20-0, 8 KOs) was set to challenge IBF/WBO world featherweight champion Ellie Scotney later this month in Manchester, England, underneath Catterall-Prograis, but that match was postponed when Scotney suffered an injury in training. Motu took this fight, which was contested at the catchweight of 125 pounds, to stay busy. O’Connell, 29-8-1, previously had a cup of coffee as a WBA world champion (haven’t we all).

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 299: Golden Boy in Saudi Arabia and More

Published

2 days ago

October 3, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 299: Golden Boy in Saudi Arabia and More

A small brigade of Mexican and Latino-American fighters gathered at the beautiful Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Their mission: to export Mexican style fighting to the Saudi Arabia desert.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez defends the WBA cruiserweight title against WBO cruiserweight titlist Chris Billam-Smith and they will be joined by several other top Golden Boy Promotion fighters on Nov. 16 at the Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy and BOXXER promotions card called “The Venue Riyadh Season.”

Mexican fighters are known worldwide for their ferocity and durability. Ramirez, a former super middleweight champion, surprised many with his convincing win over former champion Arsen Goulamirian last March.

Now Ramirez seeks to unify the cruiserweight titles against United Kingdom’s Smith who has never fought outside of his native country.

“I will become the first Mexican cruiserweight unified champion. It’s exciting because my dream will come true this November 16,” said Ramirez.

Smith has a similar goal.

“This opportunity for me is huge,” said Smith. “I’ve been written off many times before.”

The cruiserweights will be joined by two top super lightweight warriors who’ve been itching to face each other like a pair of fighting roosters.

Arnold Barboza, an undefeated super lightweight contender from Los Angeles, has been chasing top contenders and world champions for the past six years. Former super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez simply wants action and a return to elite status.

“I’ve been wanting this fight since 2019 for whatever reason it never happened,” said Barboza. “I want to give credit and thanks to Oscar, he’s a man of his word. When I signed to Golden Boy, he said he was going to give me this fight.”

“It’s honorable Barboza saying he’s been chasing the fight since 2019. Now that he stands in the way for me to reclaim my titles it’s time to get that fight on,” said Ramirez.

Others on the Riyadh fight card include Puerto Rico’s WBO minimumweight world titlist Oscar Collazo defending against Thailand’s Thammanoon Niyomtrong, along with Oscar Duarte and lightweight contenders William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer.

One fighter missing from the card is Charles Conwell, the super welterweight contender they recently signed earlier in the year. He last performed on the Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Serhii Bohachuk clash in Las Vegas.

Conwell has similar talent to those two.

And what about the women fighters”

Yokasta Valle recently re-signed with Golden Boy Promotions. What is her next scheduled fight? She was spotted facing up against Australia’s Lulu “Bang, Bang” Hawton at a fight card. Is that on the horizon?

West Coast venues

Speaking of the Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles, its just a few buildings north of the Belasco Theater where Golden Boy was staging its club shows for several years.

A majority of the boxing media favored that location for its cozy atmosphere and proximity to LA Live. A number of prospects that developed into contenders and world champions fought there including Vergil Ortiz Jr., Ryan Garcia, Joshua Franco, and Oscar Duarte.

On any given fight night celebrities like Mario Lopez, George Lopez and others would show up in the small venue that held several hundred fans in its ornate theater setting.

The Mayan Theater and Belasco Theater are still open for business. According to one source, LA Laker owner Jeannie Buss stages a pro wrestling show at one of those theaters.

World title fight

England’s Nick Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) defends the WBA featherweight world title against Southern California’s Ronny Rios (34-4, 17 KOs) on Saturday Oct. 5, at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Starting time for the Queensberry and Top Rank promotion card is 11 a.m. PT.

Ball was last seen nearly toppling WBC featherweight titlist Rey Vargas but lost last March. He then defeated Ray Ford for the WBA title

Fights to Watch

Fri. ESPN+ 2 a.m. PT Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0) vs Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0)

Sat. ESPN+ 11 a.m. PT Nick Ball (20-0-1) vs Ronny Rios (34-4)

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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