Filipino Boxing Radar: Denver Cuello
By Hermilando “Ingming” Duque Aberia
Filipino minimum weight prospect Denver Cuello, 22-4-5, 13 KO’s, won his WBC International Minimum Weight Title fight against Indonesian veteran Muhammad Rachman on September 25th, in Iligan City, Philippines.
The contest was lopsided. Except in few instances where Rachman fired shots of his own, it was all Cuello from beginning to end.
Agile with his feet and equally sleek with his fists, the 23-year-old Cuello showed signs of a future world-class beak buster. His defense reminded one—the jaded observers in particular—of boxing great Willie Pep, as he freely charged in and out of the opponent’s firing range.
Branded this early as “The Excitement,” his offense electrified the partisan pro-Cuello crowd. He came to war with a loaded arsenal—and it showed. Haymakers flew from many directions.
When he chose to, he could pummel Rachman at will.
By the ninth round, Rachman, 38, did not look like the former IBF Minimum Weight Champion that he once was. Although he managed—up to this point—to hang on, it was apparent he erected some semblance of resistance barely out of a fighter’s instinct.
Or pride.
But Referee Bruce Mactavish was far from impressed. He intervened and gave the fight to Cuello.
And yet, overly matched as he was, Rachman, who went to the fight with a 62-9-5, 31 KO’s, win-loss-draw record, was tough. Unlike Oscar de la Hoya (among other big names in boxing) who opted not to take all the beating he could have gotten from Manny Pacquiao in 2008, Rachman did not allow anyone to call him a quitter. Thus he lent some measure of opposition that may have lifted Cuello’s rating.
That, in a sense, prompts this question: Is Cuello ready for the big time?
There had been persistent calls—even before Cuello defeated Rachman—by local boxing fans for Cuello to take on the big names in his division. Ivan Calderon of Puerto Rico came to mind. Now that Mexican-American Giovanni Segura is lord of minimum weights, kibitzers are expected to turn their noses to Segura.
But maybe not too fast.
Are Cuello’s supporters justified in pushing him to prominence this early in his career?
One may recall that when Manny Pacquiao was at Cuello’s present age, the former had announced his arrival with a bang. In fact Pacquiao at 23 had already started his ascent to greatness by mauling a fancied foe in Marco Antonio Barrera.
Of course Pacquiao is one of a kind. Comparison with him makes anyone else ordinary.
There is nothing in Cuello’s resume that would indicate he is someone special. On the contrary, he could be considered as an average fighter—but up to a point. He lost his first professional fight—a four rounder. He could manage only a draw in his second fight—another four rounder.
Five fights later he lost again, yielding to one Tommy Terado on points over six rounds. He would lose two more times in 31 (with 5 draws) of his fights so far.
And yet something is definitely going for Cuello. He lost only once in the last 4 years. That loss—against Juan Hernandez of Mexico—should have been a quick win for him. The fight was held in Mexico and Gerardo Venzor, the referee, disqualified Cuello for illegally hitting a defenseless Hernandez, who went down from a legitimate Cuello punch. The Mexico-based World Boxing Champion sanctioned the fight as a final eliminator for its minimum weight crown.
His popularity among boxing fans is also picking up. If there is in anyway a measure by which he could be somebody like Pacquiao, it would probably be in the kind of excitement he brings to the ring.
He won 7 of his last 9 fights within the distance. From a pure boxer, he has retooled himself to become a boxer-puncher. He is quick. He has power. He has skills.
The larger arena of boxing would be deprived of seeing what Cuello can dish out if his so-so resume gets in the way of locking up the promotional support he needs. But then Manny Pacquiao at 22—having lost twice (both by KO) already in his first 28 fights as a prizefighter)—experienced rejections by the established promoters in the United States before he hit big at where he is now.
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