Friday Night Fights 7/15 Recap

Pawel Wolak (29-1-1, 19 KO) Delvin Rodriguez (25-5-3, 14 KO)

In the easily the best fight of the Friday Night Fight broadcast this year and arguably of the whole year, Wolak and Rodriguez reminds us of why we love boxing. Wolak and Rodriguez fought 10 hard fought, with an exclamation point for round 9, and hard to score rounds before settling on a majority draw. This fight had the crowd screaming for both fighters.

For those of you who like gruesome boxing injuries, look no further. While Erislandy Lara's head last weekend was bulging and a nasty sight, it didn't come close to the size and the affect that is had on him as Wolak's eye.

Rodriguez had an opening for a right uppercut through most of the fight with Wolak coming in and yet chose to do most of his work with his straight right hand (his money punch) as evidenced by Wolak's eye. Wolak's gameplan was very straight forward, by that, I mean it was very straight forward. He tried to maul Delvin and paid the price on numerous occasions.

Credit is due to Rodriguez for being able to stick to try to fight tall and continue to force the shorter, pressure fighter, to come towards you and implement the game plan of punching off the back foot. There were questions coming into the fight for Rodriguez's career. He is now 2-3-1 in his last 6 fights but I think he has answered some of the answers from the critics that are calling for his retirement.

Wolak, who is never in a dull fight, will surely be in another good matchup later on this year. While I'm sure us boxing junkies would love a rematch and there are rumors that it will land on the Margarito V Cotto II card, making that card an absolute MUST BUY.

If you didn't watch this fight, it is still available via streaming replay on ESPN3.com. Free, streaming, good fight, what other reasons do you need to waste 40 minutes to be entertained.


Brian Viloria (29-3, 16 KOs) UD Julio Miranda (28-4, 16 KOs) for WBO Miranda's flyweight belt.

Judges Robert Hoyle (98-91) Ruben Garcia (96-93) and Tamotsu Tomihara (97-93) favored Viloria.

In Miranda's fourth defense, he was blitzed by Viloria in the opening bell and was out punched and out worked through the entire fight. Viloria showed great body punching ability, a very good jab and worked through a cut that opened up on his eye in the eighth round.

"Pingo" Miranda had trouble making the 112 weight limit and had to sweat off two pounds. It was a tough fight and both the champion and the challenger seemed to enjoy the brutality of it. Miranda had a pretty clear elbow and low blow that wasn't called by referee Joe Cortez in the 6th round that was answered by a rally by Viloria.

The newly crowned champion was also fighting on home turf in Hawaii and Miranda, who is likely not going to get a rematch, would be wise to fight somewhere more neutral. The most interesting part of the fight? When the scores were read. How did the judges miss two rounds of action? Did they decide that 10 rounds was enough?

There are interested fights for the entire flyweight division to be made and it is nice to see Viloria, yet another action fighter, to be in the mix as well.

Quick Boxing Thoughts

Arthur Abraham V Andre Ward

Good to see the Super Six semi final get underway. Andre Ward scores yet another impressive victory. It is kind of sad to see a fight go exactly how you expect, but Andre Ward's final match (Froch or Johnson) and the Lucian Bute fight on the horizon is something to look forward to.

I also like the fact that Arthur Abraham came out quicker than he usually does. He is a notoriously slow starter, but had the mindset to change that. Unfortunately, was just in there with a better boxer.



Kendall Holt V Julio Diaz

This was a good fight that I saw streaming on ESPN3. Julio Diaz was expected to wear down the quicker Kendall Holt and push him into retirement. Instead it was Kendall's faster hands and power that put an end to this fight quickly in the third round. Julio Diaz is now the one in the crossroads of his career and may be looking for a way out the sport. Kendall Holt on the other hand is primed for another few big name fights in a stacked division. I like a lot of the names he's being tossed in there with, like Marcos Maidana.

Sharif Bogere V Raymundo Beltran

Were we watching the same fight? Yes I know that Bogere has more to lose.. but 97-93 on one judge's score card? I don't know about this one.. I'm guessing that Bogere doesn't want another head butt filled fight with Beltran. Tough fight, interesting to see where Bogere goes from here.

Random Thoughts:

Go Sharks.

Why does Cris Arreola get credit for coming to a boxing match in shape? I don't remember the last time my boss gave me credit for showing up on time.

Ring magazine just took Floyd Mayweather off their P4P list. Not dropped in the rankings. Completely off.... Ouch.

MMA note: Did anyone see Patricky Freire's three nut kicks in the main event Bellator 44? Double Ouch.

Upcoming: Bernard Hopkins V Jean Pascal II

I will be writing a full preview of this fight as well as the Chad Dawson tilt. But look at this face off with Max Kellerman (easily the coolest thing Max has done on HBO). Animosity sells. Love it.

Quick Thoughts on Manny Pacquiao vs Shane Mosley Card

The Main Event Manny Pacquiao vs Shane Mosley had everyone on their toes.  Hoping the tough Shane Mosley can maybe light a few fireworks like the surprising 2nd round onslaught that occured in his match with Floyd Mayweather Jr.  This would end in disappointment as Shane decides to defend most of the fight.  The hype from the Margarito fight still lingering in fight fans heads keeping Shane relevant in the top welterweight division as a boxer and a exciting fighter, but both fall short tonight.

No aggression was shown by Shane.  Throughout the fight he was being defensive with no answer to any of Pacquiao's attacks, he never won a round in my opinion.  The commentators say it takes two to fight, and for this particular fight is it true, it was more of a sparring session for Manny.  Im sure Manny's sparring partners did more than Shane did in 12 rounds.  Shane spent most of the fight back petaling and his combinations were non existence.  Sometimes punchstat numbers dont tell the story in a fight, but in this fight it states it loud and clear.  Shane did not want to engage.

Manny Pacquiao fought as much as Shane let him.  After knocking Shane down with a inside straight left, Shane was on the retreat for the rest of the fight.  Manny tried to bring the fight to Shane but Shane just was not willing to engage.  If we have learned anything from Pacquiao's previous fights, we know he sometimes likes to shell up on or off the ropes, Shane never capitolized.  It seemed that Shane watched some of Pacquiao's previous fights and said wow okay ill stay away from this guy... and... he did.  With a fully retreating fighter infront of Pacquiao, Pacman still got his licks in with some nice combinations, the straight left and the left uppercut after a right hook or jab especially.  Manny made the most of what was presented to him and takes a Unanimous Decision improving his record to (53W-3L-2D).

Jorge Arce vs Wilfredo Vazquez Jr  was the undercard and what a treat.  With the classic in-fighter vs boxer match-up it turned out to be a fight with firework the main event was missing.  Two bantamweights going to war.  Throughout the whole fight pressure from Arce really tested the up and coming prospect Vasquez.  The pressure was great in the early rounds but Vazquez made some changes with his footwork and was able to handle Arce's attack and countering beautifully and able to knock Arce down in the forth.  But if you know Jorge Arce, he is a blood and guts warrior with unquestionable heart, keeps the relentless pressure pushing Vazquez back in every round making him fight off the ropes making each round hard to judge with both men fighting valiantly.  With scorecards extremely close Jorge digs deep and in the 12th round puts together a barrage punches catching Vazquez against the ropes and Vazquez's corner throws in the towel (water bottle) to stop the fight.

This fight was a great fight with heart shown by both fighters a must see for boxing fans, a great display of skill and heart by both fighters.

Action Heroes - Morales V Maidana Recap

Erik Morales is one of the most decorated fighters in the sport. He is a living legend, a shoo-in to the boxing hall of fame.

Perhaps it was foolish pride that made him decide to step in the ring with one of the most avoided punchers in the deepest weight class in boxing. But it was heart and guts that allowed him to stay in the pocket and fight one of the greatest losing performances in recent memory.

Morales told anyone who would listen before this match that he had a gameplan. That he knew how to beat Marcos Maidana. It was clear that Morales wasn't going to use a hit and run tactic like Amir Khan. Instead he was going to stay in the pocket and beat Maidana to the punch with straighter shots down the middle.

In the first few rounds you could see the signs of Morales lacking a quality opponent for a number of years as Maidana, with his aggression mostly, jumped all over him. However, as the fight wore on, Morales was able to weather the storm and counter Maidana.

All in all. Great fight. Great heart shown by Morales. I don't see him rematching Maidana. I think the outcome will be similar if not worse off for El Terible.

I love the fact that Golden Boy is putting on great cards like the one they did on Saturday. This is a step that they need to take in order to hang with other fight sports like UFC.

SW

Boxing Recap 3/21

A quick boxing recap of the weekend's fights.

Lucian Bute TKO10 Brian Magee
First of all, Bute's entrance was one of the best I have seen this year. The banner was impressive and the Canadian crowd was alive. The fight was relatively close until Bute dug a left hand into Magee's body in the 6th round. Magee is a tough guy who countered well with a few hooks but just couldn't handle the Bute body attack.


Vitali Klitschko KO1 Odlanier Solis
A world heavyweight belt was at stake this weekend if anyone cared. Unfortunately, the fight didn't create any more interest. As Vitali somehow landed a solid shot to Solis temple causing the undefeated fighter's knee to buckle and collapse. Great. Perhaps Solis wasn't faking he went to the hospital and they found tears to his anterior cruciate ligament and external meniscus, as well as cartilage damage in his right knee.

Brad Solomon W10 Demetrius Hopkins
Brad Solomon pounded out a grabbing filled fight with Demetrius Hopkins. Solomon is boring, but a good fighter. Probably not going to make anyone want to watch or fight him unless he keeps on winning. My favorite thing about Brad Solomon? "You know what I'm sayin?" ends almost every answer during interviews.


Vanes Martirosyan TKO2 Bladimir Hernandez
Martirosyan won an easy fight against an over matched opponent knocking him out in the second round.

Guillermo Rigondeaux TKO1 Willie Casey
If only Rigondeaux had this type of performance when he last fought (on the Pacman Margarito PPV) maybe he would be shown more on TV.


Random thoughts...

With the NFL lockout almost upon us and NBA lockout looming next year. All the other sports are probably planning to make a push to gain more viewership. Shouldn't Boxing and MMA be doing the same?

MMA note: Is it just me or did Shogun look tired after the first round? How does a belt holder look tired after the first round? Yes, I understand he may have been losing... but to be dead tired? That's on you bro.

Another MMA note: Please my fellow Americans, stop chanting USA, USA during matches, it's just plain out stupid. Be a fight fan. This isn't the damn Olympics.

Everyone says Bute v Kessler. I say anything but Bute v Pavlik.

I am happy that Epix wants to show fights. Boxing on TV is always a good thing.

I'm getting excited for Calderon v Segura

Floyd Mayweather's birthday cake. No, it's actually really his cake...

Miguel Cotto vs Ricardo Mayorga Summary 03/12/10

Miguel Cotto vs Ricardo Mayorga, when i first heard this fight was happening, i thought to myself its going to be a slug fest but there is no way Mayorga can win this fight.  Both like to come forward, both like to throw power shots.  Though Cotto has recently started to use his boxing skills a lot more in his latest fights, against Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Yuri Foreman, Joshua Clottey, showing he has the ability to outbox his opponents, having a very good jab.  Cotto's aggression has slowed down in his recent fights but still has ability to push foward and land his vicious body head combinations.  Cotto has been exposed in fights that he is very susceptible with shots down the middle of his guard, uppercuts and straights, Cotto with limited head movement and more blocking than dodging in his defensive arsenal.

Ricardo Mayorga, a very aggressive fighter that has a very dangerous looping right hand that can come anytime, him being off balance will not stop him from trying to knock you out with a right hand.  He is dangerous but as a boxing technician he has a lot of room to improve.  But his aggression and his ability to overwhelm is opponents has got him where he is today.

The fight was a good fight, with back and forth action, but Miguel Cotto with his sharper and shorter punches, he seems to get the better of every exchange.  Throughout the fight Mayorga's chin is way up in the air getting caught with multiple left hooks that Cotto throws viciously after most of his combinations.  Mayorga has some success coming forward and using his aggression but not frequent or often enough.  Most of his shots are winging shots and are blocked by Miguel, but is entertaining for the crowd to see.  With Cotto's footwork and constant circling to his left Mayorga is always left 1 or 2 steps behind showing the crowd Mayorga's footwork needs help.  Mayorga throughout the fight shakes his head and shows the crowd he isnt hurt, until the last left hook of the night brought to you by Miguel Cotto.  An exchange in the 12th with both mens' hands flying, Miguel Cotto once again finishes his combination with a big left hook upstairs catching Mayorga.  Mayorga gets up but has to quit moments after.

A couple things surprised me in this fight.  Mayorga catches Cotto with a wild combination at the end of round 4 while Cotto was in a semi defensive shell and Cotto actually smiles.  Now this is not uncommon in boxing, a lot of fighters do this, but Miguel Cotto NEVER does this.  I have seen many fights with Cotto and him showing any bit of emotion is surprising enough.
Another thing is that Mayorga withstood the pace.  Though you can see Mayorga slow down during the end of the right i expected him to get a lot gassed near the end then he did.  Maybe it was because Miguel wasn't pushing the pace I expected, using his jab and boxing skills more than his aggression.

Mayorga Quit!!!  Mayorga was blaming his left hand which I don't see where he ever hurts his hand.  The way he took his hand out of the glove doesn't resemble a real painful broken hand or thumb.  This immediate "pain" supposedly happen right after he gets caught with Cotto's big left hook that pretty much ended the night and he never even lands a left hand in that exchange.  So that sudden "pain" in his left hand must of came from Cotto left hook to the head which is surprising because in all my years of watching boxing i have never seen someone hand get broken from getting hit in the head.  Now what i thing happen was is that his pride was hurt from getting hurt.  He was showing the crowd the whole night for 12 rounds that Cotto has never hurt him. that he was more willing to brawl than Cotto, and when Cotto really hurts him, he doesn't want to show it and uses his hand as a scapegoat to go down in the 12th.  That is just my opinion.

Boxing Weekend Wrapup

Golden Boy decided to put on a showcase of it's latest up and coming talent this weekend and ended up with some interesting results. On the undercard we saw James Kirkland, Daniel Jacobs and Seth Mitchell get spoon fed opponents and they stopped them all before the third round. The opponents had a combined 35 losses between the three of them.

On the televised side there was an interesting matchup between Adrien Broner and the always tough Daniel Ponce de Leon. Even before they stepped into the ring everyone knew what the respective fighters were going to do. Broner was going to counter punch and try to outspeed PdL. PdL was going to the body and wear down Broner.

Daniel did a good job of attacking and controlling the tempo in the first couple of rounds. Eventually the advantages that Broner had in hand speed, defense and footwork ultimately turned the rounds into a boxing match that PdL had no chance of winning.

I had the fight close with Broner ahead at the end of the fight. The scores were 96-94 twice and a ridiculous 99-91 score by Judge Tony Crebs. This is another instance our need for regulation. Someone needsto figure out what exactly fight this judge was watching. Perhaps he can wait until after the fight to fill out his score card. Remember, this is the same guy who ruled the Adamek v Arreola fight a draw in a clear cut win for Adamek. The same guy who saw Fres Oquendo win 9 rounds against James Toney when the two other judges saw it as a close decision for Toney. This is the same guy who almost cost cost Andrey Tsurkan some serious injury in the beating against Angulo by not stopping the fight earlier. I think my blind cousin is looking for a job California Boxing Commission...

In the main event there was another spoon fed match for the always exciting Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. The always game Mathew Hatton lost nearly every single round (except for one due to a point deduction) and still made it to the bell all while stepping up in weight class. I'm excited for the fights on the horizon for Canelo. However, as Golden Boy's prized horse, I wonder how many more opponents are going to be Hatton's level before he steps up in class. I'm guessing at least 3 more.

Random thoughts...

MMA note: Henderson finally getting on the winning side with a big right hand (what else?). Good for him. Maybe Strikeforce will finally get something for their troubles.

Zab Judah sighting! He won in convincing fashion on a PPV card for the IBF protion of the junior welterweight championship. I still didn't like the lack of action he brought early, but he showed finishing power at the end.

Ismayl Sillakh looked good in a victory over Cuban standout Yordanis Despaigne. It's refreshing to have two undefeated fighters take a chance and fight each other. Sillakh moving up in class is a good thing. I think that Despaigne may want to try out the cruiserweight ranks in a few years.

Should be a good Sergio Martinez weekend.

Donaire V Montiel Recap

Wow. After the Timothy Bradley v Devon Alexander debacle many inside the boxing circles were worried for another letdown when Nonito Donaire faced Fernando Montiel in a bantamweight superfight.

The Filipino Flash made sure that we did not have to sit through a boring fight as he landed a left hook that will surely be the runner up to the Martinez Williams KO as knockout of the year.

Nonito looked faster in every aspect, more poised, and had no problems with Montiel's power. People will be eager to place Donaire in the upper echelon of p4p lists after this fight. While I think that he deserves to be placed in the top 4 (you can see that change reflected on our P4P list) I don't know if he has the win totals and the number of quality opponents that the top 3 have. It will be interesting moving forward to see the fights looming at Super Bantamweight for Nonito.

When the first knockdown occurred I was sure that Montiel would not make the count. Even after the miraculous beating of the 10 count I feel the referee Russell Mora erred in letting it continue. When he requested Montiel to step forward he should have seen that Montiel was not responsive in any way. I think Mora is lucky that Montiel didn't get hurt further.

In the undercard, Mike Jones showed that he would have won the first fight easily against Soto Karass had he not decided to go crazy in the 2nd round of the first fight. It was clearly a tactical error in which he thought the opponent was much more hurt than he actually was, he didn't train hard enough, and he thought the ref was going to stop it.

This second fight was a great venue for Mike Jones to grow up. He showed his good hand speed, the ability to stay in the pocket and in control. The headbutts that opened up Soto Karass were as nasty as could be, but Jesus was game and kept coming forward. There are large fights also coming up for Mike Jones if he and his camp wants to pursue them. More than likely, he will take on a few more easy fights before cashing in.

Other random thoughts.

Can someone please let me know how the state of Nevada can allow Erik Morales V Marcos Maidana. Morales is going to get seriously hurt... I'll say it right now... KO6.

MMA thought.. Wow. Fedor. Only in the fight game can someone fall so fast.

Get ready for Rios V Acosta on the 26th Showtime! Watch it, stream it, do something. It will be a good action fight probably with Rios coming out on top! Showimte 10ET/PT (tape delayed for us west coasters)

I hope Donaire keeps winning. It's refreshing having a Filipino fighter who speaks English so well!

ESPN Friday Night Fights Mora vs Vera 2/4/11 Recap

Charles Hatley vs Chris Chatman

Thie first televised fight of the night was Charles Hatley vs Chris Chatman.  First thing you notice about Chatman is that he drops his right hand a lot especially when he his throwing a straight left to the body.  Trying to do defend an early Hatley flurry with philly shell like defense he ends being caught with a double left hook straight right hand combination.  Hatley does a good job of trying to finish with a huge left hook and right hand but Chatman as tough as he is, is able to survive round 1.

Good fight in the 2^nd round both trading on the inside.  Chatman pushes forward, not giving himself space to punch or land combinations, but is aggressive using his body to smother the longer Chatman.

Round 3 Chatman still very aggressive keeps Hatley off balance by making him miss and pushing forward.  When Chatman stands on the outside it is very dangerous because Hatley fires off great shots when in his range.  Hatley missing a lot over the top when Chatman is close ducking close near the belt line.  Wonder why he doesn’t use the upper cut more, maybe because the over hand hook counters but definitely is something he should be using more since Chatman is ducking his head so much and not always countering back with anything.

Round 4 Hatley has been trying to catch Chatman while coming in but while back pedaling a lot of his power is gone, but still landing some nice left hooks, right hands here and there.  Chatman does a good job when pushing Hatley against the ropes while throwing combinations on the inside, but when he only uses upper body movement and not his feet to move around he is susceptible to Hatley’s arsenal and is in danger of getting dropped or rocked anytime.

Round 5 throughout the fight when Hatley misses and is off balance and or doesn’t bring his gloves back to his face after throwing, Chatman is not there to counter or make him pay for him miss/being off balance.  Hatley is still not using his uppercut to counter Chatman’s low head movement, but instead just keeps firing off shots missing over the top of Chatmans head.  He is still having trouble establishing his jab rarely you can see him throw a double jab, he uses his jab more to find his opponent to try and land a straight right.

Round 6 Hatley uses his footwork more and keeps on the outside not letting Chatman bully his way inside as frequently.

Round 7 Hatley still using a lot of footwork trying to pick Chatman apart on the outside and tries to catch Chatman coming in and doing it well.

Round 8 A straight left lands after a right hook inbetween Hatley’s gloves and knocks him down.  After getting up Hatley is still feeling the effects of the punch as Chatman aggressively tries to finish he fight.  The fight ends with Hatley in danger and keeps fans wondering if it was a 10 round fight maybe Chatman could have finished the fight.

Majority Draw, Judges score it (73-77)(75-75)(75-75)

Ray Ximenez Jr. vs Alfredo Berto

Round 1 Ximenez jr, looking good with great hands speed and nice combinations.  With a right uppercut left hook hurting Berto starts the onslaught as Ray lands at will with combinations of all sorts.  The ref could step in anytime but lets it go as Ray doesn’t get over confident and doesn’t over extend himself to finish he keeps his range and keeps picking Berto apart.

Round 2 Berto is way over matched but is showing heart, though eating shots almost every combination Ximenez is throwing he stays in there getting caught more on the side of his head than straight in the face.

Round 3 Ray does more of the same, keeping the fight in his range, fighting when he wants to engage and never gets over extended and confident.  Ray switches from orthodox to southpaw near the end of the round showing his versatility.

Round 4   More of the same, but for the difference in skill level in the match I really expected Ray Ximenez to turn it up and finish it, surprising the fight went to a decision. 

Unanimous decision for Ray Ximenez Jr., all 3 judges (40-36)

Sergio Mora vs Bryan Vera

Round 1 Mora hasn’t found his jab in this round.  Vera aggressive coming in with his double jab and right hand after pushing Mora back, though unable to land.  Vera catches Mora with a left hook the most significant shot of the round as Mora nods to acknowledge he got caught but shows no sign of damage as he comes back with a flurry of his own to end the round

.

Round 2 Vera is aggressive coming forward; Mora tries to out slick his opponent against the ropes and back pedaling, but is unable to dodge everything.  Vera landing some nice combinations and landing while Mora is leaning back.  Vera is landing more and outworking Mora while Mora is more on the defense but still landing with nice countering left hooks.

Round 3 Mora staying slick, but is caught with some shots against the ropes, the body head left hook combination from Vera is working and has landed multiple times in this fight so far.  Mora mixing it up out boxing and closing the distance gives Vera a hard time finding Mora in this round.

Round 4 Mora making Vera miss but hasn’t done much to capitalize.  Switching from southpaw and orthodox keeps Vera guessing and opens up Mora’s straight left from the southpaw stance.  Mora being more aggressive this round ends up in clinches for his efforts.  Vera lands a left that’s the most significant punch in the round, but Mora still is the more aggressive fighter in this round having Vera back pedal more than he has in any other round.

Round 5 Vera catches Mora with a left hook while pivoting to the right catches Mora off guard, but is unfazed by the punch.  Both men trying to find their rhythm as they exchange and work on the inside.

Round 6 Mora is landing the cleaner punches countering effectively on the inside but when caught against the ropes it is harder for Mora to dodge Vera’s combinations.  Vera lands a big right hand while Mora is laying against the ropes.

Round 7 Mora does good work on the outside but gets into a defensive mode again letting Vera get off when he lays against the ropes.  Mora tries to work with his back against the ropes for the majority of the round, both men landing inside shots, nothing significant.

Round 8 Vera is pushing forward with aggression Mora lands a few shots when he comes in but not much.

Round 9 Mora has success countering moving backwards, and more in this round.  Vera’s assault and aggression is subdued by Mora’s good body work.

Round 10 Mora seems to have more energy as he lands some shots on the outside while making Vera miss.  Mora pushes the pace and working more than Vera in this round.  Though Vera is pushing forward he is getting caught with Mora left hooks on the inside. 

Split decision for Bryan Vera, Judges (94-96)(94-96)(96-94)

Strikeforce Diaz vs Cyborg Recap

Nick Diaz vs Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos

Both fighters came in the fight trying to find their range, but Cyborg was able to find a home for his leg kick early in round 1 giving some problems for Nick because Nick’s distance is usually closer to the opponent enabling him to land at will with his boxing.  Cyborg continues using the right leg kick throughtout the 1^st round.  Nick tags Cyborg through out the fight with combinations of straights and hook, without commiting 100% to any punch it lets his hands fly faster, doing so, he is able to overwhelm his opponents with multiple punches.  Each shot may not have knockout written on it but if you don’t dodge it, it will do damage.  Cyborg doesn’t use his distance well, when Diaz walks in he can’t land clean because he doesn’t have space to throw, he doesn’t use his feet.  His conditioning is questionable unable to keep what was working for him in the first round, the right leg kick to Nick’s lead leg.  He throws a lot of hooks and winging punches, though Nick takes a few he can see most of them coming and only getting caught here and there.  Nick straighter punches keep Cyborg moving back, the pressure of a taller fighter coming towards you is hard to train for.  The only time you see Nick back up in this fight was when Cyborg was using his leg kicks.  Only landing a big uppercut and a few hooks, Cyborg was getting gassed, unable to handle Nick’s stand up and decided to take Nick down.  Cybrog being gassed and Nick slap on a tight arm bar and finish the fight.  Nick Diaz improves his record to (24-7) with a 9 fight win streak.

Robbie Lawyer vs Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Round 1 both fighters get their jitters out with movement on their feet, all that ends with a Souza takedown and easily works in to side control.  Souza, being a top BJJ practitioner, shows the difference skill levels on the ground with great ground control and always threatening with submissions.  Lawler does a great job of scrambling to his feet from side control using hand control to get out of any threats of head choke when scrambling.  They both trade punches as Souza back petals he is caught with a lead left knee by Lawler and starts doing the chicken dance while moving back as he is caught with another huge right hook.  Robbie spends time in Souza’s guard but is unable to put on any offense in passing or strikes.  Lack of action referee John McCarthy stands them up.  Robbie lands a big right liver kick and both fighters throw a flurry ending the round with a takedown attempt by Jacare.

Round 2 Jacare gets a takedown and gets side control and peppers Robbie with strikers trying to set up to mount or a submission.  Robbie is unable to maintain guard on the ground letting Jacare move back to side control quickly after a scramble.  With a leg bar attempt Souza chains an armbar attempt when Robbie tries to escape, and tries to slap on another armbar attempt but Robbie shows his own BJJ IQ by jumping over Jacare relieving the danger of another armbar.

Round 3 Souza starts his attack his a thai clinch landing some knees partially blocked by Lawlers arms as Lawler tries to counter with punches inside the muay thai plum.  The clinch ends up against the fense and Souza is able to take Robbie down again.  Robbie tries to get up giving Souza his back and Souza quickly does a wrestling “suck back” pulls Robbie quickly to the ground and Jacare quickly circles to Robbies back slaps on a body triangle and finishes the fight with a rear naked choke.  Ronaldo Souza ups his record to (14-2).

Herschel Walker vs Scott Carson

Round 1 Herschel Walker takes the center of the ring, Carson throws a right high kick that clips Walker but walker is unfazed and instead pumped up by the kick as he puts his hands down and yells at Carson.  They trade right hands both missing but Walker follows this up with a left hook, right hook combination, the left knocking Carson down.  Herschel follows him to the ground controlling him in the guard and from the back position hammering away.  Carson tries to escape by rolling to his guard and get up using the fence but is caught by a left hook by Walker and ends the fight.  Hershel Walker improves to (2-0) with 2 Tkos.

Roger Gracie vs Trevor Prangley

Round 1 Both fighters were slow to get started on their feet, both trying to find their range no one committing with any combinations or one punch.  Gracie being the taller fighter tries to establish his jab but ends up landing a few knees in the clinch pushing Prangley against the fence.  As they clinch again Gracie gets a front trip takedown.  Prangley stuck against the fence after the takedown was unable to use his legs to get into a good guard giving Gracie a full mount.  Gracie slowly works to get better position cross facing Prangley, as Prangley feels the danger he rolls to escape giving Gracie his back.  Gracie slaps on a body triangle and works to end the fight with a rear naked choke.  Gracie adds another submission win improving his record to (4-0) with 4 submissions.

Devon Alexander V Timothy Bradley Recap

*Sigh*

What was I thinking? Back to back weeks choosing upsets? Turns out the massives were right, Bradley would outwork Devon and use his come forward attacking style to rack up the rounds.

I'm sure that everyone watching the fight last night also was so devastatingly disappointed with the fight ending before we had to watch another few rounds of a boring "action" fight.

Did you ever hear the crowd even cheer? Why didn't the HBO booth do some UFC tricks and turn up the stadium mics?

The stoppage is going to be the most intriguing topics in boxing circles. Devon seemed like he didn't want to go on because of stinging in his eye. Certainly, he is going to have critics saying that he quit and he could have continued. However, I saw something different. Throughout the fight Alexander and his corner never changed their fight plan, which was incredible to me. It didn't really feel like they HAD a fight plan coming in. Perhaps, they didn't feel as though they were ACTUALLY losing on the score cards.

Also, all the rounds were tough to score. Perhaps the corner was making a shrewd decision to see if they can get out of there with a split decision or even a draw. If the fight continued, it would be hard to see Alexander actually winning another round.

All in all. Disappointing fight. I labeled this as a great boxing match. Yet, these fights are exactly why the boxing critics from MMA scream and yell how boring our sport is.

PS. Thanks but no thanks says HBO on the rematch.

Friday Night Fight 1/14/11 Recap

The first televised fight was Aaron Pryor Jr (15-2 11KOs) vs the undefeated Edwin Rodriguez (17-0 13KOs).  The fight was a back and forth battle of right hands.  Rodriguez coming in with looping punches but more effective with his overhand right and Aaron with his straight right hand down the pipe.  The 6’4” Aaron Pryor had a hard time establishing is jab and unable to dictate the distance let his opponent get his shots in too easily, letting the shorter fighter step in towards his chest winging shots to the body and up top.  Aaron’s jab was ineffective and his footwork wasn’t able to keep him on the outside.  Though I believe he landed the most significant punches in the fight with straight right hands, he didn’t work enough to win rounds.  With no left hook or body work to finish combinations to follow up after his right hand he let Rodriguez seize the opportunity to close the distance with big overhand rights and looping punches outworking Aaron.  Edwin Rodriguez was fighting a very tall opponent and had trouble finding the target the whole night.  Closing the distance with over hand rights and right hooks to the body he pressured Pryor the whole night backing the taller fighter up and occasionally landing.  Rodriguez told his corner he hurt his shoulder at the end of the fourth round causing his jab to be nonexistent.  His defense was penetrated multiple times by Pryor’s right straight, catching him with his hands down or in between the gloves, sometimes backing straight up.  But, by outworking and pressuring Pryor throughout each round he keeps his record undefeated with a unanimous decision upping his record to (18-0 13KOs).

Judges: all 3 for Edwin Rodriguez (96-93), (98-91), (97-92)

The main event of the night was between Peter Manfredo Jr (36-6 20KOs) vs Daniel Edouard (23-3 14Kos).  The fight started with some good in boxing, both fighters throwing combinations in a close range fight with right hand uppercuts finishing multiple combinations with left hooks to the head.  Though both men were landing Daniel Edouard seem to be the quicker fighter and also had a higher work rate than Manfredo but both were definitely trading and landing on the inside.  Momentum seem to sway towards Edouard in the early rounds as he kept the pressure on Manfredo with well put together combinations on the inside but all was stopped in the 4^th round as he was caught backing up with his hands down with a big right hook by Manfredo.  Edouard got too comfortable with the pace of the fight and thought either the referee was going to break them out of a clinch or there was a mutual agreement between the fighters to remove themselves away from the clinch and was caught by Manfredo’s right hook.  Any momentum that was gained by Edouard came to a halting stop by this knockdown.  During the rest of the fight Edouard seem slow and to tire out.  Unable to find the rhythm and juice to push and pressure Manfredo as he once did.  Manfredo’s confidence sky rocketed after this knockdown throwing combinations and right hands leads kept Edouard on his heels and against the rope multiple times while Manfredo unleashed his arsenal on Edouard.  Tire and fatigue come more and more apparent for Edouard and was uneffective with any assault he tried to put on the rest of the night.  Manfredo walks away with a unanimous decision and hopes to resurrect his career.

Judges: all 3 for Peter Manfredo Jr. (97-92), (98-91), (98-91)

Friday Night Fight 1/7/10 Recap

What a great night of free boxing. Boxing get's a bad rep for not showing enough free fights like MMA does on Spike. But if you pay attention and know what to look for there are good fights on every weekend with ESPN, Telefutura, etc.

Friday Night Fight's first episode of the year brought us a two fight televised card that I think is essential for boxing to maintain it's popularity. A fight that features a young prospect and a fight that will bring fireworks. What's interesting is that this was the night of EXPOSURE.

First we saw Demetrius Andrade add another win to his record. While he clearly dominated every round, strangely Herrera still exposed him a bit. I think Andrade's lack of good footwork and lack of punching power was on display here. He should have been able to put the clearly outmatched Herrera brother down. Yet, he was happy with not working, throwing one punch at a time and getting a victory.

In a time, when his dad is under fire by your management and the media this was not a good fight for his father. You can see that he has things to work on. Also, no longer can you say that the sky is the limit for Andrade, he probably will never be a Paul Williams. I just don't think that after 200+ amateur fights and 12 pro fights you will have this much to work on as a boxer. He just doesn't work enough, throws from the wrong places, and has no punching power. Good win though. I'm interested to see when his handlers will put in him a title shot position.

The second fight was an entertaining one. I picked Herrera winning a 12 round decision in an upset prior to the fight and I was rewarded. I saw Herrera doing exactly what I thought he would do against Ruslan. Ruslan doesn't use his jab enough to keep Herrera from landing punches and tying up. Once he learns to be first, instead of pressuring with position, then trying to counter, I think he will be able to beat better competition. He relies too much on coming forward and hoping the guy covers up and not move so that he can throw his shots. Not going to work with anyone with any foot movement, toughness, or just a overall good boxer. Keep fighting the way he does and he will be a ESPN staple, nothing more.

Good fights! Ready to see next week! Manfredo vs the Haitian Sensation!