Junior middleweight rising prospect Tony “Super Bad” Harrison (21-0 17 KO) extended his stoppage streak to ten defeating Pablo “Sepulturero” Munguia (20-7 11 KO) by third round TKO on Friday Night Fights from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Munguia was game from the opening bell, moving forward and having some success in landing overhand punches on the taller Harrision; however, the difference in skill set was a mismatch. Towards the end of the second round, Harrison landed a short crisp right which floored Munguia and had him visibly wobbled. Munguia made it to his feet and survived to the bell. It was evident the end was near. Harrison attacked a still hurt Munguia to open round three landing multiple shots causing referee Arthur Mercante Jr. to stop the fight.
Some wound have preferred to see the Kronk Gym product fighting a higher caliber of opponent but that is the beauty of bringing a young highly skilled fighter along at the right pace, you simply don’t have to rush.
Munguia is not your typical opponent but is a gatekeeper of sorts to provide Harrison and his Team another opportunity to gauge how they handle every type of style before moving on to a higher quality of opposition. The “Gravedigger” has an approach that was no doubt forged from the repetitive motions of his job outside of boxing
Munguia is used to working in confined spaces while digging graves. He employed that strategy against Harrison moving underneath his reach and putting himself in the “hole” of Harrison’s guard. Further, when you are excavating dirt, you throw it out of the hole by moving the shovel overhead, a similar motion while throwing overhand punches. Munguia tried his best to align his job with his craft.
Said Harrison
“He’s definitely one tough cookie but I had to sit down with him to let him know you can’t just walk me down, we can make it this type of fight all night long”
“He was gaining a little courage, so you know me being the warrior that I am, it was time to sit down with him, I can’t keep letting him gain momentum, take some to give some, I know I’m the harder puncher and that’s what happens”
Harrison attacked the body of his shorter and less fit opponent from the opening bell while landing right hand power shots although his usually active jab was nonexistent. Although Munguia’s awkward style contributed to Harrison getting hit more solidly than he has in the past, the defensive component of his game will need to be addressed going forward.
After the fight, Harrision spoke about his body work, lack of jab, and his defense:
“We worked on going to the body all camp, when you get in front of him, he’s definitely a lot shorter, then what the pads look like”
“Tonight means nothing, it’s over with, I did what I was supposed to do against a veteran, a tough cookie who nobody stopped within the last fifteen fights, that says a lot about me, a lot of these guys are getting the same kind of opponents and going ten rounds with them, twelve rounds with them, I did it in three. We definitely have a lot to work on, we got hit a little bit too much, you know just being lazy and not wanting to use my jab, like I said, we did what we’re suppose to do, I don’t let anybody back me up, at the end of the day, we going to make it a fight, let’s make it that.”
Harrison on what is next,
“Al Haymon has the blue print to the car, my dad, he’s driving the car, me and my team are just riding in it and I’m the machine, I’m going to get on the phone with Al Haymon and see what he has next, hopefully he has good plans for me, I’m knocking everything in front of me out, even though I’m getting hit, I’m giving the fans what they want to see”
Harrison is ranked #12 by the IBF and will no doubt be on the move throughout the alphabet soup. Perhaps bouts against the likes of a Vanes Martirosyan, Austin Trout, or a Carlos Molina will be in his immediate future?
Don’t criticize the choice of opponent here, there are lessons learned from every outing. The Detroit fighter with the superstar potential and dazzling skills did what he was supposed to do. Like a player moving through levels in a video game, he defeated the boss on this level and will now move on his journey to the next where another boss awaits, hopefully one residing in the top ten bringing out the best we’ve yet to see from “Super Bad”.
Standing-8 