Kovalev-Mohammedi Preview

One of the most interesting storylines in the sport of Boxing continues to be the potential full unification of the Light-Heavyweight division. The division’s two central figures Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev have continued to defeat all challengers placed before them, but have yet to turn their attention to each other to fully unify the World Light-Heavyweight championship.

The next chapter in this storyline will take place on Saturday night as the undefeated WBO/IBF/WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev defend his world title against IBF number one contender Nadjib Mohammedi in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his last fight in March of this year Kovalev successfully defended his title for the fifth time scoring an eighth round stoppage of former WBC Light-Heavyweight world champion Jean Pascal.

Much like undefeated unified WBA/IBO Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin, Kovalev has carved out a reputation as one of the sport’s feared knockout artists registering a career knockout percentage of 86% scoring knockouts in twenty-four of his twenty-eight professional fights. Since becoming a world champion in August 2013 Kovalev has only been taken the distance once, it is unification bout with Bernard Hopkins in November of last year.

What has made Kovalev such a difficult fighter for opponents to combat is not just his reputation as a power puncher, but also his ability to be tactical in his approach in attacking his opponents. Kovalev is the kind of fighter who can get an opponent out of there quickly or gradually break an opponent down. Although Jean Pascal was able to have periodic success against Kovalev earlier this year, the question remains as to whether or not an opponent can have sustained success against a champion who thus far has dominated most of his opponents.

The opposition standing across the ring from Kovalev on Saturday night will come in the form of IBF mandatory challenger Nadjib Mohammedi. Mohammedi, who will enter the fight ranked number one by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), number two by the World Boxing Association (WBA), and number four by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) is riding a thirteen fight win streak and has knocked out six of his last eight opponents. In his last fight, Mohammedi scored a six round stoppage of Lee Campbell on the undercard of Sergey Kovalev’s fight with Jean Pascal in March of this year.

Although Mohammedi a former French Light-Heavyweight champion, who will enter the fight with a record of 37-3, with 23 Knockouts has been on a hot streak and has earned this title shot, one does have to wonder whether or not the challenger will be able to deal with the consistent pressure attack of Sergey Kovalev. Despite earning the number one ranking in the IBF’s Light-Heavyweight ratings, several of Mohammedi’s previous opponents are not particularly well-known. Mohammedi’s best-known opponent came in the form of former WBO Light-Heavyweight world champion Nathan Cleverly, who defeated him via twelve round unanimous decision in December 2010. As most Boxing fans know Kovalev knocked Cleverly out to become a world champion in August 2013.

The key to this fight in my eyes will be whether Mohammedi will be able to avoid Kovalev’s consistent pressure and figure out a way to nullify the champion’s power. Although the challenger has knocked out his last four opponents, it is logical to assume that Mohammedi may look to box Kovalev from the outset. Mohammedi has an awkward style in which he throws punches from odd angles and uses head movement. Although Mohammedi does have the ability to be aggressive and execute his offense in spurts, it will be interesting to see if his style can nullify Kovalev’s pressure. 

The most important question however, might be whether or not Mohammedi who has suffered two knockouts in his three career losses will be able to take Kovalev’s power punches. Mohammedi was last stopped in October 2011 in his fight with former world title challenger Dmitry Sukhotsky in two rounds. Mohammedi’s first knockout loss came in September 2009 when he was stopped in the first round by Thierry Karl.

Although Mohammedi does have an awkward style and looks to execute his offense in spurts, it is logical to assume that if he leaves an opening for Kovalev to counter his offense that the champion may look to end this fight early. Although one might argue that Mohammedi is a much more improved fighter than he was the last time he was stopped in a fight, Kovalev has the kind of power that makes him dangerous both early and late in a fight and one has to wonder even if Mohammedi is able to have success in this fight whether or not he will be able to avoid Kovalev for the entire twelve round bout.

Even though this fight has the appearance of an undefeated unified world champion fulfilling his mandatory obligation by defending his championship against a sanctioning organization’s top contender, what is also at stake for Sergey Kovalev in addition to his unified world championship is the potential fight that Boxing fans and experts alike have been calling for. A battle with WBC world champion Adonis Stevenson to determine an Undisputed Light-Heavyweight world champion.

An argument could and perhaps should be made that Kovalev needs to look impressive in this fight in order to keep a bout with Stevenson in high demand. If Kovalev however, is looking past Mohammedi, a potential lucrative battle with Stevenson may be put in jeopardy. We will see what happens when Kovalev and Mohammedi do battle on Saturday night.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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

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Was KO Loss To Teper A Career Ender For Price?

The emergence of prospect David Price as a potential player in Boxing’s Heavyweight division one might argue was rapid. Price emerged as a potential contender beginning with his first round knockout win over John McDermott for the English Heavyweight championship in January 2012. Price was followed that victory by winning the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight championships with a fourth round knockout of Sam Sexton in May 2012.

Subsequent victories over former world title challenger Audley Harrison and Matt Skelton later that year elevated Price into a bout with longtime top contender Tony Thompson in February 2013. Prior to this fight against Thompson, this observer stated that Price could be one of the fighters if not the fighter who may take over the Heavyweight division in the post-Klitschko era.

In making that statement however, I also questioned whether or not it was too much, too soon for Price, who entered the fight with a record of 15-0, with 13 Knockouts. It indeed proved to be too much as Thompson would stop Price in the second round. Despite suffering the first loss of his career and the first knockout as well at the hands of a top contender who was coming off of a failed attempt to win a world championship, Price opted to face Thompson again in July of that year in an immediate rematch.

Although Price would have periods of success in the rematch including dropping Thompson in the second round, the result would be the same as the first encounter. Thompson stopping Price, this time in five rounds. Following the rematch, I stated that it can be a delicate task for those handling a fighter to determine when that fighter should step up in quality of opposition.

It was clear after those two fights that although Price had succeeded on the British and Commonwealth level of the sport, he was not ready to step up against a fighter the caliber of Tony Thompson. After his second loss to Thompson, Price began a rebuilding process winning four fights winning three of those bouts by knockout. Price would carry that four fight winning streak into the ring on July 17th in Ludwigsburg, Germany to do battle with undefeated Heavyweight prospect Erkan Teper for the vacant European Heavyweight championship.

Teper entered into the fight with Price with a record of 14-0, with 9 Knockouts. In some ways Teper’s position entering this fight was not all that unlike the position that Price found himself in when he fought Tony Thompson for the first time. An unbeaten prospect who could potentially become a contender if he is successful in stepping up the level of his opposition. In contrast to Teper, Price was looking to continue building momentum following two devastating knockout losses.

Although Teper was not stepping in against a fighter who was coming off challenging for a world championship as was the case when Price fought Thompson, this should have been looked at as a test for Teper. After all, David Price is a former British and Commonwealth champion and despite suffering those setbacks, did enter into the fight with a record of 19-2, with 16 Knockouts, registering a career knockout percentage of nearly 74%.

Teper however, would show on that evening that he was ready for the test. Teper immediately began to walk Price down from the outset and established his power by landing a flush right hand on Price in the early going. Although Price attempted to return offense, he was unable to establish distance between himself and Teper, who dictated how the fight was fought and who was the more physical of the two fighters.

The fight would be brought to a sudden end the second round when Teper landed a flush left hook to the head of Price sending him down and out on the canvas. The bout was immediately stopped by Referee Massimo Barrovecchio at 2:40 of the round.

It was as sudden and devastating a knockout as you could see not just in the Heavyweight division, but in the entire sport. Although this observer was slightly critical of Referee Massimo Barrovecchio’s decision to allow the recent fight between Alexander Povetkin and Mike Perez to continue following the first knockdown of the contest when Perez looked to be in no condition to continue despite being able to get up from the knockdown only to suffer a second knockdown that many believe was unnecessary, Barrovecchio made the right decision in this fight to immediately wave an end to the bout rather than counting Price out.

Even though Erkan Teper has established himself as a potential player in the Heavyweight division off of this victory, the most important question in this observer’s mind is whether or not this knockout may signal the end of David Price’s career. It is important to remember that Price has been knocked out in each of his three losses and more importantly each knockout was devastating in the manner they occurred.

Although Boxing history is filled with stories of fighters who suffered knockout losses early in their careers only to overcome those setbacks and go on to win world championships, one has to wonder what the accumulative effect these knockout losses will have on Price from both a physical and psychological standpoint. Price was a fighter, who not long ago seemed as if he may be destined for stardom in the sport. This observer believes however, that he was pushed too quickly into fights against Tony Thompson that if he were successful would have likely resulted in a world ranking in one of the sport’s major sanctioning organizations. The two losses to Thompson however, may have started a decline in Price.

Even though Price was able to rebound from those losses and score four victories in a relatively short period of time against relatively unknown opposition, I believe that it is a strong possibility that Price may not have fully recovered from the losses he suffered at the hands of Thompson. Although it is unclear as of this writing as to what David Price will do next, if he does not intend to retire it will be interesting to see if he will take an extended hiatus to allow himself time to regroup. This observer believes after this knockout if Price is not considering retirement, an extended hiatus may be appropriate.

“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 

 

Is The Future For Chavez At 168lbs.?

The main storyline going into the Super-Middleweight bout between former WBC Middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and relative unknown contender Marcos Reyes was whether or not Chavez could bounce back from his first knockout loss. Although this fight had the appearance of a mere “Comeback Fight” for Chavez, one may well have been justified in wondering if not only Chavez could rebound from his loss earlier this year to top Light-Heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara, but also whether or not his status as a star of the sport was also at stake.

In some ways one might argue that Chavez entered into this fight in what could be described as a “No-Win” situation. If he were to win the fight against Reyes in dominant fashion there would be some who would say that he did what he was supposed to do against a relative unknown opponent. If however, Chavez were to win the fight, but have difficulty in the process or if he were to lose the bout some could say that not only his status as a star in the sport, but more importantly his career may be in jeopardy.

Even though it is understandable how some may have viewed Chavez’ position prior to this fight as being in a “No-Win” situation, this observer believes Chavez was in a “Must Win” situation. He needed a victory in this fight to first and foremost restore his confidence and secondly to maintain his status as a star in the sport and therefore, potentially set up some lucrative opportunities for big fights down the road.

Chavez would answer those questions on July 18th when he met Reyes at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. A change for Chavez as he entered this fight was in the form of new trainer Robert Garcia. In addition to wondering if Chavez would have any ill effects from the loss to Fonfara, I wondered how he would respond to working with one of the best trainers in the world in Garcia, after previously being trained by Freddie Roach and Joe Goossen in his career.

One thing that was immediately noticeable in this fight was Chavez using a tactical approach early on. Unlike his bout with Fonfara, Chavez did not lead in with his head and patiently worked to capitalize on openings that Reyes left him. Although Chavez was more tactical in this fight than he was against Fonfara, he did allow Reyes to get his punches off first while trying to walk him down and get him on the ropes where he could do damage. Even though Chavez was successful in walking Reyes down, he did not throw punches as he came forward early on and only let his hands go once was able to close distance.

As this fight progressed it clearly became a battle of Reyes’ greater activity in throwing his punches in volume versus the effectiveness of Chavez when he was able to close distance and let his hands go. Reyes was most effective in this fight during periods where he was able to get his punches off first and use lateral movement to evade Chavez as he came forward. Reyes was able to have success periodically in snapping Chavez’ head back when he threw combinations.

Chavez meanwhile had a clear power advantage over Reyes and was most effective when he was able to close distance and land effectively with both hands to the body and head. As this observer has often stated over the years, a conundrum that can be present for judges in regard to close fights where both fighters are able to be effective is to determine which fighter is dictating the tempo of the fight.

          

In this fight although Marcos Reyes was clearly the busier of the two fighters throughout much of the fight, Chavez was more effective in executing his offense when he let his hands go and was able to land the more damaging punches of the two. Reyes was deducted a point in round nine for a head butt, which opened a cut over the left eye of Chavez. What was a close fight in the eyes of this observer was changed slightly by the point deduction against Reyes as Chavez would go on to win a hard fought ten round unanimous decision. Although two official judges Miguel Acuna and Ruben Carrion scored this fight by wide margins in favor of Chavez turning in scores of 97-92 and 98-91 respectively, unofficially I scored this bout the same as the third official judge Oren Shellenberger 96-93 in favor of Chavez.

Although some may feel that Chavez’ performance in this fight did not live up to the expectations that some may have had prior to the fight, this observer felt that it was a good performance by a fighter who was looking to get back in the win column. Some may choose to criticize Chavez for not being able to knock his opponent out in this fight, but this observer will not be one of them.

Marcos Reyes was able to give Chavez a tough fight and sometimes coming off of a loss, especially one that was a knockout loss it can be beneficial for that fighter to be tested in their first fight back rather than being put in against an opponent who will not provide much resistance. Even though Reyes came out of this fight on the losing end, he gave a good account himself and it would not surprise this observer to see him against another contender in either the 160lb. Middleweight division or the 168lb. Super-Middleweight in the near future.

As for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this fight did serve a purpose in getting him back in the win column. The biggest question in this observer’s eyes coming out of this fight is whether or not the future for Chavez will be in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. It is important to remember that Chavez did come in overweight for this fight at 170.8 lbs. For his part, Chavez stated after the fight that despite not making weight for this fight, he feels he can still make the 168lb. Super-Middleweight limit.

Whether or not Chavez can make that weight limit in the future is a question that only he can answer. In terms of what this win will do for him as far as his position in the Super-Middleweight division is concerned, Chavez will likely maintain his number five and number ten rankings in the WBC and WBA respective Super-Middleweight ratings.

It will be interesting to see how the recent retirement of longtime division cornerstone Carl Froch will impact the Super-Middleweight division. Chavez is certainly a fighter that has marquee value and it is not difficult to envision him finding himself in position to challenge for a world championship at some point in the future. Chavez however, must show that he can be consistent not only in terms of making weight, but more importantly in the ring.

Although he was able to get the win in this fight, one victory will likely not erase the memory of being stopped for the first time in his career. If Chavez is able to build momentum off of his victory over Marcos Reyes and can show the ability to be consistent, the periodic struggles that he has experienced throughout his career may become a distant memory in the future.

“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 

 

Chavez-Reyes Preview

In April of this year Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. suffered only his second loss in his fifty-one fight professional career in losing to top Light-Heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara. The loss for Chavez was also the first time he was stopped in his professional career as Fonfara dominated him throughout much of the fight including knocking Chavez down in the ninth round. Although Chavez was able to get up from the knockdown, he quit on his stool at the conclusion of that round.

A question that some fighters will have to answer over the course of their careers is how they will respond to their first knockout loss. Even though in Chavez’ case the knockout was a technicality, the fact that he was unable or wouldn’t finish his fight against Fonfara may have some questioning what kind of psychological effect that fight had on him.

After all, Chavez is known as “The Son of the Legend” and has been tasked with carrying on the legacy of his father the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. For Chavez, Jr. he was thrust into the spotlight immediately upon beginning his professional career. To his credit, Chavez has been able to garner a significant following of his own and has had a fine career in his own right including winning a world title in the Middleweight division along the way.

Chavez however, has been questioned about his overall dedication to the sport throughout his career and in addition to suffering losses to Sergio Martinez and Andrzej Fonfara has had weight problems throughout his career as well. When a fighter suffers a knockout loss another question that some might ask in addition to what effects will it have on that fighter going forward is will the fighter attempt to come back from that loss too soon.

Now nearly three months after the loss to Fonfara both of those questions will be answered as Chavez prepares to return to the ring against relative unknown contender Marcos Reyes on Saturday night at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. In my post-fight coverage of Chavez’ loss to Fonfara this observer stated while discussing Chavez’ potential options coming out of that fight that Chavez, who was fighting for the first time as a 175 lb. Light-Heavyweight could for his next fight move back down in weight to the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division.

Chavez will indeed be moving down in weight for this fight. Although this is officially a Super- Middleweight bout, Chavez came in nearly three pounds over the Super-Middleweight limit weighing in at 170.8lbs at the weigh-in on Friday. Despite coming in overweight, an agreement was reached between both camps allowing the fight to go on as scheduled.

The key to this fight in my eyes will be which Chavez shows up. There have been times throughout Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s career where he has looked spectacular in his performances, most notably against fighters such as Andy Lee and in his second fight against Matt Vanda. Chavez however, has also had periods throughout his career where he has not looked impressive, most notably in his first fight with Matt Vanda and his first fight against Brian Vera.

In both bouts Chavez was able to score a victory over both fighters in bouts that went the distance, but many observers, this one included felt that the decisions in those fights should have gone the other way. One might argue following a one-sided loss at the hands of Andrzej Fonfara back in April that Chavez’ status as a marquee attraction may be at stake in this fight.

In Marcos Reyes, Chavez faces a veteran of thirty-five professional fights comes into this fight as he underdog. Reyes, who weighed in at 168.4lbs. at the weigh-in on Friday enters this fight with Chavez with a record of 33-2, with 24 Knockouts. Reyes however, has not fought many notable fighters throughout his career and this fight is clearly the biggest of his career. Reyes will be fighting for the second time since dropping a ten round majority decision to Middleweight contender Abraham Han in October of last year. In his last fight in January of this year Reyes scored an eight round unanimous decision over David Lopez.

Although this would have the appearance to be a “Comeback Fight” for Chavez, who will enter the fight with a record of 48-2-1, with 32 Knockouts, it is important to keep in mind that Reyes has never been stopped in his career and if Chavez is not in 100% Reyes could have an advantage in this ten round fight if it goes into the later rounds.

Reyes must set the tempo from the outset. Andrzej Fonfara was able to have great success against Chavez by utilizing a high defensive guard, lateral movement, combination punching, and counter punching. Chavez often led in with his head which allowed Fonfara to take advantage of openings that Chavez would leave due to his defensive flaws. It will be interesting to see if Reyes will look to implement part of Fonfara’s strategy in this fight.

For Chavez he must not walk straight in and lead in with his head like he did against Fonfara. Two noticeable things that were absent for Chavez in that fight were head movement and the use of a consistent jab. Chavez must establish his jab early in this fight and keep it consistent throughout. Although I expect Chavez to attempt to cut the ring off from Reyes, he needs to move his head as he presses forward or he will risk leaving himself open to being countered as was the case when he fought Fonfara.

In terms of what this fight could mean for the Super-Middleweight division one should keep in mind that despite his loss to Fonfara in the Light-Heavyweight division, Chavez is currently rated number five in the world by the WBC and number ten in the world by the WBA in each respective sanctioning organization’s Super-Middleweight ratings. A victory for Chavez could lead to lucrative opportunities down the road especially in light of the recent retirement of longtime Super-Middleweight champion Carl Froch. A loss however, one might argue could put his career in serious jeopardy.

For Marcos Reyes this is an opportunity to establish himself against one of the stars of the sport. Whether or not Chavez’ status as a star in the sport is beginning to fade is a question that could well be answered on Saturday night.

“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