The Weekly Boxing Breakdown
Reaction
British super-bantamweight Scott Quigg had to get off the canvas to beat Jamie Arthur on Saturday night and the Bury prospect did little to impress the domestic rival Carl Frampton. Quigg was undoubtedly shaken mentally and physically by the knockdown in the 4th round but recovered well firstly by hanging on and then asserting his dominance from the 4th session onwards. Some observers complained about a premature stoppage in the 8th but referee Mark Green could see Arthur was hurt by a body shot and the KO was inevitable. With Frampton and Quigg in action in consecutive weeks it has been interesting to see how fans have floated between both men when making their selections. I’m still in the Quigg camp at this stage.
Boxing binman Rendall Munroe returned to action on the Bolton undercard with a first round stoppage of the over-matched Jose Saez. Munroe unsuccessfully challeneged for world homours back in 2010 and, although those heights look unlikely to be scaled again, the 31-year-old still has plenty to offer at British and European level and could well have a say on how the Quigg Frampton rivalry unfolds.
Over in Germany Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Steve Cunningham contested a predictably hard fought war with the Cuban retaining his IBF cruiserweight title on points. The judges’ scorecards read 115-111 and 116-110 twice and it would’ve been a lot closer if Cunningham had not visited the floor twice in the 4th. The 14st 4lbs division isn’t exactly littered with talent so a third fight between the two isn’t completely out the question.
Over in Texas both went the distance. First up Nonito Donaire won the WBO super-bantamweight title by completely outclassing Wilfredo Vazquez over 12 rounds. The Filipino Flash was busier, faster, classier and hit harder than his Puerto Rican opponent and scored a knockdown in the 9th after an eye-catching with a left uppercut, left hook combination. Despite all this, one judge managed to score it to Vazquez by 3 rounds!
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr scored a unanimous decision over fellow Mexican middleweight Marco Antonio Rubio to retain his WBC belt. Chavez Jr still hasn’t been tested by an elite fighter and is in definite need of what American’s call a “gut check”. The 25-year-old has now won 45 straight fights and could even move up in weight to super-middleweight in the near future.
This Week’s Action
The much anticipated welterweight rematch between Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto was scheduled to take place this coming weekend but the fight has been postponed due to Berto badly injuring his right bicep in training. As a result of this cancelation it’s a surprisingly quiet week in the boxing world.
The News
Floyd Mayweather has now officially signed to fight Miguel Cotto for the WBA light middleweight title on May 5th. I’ve often criticised pound-for-pound king Mayweather for his questionable opponent selection over the years but this is a genuine risk for ‘Money’ as he is moving up to the 154 lbs weight limit to fight the naturally bigger Cotto. Betfred are currently stand-out top price on Mayweather to be the victor at 2/11 with his Puerto Rican foe priced up at 4/1 at this stage.
Mayweather’s long-term rival Manny Pacquiao looks set to fight the widely regarded number one light welterweight Timothy Bradley on June 9th. Bradley would be moving up in weight to challenge for Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title. I class this proposed bout as make or break for Pacquiao, not because Bradley is the best fighter he as ever faced but because Bradley is hungry, determined and, at 28-years-old, at the peak of his powers. A bad performance by Pacquiao here could force him to consider his ring future and take the inevitable step of concentrating on Filipino politics full time. The Pacman hasn’t fought a man below the age of 30 since Miguel Cotto in November 2009, his last three opponents were all passed their best upon entering the ring (Margarito, Mosley, Marquez).
Quote Of The Week
“I wasn’t hurt, though, I just got caught square on and went over but it was more embarrassing then anything. When I got up my head was clear. He threw the kitchen sink at me after that and I don’t think one shot landed.” Scott Quigg plays down his visit to the canvas at the hands of Jamie Arthur.
