Hasegawa - Montiel

[WayoftheCass]

For anyone who hasn't seen it yet here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GbXXi9eaf8


I'll post a reply below here discussing the fight if you don't want to know the result. Enjoy.

[WayoftheCass]

I was really looking forward to this fight. Probably the 2 best Bantamweights in the world going at it. Hasegawa was making his 11th defence and every time I have seen him he has impressed. Always struck me as a bit casual and loose and also open but never showed any weaknesses in the chin department. However in his last few it struck me how much more beat up his face is than when I first saw him win the title a few years back. Looks like he's sustained a lot of damage around the eyes.
Montiel has been a 3 weight champion and is generally respected. Doesn't have the nicest style but hits hard and is very tough.

I thought this was going to be a very interesting clash and so it proved to be. Hasegawa outboxed Montiel and looked like he was starting to put the foot down but got caught by a smashing left hook and then took a few flush blows on the ropes. Ref had no other option but to stop it. He wasn't to know the bell was about to go. It all turned so suddenly it was a bit of a shock. More so for the Japanese crowd.

I wonder if there was a rematch penned in. If not I could see the Japanese fighter retiring. As for Montiel who knows. Maybe a clash with Arce should the Mexican fighter win his upcoming WBO-interim belt.

[Deno1986]

Cracking finish from Montiel.

Hasegawa won't be retiring. He will probably move up 122 for some potential classics against Nishioka and Poonsawat. Another poster, Autobarn, felt Hasegawa was strugglingto make the 118 limit comfortably and I agree. He will be a force at 122 I reckon.

[Autobarn]

yeah, it was strange that he was calling out featherweight chris john ages ago, saying he was having trouble doing 118.

i'm not making excuses for hasegawa, as he was outboxing montiel superbly before catching that smashing left hook that effectively ended the fight for him.

but i have been calling for him to go up to 122 for a long time. in fact, every hasegawa/poonsawat/nishioka type thread i've ever posted on i've probably stated this. that he could be in trouble if he's not scoring those early KOs/TKOs. obviously, the fact that 2 absolute hard nuts poonsawat and nishioka are the only champs recognised in japanese boxing up at 122, made it a tough choice.

but now he'll have to (literally) step up as there's no title to sit on any longer.

[Autobarn]

obviously nishioka won on the undercard. the champ that munroe has earned a shot at.

[Londonirish]

Didnt think it would be like Finish like that

[J]

Think peopel underate Montiel on here, losing an SD to Gonzales and getting beat by MarcJohnson who was always underated when in his prime is no disgrace.

He is a savvy experienced class act..

[Datsue]

Think peopel underate Montiel on here, losing an SD to Gonzales and getting beat by MarcJohnson who was always underated when in his prime is no disgrace.

He is a savvy experienced class act..

Definitely, & I hold my hands up that I am one of those that underestimated him!

That was a couple of three left hooks from Hell, though, I'm not surprised Hasegawa & his corner didn't have any complaints about that stoppage!

Well done Fernando! Viva el campeón!

[J]

[Londonirish]

Think peopel underate Montiel on here, losing an SD to Gonzales and getting beat by MarcJohnson who was always underated when in his prime is no disgrace.

He is a savvy experienced class act..

Definitely, & I hold my hands up that I am one of those that underestimated him!

That was a couple of three left hooks from Hell, though, I'm not surprised Hasegawa & his corner didn't have any complaints about that stoppage!

Well done Fernando! Viva el campeón!

X2

[Autobarn]

montiel always has been exceptional.

let's face it, he threw it away vs jhonny gonzalez and mark johnson.

when you look at the power montiel has, and look at how vulnerable jhonny gonzalez was in all his major fights post-montiel (stoppages defeats to israel vazquez, gerry penalosa and toshioki nishioka), well...montiel must still be kicking himself over that one.

when montiel puts on the power he is great, as we saw vs martin castillo and hozumi hasegawa. i always felt castillo was overrated, and maybe a bit jaded when montiel got him. but he's also done it to hasegawa, and hasegawa was brilliantly outboxing montiel to that point.

montiel surely has scored the KO of the year. he's also probably made his first major stamp on a weight class, despite having won titles in 3 of them prior to today.

hasegawa will be back.

[J]

dont agree he threw it away against Johnson, he got done over from what i recall but Johson was top 5 p4p at that time a truly special fighter .

[Autobarn]

i've never actually seen that fight, montielv johnson. montiel was the touted fighter, was expected to dazzle, but apparently he went all cagey (from what i've read) and didn't come on til it was too late. sounds like juan manuel marquez, got hyped up on the way up but lost his first world title, disappointing in one or two cagey performances. thankfully montiel, like marquez, has turned up the power punching, scored 2 great KOs, and even been in a wild war (vs luis melendez).

one thing about montiel, apparently he killed an opponent, so perhaps this is why he doesn't always go for the KO. but he's had to, in order to get momentum for his career.

i really hope he doesn't end up fighting arce in mexico. i hope he defends vs top rank stablemate nonito donaire, who it seems won't be having a darchinyan rematch. montiel and donaire could be great. donaire's career has truly floundered of recent (kind of like montiel's) and he needs a fight like this to move on.

[J]

i remember watching it on some undercard it wasnt a beating but Johnson put on a bit of masterclass that night. Think Montiel was quite fancied but Johnson who could be a bit enigmatic was on his A game that night.
Having said that one judge scored it a draw but it was wider for me the others scoring it 115-112 and 117-111 which was more like it.

I became an instant "too sharp" fan on that fight alone.

[ArtOfWar]

Yep, Johnson was class that night and beat Montiel straight up. I'm guilty of neglecting Japanese boxing, maybe I need to start watching more of it, because they have a few champions in the lower weight classes.

[stujones]

Johnston was special, Montiel was supposed to win - but he was also finding it hard to cope with the tradegy in the ring he suffered.

Montiel is getting better and better with age. He HAS to be up there in the p4p stakes now.... I might be even inclined to think he deserves to be in the top 3.

[brian13]

Very nice finish by Montiel. I taught the ref definitely should have stopped the fight earlier.

[Autobarn]

Johnston was special, Montiel was supposed to win - but he was also finding it hard to cope with the tradegy in the ring he suffered.

Montiel is getting better and better with age. He HAS to be up there in the p4p stakes now.... I might be even inclined to think he deserves to be in the top 3.

i think the ppl who do most p4p rankings don't really care, as seen in the half hearted reports i've read. it's like with martinez. "he must be considered among the best p4p fighters in the world," "he might start to be a factor on pound for pound lists". montiel just causes a sensation, over a brilliant fighter, and it's the same. all the writers are bothered about is mayweather's alleged $40m payday and the latest biggest fight ever, and the rankings never really change.

[stujones]

Well, I'm not convinced Martinez should YET be in the upper echelons on the top ten P4P.... maybe lower portion.

Great win against Pavlik - but he's still 1-1-1 in his last 3. Hardly P4P #1 form.

I would have Paul Williams up there mind.

[Autobarn]

paul williams doesn't have a signature win. his best win is a controversial decision against martinez who wasn't prepared for a big fight. all he's won is a WBO welterweight title and while he's beaten some world class fighters, williams, his promoter and his fans really overdo the underrated and avoided stuff. writers were itching to make williams a p4p entrant when he finally beat quintana.

martinez was magnificent in making adjustments against pavlik and in becoming the middleweight champ he has a massive prize. he did it well up in weight, vs a guy whose size and power seemed very daunting in the middle stages. none of the top "pound for pounders" are taking risks like this and delivering. none of them are throwing combos and moving that well, late in championship fights.

martinez can't help it if he was robbed of a KO, a DQ, and a decision against cintron. he has to be top 10 material or the magazines are a joke. things will go his way now that he's got his big win and his titles.

[El Raincoat]

Cracking finish from Montiel.

Hasegawa won't be retiring. He will probably move up 122 for some potential classics against Nishioka and Poonsawat. Another poster, Autobarn, felt Hasegawa was strugglingto make the 118 limit comfortably and I agree. He will be a force at 122 I reckon.

He doesn't want to fight at 122 he wants to go to 126. Teikken wont match there fighters, which is a shame.

[Asterix]

Well, I'm not convinced Martinez should YET be in the upper echelons on the top ten P4P.... maybe lower portion.

Great win against Pavlik - but he's still 1-1-1 in his last 3. Hardly P4P #1 form.

I would have Paul Williams up there mind.

Martinez obviously beat Cintron, despite what the scorecards had on them, and fought an extremely close battle with Williams. He could just as easily, and perhaps more appropriately, be 2-0-1 in his last 3 bouts.

Hopkins was 2-3-0, in his last five fights, just after losing to Calzaghe. Everyone still had him high on their P4P lists.

[stujones]

Good point, although its the Cintron draw that holds him back a little for me. Yes, I thought he won also - but it was a close, and very competitive fight. Cintron would currently be struggling for a top 30 P4P position.

None of the 3 loses (all very close, Hopkins could conceivably by 5-0 in those 5 fights) were against fighters ranked as lowly as Cintron P4P.... and Hopkins' 2 wins were against good fighters, and they were pretty convincing.

I would definately agree he deserves a top 10 position (Martinez), but I think there are a number of fighters still above him. I definately think Williams beat him in a close, wonderful, fight.

I think Mayweather, Pacquiao, Williams, Dawson and Montiel at least have to be above Martinez.

I do think there needs to be a changing of the guard now though. I would like to see more P4P rankings consider Humberto Soto also.

I'd certainly have Martinez above the likes of Hopkins, Cotto, Mosley and JMM untill they register a meaningful win and performance (which none have done for a while).

[DIRT SUGAR]

Was an excellent finish. Both were fighting a cagey fight but Montiel just started loosening up and relaxing and letting his shots go and a superb left hook all but ended it. Thankfully the ref stepped in as Hasegawa was all but unconscious on his feet.

[Autobarn]

makes me squirm every time i see hopkins, mosley, JMM and cotto in the p4p rankings.

a really drastic changing of the guard is in order. thankfully fighters like martinez, adamek, montiel, and some others, are stepping up, taking massive risks and delivering - in spades. david haye will certainly merit consideration, if he can give wlad a good fight. if haye wins, he should vault up, especially considering his origins as a skinny 190-pounder. also i think it is almost lucian bute's time. bute is really impressing me. (i think he could get fights with pavlik and pascal - if pascal loses to dawson but manages to do fairly well in defeat - in the next 12+ months, and maybe score impressive KOs).

regardless of who won williams v martinez, i get martinez more credit as he wasn't training for a hard fight. and also because the loss mattered nothing anyway. it got him noticed and got him the pavlik fight. martinez had to deal with some serious size and strength and the way he did this from the 8th round on was simply superb, and answered all the questions regarding martinez's skills and toughness and talent.