Alvarez-Lara: Worthy Of A Sequel

On July 12th the Boxing world focused it’s attention on the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada for the highly anticipated encounter between former Jr. Middleweight world champion Saul Alvarez and top contender Erislandy Lara. In the lead up to this fight I stated that stylistically this was a fight that you could see an argument for either fighter winning. The actual fight would validate that statement.

Although it was my belief that this would be a contest where there would be a little of everything, a large portion of this fight was a tactical Boxing match where there were several close rounds. It was not surprising to this observer to see Lara begin this fight using his lateral movement in order to be an elusive target. It was this approach that I felt dictated the early rounds of this fight as Lara used angles to set up his offense, establishing his jab and mixing in crisp combinations.

This seemed to keep Alvarez from letting his hands go consistently early on. In contrast to Lara, Alvarez was sporadic in throwing his jab throughout much of this fight. This could be attributed to both Lara’s lateral movement and quick hands. Establishing a consistent jab against an elusive target who is also a precision counter puncher is after all easier said than done.

Alvarez however, was effective in targeting Lara’s body as the focal point of his offense when he was able to close the distance between himself and Lara. Although Lara was clearly more active in my eyes early on, Alvarez had the edge in terms of landing the more effective punches when he was able to land.

As is often the case in fights where both fighters are able to have periods of effectiveness in the same rounds, it can present a conundrum for not only fans, but more importantly also the judges. This can and often does result in rounds that are deemed “Swing Rounds” that can go either way.

Even though Alvarez was consistent in terms of trying to walk Lara down and apply pressure on him, the question in my mind was whether Alvarez was doing enough to win rounds that were extremely close based on how effective he was when he was able to get in close and land solidly with his body attack. One could make a valid argument that this fight was a scenario where Lara was able to control the early part of the fight with his lateral movement and ability to get his punches off first and make Alvarez miss. As the fight progressed however, Alvarez was able to be more effective and close the gap in terms of the scoring of this fight.

There was however, no question that this was shaping up to be a close fight. As the fight entered the middle rounds, I felt that Lara had a slight edge based on how effective he was early in the fight. The body attack established by Alvarez did seem to begin to pay off for him in the middle rounds as he was able to land not only to the body, but also begin to have success landing punches to the head of Lara including cutting Lara over the right eye with an uppercut in round seven.

At this stage of the fight the momentum had clearly shifted toward Alvarez. Despite appearing to be affected by Alvarez’ body attack, Lara did not appear as though he was in any trouble as this fight progressed and kept trying to remain elusive and keep Alvarez at distance.

At the end of the twelve round bout I felt that Alvarez did enough to win the fight based on his consistent pressure and body attack that proved evident in the second half of the fight. Based on this, I scored this fight unofficially 7-5 in rounds or 115-113 in points for Alvarez. There were however, several momentum shifts throughout this fight and it was certainly not surprising to see the official judges turn in varying scores resulting in a split decision.

Judge Jerry Roth scored this fight 115-113 for Erislandy Lara, while Judge Dave Moretti scored this fight the same way that I saw it, 115-113 for Saul Alvarez. The deciding scorecard was rendered by Judge Levi Martinez who scored this fight 9-3 in rounds or 117-111 for Saul Alvarez.

Although there might be some who feel that Judge Levi Martinez’ scorecard was inaccurate and although I did not see this fight by as wide a margin it is understandable how a score like that can be rendered in a fight like this. Even though I do not want to seem repetitive I will say again as I have said many times over the years that when it comes to close fights it will boil down to what a judge prefers based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense in their own individual criteria in how they score.

There were times throughout this fight where Erislandy Lara landed the cleaner punches and dictated how the fight was fought based on his lateral movement, which made it difficult for Alvarez to get close and caused him to miss many punches. In contrast, Alvarez was more effective particularly in the second half of this fight where his body work made it possible for him to get on the inside and landed the harder punches in my estimation. This is a classic example of how “Swing Rounds” can result in differing scores and opinions.

I thought that this fight was very close and could have gone either way. Although I had Alvarez winning by two rounds, I could easily see an argument for Lara winning this fight by the same margin or by a score of 8-4 in rounds or 116-112 in points. It was that kind of fight.

Prior to this fight I stated that I believed that all the ingredients were there for might be a classic encounter. There may be some who disagree with me in this regard. The one thing that I believe everyone will agree on is that this fight represented two of the best fighters in the Jr. Middleweight division both putting themselves and their standing in the division on the line.

 It was a highly competitive encounter that will almost certainly be a topic of discussion and debate for Boxing fans for years to come. What will this fight do in the overall Jr. Middleweight picture? It is certainly debatable. Lara who currently holds interim/regular status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) ratings was not theoretically risking his standing in this fight as it was not for interim/regular champion status. It will be interesting to see if the WBA will drop Lara from that status due to the loss. Even though this was not a fight for interim/regular status, or to put it more simply to determine an official WBA mandatory challenger, it could certainly be possible that the WBA could order a rematch between Alvarez and Lara based on what happened in this fight.

One should also consider that the current unified WBC/WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Floyd Mayweather who is scheduled to defend his unified Welterweight world championship as recognized by both the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the WBA in a rematch against former WBA world champion Marcos Maidana in September. This would appear as though it would prevent Lara or Alvarez from challenging for the unified Jr. Middleweight world championship unless circumstances emerged where the titles would be stripped from Mayweather. Even though there may be some who feel that there should be rematch fight between Alvarez and Lara, I respectfully disagree.

This was a highly competitive fight from beginning to end. An argument could be made that either Alvarez or Lara won this fight as well this fight could have ended in a draw. In my opinion, this fight is certainly worthy of a sequel.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Rances Barthelemy Defeats Argenis Mendez Convincingly, What’s Next?

The first encounter between IBF Jr. Lightweight world champion Argenis Mendez and undefeated number one contender Rances Barthelemy was nothing less than controversial.  Barthelemy knocked out the defending champion Mendez at the end of the second round however, seemingly after the bell.  The knockout was overturned and ruled a no contest.  In the sport of Boxing the best way for two fighters to resolve unfinished business is in the ring.

The rematch between Mendez and Barthelemy would take place on July 10th at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.  In the lead up to this rematch I stated that it would not be hard to envision Barthelemy as a significant favorite heading into this fight based on how he was able to control the first encounter. The main story of the rematch in this observer’s mind would be whether or not Mendez, who could not get a consistent offensive flow going in the first fight would be able to do anything different the second time around.

Although the rematch in contrast to the first fight was fought at a more tactical pace, it was Barthelemy who was forcing the action as he did in the first encounter. Even though Mendez was able to extend the fight this time around, he just seemed tentative and reluctant to throw punches consistently. Despite being able to make Barthelemy miss with his punches periodically, he could not capitalize on those opportunities to get offense off and it was not long before Mendez would be behind on the scorecards.

There was however, a brief cause for concern as Barthelemy would be penalized a point in round nine and a point in round ten for low blows. It was clear however, that the challenger was in control of this fight from the outset. Despite losing two points and appearing as though he might have been flirting with disqualification, Barthelemy did not alter his approach and would go on to earn a twelve round unanimous decision and win the IBF Jr. Lightweight world championship.

Although Barthelemy has officially been announced as the new IBF world champion on two occasions, unlike the first encounter, which was later ruled a no contest, this time the result will not be changed. Even though Barthelemy lost two points in the latter stages of this fight, possibly due to both fatigue and the defensive manner that Argenis Mendez fought this fight, it was an impressive performance that brought closure to a controversy.

As for the former champion Argenis Mendez, he was simply too tentative and did not let his hands go consistently enough in the rematch. Whether or not it was due to a respect for Barthelemy’s punching power or possibly due to problems making weight, which he had said prior to the rematch was a problem for him in the first fight is a question that only he can answer.

Mendez, who said prior to the rematch that this would be his last fight in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division apparently will be moving up in weight perhaps one weight class to the 135lb. Lightweight division. We will have to wait and see what route Mendez will opt to take as he looks to rebound from his loss and two difficult fights against Rances Barthelemy.

What’s next for the new champion Rances Barthelemy? It seems logical as I said prior to the rematch that the winner of this fight would face former world title challenger and top contender Michael Farenas. Farenas recently stopped previously undefeated contender Mark Davis in an IBF world title eliminator to become the mandatory challenger for the winner of the rematch between Mendez and Barthelemy.

If a fight with Farenas is indeed next for the new champion it offers what could be an action-packed fight on paper as Farenas, who has won thirty-nine of forty-eight professional fights has a career knockout percentage of nearly 65% having scored thirty-one of his thirty-nine wins inside the distance. Barthelemy has registered an impressive career knockout percentage himself thus far in his career as he has scored twelve knockouts in his twenty career wins for a career knockout percentage of nearly 58%. Both fighters like to throw punches in volume and that could produce fireworks if a fight between the two is made.

Although the story between Argenis Mendez and Rances Barthelemy began with a controversy, the important thing to take away from all this is that not only did those who regulate the sport act promptly to resolve the controversy, but in doing so allowed both fighters a chance to settle things the way that it should be in the ring. Rances Barthelemy brought closure to things in the rematch. For a sport that is all too often the subject of much criticism for its flaws, this story should be viewed as a positive for the sport. Yes a controversy did occur, but what was more important was that those who regulate the sport showed that they can act in a manner that will be fair to all parties and come up with a solution that will ultimately resolve a controversy.

If nothing else comes out of the story other than a challenger winning a world title in a rematch, it is my hope that others who are responsible for regulating the sport will see how things were handled in this situation and hopefully that will lead to more just decisions in the future. In Boxing more often than not the topic of discussions among fans and experts alike centers around what’s bad about the sport. The actions taken by the IBF and the Minnesota Department Of Labor And Industry regarding the controversial outcome of the first encounter between Mendez and Barthelemy should be applauded. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Alvarez-Lara: A Classic In The Making?

From time to time something that I am asked by both the hardcore Boxing enthusiast and as well as the casual fan is for my opinion on what makes a legitimate star in the sport.  There is no simple answer to that question as there are many aspects in the development and promotion of a fighter that has to be taken into consideration. If however, someone would ask for my opinion on what I felt would make a rising star into a legitimate live gate and pay-per-view attraction, I could probably answer that question in a more simple way.

Of course, if a fighter has a crowd pleasing style it will obviously generate interest from both fans and experts alike, but that is only one aspect of the equation in my opinion.  In this day and age where more often than not Boxing’s top stars are showcased live on pay-per-view television almost exclusively, one thing that I take into consideration is what can make a fighter into a legitimate star of the sport is their willingness to take on all comers.

In the case of former Jr. Middleweight world champion Saul Alvarez, he has all the ingredients that make a star. An entertaining crowd pleasing style, a significant fan following and a willingness to take risks as he faces the best of the best. Such will be the case when the former world champion faces top Jr. Middleweight contender Erislandy Lara on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Alvarez, who last fought in March of this year scoring an impressive tenth round stoppage of the always “Game” Alfredo Angulo will be fighting for the second time since suffering his lone defeat in September of last year to Floyd Mayweather. Sometimes it is not uncommon to see fighters who suffer their first defeat begin the rebuilding process by taking on opponents who are perhaps not well-known and who are not considered to be dangerous. There are however, times were a fighter who suffers a loss will opt to take on the toughest competition available coming off of that loss.

In the case of Saul Alvarez, it is important to remember that his lone defeat came against a fighter who is widely considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world. Despite losing that fight, Alvarez was able to have his moments and held his own. It did not surprise me to see him take on a dangerous opponent in the form of Alfredo Angulo in his first fight following his loss against Mayweather. Alvarez dominated the fight against Angulo and solidified his status as one of the cornerstones of the Jr. Middleweight division.

Alvarez showing again that he is willing to take on all comers will face another dangerous obstacle when he faces Erislandy Lara. Lara, a slick southpaw boxer/puncher is the kind of fighter who could potentially give Alvarez trouble. Many will remember Lara being on the losing end of a controversial decision against former Welterweight world champion Paul Williams in July 2011, in a fight where many observers, this one included felt he had won convincingly. The loss to Williams is the only loss Lara has suffered thus far in his career. Lara has the ability to be elusive, time his opponents with counter punches, as well as end fights quickly as he did against Ronald Hearns in April 2012.

One could make the argument that Lara’s craft and skill has resulted in him being avoided by some fighters. Lara is after all highly skilled and it is understandable based on his attributes that he may be viewed as a high risk/low reward option for fighters who are considered marquee draws. Lara however, has more than earned his chance to showcase his skills on Boxing’s marquee stage after compiling a professional record of 19-1-2, with 12 Knockouts and earning interim/regular status in the World Boxing Association's (WBA) Jr. Middleweight ratings.

Among his nineteen wins, Lara also holds two victories over recent opponents of Saul Alvarez in scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over Austin Trout last December and surviving two knockdowns to stop the aforementioned Alfredo Angulo in ten rounds in June of last year. Although there might be some who would say that this is a high risk/low reward scenario for Saul Alvarez, fighters who become legitimate stars and more specifically significant pay-per-view draws should take risks to solidify their standing.

Stylistically, this fight is one of those fights where you can see an argument for either fighter winning the fight. Both fighters can box, have the ability to be compact with their offense, are excellent counter punchers, and have the ability to end a fight quickly. It will be interesting to see who takes the initiative from the opening bell. Although one could likely assume a tactical Boxing match early on, I believe that this fight could have a little of everything.

Even though one could make a valid argument for either fighter having the edge heading into this fight, I believe that the ingredients are there for what just might be a classic encounter. The type of encounter that could be a topic of discussion for Boxing fans for years to come. In my view this fight is a risk for both fighters and frankly a toss up as to who will win. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

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Will Mendez-Barthelemy Rematch Bring Closure To Controversy?

The year 2014 in the sport of Boxing began on January 3rd when IBF Jr. Lightweight world champion Argenis Mendez stepped into the ring to face undefeated number one contender Rances Barthelemy at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Barthelemy’s strength and punching power dictated the action from the opening bell and it appeared as though the champion had no answer for Barthelemy.

Mendez would be dropped twice in the second round, the second of the two knockdowns would cause the fight’s conclusion. Barthelemy knocked Mendez down at the end of the round and the champion was subsequently counted out by Referee Pete Podgorski. What appeared to some as a clear knockout for Rances Barthelemy however, would be overshadowed by controversy.

The controversy that emerged was that the bell to end the second round rang twice, each with a single ding about a second apart. The champion Mendez was not knocked to the canvas until after the bell rang for the second time. This ultimately led to the Minnesota Department Of Labor And Industry to rule the bout a no contest with the International Boxing Federation (IBF) reinstating Mendez as it’s Jr. Lightweight world champion.

Some readers may recall my coverage of this fight back in January when I said it was my hope that the controversy would be resolved as quickly as possible. In a sport where criticisms of those who regulate the sport is all too common, both the commission that oversaw this fight, the Minnesota Department Of Labor And Industry as well as the sanctioning organization, the IBF who’s Jr. Lightweight world title was at stake should both be commended for taking appropriate action in this matter.

This observer however, also stated that the fairest recourse for all involved in my mind would be for the IBF to mandate an immediate rematch between Mendez and Barthelemy. That rematch will take place on July 10th at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

Normally when there are circumstances that call for an immediate rematch, more often than not the reasoning is likely centered around elements of the scoring of a fight. Obviously, this rematch is different in that some were of the opinion that Barthelemy was on his way to a convincing victory over Mendez regardless of the circumstances of the controversy that emerged.

Barthelemy did control the action when the two men last saw each other in the ring. It would certainly not be hard to see most viewing Barthelemy as a significant favorite as this rematch approaches based on how the first fight was fought. It will be interesting to see whether Barthelemy will be able to control this fight from the outset as he did in the first encounter, or if Mendez will be able to rebound from the knockout.

The winner of this fight will likely face former world title challenger Michael Farenas, who scored an eight round stoppage over previously undefeated Mark Davis last week in an IBF world title elimination bout. Before Farenas can get his shot at the title however, Mendez and Barthelemy will meet to settle unfinished business.

It goes without saying that sometimes in the sport of Boxing what is logical and what can be viewed as a fair solution to a controversy does not always take place. In this case, both Argenis Mendez and Rances Barthelemy have an opportunity to bring an end to a controversy. Will the rematch bring closure to this controversy? We will find out on July 10th.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

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