Sizzling Summer: Boxing in July
By Jeff Stoyanoff
July seems to be traditionally somewhat of a light month in boxing and 2010 is not exactly breaking that mold. Yet, there are some compelling fights coming up that could ultimately make up for the clear lack of any headline fights in the month. Here is a look at some of the upcoming fights in the first half of July:
Friday, July 2nd – ESPN2 Friday Night Fights
Demetrious Hopkins 29-1-1, 11 KO’s vs. Mike Arnaoutis 22-5-2, 10 KO’s
Arnaoutis has lost his last two fights and three of his last four. The news gets worse for Arnaoutis as he historically seems to struggle a little with boxers who can move and time him with effective counters; enter Demetrious Hopkins who just happens to excel in all of those areas. Hopkins certainly seems to relish in doing everything he can to live up to his famous family name. Yes, there is the winning part and he has certainly done that, but he often fights at a fairly measured pace, doesn’t take too many risks, and is no guarantee to deliver a fantastic, TV friendly show. No doubt about it, he’s a member of the Hopkins clan.
Fortunately, Arnaoutis is game and tough having only been stopped once in his career. But, he does appear to be sliding downhill. Arnaoutis only recently moved up to 147 pounds losing in his last outing against Delvin Rodriguez. Hopkins is bigger, probably more talented, and certainly appears to have more left in the tank. Throw in the favorable match up of styles and it should be a good showcase for Hopkins.
The take: Even an Arnaoutis win would not be as big of an upset as an explosive performance by Demetrious Hopkins. Nonetheless, Hopkins should excel and win going away.
Friday, July 9th – Shobox
Mike Jones and Antwone Smith
It seems that SHOBOX rotates between two goals. Showcasing one fighter as we wait to eventually see how they fare against the top of a given division. Or, showcasing two fighters to see which one might eventually ascend to the first group. Either way, it makes for some good shows and serves a great purpose for boxing fans. This night looks to be more of the first type of show.
Mike Jones comes in with a gaudy record of 21-0, with 17 KO’s. He is a scintillating prospect who seems to have all the tools. His early record does have some expect padding but he does have wins over Israel Cardona and Henry Bruseles among others. One look at Jones is all one needs to see that he clearly has talent. How he will fare when the waters get deeper remains to be seen, but the water shouldn’t be over his head here as he takes on Irving Garcia 17-4-3, 8 KO’s. Garcia has been off for a little over a year after coming of a KO loss to Luis Carlos Abregu last May. Garcia won’t be able to match Jones in terms of tools and doesn’t appear to have the power to pull off a miracle.
Antwone Smith, 18-1-1, 10 KO’s, comes in riding a six fight win streak. Of late, Smith has been impressive of late with wins over the well respected Richard Gutierrez as well as wins over undefeated fighters Norberto Gonzalez and Henry Crawford. Smith is set to face Lanardo Tyner, 23-3, 14 KO’s. Tyner has stepped up to top competition three times and has come up short each time losing decisions to Saul Alvarez, Lamont Peterson, and the aforementioned Mike Arnaoutis. Tyner has never been stopped, but Smith appears to represent a level of fighter that Tyner has struggled with in the past.
The Take: SHOBOX as a showcase format. We can’t even say that someone’s 0 has got to go in this one. Yet, a look at Mike Jones and some idle wondering about how he might eventually stack up in a division loaded with superstars might just make this worth watching.
Friday, July 9th – ESPN2 Friday Night Fights
Henry Lundy 18-0-1, 10 KO’s vs. John Molina 20-1-0, 16 KO’s
Perhaps no fighter better represents what Shobox means in the sport than John Molina. Molina was undefeated when he stepped up to take on Martin Honorio. Molina was a budding star with tremendous power, but he was largely untested until his appearance on SHOBOX. Twelve rounds later the undefeated record was gone and only questions about Molina’s skills in the ring remained; it was exactly what the show is about. Since that night, Molina has rebounded with a pair of wins, but they have come against nondescript opposition. Molina appeared to struggle with the speed and counter punching of the smaller Honorio. Now, Molina steps up again to take on Lundy.
“Hammerin” Hank certainly appears to be trying to live up to his nickname with an aggressive fighting style. Appropriately, he hails from Philadelphia and he certainly appears to be a “Philly fighter” with a pressing style built on around throwing punches in bunches. Lundy does have good hand speed and he does go to the body well, but his resume is still a little light. After, the usual cadre of sub .500 fighters he stepped up to take on the then undefeated Darnell Jiles, JR. and was only able to gain a four round draw. After six more wins against nondescript competition, Lundy moved up once again with fights against tougher competition his last two times out. It was good news bad news, a split decision win against Richard Abril, 12-1-1, 6 KO’s, that actually saw Lundy hit the canvas in round six would have to be considered bad news. However, Lundy dominated Tyrese Hendrix, 18-0-1, 7 KO’s, en route to a wide unanimous decision win in his most recent fight this April. It’s easy to tell how exciting Lundy is; now we get to see how good he is.
The Take: Lundy is 5’6” while Molina is 5’11”; it doesn’t take a genius to see that Lundy is going to have to get inside. The news is not good for Lundy as Jiles Jr. was also 5’11” and he is the only man so far that Lundy did not beat. Molina has excellent power and a reach advantage. However, if Lundy can close the gap his speed and combination punching can create a problem.
This is beyond a big step up for Lundy. Despite the recent loss, Molina is certainly still a solid prospect. At this point, Molina is simply trying to erase the memory of the way he was boxed by Honorio. Fortunately, he has no such problem here; Lundy should be right in front of him. This fight will be exciting; how competitive it will be depends on just how good Lundy is.
Saturday, July 10th – Showtime – Showtime Championship Boxing
Juan Manuel Lopez, 28-0, 25 KO’s vs. Bernabe Concepcion, 28-3-1, 15 KO’s
At the rate things are progressing, 2013 should be a fantastic year in the featherweight division. In the next couple of months, Lopez, Chris John, and Yuriorkis Gamboa are all in action; unfortunately, not against each other. In any event, Lopez returns to action first against Concepcion who gives every appearance of being a safe but credible opponent as they continue to prepare Lopez for the big money fights down the road.
Concepcion for his part has only recently moved up from super bantamweight where he spent much of his career. Concepcion suffered two of his three losses in his first twelve fights and actually strung together 17 consecutive wins before being DQ’d in a tight contest with WBO Champ Steven Luevano last August. Since then, Concepcion has gotten back on track with a unanimous decision win against Mario Santiago, 21-1-1, 14 KO’s, in February.
The Take: Concepcion was DQ’d after hitting Luevano after the bell and one suspects that that might be the only way he will be able to get Lopez to the canvas in this one. After looking incredibly vulnerable against Rogers Mtgawa last October, Lopez appeared to be back to his measured, efficient, destroyer style in his last outing against Luevano. Perhaps, Lopez was simply finally having trouble making 122 because he looked spectacular again against a very solid fighter at 126. In any event, it would be lightning striking twice for Concepcion to be able to overpower Lopez at 126. Beyond that, it will just be a little disappointing to watch another great featherweight performance while we wait for the top guys to step in with each other; just another day in the business of boxing.
Nonito Donaire, 23-1-0, 15 KO’s vs. Hernan Marquez, 27-1-0, 20 KO’s
And it would appear that a theme for the evening is all set; fighters we love to watch, NOT in the fights we are dying to see. With all due respect to Marquez, boxing fans would clearly like to see Donaire fight Darchinyan once again, but that saga makes the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations look like a disagreement over who gets more tickets for family members. Donaire is without a doubt the most overlooked dominant fighter in the world. Donaire has compiled 22 consecutive wins and seems to look better every time out, but he has yet to find a compelling opponent after beating Darchinyan in 2007 and his career seems to have wilted somewhat. Some of it is the anonymity that comes from fighting in the lower weight classes, but some of it likely should fall on the shoulders of Donaire and his advisors. Sadly, nothing is likely to change on this night.
Hernan “Tyson” Marquez has a nice record, but he is not to be found in the top 10 of the Ring Magazine Ratings. And, he is ranked only number 10 by the WBA. This fight is for the WBA Interim Title. Donaire once again throws himself into the shadows. For his part, Marquez does have some skills, but he is also coming off a fairly one sided decision loss against Richie Mepranum his last time out in March. That fight was by far the toughest competition that Marquez had encountered and he appeared to struggle mightily.
The Take: It looks more and more like a standard night for Donaire. A strong performance, another victory, and a thousand questions about when he and Darchinyan might fight again; at least he should be used to it. Marquez does have power, but his limited opposition would suggest that he will be in over his head against the supremely talented Donaire.
Friday, July 16th – ESPN2 – Friday Night Fights
Zab Judah, 38-6, 26 KO’s vs. Jose Armando Santa Cruz, 28-4, 17 KO’s
Santa Cruz is looking for lightning to strike twice himself. Santa Cruz is perhaps best known for his split decision loss to Joel Casamayor in November of 2007. A decision widely viewed as a terrible injustice to Santa Cruz who appeared to have much the better of it throughout the night. Now, Santa Cruz has another big fight and it comes once again against a speedy, counterpunching southpaw in Zab Judah.
The tall and rangy Santa Cruz is only three and one in his last four fights and he was knocked out by Antonio Pitalua in 2008. However, Judah hasn’t exactly been dominant of late either. Judah is actually on 4 and 4 with one no contest in his last nine fights. However, Judah’s losses have still only come against some of the best the welterweight division has to offer. Judah has lost to: Clottey, Cotto, Mayweather, and Baldomir since 2006. Of that list, only Baldomir represents a fight that Judah perhaps should have won. Both men are at the end of fine careers which is probably exactly why they will be putting on a show on ESPN 2.
The Take: Judah will actually be coming back down to 140 pounds for this fight. It is a well established fact that moving down in weight for older fighters will invariably weaken them in the ring. Judah is 32 years old and cutting any weight will be a challenge. The only good thing for Judah is that he was never a full welterweight to begin with; often coming into fights anywhere from 143 to 145 pounds. Judah’s career is winding down and he’s cutting some pounds; it’s not a recipe for success.
Santa Cruz may not be as close to the end as Judah, but he is also probably not the fighter Judah was either. Santa Cruz is extremely tall, but he does have a slight tendency to fight a little small by reaching and leaning in on some of his punches. Will Judah be able to pull the trigger on the counter opportunities that Santa Cruz will provide? That will ultimately be the story of this fight.
Friday, July 16th – Showtime – Shobox
Fernando Guerrero, 18-0, 15 KO’s vs. Ishe Smith, 21-4, 9 KO’s
Just in case you didn’t get the point with the Mike Jones card earlier in the month here is another showcase on SHOBOX of a talented young fighter in Guerrero. Guerrero is another solid prospect with speed and power. But, while the upsdie is clearly there, he is still in the typical SHOBOX mold in that he is not quite all the way there yet. Guerrero has looked sensational of late with a pair of early stoppages in his last two fights. However, those wins came against opponents who, while possessed of legitimate skills, still opted to stand right in front of Guerrero allowing him to take full advantage of his physical gifts in the ring. It was only two fights ago that Guerrero was taken the distance by a savvy veteran in Ossie Duran. In that fight, Guerrero earned a majority decision and suffered a flash knockdown in the final round. The knockdown served to make the fight appear closer than it was, but Duran nonetheless demonstrated that some ring smarts coupled with a decent skill set can still give Guerrero some pause.
Which brings us to Ishe Smith. The former contender alum is, in many ways, an Ossie Duran clone as regards Guerrrero. Smith is certainly well schooled and tough and will present a challenge in terms of ring acumen if not in terms of straight physical ability. Smith has a number of quality wins against the likes of: Sam Garr, David Estrada, Randall Bailey, Anthony Bonsante, and Pawel Wolak. Yet, he has seemed to follow a familiar pattern of coming up just a little bit short in his true step up with losses to: Sergio Mora, Joel Julio, and Daniel Jacobs in his last fight in August of 2009. At first glance, Smith might seem like the ideal opponent, skilled and certainly credible, but, with only 9 KO’s, not strong enough to really hurt Guerrero.. However, considering the level of opposition he has faced it would seem safe to say that Smith carries more pop than his 36% percent KO percentage would suggest. Smith is a deserved underdog, but he represents a viable threat.
The Take: Smith has spent much of his career fighting at 147 and 154 pounds, while Guerrero has campaigned his entire career at or above 160. So, strength should be a clear advantage for Guerrero and that could be critical as Guerrero likes to press his opponents on the inside relentlessly throwing combinations to the head and body. Guerrero has an excellent uppercut that he likes to use on the inside where he will certainly look to be against Smith.
Smith just recently stepped up against an outstanding prospect in Daniel Jacobs losing a fairly wide unanimous decision. Still, that fight clearly demonstrates that Smith is a formidable foe who brings enough skills and experience to the ring to make him a dangerous opponent. In addition, one wonders if going the distance with Jacobs might yet actually bolster the confidence of Smith a little in this one. Clearly, Smith doesn’t have a whole lot to lose here when compared to what he has to gain with a win; namely the kind of signature win that can define his career. Smith was good enough to upset a prospect in Pawel Wolak, but not quite good enough to get it done against the highly touted Daniel Jacobs. Is Guerrero more Jacobs? Or, more Wolak? That is the question that Smith will ask on July 16th.