Middleweight Semifinals

Darren Sutherland (IRL) vs. James Degale (GBR)
Sutherland likes to scrap and that makes him a jabandgrapple favorite. He throws punches, combination even! He boxes, he engages his opponent, he doesn’t dance and he works hard. These shouldn’t be unique qualities in a boxing tourney but these Olympic Games aren’t just any competition. In the quarters he beat the 2007 silver medalist Alfonso Blanco 11-1. The score wasn’t nearly that lopsided and it was a great match to watch and Sutherland (as well as Blanco) might have a successful pro career in his future.

And Degale? Well, he beat the Athens 2004 boxer of the tourney Bakhtiyar Artayev in the semis 8-3. How the awkward, gawky Kazakh could ever have been voted most outstanding is beyond us. Evidently aesthetics weren’t involved in the decision. The southpaw Degale seemed to have confused Artayev with his frequent backtracking and lunging left-hand jabs.

Degale described his style to announcer Jim Gray as hit-move-hit-move-hit-move. Gray responded by complementing his dancing. Sutherland’s style is more hit-hit-hit-hit. For the love of boxing let’s hope the Irishman wins.

Emilio Correa (CUB) vs. Vijender Kumar (IND)
Correa is yet another skilled Cuban boxer. In the first round of Emilio’s quarterfinal matchup he circled the ring looking for spots and openings. But in the second he switched to aggressor and successfully hunted down his opponent. Correa’s dad, Emilio Sr., won the Olympic welterweight gold in 1972 and we think his son is going to repeat his father’s accomplishment, or at least make the finals.

3:00 a.m. – 3:30 a.m. EST

***
Heavyweight Semifinals

Osmay Acosta (CUB) vs. Rakhim Chakhkeiv (RUS)
Haven’t been impressed with either of these two heavyweights. Will go with Acosta not because the Cubans have been getting some friendly judging while the Russians have been getting the shaft. I like Chakhkeiv a lot better. Goes to show how horrible Olympic boxing has become.

Deontay Wilder (USA) vs. Clemente Russo (ITA)
I like Wilder and think the raw prospect might be a good pro but the stylized, experienced awkwardness of Russo is too much for the Tuscaloosa tornado.

Post from: EveryJoe

Olympic Boxing Semi-final Predictions: First Session (Part Two)

Here are last night’s boxing results which involved Top Ten Ring Magazine fighters in the respective weight classes

Felix Sturm vs. Randy Griffin

#3 RM middleweight Felix Sturm (30-2-1) def. #6 RM middleweight Randy Griffin (24-2-3) by unanimous decision (116-112, 116-113, 118-110) in Halle, Germany to retain WBA middleweight title.

Round Three of Sturm vs. Griffin II:

**

Kendall Holt vs. Ricardo Torres

Unranked light welterweight Kendall Holt (24-2) def. #6 RM light welterweight Ricardo Torres (32-2) by First Round KO in Las Vegas, Nevada to win the WBO light welterweight title.

Three knockdowns in the first minute of this one! Below is the wild and amazing first round action. After going down twice Holt appeared to out but he exploded with a powerful knockout of Torres which left the Colombian shivering and shaking on the canvas.

**

Ali Funeka vs. Zahir Raheem

Unranked lightweight Ali Funeka (30-1-2) def. #10 RM lightweight Zahir Raheem (29-2) by Fourth Round KO in East London, South Africa to win IBF Super Featherweight Title Eliminator.

Also Notable:

boxrec.com’s #7 light middleweight Jamie Moore (30-3) def. Ciaran Healy (8-8-1) by Third Round TKO in Dublin, Ireland to win the Irish light middleweight title.

boxrec.com’s #9 middleweight Enrique Ornelas (28-4) def. Daryl Salmon (16-3) by Second Round TKO in Hidalgo, Texas.

Post from: EveryJoe

Saturday July 4-5 Boxing Results

Last night’s sequel to 2006’s Arthur Abraham – Edison Miranda epic didn’t have its predecessor’s drama or its controversy. Instead it had thunder in the form of Abraham’s unbelievably powerful left hand which dropped Miranda three times in the fourth round.

This fight seemed like a tricky proposition for the Armenian middleweight. He was making his first trip to the United States. He was fighting at Miranda’s veritable home arena in South Florida. He was facing a hostile crowd. He wasn’t going to benefit from kind German judges. His counterpunching style isn’t as highly rated among American judges. He was in the ring with someone who had broken his jaw.

Abraham’s solution was to cover up turtle-style for most of the first and second, absorbing Miranda’s many punches and draining the Colombian’s energy. Abraham emerged from his shell in the third landing some good shots and turning the fight’s momentum.

Nevertheless, the power and decisiveness of Abraham’s vicious and emphatic fourth (see below) was wholly unexpected. Just thirty seconds into the round Abraham landed a square left hook to Miranda’s jaw with left La Pantera wobbled and in a world of trouble. Abraham sensed his opponent’s precariousness and seized the initiative. After missing with a few wild looping lefts Abraham landed a monstrous left hook and sent Miranda down again. The fight was as good as over. Abraham’s next left floored the Colombian again and referee Telis Assimenios mercifully ended the bout.

Post-match Abraham called out two Americans: Oscar De La Hoya and Kelly Pavlik. I’d much rather see him face middleweight king Kelly Pavlik. Prior to tonight’s fight I wasn’t too excited about that match-up. Abraham’s impressive power and in-ring smarts have changed that. He’s no boring German sequestered stiff. He’s going to test Pavlik and hopefully it will happen soon.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Arthur Abraham Ably Attacks and Conquers Edison Miranda

Yesterday afternoon East Los Angeles middleweight Shawn Estrada became the ninth member of the American boxing team to qualify for the Olympic Games. He did it in determined fashion at the second American qualifiers in Guatemala City battling his Brazilian opponent Yamaguchi Florentine tooth and nail knowing that glory lay at the end of a positive four-round decision.

The match started tentatively with the two nervous fighters ably gaging each others strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the second the score was a sluggish 1-1. Then, with the flick of a switch the action picked up. The fighters traded blows and the third round ended with Estrada holding a precarious 7-6 lead.

When the final round began Estrada decided that he was going to the Olympics. His elusiveness amped, his accuracy honed, and his focus entered a zone. He outscored Florentine 5-1 in the championship round and jumped into sincere celebration. Print the ticket, start the plane, he’s going to China. Estrada will face Argentine Ezequiel Maderna for the tourney’s ceremonial gold medal.

Estrada’s super heavyweight teammate Michael Hunter II was not so fortunate. He lost his semifinal match 10-3 to Venezuelan Jose Payares. The 20-year-old Hunter was said to have been fighting illness during his stay in Guatemala City.

Hunter’s loss was especially heartbreaking since it marked his third loss in a match that would have sent him to the Olympic Games. In addition to yesterday’s match he dropped a 22-15 decision in the 2007 AIBA World Boxing Championships quarterfinals (top four went to Beijing) and a 9-1 final at the First Americas Qualifier (champion goes to Beijing). At the First Qualifier the super heavyweight class was the only division where only the champ made it; in all other weight classes both the first and second place finishers qualified.

We wish Michael the best and are sure he has a bright future ahead of him. It might not be too long before he mimics and the eclipses his father’s boxing successes – he fought Brian Nielsen for the IBC heavyweight title in 1996 – and fights AND WINS! a belt of his own.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Shawn Estrada Books Ticket to Beijing

Image details: St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital Benefit served by picapp.com

It’s really hard to get excited about Saturday’s 150 lb. bout between Oscar De La Hoya’s tired, pragmatic, money-oozing sheen and The Contender graduate Steve Forbes‘ pleading payday-grabbing genuflection. No one expects a good fight. No one expects Forbes to have much of a chance. Boxing fans will watch out of obligation, thank HBO for gifting us a non-PPV look at the Golden Boy, and beg in our most Tiny Tim-like voice: “Please Sir, can I have another?”

Forbes must be thinking the same thing. Why else would he accept a fight at a light middleweight 150 when he’s ideally a 140 lb. light welterweight. Of course it’s partially the money but what fighter wouldn’t want to bring De La Hoya away from his customary third-row ringside, center-of-the-TV-during-every-big-fight perch?

It’s plausible for Forbes to believe that de la Hoya won’t bring the A-game he faced down Floyd Mayweather, Jr. with last year. He might even be convinced that Oscar’s HBO-24/7-exposed plush pre-Soviet Union Rocky IV lifestyle is accurate and that the chest loads of promotion money have made the Golden Boy soft. Maybe he thinks Oscar might confuse him with the other Steve Forbes, the one that’s the editor of Forbes magazine (seen above). Maybe De La Hoya has prepared twelve rounds of investment questions rather than a fight plan.

Maybe he wants to think this fight could be close.

Maybe he should remember that Oscar’s pretty, red, rosy cheeks will not be as plump and cherubic as his last Mexican-American Angelino opponent, the tiny underachieving Francisco Bojado. If Forbes equates the two that he is fooling himself. De la Hoya is only 35, he’s never left the game, he loves the game, and he’s got a Mayweather rematch on deck when he beats Forbes.

So will I show up? Maybe for the Sunday morning replay; I have live bands to see on Saturday night. The real question is will Steve Forbes show up and even if he does, does he have a chance?

What do you think dear readers? Can Forbes give Oscar a run and us a reason to watch? Will you be thanking gracious HBO with your steadfast viewing or will you find another way to spend your Saturday evening? Please feel free to comment below.

Post from: EveryJoe

Oscar de la Hoya Fighting Saturday…Yawn