Jermall Charlo dominates, but can’t stop Juan Montiel

Jermall Charlo dominated Juan Montiel en route to a near-shutout decision Saturday in Houston.

Let the criticism begin.

Jermall Charlo dominated Juan Macias Montiel in defense of his middleweight title, winning a near-shutout decision Saturday night at Toyota Center in Houston.

However, he couldn’t do what almost everyone thought he would do — stop the overmatched Mexican, which certainly will have brought out the doubters.

Charlo, making the fourth defense of his belt, outclassed and outworked Montiel, picking the challenger apart much of the fight with his jab and hard, accurate power shots.

The Houston native landed 46% of his power shots, according to CompuBox. He also outlanded Montiel overall 258-127.

And, yes, there were a few moments when it seemed as if Charlo would end the fight inside the distance. He hurt Montiel early in Rounds 5 and 6 and followed with barrages meant to finish the job.

However, Montiel, obviously durable and in excellent condition, survived it all and actually had his best rounds down the stretch.

Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) continued to land more punches than his opponent but Montiel (22-5-2, 22 KOs) connected on some hard, eye-catching blows in the last third of the fight, when it was clear he needed a knockout to win.

Montiel wasn’t particularly good but he definitely was resilient, although that wasn’t reflected on the scorecards. Charlo won 120-108, 119-109 and 118-109. Boxing Junkie scored it 120-107 for Charlo.

And it should be noted that all of Montiel’s victories have come by knockout, meaning he can punch. Thus, Charlo also demonstrated a good chin.

Of course, some will give Charlo credit for a convincing victory. Others will question his power, particularly in light of the fact that Jaime Munguia stopped Montiel in 2017.

Bottom line: He got the job the done and it wasn’t close. He’ll now focus on getting big-name opponents into the ring.

[lawrence-related id=21256,21252]

 

 

Jermall Charlo dominates, but can’t stop Juan Montiel

Jermall Charlo dominated Juan Montiel en route to a near-shutout decision Saturday in Houston.

Let the criticism begin.

Jermall Charlo dominated Juan Macias Montiel in defense of his middleweight title, winning a near-shutout decision Saturday night at Toyota Center in Houston.

However, he couldn’t do what almost everyone thought he would do — stop the overmatched Mexican, which certainly will have brought out the doubters.

Charlo, making the fourth defense of his belt, outclassed and outworked Montiel, picking the challenger apart much of the fight with his jab and hard, accurate power shots.

The Houston native landed 46% of his power shots, according to CompuBox. He also outlanded Montiel overall 258-127.

And, yes, there were a few moments when it seemed as if Charlo would end the fight inside the distance. He hurt Montiel early in Rounds 5 and 6 and followed with barrages meant to finish the job.

However, Montiel, obviously durable and in excellent condition, survived it all and actually had his best rounds down the stretch.

Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) continued to land more punches than his opponent but Montiel (22-5-2, 22 KOs) connected on some hard, eye-catching blows in the last third of the fight, when it was clear he needed a knockout to win.

Montiel wasn’t particularly good but he definitely was resilient, although that wasn’t reflected on the scorecards. Charlo won 120-108, 119-109 and 118-109. Boxing Junkie scored it 120-107 for Charlo.

And it should be noted that all of Montiel’s victories have come by knockout, meaning he can punch. Thus, Charlo also demonstrated a good chin.

Of course, some will give Charlo credit for a convincing victory. Others will question his power, particularly in light of the fact that Jaime Munguia stopped Montiel in 2017.

Bottom line: He got the job the done and it wasn’t close. He’ll now focus on getting big-name opponents into the ring.

[lawrence-related id=21256,21252]

 

 

Angelo Leo gets past Aaron Alameda by majority decision

Angelo Leo defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday in Houston.

Angelo Leo is fortunate that he doesn’t have consecutive losses.

The former 122-pound titleholder, who lost his belt to Stephen Fulton in January, defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday night in Houston.

One judge had it 95-95 but the other two scored it for Leo, 98-92 and 96-94. Boxing Junkie scored it 95-95, a draw.

Leo (21-1, 9 KOs) and Alameda (25-2, 13 KOs) threw and landed about the same number of punches and both had good moments in a competitive, back-and-forth fight.

The winner did good body work, which is typical of him. But one could argue that Alameda landed more eye-catching punches, including a number of uppercuts.

Any score between 96-94 either way would’ve been acceptable. The 98-92 card of judge Eva Zaragoza didn’t reflect what happened in the ring.

With the victory, Leo, who lost a clear decision against Fulton, took a significant step toward another shot at a title.

And even in defeat, Alameda demonstrated that he can fight on even terms with a top junior featherweight for a second consecutive fight. He gave Luis Nery all he could handle in a unanimous-decision loss in September.

Angelo Leo gets past Aaron Alameda by majority decision

Angelo Leo defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday in Houston.

Angelo Leo is fortunate that he doesn’t have consecutive losses.

The former 122-pound titleholder, who lost his belt to Stephen Fulton in January, defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday night in Houston.

One judge had it 95-95 but the other two scored it for Leo, 98-92 and 96-94. Boxing Junkie scored it 95-95, a draw.

Leo (21-1, 9 KOs) and Alameda (25-2, 13 KOs) threw and landed about the same number of punches and both had good moments in a competitive, back-and-forth fight.

The winner did good body work, which is typical of him. But one could argue that Alameda landed more eye-catching punches, including a number of uppercuts.

Any score between 96-94 either way would’ve been acceptable. The 98-92 card of judge Eva Zaragoza didn’t reflect what happened in the ring.

With the victory, Leo, who lost a clear decision against Fulton, took a significant step toward another shot at a title.

And even in defeat, Alameda demonstrated that he can fight on even terms with a top junior featherweight for a second consecutive fight. He gave Luis Nery all he could handle in a unanimous-decision loss in September.

Angelo Leo gets past Aaron Alameda by majority decision

Angelo Leo defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday in Houston.

Angelo Leo is fortunate that he doesn’t have consecutive losses.

The former 122-pound titleholder, who lost his belt to Stephen Fulton in January, defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday night in Houston.

One judge had it 95-95 but the other two scored it for Leo, 98-92 and 96-94. Boxing Junkie scored it 95-95, a draw.

Leo (21-1, 9 KOs) and Alameda (25-2, 13 KOs) threw and landed about the same number of punches and both had good moments in a competitive, back-and-forth fight.

The winner did good body work, which is typical of him. But one could argue that Alameda landed more eye-catching punches, including a number of uppercuts.

Any score between 96-94 either way would’ve been acceptable. The 98-92 card of judge Eva Zaragoza didn’t reflect what happened in the ring.

With the victory, Leo, who lost a clear decision against Fulton, took a significant step toward another shot at a title.

And even in defeat, Alameda demonstrated that he can fight on even terms with a top junior featherweight for a second consecutive fight. He gave Luis Nery all he could handle in a unanimous-decision loss in September.

Angelo Leo gets past Aaron Alameda by majority decision

Angelo Leo defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday in Houston.

Angelo Leo is fortunate that he doesn’t have consecutive losses.

The former 122-pound titleholder, who lost his belt to Stephen Fulton in January, defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday night in Houston.

One judge had it 95-95 but the other two scored it for Leo, 98-92 and 96-94. Boxing Junkie scored it 95-95, a draw.

Leo (21-1, 9 KOs) and Alameda (25-2, 13 KOs) threw and landed about the same number of punches and both had good moments in a competitive, back-and-forth fight.

The winner did good body work, which is typical of him. But one could argue that Alameda landed more eye-catching punches, including a number of uppercuts.

Any score between 96-94 either way would’ve been acceptable. The 98-92 card of judge Eva Zaragoza didn’t reflect what happened in the ring.

With the victory, Leo, who lost a clear decision against Fulton, took a significant step toward another shot at a title.

And even in defeat, Alameda demonstrated that he can fight on even terms with a top junior featherweight for a second consecutive fight. He gave Luis Nery all he could handle in a unanimous-decision loss in September.

Weigh-in: Luis Nery, Brandon Figueroa make junior featherweight limit

Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa on Friday both made the junior featherweight limit for their fight Saturday in Carson, Calif.

Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa are ready to roll for their junior featherweight title fight Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. (Showtime).

Nery, who will be defending his WBC title, weighed in on Friday at the limit of 122.0 pounds. Figueroa came in at 121.2.

Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) defeated Aaron Alameda by a unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC 122-pound title this past Sept. 26, his first fight as a full-fledged junior featherweight. That ended the Mexican’s knockout streak at 11.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nxw0TYYpvM

Figueroa (21-0-1, 16 KOs) bounced back from a split draw against an overweight Julio Ceja in November 2019 to stop Damien Vazquez in 10 rounds on the same card Nery defeated Alameda.

The resident of Weslaco, Texas, will be fighting for his first major world title.

In two other featured fights, Xavier Martinez and Juan Carlos Burgos weighed 131.6 and 131.8, respectively, for their junior lightweight bout. And Daniel Roman weighed 122 for his junior featherweight bout against Ricardo Espinoza, who came in at 121.6.

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Weigh-in: Luis Nery, Brandon Figueroa make junior featherweight limit

Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa on Friday both made the junior featherweight limit for their fight Saturday in Carson, Calif.

Luis Nery and Brandon Figueroa are ready to roll for their junior featherweight title fight Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. (Showtime).

Nery, who will be defending his WBC title, weighed in on Friday at the limit of 122.0 pounds. Figueroa came in at 121.2.

Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) defeated Aaron Alameda by a unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC 122-pound title this past Sept. 26, his first fight as a full-fledged junior featherweight. That ended the Mexican’s knockout streak at 11.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nxw0TYYpvM

Figueroa (21-0-1, 16 KOs) bounced back from a split draw against an overweight Julio Ceja in November 2019 to stop Damien Vazquez in 10 rounds on the same card Nery defeated Alameda.

The resident of Weslaco, Texas, will be fighting for his first major world title.

In two other featured fights, Xavier Martinez and Juan Carlos Burgos weighed 131.6 and 131.8, respectively, for their junior lightweight bout. And Daniel Roman weighed 122 for his junior featherweight bout against Ricardo Espinoza, who came in at 121.6.

[lawrence-related id=20225,20219,20202]

Brandon Figueroa says he’s too big, too strong for Luis Nery

Brandon Figueroa says he’s too big, too strong for 122-pound titleholder Luis Nery, his opponent on Saturday.

Brandon Figueroa believes Luis Nery is making a mistake by fighting him on his turf Saturday on Showtime.

No, not the junior featherweight contender’s geographical turf. They’re meeting on neutral ground in Carson, Calif. We’re talking about his divisional territory. Figueroa is a natural 122-pounder, Nery maybe not.

Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) outpointed Aaron Alameda to win the WBC junior featherweight title in September but wasn’t as dominating as he had been at 118. The Mexican will be making his first defense.

“Nery is going to learn a lot about me on Saturday night,” Figueroa said on a Zoom call with reporters. “My size will definitely help me. I feel like he hasn’t fought a guy this big, this strong, and he’s going to find out on Saturday night.

“I know Luis Nery comes to fight,” he added later. “He’s a strong fighter at the 118-pound division but the 122-pound division is a different story.”

Brandon Figueroa is confident he’ll defeat Luis Nery on Saturday. Esther Lin / Showtime

Nery, whose knockout streak ended at 11 in the Alameda fight, dismisses any talk about size or punching power at his new weight. He blamed his so-so performance on poor training and Alameda’s technical style.

He said on the Zoom call that he plans to attack Figueroa like the Nery of old. That’s fine with the challenger, who relies on conditioning, toughness and high-volume punching to win fights. That formula has been effective thus far but he hasn’t faced anyone of Nery’s caliber.

Figueroa (21-0-1, 16 KOs) is about a 2½-1 underdog.

“I’ve trained tremendously for this fight,” said Figueroa, who is coming off a 10th-round knockout of Damien Vazquez on the same card Nery won his belt. “I have the best conditioning in the 122-pound division. My volume output speaks for itself and I feel like a lot of people underestimate me.

“After Saturday night, they won’t. Once the bell rings, it’s go-time and I come to fight. I come one hundred percent and I’m coming to take that belt home.”

The winner on Saturday is expected to face undefeated WBO champion Stephen Fulton in a title-unification bout in September.

Of course, Figueroa won’t look past Nery. He understands the challenge he’ll face at Dignity Health Sports Park. At the same time, he acknowledged that he has had an eye on the gifted Fulton.

“If it goes my way, Stephen Fulton is next and that’s a fight that I’ve been wanting for a long time,” Figueroa said. “It’s time to unify. If that’s not what you come to boxing for, then what are you in boxing for?

“… I just can’t wait for these big fights and these big names.”

[lawrence-related id=20219]

Brandon Figueroa says he’s too big, too strong for Luis Nery

Brandon Figueroa says he’s too big, too strong for 122-pound titleholder Luis Nery, his opponent on Saturday.

Brandon Figueroa believes Luis Nery is making a mistake by fighting him on his turf Saturday on Showtime.

No, not the junior featherweight contender’s geographical turf. They’re meeting on neutral ground in Carson, Calif. We’re talking about his divisional territory. Figueroa is a natural 122-pounder, Nery maybe not.

Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) outpointed Aaron Alameda to win the WBC junior featherweight title in September but wasn’t as dominating as he had been at 118. The Mexican will be making his first defense.

“Nery is going to learn a lot about me on Saturday night,” Figueroa said on a Zoom call with reporters. “My size will definitely help me. I feel like he hasn’t fought a guy this big, this strong, and he’s going to find out on Saturday night.

“I know Luis Nery comes to fight,” he added later. “He’s a strong fighter at the 118-pound division but the 122-pound division is a different story.”

Brandon Figueroa is confident he’ll defeat Luis Nery on Saturday. Esther Lin / Showtime

Nery, whose knockout streak ended at 11 in the Alameda fight, dismisses any talk about size or punching power at his new weight. He blamed his so-so performance on poor training and Alameda’s technical style.

He said on the Zoom call that he plans to attack Figueroa like the Nery of old. That’s fine with the challenger, who relies on conditioning, toughness and high-volume punching to win fights. That formula has been effective thus far but he hasn’t faced anyone of Nery’s caliber.

Figueroa (21-0-1, 16 KOs) is about a 2½-1 underdog.

“I’ve trained tremendously for this fight,” said Figueroa, who is coming off a 10th-round knockout of Damien Vazquez on the same card Nery won his belt. “I have the best conditioning in the 122-pound division. My volume output speaks for itself and I feel like a lot of people underestimate me.

“After Saturday night, they won’t. Once the bell rings, it’s go-time and I come to fight. I come one hundred percent and I’m coming to take that belt home.”

The winner on Saturday is expected to face undefeated WBO champion Stephen Fulton in a title-unification bout in September.

Of course, Figueroa won’t look past Nery. He understands the challenge he’ll face at Dignity Health Sports Park. At the same time, he acknowledged that he has had an eye on the gifted Fulton.

“If it goes my way, Stephen Fulton is next and that’s a fight that I’ve been wanting for a long time,” Figueroa said. “It’s time to unify. If that’s not what you come to boxing for, then what are you in boxing for?

“… I just can’t wait for these big fights and these big names.”

[lawrence-related id=20219]