Jake Paul Outpoints Julio Cesar Chavez Jr plus Other Results from Anaheim

Fans and foes of Jake Paul got questions answered.as he showed power, movement and one solid chin to defeat former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by unanimous decision on Saturday.

The social media star turned prizefighter, showed he belongs. Once again.

Fighting at cruiserweight, Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) started fast against Mexico’s Chavez (54-7-1, 34 KOs) in front of a mostly pro-Mexican crowd and survived a furious rally from the former middleweight champion.

Early on, Paul was too fast on his feet and too busy with his fists as Chavez merely covered up and measured the attacks. For five rounds Paul fired rapid combinations and maneuvered away from any counters.

Maybe the Cleveland native expended too many blows for the first half of the match. He had predicted a knockout by the fifth round. But Chavez had never been knocked out in his career.

“He is a tough, tough guy. He has never been stopped,” said Paul.

Heavy blows were exchanged especially in the last four rounds when Paul seemed to tire focused on finding a kill shot to the body or the head. Solid blows hit the mark but the Mexican fighter survived, but did not counter.

“He is strong and a good boxer,” said Chavez about his own slow start.

All the blows were coming from Paul until the sixth round when Chavez went to work with hooks to the head and combinations to the body and head. Suddenly the crowd began to get louder.

“I tried to win the last four rounds. After four rounds I saw he was tired,” said Chavez who finally began to advance.

Despite slowing down a bit, Paul seemed to have enough in the tank to counter with jabs and combinations. Though the blows no longer had the snap, they were scoring blows.

Both fighters exchanged frequently in the final three rounds with Chavez connecting with big left hooks. Though Paul’s head snapped back a few times, his chin withstood the challenge with ease.

“He is a Mexican warrior but I’m also a warrior,” said Paul.

Paul showed once again that he possesses a very strong chin as none of Chavez’s power shots could cause damage. Nor could Paul’s blows damage Chavez. After 10 rounds all three judges saw Paul the winner by scores 99-91, 97-93, 98-92.

Some of the crowd booed the decision.

“Easy work. Wait till I get going,” said Paul to the crowd. “I’m just getting warmed up.”

Zurdo Wins

Unified cruiserweight world titlist Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) took his time to adapt to Cuba’s Yuniel Dorticos (27-3, 25 KOs) for the first six rounds and then he slipped into second gear and took over to win by unanimous decision.

Dorticos walked into the boxing ring as the big punching cruiserweight with a hammer of a right hand. Ramirez slowly analyzed and adjusted his attack once he figured out what to look for. The Mexican southpaw used his maneuverability and quicker hands to batter and confuse the Cuban slugger.

Despite lows blows throughout the fight by Dorticos, it was really the only effective blows he was landing. Meanwhile Ramirez snapped lead lefts through the Cuban fighter’s guard and worked combination punching that sapped the energy from Dorticos.

From the seventh round on, Ramirez seemed the fresher fighter but Dorticos never wavered from trying to crush the Mexican.

In the ninth round Dorticos attacked the body and all the blows landed below the belt with two hitting Ramirez’s thigh. Referee Ray Corona had warned the Cuban fighter twice before and deducted a point from Dorticos for hitting below the belt.

Ramirez had a look of confidence from that point on and kept firing combinations to the body and head. Dorticos tried valiantly to land the big blow that could give him another knockout win. It would not come this night after 12 rounds all three judges saw Ramirez the winner 115-112 twice and 117-110.

“My opponent was tough,” Ramirez said. “He can hit.”

Zurdo Ramirez retains the WBO and WBC cruiserweight world titles.

“I followed my plan. I’m the king,” Ramirez said.

Welterweights

Mexico’s Raul Curiel (16-0-1, 14 KOs) needed only four rounds to figure out the rampaging style of Uruguay’s Victor Rodriguez (16-1-1) and end the fight by knockout to win a welterweight world title eliminator.

Curiel was fresh off a grueling fight with Southern California’s Alexis Rocha that ended in a majority draw last December. That fight prepared him for Rodriguez, an unknown slugger.

After figuring out what worked, Curiel snapped into action with sizzling combinations to the body and head. Rodriguez tried to navigate against the onslaught but was caught with a right uppercut that could be heard throughout the arena and down he went. He survived the count and Curiel went back to work first by feinting another uppercut than opening-up with a salvo that forced the referee Michael Margado to end the fight at 2:09 of the fourth round.

“I knew I was going to end the fight by knockout,” said Curiel who gave props to former trainer Freddie Roach and to current trainer Robert Garcia.

The knockout win keeps Curiel in position for a title challenge with WBA titlist Rolly Romero.

“Let’s do the fight with Rolly (Romero),” said Curiel.

Other Bouts

In an evenly matched fight, Julian Rodriguez (24-1, 15 KOs) decided matters with a left hook knockout of Avious Griffin (17-1, 16 KOs) to win a regional welterweight title and place himself in the middle of world title challengers.

Rodriguez showed early that his experience with more talented opposition was an advantage. Through the middle rounds he connected often with left hooks during every exchange. The taller Griffin rarely used his reach to jab and maintain distance.

After being advised he was behind Griffin opened up the eighth round aggressively and never allowed his foe to get momentum. During an exchange Griffin caught Rodriguez on the temple with a downward right and dropped the New Jersey fighter for the count. He got up.

Griffin used the newfound momentum to get back into the fight and had managed to gather points. In the 10^th and final round both measured each other and when they charged Rodriguez slipped and countered with a left hook that staggered Griffin. Then a follow up left hook and another left hook left Griffin dangling on the ropes until he slumped to the floor. He was counted out at 2:55 of the final round.

“I’m just confident in myself,” said Rodriguez. “I’m looking forward to the rest of my career.”

Schofield KOs Farmer

After facing scrutiny and criticism, former TSS Prospect of the Year Floyd Schofield (19-0, 13 KOs) shrugged off all negative vibes with a one round destruction of former champion Tevin Farmer (33-9-1, 8 KOs) before people could take their seats.

Schofield floored Farmer with a quick one-two combination that could be heard around the arena. Farmer gingerly got up and was met with a blistering four-punch combination that saw every punch fired by Schofield connect.

How Farmer got up was a miracle.

The fight resumed and Schofield went into attack mode again but this time the referee Gerard White was aware of Farmer’s vulnerability and stopped the fight right after the vicious combination. Farmer did not go down but was wisely rescued by the stoppage at 1:18 of the first round.

Schofield raised his hand and seemed emotionally ambivalent by the result.

“I love you Tevin,” said Schofield to the fallen Farmer, who is a friend. “Thank you for taking the fight.”

Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Schofield, said the criticism that the fighter received for being unable to accept a fight with Shakur Stevenson earlier in the year was stressful.

“He put everyone on notice,” De La Hoya said of the lightweight division.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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