SB Nation User Blog: maxirap

Guzman back in the frame?

maxirap — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:50:39 -0000

The dazzling and disgraced Juan Guzman has been handed a world title shot against undefeated Timothy Bradley on August 1st. This would be Guzman's first foray into the realms of welterweight, although he was always drained at super-feather and lightweight - so that shouldn't be a factor.

Guzman is a beautiful mover in the ring and there is no doubting his abundant skill. But for me, he is simply a wasted talent. A fighter who should have been a pound-for-pound top ten, but will be remembered for his lack of dedication to the sport. He failed to make his end of the bargain in proposed fights with Nate Campbell and Alex Arthur. Only he will know why those fights did not happen. He didn't make weight for the Campbell fight and was apparently forced to duck the Edinburgh battle with Aruthur due to "visa issues". He has caused much disappointment to his fans and fans of boxing alike. I was going to go to the Edinburgh fight because I loved watching Guzman and thought it would be a privilege to have a fighter of his class on our deprived shores.

But a boxer is not strictly defined by his results, but his commitment to the sport and conduct in and out of the ring. While Guzman is undefeated, he fought three fights in three years and his appeal has plummeted like his name out of boxing's consciousness. So when this news broke, of a supposed world title fight against Bradley, I had mixed emotions. The over-riding feeling was: Joan, you lucky boy.

He has a chance to re-etch his name among the sports elite fighters, if he can take Bradley's 0 in impressive fashion. Bradley is in many ways the opposite of Guzman and this would, stylistically, make a great fight. No doubt. Guzman's quick-fire combinations and counter-punching off the ropes vs Bradley's intelligent pressure, relentless work ethic and superior strength. All things considered I think Bradley will be a narrow betting favourite, if the fight happens (big, big IF), but Guzman is a formidable opponent. If he shows up, Guzman will look to use his superior skill to make Bradley miss and counter him all night long. When all is said and told, he is more than capable of achieving this.

Macca leaves Calzaghe camp and fights on Khan Kotelnik undercard

maxirap — Sat, 09 May 2009 10:25:10 -0000

Enzo Maccarinelli has departed from his long term training camp in a last ditch attempt to resurrect his flailing career.

He insists he left Enzo Calzaghe's gym on good terms and would not attribute any blame to Cazlaghe for his devastating loss to Ola Afolabi.

Calzaghe has abruptly gone from hero to zero, as his once brimming gym has become a barren barnhouse in Wales, where most of the exciting talent has disappeared.

Once the gym had three world champions - Joe Calzaghe, Enzo Maccarinelli and Gavin Rees. But Rees' glory was short-lived as he was broken down by methodical Andriy Kotelnik in his first defence, Maccarinelli came up short in a crushing KO to David Haye and Joe Calzaghe has retired. Undefeated prospect Nathan Cleverly, whose skills were developed under Enzo Calzaghe, has swiftly flown the Newbridge nest as he approaches crunch time is his career - a commonwealth British title fight. Bradley Pryce was touted as a future world champion before being recently obliterated by Matthew Hall.

Enzo Maccarinelli hinted that his preparation was not substantial enough for the Afolabi fight, admitting he did no sparring and felt gassed after the first round. He fought a rugged, sloppy fight, landing some solid shots, but the confident Afolabi showed a growing belief, had heavy hands and caught Enzo with the money shot in the 9th which sent Macca's head spinning. He was significantly down on the scorecards but Enzo was in la-la land, back in the place David Haye had put him.

Calzaghe has been vilified for Enzo's defeat and lack of sparring, but the fact is that sparring is not an essential ingredient in the Newbridge gym, which is more focussed on hardcore stamina and speed building. Joe Calzaghe was not a prolific sparrer, as his father pointed out, but Calzaghe is a one-off in terms of skill and he could rely on his natural talent in the ring - so long as his stamina was tip top, which it always was. 'Super Mac' is a different animal to Joe Calzaghe.

Maccarinelli has placed his trust in Preston-based Karl Ince, who is no stranger in the camp and has helped Enzo Calzaghe in the corner before. He is a former fighter and well respected, and will give Macca the "freshening up" he believes he needs. He also admitted he had become too distracted at home in Newbridge and is aware that his future is in the balance.

He has been handed a chance to get himself back in the reckoning against Denis Lebedev, an undefeated Russian who is also on Frank Warren's books. The bout will take place on June 27th and will be for the WBO Intercontinental Championship. Can Maccarinelli rid the demons of two brutal KO's in his last three fights? He has admitted training for UFC and has a strong desire to switch sports eventually, believing his heavy hands could do serious damage in the octagon. Has this taken his focus off the prize in boxing?

Enzo is a skilled fighter, who hits hard and works the body really well - a trait of his former camp in Newbridge. But he has a suspect chin and he may well need more than a change of scenery and trainer to rejuvinate his declining career. He aims to be the first Welshman to reclaim a world title.

Froch vs Calzaghe: The irritant which wont go away

maxirap — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:55:38 -0000

Until Saturday Joe Calzaghe was in a privileged position, where no matter who undermined his legacy, the reality was there was no one good enough to fight him.

That is no disrespect to the super middleweight division, which is rife with talent and one of the most compelling weight classes at the moment. Mikkel Kessler is a formidable fighter, and there is a strong cluster of fighters below him in the ranks - Bute, Andrade and Balzsay being a few. There was talk of Kelly Pavlik moving up, but his status plummeted when Bernard Hopkins ruthlessly took his 0 and his spirit in a dominant subjection.

But Calzaghe was unique. He had reached a pinnacle in his career where, after reigning at the top for 11 years, beating just about every type of fighter and style that can be produced, fights that could motivate him were becoming scarce.

He defended his title against brawlers, bangers, undefeated prospects and finished by beating two hall-of-fame legends. His legacy was complete and taunts from the domestic champion Carl Froch were laughable. He had far bigger fish to fry, and Froch did not belong in the ring with him.

That has changed. Froch heroicly took the WBC belt from Jean Pascal in a scintillating slugfest, and announced himself to the world stage. But no one could predict the impact he would make in his first defence of title against the man who had twice beaten Hopkins.

He defied many critics who thought Taylor's pedigree, speed and skill would be too much for the rugged Brit. Make no mistake, Froch's performance was flawed, he was letting the fight slip away from him, sticking his chin out and taking heavy shots from Taylor. He was duly dumped on the canvas for the first time in his career. But his response to this adversity, in Taylor's own back yard, was phenomenal. He imposed his will on Taylor and knocked him out seconds before the fight would have gone to the judges, and his title would have inevitably gone back into the hands of Taylor.

In beating a 'marquee fighter', Froch has elevated himself into a league of fighters which Calzaghe can't dismiss. The Cobra demands, and now commands respect in the boxing world. Calzaghe is retired. But there will be voices within him, telling him to fight Froch. To relieve this irritant. He can ignore the voices, but after Froch's fighting talk following his KO of Taylor, the voices will be louder than ever. His first thought after the gruelling defence of his WBC crown was - "look at me now Joe, i'm everything I said i'd be, now come and fight me and prove your not afraid of me." His attitude was refreshing: "Come on Joe" he said. "It's just a fight, what's the worst that can happen?" A cunning approach to the subject, a new ploy to coax the Welshman out of "pipe and slippers" lifestyle and I have no doubt the message got through. Calzaghe is a proud man and very conscious of his legacy and status; he does not want any questions hanging over his achievements. Froch is a lingering question, which may have arrived just too late for the Cobra to get his wishes, but would it be a good fight for Froch?

I think not. Calzaghe's work rate would give him nightmares and the Welshman, unlike Taylor, has the heart of a lion. He is not deterred by power, as he proved against Kessler, who landed some fierce blows on him. His mesmeric, ballerina-like footwork, his range and rapid hand speed have surprised and bewildered every opponent he has faced. Unlike Taylor, Calzaghe would be able to execute a game plan to perfection, with supreme confidence in his ability to do so.

Froch keeps his hands low, gets too involved at times and neglects his defence. He relies on his heart, heavy hands, strong chin and precision counter-punching. He is vulnerable to a big puncher and we saw against Taylor that if he takes enough heavy shots he can go down. Taylor decided not to jump on Froch and in fact, was the perfect gentleman as he gave him space and time to recover his legs.Calzaghe would not KO Froch, but he would land a multitude of clean shots on him and enough to back-up the Nottingham banger.

What is exciting is that Froch underperformed against Taylor and there is more to come from him. According to him, his slow start was down to a rushed warm-up and nerves of the big occasion, his entry into the elite class. Froch can be a great, dominant world champion, but there is one man who has the power to change that and it's the sublime, retired Joe Calzaghe. Beware the Welshman.

Olympic sensation enters the Panther's lair

maxirap — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:11:37 -0000

The first question I have to raise about Andre Ward's next, and by far most dangerous fight is: what makes him the favourite?

The hyped-up 2004 Olympic gold medalist is 18 fights into his pro career and has been carefully pitted against opponents who all share the same common denominator: they don't throw leather at him. Such is the reticence of Ward's victims thus far, he has enjoyed a dominant, trouble free build up to the fight of his life. There's nothing better for your confidence than when the opposition sit back and let you do your thing. Such was the case in his recent defeats of Henry Buchanan, Esteban Camou, Rubin Williams and Roger Cantrell. Ward was allowed to showcase his skills, fight at his pace, always gaining confidence, and landing telling shots at will.

Ward has a solid enough shot, but certainly not concussive. It's more precision and speed, combined with a good punch output, which do the damage. And his stylish array of punches are aesthetically pleasing - A+ material. Ward looks a natural in the pro arena, but like all modern boxers in the nascent phase of their development, his chin has not come close to being tested. Not since he was dazed in his second pro fight.

To his credit he has beaten everyone who has been placed in his path and he has done it with style. He has shown stong potential, has a high work rate and his speed will cause problems for your average super middleweight. He also has a real instinct to finish a fight.

In my opinion, Ward is facing his right of passage as he is thrown into the lair of Pantera, Edison Miranda, who is a big puncher and has fought on the fringes of world titles for years now. He is an intimidating, rough, rugged, flawed, but very live fighter who has knocked out the majority of his opponents and only fallen short against two outstanding men: one of the pound-for-pound heaviest punchers, undefeated King Arthur Abraham and another heavy puncher, who backs you up with 100 punches a round, Kelly Pavlik. These fights were at middleweight where Miranda was constantly drained. Sometimes he shed a staggering 60 pounds to get down to the 160 limit. He traded leather with Pavlik in a memorable fight, where Pavlik's relentless style, and granite chin, took the Columbian by surprise. He took a ridiculous amount of punishment, giving out plenty himself, before wilting in the seventh. No shame in that.

He was alway out of his depth against IBF world champion Aruthur Abraham, who twice beat Miranda, once with a broken jaw, caused by a Columbian headbutt, and the most recent with a spectacular KO in the fourth. Abraham is reserved in the ring and only explodes sporadically, but his power in phenomenal. But Miranda does have something in common with Pavlik and Abraham, he is a warrior. He willingly takes punishment, will hunt you down and trade with you until one of you goes down. He is not a smart fighter, nor does he protect himself enough, but he has great confidence in his ability to apply pressure and once he lets his hands go, you're in a dangerous place. You can only survive the Panther's lair by having courage and some good whiskers. Does Andre Ward have either of these attributes? We are about to find out. But once things for sure, although Miranda will probably always be on the peripheral of the world class, he is good enough to destroy anyone below that tier of exceptional fighters who can stand toe-to-toe with him and come out on top.

Having said that, Miranda has now moved up to super middleweight, hence this fight with Ward, and he has looked a little sluggish in each of his recent KO's. Certainly his speed has dminished. But he still possesses that brutal power which enables him to bully opponents and drag them into a war, which he usually wins.

Ward will look to use his speed and work Miranda from the outside as he is pursued by the Columbian. He has good jab, can mix it up and is confident enough to switch to southpaw if he thinks it will work. I don't think Ward will be intimidated easily, nor will any of Miranda's roughhouse tactics phase him too much. But Pantera has at least twice as much pluck, power and pressure than anyone Ward has fought. It's a gigantic step up in class. Miranda has fought two of the world's best fighters and has nothing to fear in Ward. This fight will come down to how Ward copes with Miranda's power. Ward has the skills to outbox Miranda and will not have a problem finding the target. He can outland Miranda, but who will land the telling shots? The punch will dicatate the momentum of this fight. I don't think Ward's power will trouble Miranda, at least until the later stages, but if Ward can stand up to Miranda's punch, maybe he can claim a memorable, late stoppage with the accumulation taking it's toll on the Columbian.Ward is good at avoiding punches and must use this skill, constantly moving so that he avoids being embroiled in a war. He should thrive on fighting in his back yard in Oakland CA.

Yet if the Columbian catches him, pins him on the ropes,and drags him into his fight, I envisage another Miranda KO and a crushing blow to the prospects of Andre Ward. I have an overwhleming feeling that Ward is fighting Miranda too soon. Based on that i'm saying Miranda by KO in the 7th, with Ward still emerging with a bright future.

Penalosa v Lopez: Wily technician v One-Punch KO King

maxirap — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:44:44 -0000

Juan Manuel Lopez has reached a point where he must feel invincible. Three consecutive first round KO's over fighters who were meant to test him. When I say test him, I mean on paper. Because in actual fact Sergio Medina's record flattered to deceive and Cesar Figeuroa was there for the taking with 5 KO defeats to his name already. That leaves Daniel Ponce De Leon, previously undefeated, never dropped and a fearsome puncher himself. In this fight, a straight-up shoot-out, Ponce De Leon emerged confidently, swinging freely, as always, with no respect for the power of Lopez. He soon paid the price as Lopez found the opening for his devastating right hook quickly and Ponce's legs were jellified thereafter. He was soon a sitting duck. Lopez's more measured, less anxious approach paid off.

One man who mocks Juan Maunel Lopez's resume thus far is the wily Philipeano veteran Gerry Penalosa. He is in a different league to anyone 'Juanma' has fought. He has sublime ring craft, is frightening durable and possesses the type of precise, systematic punching that we attribute to Juan Manuel Marquez. He is versataille and adapts in the ring once he finds a game plan to execute. Usually this involves, like Marquez, luring his opponent to make the first move and finding the telling counter-punch. Unlike many of 'Juanma's victims, Penalosa will find a way to negate the brutal power of the Peurto Rican southpaw. He completely disarmed Ponce De Leon in their world title fight, where the Mexican somehow won a unanimous decision by a disgusting margin, when he had been counter-punched, backed-up and made to miss for most of the fight.

So what fight did the judges see? Well, they saw Ponce De Leon throw many, many punches while Penalosa was more sparing with his. But while Ponce's punches were blocked, Penalosa found the telling shots, mainly the right hook over Ponce's lazy left and occasionally a left-hook over the top. These would snap back Ponce's head and temporarily stop him in his tracks. Effective aggression. Ponce threw some good body shots throughout, but none of them affected the tough-as-nails Penalosa, who never stopped pursuing the Mexican. Penalosa actually had De Leon running for the last few rounds, changing his strategy so he wasn't open to the right hook which had been landing flush all night. What cannot be taken away from Penalosa is that he found a strategy that worked, the punch that landed and out-boxed the champion for most the fight.

Can the Ponce De Leon fight be used as a blue print for Saturdays mouth-watering clash between Penalosa and Lopez? In some respects, yes. It may be the closest blue print we will find as to how this fight will pan out. Ponce and Lopez are both southpaws who have relied on their heavy hands. Ponce De Leon showed good work rate in his fight with Penalosa, something which ultimately impressed the judges. We haven't seen 'Juanma' even close to fighting anyone who has made him work. 'Juanma' has risen to the top with his exhilerating one-punch power, which may be far superior to Ponce's. When he lands to the head and body, his opponents seem to wilt before him, crumbling pathetically. Will Penalosa, who has never been stopped in 54 fights, suddenly go to pieces under Juanma's seemingly super-human power? This fight will go a long way to proving how unstoppable Juanma actually is, because if there's anyone who can soak up punishment and protect himself effectively, it's Penalosa. Juanma will more than likely be taken the distance in a gruelling fight and how he will respond to this will determine his future.

Juanma is not a combination puncher and he will need to be, to subdue Penalosa. Ponce De Leon managed for a few rounds to keep Penalosa quiet as he threw non-stop combinations. These were wild and left him open to Penalosa's precision counter-punches, but at least he was able to fend off the Philapeano. Penalosa will protect his head and willingly soak up punishment to the body and perhaps we will see how brutal Juanma is when he lays in to Penalosa's exposed ribs.

I have a strong feeling that Penalosa will take 'juanma' to school. He will respect the power of Juanma and this means that he will not be opening up until the later rounds, should it go that far. He will look to find a weakness in the Peurto Rican and if there is a chink, he will exploit it. We really don't know if Juanma can take a punch, or an accumulation of precise punches - that Penalosa will deliver. If he can, this fight could well go to the hands of the judges and their impressions will decide the fate of the super-bantamweight title. But wlll Juanma find a plan b if his power does not subdue the courageous, and seemingly unflappable Penalosa?

Wladimir Klitschko reveals grand delusion

maxirap — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:28:38 -0000

I found Wladimir Klitschko's retort to David Haye's artistic t-shirt highly amusing. Haye enjoys goading his opponents because he believes, like many of us, that the present heavyweight champions of the world do the division a grave injustice. That is, in relation to the history of heavyweight champions who inspire such awe in our minds eye. Louis, Marciano, Liston, Ali, Foreman, Frazier. These names are loaded with prestige and presence, they command respect, fear and admiration. I won't waste words on this topic because it's been exhausted. Suffice to say we eagerly await a true great to emerge and demolish the current status quo.The point is - Haye has a point. His disgust is shared by many boxing fans.

I'm not beginning to suggest that Haye will become the undisputed heavyweight champion and mark his name in history among the greats. But when Wladimir Klitschko became rather upset with Haye's t-shirt, depicting him triumphantly holding each of the Klitschko's heads, with their bodies strewn in a heap on the floor, he used a phrase which invoked the words of one of the all time greats. Klitschko basically said that, although he could finish the fight quick, he would prolong Haye's punishment for the full 12 rounds, as a result of the Brit's insolence and disrespect. Ring any bells?

His angry response was fair enough, and it created a necessary drop of bad blood betweeen the two. Hype must be generated and milked for this fight, because it is arguably the biggest heavyweight title fight in six years, since Dr Iron Fist, Vitali, fought Lennox Lewis and was winning until he suffered a horrendous cut, which brought it to a premature end in the sixth.

But Wladimir's words echoed the words Jack Johnson, used before his long-awaited shot at the World Heavyweight title - as opposed to the exclusively "Coloured" version of the title he had been forced to endure for years. Johnson would fight the champion Tommy Burns in Australia and knew that he would finally be the acknowledged world champion, as he would surely dominate the much smaller, lighter, and generally inferior specimen. Tommy Burns had uttered taunts before the bout along the lines of: "Aint no nigga ever gonna take my title".

So Johnson uttered some prophetic words of his own, in his respectful manner, to the tune of: "I'm going to make his beating extra long to teach him a lesson." He did just that, fighting a patient fight, revelling in the moment, owning Burns in the ring by holding him, landing the odd explosive combination in close quarters, which may have taken a few of Burns' teeth out. But while landing heavy shots which crumpled Burns, he physically held him up so as to prolong the fight and the pain for the white man. A statement to the world, which shocked onlookers so much that the police ended up halting the contest in round 14, with the live transmission also being cut.

Wlad Klitschko, ever the scholar, will be acutely aware of the history of heavyweight boxing and perhaps regards himself as an extension of the divisions prestige and honour. He has delusions of grandeur and why not? He is recognised as the best, at the moment. But does he imagine he is so dominant that he can carry a dangerous fighter like Haye for an entre fight, owning him, perhaps toying with him the way Jack Johnson owned Tommy Burns, smiling at the cameras while he paws away the hopeless Brit? He may realise a crushing truth on June 20th: he is a worthy champion standing tall in a barren division, but he is only keeping the throne warm, for he will be usurped by a great champion.

Performance of 2009 thus far: Mosely v Margarito?

maxirap — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:03:44 -0000

A few fights this year have inspired awe and will take some beating. Juan Manuel Marquez staked his pound-for-pound claims with a perfect performance over 'The Baby Bull' Juan Diaz - ten years his junior. Ever the ring technician, Marquez took a few rounds to get used to Diaz's pressure, before carefully dissecting him with precise, measured counter-punching and crucially, banking the body shots. Most boxers would have wilted under Diaz's non-stop assault that night, his performance was close to perfect, he just fought the better boxer and the same result would happen every time. Considering the 35-year-old Marquez handed Joel Casamayor his first stoppage defeat last September, he really is the man to beat in the lightweight division.

But the stand-out performance for me is 37-year-old Shane Mosely's brutal annihilation of the seemingly unstoppable freight train, Antonio Margarito. Let's put this in context. Shane Mosely is supposed to be approaching the twighlight of his long, illustrious career. He earned world titles in three weight divisions, beating Oscar De La Hoya twice in the process and was only beaten by two men, Winky Wright and Vernon Forrest before meeting the man-of-the moment Miguel Cotto and just falling short.Then he struggled to contain the wild puncher Ricardo Mayorga at light-middleweight, in a fight which could have gone either way before his KO in the dying seconds of the 12th.

He always maintained he still felt good. What he did to Antonio Margarito will go down in history as the moment the man who takes your heart, had his heart taken for the first time. Hand wraps aside, Margarito was fresh off a stunning KO of Miguel Cotto, who had looked unbreakable in his welterweight reign. Cotto won the first six rounds for me, boxing beautifully off the ropes, counter-punching the Mexican and making him look foolish with his inferior speed and timing. But the fight turned in the seventh as Cotto's game plan started to look fallible. He could not suppress Margarito's desire no matter how many clean, hard shots he landed. Margarito did not have any artificial wraps on his chin, he simply took every punch Cotto threw without flinching. And as he began to dig at Cotto's ribs, the pendulum swung towards the Mexican and a battered Cotto had nothing left in the 11th.

It was established here that you can't run from Antonio Margarito, because he will take your punches, cut off the ring and punish you eventually. The Mexican is so confident in his chin, he walks through punches gleefully just to show he can take them and pin you against the ropes. He owns the trenches and his favourite game is to hunt you down before dragging you into his lair - a terrible place.

Until he fought Mosely. He can't have expected what 'Sugar' was going to bring at his age. Mosely went out in the first round to take Margarito's heart - he went for broke - meeting him head on. He used his fast, heavy hands to great effect, landing a multitude of bombs early on to gain Margarito's respect. He did just that. Margarito smiled after having his head constantly snapped back by the power of Mosely's right hand, which landed all night. The smile became a regular occurence, an acknowledgement that he had felt the punch. The smile died down eventually. Mosely won every round on route to his 9th round TKO, using dazzling combinations, pummeling a befuddled Margarito, who was totally out of his depth and knew it. He was unable to execute his usual game because every time he came forward he ate Mosely's fists. The dynamite in Mosley's hands was perhaps underestimated by the over-confident Mexican, who did not use anywhere near enough head movement or defence to protect himself.

It was Mosely's finest performance. He threw caution to the wind, took the heart of the Mexican warrior and showed more than ever that he can trade with the best. Sugar is the dominant welterweight force, with nothing to prove, but perhaps if Andre Berto gets past Juan Urango, Mosely could find the motivation to take away his 0.

Gamboa is TKO's Rojas in 10th

maxirap — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 04:51:07 -0000

Yurioriki Gamboa put in his most measured performance to date as he amassed all his amateur skills and speed to brtually box Jose Rojas into a 10th round stoppage. He was patient, even jabbed to the body, hovered on the outside and waited for Rojas to make a move before launching devastating counter-punch offensives. The Cuban battered Rojas with an array of beautiful, single power shots, which were delivered periodically in each round and had Rojas running the entire fight.

In truth, the fight was a hideous mismatch. Gamboa landed a big right hand in the first round, which caused swelling in the right eye of Rojas and duly won his respect for the entire fight. Rojas wanted to stay in there for the full 12, but the referee had seen enough when Gamboa forced Rojas back for the upteenth time in the fight, looking poised for a late, spectacular finish. There were a couple of trademark flurries from Gamboa, anxiously rushing accross the ring, throwing bombs towards the back-pedalling Rojas. But for most of the fight Gamboa displayed a new poise, where he was prepared to wait for Rojas to throw first, make him miss then pounce to devastating effect. This approach makes Gamboa even more formidable, because I can't see a way to beat him if he is patient and tempers his fury. He has the skills to outbox and overwhelm any featherweight in the world, it's down to his trainer Ismael Salas to make him realise and utilise what he possesses. Salas will be happy with his progress tonight.

Yuri Gamboa: trainer's dream, trainer's nightmare

maxirap — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:02:21 -0000

Cuban trainer Ismael Salas has the opportunity to refine one of the rawest boxing specimens in the world. His challenge: to instil an element of defence into one of the most explosive and exhilerating talents to emerge in recent history.

Yuriorki Gamboa is reckless abandon personified. In fact, the Cuban, who is a 2004 Olympic gold medalist with abundant amateur pedigree, treats boxing's oldest adage, "protect yourself at all times", with scorn and derision. Defence is absent from his game. The only way he seeks to avoid punches is by hovering outside punching range, then when he hurls one of his hayemakers, he frantically bobs his head to make them miss. Attack is defence for Gamboa and he will also look to simply overwhelm his opponents with fast, hard combinations. He has supreme confidence in his style.

His energy is indomitable. He bounces around the ring as if there are springs in his feet, with his arms always hanging by his sideas he faints this-way, that-way, until he sees an opening and pounces. His attacks are devastating and his hand-speed is bewildering. Because his hands start from waist height, he is able to launch attacks from every angle, usually in the form of hooks, which you can only catch on slow motion playback. Gamboa seems to rush his fights, but he can keep his ferocity going the distance and has proven this over ten rounds.

He is 5,5 yet has the aura of Mike Tyson. He has bulldozed his way up the featherweight rankings, using his heavy hands and relentless attacks to overwhelm all 14 of his opponents so far - 12 by KO. He has won nine of his 14 win inside two rounds, but has twice gone ten rounds and these are the fights which Ismael Salas will study if is to improve Gamboa's rugged approach. Both those fights, against Darling Jimenez (Salas was brought in as a result of this fight) and Roger Gonzalez, had a fundamental likeness. They both demonstrated how you can tuck up tight with a defence, survive Gamboa's onslaughts and be selective with your punching, waiting for him to rush in head first then BAM!

Gamboa's been down four times and is a counter-puncher's dream. He will gift you free shots throughout because he doesn't put his hands up and plunges in with his shots from distance, sometimes head first. He has never been in serious trouble and he has showed good recovery powers. But he can be caught flush with well-timed, short punches which will temporarily halt the Cuban. You can't trade with him because if you leave yourslef open he will turn your lights out quick. But Jimenez - possibly one of the most durable fighters in the division - soaked up Gamboa's attacks all night (lord knows what pain he went through), waited for him to make the inevitable mistake and then opened up with precise shots on the button. It was intelligent boxing, and an incredibly gutsy performance. The man from the Dominican Republic was never put down and exposed Gamboa's style as deeply flawed. Yet Gamboa never tired, kept throwing punches and ultimately battered Jimenez, whose eyes were bulging and practically shut by the end of the fight - a lop-sided decision. One noticable thing about Gamboa's attacks against the tightly guarded Gonzalez (TKO'd in 10) and Jimenez, is that he never thought to go to the body, where he could have done a world of damage. He seemed intent on taking their heads of and has been known to waste punches in this respect. Conversely his conditioning is tip-top and he doesn't stop throwing; punch out-put is not an issue.

So as Gamboa enters fight 15 against Jose Rojas, with the Cuban a strong favourite to knock the 37-year-old Venezuelan out, there are a myriad technical enhancements he could make to become one of the most successful Cuban fighters of all time. The question is: can Ismael Salas, or any trainer, change the Cuban's incorrigible tendency to neglect defence? If not, surely another knockdown and eventual KO is a distinct likelihood for the exciting Cuban, who is yet to reach his prime.

Cristobal Arreola: Bloated ambitions or genuine prospect?

maxirap — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:06:29 -0000

Cristobal Arreola is rountinely dismissed by a large portion of the boxing public. He has a big heart, carries a large weight on his shoulders - being the great American heavyweight hope - and a bulging belly to go with it. He is a unique heavyweight in that he uses stylish combinations to punish his foes and has accumulated an impressive KO ratio, earning him some respect in the division.

He made easy work of Jameel Mcline on Saturday night in a fight which has evoked anger throughout much of the boxing public, who saw in Mcline a fighter who was there to pick up a pay cheque and keep the Arreola bandwagon chugging along without any resistance. A couple of token left hooks in the third round were about all the old-timer Mcline could muster before being put on the floor and out of his misery in the fourth as he showed scant desire to get back to his feet. Yet he still managed to demonstrate Arreola's vulnerabilities in a microcosm.

The Mexican/American put some good attacks together, particularly giving Mcline's 'jelly belly' the attention it deserved. But he weighed in at 255lbs and the most concerning thing about that is that he seems comfortable at the weight.. Yes, he is winning fights impressively, but his excess flab and blatent lack of dedication in training will be exposed. It's simple physics, the more fat you are carrying, the more your speed is compromised, the easier a target you become and that is why it can be very beneficial to achieve something close to your physical prime. Arreola wants to be a world champion and fight the best, and he has the skills to hang with the best, without question. His strong amateur background carries through in his punch-repetoire. And his style and willingness to trade is far more inspiring than some of the eastern European World Champions. But his career will nose-dive faster than he can eat burgers if he isn't training for 12 hard rounds. At the moment, I see a good fighter in Arreola, whose conditioning will get found out against any of the current top five heavyweights. David Haye would probably embarass him as well. The fact is, none of the World Heavyweight champions inspire fear anymore, they are all beatable and that is what gives the flabby heavyweights, such as Arreola hope. Vitali Klitschko may still be formidable or he may, as I suspect, be a little sluggish and a sitting duck for someone with David Haye's speed. But the Ukranian commands the most respect in the division and would pulverise a 255lb Arreola. Shed 20lb of Arreola, to a weight he was fighting at not so long ago, and i'm certain his plight will be taken a little more seriously. He is definitely a people's fighter, whose humility and willingness to entertain can go a long way in this heavyweight era.