Originally, this column was to discuss what was one of
the biggest weekends on the Boxing calendar in the year 2022 to date that
planted the spotlight of the sport firmly on three world championship unification
bouts in Women’s Boxing. Unfortunately, as many know, two of those bouts that
were scheduled to take place on September 10th at the O2 Arena in
London, England as the co-main events of an all women’s
card, the encounter between undefeated Middleweight world champions Claressa
Shields and Savannah Marshall for the Undisputed Middleweight championship of
the world, and a Jr. Lightweight unification bout between world champions
Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner was postponed the day before the event due
to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th.
While the United Kingdom has entered a period of mourning
as well as transition, there was one Women’s world championship fight that did
take place as scheduled on September 8th in San Jose, Costa Rica,
that like the two other postponed bouts, was a world championship unification
bout. This observer is referring to the IBF/WBO Minimumweight world
championship fight between world champions Yokasta Valle and Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen.
Historically, the 105lb.
Minimumweight division, also known as the Strawweight division does not receive
much attention here in the United States regardless of whether it is on the
men’s or women’s side of the sport. While this in part can perhaps be attributed to the lack of American
representation and exposure in the weight class, Boxing’s lightest division and
the divisions that immediately follow usually produce fights normally fought at
a very high pace, where there is often plenty of
action. This fight was no exception, but should
serve as an example of one fighter’s overall experience and skill as well as an
example of one fighter’s heart.
Before a sizable hometown crowd at
the Cuidad Deportiva Heiner Ugalde Yokasta Valle put on what was simply
a masterful Boxing performance. Often when it comes to Women’s Boxing, the
quick pace in which the fights are fought in addition to the two minute round length, does tend to produce very
close fights most of the time when fights do not end via knockout or stoppage.
Much like the numerous bouts I could mention, this fight was fought at a very high pace from the opening bell.
What made Valle’s performance in this fight masterful was how she used her experience and timing
to not only dictate the tempo of the combat, but also showed discipline in
doing so as her opponent Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen was more than willing to engage and
to her credit did try her best to force Valle into a toe
to toe battle. The difference, despite the high pace in which the fight was
fought was both Valle’s hand speed as well as her discipline in maintaining
distance and only letting her punches go when it was to her advantage. The
sequence of the fight was a simple one to describe,
Valle either stepping in with two to four punch combinations and then backing back
out where Nguyen could only try to lunge forward in trying to reach her with a
punch or Valle waiting for Nguyen to take the initiative and counter punching
with combinations before re-establishing distance. While competitive this
proved to be a lopsided fight in Valle’s favor as she would go on to sweep all
ten rounds of the world championship bout on all three scorecards, it still was
an entertaining bout to watch.
Now as the unified IBF/WBO world champion at 105lbs. I feel that Yokasta Valle is likely to move up in
weight where perhaps she could be a future opponent for undefeated WBC world
champion Kim Clavel in the 108lb. Light-Flyweight division. If Valle decides to
try to completely unify the 105lb division about with current WBA champion Seniesa
Estrada would be very interesting if Valle wants to
continue trying to unify the division in her next fight. As for Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen, it is important to keep in mind that
even though she was the WBO champion going into her fight with Valle, she was
at a significant disadvantage in terms of experience entering the bout unbeaten
in five fights as a professional going against a fighter in Valle who had
twenty-seven professional bouts going into the unification bout.
While that is both a reflection of
a sport that is very much still growing for the women who compete in it as well
as a reflection for the moment of a weight class that is not too deep in terms
of depth, Nguyen showed a lot of heart in this fight even as it became apparent
that Valle had pulled ahead on the scorecards. Simply put, she never stopped
trying and it was as much the disadvantage in
experience as it was Valle’s overall skillset that was the difference in this
fight. One loss does not define a career and it will be how Nguyen comes back
from this defeat, the first of her career that will be the story for her going
forward.
The circumstances that led to the
postponement of the two remaining women’s world championship unification bouts
that were scheduled to take place in London, England, did not mean that the
Boxing action over the three-day stretch ended with Valle’s victory over
Nguyen. On Friday, September 9th, The Canadian-based United Boxing Promotions
the first of two Boxing cards as part of their recently signed deal with digital
subscription sports streaming network DAZN
from the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.
The main event of the six bout card
was a bout for the vacant International Boxing Association (IBA) Intercontinental
Welterweight championship between undefeated prospect Josh Wagner and veteran Jorge
Perez.
While this was a regional
championship that was at stake in this bout, it is often the step young
fighters try to make as a prelude to entering the world rankings in a given
division. What always interests me whenever I see a prospect for the first time
as was the case on this occasion with regard to Wagner is how they will respond
to fighting on what in most cases is the first significant stage in their
professional careers.
Regional championships also offer
an opportunity for fighters who have suffered some setbacks to try to bounce
back as was the case with Perez who entered the bout against the 12-0 Wagner
having dropped his previous two bouts. While on the surface this would appear to
be an ideal scenario for the young prospect by facing a fighter that had been experiencing
a slump, it turned out to be a very competitive bout.
In many ways, this was a scenario
of two types of fights being fought within one fight. When the combat was
fought primarily in the center of the ring, it seemed that Perez would get the
better of the action whereas when the fight was being fought in close, Wagner
was the fighter who was dictating the action.
Part of what made this a close
fight that was not necessarily the easiest one to score is Wagner was
exceptional with his lateral movement throughout and while he was not always
throwing and landing punches, which gave Perez a slight edge, it made it
difficult for Perez to consistently land his punches cleanly, despite finding
success in landing his left hook throughout the fight.
As the fight entered the middle
rounds of the scheduled ten round bout, Wagner gradually began to change the
ebb and flow of the combat. He did this largely by varying his jab in both the
body and head of Perez as well as variations in how he threw the jab. This
along with combination punching appeared to turn things in his favor.
Although the fight remained close
going into the late rounds, the subject of scoring would not be an issue. In
round nine, seemingly without warning, Wagner found the answer that would bring
the fight to its conclusion. After stunning Perez with a hook to the head, a
follow up barrage of punches would send Perez down. Perez was able to get up on
unsteady legs and Wagner sensing he had his opponent in trouble pressed forward
and dropped Perez for a second time with a short flurry.
Perez showed his mettle by getting
up for a second time, but he had no answer to keep Wagner off of him at this
point in the fight and after being hit with a few more solid punches, the bout
was stopped. For Wagner it was his thirteenth win of his career and his seventh
knockout. What impressed this observer about his performance beyond displaying
well-rounded Boxing skills was the poise he showed once he knew he had Perez in
trouble and the tactical approach in which he finished the fight by not giving his
opponent the chance to recover. Wagner made as good a first impression as one
could of expected of a young prospect in his first title fight as a
professional. What may come next as he attempts to add his name amongst a very
talent-deeo 147lb. Welterweight division remains to be seen.
After a very competitive main
event on September 9th, United Boxing Promotions returned on
September 10th at the same CAA Centre with another six bout card. In
the main event of night two, undefeated current Canadian Middleweight champion Suhkdeep
Singh moved down six pounds from the 160lb. Middleweight division to face Xhuljo
Vrenozi in a bout for the IBA’s International Jr. Middleweight championship. As
was the case with Josh Wagner the previous evening, this was the first time
that yours truly had the opportunity to see Singh in action and the
similarities between the two did not end with the fact that it was the first
time I’d seen both compete, but they also entered their respective bouts
unbeaten in twelve professional fights and were matched up similarly against
two veterans. The slight difference for Singh was his opponent Xhuljo Vrenozi
had split his previous four bouts going 2-2.
In terms of style, what stood out
to me was the almost sniper like approach that Singh implemented his offense.
It was a style with an emphasis on using his legs to both establish himself as
an elusive target as well as manage distance. This along with periodically
switching between an orthodox and southpaw stance kept Vrenozi from being able
to land offense consistently, much less be able to get into a consistent rhythm.
While not always the most exciting fight to watch, Singh’s discipline and
ability to maintain control from start to finish is what stood out in the bout
in winning a convincing ten round unanimous decision.
Although this was my first time to
see Singh in action, I was impressed by what I saw and it will be interesting
to see if he will remain at Jr. Middleweight or if he will move back up to the
Middleweight division. Much like for veterans later in their careers, it will
likely come down to what opportunities are available to Singh as a young
unbeaten prospect and whether those opportunities make sense for him both
physically in terms of weigh as well as financially and trying to progress his
career forward.
Despite the marquee event
scheduled for the weekend being postponed due to a tragedy, Boxing fans should
not feel disappointed in the sense that they still got one Women’s world
championship unification bout as well as what turned out to be a showcase for
two rising prospects on the Canadian Boxing scene. As the Boxing works now
turns it's attention to the highly anticipated third encounter between Saul
“Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin on September 17th, one can
only hope that the exciting action continues.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau
Denison All Rights Reserved.
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