Month: September 2014

Long time boxing promoter Dan Goossen past away today due to complications with liver cancer, he was 65.  Influential in the careers of so many like the Ruelas brothers, Gabriel and Rafael, Terry Norris, and most recently with Chris Arreola, and Andre Ward, he left his mark on the sport and will be missed. Thoughts and prayers to the family at this difficult time.

It was fitting that Terdsak Kokietgym (53-5-1 33KO) was wearing red and Orlando Salido (42-12-2 29KO) blue in their brawl for the interim WBO super featherweight title from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Appropriate because those are the same colors worn by the robots in the game Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots, as a real life version of the game broke out in this championship bout.

From the opening bell, which saw Salido dropped by a left hook and Kokietgym dropped by a low blow (which was called a knock down), you knew it was on.

Round two would be no different for Salido as he would hit the deck again courtesy of a chopping left to the chin by Kokietgym. Salido was up at the count of eight with the round ending a few seconds later.

Salido would return the favor in round four when he floored Kokietgym with a straight right to the body, this time legal. Kokietgym was up quickly and both fighters slugged their way to the bell. Salido came out with a rush in round five but didn’t guard his grill and tasted the canvas for a third time when Kokietgym landed a solid left cross. Salido was more surprised by the shot than hurt and was up quickly as he moved the remaining seconds of the round to get back to the corner at the bell.

Salido started the sixth round with a flurry and continued to dominate the round by landing body shots and combinations to the head. Towards the end of the round, Salido unleashed an assault that had Kokietgym in trouble. It appeared that the referee was jumping in to stop the fight as Kokietgym didn’t appear to be protecting himself amid the onslaught but that wasn’t the case. Both fighters were sent to their neutral corners and then the referee signaled for the fight to continue. Salido’s corner had actually climbed into the ring thinking their fighter had won and had to exit. The bell rang a few moments later ending the round. Hey, maybe the ref should have utilized a Standing-8. (Enter shameless website plug comment here).

Kokietgym begins the seventh a little wobbled and is trying to stay away but Salido cuts off the ring and traps him on the ropes. Salido lands a few clubbing shots and buckles Kokietgym who falls to his knees into the ropes. Another knockdown but Kokietgym is up quick and both fighters resume fighting in a phone booth for the remainder of the round.

The next few rounds are fought at close range with Salido landing the more effective combinations.  Signs that Kokietgym is wearing down are begining to show.

A slugfest starts the 11^th, but ends quickly when Salido lands a textbook left hook, right hook, left uppercut combination which knocks out Kokietgym and ends the fight.

Although Kokietgym had his moments, Salido was the more accurate puncher, and worked the body early and often which no doubt set him up for the success in the eleventh.

As the referee was waving off the fight, you could hear a voice faintly in the distance….”Hey!  You knocked my block off!”

Pound For Pound Lists Better Recognize
When you look at most boxing pound for pound lists, you are hard pressed to find a fighter in the less glamorous flyweight division anywhere near the top 10; however, that is all about to change. It’s not that there hasn’t been a little guy worthy of cracking the top 10, he’s been here all along and goes by the nickname of “Chocolatoto”.

Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez (40-0 34 KO) defeated Japan’s Akira Yaegashi (20-4 10 KO) in Yaegashi’s backyard to take his WBA Light Flyweight title. With the win, Gonzalez captured his third world title in as many weight classes, shades of Alexis Arguello.

In the third round, Roman landed an uppercut that dazed Yaegashi but he was able to remain coherent enough to exchange with the Nicaraguan who obliged by landing a left hook dropping the champion. He was able to beat the count and survive the round.

Over the next five rounds there were some good exchanges but Gonzalez was the superior fighter boxing effortlessly while landing solid body shots, jabs, and left hooks. In the ninth round with his eye swelling, Yaegashi was again deposited on the canvas courtesy of a five punch combination from the challenger. This time he would not be able to get up causing referee Michael Griffen to stop the contest. At the time of the ninth round TKO, Gonzalez was leading on all three scorecards, 79-72 X2 and 80-71.

So what’s next for the new champion? Maybe he gets the winner of Giovanni Segura vs. Juan Francisco to unify the belts. No matter who his opponents are, they better be ready to face one of the top P4P fighters in the world.

Gonzalez had been on the Standing-8’s P4P list at eight since the inception of the site, he now moves to six.

(Portions of this snippet used in an article written for and contributed to Behind The Gloves.)

A No-Nonsense Problem
Adrien Broner (29-1 22KO) was uncharacteristically civil in defeating Emmanuel Taylor (18-3 12KO) by unanimous decision with scores of 116-111 on two cards and 115-112 on the third. Broner knocked down Taylor with a swift counter uppercut in the final round. Taylor wasn’t really hurt, but rather more surprised by the shot.

The fight was twelve rounds of some of the highest technical skill you will see in a fight by two fighters. Each combatant landed body shots by way of hooks or jabs, straight rights/lefts and hooks to the head, and moved and countered beautifully. No slight on Taylor, Broner was just a little bit quicker and slicker which allowed him to steal several close rounds.

After the fight, Broner stated he wanted Lucas Matthysse next. So, about Matthysse…..

A Well Oiled Machine?
Matthysse (36-3 34KO) had been a bit vulnerable in his last two fights, losing and hitting the deck against Danny Garcia and winning and again hitting the deck against John Molina Jr. On Saturday night, Matthysse was supposed to get a “test” from power punching Roberto Ortiz (31-1-1 24KO) but it was Ortiz who failed his own test.

Matthysse knocked out Ortiz with a wicked left hook to the body in the second round. Ortiz looked like he was going to be able to continue as he rested on one knee and listened to referee Benjy Esteves give the customary ten count. Concurrent with Esteves saying”ten”, Ortiz rose to his feet. Esteves then waived off the fight in a somewhat controversial stoppage. Not really a lot of answers here other than Oritz doesn’t take a great body shot.

So, like Broner, Matthysse also was thinking the same as he reciprocally stated that he wanted to face Broner next. In the words of legendary referee Mills Lane, “Let’s Get It On!!!”

The Other AB Also Wins In His Return Bout
Andre Berto (29-3 22KO) looked strong in winning a unanimous decision against a game Steve Upsher (24-4-1 6KO). Berto’s surgically repaired right shoulder was a non-issue. Berto landed power shots and looked as quick as he always has. One area of concern is that Upsher landed numerous power shots of his own. As Berto’s competition rises, he will not be able to withstand continued power shots from bigger punchers like the one’s he took form Upsher.

The Day Of The Jackal
Carl Frampton defeated Kiko Martinez in their rematch on Saturday. See story in preceeding article.

Back in early 2013, I stumbled upon an announcement for an event in Las Vegas called the Box Fan Expo. I was energized by the concept of the event, a chance to meet and greet with the biggest names in the sport, past and present. Unfortunately, the event never took place in 2013 but was rescheduled for 2014 and will occur in just over a week on Saturday September 13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 10-6.

Billed as the ultimate fan experience, all under one roof, the first ever event of its kind has confirmations from past greats like Mike Tyson, Leon Spinks, Roy Jones Jr., Riddick Bowe, James Toney, and current fighters, Juan Manuel Marquez, Sergio Martinez, Amir Khan, Robert Guerrero, Zab Judah, Mikey Garcia, and Shawn Porter just to name a few.

But it’s not just fighters that will be in attendance; there will be promotion companies like Dibella Entertainment, Iron Mike Productions, and Mayweather Promotions among others as well as gyms, Robert Garcia Boxing, Kronk Gym, and even announcers like Al Bernstein.

If there was a championship belt for event organizers, then Alonzo Benezra is the undisputed champ. Benezra is the brains behind the Expo and the person to thank for the opportunity to meet these icons of the sport and spend a day in the world of the sweet science. “There are few opportunities like this that allow the boxing fan to come face to face with their favorite boxers and other celebrities, which make the Box Fan Expo a truly unique and must see experience” said Benezra.

Yes, this event is going to be epic. I have my tickets, do you????

 

For more information contact the Box Fan Expo at: (514) 572-7222 or (702) 997-2099 or by Email:  info@boxfanexpo.com

 

 

“I’ll take Boxing for $200”

“Here is the clue; Unpredictable, Outrageous, Love/Hate, Talented”

“Who is Broner?”

“Correct, for $200!”

Yes, Cincinnati’s “Problem” Adrien Broner (28-1 22KO), love him or hate him, the kid’s talented and you never know what he will do next. You’ll get another chance to see exactly what that may be this Saturday night on Showtime Championship Boxing from the US Bank Arena in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. The tripleheader card will also feature Argentine Lucas Matthysse (35-3 33KOs), and the return of former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto of Winter Haven, Florida (28-3 22KO) in separate bouts.

When we last saw Broner, he was back to his old self in a unanimous decision win against Carlos Medina. There was Broner attempting bolo punches, body slamming his opponent, dancing and taunting, and who can forget the infamous post fight interview? Medina did well in the fight as he tried his best to employ the Marcos Maidana blueprint but was mostly overmatched in a fight that was closer than the score cards indicated.

Enter Maryland’s Emmanuel Taylor (18-2 12KO’s), Broner’s opponent this Saturday. Taylor beat Karim Mayfield by unanimous decision in his last fight but thoroughly lost to Chris Algieri in the fight prior. In the fight against Algeri, Taylor struggled to find an answer to Algieri’s quickness which is something that he will again have to contend with in Broner. While a decent puncher, Taylor’s strength is his fast hands and his ability to counter. If he is going to upset Broner in his backyard, he will need to get past Broner’s reach advantage and quickness, which is easier said than done. If Taylor is able to land a big counter shot early in the fight similar to what Medina was able to do and make the fight dirty at times, he may be able to make things interesting. As Taylor stated, “This is the biggest fight of my career, and I won’t let it get away from me,” “All of those hours in the gym were for a moment like this, and I can’t wait to show the world what I can do in the ring.”

When fighting in front of his hometown fans, Broner aims to give the judges the night off as ten out of his eleven fights in The Queen City have not gone to the scorecards. He can make it eleven out of twelve if he establishes his jab early and often and follows it with blazing combinations, works the body, and keeps the clowning to a minimum. “It’s always good to fight at home. It is overdue and I will never disappoint my Cincinnati fans. I’ll make sure to put on a good show for them” Broner said.

When you think about fight of the year candidates this year, you have to put Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr. in the discussion. Although Matthysse was able to stop Molina in the eleventh, he was there to be hit and was dropped twice, not exactly what was expected of him after losing to Danny Garcia in his previous fight which also saw him hit the canvas.

On Saturday, Matthysse will face WBC Silver Lightweight Champion Roberto Ortiz of Mexico (31-0-1 24KO). “I respect Lucas Matthysse and know how dangerous he is, but this is my time to make a statement, and I will on Sept. 6,” said Ortiz. “I see holes in his game, and I think I’m the better all-around fighter. The world will see that very soon.”

Countered Matthysse, “The title is my only goal, and to get there, I have to beat Ortiz, I’ve heard that he’s a tough fighter, but I’m not worried about him. I just have to make sure I’m ready”  Matthysse has generally not fared well against boxers as evident by his losses to Zab Judah, Devon Alexander, and Garcia but Ortiz is going to put him in his comfort zone; however, questions are beginning to surface about his beard. Ortiz is taking a big step up in class but it’s evident that he can bang. This fight has all the makings of classic brawl, fasten your seatbelts.

Rounding out the card will be the aforementioned Berto vs. Philadelphia’s Steven Upsher Chambers (24-3-1 6KO). Berto will be in the ring for the first time since losing to Jesus Soto Karass fourteen months ago and having surgery to repair a damaged shoulder. Regarding the shoulder, Berto stated, “The shoulder is feeling good and we’ve had a tremendous camp. I was able to get out here really early for this fight and train with all the great champions in our gym. I’m just excited to get back under the lights and perform on September 6,” Berto is a stablemate of Andre Ward, Alfredo Angulo and Amir Khan in trainer Virgil Hunter’s Bay Area gym.

Chambers (“brother” of heavyweight Eddie) has been out of the ring over a year and enters this fight having lost his last two. The tale of the tape will favor Chambers over the former champion and he is looking to exploit it saying, “I look forward to using my height and reach advantage and, believe it or not, I don’t know how people rate my speed or whatever, but I think I will be the faster fighter”.

Berto is never in a dull fight and this one should be no different, he will bring out the best in Chambers and in doing so may bring out the best in himself.

There’s going to be “Mayhem” in Las Vegas in a week but no worries; Showtime Championship Boxing has you covered this week. Yes, Queen City, we need a few answers out of you this Saturday night. Is Broner truly at home in the junior welterweight division? Is Matthysse still the knockout destroyer who walked through Lamont Peterson or the fighter who showed vulnerability in a loss against Danny Garcia and in winning his last fight against John Molina? And finally, is Berto totally recovered from shoulder surgery and capable of making a sustained run back to a title shot?

We may not get the complete answers we are looking for as the matchups may not be conducive to our quest but it’s the small answers we could get that will allow us to see what the future may hold for these warriors going forward.

 

Article contributed to Behind The Gloves.com