Jesus Soto Karass on Azteca America - tune in now!

Round 5 starting up. :bbb

 

Barros didn't get the memo that he's supposed to lose.

 

What a round! (8th)

JSK just got rocked badly by this journeyman several times in the first ninety seconds before coming back with his own offensive in the last minute or so.

Jesus is all heart, man, but god damn is he frustrating to watch. Somebody slip him Nacho Beristain's cellphone number, stat. Hell any B-level trainer. I still see the same diamond-in-the-rough strengths and glaring weaknesses as when I started to follow him. He still looks like a beast when he throws from mid-to-long-range, in combination, and off a jab. The rest of the time? Ugh. It's like he's been majoring in Ineffective Pressure and boning up on "Surrendering Your Height & Reach For Dummies" for years now.

I've always maintained that he shows the promise to eventually become a much more highly skilled version of Antonio Margarito. As it is, he's remained in this sort of arrested development as a slightly less skilled version who occasionally assumes a responsible stance and throws a beautiful 1-2-3+weave+uppercut that leaves you scratching your head. As it is, if he beats you, it's just because he's got the chin, will and stamina to keep winging punches long after you can't. With a good trainer to reinforce his good habits and discourage the bad, and a reintroduction to basic boxing fundamentals, he should be losing less than half the rounds he loses and knocking out the guys he knocks out in about half the time. :-(

As I wrote this he went on to win the last two rounds with relentless power punching to net the UD (came close to clinching it in the tenth but fell short, not for lack of killer instinct but because Santos was determined to finish off his feet and ricocheted away every time he got caught).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounded like the announcers were chatting up a Soto Karass vs. Alfonso Gomez fight on the undercard of Cotto-Pacquiao? :?

 

Jesus could be so much better. :twisted:

 

Assuming they both win their fights tonight of course...speaking of which how did Alfonso do against his own tomato can on the Pinoy card in Hawaii?

 

Impressive! Future HOF Joel Casamayor (in his 6th pro fight) took 90! :shock:

 

If Soto-Karass can land the big sequence (won't be a single punch) he can end Gomez. This will most probably be another ten rounder, which means there will be a window of about three rounds for Jesus to build on his early body work, wear his man down and finish the job. Going the distance is worrisome if you're a Soto-Karass fan. If it's a twelve round elimination bout, it favors Jesus. Gomez has actually never been in deep water, and the one time Soto-Karass has visited the championship rounds since turning his career around (after that skid in '04/'05) he stopped an undefeated fighter in the 11th. He's the kind of guy who instinctively knows to blow his load when the hourglass is running out.