Plotting out the career trajectories of boxers is kind of like playing chess. You can look a few moves ahead, but there are things that can happen on the way there that can easily foul up even the best laid plans.
With that in mind, it's been interesting to watch the way Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa are being handled. They've been rumored to be on track to fight each other for at least two or three bouts in a row, fighting on the same cards to build interest.
The trouble, of course, is that if one of them loses, it kind of blows up the whole scheme. Well, unless you go the Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones route and just say, "Screw it, we're fighting anyway."
Prior to this past weekend, it appeared both men might be challenged. Lopez was up against a very solid boxer in Steven Luevano, while Gamboa was up against wild but tough Roger Mtagwa, who caused Juanma a few anxious moments last year.
But Gamboa cruised, dazzling Mtagwa with his hand speed and power and getting himself out of harm's way when the Tanzanian came forward. After already suffering two knockdowns, a nasty string of unanswered punches crumpled Mtagwa and ended his night in less than two rounds.
Lopez had a different, probably more difficult test but still passed with flying colors. Though Luevano had his moments early thanks to a persistent jab and some timely counters, Juanma showed more strength and offensive variety, stopping him in Round 7.
With both men looking so impressive - and both sporting featherweight world titles, for what it's worth - they have to be facing each other next?
Not so fast, according to Bob Arum. He wants to build up the inevitable showdown until fans have no choice but to demand it.
Arum knows a lot more about his craft than I do, so I can't question the wisdom of that approach. It's just that with each successive fight, the balancing act becomes that much more difficult to keep going, simply because there's always a chance that one of them may lose.
I'm also not certain that the featherweight division is full of enough compelling match-ups to satisfy two titleholders. The only name that comes to mind immediately is Chris John before you start getting to the Rocky Juarez and Cristobal Cruz types.
So a Lopez-Gamboa clash can be put off for now, but delaying it for too long is playing with fire. If and when the fight happens, I'm leaning slightly toward Gamboa to win - not because of him handling Mtagwa more easily, but because he seems like he has the edge in raw athleticism and explosiveness.
Let's do some Shoe Shining...
SHOE SHINING
Erik Morales officially announced the end of his retirement over the weekend, and he'll return to the ring on March 27 in Mexico. He'll do it as a welterweight, which is notable since he hasn't ever fought north of lightweight. El Terrible has certainly earned the right to do whatever he wants, but after losing five of his last six fights before calling it quits, it's abundantly clear that we shouldn't expect too much from him going forward...
As widely rumored, Allan Green will take Jermain Taylor's place in the Super Six World Boxing Classic after plans for him to take on Sakio Bika for the spot fell through. I like it if for no other reason than Green's power makes him a wild card. Since Lucian Bute wasn't coming in, this seemed like the next best possible move...
It was nice to see Dan Rafael report that ticket sales for Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey are going well, with 20,000 seats already purchased. I don't think that was a foregone conclusion since so many fans seemed down about Manny's fight with Floyd Mayweather falling apart. It also suggests that Cowboys Stadium is a very viable alternative to Las Vegas for big boxing matches, but we'll have to see how things go to know for sure.
Posted by The Franchise
Showing posts with label yuriorkis gamboa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yuriorkis gamboa. Show all posts
25.1.10
23.1.10
Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Rogers Mtagwa: Round By Round
HBO kicks off its 2010 boxing season with a Boxing After Dark doubleheader from the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Juan Manuel Lopez is the headliner, facing Steven Luevano for a featherweight title.
First, though, Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa goes up against the man who gave Juanma some anxious moments last year, Rogers Mtagwa. Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Lennox Lewis are on hand to go over the featherweight division.
Papa narrates a video package that gives us some insight into Gamboa's background, coming up through the Cuban amateur program. His story is very similar to that of other defectors, though his style in the ring is not. It's interesting hearing him talk about his inability to return to his home, which is something that isn't often discussed.
The tale of the tape shows both Gamboa and Mtagwa almost identical in terms of height and reach. Strangely, Mtagwa weighed in at 122 1/2 pounds, well under the featherweight limit of 126.
It seems that Mtagwa is just Roger now with no 's' on the end of his name. He comes to the ring to "Eye Of The Tiger." The native of Tanzania fights out of Philadelphia now, and he sports a record of 26-13-2.
Gamboa walks out second. The 28-year old is 16-0 with 14 KOs. We'll see if he tries to box or chooses to slug it out.
Michael Buffer does the introductions, and we're set for a scheduled 12 rounds for Gamboa's WBA featherweight title.
Round 1
Mtagwa wastes no time coming forward. Gamboa sneaks in a left that makes the fans react. He ducks away as Mtagwa tries to corner him. Mtagwa tries to jab his way in. A flashy left-right combo catches Mtagwa and staggers him a bit. A counter left smacks Mtagwa as he comes in. The speed difference in both hands and feet is obvious right now. With about 15 seconds left, Gamboa sends his foe to the canvas, though he doesn't look badly hurt.
Franchise: 10-8 Gamboa
Uatu: 10-8 Gamboa
Round 2
It was a left that caught Mtagwa leaning forward that scored the knockdown. Roger takes some wild swings but gets the worst of an exchange. A left and a right crash home for Gamboa. Another left-right combination makes Mtagwa wince. A left to the body and a right upstairs send Mtagwa down again. He's back up but has over a minute to survive. Gamboa lands about 10 shots in a row. Mtagwa crumbles along the ropes, and the ref wisely calls a stop to this one.
The winner by TKO at 2:35 of Round 2... and still WBA featherweight titleholder... Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Kellerman gets a word with Gamboa, who surely can't have too many interesting things about this fight. He says he wanted to show more but had no reason to tonight.
Wisely, Gamboa feels not much can be read into how he did against Mtagwa versus how Juanma did. He is ready to face Lopez or anyone his promoter puts in front of him.
Posted by The Franchise
First, though, Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa goes up against the man who gave Juanma some anxious moments last year, Rogers Mtagwa. Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Lennox Lewis are on hand to go over the featherweight division.
Papa narrates a video package that gives us some insight into Gamboa's background, coming up through the Cuban amateur program. His story is very similar to that of other defectors, though his style in the ring is not. It's interesting hearing him talk about his inability to return to his home, which is something that isn't often discussed.
The tale of the tape shows both Gamboa and Mtagwa almost identical in terms of height and reach. Strangely, Mtagwa weighed in at 122 1/2 pounds, well under the featherweight limit of 126.
It seems that Mtagwa is just Roger now with no 's' on the end of his name. He comes to the ring to "Eye Of The Tiger." The native of Tanzania fights out of Philadelphia now, and he sports a record of 26-13-2.
Gamboa walks out second. The 28-year old is 16-0 with 14 KOs. We'll see if he tries to box or chooses to slug it out.
Michael Buffer does the introductions, and we're set for a scheduled 12 rounds for Gamboa's WBA featherweight title.
Round 1
Mtagwa wastes no time coming forward. Gamboa sneaks in a left that makes the fans react. He ducks away as Mtagwa tries to corner him. Mtagwa tries to jab his way in. A flashy left-right combo catches Mtagwa and staggers him a bit. A counter left smacks Mtagwa as he comes in. The speed difference in both hands and feet is obvious right now. With about 15 seconds left, Gamboa sends his foe to the canvas, though he doesn't look badly hurt.
Franchise: 10-8 Gamboa
Uatu: 10-8 Gamboa
Round 2
It was a left that caught Mtagwa leaning forward that scored the knockdown. Roger takes some wild swings but gets the worst of an exchange. A left and a right crash home for Gamboa. Another left-right combination makes Mtagwa wince. A left to the body and a right upstairs send Mtagwa down again. He's back up but has over a minute to survive. Gamboa lands about 10 shots in a row. Mtagwa crumbles along the ropes, and the ref wisely calls a stop to this one.
The winner by TKO at 2:35 of Round 2... and still WBA featherweight titleholder... Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Kellerman gets a word with Gamboa, who surely can't have too many interesting things about this fight. He says he wanted to show more but had no reason to tonight.
Wisely, Gamboa feels not much can be read into how he did against Mtagwa versus how Juanma did. He is ready to face Lopez or anyone his promoter puts in front of him.
Posted by The Franchise
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Steven Luevano, Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Rogers Mtagwa: Live Round By Round Updates Tonight
Reunited, and it feels so good!
That classic gem from Peaches & Herb sums up how boxing fans feel about seeing the sport come to life for a new year. The de facto winter break for the Sweet Science is over, and Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa will usher in a new year tonight.
Lopez takes on Steven Luevano in the main event on HBO's Boxing After Dark, and it's a fight that could very well decisively prove if Juanma is all he's cracked up to be. In the co-feature, Gamboa squares off with a tough fighter who rocked Lopez late, Rogers Mtagwa.
If you aren't lucky enough to be at MSG and don't have access to HBO, we'll help you get your fix of live updates for both fights right here. Head out to the main page around 10 pm Eastern, and we'll have constantly updated posts for both fights.
Boxing is back, and not a moment too soon.
Posted by The Franchise
That classic gem from Peaches & Herb sums up how boxing fans feel about seeing the sport come to life for a new year. The de facto winter break for the Sweet Science is over, and Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa will usher in a new year tonight.
Lopez takes on Steven Luevano in the main event on HBO's Boxing After Dark, and it's a fight that could very well decisively prove if Juanma is all he's cracked up to be. In the co-feature, Gamboa squares off with a tough fighter who rocked Lopez late, Rogers Mtagwa.
If you aren't lucky enough to be at MSG and don't have access to HBO, we'll help you get your fix of live updates for both fights right here. Head out to the main page around 10 pm Eastern, and we'll have constantly updated posts for both fights.
Boxing is back, and not a moment too soon.
Posted by The Franchise
21.1.10
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Steven Luevano and Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Rogers Mtagwa: Predictions
Something that is becoming a bit of a tradition - Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa fighting on the same card at Madison Square Garden - is about to happen again this Saturday. But for the first time, both men may have their hands full on the same night.
You may recall that Juanma didn't exactly have a walk in the park the last time out, as he ended up getting rocked late in his bout with Rogers Mtagwa. Lopez was comfortably ahead on the scorecards, but he literally ended up holding on for most of the 12th round so he could make it to the final bell.
The former super bantamweight titleholder moves up to try to take the WBO featherweight belt away from Steven Luevano, who will pose an entirely different type of challenge. The smooth but relatively light-hitting (15 KO wins out of 37 victories) Californian has the most boxing skill of anyone Juanma has faced thus far, though he's had some close calls of his own over the last two years.
Hopefully Lopez learned to close some of the openings he gave Mtagwa, because Luevano will be able to exploit them much more easily. It will be interesting to see if his power can translate up another weight class, because after making short work of most of his opponents early in his career, he had trouble closing out his last three fights.
Juanma turns 27 this summer, so he's past the prospect stage. I have faith that he's still learning, though, so I think those lessons plus his natural gifts will be enough to ensure Lopez wins by unanimous decision.
Since Gamboa is being positioned for an eventual showdown with Juanma, it's convenient that he'll be in the co-feature facing Mtagwa. Even though we all know boxing doesn't have a transitive property, expect many people to be breathless with predictions that he would beat Lopez if he has an easier time with a common foe.
I expect that he will. The WBA featherweight champ has shown no problems disposing of guys at 126, and I'd give him an edge over Juanma at avoiding Mtagwa's powerful but wild shots.
If you've never seen Gamboa fight, you're in for a treat too. Unlike most of his countrymen who have difficulty shaking the Cuban amateur style, Yuriorkis goes into the ring looking to take his man out.
One thing that is a little troublesome is the rumor that Gamboa missed today's press conference in New York because he was having trouble making weight. His camp says he's just delaying facing the New York cold, but it's something to keep in mind.
Assuming all is well, Yuriorkis should simply have too much talent to lose. Mtagwa will come to fight, just as he did against Lopez, but Gamboa will prevail by mid-round KO.
Next time Lopez and Gamboa share a card at MSG, let's hope it's as opposite sides of the same fight.
Posted by The Franchise
You may recall that Juanma didn't exactly have a walk in the park the last time out, as he ended up getting rocked late in his bout with Rogers Mtagwa. Lopez was comfortably ahead on the scorecards, but he literally ended up holding on for most of the 12th round so he could make it to the final bell.
The former super bantamweight titleholder moves up to try to take the WBO featherweight belt away from Steven Luevano, who will pose an entirely different type of challenge. The smooth but relatively light-hitting (15 KO wins out of 37 victories) Californian has the most boxing skill of anyone Juanma has faced thus far, though he's had some close calls of his own over the last two years.
Hopefully Lopez learned to close some of the openings he gave Mtagwa, because Luevano will be able to exploit them much more easily. It will be interesting to see if his power can translate up another weight class, because after making short work of most of his opponents early in his career, he had trouble closing out his last three fights.
Juanma turns 27 this summer, so he's past the prospect stage. I have faith that he's still learning, though, so I think those lessons plus his natural gifts will be enough to ensure Lopez wins by unanimous decision.
Since Gamboa is being positioned for an eventual showdown with Juanma, it's convenient that he'll be in the co-feature facing Mtagwa. Even though we all know boxing doesn't have a transitive property, expect many people to be breathless with predictions that he would beat Lopez if he has an easier time with a common foe.
I expect that he will. The WBA featherweight champ has shown no problems disposing of guys at 126, and I'd give him an edge over Juanma at avoiding Mtagwa's powerful but wild shots.
If you've never seen Gamboa fight, you're in for a treat too. Unlike most of his countrymen who have difficulty shaking the Cuban amateur style, Yuriorkis goes into the ring looking to take his man out.
One thing that is a little troublesome is the rumor that Gamboa missed today's press conference in New York because he was having trouble making weight. His camp says he's just delaying facing the New York cold, but it's something to keep in mind.
Assuming all is well, Yuriorkis should simply have too much talent to lose. Mtagwa will come to fight, just as he did against Lopez, but Gamboa will prevail by mid-round KO.
Next time Lopez and Gamboa share a card at MSG, let's hope it's as opposite sides of the same fight.
Posted by The Franchise
12.10.09
20/20 Hindsight: Juan Manuel Lopez Goes From Prodigy to Paradox
One of the things I love most about boxing is that even fights that look crappy on paper can turn exciting unexpectedly. The reason the phrase "puncher's chance" is understood in society at large is because it's rooted in the truth.
That was clearly evident this past Saturday, when a fairly ordinary title defense for Puerto Rican superstar-in-waiting Juan Manuel Lopez almost went horribly awry. Challenger Rogers Mtagwa, from Tanzania by way of Philadelphia, had virtually no chance of winning on the scorecards but stil managed to give Juanma much more than anyone could have predicted.
While Lopez flexed his superior skill and speed early and often, Mtagwa stayed in the fight with relentless pressure, an iron chin and wide punches that hurt when they found their mark. Lopez was stunned several times, including right at the end of the 11th round, setting up high drama as he literally held on for dear life and Mtagwa gave his all trying for the buzzer-beating KO.
We learned something by seeing Lopez pushed to his limits, something that had never even come close to happening in his previous 26 pro fights, and he put on a show of heart that was exactly what you want to see from a champion. Still, it's hard not to think the contradictions on display raised more questions than were answered.
How could Juanma, who has a complete arsenal on offense and is at least defensively aware, get tagged so often by Mtagwa's wild power shots? It could have been a desire to prove something - he briefly showed signs of boxing his way to victory in the middle rounds before reverting to trading in the championship rounds - or it could be that we saw an Achilles heel, a vulnerability to right hand thrown over or around his left.
Since Lopez landed numerous bombs of his own, including right hooks, straight lefts and body shots, why couldn't he get Mtagwa out of there? It was widely thought that we saw Gerry Penalosa show off a superhuman chin hanging around for 10 rounds back in April (and even then, the stoppage was because Freddie Roach had seen enough, not because Penalosa got starched). Mtagwa may have been showing one too... or maybe Juanma isn't quite as devastating a puncher as we assumed he was. Since he's going to be moving up in weight, the answer to that question could be critical.
Finally, it was a little surprising to hear Lopez say in his post-fight interview that he's rather fight champions than guys with nothing to lose like Mtagwa. On one hand, it was refreshingly honest, and it was easy to understand his point. On the other, it seemed like a bit of excuse-making, and Bob Arum made that impression worse by acting like it would be ludicrous to give Mtagwa a rematch.
Every boxer has off nights or makes occasional poor tactical decisions. Either or both of those things happened to Lopez on Saturday and he still won, so that counts for something. It may be a cliche, but real champions find a way to come out on top when the script gets tossed out the window.
But Lopez and his team are doing themselves a disservice if they simply dismiss what just happened. He may simply brush off that life-or-death 12th round and return to racking up victims. For the first time, though, there's some doubt about whether that's a slam dunk.
That's especially true when you consider that Juanma is being positioned for an eventual showdown with Yuriorkis Gamboa, who looked great in dispatching Whyber Garcia in just under four rounds. I've always favored Lopez in that hypothetical bout. Now I'd say it's a toss-up.
Juanma may not have become a full-fledged enigma on the basis of one surprisingly tough fight, and his future still looks bright. It's just a little tougher now to figure out if he's as good as advertised than it was a few days ago.
Posted by The Franchise
That was clearly evident this past Saturday, when a fairly ordinary title defense for Puerto Rican superstar-in-waiting Juan Manuel Lopez almost went horribly awry. Challenger Rogers Mtagwa, from Tanzania by way of Philadelphia, had virtually no chance of winning on the scorecards but stil managed to give Juanma much more than anyone could have predicted.
While Lopez flexed his superior skill and speed early and often, Mtagwa stayed in the fight with relentless pressure, an iron chin and wide punches that hurt when they found their mark. Lopez was stunned several times, including right at the end of the 11th round, setting up high drama as he literally held on for dear life and Mtagwa gave his all trying for the buzzer-beating KO.
We learned something by seeing Lopez pushed to his limits, something that had never even come close to happening in his previous 26 pro fights, and he put on a show of heart that was exactly what you want to see from a champion. Still, it's hard not to think the contradictions on display raised more questions than were answered.
How could Juanma, who has a complete arsenal on offense and is at least defensively aware, get tagged so often by Mtagwa's wild power shots? It could have been a desire to prove something - he briefly showed signs of boxing his way to victory in the middle rounds before reverting to trading in the championship rounds - or it could be that we saw an Achilles heel, a vulnerability to right hand thrown over or around his left.
Since Lopez landed numerous bombs of his own, including right hooks, straight lefts and body shots, why couldn't he get Mtagwa out of there? It was widely thought that we saw Gerry Penalosa show off a superhuman chin hanging around for 10 rounds back in April (and even then, the stoppage was because Freddie Roach had seen enough, not because Penalosa got starched). Mtagwa may have been showing one too... or maybe Juanma isn't quite as devastating a puncher as we assumed he was. Since he's going to be moving up in weight, the answer to that question could be critical.
Finally, it was a little surprising to hear Lopez say in his post-fight interview that he's rather fight champions than guys with nothing to lose like Mtagwa. On one hand, it was refreshingly honest, and it was easy to understand his point. On the other, it seemed like a bit of excuse-making, and Bob Arum made that impression worse by acting like it would be ludicrous to give Mtagwa a rematch.
Every boxer has off nights or makes occasional poor tactical decisions. Either or both of those things happened to Lopez on Saturday and he still won, so that counts for something. It may be a cliche, but real champions find a way to come out on top when the script gets tossed out the window.
But Lopez and his team are doing themselves a disservice if they simply dismiss what just happened. He may simply brush off that life-or-death 12th round and return to racking up victims. For the first time, though, there's some doubt about whether that's a slam dunk.
That's especially true when you consider that Juanma is being positioned for an eventual showdown with Yuriorkis Gamboa, who looked great in dispatching Whyber Garcia in just under four rounds. I've always favored Lopez in that hypothetical bout. Now I'd say it's a toss-up.
Juanma may not have become a full-fledged enigma on the basis of one surprisingly tough fight, and his future still looks bright. It's just a little tougher now to figure out if he's as good as advertised than it was a few days ago.
Posted by The Franchise
10.10.09
Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Whyber Garcia: Round By Round
We've made it to the co-feature of Latin Fury 12: Island Warriors, from the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Undefeated Cuban featherweight Yuriorkis Gamboa looks to keep a possible future date with Juan Manuel Lopez on track by adding Whyber Garcia to his hit list.
The tale of the tape shows Garcia with a two-inch height advantage, and both men came in even on the scales. Gamboa is 15-0 with 13 KOs, while Garcia is 22-6.
Michael Buffer does the introductions and we're set for a scheduled 12 rounds for the WBA featherweight title.
Round 1
Both men lead off with wide hooks. Gamboa tries to duck in behind his jab. Garcia is very patient as he takes a left hook to the body. He quickly ties up as Gamboa comes in. Left hook to the head by Gamboa. One-two by Gamboa is mostly blocked, so he tries the body instead. Gamboa gets his foe's attention with a few shots right at the end of the round.
Franchise: 10-9 Gamboa
Round 2
Gamboa starts out with a nice right hand but gets whacked back by a left. Yuriorkis loads up another left hook that glances off his opponent's head. Garcia looks a little bloody under his right eye. Gamboa flurries and lands a couple punches before walking back out of range. Garcia is forced to lunge just to find Gamboa right now.
Franchise: 10-9 Gamboa
Round 3
A pair of right hands have Gamboa feeling confident in the first minute, but Garcia shows something by sneaking in a few rights of his own. Garcia is smart about holding when he's under pressure. Nothing too dangerous comes back toward Gamboa for the last 90 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Gamboa
Round 4
Gamboa hits Garcia with a blazing right hand in the opening seconds and he goes down hard. Garcia beats the count, but Gamboa stays on him and keeps peppering him with both hands, and the referee finally decides that he's seen enough.
The winner by KO in Round 4... and still WBA featherweight titleholder... Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Posted by The Franchise
The tale of the tape shows Garcia with a two-inch height advantage, and both men came in even on the scales. Gamboa is 15-0 with 13 KOs, while Garcia is 22-6.
Michael Buffer does the introductions and we're set for a scheduled 12 rounds for the WBA featherweight title.
Round 1
Both men lead off with wide hooks. Gamboa tries to duck in behind his jab. Garcia is very patient as he takes a left hook to the body. He quickly ties up as Gamboa comes in. Left hook to the head by Gamboa. One-two by Gamboa is mostly blocked, so he tries the body instead. Gamboa gets his foe's attention with a few shots right at the end of the round.
Franchise: 10-9 Gamboa
Round 2
Gamboa starts out with a nice right hand but gets whacked back by a left. Yuriorkis loads up another left hook that glances off his opponent's head. Garcia looks a little bloody under his right eye. Gamboa flurries and lands a couple punches before walking back out of range. Garcia is forced to lunge just to find Gamboa right now.
Franchise: 10-9 Gamboa
Round 3
A pair of right hands have Gamboa feeling confident in the first minute, but Garcia shows something by sneaking in a few rights of his own. Garcia is smart about holding when he's under pressure. Nothing too dangerous comes back toward Gamboa for the last 90 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Gamboa
Round 4
Gamboa hits Garcia with a blazing right hand in the opening seconds and he goes down hard. Garcia beats the count, but Gamboa stays on him and keeps peppering him with both hands, and the referee finally decides that he's seen enough.
The winner by KO in Round 4... and still WBA featherweight titleholder... Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Posted by The Franchise
Live Latin Fury 12 (Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and More) Round By Round Updates Tonight
Part of me definitely does not like covering things like tonight's Latin Fury 12 pay-per-view, because it's hard to get excited about a card whose top two fighters should easily emerge victorious. Then again, perhaps we're doing readers a service by watching it for you, in case you decide (understandably) that you'd rather hold off and save the money for, say, the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight next month. Top Rank would be okay with that, I think, because they get your money either way!
Anyway, whether you opt out or just can't see the fights tonight for whatever reason, you can get live round by round updates for Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and whoever else fights on the televised part of the card tonight. Where? Right here! Or more precisely, on the home page where we'll have new posts for the undercard and the co-features. Then just refresh and enjoy.
The action begins at 9 pm Eastern time tonight, so join us then.
Posted by The Franchise
Anyway, whether you opt out or just can't see the fights tonight for whatever reason, you can get live round by round updates for Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and whoever else fights on the televised part of the card tonight. Where? Right here! Or more precisely, on the home page where we'll have new posts for the undercard and the co-features. Then just refresh and enjoy.
The action begins at 9 pm Eastern time tonight, so join us then.
Posted by The Franchise
8.10.09
Predictions: Island Warriors - Latin Fury 12 - Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and More
The Franchise says...
I don't mind paying money to watch Juan Manuel Lopez fight, because he's almost always worth the price of admission. What I do mind is buying a pay-per-view that's so clearly intended to set up a bigger one down the road.
Such is the case with Saturday's Latin Fury 12 (subtitled Island Warriors) as Juanma and co-featured star Yuriorkis Gamboa are definitely being positioned to fight each other, perhaps next year. Since local favorite John Duddy is also in action, this card strikes me as one that would be better to attend in person than watch on TV.
But I digress. To get to a Lopez-Gamboa showdown, it would help if both men win on Saturday. Juanma's foe, Rogers Mtagwa, doesn't have anything on his resume that makes one think he'll be much of a challenge. I'm saying Lopez by KO inside of five rounds.
Whyber Garcia, the man facing Gamboa, also seems like light work. He's twice before been a KO victim for undefeated boxers: to Edwin Valero in 2006 and Jorge Linares last year. Let's say it'll be three for three and go with Gamboa by mid-round KO.
I should mention that the most interesting fight on the card may be a heavyweight bout that has switched participants multiple times. Cuban Odlanier Solis is the constant; he was originally supposed to fight Kevin Johnson, got switched to Fres Oquendo and has ended up with Monte Barrett.
Solis has yet to show he was worth the hype he got beginning his pro career, and he seems to be a student of the pre-Klitschko Chris Arreola school of conditioning. I actually think he caught a break not facing Oquendo, because Fast Fres has enough left in the tank to be a real headache.
Barrett can certainly bang, but appearing as a late replacement may neutralize any cardio advantage he'd have. Solis has never gone ten rounds as a pro, so who knows what happens if the fight goes the distance?
I'm taking Solis by late TKO, but that's a pick made without a whole lot of confidence.
Posted by The Franchise
I don't mind paying money to watch Juan Manuel Lopez fight, because he's almost always worth the price of admission. What I do mind is buying a pay-per-view that's so clearly intended to set up a bigger one down the road.
Such is the case with Saturday's Latin Fury 12 (subtitled Island Warriors) as Juanma and co-featured star Yuriorkis Gamboa are definitely being positioned to fight each other, perhaps next year. Since local favorite John Duddy is also in action, this card strikes me as one that would be better to attend in person than watch on TV.
But I digress. To get to a Lopez-Gamboa showdown, it would help if both men win on Saturday. Juanma's foe, Rogers Mtagwa, doesn't have anything on his resume that makes one think he'll be much of a challenge. I'm saying Lopez by KO inside of five rounds.
Whyber Garcia, the man facing Gamboa, also seems like light work. He's twice before been a KO victim for undefeated boxers: to Edwin Valero in 2006 and Jorge Linares last year. Let's say it'll be three for three and go with Gamboa by mid-round KO.
I should mention that the most interesting fight on the card may be a heavyweight bout that has switched participants multiple times. Cuban Odlanier Solis is the constant; he was originally supposed to fight Kevin Johnson, got switched to Fres Oquendo and has ended up with Monte Barrett.
Solis has yet to show he was worth the hype he got beginning his pro career, and he seems to be a student of the pre-Klitschko Chris Arreola school of conditioning. I actually think he caught a break not facing Oquendo, because Fast Fres has enough left in the tank to be a real headache.
Barrett can certainly bang, but appearing as a late replacement may neutralize any cardio advantage he'd have. Solis has never gone ten rounds as a pro, so who knows what happens if the fight goes the distance?
I'm taking Solis by late TKO, but that's a pick made without a whole lot of confidence.
Posted by The Franchise
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