#LatePass
I finally got my hands on Creed, so I'm finna spark up an enjoy.
I finally got my hands on Creed, so I'm finna spark up an enjoy.
Essential The Official Boxing Random Thoughts Thread...All boxing heads ENTER.
- Thread starter Jesus Is Lord
- Start date
at Mikey Garcia fukking off his career like that.
Dude's counter punches were beautiful. I might have to pop in the Salido tape.
just like his brother robert breh...robert and mikey fukked off their careers because of discipline issues..robert was a nice fighter in his day but mikey was 10x the fighter..it is a shame
looks ESPN and Boxingscene are in agreement with the fight of the year: Takashi Miura-Francisco Miura
from ESPN
from ESPN
Friday, January 1, 2016
2015 fight of the year: Francisco Vargas TKO9 Takashi Miura
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Just before the opening bell of junior lightweight titlist Takashi Miura's defense against Francisco Vargas, HBO analyst Max Kellerman told the television audience, "On paper, this has a chance to be something really good."
Yes, expectations were for an exciting fight, but nobody could have imagined what we wound up seeing, as Kellerman's comment turned out to be a massive understatement.
Rafael's Fights of the Year
2015: Franciso Vargas TKO9 Takashi Miura 2014: Franciso Rodriguez Jr. W12 Katsunari Takayama 2013: Timothy Bradley Jr. W12 Ruslan Provodnikov 2012: Juan Manuel Marquez KO6 Manny Pacquiao (IV) 2011: Akira Yaegashi TKO10 Pornsawan Porpramook 2010: Humberto Soto W12 Urbano Antillon 2009: Juan Manuel Marquez KO9 Juan Diaz (I) 2008: Israel Vazquez W12 Rafael Marquez (III) 2007: Israel Vazquez TKO6 Rafael Marquez (II) 2006: Somsak Sithchatchawal TKO10 Mahyar Monshipour 2005: Diego Corrales TKO10 Jose Luis Castillo (I) 2004: Marco Antonio Barrera W12 Erik Morales (III) 2003: Arturo Gatti W10 Micky Ward (III) 2002: Micky Ward W10 Arturo Gatti (I) 2001: Micky Ward W10 Emanuel Burton 2000: Felix Trinidad TKO12 Fernando Vargas
Back and forth, Miura and Vargas pounded each other in a compelling war filled with clean power punches that tested each man's will to the fullest extent and culminated in one of the great comebacks in boxing history.
Vargas' ninth-round knockout of Miura to win a junior lightweight world title was perhaps the most dramatic comeback since the late Diego Corrales used a legendary 10th-round rally to stop Jose Luis Castillo and unify lightweight titles in 2005.
Many thought the main event Nov. 21 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas -- Miguel Cotto-Canelo Alvarez for the middleweight title -- would challenge for fight of the year consideration. But while Cotto-Alvarez was indeed terrific, it had nothing on Miura-Vargas, which stole the show and boxing fans' hearts, and rightfully earned 2015 ESPN.com fight of the year honors.
Japan's Miura (29-3-2, 22 KOs), a power-punching southpaw making his fifth defense, came to the United States for the first time to meet Vargas (23-0-1, 17 KOs), his Mexican mandatory challenger, and they produced a bout that had everything you want in a prizefight: big punches, knockdowns, blood, heart, supreme action and big-time drama.
Vargas looked like he might score a first-round knockout when he badly hurt Miura with a right hand to the center of his face. He battered him in the round and dished out so much punishment that one judge scored it 10-8 for Vargas despite there being no knockdown.
Miura had completely shaken off the rough start by the fourth round when he nailed Vargas, whose right eye was damaged, with a clean left to the face with a few seconds left in the round for a knockdown. In the fifth round, he had Vargas in deep trouble again, and his right eye, now with a cut above it and below, was swelling badly and closing.
Miura looked like he was going to score a knockout in the eighth round when he buckled Vargas with a left hand. After the round the ringside doctor examined Vargas in the corner, and the fight was on the verge of being stopped because his eye was such a mess.
Then came the memorable ninth round. Vargas, down on two scorecards and even on the third, knew he needed to do something big, and he did with an improbable and electrifying rally, as he connected with a four-punch combination to drop Miura hard in the opening seconds. Miura scrambled to his feet, but he was in desperate trouble. Vargas nailed him repeatedly until referee Tony Weeks -- the Corrales-Castillo I ref -- stopped it at 1:31, sending the largely Mexican crowd that had come for Alvarez into delirium.
Vargas' comeback made it hard not to think of him as something of a Mexican Arturo Gatti, the late Hall of Famer whose legend was built by comebacks in title fights in the same division Vargas had just claimed one.
"That is as dramatic a fight as you can see," Kellerman exclaimed at the conclusion. "What a performance. What a special event both these guys created!"
Kellerman had said it had a chance "to be something really good." In the end, we were fortunate to get something really great.
Other unforgettables:
2. Krzysztof Glowacki KO11 Marco Huck (Aug. 14 at Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey)
Krzysztof Glowacki's knockout of long-reigning cruiserweight titlist Marco Huck was one of 2015's most stunning upsets.
How good was this ferocious toe-to-toe slugfest? Besides being fight of the year runner-up, the sixth round (in which Glowacki was dropped hard but stormed back) was round of the year, Glowacki's unexpected cruiserweight title victory was an upset of the year candidate, and his devastating knockout that left Huck hanging like a dish towel on the ropes was a KO of the year candidate. The fight was supposed to be a coronation for Huck, who was seeking to set the cruiserweight title defense record at 14, and it looked like he would, especially after dropping Glowacki. But the determined Glowacki, down on the scorecards going into the 11th, wouldn't be denied as he dropped Huck for the first time in his career and finished him with a series of thudding shots that drove Huck into the ropes until he slumped between them as referee David Fields dramatically waved it off at 2:39.
3. Lucas Matthysse W12 Ruslan Provodnikov (April 18 at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York)
Lucas Matthysse, right, came away with a majority decision following 12 brutal rounds against Ruslan Provodnikov in April.
Matthysse was half of the 2014 Boxing Writers Association of America fight of the year, and Provodnikov was half of the 2013 consensus FOY. So when they were matched, expectations were that the junior welterweight warriors would produce a memorable battle. That's exactly what they delivered, going at each other with abandon from the opening bell. It was the quicker and slicker Matthysse matching wits with the straight-ahead Provodnikov, who bled from a cut over his eye from the second round on, for 12 thrilling and violent rounds. In the end, Matthysse won a majority decision in a fight that was filled with heavy back-and-forth exchanges.
4. Canelo Alvarez KO3 James Kirkland (May 9 at Minute Maid Park, Houston)
Canelo Alvarez combined with slugger James Kirkland to produce three memorable rounds in front of a rabid crowd at Houston's Minute Maid Park.
Alvarez, looking to set up a shot at middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, met power brawler Kirkland and they went to war in a sensational shootout waged against the backdrop of the spectacular atmosphere of a baseball stadium filled with a roaring crowd of 31,588. It was like "Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns light" as 2015 fighter of the year Alvarez and Kirkland immediately charged each other. Alvarez survived rocky early moments to drop Kirkland with a right hand in the first round. They didn't let up in the second, trading toe-to-toe as the battle raged on. In the third, Alvarez delivered a brutal uppercut to floor Kirkland again and then ended it with a howitzer right hand that knocked Kirkland out cold at 2:19 for the KO of the year.
5. Leo Santa Cruz W12 Abner Mares (Aug. 29 at Staples Center, Los Angeles)
Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares combined to throw an astonishing 2,037 punches during their featherweight title bout in Los Angeles.
It didn't take a genius to know this would be a great fight, which is why fans were demanding it. When we finally got it, it lived up to the hype, as Santa Cruz won a vacant featherweight belt and L.A. bragging rights. Fighting before an electric crowd of 13,109, they waged an old-fashioned all-Mexican slugfest, brawling from the outset and trading shots at a breakneck pace. Mares applied intense pressure, and while Santa Cruz was also slugging, he was able to subtlety box as well, leading to his majority decision in a fight in which they combined to throw an outlandish 2,037 punches and land 600.
6. Andrzej Fonfara W12 Nathan Cleverly (Oct. 16 at UIC Pavilion, Chicago)
Light heavyweights Andrzej Fonfara and Nathan Cleverly combined to break multiple CompuBox punch records during their fast-paced bout in Chicago.
The light heavyweight contenders put on an incredibly fast-paced fight that was tiring just to watch, as they exchanged punches at close quarters every round. It looked like a video game as they crushed multiple CompuBox records with their awesome output, although Fonfara was the rightful winner of the close fight. How much action was there? They set four light heavyweight division CompuBox records: most combined punches thrown (2,524), most combined punches landed (936), most individual punches thrown (Fonfara, 1,413) and most individual punches landed (Fonfara, 474). Cleverly landed 462, second most in CompuBox light heavyweight history.
7. James DeGale W12 Lucian Bute (Nov. 28 at Videotron Centre, Quebec City)
Former titlist Lucian Bute erased any thought that he was well past his best days by slugging toe to toe with 168-pound titlist James DeGale .
Super middleweight titleholder DeGale traveled to Bute's turf for a fight many thought would be easy work against a faded ex-titleholder. But Bute, filled with pride and still darn good, wasn't going down without a fight. They went at it tooth and nail at a high skill level and gave everything they had while emptying their tanks with a relentless pace in a fantastic fight. DeGale always seemed in control, but Bute had many good moments, surged in the second half, did damage in the ninth round and finished strong as they went toe-to-toe in a gripping 12th round, closing it out like two animals fighting for a scrap of food.
8. Nonito Donaire W12 Cesar Juarez (Dec. 11 at Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Nonito Donaire survived a much tougher test than expected against a determined Cesar Juarez in their vacant junior featherweight title bout.
Donaire reclaimed a vacant junior featherweight title in a fight much tougher than expected as he and an extremely game Juarez produced a dramatic and hard-hitting fight that had knockdowns, ebb and flow and blood. Even though Donaire won a wide decision this was a grueling fight, which he called his toughest ever. At first it looked like Donaire would have it easy, as he repeatedly rocked Juarez in the early rounds and dropped him twice in the fourth round. But Juarez rallied over the second half of the fight, dished out his own punishment and had Donaire in trouble in the eighth round.
9. Jorge Linares TKO10 Kevin Mitchell (May 30 at O2 Arena, London)
Kevin Mitchell, left, scored an early knockdown before lightweight titlist Jorge Linares rallied to stop him in Round 10 of their dramatic fight.
Linares traveled to Mitchell's turf for a lightweight title defense, and they put on an exciting, competitive back-and-forth battle. Linares was dropped early in the fifth round, but he made a strong comeback, opening a terrible cut over Mitchell's left eye in the eighth round. In the 10th round, Linares battered Mitchell, opened a cut on his nose and raised swelling around his left eye. Mitchell was in bad shape but pressed forward as the crowd roared until Linares finally floored him with a right hand. Although Mitchell beat the count, he was done, and referee Victor Loughlin stopped it at 2:57, ending an epic fight that delivered action, skill, heart, knockdowns and drama.
10. Edwin Rodriguez TKO3 Michael Seals (Nov. 13 at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi)
Light heavyweight Edwin Rodriguez was forced to get up off the canvas twice in Round 1 before stopping Michael Seals two rounds later.
Few expected anything memorable out of these light heavyweights, but they wound up delivering tremendous action in a shootout, combining for five knockdowns, three in the wild first round. Rodriguez looked like he was going to make it a very quick fight when he dropped Seals face-first with a left hand 30 seconds into the bout. But Seals then dropped Rodriguez hard before he turned the tables and floored Rodriguez again in the final seconds. Rodriguez dropped Seals again in the second and finished him early in the third in this rock 'em, sock 'em affair.
More slobber knockers: Rocky Martinez-Orlando Salido I, Martinez-Salido II, Sergey Kovalev-Jean Pascal, Pascal-Yunieski Gonzalez, Dave Ryan-John Wayne Hibbert II, Anthony Joshua-Dillian Whyte, Chris Arreola-Curtis Harper, Omar Figueroa-Ricky Burns, David Lemieux-Hassan N'Dam, Masao Nakamura-Daiki Kaneko, Jamie Conlan-Junior Granados.
BoxingScene 2015 Fight of the Year: Vargas TKO9 Miura
By Cliff Rold
It came down to a choice between two memorable affairs. Both had that one special ingredient that separates the best of nominees when we’re talking about the premiere fight of a given year:
Escalation.
There are many wonderful fights each and every year. Occasions where two warriors beat each other silly for our entertainment, taking our breath away with each lash of leather landed. Fights of escalation are a different breed.
They build, round by grueling round, the momentum swinging. We think we’ve seen the most we can from both men and then they give us more. Digging into reserves of conditioning and character that we shouldn’t expect of fellow mortals, they battle until one man can give no more.
No other fight displayed these attributes with greater fury and passion than the staff choice for 2015’s Fight of the Year. It was an honor to watch it.
2015 Fight of the Year: Franisco Vargas TKO9 Takashi Miura (11/21/2015)
On paper, it looked like it had a chance to steal the show on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez-Miguel Cotto. It did just that. Vargas, the challenger, came into the bout undefeated and riding a three-fight knockout streak. Miura, the WBC 130 lb. titlist, was attempting his fifth title defense and hadn’t lost since being stopped by WBA 130 lb. beltholder Takashi Uchiyama in 2011. Miura had won nine straight and, like Vargas, was riding a streak of three knockouts.
One man would run their streak to four, with both appearing close along the way. Ultimately, it was Vargas battling through a closed eye with the Gatti-esque finish to the best fight at 130 lbs. since the modern day fabulous four of Pacquiao, Marquez, Morales, and Barrera made the division their own.
As reported by Jake Donovan here at BoxingScene:
Miura was nearly stopped in round one after catching a straight right hand on the chin. How he managed to remain on his feet is a mystery, but Vargas didn't waste any time in going for the kill. The unbeaten boxer from Mexico City was unable to put him away and nearly paid the price.
After catching heavy leather through two-plus rounds, Miura turned the tide late in round three. Thudding body shots and sharp left hands upstairs began to take a toll on Vargas, who was forced to contend with a cut under his right eye.
One round later, he was forced to contend with the first knockdown of his boxing life. Never down as a pro or amateur, Vargas hit the deck courtesy of a straight left as Miura treated the cut as a bullseye. The wound developed into a gusher, as Vargas was forced on the defensive while Miura unloaded his offensive arsenal.
The trend continued over the next few rounds, with Vargas' eye worsening. He enjoyed a rally in round eight, only to get caught late in the frame and suddenly forced to deal with cuts now under and over his right eye.
Whatever speech was given in between rounds needs to be put to print and framed in gyms around the world. Vargas came out with both clips reloaded, dropping Miura early in round nine. The sequence proved to be the beginning of the end, as Miura was never able to regain his legs.
Vargas sensed blood in the water and went in for the kill. Miura threw back just enough to allow referee Tony Weeks to extend the bout further, but an ensuing flurry by the challenger prompted the third man to intervene.
The official time was 1:31 of round nine. Miura was ahead on two scorecards - 77-74 and 76-75 - while the third judge had the fight even at 75-75 at the time of the stoppage.
Runner-up
Krzysztof Glowacki KO11 Marco Huck (08/14/2015): For months, this was the leader in the clubhouse for many fight aficionados. For all the grief heavyweight has received for its lack of classic battles in the last decade or so, the next biggest boys in boxing have continued to thrill. Huck has been a big part of that, involved in several memorable cruiserweight clashes. None was ever better than this and, unfortunately for him, that spelled doom.
Like Vargas-Miura, this was a fight that saw the action escalate multiple times. It would look like it was over and then the next twist in the story would unfold. When it was over we had a big upset and a new entrant in the category of best cruiserweight fight not featuring Evander Holyfield and Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
Others Receiving Honorable Mention (in date order)
Roman Martinez-Orlando Salido I & II (04/11/2015 and 09/12/2015): They did it twice. It should have been no surprise. Both men have been involved in wars over the years. Placed together, they couldn’t help but engage in 24 rounds of thrilling savagery. The first time, Salido entered as the WBO titlist at 130 lbs. and lost his title on the road. The second time, as the highlight of the Floyd Mayweather-Andre Berto show, Martinez was lucky to escape with the belt. Picking between them was tough work, so the choice is made to honor them together.
Jean Pascal UD10 Yunieski Gonzalez (07/25/2015): There is room to argue about whether the judges got this one right. There is no argument about the quality of this light heavyweight scrap. Making his first start since being stopped by unified titlist Sergey Kovalev four months earlier, the former lineal 175 lb. king Pascal was trying to get a rematch. Gonzalez was trying to take his place in the ranks.
Andrzej Fonfara UD12 Nathan Cleverly (10/16/2015): If he’d done nothing else in 2015, Fonfara’s stoppage of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. would have been enough to earn gratitude from fans of serious professionals. It wasn’t all he did. This light heavyweight war featured an absurd number of punches thrown and landed. It furthered Fonfara’s place as one of the best contenders in class. It redeemed a Cleverly who’d looked listless since losing the WBO belt to Sergey Kovalev in 2013.
Edwin Rodriguez TKO3 Michael Seals (11/13/2015): This was sort of a poor man’s Frankie Liles-Tim Little, a super middleweight title classic in the 1990s. A former title challenger in that class, Rodriguez now makes his home at light heavyweight. Seals almost played the big bad wolf that blew that home over. There were knockdowns in every round with both hitting the floor in the first. Seals showed fire but it was the guts of Rodriguez, refusing to be finished in the first, which made the story in this violent, shoot out.
Nonito Donaire UD12 Cesar Juarez (12/11/2015): Donaire, a four-division titlist once considered among the very best in any weight class, has been a roller coaster ride since 2013. An outclassing at the hands of Guillermo Rigondeaux cost him the lineal crown at 122 lbs. He won a belt at 126 but was promptly knocked out by Nicholas Walters. Against Juarez, he had a chance to win back a vacant WBO belt at 122 but got more than he could have bargained for in the most thrilling fight of his career.
What a fire end of the year. Sick ass novembreh as well
charknicks
All Star
Top 20 knockouts of 2015. Which one you think should be #1?
Axum Ezana
Driving in the fast lane
Knicksman20
Superstar
Amare's Right Hook
Southeast World Champion
The Guerrero's are ready to counter Long dikk Style.
The Guerrero's are ready to counter Long dikk Style.
That picture looks gangsta as shyt
That picture looks gangsta as shyt
the funny thing is i can see monroe really giving canelo a hard night out on some spoiler shyt..a slick fighter vs a fighter who can't cut off the ring
Canelo vs Rosado or Monroe? 