A few good fights...
Posted: 12 Nov 2008, 06:04
An interesting 12-rounder this weekend in Nashville pairs 'name' fighters Kermit Cintron and Lovemore Ndou on the Jermain Taylor-Jeff Lacy card.
Cintron, 29-2 (27), is a huge-punching welterweight with only one conqueror in eight exciting years as a pro: Mexican iron man Antonio Margarito. Unfortunately, for Cintron, Margarito licked him twice in 'world' title fights (and has the chin to beat him every night of the week), but nobody else comes even close. Cintron last needed to win a fight on points five years ago when he punched out a landslide 10-round decision over Mexican-American Jesus Felipe Valverde in August 2003. He took a six-round decision over Detroit's Leon Pearson in May 2001 - and the rest of his opponents have been flattened. The 29-year-old from Reading in Pennsylvania still has time to win that world welterweight title.
Ndou clearly lacks the time at 37, a pro since 1993, but the Aussie is tough and brave and has never been stopped in 57 fights, a resume that includes 12-rounders with Miguel Cotto, Junior Witter, Sharmba Mitchell and Paulie Malignaggi. Witter broke his hand on Ndou's hard head, as did Malignaggi. Ndou twice extended Malignaggi for the IBF light-welterweight title but makes his welterweight debut for this one and you wonder if his chin will prove so resilient against Cintron.
Make no mistake, Cintron will be looking to better big welterweight rival Cotto.
Ageing German heavyweight Luan Krasniqi faces a daunting comeback in Dusseldorf this Saturday against unbeaten stablemate Alexander Dimitrenko, scheduled for 12 rounds.
The 37-year-old Krasniqi has been out for 16 months since giant American southpaw Tony Thompson stopped him in five shocking rounds in a WBO title eliminator, but he licked current WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko in the amateurs and could still get a second go if he gets past Dimitrenko. He fought bravely and capably against American Lamon Brewster for the same title in 2005.
One does wonder how much Krasniqi has left on the evidence of his Thompson 'showing', however, when he barely landed a punch and gave new meaning to the word 'lethargic'. He had to be rescued, on his feet, just soaking up the punches.
In contrast the surprisingly mobile, highly touted Dimitrenko, all 6ft 7ins of him and nine years the younger man, is most definitely on the way up at 28-0 (18). The Hamburg-based Ukrainian comes off a five-round stoppage of American 'fringe' contender Derric Rossy earlier this year in Stuttgart and, while he remains relatively untested since turning pro seven years ago, does have a few decent names on his resume (Timo Hoffmann, Vaughan Bean...) and the L-plates are definitely off now.
Krasniqi represents a step up, a step up big Alexander looks capable of making.
Matthew Marsh makes a voluntary defence of his British super-bantamweight title against old rival Rocky Dean at York Hall on Friday week (November 21).
Marsh won the title at the same historical old hall in June with an upset decision over Esham Pickering. The 26-year-old West Hammer showed grit, determination, fitness, stamina and workrate to 'young man' Pickering, a veteran former world title challenger from Sheffield, putting in a big finish to make sure of the unanimous points. Trained by Johnny Eames, wiry Matthew is not a big puncher but he knows how to wear his opponents down. His only defeat came when he stepped up a division and was stopped in 11 rounds by Liverpool featherweight Derry Matthews last year.
Crucially, the champion already holds two wins over the gutsy Dean, in December 2006 and July 2007 respectively - but there was never much between them and Marsh finished just two points up each time, after cracking 10-rounders. The first fight in particular was action-packed, a fabulous affair. Dean deserves a crack on the merit of that fight alone - what a fantastic scrap.
Since that brace, Dean has won a couple to take his record to 14-9-2 (4). The 30-year-old from Thetford has a draw with Isaac "Argy" Ward, later to lift the Commonwealth super-bantamweight title, and he went 10 rounds with Andy Morris, a future British featherweight king. He knows his way round a boxing ring, after nine years as a pro, and this represents a once in a lifetime opportunity for him to strap the magnificent Lonsdale Belt around his waist. The smell of revenge will be whistling around his nostrils, too.
All the recent improvement, however, seemingly belongs to Marsh, a former double ABA champion who enjoys good support in York Hall and knows he can beat Dean. Indeed, what he can do twice he can presumably do a third time. The Londoner grinds out another exciting decision win.
Classy "Canadian Kid" Steve Molitor defends his IBF super-bantamweight title against defending WBA champion Celestino Caballero of Panama in a mouthwatering unification clash in Canada on Friday, November 21.
The unbeaten Molitor has cruised through five defences of the title he won by stopping - nay, outclassing - Hartlepool's Michael Hunter in five rounds in Hartlepool in 2006 but Caballero has cruised through five defences of his own and also won the title on 'away' turf in 2006, with a stunning three-round stoppage of Somsak Sithchatchawal in Thailand. Getting the picture?
At 32 Caballero is strong, aggressive and huge for the weight at 5ft 11ins, and his relentless style should blend well with the slick, sharpshooting approach of the 28-year-old Molitor, who has always been a class act and is immensely popular at home.
Home advantage, in fact, tilts the balance in Molitor's favour but this one is classic 50-50, a great match.
Argentine tiger Hugo Hernan Garay defends his WBA light-heavyweight title against German tiger Jurgen Brahmer in a fine match in Germany on November 22.
Garay won the title in his last fight with a one-sided unanimous decision over Ukrainian banger and former European champion Yuri Barashian at the famous old Luna Park in Buenos Aires in the summer. He is a good fighter - tough, busy, aggressive, heavy handed and cute, in the classic Argentine mould - and he knows all about Germany, having dropped two close decisions there to crafty and unbeaten 'home' fighter Zsolt Erdei, a Hungarian based in Hamburg.
Garay looked unlucky both times.
The lean, cold-looking Brahmer is less reliable but one of those fighters who, on his night, can probably beat anyone. He licked Ricky Hatton twice in the unpaid ranks, one of them in the first round, as well as Carl Froch (once), and certainly packs a punch at 31-1 (25) since turning pro nine years ago, give or take a couple of spells in jail. He has ability and a real air of menace but you wonder about his workrate and mental strength at this level and also his physical strength at light-heavyweight, a division he only adopted in April with a nine-round stoppage of usually durable Frenchman Karim Bennama. He's won four in a row since his lone career defeat at the hands of tall fellow German Mario Veit in 2006 (pts 12), including a revenge four-round knockout of Veit, but he should never have really lost to Veit in the first place and, to repeat, has boxed only once at light-heavy.
Clearly, Brahmer will do well to dent the tough new champion, three years the younger man at 27. Garay's last opponent, Barashian - a southpaw banger in the Brahmer mould - got absolutely nowhere, although we are in Germany and a contentious verdict for the powerfully backed Brahmer after 12 bruising rounds is always a possibility.
Garay, more than anyone, knows he needs to win big.
Cintron, 29-2 (27), is a huge-punching welterweight with only one conqueror in eight exciting years as a pro: Mexican iron man Antonio Margarito. Unfortunately, for Cintron, Margarito licked him twice in 'world' title fights (and has the chin to beat him every night of the week), but nobody else comes even close. Cintron last needed to win a fight on points five years ago when he punched out a landslide 10-round decision over Mexican-American Jesus Felipe Valverde in August 2003. He took a six-round decision over Detroit's Leon Pearson in May 2001 - and the rest of his opponents have been flattened. The 29-year-old from Reading in Pennsylvania still has time to win that world welterweight title.
Ndou clearly lacks the time at 37, a pro since 1993, but the Aussie is tough and brave and has never been stopped in 57 fights, a resume that includes 12-rounders with Miguel Cotto, Junior Witter, Sharmba Mitchell and Paulie Malignaggi. Witter broke his hand on Ndou's hard head, as did Malignaggi. Ndou twice extended Malignaggi for the IBF light-welterweight title but makes his welterweight debut for this one and you wonder if his chin will prove so resilient against Cintron.
Make no mistake, Cintron will be looking to better big welterweight rival Cotto.
Ageing German heavyweight Luan Krasniqi faces a daunting comeback in Dusseldorf this Saturday against unbeaten stablemate Alexander Dimitrenko, scheduled for 12 rounds.
The 37-year-old Krasniqi has been out for 16 months since giant American southpaw Tony Thompson stopped him in five shocking rounds in a WBO title eliminator, but he licked current WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko in the amateurs and could still get a second go if he gets past Dimitrenko. He fought bravely and capably against American Lamon Brewster for the same title in 2005.
One does wonder how much Krasniqi has left on the evidence of his Thompson 'showing', however, when he barely landed a punch and gave new meaning to the word 'lethargic'. He had to be rescued, on his feet, just soaking up the punches.
In contrast the surprisingly mobile, highly touted Dimitrenko, all 6ft 7ins of him and nine years the younger man, is most definitely on the way up at 28-0 (18). The Hamburg-based Ukrainian comes off a five-round stoppage of American 'fringe' contender Derric Rossy earlier this year in Stuttgart and, while he remains relatively untested since turning pro seven years ago, does have a few decent names on his resume (Timo Hoffmann, Vaughan Bean...) and the L-plates are definitely off now.
Krasniqi represents a step up, a step up big Alexander looks capable of making.
Matthew Marsh makes a voluntary defence of his British super-bantamweight title against old rival Rocky Dean at York Hall on Friday week (November 21).
Marsh won the title at the same historical old hall in June with an upset decision over Esham Pickering. The 26-year-old West Hammer showed grit, determination, fitness, stamina and workrate to 'young man' Pickering, a veteran former world title challenger from Sheffield, putting in a big finish to make sure of the unanimous points. Trained by Johnny Eames, wiry Matthew is not a big puncher but he knows how to wear his opponents down. His only defeat came when he stepped up a division and was stopped in 11 rounds by Liverpool featherweight Derry Matthews last year.
Crucially, the champion already holds two wins over the gutsy Dean, in December 2006 and July 2007 respectively - but there was never much between them and Marsh finished just two points up each time, after cracking 10-rounders. The first fight in particular was action-packed, a fabulous affair. Dean deserves a crack on the merit of that fight alone - what a fantastic scrap.
Since that brace, Dean has won a couple to take his record to 14-9-2 (4). The 30-year-old from Thetford has a draw with Isaac "Argy" Ward, later to lift the Commonwealth super-bantamweight title, and he went 10 rounds with Andy Morris, a future British featherweight king. He knows his way round a boxing ring, after nine years as a pro, and this represents a once in a lifetime opportunity for him to strap the magnificent Lonsdale Belt around his waist. The smell of revenge will be whistling around his nostrils, too.
All the recent improvement, however, seemingly belongs to Marsh, a former double ABA champion who enjoys good support in York Hall and knows he can beat Dean. Indeed, what he can do twice he can presumably do a third time. The Londoner grinds out another exciting decision win.
Classy "Canadian Kid" Steve Molitor defends his IBF super-bantamweight title against defending WBA champion Celestino Caballero of Panama in a mouthwatering unification clash in Canada on Friday, November 21.
The unbeaten Molitor has cruised through five defences of the title he won by stopping - nay, outclassing - Hartlepool's Michael Hunter in five rounds in Hartlepool in 2006 but Caballero has cruised through five defences of his own and also won the title on 'away' turf in 2006, with a stunning three-round stoppage of Somsak Sithchatchawal in Thailand. Getting the picture?
At 32 Caballero is strong, aggressive and huge for the weight at 5ft 11ins, and his relentless style should blend well with the slick, sharpshooting approach of the 28-year-old Molitor, who has always been a class act and is immensely popular at home.
Home advantage, in fact, tilts the balance in Molitor's favour but this one is classic 50-50, a great match.
Argentine tiger Hugo Hernan Garay defends his WBA light-heavyweight title against German tiger Jurgen Brahmer in a fine match in Germany on November 22.
Garay won the title in his last fight with a one-sided unanimous decision over Ukrainian banger and former European champion Yuri Barashian at the famous old Luna Park in Buenos Aires in the summer. He is a good fighter - tough, busy, aggressive, heavy handed and cute, in the classic Argentine mould - and he knows all about Germany, having dropped two close decisions there to crafty and unbeaten 'home' fighter Zsolt Erdei, a Hungarian based in Hamburg.
Garay looked unlucky both times.
The lean, cold-looking Brahmer is less reliable but one of those fighters who, on his night, can probably beat anyone. He licked Ricky Hatton twice in the unpaid ranks, one of them in the first round, as well as Carl Froch (once), and certainly packs a punch at 31-1 (25) since turning pro nine years ago, give or take a couple of spells in jail. He has ability and a real air of menace but you wonder about his workrate and mental strength at this level and also his physical strength at light-heavyweight, a division he only adopted in April with a nine-round stoppage of usually durable Frenchman Karim Bennama. He's won four in a row since his lone career defeat at the hands of tall fellow German Mario Veit in 2006 (pts 12), including a revenge four-round knockout of Veit, but he should never have really lost to Veit in the first place and, to repeat, has boxed only once at light-heavy.
Clearly, Brahmer will do well to dent the tough new champion, three years the younger man at 27. Garay's last opponent, Barashian - a southpaw banger in the Brahmer mould - got absolutely nowhere, although we are in Germany and a contentious verdict for the powerfully backed Brahmer after 12 bruising rounds is always a possibility.
Garay, more than anyone, knows he needs to win big.