Vicente Saldivar v Fighting Harada @ Featherweight

[Vic-JofreBRASIL]

Close fight btw. I wouldn´t risk my money on this one...

[McGrain]

The thing is that Saldivar is an aggressive puncher in his own right in the sense that he wants to get across. Harada is giving him what he wants here, really. Harada isn't going to be able to safely out-box the guy even for a minute so he has to take an extremely physical approach with a fighter who has certain physical advantages that put him in a very serious quandary. Personally I think he gets hit more than he wants to by Vicente and starts to get grabby again late. But I don't think he'll like what he gets here when he does that. A very tired fighter is what I see late.

[orriray59]

Originally Posted by McGrain

The thing is that Saldivar is an aggressive puncher in his own right in the sense that he wants to get across. Harada is giving him what he wants here, really. Harada isn't going to be able to safely out-box the guy even for a minute so he has to take an extremely physical approach with a fighter who has certain physical advantages that put him in a very serious quandary. Personally I think he gets hit more than he wants to by Vicente and starts to get grabby again late. But I don't think he'll like what he gets here when he does that. A very tired fighter is what I see late.

All great points. I still don't see Saldivar managing the task of getting Harada out of there regardless.

Am I alone in thinking Saldivar loses this fight, then? Shit. Maybe my love for Harada is clouding my mind or something.

[McGrain]

I think thats an ok pick. I'd pick him over a shorter distance maybe.

[orriray59]

Originally Posted by McGrain

I think thats an ok pick. I'd pick him over a shorter distance maybe.

Over 12 I'd pick Harada no question.

[Vic-JofreBRASIL]

What about that right hand that landed on Famechon so well ? Right hands like those are pretty good weapons against southpaws....
Obviously Famechon was nothing like Saldivar in terms of styles...but even so...it´s food for thought.

[Flea Man]

He knocked him down in the late rounds as well didn't he?

Anyway, as I said in the opening reply; Saldivar's late output is why Harada will struggle to maintain his own. I don't think Saldivar stops him but he'd do more than say, Medel, who left it way too late to tag tired Harada. It may be that Harada's early attack sees him score a knockdown anyway, so if Saldivar gets a late one it makes a closer bout of one I'd expect to be very close anyway.

Harada will hang on though, if he's anywhere near his best. I think he has more tools at his disposable than Ramos despite his lack of comparitive dig (that was best Saldivar IMO, Jofre I for Harada if we're talking bantam onwards)

Really great fight though IMO. I think post-Fammo II that Harada could've had great bouts with Kobayashi and Numata at 130, or Shibata and Saijo.

[lora]

Famechon gave Harada far too much respect.

he liked playing the matador and the boxer and given Harada was an archetypal swarmer\pressure fighter he slipped too easily into his own comfort zone, yet i took from the two fights they had that he could and probably should have fought more aggressively and box-punch'ish against the smaller man.

IN making things largely non-physical and jab oriented he essentially took much of the physicality issues of a small pressuring Bantam moving up to feather and threw them away.harada was very sharp that night for a final time and really capitalised, but i can't see Saldivar making that kind of mistake.he's not capable of fighting that way even if he wanted to, mind you.

A great fight, but Harada eventually has holes punched in him and is dropped a few times or stopped.Especially if he just comes straight at Saldivar, but i think he'd probably try and employ some of his hand\foot speed advantage and do some of what he did to Jofre for a while, making a real fight of it.

I struggle to see him being sharp enough over the whole 15 though and saldivar at his best had that steady Marciano'esque ability to just slowly sweep over you if you couldn't really put a lot of damage on him.Too heavy handed and accurate imo.Harada not quite durable or hard hitting enough to come out on top of a fight sure to have plenty of extended exchanges.

Best case scenario for Harada would be to catch him in Seki I form and maybe take a close decision-certainly would have been possible-but with both at or near best form,Saldivar takes it.

I think Harada would have a better chance at beating Ramos, Winstone, Legra, Laguna or Marcel than Saldivar.He's still a potential nightmare for the boxer types if they can't conjure up a Lionel Rose level display...and Harada in Famechon I redemptive form showed more vigour, precision and pace than he did in that one, he probably could have come back and done much better had he fought like that in a rematch with the weight struggling Rose.Then again he had weight issues of his own and made history in a way against Famechon, even if he was officially beaten.

[lora]

ah, should have read the thread first.

That stipulation would make it a lot closer, i guess.I'd still give a slight edge to Saldivar though, as i feel at his peak he got punches off quicker and more consistently than the Jofre Harada fought, who was as slow as you'll see a world class Bantam for about the first 5 rounds against Harada in their first fight.

[Flea Man]

Marcel would batter Harada I reckon.

I think Sugar Ramos may've hit too hard for Masahiko. Maybe.

Yes I think Harada is pretty bad for Winstone, who lacks even Fammo's level of dig.

[sweet_scientist]

I think I'd pick Saldivar in a p4p fight, let alone against a naturally smaller Harada moving up. He would crush him in that case.

He's too physically strong for Harada to implement his style effectively against him.

I'd say 10-12th round stoppage, up at least 3 or 4 points at the time.