Jesus Ramos Jr. defeated Brian Mendoza by a wide decision on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Another weight class, same result.
Jesus Ramos, fighting for the first time as a full-fledged junior middleweight, defeated Brian Mendoza by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout Sunday night at The Armory in Minneapolis.
Mendoza (19-2, 13 KOs) was a puzzle for Ramos (17-0, 14 KOs) in the first several rounds, when he used his feet to stay out of Ramos’ punching range and landed some eye-catching shots. However, by around Round 4, Ramos, fighting patiently, closed the distance and began to land consistently to the head and body.
Mendoza was competitive throughout but was outworked by Ramos and took far more punishment than the winner, particularly in the final few rounds. Thus, all three judges had the same score: 98-92, eight rounds to two.
Ramos, who had built a reputation as a knockout artist, has now won consecutive fights by decision. He outpointed Javier Molina in May.
“I felt strong in there,” Ramos said. “I have to go back and look at the tape and see what I did wrong, but I fought with a lot of energy. He caught me with some good punches early on, so I knew I was going to have to take my time with him. …
“I started breaking him down and I started going to the body and touching him a lot more. He was a strong dude with a good team behind him. I knew he was going to come prepared, and I liked the competitiveness he brought.”
Ramos, only 20, has been a welterweight contender but evidently will campaign as a junior middleweight going forward. He wants to win a world title before he turns 22. However, for now, he just intends to stay busy.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to get back in the ring once more this year and finish out strong,” he said. “I’ll talk to my team and we’ll go from there.”
In the co-main event, lightweight Starling Castillo(16-0, 12 KOs) defeated Juan Carlos Burgos(34-6-2, 21 KOs) by a unanimous decision in a 10-rounder.
Jesus Ramos Jr. defeated Brian Mendoza by a wide decision on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Another weight class, same result.
Jesus Ramos, fighting for the first time as a full-fledged junior middleweight, defeated Brian Mendoza by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout Sunday night at The Armory in Minneapolis.
Mendoza (19-2, 13 KOs) was a puzzle for Ramos (17-0, 14 KOs) in the first several rounds, when he used his feet to stay out of Ramos’ punching range and landed some eye-catching shots. However, by around Round 4, Ramos, fighting patiently, closed the distance and began to land consistently to the head and body.
Mendoza was competitive throughout but was outworked by Ramos and took far more punishment than the winner, particularly in the final few rounds. Thus, all three judges had the same score: 98-92, eight rounds to two.
Ramos, who had built a reputation as a knockout artist, has now won consecutive fights by decision. He outpointed Javier Molina in May.
“I felt strong in there,” Ramos said. “I have to go back and look at the tape and see what I did wrong, but I fought with a lot of energy. He caught me with some good punches early on, so I knew I was going to have to take my time with him. …
“I started breaking him down and I started going to the body and touching him a lot more. He was a strong dude with a good team behind him. I knew he was going to come prepared, and I liked the competitiveness he brought.”
Ramos, only 20, has been a welterweight contender but evidently will campaign as a junior middleweight going forward. He wants to win a world title before he turns 22. However, for now, he just intends to stay busy.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to get back in the ring once more this year and finish out strong,” he said. “I’ll talk to my team and we’ll go from there.”
In the co-main event, lightweight Starling Castillo(16-0, 12 KOs) defeated Juan Carlos Burgos(34-6-2, 21 KOs) by a unanimous decision in a 10-rounder.
Jesus Ramos Jr. vs. Brian Mendoza: Date, time, how to watch, background.
JESUS RAMOS JR., THE 20-YEAR-OLD KNOCKOUT ARTIST, RETURNS TO THE RING AGAINST BRIAN MENDOZA SUNDAY ON FOX.
***
JESUS RAMOS JR. (16-0, 14 KOs)
VS. BRIAN MENDOZA (191, 13 KOs)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 5
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: The Armory, Minneapolis
TV/Stream: Fox
Division: Junior middleweights
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Starling Castillo vs. Juan Carlos Burgos, lightweights; Armando Resendiz vs. Marcos Hernandez, middleweights
Prediction: Ramos KO 6
Background: Ramos, 20, is one of the brightest young stars in the sport. The Arizonan’s power is obvious but he reminded everyone in his last outing that he can also box well and go the distance, as he kept the pressure on veteran Javier Molina and won a wide unanimous decision on the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Chris Arreola card in May. Ramos had never gone past the sixth round in any fight. He’ll be fighting for the second time as a junior middleweight, at which he evidently will campaign going forward. He has said he hopes to win a world title before his 22nd birthday. Mendoza is coming off his biggest victory, a unanimous decision over Thomas Lamanna at 154 pounds in his first 10-rounder almost exactly a year ago. That followed his only loss, a split decision against Larry Gomez in an eight-round fight the previous November. Mendoza has demonstrated that he can punch but he hasn’t faced anyone near the level of Ramos.
Jesus Ramos Jr. vs. Brian Mendoza: Date, time, how to watch, background.
JESUS RAMOS JR., THE 20-YEAR-OLD KNOCKOUT ARTIST, RETURNS TO THE RING AGAINST BRIAN MENDOZA SUNDAY ON FOX.
***
JESUS RAMOS JR. (16-0, 14 KOs)
VS. BRIAN MENDOZA (191, 13 KOs)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 5
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: The Armory, Minneapolis
TV/Stream: Fox
Division: Junior middleweights
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Starling Castillo vs. Juan Carlos Burgos, lightweights; Armando Resendiz vs. Marcos Hernandez, middleweights
Prediction: Ramos KO 6
Background: Ramos, 20, is one of the brightest young stars in the sport. The Arizonan’s power is obvious but he reminded everyone in his last outing that he can also box well and go the distance, as he kept the pressure on veteran Javier Molina and won a wide unanimous decision on the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Chris Arreola card in May. Ramos had never gone past the sixth round in any fight. He’ll be fighting for the second time as a junior middleweight, at which he evidently will campaign going forward. He has said he hopes to win a world title before his 22nd birthday. Mendoza is coming off his biggest victory, a unanimous decision over Thomas Lamanna at 154 pounds in his first 10-rounder almost exactly a year ago. That followed his only loss, a split decision against Larry Gomez in an eight-round fight the previous November. Mendoza has demonstrated that he can punch but he hasn’t faced anyone near the level of Ramos.
Hard-punching Jesus Ramos Jr. is only 20 but already approaching elite status.
Jesus Ramos Jr. didn’t get his customary knockout in his most recent fight, a 10-round unanimous decision over Javier Molina in May. He walked away with something more valuable, though: experience.
The 20-year-old Arizonan hadn’t been past six rounds in any previous fight in good part because of his punching power, which has ended 10 of his 16 fights inside two rounds. He’s scheduled to go 10 against Brian Mendoza on Sunday (Fox).
“I learned a lot,” Ramos said on the The PBC Podcast. “Just knowing I can execute a game plan for 10 rounds, to know I can do that and stay focused for 10 rounds was huge for me. Being able to break him down round after round was a learning process.
“… I did feel I got overly anxious, I felt I was looking for the knockout too much. I learned from that, I learned a lot. I think it’ll be a different fight on Sept. 5.
That might be an understatement.
Molina, a crafty veteran, made it difficult for Ramos to land his big bombs because of his ability, movement and experience. Mendoza is also a good boxer but is aggressive by nature, which is ideal for a hard puncher like Ramos.
Ramos (16-0, 14 KOs) doesn’t believe he’ll be chasing Mendoza (19-1, 13 KOs) at The Armory in Minneapolis.
“He likes to come forward, applying smart pressure,” Ramos said. “I think while he throws his punches he kind of leaves himself open. I think he throws his punches wide. I’m planning to capitalize on that.
“… Molina had great movement. It was hard to hit him. Brian Mendoza is a whole different opponent, a lot easier to touch him. He’s going to be there.”
So is Ramos, who doesn’t mess around in the ring. The same goes for his career.
He’s still not old enough to enter a Las Vegas casino or drink legally but he’s rapidly approaching elite status, in part because he isn’t afraid to face the likes of Molina and Mendoza at such a tender age.
He believes he isn’t far from his first title shot.
“Hopefully not too far,” said Ramos, who’s ranked No. 11 by the WBA. “I keep taking these tougher fights for [that] reason. I want to be ready if the opportunity presents itself. I want to be ready to fight the best in the division, the best out there.”
Hard-punching Jesus Ramos Jr. is only 20 but already approaching elite status.
Jesus Ramos Jr. didn’t get his customary knockout in his most recent fight, a 10-round unanimous decision over Javier Molina in May. He walked away with something more valuable, though: experience.
The 20-year-old Arizonan hadn’t been past six rounds in any previous fight in good part because of his punching power, which has ended 10 of his 16 fights inside two rounds. He’s scheduled to go 10 against Brian Mendoza on Sunday (Fox).
“I learned a lot,” Ramos said on the The PBC Podcast. “Just knowing I can execute a game plan for 10 rounds, to know I can do that and stay focused for 10 rounds was huge for me. Being able to break him down round after round was a learning process.
“… I did feel I got overly anxious, I felt I was looking for the knockout too much. I learned from that, I learned a lot. I think it’ll be a different fight on Sept. 5.
That might be an understatement.
Molina, a crafty veteran, made it difficult for Ramos to land his big bombs because of his ability, movement and experience. Mendoza is also a good boxer but is aggressive by nature, which is ideal for a hard puncher like Ramos.
Ramos (16-0, 14 KOs) doesn’t believe he’ll be chasing Mendoza (19-1, 13 KOs) at The Armory in Minneapolis.
“He likes to come forward, applying smart pressure,” Ramos said. “I think while he throws his punches he kind of leaves himself open. I think he throws his punches wide. I’m planning to capitalize on that.
“… Molina had great movement. It was hard to hit him. Brian Mendoza is a whole different opponent, a lot easier to touch him. He’s going to be there.”
So is Ramos, who doesn’t mess around in the ring. The same goes for his career.
He’s still not old enough to enter a Las Vegas casino or drink legally but he’s rapidly approaching elite status, in part because he isn’t afraid to face the likes of Molina and Mendoza at such a tender age.
He believes he isn’t far from his first title shot.
“Hopefully not too far,” said Ramos, who’s ranked No. 11 by the WBA. “I keep taking these tougher fights for [that] reason. I want to be ready if the opportunity presents itself. I want to be ready to fight the best in the division, the best out there.”
Good, bad, worse: A look back at the return of Andy Ruiz Jr., the grueling Joseph Parker-Derek Chisora fight and more.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NevvImyONeM
Andy Ruiz Jr. wasn’t perfect on Saturday.
The former heavyweight champ was knocked down and hurt in the second round and took more punishment early in his fight against Chris Arreola in Carson, Calif., which had viewers momentarily contemplating the possibility of an upset.
But Ruiz weathered the storm, settled into a groove and controlled the remainder of what turned out to be a one-sided fight. He won 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110.
It was a solid performance given his 17-month layoff, which he said played a role in his early problems.
Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) began to turn a competitive fight into his personal showcase in the fifth or sixth round, when he started to land super-quick two- and three-punch combinations and avoid Arreola’s biggest shots.
That was the pattern in the second half of the fight, which allowed Ruiz to run away with the decision.
Ruiz didn’t seem to be pleased with his performance afterward but he probably was being too hard on himself. He shed rust and took a solid step toward another shot at a world title, which was the objective going into the fight.
And he’ll probably look better going forward. He obviously is putting in the work under new trainer Eddy Reynoso, which is how he came in 27.5 pounds lighter than he weighed in the second Joshua fight. Reynoso, one of the hottest trainers in the world, also will continue to polish Ruiz’s already-solid skills.
Andy Ruiz is back.
***
BAD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cexvsqGf7iU
You have to feel for Derek Chisora.
The longtime heavyweight contender has ended up on the wrong side of all four split decisions and one majority decision in his 14-year career, including his setback against Joseph Parker on Saturday in Manchester, England.
He lost split decisions to Dillian Whyte in England, Kubrat Pulev in Germany, Robert Helenius in Finland and now Parker. Plus, he lost a majority decision to Agit Kabayel in Monaco.
Of course, we can argue whether Chisora (32-11, 23 KOs) deserved his fate in those fights but we can agree he was competitive in all of them. You’d think one would’ve gone his way – he certainly does – but none did.
Hence his frustration after the fight on Saturday, which followed a close-decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in his previous fight.
“I think they don’t like me,” he said.
The good news for Chisora is that he continues to get more opportunities, which should be the case again after a solid performance against the much younger and respected Parker.
He stalked the Kiwi from beginning to end, taking many of Parker’s quick, clean shots but also landing plenty of his own. In particular, Parker couldn’t seem to avoid Chisora’s right-handed bombs, one of which put him down in the opening seconds.
Two judges scored it for Parker (116-111 and 115-113) while the third had Chisora winning (115-113). Boxing Junkie scored it for Parker 115-112, eight rounds to four.
No matter how you saw it, Parker clearly was pushed to his limits.
“He brought the smoke,” Parker said. “If you want to feel it, jump into the ring with him.”
Parker offered Chisora a rematch. Saturday’s loser earned it.
***
WORSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6Y5x4T9eko&t=37s
Omar Figueroa was excited about what amounted to a fresh start against Abel Ramos on the Ruiz-Arreola undercard.
The former lightweight champ spent a nearly two-year hiatus from boxing reassessing his priorities and letting his body heal from injuries. He seemed to come out the other side of the layoff in a good place both emotionally and physically.
He was in love with boxing again.
Then, when it came time to fight, he simply didn’t have it. Ramos, a rugged fringe contender, took some time to adjust to Figueroa’s awkward style and then proceeded to beat him up for six solid rounds.
Figueroa never stopped trying. He just wasn’t capable of doing anything to stop the assault.
I’ll never forget the image of him on his stool after the sixth round, his head hanging, spitting blood into a bucket. He was a beaten man. His trainer, Joel Diaz, did the right thing by instructing the referee to end the slaughter.
I know I’m not alone when I say that was difficult to witness.
Figueroa was once a good fighter. Between 2015 and 2019, he beat in succession Ricky Burns, Antonio DeMarco, Robert Guerrero and John Molina Jr. He was unbeaten until Yordgenis Ugas outpointed him in July 2019, which he said lifted the pressure of remaining undefeated.
Now he appears to be a shell. I don’t know whether Figueroa will get back into the ring – maybe he’d do better at 140 pounds – but it’s difficult to imagine after what we witnessed on Saturday.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
Arreola, one of the most-engaging fighters you’ll ever encounter, has acknowledged that he swears too much. But he pushed even his own boundaries when he expressed his frustration over the scoring in a profane, cringe-worthy manner for everyone to hear. We can excuse him, though. To fight your heart out — as he did — and then, from his perspective, receive no respect from the judges must be devastating. Arreola is a good man with a big mouth. … The fight of the night Saturday was Sebastian Fundora vs. Jorge Cota. The junior middleweights went to war from the opening bell and didn’t let up until Cota (30-5, 27 KOs) could take no more at 2:35 of Round 4 on the Ruiz-Arreola card. Fundora (17-0-1, 12 KOs) took more shots that we’re used to seeing but he absorbed them and delivered a beating. No one in boxing is more fun to watch. … Jesus Ramos, the 20-year-old welterweight prospect, easily outpointed former U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (22-4, 9 KOs) on the Ruiz-Arreola card. Ramos (16-0, 14 KOs) can punch and he can also box, as he demonstrated on Saturday. And he fights with poise beyond his years. His goal of winning a world title before he turns 22 doesn’t seem farfetched. … Erislandy Lara (28-3-3, 16 KOs) provided the knockout of the night, stopping Thomas Lamanna (30-5-1, 12 KOs) with a single left hand only 80 seconds into their middleweight fight on the Ruiz-Arreola show. Lara obviously has more to give at 38. … Light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol (18-0, 11 KOs) looked so-so in his unanimous-decision victory over Craig Richards (16-2-1, 9 KOs) on the Parker-Chisora card. He said afterward that he was satisfied with his performance given the fact he hadn’t fought in almost 19 months. That’s reasonable. … Katie Taylor (18-0, 6 KOs) and Natasha Jonas (9-2-1, 7 KOs) gave fans the most-exciting fight on the Park-Chisora show. Taylor, defending her lightweight titles, won a unanimous decision but she has looked better. Of course, Jonas played a role in that by giving a spirited performance. The Liverpudlian has lost her last two fights – she fell just short against Terri Harper in August – yet enhanced her reputation as one of the best in the business. … Chris Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 KOs) easily outpointed capable Marcus Morrison (23-4, 16 KOs) on the Parker-Chisora card. Eubank was more solid than spectacular. One thing I liked was his patience, which he evidently learned under the tutelage of trainer Roy Jones Jr. I think Jones is going to bring out the best in Eubank.
Good, bad, worse: A look back at the return of Andy Ruiz Jr., the grueling Joseph Parker-Derek Chisora fight and more.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NevvImyONeM
Andy Ruiz Jr. wasn’t perfect on Saturday.
The former heavyweight champ was knocked down and hurt in the second round and took more punishment early in his fight against Chris Arreola in Carson, Calif., which had viewers momentarily contemplating the possibility of an upset.
But Ruiz weathered the storm, settled into a groove and controlled the remainder of what turned out to be a one-sided fight. He won 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110.
It was a solid performance given his 17-month layoff, which he said played a role in his early problems.
Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) began to turn a competitive fight into his personal showcase in the fifth or sixth round, when he started to land super-quick two- and three-punch combinations and avoid Arreola’s biggest shots.
That was the pattern in the second half of the fight, which allowed Ruiz to run away with the decision.
Ruiz didn’t seem to be pleased with his performance afterward but he probably was being too hard on himself. He shed rust and took a solid step toward another shot at a world title, which was the objective going into the fight.
And he’ll probably look better going forward. He obviously is putting in the work under new trainer Eddy Reynoso, which is how he came in 27.5 pounds lighter than he weighed in the second Joshua fight. Reynoso, one of the hottest trainers in the world, also will continue to polish Ruiz’s already-solid skills.
Andy Ruiz is back.
***
BAD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cexvsqGf7iU
You have to feel for Derek Chisora.
The longtime heavyweight contender has ended up on the wrong side of all four split decisions and one majority decision in his 14-year career, including his setback against Joseph Parker on Saturday in Manchester, England.
He lost split decisions to Dillian Whyte in England, Kubrat Pulev in Germany, Robert Helenius in Finland and now Parker. Plus, he lost a majority decision to Agit Kabayel in Monaco.
Of course, we can argue whether Chisora (32-11, 23 KOs) deserved his fate in those fights but we can agree he was competitive in all of them. You’d think one would’ve gone his way – he certainly does – but none did.
Hence his frustration after the fight on Saturday, which followed a close-decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in his previous fight.
“I think they don’t like me,” he said.
The good news for Chisora is that he continues to get more opportunities, which should be the case again after a solid performance against the much younger and respected Parker.
He stalked the Kiwi from beginning to end, taking many of Parker’s quick, clean shots but also landing plenty of his own. In particular, Parker couldn’t seem to avoid Chisora’s right-handed bombs, one of which put him down in the opening seconds.
Two judges scored it for Parker (116-111 and 115-113) while the third had Chisora winning (115-113). Boxing Junkie scored it for Parker 115-112, eight rounds to four.
No matter how you saw it, Parker clearly was pushed to his limits.
“He brought the smoke,” Parker said. “If you want to feel it, jump into the ring with him.”
Parker offered Chisora a rematch. Saturday’s loser earned it.
***
WORSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6Y5x4T9eko&t=37s
Omar Figueroa was excited about what amounted to a fresh start against Abel Ramos on the Ruiz-Arreola undercard.
The former lightweight champ spent a nearly two-year hiatus from boxing reassessing his priorities and letting his body heal from injuries. He seemed to come out the other side of the layoff in a good place both emotionally and physically.
He was in love with boxing again.
Then, when it came time to fight, he simply didn’t have it. Ramos, a rugged fringe contender, took some time to adjust to Figueroa’s awkward style and then proceeded to beat him up for six solid rounds.
Figueroa never stopped trying. He just wasn’t capable of doing anything to stop the assault.
I’ll never forget the image of him on his stool after the sixth round, his head hanging, spitting blood into a bucket. He was a beaten man. His trainer, Joel Diaz, did the right thing by instructing the referee to end the slaughter.
I know I’m not alone when I say that was difficult to witness.
Figueroa was once a good fighter. Between 2015 and 2019, he beat in succession Ricky Burns, Antonio DeMarco, Robert Guerrero and John Molina Jr. He was unbeaten until Yordgenis Ugas outpointed him in July 2019, which he said lifted the pressure of remaining undefeated.
Now he appears to be a shell. I don’t know whether Figueroa will get back into the ring – maybe he’d do better at 140 pounds – but it’s difficult to imagine after what we witnessed on Saturday.
***
RABBIT PUNCHES
Arreola, one of the most-engaging fighters you’ll ever encounter, has acknowledged that he swears too much. But he pushed even his own boundaries when he expressed his frustration over the scoring in a profane, cringe-worthy manner for everyone to hear. We can excuse him, though. To fight your heart out — as he did — and then, from his perspective, receive no respect from the judges must be devastating. Arreola is a good man with a big mouth. … The fight of the night Saturday was Sebastian Fundora vs. Jorge Cota. The junior middleweights went to war from the opening bell and didn’t let up until Cota (30-5, 27 KOs) could take no more at 2:35 of Round 4 on the Ruiz-Arreola card. Fundora (17-0-1, 12 KOs) took more shots that we’re used to seeing but he absorbed them and delivered a beating. No one in boxing is more fun to watch. … Jesus Ramos, the 20-year-old welterweight prospect, easily outpointed former U.S. Olympian Javier Molina (22-4, 9 KOs) on the Ruiz-Arreola card. Ramos (16-0, 14 KOs) can punch and he can also box, as he demonstrated on Saturday. And he fights with poise beyond his years. His goal of winning a world title before he turns 22 doesn’t seem farfetched. … Erislandy Lara (28-3-3, 16 KOs) provided the knockout of the night, stopping Thomas Lamanna (30-5-1, 12 KOs) with a single left hand only 80 seconds into their middleweight fight on the Ruiz-Arreola show. Lara obviously has more to give at 38. … Light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol (18-0, 11 KOs) looked so-so in his unanimous-decision victory over Craig Richards (16-2-1, 9 KOs) on the Parker-Chisora card. He said afterward that he was satisfied with his performance given the fact he hadn’t fought in almost 19 months. That’s reasonable. … Katie Taylor (18-0, 6 KOs) and Natasha Jonas (9-2-1, 7 KOs) gave fans the most-exciting fight on the Park-Chisora show. Taylor, defending her lightweight titles, won a unanimous decision but she has looked better. Of course, Jonas played a role in that by giving a spirited performance. The Liverpudlian has lost her last two fights – she fell just short against Terri Harper in August – yet enhanced her reputation as one of the best in the business. … Chris Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 KOs) easily outpointed capable Marcus Morrison (23-4, 16 KOs) on the Parker-Chisora card. Eubank was more solid than spectacular. One thing I liked was his patience, which he evidently learned under the tutelage of trainer Roy Jones Jr. I think Jones is going to bring out the best in Eubank.
Jaron Ennis and Jose Pedraza gave strong performances on separate cards Saturday night.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Juan Carlos Abreu couldn’t stay on his feet against fearsome Jaron Ennis. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
Jaron Ennis doesn’t need any undue pressure at this stage of his career. He’s only 23. And I hesitate to read too much into his knockout victory over Juan Carlos Abreu on Saturday because the Dominican’s limitations are obvious.
Still, I have to say it: Ennis reminds me of one of his role models, Roy Jones Jr.
Ennis’ style is similar to Jones’ when the latter was at his peak, fighting patiently – with his hands down much of the time – and then exploding with unusual speed and power to overwhelm his opponents.
I didn’t particularly like when Jones’ hands were at his waist but he had the reflexes to get away with it when he was at his best. Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs) will be OK for the time being.
Abreu, who came in three-plus pounds overweight, didn’t know what hit him. The look on his face the first few times he ate Ennis’ uber-quick, hard shots said to me, “What the hell is this?” The underdog was as durable as billed for four-plus rounds and then he became too familiar with the canvas.
Ennis, a fiery finisher, put Abreu (23-6-1, 21 KOs) down once in the fifth and twice more in the sixth – all three knockdowns coming within little more than a minute – to end the slaughter.
How dominating was Ennis? I don’t rely too heavily on CompuBox statistics but sometimes they provide a valuable perspective on certain fights. Consider the numbers in this one:
Ennis outlanded Abreu overall 117-23. That’s as one-sided as it gets. He landed 39.3% of his punches (298), Abreu 14.6% (157). Even more striking were the power punches: Ennis landed 92 of 165, 55.8%, which is off-the-charts accuracy.
And Ennis became the first to knock out Abreu, who went the distance in losses to Humberto Soto, Jamal James, Alex Martin, Egidijus Kavaliauskas and Alexander Besputin. That’s a big statement.
In other words, Ennis couldn’t have performed much better than he did on Saturday.
That doesn’t mean he’ll perform on that level when he steps up his opposition. He probably won’t dominate the top 154-pounders, gifted fighters like Jermell Charlo, Jeison Rosario, Erickson Lubin, Julian Williams and Tony Harrison.
Probably.
It remains to be seen whether he’s the next Jones, which is an extremely high bar. I believe he’s special, though. And I won’t be the least bit surprised if he ends becoming one of the top fighters in the world.
BAD
Jose Pedraza is on a roll after back to back victories over Mikkel LesPierre and Javier Molina. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
You have to feel for Javier Molina. The 2008 U.S. Olympian rebuilt a broken career and seemed to be on the verge of realizing his potential only to lose a wide decision and his momentum against Jose Pedraza on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Molina (22-3, 9 KOs) is only 30. I hope he learns from the setback and gets back to work. The talent is still there and he’s relatively fresh. It would be a shame for him to give up now.
Pedraza? Well, he’s just a bad man.
The former two-division titleholder from Puerto Rico seemed to be in decline when he was stopped by Gervonta Davis and lost decisions to Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jose Zepeda in a span of seven fights between 2017 and last year.
Some thought he was finished as an elite fighter.
He obviously had a different perspective. He bounced back from the Zepeda loss to dominate both Mikkel LesPierre and Molina, thus repairing his credentials as a bona fide threat to the best 140-pounders.
Indeed, he looked terrific Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble,” outboxing and methodically wearing down a good all-around fighter in Molina. He looked like the young man who won major belts at 130 and 135 pounds.
Could Pedraza (28-3, 13 KOs) have similar success against, say, the winner of a projected title-unification fight between Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor? That’s hard to say. The 140-pound beltholders are among the best fighters in the world regardless of weight.
I wouldn’t put anything past the fighter we saw on Saturday, though. He looked that good.
“I do believe I’m ready for a world title opportunity,” he said after the Molina fight. “Whoever it happens to be between Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez, I want the winner of that fight.”
WORSE
Erickson Lubin (left) and Terrell Gausha didn’t get rolling until late in their fight. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
I don’t understand the way Erickson Lubin, Terrell Gausha and Tugstsogt Nyambayar fought Saturday night on Showtime.
Lubin, who fought Gausha in the main event, was the least egregious offender. He didn’t do much in the first seven rounds of the fight but he didn’t have to. He was winning. Then, when Gausha picked up his pace, so did Lubin.
That said, Lubin (23-1, 16 KOs) had hoped to show the world that he belonged in the conversation with the best fighters in the deep 154-pound division. You must fight with more fire than he did to accomplish that.
Lubin emerged victorious but he didn’t make the statement he had hoped to make.
Gausha? I’m still scratching my head. He threw an average of 31 punches per round in the first seven rounds, landing 4.3 per stanza. In other words, he wasn’t there. And it’s difficult to win a 12-round fight when you arrive in Round 8.
The former Olympian was in a title eliminator. A victory would’ve set up an opportunity to realize a dream. Gausha (21-2-1, 10 KOs) didn’t fight like it, at least not until it was too late.
Nyambar, fighting for the first time since he lost to a wide decision to Gary Russell Jr., also had hoped to demonstrate that is among the best featherweights. And he looked the part early in the fight, putting Cobie Breedy down in each of the first two rounds.
Then the hard-punching Mongolian allowed himself to be outworked the rest of the way by a more determined fighter in Breedy, who won six of the final 10 rounds on two cards and nine of 10 on the third.
The final scores were 114-113 and 114-112 for Nyambayar and 115-111 for Breedy. One just scored the first round 10-9 for Nyambayar in spite of the knockdown.
Like Lubin, Nyambayar (12-1, 9 KOs) had his hand raised. That’s the objective. However, even in victory, his stock might’ve slipped.
I can’t get in the heads of the fighters. I don’t know why some of them fail to throw punches at a rate that puts them in position to win or look good regardless of the result. I suspect many of them, after watching the fight on video that night or the next day, say to themselves or those around them: “Damn, I wish I had been a little busier.”
Jaron Ennis and Jose Pedraza gave strong performances on separate cards Saturday night.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Juan Carlos Abreu couldn’t stay on his feet against fearsome Jaron Ennis. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
Jaron Ennis doesn’t need any undue pressure at this stage of his career. He’s only 23. And I hesitate to read too much into his knockout victory over Juan Carlos Abreu on Saturday because the Dominican’s limitations are obvious.
Still, I have to say it: Ennis reminds me of one of his role models, Roy Jones Jr.
Ennis’ style is similar to Jones’ when the latter was at his peak, fighting patiently – with his hands down much of the time – and then exploding with unusual speed and power to overwhelm his opponents.
I didn’t particularly like when Jones’ hands were at his waist but he had the reflexes to get away with it when he was at his best. Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs) will be OK for the time being.
Abreu, who came in three-plus pounds overweight, didn’t know what hit him. The look on his face the first few times he ate Ennis’ uber-quick, hard shots said to me, “What the hell is this?” The underdog was as durable as billed for four-plus rounds and then he became too familiar with the canvas.
Ennis, a fiery finisher, put Abreu (23-6-1, 21 KOs) down once in the fifth and twice more in the sixth – all three knockdowns coming within little more than a minute – to end the slaughter.
How dominating was Ennis? I don’t rely too heavily on CompuBox statistics but sometimes they provide a valuable perspective on certain fights. Consider the numbers in this one:
Ennis outlanded Abreu overall 117-23. That’s as one-sided as it gets. He landed 39.3% of his punches (298), Abreu 14.6% (157). Even more striking were the power punches: Ennis landed 92 of 165, 55.8%, which is off-the-charts accuracy.
And Ennis became the first to knock out Abreu, who went the distance in losses to Humberto Soto, Jamal James, Alex Martin, Egidijus Kavaliauskas and Alexander Besputin. That’s a big statement.
In other words, Ennis couldn’t have performed much better than he did on Saturday.
That doesn’t mean he’ll perform on that level when he steps up his opposition. He probably won’t dominate the top 154-pounders, gifted fighters like Jermell Charlo, Jeison Rosario, Erickson Lubin, Julian Williams and Tony Harrison.
Probably.
It remains to be seen whether he’s the next Jones, which is an extremely high bar. I believe he’s special, though. And I won’t be the least bit surprised if he ends becoming one of the top fighters in the world.
BAD
Jose Pedraza is on a roll after back to back victories over Mikkel LesPierre and Javier Molina. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
You have to feel for Javier Molina. The 2008 U.S. Olympian rebuilt a broken career and seemed to be on the verge of realizing his potential only to lose a wide decision and his momentum against Jose Pedraza on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Molina (22-3, 9 KOs) is only 30. I hope he learns from the setback and gets back to work. The talent is still there and he’s relatively fresh. It would be a shame for him to give up now.
Pedraza? Well, he’s just a bad man.
The former two-division titleholder from Puerto Rico seemed to be in decline when he was stopped by Gervonta Davis and lost decisions to Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jose Zepeda in a span of seven fights between 2017 and last year.
Some thought he was finished as an elite fighter.
He obviously had a different perspective. He bounced back from the Zepeda loss to dominate both Mikkel LesPierre and Molina, thus repairing his credentials as a bona fide threat to the best 140-pounders.
Indeed, he looked terrific Saturday night in the MGM Grand “bubble,” outboxing and methodically wearing down a good all-around fighter in Molina. He looked like the young man who won major belts at 130 and 135 pounds.
Could Pedraza (28-3, 13 KOs) have similar success against, say, the winner of a projected title-unification fight between Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor? That’s hard to say. The 140-pound beltholders are among the best fighters in the world regardless of weight.
I wouldn’t put anything past the fighter we saw on Saturday, though. He looked that good.
“I do believe I’m ready for a world title opportunity,” he said after the Molina fight. “Whoever it happens to be between Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez, I want the winner of that fight.”
WORSE
Erickson Lubin (left) and Terrell Gausha didn’t get rolling until late in their fight. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
I don’t understand the way Erickson Lubin, Terrell Gausha and Tugstsogt Nyambayar fought Saturday night on Showtime.
Lubin, who fought Gausha in the main event, was the least egregious offender. He didn’t do much in the first seven rounds of the fight but he didn’t have to. He was winning. Then, when Gausha picked up his pace, so did Lubin.
That said, Lubin (23-1, 16 KOs) had hoped to show the world that he belonged in the conversation with the best fighters in the deep 154-pound division. You must fight with more fire than he did to accomplish that.
Lubin emerged victorious but he didn’t make the statement he had hoped to make.
Gausha? I’m still scratching my head. He threw an average of 31 punches per round in the first seven rounds, landing 4.3 per stanza. In other words, he wasn’t there. And it’s difficult to win a 12-round fight when you arrive in Round 8.
The former Olympian was in a title eliminator. A victory would’ve set up an opportunity to realize a dream. Gausha (21-2-1, 10 KOs) didn’t fight like it, at least not until it was too late.
Nyambar, fighting for the first time since he lost to a wide decision to Gary Russell Jr., also had hoped to demonstrate that is among the best featherweights. And he looked the part early in the fight, putting Cobie Breedy down in each of the first two rounds.
Then the hard-punching Mongolian allowed himself to be outworked the rest of the way by a more determined fighter in Breedy, who won six of the final 10 rounds on two cards and nine of 10 on the third.
The final scores were 114-113 and 114-112 for Nyambayar and 115-111 for Breedy. One just scored the first round 10-9 for Nyambayar in spite of the knockdown.
Like Lubin, Nyambayar (12-1, 9 KOs) had his hand raised. That’s the objective. However, even in victory, his stock might’ve slipped.
I can’t get in the heads of the fighters. I don’t know why some of them fail to throw punches at a rate that puts them in position to win or look good regardless of the result. I suspect many of them, after watching the fight on video that night or the next day, say to themselves or those around them: “Damn, I wish I had been a little busier.”
