David Martinez Boxing

By Tom Donelson

(Member of Boxing Writers Assoc.)

Two Mexican fighters went toe to toe most of the night in the shadow of the Alamo in San Antonio.  Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. has the curse of the being the son of the great Julio Cesar Chavez plus he faced a hungry fighter in Marco Rubio who viewed this fight as his opportunity.  Rubio had more knock outs coming into this fight but it became obvious that Rubio did not have the power to punish Chavez and Chavez pushed Rubio around the ring.

Over the first two rounds, Rubio was the busy fighter but not the more accurate fighter as he missed many shots against charging Chavez.  By the third round, Chavez used his hook to slow Rubio down and there were times that one could see the father in his son as Chavez ripped left hooks after left hooks to the body.   Rubio threw his own haymakers as they fought inside the boxing trenches.

In the sixth round, Chavez changed tactics as he boxed and move whereas Rubio looked temporally befuddled but it gave Chavez and even Rubio a break from the tough infighting that both were involved in over the previous rounds.  In the seventh round, trench warfare returned as both men simply pounded each other as Rubio threw more punches but Chavez punches had more impact.  In the final minute of the seventh round, Chavez pounded Rubio with a nice combination that included a solid right hand.

During the eighth round, Emanuel Steward observed that Rubio should move and box more since he was not a devastating puncher whereas Larry Merchant quipped that “Rubio is not as much a devastating boxer, either.”    Over the last three rounds, Chavez and Rubio nailed each other with power shots including left hooks to the body.  Chavez threw accurate right hands throughout the bout set up by his left hooks, showing that he can be a two handed puncher.  As for Rubio, he showed grit as he was never hurt by Chavez and there were times that he connected on his own body shots including left hooks but Chavez was the more accurate puncher which is why he won the unanimous decision.

For Chavez, he beat a good fighter in Rubio but he has yet to be tested by an elite fighter and while he would love to fight Sergio Martinez, he admitted in the post-fight interview that he had to fight better than he did against Rubio.  He had trouble with his weight and a DUI interrupted his training, giving one doubts if he has the same dedication as his father.  He admitted the need to stay in shape if he wants to stay in the Middleweight division. Read more…

By Tom Donelson
(Member of Boxing Writers Association)

Andre Ward and Carl Froch faced off in the final of the Super Six title; the winner recognized as the best of the Super Middleweights with a big fight over the horizon with Lucian Bute. Going into this fight, it was a tossup as Ward was a 3 to 1 favorite stateside but among British boxing fans, it was 3 to 1 in reverse.

In the opening minute of the bout, Ward snapped a left hook inside in a clutch but the first minute of half saw a feeling out process. Over the last minute, both men landed body shots on the inside as Ward jab was slightly more effective as he landed twice as many jabs as Froch.

Beginning in the second round, Ward jab allowed him to land a couple of rights in the opening minute but as the round progressed, Froch landed some solid jabs to set up a long right. But over last minute of the round, Ward landed a left hook while Froch countered two left hooks to the body as he trapped Ward to the rope but a Ward left hook forced Froch to retreat and this was followed by yet another Ward’s left hook ending the round.

Ward began the third round with solid jabbing as his accuracy befuddled the British fighter, who looked for ways to score with jabs of his own. With a minute left in the round, Ward jab set up a sharp left hook whereas Froch concentrated on body shots. The last twenty seconds saw both men fighting in close quarters as they connected on body shots even though Ward’s shots looked sharper.
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By Tom Donelson

(Member of Boxing Writers Assc.)

Showtime featured the final of their bantamweight championship series featuring Abner Mares fighting Joseph Agbeko for the Showtime championship but before the main event, the raging bull Vic Darchinyan taking on the boxer Anselmo Moreno.  In the opening round, Darchinyan took the attack to Moreno, trying to get Moreno to open up.   At the 1:30 mark, Darchinyan connected on a left that forced Moreno to retreat.   Moreno managed to slip a few of Darchinyan’s powerful left and while Darchinyan managed to connect on a couple of lefts, most of his big shots missed their targets.

In the second round, Moreno excellent boxing allowed him to connect on big left hands to counter the left’s coming from Darchinyan and Moreno jab allowed him to control the early rounds but at the 1:30 seconds of the fourth round, Darchinyan finally connected on a heavy handed left for the first time in a couple of rounds . Frustration of Darchinyan showed up as he wrestle and threw Moreno to the ground, which cost him a point.

Darchinyan pressed Moreno in the fifth round and finally trapped Moreno in the corner at the end of the round including a straight left that connected.  Moreno continued to box effectively as he nailed Darchinyan with some solid lefts after right hand jabs while Darchinyan best punches in the round were left to the body.

Moreno played matador in the seventh round as Darchinyan bull rushes simply went pass Moreno and in the middle of the round, Moreno nailed Darchinyan with brutal body shots.   By the end of the round Moreno showed a variety of punches including body punches followed quick head shots.

Moreno picked Darchinyan apart as he started to throw power shots that slowed Darchinyan, who looked like a fighter with no answers for the slick boxing Moreno.  This continued in the ninth round and through most of the tenth round even though Darchinyan managed to connect on some hard lefts but Moreno showed mastery of the ring.

In the final stanza, Darchinyan attacked Moreno with the idea of knocking him out but other than pushing Moreno down, Moreno slick boxing simply avoided Darchinyan attacks and wild left; thus producing an easy decision.  Darchinyan suffered a major setback while Moreno sent a message to the rest of Bantamweight division; he was for real. Read more…

By Tom Donelson

( Member of Boxing Writers Assc. )

The big event in New York was Miguel Cotto seeking revenge against Antonio Margarito but before the big event there were three undercard fights to whet the fans appetite.  Michael Jones began the early rounds against Sebastian Lujan by easily out boxing his opponent.  Over the first three rounds, Lujan had a hard time connecting as Jones connected on some sweet combinations.

In the fifth, Lujan managed to connect on a few more shots but after the sixth round, Jones returned to controlling bout with his boxing skills as he simply started to wear Lujan down with his blistering combinations.   Each round started to look same as Mike Jones simply used Lujan as a punching bag and this fight started look like a sparring session as he won an easy unanimous decision.

The second bout was a rematch for one of the best fights of 2011 as Pawel Wolek challenged Delvin Rodriguez.  The first three rounds appeared to leave off from their last fight as they pounded each other. Rodriguez used left upper cuts and right hand to score big whereas Wolek connected on right hands which scored on Rodriguez’s head.

Delvin Rodriguez opened up on Wolak in the fourth round as he bloodied Wolak nose while stunning him with left hooks and uppercuts.  In the sixth and seventh round, Wolak landed the harder punches as Rodriguez slowed down but after appeared to be hurt in the seventh round, Rodriguez recovered enough to throw quick combinations and Wolak eyes were bleeding at the end of the round.

The ninth round saw two tied fighters who continued to grind it out. Rodriguez used his hand speed to throw in combinations as Wolak right hand landed to the temple of Rodriguez but in the tenth, Rodriguez had Wolak in trouble as Rodriguez landed combinations to Wolak head.  Wolak struggled to stay on his feet over the last minute as Rodriguez tried for the knock out his opponent by throwing punches in bunches but had to be satisfied with a decision victory.   In a round in which many rounds were competitive; Rodriguez quick combinations gave him the edge as he won the easy decision on the scorecard. Read more…

By Tom Donelson

(Member of Boxing Writers Assc.)

Peter Manfredo, Jr. has never been one of the elite fighters but since his days on The Contenders, he has maintained his popularity and this has allowed him shots at big money fights and even championship bouts.  In the prefight interview, Manfredo, Jr. noted that he was a blue collar fighter who loves to mix it up as he prepared to fight  another money making machine, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. whose linage has allowed him to be a feature fighter in his own right.   Chavez is the son of the great hall of fame fighter, Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr. and while he is a bigger fighter than his dad, he has yet shown that he is a great fighter in his own right. He is a good fighter with a good career going so far but with the Chavez name, being just a good fighter is not an option.

Manfredo came into the fight as the underdog and knew that he had to win or essentially his career was over. Chavez entered the ring just behind his dad, the living legend loved by many of his Mexican countrymen.  Chavez Jr. had the cross of living up to his father reputation as he defended his version of the Middleweight championship.   This promised to be a fight of two bangers and Manfredo came out jabbing as he advanced behind those jabs as Chavez boxed to avoid the charges while he counter with those classic Chavez left hooks.   Chavez spent the first round feeling out Mandredo as he wanted to absorb Manfredo’s punches, checking out Manfredo’s power. Read more…

By Tom Donelson

( Member of Boxing Writers Assc.)

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez finished their trilogy Saturday night or have they?  A few observations on the fight begin with the Oscar De La Hoya syndrome.  In 2004, De La Hoya was beginning his promotion for his bout with Bernard Hopkins and the promotional team thought of a having a double header with Hopkins defending his title while De La Hoya would attempt to wrestle German fighter Felix Sturm title away. Hopkins won his bout but De La Hoya found the German Middleweight a little more than he could handle. While De La Hoya took the early rounds, Strum dominated the second half of the fight and most observers had him winning the fight  seven rounds to five but he lost by that score.  While De La Hoya threw nearly double the punches, Sturm was more accurate, connected on more punches and his punches started to shake De La Hoya.   Many of the judges gave the close rounds to De La Hoya and there were many who wonder how much the prospective Hopkins-De La Hoya fight was a factor in the scoring.  Many Marquez fans will be wondering; did the prospect of a Mayweather-Pacquiao color the judges’ decision in a fight with many close rounds?

There is the Ken Norton Syndrome that affected Team Marquez.  In his third fight with Ali, Norton gave the last round away as he thought he had the fight in the hand. In addition, he gave away another round in the middle of the fight.  He lost a decision that he should have won by simply giving away the last round in a fight that was much closer than Norton thought. Team Marquez told their guy that he had the fight in the bag, so Marquez simply took the foot of the gas pedal and lost the last round, a round that could have cost him the fight.  Marquez should have known better and so should have his corner.  Team Marquez had as much to do with their fighter losing as any one. Read more…

By Tom Donelson

( Member of Boxing Writers Assc.)

The Road Warrior Glen Johnson was once again traveling to another fighter’s hometown, this fight being in Quebec City, and in the home country of Canadian hero, Lucian Bute.  The first fight featured undefeated Pier Olivier Cote challenging Jorge Luis Teron in a junior welterweight bout.    Cote decided that he wanted a short night as Cote unleashed quick punches, including a super-fast right hand that left Teron looking for the exit. Cote launched into a series of combinations but in the middle of the exchanges, Teron nailed Cote with a right that staggered Cote.  The second round continued the explosion as Cote exploded a left jab followed by a right hand that sent Teron down.  Teron got back up only to be hit with a left hook that opened up blood from Teron nose as Teron went down on his back to the canvas. Teron sat on the rope for three or four seconds before crawling away from the ropes but he couldn’t get up.  Cote won with a spectacular knockout.

In the main event, Johnson and Bute fought tentatively as both fighters felt each other in the opening minutes of the first round.  The round ended with Bute trapping Johnson in the corner with quick combinations as Johnson tried to figure out how to counter a younger and faster fighter.

Bute quickness seemed to have paralyzed Johnson into inaction as Bute maintained the distance between the two fighters.  Bute seemed to have upper hand as he looked comfortable whereas Johnson looked confused with his occasional right hand landed short of his target.  Going into the fourth round, Johnson grappled for answer as Bute started connecting to the body.

Johnson finally connected with a right hand but it appeared to have little impact and over the last thirty seconds of the fifth round, Bute picked up the pace as he unleashed body shots and straight lefts to win the round and maintain his lead on the scorecard.

Johnson started to get into the fight as he landed with solid rights followed by jabs but Johnson had not followed up with a left hook whereas Bute showed more variety in his attack. As the second half of the fight began, the only round that could have been called even or in favor of Johnson was the first as round second through the sixth round was all Bute. Read more…

By Tom Donelson

(Member of Boxing Writers Assc.)

Nonito Donarie is on the verge of superstardom and in the original capital of boxing, New York City; he faced the undefeated Argentina fighter Omar Andres Narvaez.  Donarie have beaten some of the better fighters in the lower weight division including Fernando Montiel and the power punching Vic Darchinyan.  Donarie wanted to make his point that Pacquaio wasn’t the only great Philippine fighter.

The opening minutes was a feeling out process as Narvaez boxed and looked for weakness against the hard punching Donarie.  Near the end of the round, both fighters nailed each other with solid hooks but Donarie punches were heavier.   The second round saw two technical fighters playing a chess match as both fighters look for advantage but action proved sparse as neither fighter could gain an advantage. Narvaez defense forced Donarie to move forward and threw punches, but punches missing their target.

Narvaez showed some defensive wizardry and countered effective at times as he would nick Donarie while forcing Donarie to stalk. Donarie never felt comfortable in attacking Narvaez.  In the fourth round, Donarie threw punches but all were blocked but Narvaez failed to throw punches of his own and with thirty seconds left, Donarie landed a right hand that shook Narvaez and forced the Argentine fighter to retreat.

Throughout the fifth round, Donarie threw punches after punches while Narvaez simply played possum, blocking most of the punches but he did very little to counter the bigger Donarie.   Narvaez defense frustrated Donarie, who was forced to fight a more patient fight and he was unable to get Narvaez into a firefight. Read more…

By Tom Donelson
(Member Boxing Writers Assc.)

Bernard Hopkins once again decided it was time to teach a young fighter the fine arts of the sweet science. Hopkins goal was to control the pace and fight when he wanted to. Hopkins waited as Dawson moved forward cautiously in the opening moments of the fight. Hopkins led with a right hand and bull rushed with his head down as he avoided jabs. Dawson missed most of his punches but he did manage to connect on a hook for the best punch of the round with Hopkins lying on the rope.

Hopkins fought at a slow pace, which was the way he liked it at the beginning of the second round. Hopkins landed a right hand but he did try to push Dawson down. Dawson landed two jabs followed by short hook. The fight proved to be a rough affair as Hopkins tried to turn this into an ugly affair. The key moment of the fight occurred when Hopkins threw a right and landed on Dawson back, who then threw Hopkins off him. Hopkins landed on the canvas on his elbow, injuring his shoulder. The referee ruled it a TKO as he declared that Hopkins could not continue. The real question was this a true TKO or not?

In the opening bout of the HBO / PPV card, Paul Malignaggi used his quick feet and fast hands to keep the tough Orlando Lara off him. The one thing that was obvious, Malignaggi hands were faster as he blistered out four or five punch combinations but Lara punches when they landed had more power. In round three saw Malignaggi outlanding Lora by an 8 to 1 margin.

In the fifth round, Lara corner told him, start fighting but Malignaggi continued to out punch his opponent, who was left throwing one single shot at a time. This continued for the rest of the fight as Malignaggi simply hit Lora when he wanted to and rarely got hit back. One example of this was in the eighth round when Lora was posing with his right hand and looking to pull the trigger; Malignaggi nailed him with four punch combination. This led to an easy decision for Malignaggi.

In the second bout, former champion Kendall Holt faced undefeated Danny Garcia in a battle of junior welterweights for the WBO version of the title. Holt used his jab in the opening two rounds to set up his right as Garcia looked tentative as he threw weak punches.

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 By Tom Donnelson

( Member Boxing Writers Assc. & International Boxing Research Org. )

(Wroclaw, Poland)  The Heavyweight division is the Klitschko’s brothers personal fiefdom and everyone must pay tribute by taking a licking.  Since 2004, no one has even come close to beating the Klitschko’s brothers and this past Saturday fight between Vitali Klitschko and Tomasz Adamek was no exception. Adamek, the former Cruiserweight and light heavyweight champion, proved game but no match for he was too small and did not possess enough of powerful punch to make a difference.  The other problem for Adamek, was that at the age of 40, Vitali Klitschko still possesses sharp reflex to parry of any attacks. Klitschko is one of those tall fighters who fights like a tall fighter; using his jab effectively to control real estate.  Throughout the bout, Adamek had problems with getting inside Klitschko’s jab and Klitschko averaged 40 plus jabs per round with those jabs successful blunting any attack that Adamek attempted.  Unlike David Haye, who spent most of his bout against Wladimir avoiding combat, Adamek attempted to fight.

One example of Adamek spirit and technical skills came in the fifth round in which a more aggressive approach allowed him to connect with a combination that even shook Vitali for a brief moment but those combinations were few and far between.  From the middle of the second round through the sixth, occasional rallies by Adamek gave the Polish faithful that a miracle would yet happen for their favorite son; but those moments were mere illusion in which a brave fighter managed to come up with the occasional connect but paying the price.   Adamek face at the end of the fight showed the results as all but three punches that Vitali connected hit Adamek’s face.

At the end of the second round, a Vitali right connected and sent Adamek reeling back in the rope, with the rope keeping Adamek from hitting the canvas.  The referee did not count the punch as a knockdown even thought he could.  The next time, Vitali sent Adamek reeling into the rope with another right but this time, the referee counted this as a knockdown, rightly concluding correctly that the rope held Adamek up. Read more…