Official 2013 Boxing Thread: Year is over, please lock.

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:{ Guess I won't be seeing too much of my new favorite boxer...



Guillermo Rigondeaux and His Unfortunate Situation
July 20th, 2013 | Post Comment - 12 Comments

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graciano rocchigiani By Sevak Sarkisian: On April 13th of this year, Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0 8KO’s) not only pulled off a huge upset over Jr. Featherweight King and pound for pound fighter Nonito Donaire. But he also did it by outclassing his opponent and putting on a Picasso like performance. It was the art of the sweet science displayed at its best. Rigondeaux showcased great hand speed, punching accuracy, counterpunching, and near perfect defense.

For boxing purists, (such as myself) Rigondeaux’s master class performance was beautiful to watch. However, for the casual fan or for the boxing fans that only like seeing action packed fights, it wasn’t interesting to watch. History shows us that the most important thing for a fighter to have in order to become successful in the sport of boxing aside from a good team is to win his fights. As long as the fighter keeps winning he will continue to excel and make money in the sport of boxing.
History has also shown us that being an exciting fighter tremendously helps the fighter to be more marketable to casual boxing fans.

Fighters like Arturo Gatti, Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao are all testaments to that. However, history has also shown that being an exciting fighter is not prerequisite to becoming a boxing superstar. As a matter of fact, boxing’s current hottest star is Floyd Mayweather who happens to be a defensive fighter who has put on many boring fights including his fights with Baldomir and Guerrero. So, it is obvious that defensive fighters can still reach the superstar level and become network favorites.

It seems as though Bob Arum isn’t too enthusiastic about promoting Rigondeaux in my humble opinion. Saying “He has to throw more punches” at Rigondeaux’s post fight interview with Max Kellerman after the Donaire fight. Arum also recently made a comment implying that every time he mentions Rigo’s name to HBO, they vomit. The most angering part about this whole situation to me is the fact that well respected boxing commentator Larry Merchant supports HBO’s neglectful attitude towards Rigo. However, Merchant isn’t the only respectrd journalist or reporter/commentator to have a negative attitude towards Rigondeaux.

I could understand how many casual/uneducated fans may not be appreciative about Rigondeaux’s beautiful boxing style, but for high profile boxing commentators and writers to be dismissive of Rigondeax because of his style is a big shame to the sport and one I simply can’t understand. Most if not all of Donaire’s previous opponents would have fought him just like Rigondeaux did if they simply had the ability to do so. You cannot fault Rigo for trying to fight the smartest he possibly can against a fighter of Nonito Donaire’s caliber.

Personally speaking, as a boxing fan I not only want to see exciting action packed fights but I also want to see the best in the world. Not every fight is going to be a blood bath and we shouldn’t expect them to be. Not every boxer is going to be exciting to watch every time they fight but if you ask me Rigondeaux has been exciting more times than not. Out of his 12 fights he has managed to KO 8 of his opponents in impressive fashion. He has the ability to score one punch knockouts and if matched up correctly, he can make for some good fights.

It doesn’t make sense to me how HBO approved Gary Russell to fight TBA’s but is not willing to approve one of the best fighters on the planet who just dominated a p4p fighter. It seems to me that there is an underlying political issue that we fans don’t know about. This situation is disgusting and I hope it gets resolved and doesn’t affect Rigondeaux’s career.
This writer can be contacted @Sev_S7
 
Trout said the Lara fight is just a rumor

Everyone has been saying it's a rumor for weeks :lol

I still think it happens on its own card. Plus, you're right, no one wants to see that snoozer on a major PPV. TBH, I'd like to see them throw Vic on there to open things up.
 
We don't know if its going to be a snooze fest. You don't necessarily need two brawlers to make for an exciting fight. I think the fact that these are two Al Haymon guys who weren't spoonfed and the possibility of a fight with Mayweather or Canelo will bring the best out of both of them.
 
It is going to be hard to not order the fight sept 14th.

I don't think you guys give danny enough credit though. That being said...i think he will lose but i think it will be a competitive fight. Lucas is an assassin in there
 
Think I read its almost finalized. Alvarado will make it look easy.

Alvarado vs Provodnikov is officially signed for October 19

i actually think Provodnikov can win this only way Alvarado wins is if he fights the same way he did vs Rios even though it wasn't really outboxing more like backing up and running imo
 
Weekend wrap up.

A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:


Saturday at London
Dereck Chisora KO6 Malik Scott
Heavyweights
Records: Chisora (17-4, 11 KOs); Scott (35-1-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This will go down as a fifth-round count-out knockout for Chisora, but it was massively controversial, thanks to the failure of referee Phil Edwards to count to 10, which is the rule for a knockout in boxing. Not nine, but 10.

Chisora, 29, of England, is a former world title challenger with a 2012 loss in a title fight to Vitali Klitschko and a fifth-round knockout loss to David Haye last July. He rebounded from the loss to Haye with a win in April over Hector Avila and now has two victories in a row.

Scott, 32, of Philadelphia, had earned a reputation as an overly cautious big man known for agonizing fights. He was coming off a disputed 10-round draw in February against 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Vyacheslav Glazkov. Unable to get a shot on American television because of his god-awful style, Scott found himself in England facing Chisora.

Chisora, the brawler and puncher, and Scott, the laid-back technician, put on a competitive fight -- although there was a lot of clinching, which is nothing unusual for a Scott fight. They both had their moments in the opening round, but it was Scott who wound up with some swelling under his right eye. As the fight went on, Scott tried to stick and move while Chisora spent his time aggressively trying to get on the inside.

In the sixth round, Chisora drove Scott back with a left hook and Scott tried to tie him up. Chisora continued to work hard, throwing shots with both hands. With Scott in retreat toward the ropes, Chisora eventually caught him with an overhand right, sending Scott down to one knee. Scott seemed unhurt and alert as he looked to his corner. Then he looked directly at Edwards, picked up his count at six and got up just as Edwards said "nine." Scott was clearly off the canvas, but Edwards waved his hands and ended the fight at 2 minutes, 56 seconds as though he had counted him out.

It was a poor job by the referee, although Scott should have known not to push it so close to the brink. He was apparently clearheaded and able to get up by eight, or even sooner, and didn't. This was the kind of ending that begs for replay. To Scott's credit, he made his points in the postfight interview -- that he beat the count and that knockdown counts are to 10, not nine -- but didn't heavily complain. He gave Chisora credit for fighting a good fight and for knocking him down, then calmly said he would like to return to England for a rematch. That doesn't seem out of the question, although Chisora's scheduled return on Sept. 21 probably is too soon for a rematch.

Saturday at Indio, Calif.
Randy Caballero KO7 Miguel Robles
Bantamweights
Records: Caballero (19-0, 11 KOs); Robles (12-3-2, 5 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Caballero, 22, of Coachella, Calif., was supposed to be in the co-featured bout of this card, but when junior welterweight prospect Frankie Gomez (15-0, 11 KOs) injured his knee and his main event against former titleholder/gatekeeper DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley was canceled, Caballero was moved up to the main event slot. That was fine and dandy for the crowd at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, where Caballero was the hometown favorite and fighting at the venue for the 12th time in his 19 professional bouts.

Caballero is a talented prospect who isn't far from a possible world title opportunity. This was good work in advance of it, having to deal with and overcome adversity. Caballero, who hadn't fought since January and was coming back from his longest layoff since turning pro in 2010, had trouble against Robles, 31, of Puerto Rico, who landed some solid overhand rights and body shots. Robles tried to frustrate the quicker Caballero by holding him, and he was warned by referee Jack Reiss for low blows and for holding and hitting. The warning for the latter infraction came in the seventh round; moments later, Caballero nailed Robles with a left hook to the body that sent Robles down on all fours in agony, prompting Reiss to count him out at 2 minutes, 9 seconds. That culminated a night in which all three featured bouts ended on one-punch left hands to the body, an unheard-of event.

Joseph Diaz KO1 Luis Cosme
Featherweights
Records: Diaz (6-1, 4 KOs); Cosme (8-3-1, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Diaz, 20, of South El Monte, Calif., was a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team and is a pro prospect with a fan-friendly style. Saturday's fight was starting to heat up a bit when Diaz, a southpaw, landed a right jab to the head and followed with a left hand to the body that dropped Cosme, 27, of Puerto Rico. Cosme went down to all fours and then got to his knees, but he couldn't come close to beating the count of referee Jack Reiss, who called off the fight at 2 minutes, 9 seconds. Cosme lost for the second time in three fights.

Errol Spence Jr. KO1 Eddie Cordova
Welterweights
Records: Spence (7-0, 6 KOs); Cordova (4-5-1, 1 KO)
Rafael's remarks: Spence, a 23-year-old southpaw from Dallas, was a 2012 U.S. Olympian and the fighter from that squad with the most professional potential. Although he hasn't yet faced a solid pro opponent, Spence has looked good so far. This time was no different, as he put away Cordova, 34, of Clearfield, Utah, with ease. Spence took his time and was in control when he landed a strong left hand to the body. Cordova went down to a knee and had his head slumped over as referee Wayne Hedgepeth counted him out at 2 minutes, 13 seconds. The win was Spence's third first-round knockout in a row.

Another 2012 U.S. Olympian, middleweight Terrell Gausha, of Cleveland, was also supposed to be on the card, but his fight was canceled when opponent Julio Garcia of Puerto Rico was 8 pounds over the 160-pound contract weight at Friday's weigh-in.

Saturday at Merida, Mexico
Carlos Buitrago W12 Julian Yedras
Wins a vacant interim strawweight title
Scores: 118-110, 118-111, 116-113
Records: Buitrago (27-0, 16 KOs); Yedras (21-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Buitrago, 21, of Nicaragua, had a relatively easy time with the vastly less experienced Yedras, 25, of Mexico, to win an interim title made available for no apparent reason (Merlito Sabillo had just claimed the full title a week earlier). Buitrago and Yedras had some fierce exchanges, but Buitrago got the better of most of them. He landed some solid overhand rights and withstood a good body attack to claim the clear decision.

Yedras' record looked good, but his qualifications for being in any kind of world title bout were extremely questionable based on such lackluster and novice opposition. He had never faced anyone of remote consequence, and his opponents had a combined record of just 55-45-5. His most recent opponents had weak records of 8-4-2, 1-1, 7-9 and 5-5.

Friday at Salem, N.H.
Hank Lundy W10 Olusegun Ajose
Junior welterweights
Scores: 100-90, 98-92 (twice)
Records: Lundy (23-3-1, 11 KOs); Ajose (31-2, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Lundy was in desperate need of a victory entering this bout. He had lost his previous two fights by decision, at lightweight to Raymundo Beltran and at junior welterweight to Viktor Postol. If Lundy, 29, of Philadelphia, wanted to remain relevant, this was a must-win fight. Not only did he pull the upset against Ajose, he did it with relative ease. Although some of the early rounds were close, Lundy dominated late in the fight.

Lundy wasn't even the original opponent. Ajose, a southpaw, was supposed to face Mercito Gesta, but Gesta suffered a rib injury about a month before the fight and Lundy stepped in as the replacement. Ajose, 33, a native of Nigeria now based in New York (after years of living in England), was a solid contender; he gave powerhouse Lucas Matthysse a tough fight last September in an interim title bout before losing by 10th-round knockout. Ajose won a comeback fight against a sub-.500 opponent in April, then lost again to Lundy, putting his career as a contender in serious jeopardy.

It didn't look as if Ajose was fully prepared for the fight with Lundy, who fought mostly as a southpaw. Lundy was quicker, busier, more accurate and had no issues with Ajose's southpaw style. His jab was on point the entire fight, and he used it to crack Ajose repeatedly and rock his head back several times. Lundy had a very strong fifth round, hurting Ajose with a solid left hand and sending him reeling as the round came to an end. Lundy inflicted more damage late in the sixth and seventh rounds to take over the fight.

This was a big win for Lundy, who put himself into the mix at 140 pounds with his performance. For Ajose, it was the opposite -- a bad loss that could take awhile to recover from.

Ryan Kielczweski KO5 Miguel Soto
Junior lightweights
Records: Kielczweski (17-0, 4 KOs); Soto (10-1, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: On his 24th birthday, Kielczweski gave himself the gift of a fantastic knockout, one that was so good it made the top plays on ESPN's "SportsCenter." Known as the Polish Prince, Kielczweski, of nearby Quincy, Mass., was the crowd favorite -- and he delivered against Soto, 25, of Puerto Rico.

Based on his knockout total, Kielczweski isn't considered a big puncher. But don't tell that to Soto. Kielczweski laid back and let Soto come to him during the fight, content to counter him. In the fifth round, Soto developed ugly swelling over his right eye, just seconds before Kielczweski unleashed a left hook that caught Soto flush on the chin and knocked him down face-first with a thud. Soto, who never saw the shot, rolled over on his back and referee Dave Greenwood ended the fight at 2 minutes, 59 seconds, stopping it while he was midcount. Happy birthday!

Friday at Las Vegas
John Molina TKO10 Mickey Bey
Lightweights
Records: Molina (26-3, 21 KOs); Bey (18-1-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In 2010, Molina was way behind in a fight against Hank Lundy when he authored one of the year's great comebacks with an 11th-round knockout. Could Molina score a second such dramatic comeback? You bet.

Molina, 30, of Covina, Calif., did it again -- and this time it was even more dramatic because it came in the final minute of the fight. It also basically rescued Molina's career from the brink of irrelevance, considering that he came into Friday having lost two of his previous three bouts, which included being smoked in 44 seconds in a world title fight against then-titlist Antonio DeMarco in September and losing a decision in an upset to Andrey Klimov in June.

Far behind on the scorecards -- 90-81, 89-82, 88-83 -- Molina had been totally outboxed by Bey, the favorite in the fight who was returning from a three-month suspension for testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone following a fight in Las Vegas in February. Bey's knockout victory was changed to a no-decision, he was fined $1,000 of his $8,000 purse and he was suspended for 90 days.

A former amateur standout, Bey, 30, of Cleveland, was hoping to put the drug-test situation behind him and appeared well on his way to doing so. Bey, trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr., was in total control in the crowd-pleasing fight and even looked as if he might stop Molina when he badly hurt him with a body shot in the 10th round. But Molina, who has reunited with trainer Joe Goossen, sucked it up and kept winging, finally hurting Bey with a left hook to the chin. Molina continued to fire a ton of huge shots and was doing major damage to Bey, who appeared to be out on his feet when referee Vic Drakulich stepped in to wave it off at 2 minutes, 1 second, setting off a wild celebration from Molina and his corner.

Afterward, Bey complained about the stoppage, but it was a good one. Bey's dominance in the fight was reflected in the CompuBox statistics. He threw more punches (531-432) and landed more punches (253-145) than Molina, but with the power and determination that Molina possesses, you can never count him out.

Badou Jack W10 Farah Ennis
Super middleweights
Scores: 100-90, 98-92 (twice)
Records: Jack (15-0, 10 KOs); Ennis (21-2, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The 29-year-old Jack, a native of Sweden who fought for the African country of Gambia in the 2008 Olympics and now lives in Las Vegas, registered a one-sided decision in a bout that featured very little action. But it did the trick for Jack, who scored the best win of his career against Ennis, 30, of Philadelphia, whose four-fight winning streak came to an end.

The fight was expected to be the toughest of Jack's career, but instead Jack racked up points working the body and jabbing against Ennis, who didn't do much of anything in a very passive performance. Fighting in his first scheduled 10-round bout, Jack also went the distance for the first time and appeared to be in top condition.

Also, Rafa just signed a four fight deal with GBP. Hoping for the best but at 38, IDK if I can see him beating Mares or LSC.

Plus, another good scrap signed:

danrafaelespn Dan Rafael
It's on: @Carl_Froch vs @StGeorgeGroves! Date in Nov or Dec but fight is on! #boxing
about 2 hours ago

This guy takes NO breaks :eek
 
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provodnikov :smokin

I wouldn't sleep. I could see him getting robbed by judges
 
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