Weekly Boxing Report: News, Results & Fight Coverage:
Finally boxing’s unofficial offseason is over. From late December to mid-January, bouts are scant. This weekend saw a full schedule of bouts from around the world. Of course, fans were eager to see the first really big fight of the year: the Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander title unification bout.
On Friday, I had the pleasure of making the short 18-mile jaunt up to Temecula to see Chris Arreola up at Pechanga Casino. The drive took 90 minutes. Welcome to So Cal. It might not have been a must-miss card, but the evening delivered with plenty of action, confirming Pechanga’s status as the leader in boxing action in this area. They have come a long way since I saw Shane Mosley knock out Wilfredo Rivera in his first welterweight fight here over a decade ago.
The night began with a look at a kid who might be a factor at 140-147—Joseph Elegele. After he effortlessly blew out fellow undefeated Manuel Aguilar, ringside observers looked at each other with expressions that seemed to indicate, “This kid could become somebody.” I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this young fighter, who works in Winter Haven with Andre Berto.
In a minor upset, Riverside’s Josesito Lopez took out undefeated Mike Dallas, Jr. Lopez, looking focused and committed to the task at hand seemed to mentally take Dallas, Jr. out of the fight with his pressure. Dallas, Jr. wasn’t doing what he normally is capable of, with Lopez staying on him, until some shots left him dilapidated in the 7th.
Though it was no fault of Lopez, a few body shots snuck quite a far distance around the back of Dallas, smacking him hard on his rear flanks. These shots visibly took a lot out Dallas, Jr. One such punch landed during the finishing salvo. It is questionable if the shots were legal, though they certainly weren’t thrown with illegal intent. In either event, the whacks took a lot out of Dallas, Jr.
Great win for Lopez, who might be able to secure a big fight on the heels of this win.
Also appearing on the card were prospects Shawn Estrada and Matt Villanueva. The super middleweight Estrada is the more developed of the two up-and-comers, with an impressive amateur career in his background, including an Olympic appearance. He ripped through Jon Schmidt, who was in over his head. Estrada is a big, strapping super middleweight, who could probably stand to fight a slightly better caliber of opponent, even during these early stages of his career. The Olympics were in 2008 and we’re in 2011. Time to fight someone with a pulse. Villanueva, a powerful-looking bantamweight, brushed aside Jose Luis Cardenas. He is more the long-range prospect, who in 4-5 years could develop a more all-around skill set to compete with the best.
The crowd was there to see popular heavyweight contender Chris Arreola….
They didn’t get to see much of him, as he wasted no time in blowing out poor Joey Abell in the first round. Still flabby, Arreola at least weighed in under 250, showing he will approach 2011 with a little more professionalism than he did 2010. He looked good letting his hands ago, and the kiss on the cheek as the referee intervened confirmed his status as the most comical heavyweight contender in the world.
Abell was not as good as his record indicated, but this should give Arreola some wind in his sails as he tries to get back to his old ways this year. With his robust fan support and a heavyweight division that remains barren, now is really the time for Arreola.
On Saturday, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. registered another win …
…as he decisioned Billy Lyell over ten rounds in his hometown of Culiacan. Chavez, Jr. is carving out an interesting, if not overly compelling career. He is afforded the spoils of a world champion, while only being a contender. He gets the big checks and plays in front of the big crowds. It’s as if he’s already champion.
But he’s not. He hasn’t even beaten anybody, not counting a faded John Duddy. His name power, glossy 42-0-1 record, and cagey promotion and matchmaking has allowed him to reap the rewards normally only given to high-profile champions. It seems overdue for him to face one of top middleweights in the world. Let’s hope that happens in 2011.
Now on to the big event of the weekend—the highly anticipated Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander fight…
This battle of undefeated titleholders had boxing fans crackling with anticipation. Some people were even saying this could be another Hagler-Hearns type war. Well, can we talk?
It didn’t quite work out that way, did it? Bradley scored a 10-round unanimous technical decision, after Alexander was deemed unable to continue after receiving another head butt. These two just didn’t seem made for each other. There is no real explanation for it, but sometimes styles clash in such a way that makes the action unpleasing.
The battle lines were drawn clearly enough—with Bradley applying pressure, as Alexander looked to move and lash out with his fast hands. Both had some success in employing their styles, with Bradley holding a small edge in overall effectiveness. With a southpaw fighting an orthodox fighter, sometimes you get a good fight. Their bodies are both open to each other and the offensive opportunities seemed plentiful.
But it just didn’t work out that way. Holding, head butts, and a certain tightness on the part of both men led to a situation where the good fight couldn’t get out of the starting blocks. Bradley won the technical decision, but no man shined on this night. It’s an unfortunate part of boxing, but certainly not the first or last time a highly anticipated bout falls flat.
Just a little side note about a potentially damaging trend occurring in boxing rings:
Referees should detect fouls free of input from the fighters. It seems there is an alarming increase in cases where a fighter is essentially able to call a time out. If a referee is going to rely on the reaction of fighters to determine whether a foul took place, that can lead to a lot of bad situations.
How many times in the past did you see a fighter call a time out? Almost never. Nowadays, referees jump in to call time whenever a fighter winces and gestures that there might have been a foul. Sometimes a fighter takes a body shot and is able to get a reprieve by motioning to the ref that it was low, even though it was a legal punch. It’s happening more and more.
Memo to referees: You are the arbiter in the ring. If you do not see a foul, you have no business calling a time out. Stop deferring to the least objective people in the arena for guidance on whether or not there was a foul.
We are approaching a point where fighters will begin to exploit this new way of doing things. Say a fighter is winning convincingly after 7-8 rounds, but has run out of gas. With his opponent surging, a fighter can now manufacture an easy ending to a fight. Claim a head butt, say you can’t see, and you get an early night’s work. Is this what we’re coming to? I’m afraid so. Let’s get back to letting the ref do their job rather than let fighters determine the presence and gravity of fouls.
