9/22 #SmokeSquad presents: Something for the dreamers, Young Valdez vs Genesis Servania

[patscorpio]

Main Event - Preview



Oscar Valdez

Record: 22-0 (19 KO) ... Streak: W22 ... Last 5: 5-0 ... Last 10: 10-0 ... Stance: Orthodox ... Height/Reach: 5'5½" / 66" ... Age: 26

Valdez, a former Olympian for Mexico, is one of boxing’s most exciting younger stars. He’s also one of its paperest of paper champions. That’s not a knock on him, that’s a knock on boxing’s politics.

When Vasyl Lomachenko vacated the WBO featherweight title, Top Rank got a chance to get Valdez into that mix, and managed to secure a vacant title fight against Matias Rueda. On paper, Rueda was unbeaten and powerful, as the Argentine came in with a record of 26-0, 23 wins by knockout. But instead of meeting dangerous resistance, Valdez demolished Rueda inside of two rounds, and Rueda looked hopelessly overmatched.
In Valdez’s first defense, Hiroshige Osawa was bowled over inside of seven rounds last November. But then Miguel Marriaga gave Valdez a decent scrap on April 22 of this year, to be fair, at least making Valdez work 12 rounds for the win. Marriaga was a step up, and it showed, though Valdez did dig deep and proven he can do that, at least at that level.
There’s a lot of reason to like Valdez. Even as an amateur, it was clear he was better suited to the pro ranks, and thus far he has not disappointed. He’s fun to watch, looks to win by knockout when he can, and has an agreeable personality. There’s still a level or two for him to explore before he’s an elite fighter, though.

Genesis Servania

Record: 29-0 (12 KO) ... Streak: W29 ... Last 5: 5-0 ... Last 10: 10-0 ... Stance: Orthodox ... Height/Reach: 5'6½" / N/A ... Age: 26

Servania is an iffy challenger on paper, a good offensive fighter who lacks power and is at his best when he’s being aggressive and using that to control a fight. Of course, that could be a recipe for disaster against the aggressive, harder-punching Valdez.

In other words, the Filipino challenger will probably have to be close to perfect to actually win — Valdez doesn’t lack for skill, even if it’s not his greatest asset or the first thing you think about with him, and Servania isn’t a classic boxer himself, so the idea that he can tactically outbox Valdez is probably out the window. It would require something of a change in disposition from Servania, at least based on the handful of his fights I’ve seen.



And that’s really the toughest thing here: the footage available of Servania tells us what he’s like, sure, but it tells us what he’s like against opponents such as Konosuke Tomiyama and Juan Luis Hernandez, who are not Oscar Valdez. Those fights were also at 122 pounds, where he campaigned until his last fight in April, a win over Ralph Jhon Lulu in Japan.



So Servania is one of those title challengers who has some talent, but is largely unproven. Maybe he can fight at this level. Maybe he’ll get smashed.

Co Main Event - Preview



Gilberto Ramirez

Record: 35-0 (24 KO) ... Streak: W35 ... Last 5: 5-0 ... Last 10: 10-0 ... Stance: Southpaw ... Height/Reach: 6'2½" / 75" ... Age: 26

Nothing about Zurdo Ramirez really excites me, but he’s a guy who is going to win a lot of fights before all is said and done.

He’s long and tall for the division — though Jesse Hart actually has slight advantages in both height and reach, at least as officially listed — and he’s a smart fighter. He’s got some power, but he doesn’t rely on it. At his best, Ramirez keeps range, uses volume punching, and shuts down an opponent’s offense with his own. He’s no brilliant defensive fighter, so he creates defense out of his offense, which can be very effective when done well.

Ramirez’s HBO debut, and thus his introduction to many fight fans, came in January 2015, when he scraped out a win over Maxim Vlasov. It wasn’t impressive, especially given some of the hype behind him from his promoters at Top Rank. But since then, it’s pretty easily arguable he hasn’t lost a round against Derek Edwards, Gevorg Khatchikian, Arthur Abraham, and Max Bursak.

His win over Bursak didn’t set the boxing world ablaze or anything, especially coming a year after his dominance over Abraham, but it was solid and professional. Now, without a long break between fights, we’ll see what he can do against someone who is at least more physically challenging.

Jesse Hart

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Record: 22-0 (18 KO) ... Streak: W22 ... Last 5: 5-0 ... Last 10: 10-0 ... Stance: Orthodox ... Height/Reach: 6’3" / 77½" ... Age: 28

The son of 1970s middleweight Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, Jesse Hart is a Philadelphia native and potential style problem for a lot of fighters at 168, including Gilberto Ramirez.

But this is a big, big step up for Hart, too. His best opponent to date is probably Alan Campa, whom he defeated via TKO-5 on April 8 of this year, and then you get into names like Aaron Pryor Jr, Dashon Johnson, and Andrew Hernandez. All decent tests for Hart’s level at the time, but a world away from the world stage.

This is the sort of “thrown into the fire” matchup that makes me wonder if Top Rank matchmakers doubt how far Hart can really go. The optimist in me says that Top Rank wanted to make a good, in-house fight between two strong young super middleweights. The cynic in me — and with boxing, the cynic is right more often than not — wonders if perhaps Top Rank is looking to get this fight out of Hart if nothing else. Feed him to Ramirez and move on from there, basically.

We’ll see. It’s up to Jesse Hart to make this shot count. We kind of all know what Ramirez can do, but Hart hasn’t proven one way or the other if he can fight at this level. Now’s his shot.

 

[surv2syn]

pretty meaningless titles, but I like the participants, especially Hart. really interested in him taking that next step.

 

[patscorpio]

pretty meaningless titles, but I like the participants, especially Hart. really interested in him taking that next step.

I'm not high on zurdo at all ..def rooting for Hart to become champion

 

[The axe murderer]

Oscar's rise continues

 

[mr. smoke weed]

pretty meaningless titles, but I like the participants, especially Hart. really interested in him taking that next step.

Young Oscar Valdez has risen to under boss of #SmokeSquad. With the recent retirement of Bad Ass Tim Bradley, a new face may hope to replicate his service. Valdez is going to have the challenge of becoming the new ' Mr. Gimme That Zero', against Genesis Servania. Fighting in front of his family near his home town, Valdez is sure to impress the mostly Mexican crowd. Oscar made sure to re-iterate that he's dedicating the fight (on advice from #SmokeSquad council) to the Mexicans that dikk head Trump is trying to deport.

Also advice for Servania;

 

[patscorpio]

Photos: Valdez-Servania, Ramirez-Hart - On Weight For War

Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) world champions ÓSCAR VALDEZ and GILBERTO "Zurdo" RAMIREZ will headline and exciting world championship event This Friday! September 22, at Tucson Arena (260 South Church Ave., Tucson, AZ 85701.) Photos by Mikey Williams.

Valdez (22-0, 19 KOs), a two-time Mexican Olympian with strong roots in Tucson, will be defending his WBO featherweight title against the WBO's No. 4 world-rated contender GENESIS SERVANIA (29-0, 12 KOs), of Bacolod City, Philippines.

WBO super middleweight champion Ramirez (35-0, 24 KOs), from Mazatlan Mexico, will take on No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger JESSE "Hard Work" HART (22-0, 18 KOs), of Philadelphia, PA, in the grudge match of the year. The four warriors boast a perfect combined record of 108-0 (73 KOs) with nearly 70% of their victories coming by way of knockout.

WEIGHTS

Valdez 125.8
Servania 125.4

Ramirez 167.8
Hart 167.6

The event will be further enhanced with the addition of Irish Olympic hero MICHAEL "MICK" CONLAN, 2016 U.S. Olympian MIKAELA MAYER and the battle for the vacant NABF welterweight title between EGIS KAVALIAUSKAS and MAHONRI MONTES. Conlan (3-0, 3 KOs) will rumble in six-round featherweight bout against Kenny Guzman (3-0, 1 KO), Kalispell, Montana, and Mayer (1-0, 1 KO) will take on Allison Martinez (1-2, 1 KO) from Spring, Texas, in a four-round lightweight bout.

Both world championship fights and Conlan’s six-round featherweight battle against Kenny Guzman (3-0, 1 KO), of Kalispell, Montana, will be televised live and exclusively at 10:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and stream live on the ESPN app. The entire card will be available via the ESPN app beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.

 

[patscorpio]

Hart fights for title and family legacy


Story by John DiSanto – PhillyBoxingHistory.com
Photos by Darryl Cobb Jr. – dcobbjr.com

Number one WBO super middleweight contender Jesse Hart, 22-0, 18 KOs, finally gets his shot at a world title after a lifetime of preparation, enormous expectations, and two generations of familial waiting. Hart, the son of Philly middleweight legend, Cyclone Hart, faces WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez, 35-0, 24 KOs, Friday night, in Arizona at the Tucson Convention Center, live on ESPN.

Even before Hart’s father brought him to a boxing gym, with a mission to turn the boy into an Olympic and professional boxing champion, high hopes have always surrounded Jesse Hart. He was a celebrated amateur whose sure-fire streak toward a Gold Medal at the London Olympics in 2012, was aborted by a pair of bad decisions in two different divisions which ended his Olympic dream at the box-offs level.

Undeterred, instead of chasing Gold in London, Hart turned pro that same summer in Las Vegas. It began a twenty-two bout winning streak that brings him to Friday’s fight for the WBO championship.

Along the way, Hart has proven himself to be a solid prospect – powerful, fast, hard-working, and bigger than your typical 168-pounder. He’s faced some good opponents, but none with the credentials or the reputation of the left-handed champion, Ramirez.

The fight figures to be a difficult assignment. However, Hart carries an easy confidence and believes that his fabled bloodline will give him the edge that is needed to beat the champ and bring the title home to a city hungry for winners, and a family eager to secure its name as one of Philadelphia’s royal families of boxing.

In addition, Hart’s head trainer, Fred “Herk” Jenkins, Sr. is looking to add another world champion to his own legacy. At 25, Jenkins steered North Philly’s Charlie “Choo” Brown to the IBF lightweight crown. Since then, he’s guided countless fighters at North Philly’s ABC Rec Center Boxing Gym, on 26th and Master Streets. However, not one of them has won a world title since Brown in 1984.

Fred’s taken other fighters into title fights, and he’s been betrayed by numerous fighters who’ve left him for other coaches, after tapping Jenkins’ vast experience. But only Charlie Brown has officially added a title belt to Jenkins’ resume. Still, Jenkins is considered one of Philly very best trainers.

So it is legacy that most drives Jesse Hart. His legacy as a Philly fighter and his legacy as a Hart.

“My Dad was one of the best middleweights not just in Philadelphia, but in middleweight history,” Hart said. “He had deadly knockout shots. Ring Magazine called him one of the 100 greatest punchers of all time. My Dad is listed number 56 out of every fighter we ever saw in the world.

“I come from a healthy bloodline,” he said. “I was groomed to be this. I was groomed to be a fighter. Everything was built around me to be a fighter. If I had been anything else, it would have been disappointing to my family and the family legacy that I have to carry on.”

To be certain, everyone is counting on Jesse to deliver, but that pressure doesn’t hurt him. In fact, he says, it has the opposite effect.

“It gives me a lot of confidence because my mother told me that Fred Jenkins drove my father to the hospital when I was being born,” Hart said. “I was born in 1989, and the fact that he and my father are still in my corner, tells me that this is what I was destined to be. He (Jenkins) has been a trainer his whole life. My Dad has been a fighter his whole life. I’ve been groomed to be this. That’s legacy. That’s heritage. I have something behind me, and that’s the Hart name.”

So Jesse’s time is now.

“My father always said, ‘in due time’, Hart said. “Everything comes in due time. I wasn’t ready before. I just had self-belief. You got to believe in yourself first. Everybody else can believe in you, but if it don’t start with you, it don’t mean nothing.

“The preparation has been great, Hart said. “I see this guy (Ramirez) everywhere I go. He’s on the front of my phone. He’s in my bedroom. He’s on the mirror. I got a picture of him on the mirror. I’ve been eating, sleeping, and breathing this guy since July 5th (the opening of camp).

“I’m more focused than anything. You can’t get caught up in the hype of things. If you do, it’s overwhelming. You want to stay focused, calm going into this type of situation.”

To wrest the title, he has to go through “Zurdo” Ramirez, an undefeated Mexican in his second title defense. Also a Top Rank fighter, Ramirez is currently considered the best super middleweight in the world.

“Herk has always said, ‘In order to be the best, you got to beat the best’,” Hart said of his trainer.

“Ramirez say he going to walk right to Jesse,” Jenkins said. “If he walks to Jesse, it’s all over. It’s going to be an early night. We’re ready to go twelve rounds, twelve rounds, nonstop. We ready to rumble.”

“I want to win,” Hart said. “I want to win. I’m not really looking for no knockout, but if it comes it comes. I’m looking to win. I’m really looking to win.”

“This is going to be big,” Hart said of his potential title victory. “Not just for the city, but for my family legacy. My Dad was rated #3 in the world, but never landed a title shot. To take it further than he did, I got to win a world championship. I have to win it. That’s the family legacy. That’s most important for my own legacy.

“The money don’t really move me,” Hart said. “To be great, you have to become a champion. You have to be able to stand out.

They always say ‘be the best that you can be’, but that’s an understatement. You have to be the best ever. Being the best you can be is acceptable, if that’s all you want to do. If you don’t want to stand out. To stand out, you have to say I’m the best at it.”

A little more than a year ago, Hart struggled against Dashon Johnson, a road warrior from California, who dropped Jesse in the final round of an exciting ten rounder. Hart came off the floor and won a convincing decision in a fight that was named the “2016 Philly Fight of the Year”. However the close call added many doubters to Hart’s following.

“I’m different this time around,” Hart said. “I got smarter, a lot smarter. (Now I’m) planting my feet right. I know what kind of weight to put on my shots. There’s a lot I’ve learned. That fight I had here a year ago (Dashon Johnson), I didn’t get what my Dad and Herk said (right away). They said that it was the best thing that ever happened to me. That it taught me a lot. I still dominated that fight, but I learned and I grew.

“I grew up,” Hart continued. “When you grow up, you have to be ready to change everything you do. You have to listen. That’s the most important thing, to listen. That fight humbled me in way to make me learn. It opened my mind. I look at the experience that I gained.”

Hart fought once more after the Johnson fight, an impressive TKO of Alan Campa in April. Then the title fight finally materialized.

“After my last fight, my Dad said that I was ready to take the title shot,” Jesse said. “This fight (Ramirez) was my Dad’s (doing). I’ve been patient, and I’ve been telling you guys that I want a title shot. But I wasn’t ready. Deep down, Fred Jenkins and my Dad knew when I was ready. They knew when I was prepared. They said (against Campa) I was calm, I was poised, and I didn’t get over anxious. It’s time now. My Dad started me out on this thing. So who knows better than my Dad? Six years old, he started me with this. After that last fight, he said, ‘You’re ready.’ Then he called Bob (Arum), and Bob made the fight.”

Hart gets his shot Friday night on ESPN, and if his Dad is right, Philly will have a brand new world boxing champion.

To read more about the Philly fight scene – past and present – visit www.phillyboxinghistory.com.

 

[patscorpio]

 

[patscorpio]

bradley on this broadcast?

 

[patscorpio]

man conlan looks a lot bigger than the jobber hes facing

 

[patscorpio]

that was a sick KO..it was coming though

 

[Creflo ½ Dollar]

That black ring girl is tough...but yea conlan flatlined breh..

 

[patscorpio]

 

[mr. smoke weed]

#SmokeSquad in the building

 

[patscorpio]

lets go Hart