Tag Archives: Tom Donelson

Berto Wins!

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By Tom Donelson

( Member of Boxing Writers Association and International Boxing Research Organization )

Andre Berto was scheduled to fight on HBO but not the fight that he expected.  A few months ago, Berto was readied for a possible fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. but it was Victor Ortiz who ended up with the fight after he upset Berto.  Berto had his chance when he had Ortiz down in the sixth but Ortiz did not wilt and even knock Berto down in the same round.  From that point Ortiz won the decision and Berto now is fighting to get back into the Welterweight elites.

Prospect Gary Russel began the evening by fighting veteran Leanilo Miranda in an eight round fight. Russell began the fight by coming forward and boxing against the cautious Miranda but neither fighter did much damage even though Russell connected on some solid shots at the end of round.  At the beginning of the second round, Russell pushed Miranda to rope on several occasions and nailed Miranda with combinations including a right hand hook from his southpaw stances.   As the third round progressed, Russell quick hands started to take hold as he continued to walk Miranda down while nailing Miranda with three and four punches combinations but Russell power had yet to punish Miranda.

Russell showed a variety of skills as he stuffed Miranda with solid body shots that caused Miranda to flinch for the first time in the fight during the fourth round.   Miranda punches lost steam as he started to absorb Russell best shots.  The fourth round caused a change in strategy for Miranda as he decided to come out on the attack in the fifth round, but this lasted only about thirty seconds as Russell superior hand speed took hold and forced Miranda to retreat.

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Butch Lewis and the Spinks Brothers

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Leon Spinks and David Martinez
( photo taken: October 15, 2004  )

By Tom Donelson ( Member of the Boxing Writers Association and International Boxing Research Organization ) Butch Lewis was a colorful promoter who learned his trade under Bob Arum and even promoted some of Ali’s fight with Arum but he was the man behind the Spinks brothers.  He managed Leon’s career to great heights early in his career.  After winning the Olympics, Leon won his first seven of eight fights with the other being a draw against Scott LeDoux. Ali set up a fight with Leon Spinks but Spinks upset the “Greatest” winning the title with a split decision. For one night, Spinks was the greatest but that came down quickly when Ali won an easy decision in New Orleans Superdome in the rematch. Continue reading Butch Lewis and the Spinks Brothers →

Mares defeat “Ironballs” Agbeko

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By Tom Donelson

( Member of the Boxing Association & Internationl Boxing Research Organization )

Joseph Agbeko needs a new nickname, “Ironballs” Agbeko for Agbeko suffered repeatedly low blows all night delivered by Abner Mares.  The failure of the referee Russell Mora to control the action within the ring overshadowed a competitive fight between two excellent bantamweights.

Mares came out fast in the early rounds, and even knocked Agbeko down for a brief knockdown in the first round.  Mares launched a series of combinations as Agbeko started to slip and a left hook on the top of the head sent Agbeko down.  Agbeko got back up but Mares simply attacked over the last minute of the round.

The second and third round saw Mares attacking the body with left hooks and occasionally low blows along with solid rights to score effective.  Agbeko timing looked off and his jab ineffectual.  His right hand, his best punch, was non-existent.  It wasn’t until the last minute of the fourth round that Agkebo finally connected on a solid left. Continue reading Mares defeat “Ironballs” Agbeko →

Thoughts on HBO and Showtime fights!

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By Tom Donelson

( Member of Boxing Writers Association )

Paul Williams came off a two round knock out lost suffered at the hand of Sergio Martinez against Cuban fighter Erislandy Lara in a comeback fight.  For Williams, there would be no change in style against a fighter similar in style to Martinez.  As for Lara, the sixteen fight career did not fully show his boxing experience since he had fought 300 plus amateur fights.

The record will show a majority decision victory for Paul Williams but the reality was that Erislandy won the fight in the ring whereas Williams won it on scorecard.  In the first three rounds Erislandy score with his left easily as Williams seem to be continuously to be caught with the same punch over and over throughout the fight.

In the fourth and fifth round, it looked like Lara was tiring as Williams pressured the Cuban fighter.  Even in the sixth round, Lara mouth was open as Williams continued the pressure but Lara returned to what worked in the opening rounds as he hit Williams with those devastating left.

Lara got a second wind in the seventh round as he moved consistently in position to hit Williams with his left.  This continued throughout the next four rounds, the same thing continued to happen as Lara maneuvered himself beautifully allowing him to step away and fired away with those left but even his jab was more effective than Williams.  Williams was told by his corner that he needed a knockout and in the twelfth, he went for that knockout and while he threw ton of punches, he failed to stop Lara. Unknown to him and his corner, he had the judges on his side.

Williams and his corner used the same strategy that cost him the Martinez fight and his three losses were to southpaw.  While the HBO staff made the case that maybe we have seen the best of Williams, it could easily be style that conflicts with his own. Williams does not use his heights and fights like he is 5’9” instead of 6’2”.  Against southpaws, he is vulnerable to straight lefts over his right that he holds low.  Williams doesn’t have to fight since he has kept his money, invested wisely and lives simply.  On this night he looked like a shot fighter who survived a bad decision but it could simply be a case of wrong style.  As for his goal of fighting Sergio Martinez, there was nothing tonight to show that he could beat the Argentina champion in a rubber match.

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Alvarez wins easily!

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By Tom Donelson

( Member Boxing Writers Association and International Boxing Research Organization )

This past Saturday, HBO boxing after Dark had an evening of knock out boxing as the card featured knock out artists in both bouts.  Adrien Broner came into the bout as an undefeated fighter with 16 knockouts in 20 wins against the tough Jason Litzau, who goes for broke.  In the second bout, Mexican sensation Camelo Saul Alvarez challenged British veteran Ryan Rhodes.

In the opening round of the first fight, Litzau and Broner posed more than fight as they felt each other out with little action until the last thirty seconds when Broner attacked with vicious combinations.  The Broner attacked began with a left hook that missed followed by a right that stunned Litzau.  The right hand paralyzed Litzau for a brief moment and Litzau did not quite know where he was; Broner added a solid right, left hook, a right upper cut that send Litzau eyes rolling back and then concluded with a left hook sending Litzau down along the rope.  The referee did not bother to count as it was self evident that Litzau was not going to get up.

In the main event, Rhodes and Alvarez exchanged a few polite punches before Alvarez exploded with some combinations near the end of the first round as he connected on a series of combinations with the right hand showing the most pop.  Alvarez showed patience in the second round as he waited to see what Rhodes, who jabbed tentatively as the memory of those stinging rights in the first round still fresh in his minds.  When Rhodes turned southpaw, he proved vulnerable to Alvarez’s right as Rhodes looked ineffectual.

Alvarez showed some defensive skills as he moved his head against Rhodes and avoided many of Rhodes’ punches.  Alvarez occasionally would attack and never feared his opponents’ power. Rhodes started to connect on a few punches in the third round but they had little effect.

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Boxing Results and Thoughts: Chavez wins a title

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By Tom Donelson

( Member of Boxing Writers Association and International Boxing Research Organization )

Froch moves on


Carl Froch was one fight away from facing Andre Ward and being a part of the Super Six tournament final.  His opponent, Glen Johnson, was the ultimate road warrior and a fighter better than his record as he became one of the elite light heavyweights over the past decade.  At the age of 42, Glen Johnson still had enough talent to be a threat and his most recent victory over the younger Allan Green reminded the boxing world that he was still one of the best in the world.

In the opening bout, Mikkel Kessler fought a warm up fight against Mehdi Bouadla.  Bouadla pressed the action against the accomplished Kessler but halfway through the round, Kessler used his jab to set up combinations. Bouadla own jabs penetrated Kessler own defense as he kept the round close.

Bouadla defense made it difficult for Kessler in the second round as Kessler’s jab often fell short and when he got closer; he got counter by a Bouadla left hook. Kessler fought a better third round as ring rust from 14 months layoff started to evaporate and a Kessler right sent Bouadla down for an eight count. Bouadla spit his mouthpiece out to gain more time and the referee gave him a point deduction for delaying the fight.  Kessler continued his assault with multiple combinations.

Kessler began the fourth round by unleashing combinations and found a home with his right hand as Bouadla took some big shots as he tried to survive the round but with ten seconds left, another Kessler right sent Bouadla down, but Bouadla got up and wobbled back to his corner.

As the sixth round began, the first question was how did Bouadla survive to get his far as he got pasted over the past three rounds.  With a minute left, a Kessler left hook hurt Bouadla and this was followed by a second left hook along with a nasty right hand that sent Bouadla a third time.  Kessler finished up Bouadla with another combination and after hitting the canvas for the fourth time, Bouadla was finished.  Kessler won impressively and set himself for another big fight; maybe against Lucian Bute.

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Hopkins Wins

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By Tom Donelson

( Member of Boxing Writers Association and International Boxing Research Organization )

 

In their last bout Bernard Hopkins fought Jean Pascal to a draw or maybe we should say Pascal fought Hopkins to a draw.  Hopkins lost his shot at a title when he hit the canvas twice against Pascal in the first three rounds and went into the final nine rounds; five points down on the judges’ scorecard.  The wily veteran Hopkins found a way to turn the fight around and Pascal helped by not putting on the afterburner and allowed Hopkins to set the pace.

 

Hopkins wanted to become the oldest man to win a title and at 46, he still had the skills but he faced a younger opponent but the real issue was did he face a hungrier opponent? ESPN Teddy Atlas concluded that this was Pascal fight to lose; that at 26, he could do more things and push the issue.  Pascal did not do that in the last fight despite having Hopkins in trouble over the opening three rounds.  The key to the fight would be if Pascal would force Hopkins to fight at a more intense level, round after round.  With the advantage of hand speed and power, he held the upper hand.  Hopkins advantage laid in his ability to out think and take advantage of Pascal’s lapses.

 

Before the main event, Chad Dawson fought Adrian Diaconu an important bout in the light heavyweight division as both men have been victim of Jean Pascal.   Dawson, now trained by Emanuel Steward, looked to get a shot at the winner of the Hopkins-Pascal fight and be back at top of the light heavyweight division.

 

In the first round, Dawson used his jab to keep distance and pick his shots as Diaconu did very little throughout the round.  Dawson looked relaxed in the second round as his jab maintained the distance and this allowed Dawson to strike combinations while Diaconu had to lunge with his power shots but of no avail.

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Ward wins a big one!

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By Tom Donelson

( Member of Boxing Writers Association and International Boxing Research Organization )

 

Arthur Abraham had lost two fights in a row during the Super Six tournament and faced the new favorite Andre Ward as a heavy underdog but Abraham has one thing in his favor; the big punch.  For Ward, this was not an easy bout against one of the most rugged fighters in the world.

 

Abraham began the first round moving forward with the idea of pushing the action as he moved behind a peek-a-boo; making it difficult for Ward to jab effectively against Abraham. Halfway through the second round, Ward landed his best combination of the fight at that point but it did little to sway Abraham from moving forward and both fighters started to bend some of the rules as the fight started to get rough.  Both fighters exchanged jabs throughout the third round in a fight that moved quickly with Abraham landing some of the more powerful shots over the last minute of the round.  Known as a slow starter, Abraham forced the action through the first three rounds.

 

Fourth round was Ward best of first four rounds as he dominated most of the round as he threw most of punches even though Abraham attempted to steal the round with a rally that allowed Ward to counter.  The fifth and the sixth round repeated the fourth round as Abraham allowed Ward to get off and throw punches first; there were one occasion that Ward hurt Abraham for the first time of the fight.    At the halfway mark, Abraham looked exhausted, an unusual occasion since Abraham usually get better as the fight moved forward.  Ward started to take the fight to Abraham who seemed content to be a punching bag while occasionally throwing wild punches but he could never pull trigger or maneuver Ward in a position to unleash his powerful punches.   With a minute left in the tenth round, Ward switched to southpaw and continued to pound Abraham, who simply looked confused.  Between the tenth and eleventh round, Abraham’s corner exhorted their fighter “go for it, you can do it.”   In the opening of the eleventh round, Abraham landed a solid counter for one of his best punch but Ward continued to box around the tough Armenian born German fighter.

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PACQUIAO – MOSLEY FIGHT CARD RECAP

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By Tom Donelson
(Member of the Boxing Writers Association and International Boxing Research Organization)

Manny Pacquiao faced the wily veteran Shane Mosley, who was hoping to find the fountain of youth for one more fight, one more shot at glory.  Before the main event, there were three important bouts with future implications.

Undefeated Mike Alvarado faced Ray Nath and over the first three rounds, Alvarado simply dominated the fight as he started to connect on solid rights without much response.  After three rounds of being beaten, Ray Nath simply did not come out for the fourth round and Alvarado won his 30th straight.

Kelly Pavlik in his comeback fight as a Super Middleweight faced a tough competitor in the undefeated Alfonso Lopez.  The first two rounds saw a rusty Pavlik as Lopez managed to outbox the former Middleweight champion but in the third round, Pavlik looked sharper with his punches and even landed a solid right that shook Lopez.

In the fourth round, Lopez got inside of Pavlik to score effectively but in the process, an accidental head butt opened up a cut over Pavlik right eyes.  Pavlik managed to connect with some rights in close quarters that may have allowed him to win the round. Lopez began the fifth round by attacking but by the middle of the round, Pavlik power started to back Lopez up.  Lopez was breathing heavily at the end of round as Pavlik landed the best punch of the round with a left hook in the middle of the round.

Pavlik dominated the sixth with solid body shots, making Lopez wince but the seventh round was a close affair as both men scored with solid shots; Lopez with a solid combination whereas Pavlik scored with solid left hook near the end of the round for his best shots.   The eighth round repeated the sixth round as Pavlik landed hard shots after shots as Lopez looked like he was fading.

There are moments that a fighter must make a stand or accept defeat; Lopez decided to go toe to toe with Pavlik in order to make something happen.  Lopez saw the fight slipping away and both fighters gave as they took as punches flew from both fighters.  The tenth round was no difference as Lopez began with combinations but Pavlik buckled Lopez with a solid left hook but Lopez found a way to respond with combination.  Pavlik countered back with a right hand that stunned Lopez but it did not deter Lopez as both fighters went at each other with last charge.

Pavlik won a majority decision with two of the judges gave him 98-92 and 99-91 scores with another judge scoring the fight even.  Pavlik made his comeback against a worthy opponent as he won a tough grinding decision. This gives the Super Middleweight yet another star in one of boxing most talented division!
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Morales surprises!

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By Tom Donelson
(Memeber of the Boxing Writers Association, International Boxing Research Organization and contributes to numerous boxing publications)

Erik Morales was a Hall of Fame fighter but those days were long past and what he had left was the question as he faced the tough Marcos Maidana in a night called Action Heroes.

In the first round, the big fears about Morales looked justified as Maidana jabbed Morales and forced Morales to the rope.  Morales managed to connect with a left hook but whatever quickness he had seemed to disappeared and his eyes started to swell from Maidana punches.  Maidana started to connect when he trapped Morales on the rope.

Morales tried to keep his distance from Maidana but he was unable to keep Maidana left from connecting.  Toward the end of the second round and after being dominated, Morales finally nailed Maidana with a right and left that stopped Maidana briefly while fans went wild.

Morales came out of the third round popping his jab but received a Maidana right in return but he did managed a left right combination.  Throughout the round, Morales managed to land some good combinations but his right eye started to shut.

Maidana tried to trap Morales on the rope in the fourth but Morales managed to escape and seems to be able to get an offense going while blocking some of Maidana incoming bombs and referee warns Maidana bout head butting so a little desperation on the part of Maidana?

Maidana attacked Morales hard at the opening of the fifth round, but Morales counters the hard charging Maidana and gets the better of the exchanges.  In one exchange, Maidana lands a right but Morales connects with his own right followed by another right and then a left hook to Maidana chin.  Morales had his best right round of the night he consistently nailed Maidana with left hooks and right uppercuts.
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