Lara Dominates Rodriguez

Top Jr. Middleweight contender Erislandy Lara scored a dominant twelve round unanimous decision over longtime contender Delvin Rodriguez on Friday night at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. Lara was in command from the opening bell in a bout that at times resembled a sparring session.

Lara’s ability to use angles, be elusive and pick his spots with precision timing was the story of this fight. Lara was able to frequently snap the head of Rodriguez back throughout this fight with crisp and accurate combination punching. The highlight of the fight came in the closing seconds of round six when Lara dropped Rodriguez with a left hand. Although the always “Game” Rodriguez was able to get up from the knockdown and ultimately did go the distance in this fight, he was simply unable to solve the puzzle of Erislandy Lara and was outclassed.

At the end of the twelve round bout, all three official judges Bill Lerch, Steve Weisfeld, and Robert Hoyle scored the fight identically 120-107, a shutout in favor of Erislandy Lara. Erislandy Lara advances to 21-2-2, with 12 Knockouts. Delvin Rodriguez falls to 28-8-4, with 16 Knockouts. Unofficially, I scored this fight the same as the official judges 120-107 in favor of Lara.

For Lara, who holds interim/regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Jr. Middleweight ratings, this victory will likely keep him in line for a title shot. It will be interesting however, to see where Lara will fit into the equation as Floyd Mayweather recently announced his intention to relinquish all world titles he currently holds in both the Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions. This would appear to open an opportunity for Lara to fight for a vacant world title seeing as Mayweather holds both the WBC and WBA world championships in the Jr. Middleweight division.

It is also certainly possible if Mayweather, who also holds the WBC, WBA, and WBO world championships in the Welterweight division, does indeed relinquish his championships in both divisions that Lara could be named WBA champion per his holding interim/regular status in the WBA Jr. Middleweight ratings. Following his victory over Delvin Rodriguez Lara expressed his interest in seeking fights against Mayweather or moving up six pounds from the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division to the 160lb. Middleweight division to seek fights against either WBC world champion Miguel Cotto or undefeated unified WBA/IBO world champion Gennady Golovkin.

Although Lara dominated his fight against Delvin Rodriguez, a possible criticism of some might be that Lara did not take advantage of some opportunities throughout the fight when it appeared that Rodriguez could have been on the verge of succumbing to accumulated punishment and did not close the show. Even though the crowd in attendance periodically expressed dissatisfaction during the course of this fight by booing due to lack of action, for Boxing purists Lara put on a masterpiece and even though he did not go for the knockout, it was as close to a perfect performance as one could get from a pure Boxing standpoint.

A conundrum however, that Lara might face as he seeks more lucrative opportunities potentially against the likes of Mayweather, Cotto, or Golovkin is that those fighters might view an encounter with him as a high risk/low reward scenario. Lara is after all highly skilled, very elusive, and has a style that has proven difficult for opponents to solve.

Lara however, has only been defeated twice as a professional by Paul Williams and Saul Alvarez. An argument can be made that Lara could easily be an undefeated fighter. He did after all give Saul Alvarez all he could handle in their fight in July of last year and some feel he deserved the decision in what was a very close fight. Many observers, this one included, also feel that Lara was the victim of injustice in a fight where the three judges who scored the fight in favor of Williams via majority decision were indefinitely suspended by the New Jersey State Athletic Board Of Control following the fight. Despite those setbacks, Lara has remained a key player in the Jr. Middleweight division.

Although Lara may not always be a crowd pleasing fighter to watch, there is no denying his skill level. Regardless of where Lara will choose to fight whether he continues to campaign as a Jr. Middleweight or decide to move up to the Middleweight division, he should get an opportunity to face the best fighters in either division. 

There is no doubt that fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, and Gennady Golovkin are stars of the sport and in the case of Mayweather and Cotto are first ballot future Hall of Famer’s. All great fighters however, have to from time to time take risks. 

Whether Mayweather, Cotto, Golovkin, or another star in the sport decides to take what may be considered a high risk/low reward scenario by facing Erislandy Lara, it is clear he has earned the opportunity to show when he can do against the best of the best. Whether he gets that opportunity remains to be seen.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Will Wilder Impress In First Title Defense?

One of the more interesting stories in the Heavyweight division as well as the entire sport of Boxing in recent years has been the rise of Deontay Wilder. Wilder, the 2008 Olympic Heavyweight Bronze Medalist quickly earned a reputation as one of the sport’s feared knockout artists upon turning pro in November 2008.

Much like current unified Light-Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev and current unified Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin who both were able to garner significant attention by compiling knockout streaks, Wilder began his career with thirty-two knockouts consecutive knockouts. Wilder’s reputation as a knockout artist eventually earned him a world title shot against WBC Heavyweight world champion Bermane Stiverne.

When Wilder met Stiverne on January 17th of this year however, he proved that he is more than a mere power puncher as he out boxed the champion over the course of twelve rounds to earn a lopsided unanimous decision, the first decision victory of his career. The win for Wilder not only earned him a world championship, but also established him as the first American World Heavyweight champion in the sport in nearly eight years. Although some have been critical of Wilder throughout his career due to questions about his level of opposition prior to his fight with Stiverne, it was an impressive performance that did answer questions about his ability to respond to being taken into the late rounds of a fight and he also showed a solid chin when tested by Stiverne’s power.

Now as one of only two world champions in the Heavyweight division Wilder prepares to make the first defense of his world title against current WBC number nine rated contender Eric Molina on Saturday night at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. For the undefeated new world champion and Tuscaloosa, Alabama native Wilder, a victory in this fight could lead to a unification bout against current unified IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO world champion Wladimir Klitschko in the near future to determine an Undisputed Heavyweight world champion.

In Eric Molina, Wilder will face a veteran of twenty-five professional fights who will enter this fight having won his last five fights. The most notable victory for Molina in his last five fights came when he scored a fifth round knockout against former world title challenger DaVarryl Williamson in May 2014. In his last fight, Molina scored an eighth round knockout over Brazilian contender Raphael Zumbano on the undercard of Wilder’s fight against Bermane Stiverne.

In that fight Molina was able to have significant success landing his right hand and mixing in uppercuts on Zumbano in a bout that Molina dominated throughout. Molina did show his Boxing ability in that fight as well, but allowed Zumbano to walk straight in and put him in position of having to fight off the ropes. It will be interesting to see what Molina’s strategy will be against a fighter in Wilder who is quicker, has a three inch height advantage, a four inch reach advantage over him, and has significantly more power than Zumbano.

Although Molina has scored three knockouts in his last five fights and has scored seventeen knockouts in twenty-three career victories, what should not be overlooked is Molina’s two losses both came as a result of first round knockouts against Ashanti Jordan in his first pro fight in March 2007 and against former world title challenger Chris Arreola in February 2012. The key to this fight in my eyes will be whether Molina can negate Wilder’s power.

Even though Wilder went the distance in his last fight, he is still a fighter with a career knockout percentage of nearly 97% who has also scored eighteen knockouts in the first round. It is logical to assume that Wilder will look to jump on Molina early should the opportunity present itself.

In what will be the first title defense of a World Heavyweight championship by an American fighter in eight years and eleven days since Shannon Briggs lost his WBO Heavyweight world championship to Sultan Ibragimov on June 2, 2007, one may wonder if this fight will in some ways be the beginning of a new era for the Heavyweight division. This observer is not sure whether this fight will signal the start of a new era. 

If Deontay Wilder however, manages to impress his fans and critics alike by making a statement in his first title defense, it just may put him on a collision course with the most dominant Heavyweight of this era. A fighter named Wladimir Klitschko.

“And That’s the Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

A Look At The Guerrero-Martinez Controversy

The question leading up to former three-time world champion Robert Guerrero’s fight against journeyman contender Aron Martinez was whether Guerrero could rebound from his recent loss to top Welterweight contender Keith Thurman in March of this year. Although some viewed this fight as a mere “Comeback Fight” for Guerrero and did not give Martinez much of a chance, Martinez showed that he had come to fight when the two fighters met on June 6th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

This fight was largely fought on the inside in the early rounds, but it was Martinez who was able to consistently push Guerrero back against the ropes and seemed to get the better of the majority of exchanges between the two. This was highlighted when Martinez dropped Guerrero with a combination to the body and head in the closing seconds of round four.

Although Martinez seemed to have an advantage in the early rounds, an argument can be made that Guerrero had the advantage in the second half of the fight. As the fight progressed Guerrero was able to find success in keeping the fight in the middle the ring by controlling distance and landing the more effective punches. Guerrero was able to dictate how the fight was fought in this observer’s opinion in rounds six, eight, nine, and the tenth and final round based on his ability to control distance and get his punches off first.

The fight however, was extremely close and I felt could have gone either way. At the end of the ten round Welterweight bout it was not surprising to see the official scoring end up in a split decision. Two official Judges Eddie Hernandez and Max DeLuca split scores of 95-94 for each fighter. The third and deciding Judge Jerry Cantu scored the fight by a significantly wider margin 97-92 in favor of Guerrero giving him a hard fought decision victory.

Unofficially I scored this fight 95-94 in favor of Martinez due in large part to the success he was able to have in the first half of this fight. It was a bout however, that ended up being very difficult to score and it is understandable how there can be varying opinions where an argument can be made for either fighter. 

Following the fight I commented on social media that I thought the source of controversy if there was any in regard to this fight would center around Judge Jerry Cantu’s scorecard. Although I felt this fight was much closer than Cantu’s scorecard suggests and felt that Aron Martinez was able to get the better of the action in the early rounds, there was a lot of fighting on the inside during those rounds and some might feel that Guerrero was able to get an edge in some of those rounds depending on one’s perspective. 

The difference in this fight in my eyes was the knockdown that Martinez was able to score in the fourth round and that is what gave him the edge on my scorecard. Even though I scored rounds two, three, and four in Martinez’ favor, there may have been some who felt that Guerrero was able to win rounds one through three and taking into account what Guerrero was able to do in the second half of the fight, it is understandable how a scorecard like Judge Cantu’s can be rendered. 

Regardless of the scoring of this fight, I believe that Aron Martinez has established himself as a contender in the Welterweight division and gave a good account of himself in defeat. Even though Martinez came out on the losing end in this fight, he will likely get an opportunity against another top contender in the division and is deserving of a rematch against Guerrero should the opportunity present itself.

As for Robert Guerrero, he was able to bounce back from defeat and put himself back in the win column. Although some may question the scoring of this fight and debate whether the decision was controversial, sometimes a win is a win and at the end of the day Guerrero did what he had to do, win the fight.

It will be interesting to see whether Guerrero, who entered the fight against Martinez rated number ten in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Welterweight ratings will move up in those rankings off of this victory. For a fighter however, who has consistently taken part in exciting fights and has shown throughout his career a willingness to take on all comers, it is clear that Robert Guerrero is still a force to be reckoned with in the Welterweight division. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

 

Cotto KO’s Geale In 4 To Retain Middleweight World Championship, Is Alvarez Or Golovkin Next?

WBC Middleweight world champion Miguel Cotto successfully made the first defense of his Middleweight world championship by scoring a fourth round knockout over former two-time Middleweight world champion Daniel Geale on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Cotto immediately established his left hook from the outset and was able to land it effectively to the body and head of Geale.

It was also apparent from the opening bell that Cotto’s ability to pick his spots and as well as his lateral movement affected Geale’s offensive rhythm. Geale, a fighter known for his ability to throw punches in volume was simply unable to get his punches off first and to land anything to discourage Cotto. Simply put, Cotto’s ability to outbox Geale and land the cleaner more effective punches was the story of this fight.

In the fourth round the champion knocked Geale down to the canvas with a flush left hook to the head. Geale was able to beat the count, but the end was near as Cotto pressed on the attack and dropped Geale for a second time moments later as a result of right hand. Although Geale was able to beat the count again he informed Referee Harvey Dock that he did not want to continue. Official time of stoppage was 1:28 of round four. Miguel Cotto advances to 40-4, with 33 Knockouts. Daniel Geale falls to 31-4, with 16 Knockouts.

Cotto’s impressive knockout of Geale was in some ways similar to Geale’s knockout loss last year at the hands of undefeated WBA/IBO Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin. In both fights Geale felt the punching power of both Cotto and Golovkin and after being knocked down twice each fight indicated that he did not want to continue. A slight difference in comparing Cotto’s performance against Geale to what Golovkin was able to do is Geale was able to go into the fourth round against Cotto, but was stopped in three rounds by Golovkin.

Although this fight lasted a little longer than Golovkin’s fight against Geale, it in no way takes away from what was an impressive performance by Cotto against a world-class boxer in Daniel Geale. As for Daniel Geale, it will be interesting to see where he goes coming out of this fight. Geale has been at or near the top of the Middleweight division for several years, but after suffering two devastating knockouts at the hands of the two best fighters in the division in a relatively short period of time one has to wonder what Geale’s future will be in the Middleweight division and what affect these two knockout losses will have on him going forward.

Over the last month readers have seen this observer discuss the potential storyline that has taken shape involving Miguel Cotto, Gennady Golovkin, and Saul Alvarez as each has fought against “Game”, but ultimately over matched opposition. With all three successful in their recent bouts, it will be interesting to see if two of the three fighters will meet each other in their next fight with the winner theoretically to face the third fighter in this storyline.

Following his victory over Geale, Cotto appeared to be open to facing either Alvarez or Golovkin, but seemed to indicate that he would fight Alvarez next. If Cotto-Alvarez is indeed in the near future, it will be interesting to see whether Golovkin will make a defense of his world title before a fight between Cotto and Alvarez takes place. 

One should remember that following his victory over Willie Monroe Jr. on May 16th that Golovkin expressed his interest in further unifying the World Middleweight championship. If Cotto and Alvarez are on a collision course for a fight sometime later this year, Golovkin might look to face either WBO champion Andy Lee or the winner of the upcoming fight for the vacant IBF Middleweight world championship between Hassan N’Dam and David Lemieux, which will take place on June 20th in Montreal, Canada.

No matter how this will all play out involving Cotto, Golovkin, and Alvarez it is clear that the Middleweight division will continue to be a division to watch for some time. If this potential storyline ultimately results in one Undisputed world champion being crowned in the division, the real winner will not only be Boxing fans, but the sport overall.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison