After
a huge boxing weekend that featured pay per views in both America and the U.K.,
it's time to assess how the principals performed and what may be next for them.
For the fighters listed, I'll recap how they fared and how their respective statuses in the
sport have changed after their performances.
Manny
Pacquiao: Rising
Pacquiao
scored six knockdowns over Chris Algieri (although not all of them were legitimate)
and dominated from start to finish. Winning by 16 points on two cards and 18
(yes, 18!!!!) on the other one, Pacquiao still looked like a dominant fighter
in the sport. Although he faced some criticism for not putting Algieri away,
Pacquiao showed excellent power and if the bout featured a competent ref or
opposing corner, the fight surely would have been stopped. It was also nice to
see him feature his right hook and some body punches; it was an overall
well-rounded performance. After the fight, the obligatory Floyd Mayweather
trumpet was sounded. Who knows were Manny goes next but he's certainly still in
business as a world-class fighter and top box office attraction.
Chris
Algieri: Falling
Not
lacking confidence outside of the ring, Algieri transformed into an altogether
different, timid creature once the opening bell sounded. Spending most of the
fight on his bike, Algieri didn't perform like a boxer who was there to win.
Refusing to plant his feet or engage for prolonged stretches, Algieri's offense
consisted of flicking jabs and the occasional right hand. He was never in the
fight for one second and he looked overmatched throughout the bout's entirety.
Although he does have a lot of options in the 140-lb. division, he's going to
have make some real changes to his approach. Algieri's current form doesn't
allow for enough offense to beat the elite in the sport and he needs to expand
his punch arsenal. I'd also suggest getting a real trainer.
Tony
Bellew: Slightly Rising
Bellew
beat his archrival Nathan Cleverly via a split decision. The bout was a rematch
of a close fight that Bellew dropped in 2011. With Saturday's win, I'm sure that
Bellew gained immense personal satisfaction from finally taking down his
nemesis. However, for boxing fans, the bout was torture. Bellew wound up
winning on account of his superior effort, not necessarily because he was all that effective.
Bellew did have the heavier hands throughout the fight but only when he landed,
which wasn't nearly often enough. He was able to break through during the last
four rounds, where he teed off on a gassed Cleverly, who parked himself on the
ropes. Bellew is now in line to face cruiserweight champion Marco
Huck. There was nothing in Bellew's performance on Saturday that would cause
even a moment's pause among the current cruiserweight titlists.
Nathan
Cleverly: Falling
Alarmingly,
if Cleverly decided to muster his reserves and go all out in the 12th round, he
could've earned a draw, which in my opinion wouldn't have been a just
verdict. Cleverly did so little in the last half of the fight, and even in the
early rounds he didn't seem right to me. Sure, he won some rounds with his jab
and defensive technique but his legs weren't there at all. He looked to be
fighting at half-speed. Throughout most of the bout, he refused to throw his
right hand and it was clear that he wasn't fighting to the best of his
abilities. His performance could have a number of explanations: he was hiding an injury from training
camp, he over-trained, he was scared to throw his right because of a counter, he lacked
confidence, or any combination of the four. Ultimately, it was a listless
performance, devoid of the passion and energy of his best efforts. Cleverly
needs to evaluate whether he wants to continue boxing because he will soon turn
into roadkill if he doesn't reconnect with his love of the sport.
Roman
Gonzalez: Rising
Gonzalez
continued his path of destruction by
stopping Rocky Fuentes in the sixth round (he has a ridiculous 85% knockout rate). Gonzalez featured his entire arsenal
in the fight and his relentless pressure and savage body attack wore down the
usually durable Fuentes. The top dog at flyweight, Gonzalez has
several attractive options for 2015, perhaps the best one being a rematch
against titleholder Juan Estrada, whom Gonzalez beat in a thrilling match in
2012 at junior flyweight. Estrada has improved significantly since that bout
while Gonzalez has continued to beat down all comers. Here's hoping that fight
happens next year.
Vasyl
Lomachenko: Rising
Featherweight
titlist Lomachenko dominated mandatory contender Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo,
winning by 13 points and scoring a knockdown in the fourth round. But that
recap doesn't even begin to tell the story. Lomachenko's breathless footwork,
punch variety, athleticism and combination punching were absolutely thrilling
to watch and his fourth round was the best three minutes that I've seen from a
boxer all year. Lomachenko hurt his left wrist in the beginning of the
seventh round but he still won the remaining frames with a stunning display of
intelligence, angles and creativity. Watching Lomachenko maneuver himself
around his opponent and land lead uppercuts and hooks, I felt like I was observing the epitome of the
sweet science. In only four professional fights, Lomachenko already possesses
pound-for-pound level skills. He wants a fight against fellow titlist Nicholas Walters in 2015, one of the best matchups that can be made in boxing. If Lomachenko can defeat Walters, he will quickly ascend to the upper reaches
of the sport.
Anthony
Joshua: Rising
Joshua
blew through British trial horse Michael Sprott in one round, pulverizing him
with vicious right hands. As usual, Joshua mixed in patience with his ferocity.
His knockouts continue to come during the flow of action, not on account of
wildness or being out of control. Now 10-0 with 10 knockouts, Joshua will next
fight American Kevin Johnson, a boxer who should be able to give him some
needed rounds.
James
DeGale: Rising
Facing
former title challenger Marco Antonio Periban, DeGale unleashed a sweet
combination in the third round that ended the fight. (Perhaps it was stopped
early, but hey, it's Britain. These things happen.) He started the damage with
a lightning-quick left hand, followed up with a few more shots and concluded
matters with another hard left. No fighter had ever dominated Periban to that
degree. DeGale has really turned a corner in his career and his improvement can
be attributed to his belief in his own offense. As he has become more
comfortable in the pocket, his right hook and straight left hand have become
powerful weapons. DeGale is currently in a holding pattern until Carl Froch
decides on whom he will next fight (DeGale is Froch's mandatory challenger for one of his title belts). Irrespective of Froch's decision, DeGale looks to be on target
for his first world title shot in 2015.
Marco
Antonio Periban: Falling
Periban
is going backwards in his career. Last year he had a hard-fought draw against
then-titlist Sakio Bika. Now, he has lost to J'Leon Love and DeGale in
consecutive fights. Periban missed weight badly for Saturday's fight and didn't seem to be in good shape for the match. Periban looks more and more
like a gatekeeper than an actual contender in the super middleweight division.
George
Groves: Unchanged
After
an uncomfortable first three rounds against Denis Douglin, a southpaw who had
spent most of his career at 154 and 160 pounds, Groves went back to basics and
eventually bested him, scoring a stoppage in the seventh round. Groves fought
recklessly early in the bout, reaching with knockout-type shots that mostly hit
air or shoulder. Once he realized that he had a fight on his hands, he
started putting punches together, stopped overcommitting with his shots and did
an excellent job of hammering the body. Quickly, Douglin lost his friskiness.
Groves possesses a lot of quality attributes in the ring – athleticism, fast hands and good offensive technique. However, it takes him a while to
make adjustments and he makes his fair share of strategic and
tactical mistakes. Next, he could be in line to face titlist Anthony Dirrell,
which would set up a fascinating contest between two flawed but explosive super
middleweights.
Jessie
Vargas: Rising
Vargas
turned in one of the best performances of his career by defeating Antonio
DeMarco by a unanimous decision (116-112 x 3). Working with Roy Jones as his
trainer for the first time, DeMarco did a much better job of sitting down on
his shots than he has in recent fights. In addition, he showed a very solid beard.
Vargas may never have the power or elite athleticism to be the top guy at 140
or 147 but he's certainly able to defeat B-fighters and perhaps pick off an
elite talent who's having an off night. His name has been floated as a Pacquiao
opponent for 2015 but I don't think that he has the profile for such a
high-powered event. (However, nobody last year would've picked Algieri as a
future Pacquiao opponent – strange things happen in this sport.) It's more
likely that we see Vargas next against a tough guy like Postol or Provodnikov.
Either of those fights could be fantastic.
Antonio
DeMarco: Unchanged
DeMarco
is a heavy-handed guy who can look extremely vulnerable against athletic
boxers. Even though he dropped Saturday's decision to Vargas, he still had several
moments in the fight and showed that his power can play up at 140. And make no
mistake; Vargas had to be very good to beat him. DeMarco still doesn't have
much of a right hand but his left cross and uppercut remain serious weapons.
He'll always be a live underdog because of his power but I wouldn't favor him
over anyone in the top-15 of the division. With that being said, guys with power are only
one punch away.
Scott
Quigg: Unchanged
Junior
featherweight titlist Quigg easily dispatched Hidenori Otake, winning at least
10 rounds on each scorecard. It was a very workmanlike performance, with Quigg
going hard to the body and showcasing his inside
fighting skills. A lot of British fans enjoy ragging on Quigg because his title
reign has been littered with weak opposition and he lacks the flash and sizzle
of fellow titlist Carl Frampton. And although those criticisms may be correct
to a degree, Quigg has turned himself into an excellent technician in the ring
and a fighter who truly enjoys mixing it up in close quarters. All that he
needs now are suitable opponents. Paging Eddie Hearn. Paging Eddie Hearn.
Jamie
McDonnell: Unchanged
Bantamweight
titlist McDonnell struggled early against late-replacement Javier Chacon and
the fight was very close through six rounds. As the match progressed, McDonnell
started to have more success, landing his jab and power shots with increased
frequency and authority. In the 10th, Chacon stopped the fight after injuring
his shoulder, giving McDonnell a TKO win. Ultimately, McDonnell wasn't
particularly sharp and he'll need to be a lot better in his next
outing, a unification match against fellow titlist Tomoki Kameda.
Zou
Shiming: Rising
In
just six professional fights, Zou has already shed many of the amateur habits
that don't translate well into pro success. Under trainer Freddie Roach, the decorated amateur has become much better at
harnessing his power and sitting down on his shots. He also seems much more comfortable fighting in the pocket. On Saturday, Zou showed a
menacing right hand and in another encouraging sign, he took several hard punches
yet he maintained his aggressiveness throughout the bout. He dropped Kwanpichit
OnesongchaiGym four times, picking up a wide decision win in his first
12-round fight. Already 33, Zou will be looking for a title shot in 2015. I wouldn't
make him a favorite against any of the current flyweight titlists but he's
certainly progressing into a viable challenger.
Adam Abramowitz is the head writer and founder of saturdaynightboxing.com.
He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Contact Adam at saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment