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Don't remind me. |I
Watching Roy go out was rough for me. Seeing him get knocked out like that the first time, and then again, and then seeing him getting dismantled bit-by-bit by Calzaghe? Rough man.. |I
Official 2012 Boxing Thread: JMM/Manny IV - FOTY.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
- Start date
Don't remind me. |I
Watching Roy go out was rough for me. Seeing him get knocked out like that the first time, and then again, and then seeing him getting dismantled bit-by-bit by Calzaghe? Rough man.. |I
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manny took a nyquil before the fight :x
atleast we still have these two...
atleast we still have these two...
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Weekend wrap up.
A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at Las Vegas
Juan Manuel Marquez KO6 Manny Pacquiao
Welterweight
Records: Marquez (55-6-1, 40 KOs); Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The rivalry between Marquez and Pacquiao was already one for the ages through their first three fights, all of which were outstanding action battles that ended in controversial decisions and with Marquez -- and many others -- feeling as if he had been robbed each time. There was the draw in a 2004 featherweight championship fight and then two close Pacquiao victories -- a 2008 split decision in a junior lightweight title fight and a majority decision in a welterweight title fight in November 2011. That was the one most believe Marquez had truly won.
So, coming into the fourth showdown between the great rivals and surefire Hall of Famers, both sides spent a lot of time talking about the desire for a definitive outcome. They both wanted to put their stamp on the rivalry and leave no doubt about who the winner was this time.
They both meant it because they fought with an even greater intensity than in their first three fights, thrilling the sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena crowd of 16,348. It was a Marquez house, thanks to his loyal Mexican fans, and they got exactly what they wanted, as did Marquez: a massive knockout victory in a scene as stunning as anything witnessed in recent boxing history.
But even before the knockout, it was a great fight. It was so good that a realistic argument can be made that it ultimately will produce the 2012 fighter of the year (Marquez), the knockout of the year and the round of the year (the sensational toe-to-toe fifth round).
Through the first three fights, Pacquiao had the big edge in knockdowns. He dropped Marquez three times in the first round of their first fight and dropped him in the third round of the rematch. Marquez got one back in the second round of fight No. 4, landing a nice right hand to plant Pacquiao, who turns 34 on Dec. 17, on the canvas with about 70 seconds to go. The Filipino congressman was clearly hurt but made it out of the round. He rebounded well from the knockdown and began to take over the fight.
In the fifth round -- which was as good as it gets and is probably the single best round from the four fights -- Pacquiao rocked Marquez with a straight left hand and sent him reeling. Marquez touched his glove to the canvas, and referee Kenny Bayless, who did a great job in the fight, properly ruled a knockdown. Pacquiao was getting the better of the heated action and had Marquez's nose bleeding and busted up as they tore into each other throughout the round. Pacquiao continued to pour it on in the sixth round, and it seemed as though he was beginning to take over the fight. He was headed toward easily winning the sixth round on the scorecards, but then it happened: Pacquiao missed with a right jab and Marquez -- one of the best counterpunchers in the game -- countered with a fierce overhand right that landed squarely in the center of Pacquiao's face. He never saw the punch coming and was out cold before he hit the canvas. Bayless didn't bother to count and called off the fight as Marquez, 39, of Mexico, climbed the ring ropes to celebrate, with blood smeared all over his face and chest. Pacquiao was down for a few minutes as medical personnel rushed to his aid. Everyone wanted a clear result, and we got it -- in a great fight to boot.
Pacquiao said he will fight on and checked out OK at the hospital afterward. Talk of a fifth fight began immediately, and it's probably a good bet to happen in 2013, especially with a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight (which was unlikely anyway) now off the table, at least for now. Marquez still trails the series 2-1-1 after nine years, four fights and 42 rounds -- but there is more likely to come.
Yuriorkis Gamboa W12 Michael Farenas
Wins a vacant interim junior lightweight title
Scores: 118-108, 117-109, 117-108
Records: Gamboa (22-0, 16 KOs); Farenas (33-4-4, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gamboa has great speed and power, plus a very shaky chin and weak defense, which is why he is often in good fights. This was one of them, partially making up for the rest of a horrible television undercard. Before Gamboa walked to the ring, his new promoter, rapper 50 Cent, dropped from the ceiling attached to cables to rap for the crowd. Then Gamboa came into the ring and punched for the crowd in a pleasing action fight against Farenas, whose heart is greater than his talent.
Gamboa had been off for 15 months after a messy separation from Top Rank, signing with 50 Cent and then winding up on a Top Rank card after Fiddy and Bob Arum made a deal. Gamboa, a 2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist, who will turn 31 on Dec. 23, is a former unified featherweight titlist who was moving up in weight to face Farenas, 28, a Manny Pacquiao-promoted fighter from the Philippines. Farenas wobbled Gamboa in the second round, but Gamboa came back to drop him with a right hand later in the round. In the third, he opened cuts on the side of both of Farenas' eyes with his precise punches. Farenas went down again in the seventh round, touching his glove to the mat after eating a right hand.
Gamboa appeared to be on his way to an easy but entertaining win in the ninth round as he battered Farenas. But, suddenly, Farenas landed a left hand to drop Gamboa to a knee. After that, Gamboa seemed to lose his desire to finish off Farenas and backed off. He was content to move around the ring and use his speed to stay away from Farenas and take the decision win.
It was a solid fight for Gamboa to get rid of the ring rust, and he figures to be back in a bigger fight in 2013. One fight a lot of fans would love to see would be against lightweight titlist Adrien Broner. That would be a dandy. Farenas' eight-fight undefeated streak ended, although he is 0-1-1 in his past two fights.
Miguel Vazquez W12 Mercito Gesta
Retains a lightweight title
Scores: 119-109, 118-110, 117-111
Records: Vazquez (33-3, 13 KOs); Gesta (26-1-1, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Wake us when this abomination is over. Vazquez simply doesn't make good fights. He can box with anyone, but he can also stink anyone out. He's sort of like the Mexican version of Derrick Gainer. Gesta, a Filipino often associated with Manny Pacquiao, has been utterly overhyped and doesn't fight anything like his countryman other than the fact he's a fellow southpaw.
Vazquez, 25, was making his fifth title defense, which resembled most of his others as he circled, ran, threw one punch at a time and didn't allow Gesta -- who did nothing but follow him around -- to get on the inside. The result was a crummy fight, one that Vazquez completely dominated and that had the crowd booing throughout. Vazquez still hasn't registered a knockout in a title bout. Gesta, 25, didn't exactly press the action, either. No need to see either back on television any time soon.
Javier Fortuna W12 Patrick Hyland
Wins a vacant interim featherweight title
Scores: 118-110, 116-112, 115-113
Records: Fortuna (21-0, 15 KOs); Hyland (27-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Fortuna, 23, of the Dominican Republic, has looked sensational in some of his fights and has scored some tremendous knockouts, including in his previous two fights -- a first-round blowout of fellow prospect Yuandale Evans and a second-round stoppage of former featherweight titlist Cristobal Cruz. They were the kind of performances that had many viewing Fortuna, a southpaw, as a possible future star. He might still become that, because he is fast and powerful, but his performance against Hyland, although solid, was a bit rough around the edges. There is clearly more work to be done in several areas.
Hyland, 29, of Ireland, who had never faced a quality opponent, got a shot at an interim belt for no apparent reason. Promoted by "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Hyland showed toughness and a good chin but little else as Fortuna, a stablemate of middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, boxed circles around him.
Fortuna burst to a big lead over the first half of the fight, but Hyland hung in there and tried to make it a brawl. Fortuna, who got away from his plan a little bit, allowed that to happen -- but not long enough to take any real damage. In the ninth round, a frustrated Hyland threw Fortuna to the canvas and tweaked his right shoulder. Hyland should have been penalized points by referee Russell Mora for the blatant foul, but he got away with it. Later in the round, Hyland threw an egregious low blow that Mora warned him for. Fortuna, who was cut over his left eye in the ninth round, shook off the fouls and took the decision.
No idea what fight judge Dave Moretti, who scored it 115-113, was watching. This was all Fortuna, who is an excellent young fighter, although perhaps not as good as some thought.
Jose Ramirez TKO1 Corey Siegwarth
Lightweight
Records: Ramirez (1-0, 1 KO); Siegwarth (2-2, 1 KO)
Rafael's remarks: Twenty-year-old Ramirez obviously was not matched tough in his pro debut. It was meant to be a showcase for fans to see his potential and to allow him to get comfortable in a pro fight -- in which he was wearing smaller gloves than he had as an amateur, was scheduled for a longer distance and wasn't wearing head gear -- not to mention fight in front of a big crowd on a major stage as part of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV undercard.
Ramirez, a 2012 U.S. Olympian and one of the most sought-after amateurs, dealt with his nerves and crushed Siegwarth, of Denver. Ramirez, who was 145-11 as an amateur (winning 11 U.S. national titles) needed just 2 minutes, 5 seconds, to take Siegwarth apart. Ramirez outlanded him 32-2, according to CompuBox, and whatever two shots Siegwarth did get credit for landing did absolutely nothing. Ramirez dropped Siegwarth with a really nice digging left hook to the body, one that was so sweet that Freddie Roach, who worked as an assistant in his corner, said it reminded him of the left hook from another former U.S. Olympian, superstar Oscar De La Hoya.
Siegwarth survived the hook to the body but was badly shaken up. Ramirez stalked him, cornered him and blasted away until referee Vic Drakulich called off the bout. Ramirez is off and running in a career that eventually could lead to a championship. With Top Rank guiding Ramirez's career and having masterfully built many prospects from 0-0 and taken them to titles and stardom, he is in good hands.
Saturday at Herning, Denmark
Mikkel Kessler TKO3 Brian Magee
Wins a super middleweight title
Records: Kessler (46-2, 35 KOs); Magee (36-5-1, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Magee, 37, of Northern Ireland, had claimed an interim belt one fight after being waxed in 10 rounds by Lucian Bute in another world title shot. Making his first defense since being elevated to a full titleholder, Magee, a southpaw, traveled to Kessler's native Denmark and was considered a massive underdog against a man whose only losses have come to Andre Ward and Joe Calzaghe. Kessler, 33, claimed a version of the 168-pound title for the fourth time in a dominant victory against Magee, running his winning streak to four since losing a lopsided technical decision and a world title to Ward in the opening round of the Super Six World Boxing Classic in November 2009.
Kessler gave the crowd of 10,127 quite a show. After a competitive first round, Kessler dropped Magee in the second round, landing a right hand to his solar plexus and nearly knocking him out. Magee was badly hurt and wincing as he got to his feet. Kessler continued to abuse him to the body in the second round and dropped him for a second time with another right to the gut. That knockdown came just as the bell sounded, giving Magee a chance to try to shake it off. He couldn't. Kessler dug another right to the body, and Magee went down for the third time overall. Referee Luis Pabon then waved off the fight just 24 seconds into the third round. This was as good of a body attack as Kessler has ever used.
With the resounding win, there's a chance we could see a rematch between Kessler and titlist Carl Froch, who lost a close decision to Kessler in Denmark during the Super Six. For Magee, it was the end of the line to his good performances in Denmark. He had previously fought there twice and knocked out two Danish fighters -- Mads Larsen, in the seventh round of a 2010 European super middleweight title fight, and Rudy Markussen, in February in the fifth round in defense of his interim title. Kessler had vowed to end Magee's success in Denmark and did just that.
Saturday at Philadelphia
Bryant Jennings KO5 Bowie Topou
Heavyweight
Scores: 117-111, 116-112, 116-113
Records: Jennings (16-0, 8 KOs); Topou (22-3, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Jennings emerged this year as one of the few American heavyweight prospects and punctuated his breakout with a fifth win in 2012. The 28-year-old was fighting in front of his hometown fans and headlining on NBC Sports Network's "Fight Night" against Topou, 30, a native of Tonga living in Los Angeles. Topou is pretty experienced and was a good matchup for Bryant at this stage of his career.
Jennings took some hard shots from Topou but shook them off. In the third round, Topou cracked Jennings with an overhand right on top of the head that clearly dropped him to his rear end, but referee Blair Talmadge totally missed it and ruled it a slip. It was a really bad error and just reinforces the need for more instant replay usage in boxing. If there were replay, Topou absolutely would have gotten the credit he deserved for the knockdown. Jennings wasn't too badly hurt, however, and made it out of the round. In the fifth, Jennings unloaded a right uppercut that flattened Topou, who landed partially under the ring ropes. He nearly beat the count, but Talmadge counted Topou out at 1 minute, 37 seconds. A solid win for Jennings in a fun heavyweight scrap.
Saturday at Anaheim, Calif.
Ricardo Williams Jr. TKO5 Luis Ramos
Welterweight
Scores: 100-90 (twice), 99-91
Records: Williams (21-3, 11 KOs); Ramos (23-1, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Ramos, 24, of Santa Ana, Calif., has been brought along nicely by Golden Boy and manager Frank Espinoza, but they could never have imagined a loss to fellow southpaw Williams, 31, of Cincinnati. Williams was a 2000 U.S. Olympic silver medalist but has been a massive professional bust. He wasted his talent by not being in shape, losing to journeyman opponents and then winding up in prison on drug distribution charges. Since returning to the ring after his prison sentence in 2008, Williams has been a journeyman sort of fighter. But this victory, in the main event of a Fox Sports Net card, could be the biggest of his career as he bumped off an undefeated prospect on national television.
Ramos looked good early, dropping Williams with a left hand in the second round. It was a nice back-and-forth battle, but, in the fifth round, Williams suffered a cut over his left eye from an accidental head-butt. Later in the round, Williams opened a cut over Ramos' right eye, but it came on a punch. When the round ended, the ringside doctor suggested to referee Raul Caiz Jr. that he should stop the fight because of Ramos' cut, giving Williams the upset stoppage victory in a fight that Ramos was winning on two scorecards (the third was even). Don't be surprised if there is a rematch.
On the undercard, 2012 U.S. Olympian Jamel Herring (1-0), 27, of Coram, N.Y., made his professional debut, taking a shutout four-round decision (40-36 on all three scorecards) against Jose Valderrama (2-3, 0 KOs) of Puerto Rico in a lightweight bout. Cincinnati bantamweight Rau'Shee Warren (2-0, 0 KOs), 25, a three-time U.S. Olympian, also boxed on the undercard and took a near-shutout four-round decision against David Reyes (2-3-1, 0 KOs), 22, of Montebello, Calif. Scores were 40-36, 40-36, 39-37.
Saturday at Hull, England
James DeGale W12 Fulgencio Zuniga
Super middleweight
Scores: 118-109 (three times)
Records: DeGale (14-1, 9 KOs); Zuniga (25-7-1, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: DeGale, 26, was a 2008 Olympic gold medalist for Great Britain and is the reigning European super middleweight champion, although his title wasn't at stake in this fight. He got in rounds and relatively easy work against Zuniga, a 35-year-old journeyman from Colombia. It was a one-sided fight in which DeGale, a southpaw, dropped Zuniga with a left uppercut in the third round and nearly knocked him down again at the end of the round.
DeGale is slated to return to action on Jan. 26. Zuniga took the fight on short notice after having lost a lopsided 12-round decision in South Africa to Thomas Oosthuizen on Nov. 10. Zuniga has lost three of his past four fights, including a seventh-round knockout loss in a light heavyweight title challenge against Tavoris Cloud.
Saturday at London
Darren Barker TKO4 Kerry Hope
Middleweight
Scores: 100-90 (twice), 99-91
Records: Barker (24-1, 15 KOs); Hope (18-5, 1 KO)
Rafael's remarks: In October 2011, Barker, 30, of England, came to Atlantic City, N.J., and gave middleweight champion Sergio Martinez a tough fight before being spectacularly knocked out in the 11th round. Fighting for the first time since then -- Barker took time off to nurse injuries -- he took apart Hope, 31, of Wales, a fellow former European middleweight champion.
They engaged in a solid scrap, but Barker was having his way, particularly in the third round, when he really took it to Hope. He rocked him repeatedly, especially late in the round. With Hope softened up from the beating he took in the third, he was there for the taking in the fourth as Barker floored him with a clean right hand. Hope got to his feet quickly, but when the fight resumed and Barker landed two more stiff punches, Hope's corner threw in the towel and referee Marcus McDonnell stopped the bout at 1 minute, 5 seconds. Nice win for Barker after a 14-month layoff.
Saturday at Kingston, Jamaica
Nicholas Walters TKO7 Daulis Prescott
Wins a vacant featherweight title
Records: Walters (22-0, 18 KOs); Prescott (26-2, 19 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: When Celestino Caballero failed to make the mandatory defense of his "regular" title against Walters, he was stripped and Walters was matched with Colombia's Prescott, the 26-year-old brother of longtime fringe lightweight and junior welterweight contender Breidis Prescott. Neither had ever fought any remotely notable opponent, yet they were paired for a title fight.
Walters, 26, was fighting in his home country and thrashed Prescott. Walters scored knockdowns in the fourth and fifth rounds before scoring a third and final knockdown on a body shot. Prescott barely beat the count, but referee Rafael Ramos decided to stop the fight 35 seconds into the seventh round.
Thursday at Las Vegas
Raymundo Beltran W10 Ji-Hoon Kim
Lightweight
Scores: 98-92 (twice), 97-94
Records: Beltran (27-6, 17 KOs); Kim (24-8, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Beltran, 31, who is from Mexico but living in Los Angeles, has been one of Manny Pacquiao's chief sparring partners and, after an excellent decision win against Hank Lundy in July, cracked into the lightweight top 10. Kim, 25, of South Korea, has been in his share of exciting fights. On paper, this matchup figured to be a crowd-pleasing slugfest and, sure enough, it was, for the most part.
The first few rounds were very exciting, especially Round 1, in which the fighters traded knockdowns and delivered a frame worthy of a round of the year honorable mention. First, Beltran, trained by Freddie Roach, was floored by a left hook. But he came back to stagger Kim with a left hook and then knocked him down hard (and nearly out of the ring) with another big left hand. It was a wild round, and the action continued through the next few rounds.
Kim was warned for a bad low blow in the second round, but Beltran, who suffered a cut over his left eye in the round, was undeterred as he smashed Kim around the ring. He absorbed huge punishment. They traded back and forth for most of the fight, but, by about the fourth round, Beltran had the fight well in hand.
Although an action fight, it fell into a routine as Beltran slugged away and Kim was unable to return much of anything (and showed no sense of basic defense). Kim has heart but no clue about moving his head or trying to block a punch with anything other than his face.
When it was over, it was obvious that Beltran was the clear winner and Kim's three-fight winning streak was over. The win was Beltran's second solid one in a row, which he hopes will lead to some sort of title opportunity.
Jessie Magdaleno W8 Jonathan Arellano
Junior featherweight
Scores: 80-70 (twice), 80-69
Records: Magdaleno (13-0, 9 KOs); Arellano (13-2-1, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Magdaleno, 21, of Las Vegas, is one of boxing's best prospects. He was a favorite to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, but he ended his bid to make the team when he decided to turn pro in November 2010. Magdaleno, the younger brother of junior lightweight contender Diego Magdaleno, dominated Arellano, 25, of Ontario, Calif.
Although Magdaleno, a southpaw, was a little sloppy on defense and got caught with a few shots he shouldn't have been hit by, he did show a good chin. Magdaleno also did a lot of damage, so credit Arellano for lasting the distance despite going down twice. Magdaleno has a super-fast left hand, which he used to drop Arellano to a knee on a counter shot to the side of the head in the second round. He dropped Arellano again in the sixth round with a combination and was teeing off on him as the round ended. Magdaleno did more damage in the seventh, rocking Arellano's head back and forth with a series of very strong uppercuts. A child could have scored this fight.
Also on the card were two other blue-chip Top Rank prospects. Junior lightweight Felix Verdejo (1-0, 0 KOs), a 19-year-old 2012 Puerto Rican Olympian, who signed a few weeks ago, made his professional debut and rolled to a four-round decision -- 40-36, 40-36, 39-37 -- against Leonard Chavez (1-1, 1 KO), 18, of Los Angeles. Junior lightweight Toka Kahn-Clary (3-0, 1 KO), 20, of Providence, R.I., also had an easy night, outpointing Jesus Garza (0-2) -- whose first fight was in 2008 -- 40-36, 40-36, 39-37.
Saturday at Las Vegas
Juan Manuel Marquez KO6 Manny Pacquiao
Welterweight
Records: Marquez (55-6-1, 40 KOs); Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The rivalry between Marquez and Pacquiao was already one for the ages through their first three fights, all of which were outstanding action battles that ended in controversial decisions and with Marquez -- and many others -- feeling as if he had been robbed each time. There was the draw in a 2004 featherweight championship fight and then two close Pacquiao victories -- a 2008 split decision in a junior lightweight title fight and a majority decision in a welterweight title fight in November 2011. That was the one most believe Marquez had truly won.
So, coming into the fourth showdown between the great rivals and surefire Hall of Famers, both sides spent a lot of time talking about the desire for a definitive outcome. They both wanted to put their stamp on the rivalry and leave no doubt about who the winner was this time.
They both meant it because they fought with an even greater intensity than in their first three fights, thrilling the sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena crowd of 16,348. It was a Marquez house, thanks to his loyal Mexican fans, and they got exactly what they wanted, as did Marquez: a massive knockout victory in a scene as stunning as anything witnessed in recent boxing history.
But even before the knockout, it was a great fight. It was so good that a realistic argument can be made that it ultimately will produce the 2012 fighter of the year (Marquez), the knockout of the year and the round of the year (the sensational toe-to-toe fifth round).
Through the first three fights, Pacquiao had the big edge in knockdowns. He dropped Marquez three times in the first round of their first fight and dropped him in the third round of the rematch. Marquez got one back in the second round of fight No. 4, landing a nice right hand to plant Pacquiao, who turns 34 on Dec. 17, on the canvas with about 70 seconds to go. The Filipino congressman was clearly hurt but made it out of the round. He rebounded well from the knockdown and began to take over the fight.
In the fifth round -- which was as good as it gets and is probably the single best round from the four fights -- Pacquiao rocked Marquez with a straight left hand and sent him reeling. Marquez touched his glove to the canvas, and referee Kenny Bayless, who did a great job in the fight, properly ruled a knockdown. Pacquiao was getting the better of the heated action and had Marquez's nose bleeding and busted up as they tore into each other throughout the round. Pacquiao continued to pour it on in the sixth round, and it seemed as though he was beginning to take over the fight. He was headed toward easily winning the sixth round on the scorecards, but then it happened: Pacquiao missed with a right jab and Marquez -- one of the best counterpunchers in the game -- countered with a fierce overhand right that landed squarely in the center of Pacquiao's face. He never saw the punch coming and was out cold before he hit the canvas. Bayless didn't bother to count and called off the fight as Marquez, 39, of Mexico, climbed the ring ropes to celebrate, with blood smeared all over his face and chest. Pacquiao was down for a few minutes as medical personnel rushed to his aid. Everyone wanted a clear result, and we got it -- in a great fight to boot.
Pacquiao said he will fight on and checked out OK at the hospital afterward. Talk of a fifth fight began immediately, and it's probably a good bet to happen in 2013, especially with a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight (which was unlikely anyway) now off the table, at least for now. Marquez still trails the series 2-1-1 after nine years, four fights and 42 rounds -- but there is more likely to come.
Yuriorkis Gamboa W12 Michael Farenas
Wins a vacant interim junior lightweight title
Scores: 118-108, 117-109, 117-108
Records: Gamboa (22-0, 16 KOs); Farenas (33-4-4, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gamboa has great speed and power, plus a very shaky chin and weak defense, which is why he is often in good fights. This was one of them, partially making up for the rest of a horrible television undercard. Before Gamboa walked to the ring, his new promoter, rapper 50 Cent, dropped from the ceiling attached to cables to rap for the crowd. Then Gamboa came into the ring and punched for the crowd in a pleasing action fight against Farenas, whose heart is greater than his talent.
Gamboa had been off for 15 months after a messy separation from Top Rank, signing with 50 Cent and then winding up on a Top Rank card after Fiddy and Bob Arum made a deal. Gamboa, a 2004 Cuban Olympic gold medalist, who will turn 31 on Dec. 23, is a former unified featherweight titlist who was moving up in weight to face Farenas, 28, a Manny Pacquiao-promoted fighter from the Philippines. Farenas wobbled Gamboa in the second round, but Gamboa came back to drop him with a right hand later in the round. In the third, he opened cuts on the side of both of Farenas' eyes with his precise punches. Farenas went down again in the seventh round, touching his glove to the mat after eating a right hand.
Gamboa appeared to be on his way to an easy but entertaining win in the ninth round as he battered Farenas. But, suddenly, Farenas landed a left hand to drop Gamboa to a knee. After that, Gamboa seemed to lose his desire to finish off Farenas and backed off. He was content to move around the ring and use his speed to stay away from Farenas and take the decision win.
It was a solid fight for Gamboa to get rid of the ring rust, and he figures to be back in a bigger fight in 2013. One fight a lot of fans would love to see would be against lightweight titlist Adrien Broner. That would be a dandy. Farenas' eight-fight undefeated streak ended, although he is 0-1-1 in his past two fights.
Miguel Vazquez W12 Mercito Gesta
Retains a lightweight title
Scores: 119-109, 118-110, 117-111
Records: Vazquez (33-3, 13 KOs); Gesta (26-1-1, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Wake us when this abomination is over. Vazquez simply doesn't make good fights. He can box with anyone, but he can also stink anyone out. He's sort of like the Mexican version of Derrick Gainer. Gesta, a Filipino often associated with Manny Pacquiao, has been utterly overhyped and doesn't fight anything like his countryman other than the fact he's a fellow southpaw.
Vazquez, 25, was making his fifth title defense, which resembled most of his others as he circled, ran, threw one punch at a time and didn't allow Gesta -- who did nothing but follow him around -- to get on the inside. The result was a crummy fight, one that Vazquez completely dominated and that had the crowd booing throughout. Vazquez still hasn't registered a knockout in a title bout. Gesta, 25, didn't exactly press the action, either. No need to see either back on television any time soon.
Javier Fortuna W12 Patrick Hyland
Wins a vacant interim featherweight title
Scores: 118-110, 116-112, 115-113
Records: Fortuna (21-0, 15 KOs); Hyland (27-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Fortuna, 23, of the Dominican Republic, has looked sensational in some of his fights and has scored some tremendous knockouts, including in his previous two fights -- a first-round blowout of fellow prospect Yuandale Evans and a second-round stoppage of former featherweight titlist Cristobal Cruz. They were the kind of performances that had many viewing Fortuna, a southpaw, as a possible future star. He might still become that, because he is fast and powerful, but his performance against Hyland, although solid, was a bit rough around the edges. There is clearly more work to be done in several areas.
Hyland, 29, of Ireland, who had never faced a quality opponent, got a shot at an interim belt for no apparent reason. Promoted by "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Hyland showed toughness and a good chin but little else as Fortuna, a stablemate of middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, boxed circles around him.
Fortuna burst to a big lead over the first half of the fight, but Hyland hung in there and tried to make it a brawl. Fortuna, who got away from his plan a little bit, allowed that to happen -- but not long enough to take any real damage. In the ninth round, a frustrated Hyland threw Fortuna to the canvas and tweaked his right shoulder. Hyland should have been penalized points by referee Russell Mora for the blatant foul, but he got away with it. Later in the round, Hyland threw an egregious low blow that Mora warned him for. Fortuna, who was cut over his left eye in the ninth round, shook off the fouls and took the decision.
No idea what fight judge Dave Moretti, who scored it 115-113, was watching. This was all Fortuna, who is an excellent young fighter, although perhaps not as good as some thought.
Jose Ramirez TKO1 Corey Siegwarth
Lightweight
Records: Ramirez (1-0, 1 KO); Siegwarth (2-2, 1 KO)
Rafael's remarks: Twenty-year-old Ramirez obviously was not matched tough in his pro debut. It was meant to be a showcase for fans to see his potential and to allow him to get comfortable in a pro fight -- in which he was wearing smaller gloves than he had as an amateur, was scheduled for a longer distance and wasn't wearing head gear -- not to mention fight in front of a big crowd on a major stage as part of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV undercard.
Ramirez, a 2012 U.S. Olympian and one of the most sought-after amateurs, dealt with his nerves and crushed Siegwarth, of Denver. Ramirez, who was 145-11 as an amateur (winning 11 U.S. national titles) needed just 2 minutes, 5 seconds, to take Siegwarth apart. Ramirez outlanded him 32-2, according to CompuBox, and whatever two shots Siegwarth did get credit for landing did absolutely nothing. Ramirez dropped Siegwarth with a really nice digging left hook to the body, one that was so sweet that Freddie Roach, who worked as an assistant in his corner, said it reminded him of the left hook from another former U.S. Olympian, superstar Oscar De La Hoya.
Siegwarth survived the hook to the body but was badly shaken up. Ramirez stalked him, cornered him and blasted away until referee Vic Drakulich called off the bout. Ramirez is off and running in a career that eventually could lead to a championship. With Top Rank guiding Ramirez's career and having masterfully built many prospects from 0-0 and taken them to titles and stardom, he is in good hands.
Saturday at Herning, Denmark
Mikkel Kessler TKO3 Brian Magee
Wins a super middleweight title
Records: Kessler (46-2, 35 KOs); Magee (36-5-1, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Magee, 37, of Northern Ireland, had claimed an interim belt one fight after being waxed in 10 rounds by Lucian Bute in another world title shot. Making his first defense since being elevated to a full titleholder, Magee, a southpaw, traveled to Kessler's native Denmark and was considered a massive underdog against a man whose only losses have come to Andre Ward and Joe Calzaghe. Kessler, 33, claimed a version of the 168-pound title for the fourth time in a dominant victory against Magee, running his winning streak to four since losing a lopsided technical decision and a world title to Ward in the opening round of the Super Six World Boxing Classic in November 2009.
Kessler gave the crowd of 10,127 quite a show. After a competitive first round, Kessler dropped Magee in the second round, landing a right hand to his solar plexus and nearly knocking him out. Magee was badly hurt and wincing as he got to his feet. Kessler continued to abuse him to the body in the second round and dropped him for a second time with another right to the gut. That knockdown came just as the bell sounded, giving Magee a chance to try to shake it off. He couldn't. Kessler dug another right to the body, and Magee went down for the third time overall. Referee Luis Pabon then waved off the fight just 24 seconds into the third round. This was as good of a body attack as Kessler has ever used.
With the resounding win, there's a chance we could see a rematch between Kessler and titlist Carl Froch, who lost a close decision to Kessler in Denmark during the Super Six. For Magee, it was the end of the line to his good performances in Denmark. He had previously fought there twice and knocked out two Danish fighters -- Mads Larsen, in the seventh round of a 2010 European super middleweight title fight, and Rudy Markussen, in February in the fifth round in defense of his interim title. Kessler had vowed to end Magee's success in Denmark and did just that.
Saturday at Philadelphia
Bryant Jennings KO5 Bowie Topou
Heavyweight
Scores: 117-111, 116-112, 116-113
Records: Jennings (16-0, 8 KOs); Topou (22-3, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Jennings emerged this year as one of the few American heavyweight prospects and punctuated his breakout with a fifth win in 2012. The 28-year-old was fighting in front of his hometown fans and headlining on NBC Sports Network's "Fight Night" against Topou, 30, a native of Tonga living in Los Angeles. Topou is pretty experienced and was a good matchup for Bryant at this stage of his career.
Jennings took some hard shots from Topou but shook them off. In the third round, Topou cracked Jennings with an overhand right on top of the head that clearly dropped him to his rear end, but referee Blair Talmadge totally missed it and ruled it a slip. It was a really bad error and just reinforces the need for more instant replay usage in boxing. If there were replay, Topou absolutely would have gotten the credit he deserved for the knockdown. Jennings wasn't too badly hurt, however, and made it out of the round. In the fifth, Jennings unloaded a right uppercut that flattened Topou, who landed partially under the ring ropes. He nearly beat the count, but Talmadge counted Topou out at 1 minute, 37 seconds. A solid win for Jennings in a fun heavyweight scrap.
Saturday at Anaheim, Calif.
Ricardo Williams Jr. TKO5 Luis Ramos
Welterweight
Scores: 100-90 (twice), 99-91
Records: Williams (21-3, 11 KOs); Ramos (23-1, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Ramos, 24, of Santa Ana, Calif., has been brought along nicely by Golden Boy and manager Frank Espinoza, but they could never have imagined a loss to fellow southpaw Williams, 31, of Cincinnati. Williams was a 2000 U.S. Olympic silver medalist but has been a massive professional bust. He wasted his talent by not being in shape, losing to journeyman opponents and then winding up in prison on drug distribution charges. Since returning to the ring after his prison sentence in 2008, Williams has been a journeyman sort of fighter. But this victory, in the main event of a Fox Sports Net card, could be the biggest of his career as he bumped off an undefeated prospect on national television.
Ramos looked good early, dropping Williams with a left hand in the second round. It was a nice back-and-forth battle, but, in the fifth round, Williams suffered a cut over his left eye from an accidental head-butt. Later in the round, Williams opened a cut over Ramos' right eye, but it came on a punch. When the round ended, the ringside doctor suggested to referee Raul Caiz Jr. that he should stop the fight because of Ramos' cut, giving Williams the upset stoppage victory in a fight that Ramos was winning on two scorecards (the third was even). Don't be surprised if there is a rematch.
On the undercard, 2012 U.S. Olympian Jamel Herring (1-0), 27, of Coram, N.Y., made his professional debut, taking a shutout four-round decision (40-36 on all three scorecards) against Jose Valderrama (2-3, 0 KOs) of Puerto Rico in a lightweight bout. Cincinnati bantamweight Rau'Shee Warren (2-0, 0 KOs), 25, a three-time U.S. Olympian, also boxed on the undercard and took a near-shutout four-round decision against David Reyes (2-3-1, 0 KOs), 22, of Montebello, Calif. Scores were 40-36, 40-36, 39-37.
Saturday at Hull, England
James DeGale W12 Fulgencio Zuniga
Super middleweight
Scores: 118-109 (three times)
Records: DeGale (14-1, 9 KOs); Zuniga (25-7-1, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: DeGale, 26, was a 2008 Olympic gold medalist for Great Britain and is the reigning European super middleweight champion, although his title wasn't at stake in this fight. He got in rounds and relatively easy work against Zuniga, a 35-year-old journeyman from Colombia. It was a one-sided fight in which DeGale, a southpaw, dropped Zuniga with a left uppercut in the third round and nearly knocked him down again at the end of the round.
DeGale is slated to return to action on Jan. 26. Zuniga took the fight on short notice after having lost a lopsided 12-round decision in South Africa to Thomas Oosthuizen on Nov. 10. Zuniga has lost three of his past four fights, including a seventh-round knockout loss in a light heavyweight title challenge against Tavoris Cloud.
Saturday at London
Darren Barker TKO4 Kerry Hope
Middleweight
Scores: 100-90 (twice), 99-91
Records: Barker (24-1, 15 KOs); Hope (18-5, 1 KO)
Rafael's remarks: In October 2011, Barker, 30, of England, came to Atlantic City, N.J., and gave middleweight champion Sergio Martinez a tough fight before being spectacularly knocked out in the 11th round. Fighting for the first time since then -- Barker took time off to nurse injuries -- he took apart Hope, 31, of Wales, a fellow former European middleweight champion.
They engaged in a solid scrap, but Barker was having his way, particularly in the third round, when he really took it to Hope. He rocked him repeatedly, especially late in the round. With Hope softened up from the beating he took in the third, he was there for the taking in the fourth as Barker floored him with a clean right hand. Hope got to his feet quickly, but when the fight resumed and Barker landed two more stiff punches, Hope's corner threw in the towel and referee Marcus McDonnell stopped the bout at 1 minute, 5 seconds. Nice win for Barker after a 14-month layoff.
Saturday at Kingston, Jamaica
Nicholas Walters TKO7 Daulis Prescott
Wins a vacant featherweight title
Records: Walters (22-0, 18 KOs); Prescott (26-2, 19 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: When Celestino Caballero failed to make the mandatory defense of his "regular" title against Walters, he was stripped and Walters was matched with Colombia's Prescott, the 26-year-old brother of longtime fringe lightweight and junior welterweight contender Breidis Prescott. Neither had ever fought any remotely notable opponent, yet they were paired for a title fight.
Walters, 26, was fighting in his home country and thrashed Prescott. Walters scored knockdowns in the fourth and fifth rounds before scoring a third and final knockdown on a body shot. Prescott barely beat the count, but referee Rafael Ramos decided to stop the fight 35 seconds into the seventh round.
Thursday at Las Vegas
Raymundo Beltran W10 Ji-Hoon Kim
Lightweight
Scores: 98-92 (twice), 97-94
Records: Beltran (27-6, 17 KOs); Kim (24-8, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Beltran, 31, who is from Mexico but living in Los Angeles, has been one of Manny Pacquiao's chief sparring partners and, after an excellent decision win against Hank Lundy in July, cracked into the lightweight top 10. Kim, 25, of South Korea, has been in his share of exciting fights. On paper, this matchup figured to be a crowd-pleasing slugfest and, sure enough, it was, for the most part.
The first few rounds were very exciting, especially Round 1, in which the fighters traded knockdowns and delivered a frame worthy of a round of the year honorable mention. First, Beltran, trained by Freddie Roach, was floored by a left hook. But he came back to stagger Kim with a left hook and then knocked him down hard (and nearly out of the ring) with another big left hand. It was a wild round, and the action continued through the next few rounds.
Kim was warned for a bad low blow in the second round, but Beltran, who suffered a cut over his left eye in the round, was undeterred as he smashed Kim around the ring. He absorbed huge punishment. They traded back and forth for most of the fight, but, by about the fourth round, Beltran had the fight well in hand.
Although an action fight, it fell into a routine as Beltran slugged away and Kim was unable to return much of anything (and showed no sense of basic defense). Kim has heart but no clue about moving his head or trying to block a punch with anything other than his face.
When it was over, it was obvious that Beltran was the clear winner and Kim's three-fight winning streak was over. The win was Beltran's second solid one in a row, which he hopes will lead to some sort of title opportunity.
Jessie Magdaleno W8 Jonathan Arellano
Junior featherweight
Scores: 80-70 (twice), 80-69
Records: Magdaleno (13-0, 9 KOs); Arellano (13-2-1, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Magdaleno, 21, of Las Vegas, is one of boxing's best prospects. He was a favorite to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, but he ended his bid to make the team when he decided to turn pro in November 2010. Magdaleno, the younger brother of junior lightweight contender Diego Magdaleno, dominated Arellano, 25, of Ontario, Calif.
Although Magdaleno, a southpaw, was a little sloppy on defense and got caught with a few shots he shouldn't have been hit by, he did show a good chin. Magdaleno also did a lot of damage, so credit Arellano for lasting the distance despite going down twice. Magdaleno has a super-fast left hand, which he used to drop Arellano to a knee on a counter shot to the side of the head in the second round. He dropped Arellano again in the sixth round with a combination and was teeing off on him as the round ended. Magdaleno did more damage in the seventh, rocking Arellano's head back and forth with a series of very strong uppercuts. A child could have scored this fight.
Also on the card were two other blue-chip Top Rank prospects. Junior lightweight Felix Verdejo (1-0, 0 KOs), a 19-year-old 2012 Puerto Rican Olympian, who signed a few weeks ago, made his professional debut and rolled to a four-round decision -- 40-36, 40-36, 39-37 -- against Leonard Chavez (1-1, 1 KO), 18, of Los Angeles. Junior lightweight Toka Kahn-Clary (3-0, 1 KO), 20, of Providence, R.I., also had an easy night, outpointing Jesus Garza (0-2) -- whose first fight was in 2008 -- 40-36, 40-36, 39-37.
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50 has talked enough **** about wanting Broner that it might just happen.
someone is getting Knocked out in that fight
if they actually make this fight wow.
50 involved in Boxing is actually a good thing
someone is getting Knocked out in that fight
if they actually make this fight wow.
50 involved in Boxing is actually a good thing
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gambo VS broner
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Russell Jr. is FINALLY gonna fight someone with a pulse?!
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I wonder what new look Amir Khan will look like. I really like Virgil Hunter as a trainer.
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Meh, Kahn is what he is at this point and I dont necessarily say that as a bad thing. "Action fighter" with some pop and a suspect chin? The game needs them.
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Nice find! Yeah, that a perfectly executed counter punch. It's a jab slip to the outside, and you line up your straight right to the dude's chin as he is coming in. It gets practiced by all boxers, but I always thought it was really hard to pull off in sparring with these kind of results.
awesome find... though the KO on Manny, he did slip left (he slipped right in this vid) JMM's torque and Manny's momentum just met in the middle... If you slip right in this vid, its about a half second slower and and a little lesser force. lol.. sorry if it sounds confusing,
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Nice find! Yeah, that a perfectly executed counter punch. It's a jab slip to the outside, and you line up your straight right to the dude's chin as he is coming in. It gets practiced by all boxers, but I always thought it was really hard to pull off in sparring with these kind of results
awesome find... though the KO on Manny, he did slip left (he slipped right in this vid) JMM's torque and Manny's momentum just met in the middle... If you slip right in this vid, its about a half second slower and and a little lesser force. lol.. sorry if it sounds confusing,
Yeah, I realized that after watching it over and over that he does in fact slip right in the vid. The one he landed on Pacquiao is pretty much the most perfect counter that you could ever hope for. And you're right, the slip to the outside is faster because the counter lands an instant after the jab misses. Perfect timing. You can tell his sparring partner was gonna try and stick two jabs and a straight left while circling to the right
. The dude left his left hand too far away from his face, though.I agree with the Khan comments. He pretty much is set in his ways. We'll see if Virgil has him more disciplined for his upcoming fight, though.
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SMH people still hating on Marquez? Wow....
They'll never accept it will they?
They'll never accept it will they?
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What Marquez hate?
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I was wondering the same. The only thing that slightly resembles hate are the suspicions that Marquez is using performance enhancing drugs.
lightweight champion
Banned
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Max Kellerman said it on Monday, unless everyone is using VADA you have to assume everyone is on PEDs. The only one for sure that we know is clean is Nonito Donaire.
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Which is what I'm referring to. It's almost like some lil girl gossip, rumors flying, all unfounded.
To me that's just people hatin'.
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That's just a matter of opinion though. It should not be considered hate. What's more disturbing is people actually happy and laughing that Pacquiao got knocked out cold. I am not biased towards either fighter btw.
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ESPN just went there with the Sportsnation poll:
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/poll/conversation/_/id/3382373
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/poll/conversation/_/id/3382373
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lmao at new mexico being the only state thats blue
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Eh these boxers know what they are signing up for when they put their gloves on. And potentially getting knocked out is always a possibility, you can't get mad at the ciewing public for enjoying
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People watch boxing for the action and perhaps a knockout no doubt. But being sadistic is another story. I do not recall the last time some boxer got put to sleep like that and people actually find it humorous. Like people really hate him and pray for his downfall but don't have a valid reason. The best they can come up with is because the commentators are on his nuts, he demands catchweights, or that the judges robbed Marquez last time they faced off. Most of which he has little to no control over. At the end of the day he's a human being and he could've gotten seriously hurt. There's nothing funny about that.
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