This Week In Boxing: January 25–29
Frampton and Santa Cruz do it again, Mikey Garcia challenges for a world title, and the return of the minimumweight champion.
Wednesday January 25, 2017
From Phitsanulok, Thailand
Chayaphon Moonsri 44(17)-0 vs Melvin Jerusalem 11(7)-0
12 rounds
WBC world minimumweight title
Formerly known as Wanheng Menayothin, Moonsri returns after just a 6 week layoff to defend his world title against a little known and not highly regarded Filipino, Melvin Jerusalem. Moonsri has been the shining example of a throwback fighter for as long as he first captured a world title. He fights as frequently as he can, mixing his opponent selection between under accomplished and overmatched domestic challengers and foreign opposers with a real claim to threaten his dominance.
To date, Moonsri has been the complete package at 105 pounds. He can box on the outside, he bangs effectively when he steps into range, and ultimately his defense is above average in a division where it’s not always the first priority.
One of the things that has made Moonsri such a great champion to watch is that his performances against the fighters who come in with close odds bring out the best in him. He knocks out 2/3rds of the opponents he faces when his belt is on the line. When no title is up for grabs, he has only stopped 33%.
If there is one concern for Moonsri, it’s the same one that gets brought up for every minimumweight. It’s the clock. At 31 years old, Moonsri’s days are numbered.
Friday January 27, 2017
From Sportsman Lodge, Studio City, California
Time: 8:00 PM PST, 11:00 PM EST, 4:00 AM GMT
TV: UniMas (US)
Erick De Leon 14(8)-0 vs Jose Salinas 10(5)-2–1
8 rounds
super featherweight division
Erick De Leon had a fantastic 2016. He knocked out all 3 opponents he faced, albeit they weren’t the stiffest challenges, but in doing so he established himself as one of Top Rank’s hottest young prospects. The path to stardom is still a long one. Salinas is a step in the right direction when it comes to who De Leon is fighting, but it’s still going to be a long time before we see De Leon under the brightest of lights.
Arnold Barboza Jr 14(5)-0 vs Johnny Rodriguez 8(5)-1–1
8 rounds
welterweight division
No one is quite sure what Arnold Barboza Jr will turn into. Rodriguez is going to be the toughest test of his career thus far and an impressive win for the 25 year old could alter dramatically his development for the better.
Robson Conceicao 1(0)-0 vs Aaron Ely 3(1)-1
6 rounds
super featherweight division
Conceicao was the feel good story from last year’s Rio games. His first fight as a professional was just okay. He went the distance with a 4–2 fighter. That’s concerning for the 28 year old attempting to break into one of the more competitive divisions in the sport.
Saturday January 28, 2017
From Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California
Time: 7:00 PM PST, 10:00 PM EST, 3:00 AM GMT
TV: HBO (US) BoxNation (UK)
Francisco Vargas 23(17)-0–2 vs Miguel Berchelt 30(27)-1
12 rounds
WBC world super featherweight title
If Vargas fights smart, he won’t need to get himself into a fight of the year candidate. In fact, with his jab and a few lateral steps here and there, this should be an easy win for Vargas. The story on Berchelt is out. He’s reckless because he knows that he has the kind of power that can get him out of a fight whenever he gets a chance to use it. All you have to do is sit back and let him walk into a trap.
Berchelt probably could have continued in his lone loss when he was stopped by Luis Flores, but it was for the best that the fight was stopped. He’s quickly rebuilt his momentum and has himself in prime position to grab a title at 130.
What Berchelt has going in his favor is that he’s facing a fighter who is coming off 2 straight wars. At some point this has to star showing the effects on Vargas.
Takashi Miura 30(23)-3–2 vs Miguel Roman 56(43)-11
12 rounds
super featherweight division
It’s easy to see what Golden Boy is doing here. They’re setting Miura up for a rematch with the winner of Vargas-Berchelt. No matter which combination of fighters they get, this is promising to be one brutal mini-tournament.
Miguel Roman has been around for a long time and he’s a name that frequently pops up when we discuss title contenders at super featherweight. The problem is that Roman has never shown he’s been better than a domestic level. Each time he’s stepped up his competition, he’s come up short.
Miura might not be the best at 130, but to get through him you’ll have to walk through fire. Roman should have a very difficult time with Miura and it is highly unlikely he gets past him.
Tureano Johnson 19(13)-1 vs Antonio Gutierrez 21(9)-2–1
10 rounds
middleweight division
Tureano Johnson is still lingering, hoping to get a title shot from some middleweight down the line. It’s hard to imagine him succeeding should he get his shot.
Sadam Ali 23(13)-1 vs Jorge Silva 22(18)-12–2
10 rounds
welterweight division
Less than 12 months ago we saw that our best case scenario visions for Sadam Ali were simply best case thought experiments. It turned out that the kid who struggled with Jeremy Bryan was the real Ali. Now he attempts to rebuild, but it’s going to be a long time coming. Ali finds himself in the glamour division of boxing and it’s one notoriously hard to break into without a name or tremendous talent.
From MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Time: 7:00 PM PST, 10:00 PM EST, 3:00 AM GMT
TV: Showtime (US) ITV (UK)
Carl Frampton 23(14)-0 vs Leo Santa Cruz 32(18)-1–1
12 rounds
WBA super world featherweight title
There is a growing voice in the community that says Carl Frampton has this wrapped up. That a victory will be even easier than the first time given the ease of his first victory. My question is… how did you come to that conclusion? Which fight did you see?
The first fight was a bonafide fight of the year contender and a close one to call. It appeared that Frampton had successfully edged the card, but the massive amount of intrigue in a rematch is because the second half of the fight belonged to Leo Santa Cruz. After Santa Cruz lost the hesitancy he displayed in the first half to attack Frampton as he does all of his opponents, the entire narrative of the fight changed. Frampton lost steam and rounds after nearly sweeping the first half of the fight.
What we saw is that Leo Santa Cruz is an intelligent fighter capable of adjusting and this rematch could see him starting from where he left off. If that is the case, this is not an easy fight for Frampton. In fact, this is a likely Santa Cruz fight if he is permitted to operate at the rate he is accustomed to.
Is there anything to suggest that this will happen? That is the mystery of this fight and why a rematch was ordered in the first place. There is no guarantee that either guy can duplicate their success from the last fight.
Dejan Zlaticanin 22(15)-0 vs Mikey Garcia 35(29)-0
12 rounds
WBC world lightweight title
Dejan Zlaticanin is the path of most resistance for a guy who’s had 1 fight in several years. Even if you’re Mikey Garcia. This is all true until you see these two up close and in the flesh. It is then when you realize that Mikey may have very little trouble with this bad little man in the lightweight division.
But you’d be an idiot to ignore the fact that while Mikey was untouchable several years ago and certainly on his way toward stardom, those days are over. This is a new Mikey and this version gets hit. We saw a little regarded fighter tag Mikey several times in their last fight. Zlaticanin, should he get that same opportunity, has the kind of power that puts guys on the floor. That’s where the nerves come in when evaluating this matchup.
However, it takes one look at the two of them next to each other to realize that Garcia will not have much trouble. He has all the physical advantages that will serve his style. While this fight looks dangerous on paper, this should be an easy win for Garcia.
Time: 5:00 PM PST, 8:00 PM EST, 1:00 AM GMT
TV: Showtime Extreme (US)
Lee Selby 23(8)-1 vs Jonathan Victor Barros 41(22)-4–1
12 rounds
IBF world featherweight title
Lee Selby will fight for a second time in America. Unlike Frampton, Selby hasn’t exactly made a splash stateside. His debut saw him go the distance with Fernando Montiel in a war that was completely distinct from anything we’d seen with Selby in the past. Selby is a pure outside fighter that fancies himself a counter-puncher, but what we saw in the Montiel fight was nothing resembling that. He was forced to fight on the inside and take punishment in order to escape with a narrow win.
In the fight following Montiel, he faced tough American challenger and was floored. Selby ultimately pulled out a victory, but it was one of those fights where his opponent, Eric Hunter, lost the fight rather than Selby won it.
Jonathan Barros should be the kind of fight that gets Selby back on track, but nothing is guaranteed with the Welshman. Selby’s struggles can be attributed to him now facing styles he didn’t see in his prospect stage. After Montiel and Hunter, the hope is that the kinks have been worked out so that a super fight in the UK can happen between him and Carl Frampton.
Jorge Lara 28(20)-0–2 vs Oktay Takalak 16(5)-0
10 rounds
featherweight division
Jorge Lara is one of the most exciting young fighters in the sport and one of the underappreciated gems. At 26, he’s got a measured aggression that overwhelms any opponent who isn’t ready to be pushed to the brink from the opening bell. It’s hard to imagine a fighter at 126 that wouldn’t make a good fight with Lara. Whether it be the silky smooth counter punching of Valdez or the blazing speed for Gary Russell, Lara’s balls-to-the-wall style is a perfect compliment.
Takalak is an okay opponent. He’s undefeated, but as a domestic French fighter… you know where we’re going with this.
Lara’s next fight will be for a world title and the question is whether he feasts on the easier opponent (Selby) or goes for the winner of Frampton-Santa Cruz. On the record now, I do not like his chances against Gary Russell Jr. Although if you like brutal fights, that one is the best option.
David Benavidez 16(15)-0 vs Sherali Mamajonov 14(7)-1
8 rounds
super middleweight division
Just thinking of Benavidez makes me wonder about the top 10 prospects in boxing right now and where he sits. I’m fairly confident in saying top 5, but we’ve yet to see him have to go into the technical reservoir of his skillset. Either way, this is an exciting young fighter to keep your eye on.
Sunday January 29, 2017
Cotai Arena, Venetian, Macao, China
Jerwin Ancajas 25(16)-1–1 vs Jose Rodriguez 32(19)-4
12 rounds
IBF world super flyweight title
Jerwin Ancajas will make what should be an easy defense of his title. Hopefully this sets up a unification with Naoya Inoue further down the line for Ancajas.
