Jorge Arce vs. Michael Carbajal (& Fernando Montiel vs. Rogelio Jun Doliguez)

Actually, first, as lead-in they are showing Fernando Montiel vs. Rogelio Jun Doliguez, which happened just five weeks ago. :blood

 

HUGE knockdowns by KOchulito in the 1st. That was vintage.

Those hooks damn near ripped the Pinoy kid's head off. Nice resiliency to ride it out until the bell.

 

RJD not messing around, coming out aggressive in the 2nd. Putting some doubt in Montiel, though lots of the action is sloppy with neither landing.

 

Really a shame that Montiel and Luis Concepción are three weight classes (albeit really only eleven pounds) apart. If only they were of like size they would be a match, stylistically, made in heaven. Fight of the Decade, easily. (assuming neither was rendered unconscious in the first two minutes - a very real possibility...)

 

Four zip to Fernando, but the last three have been close.

40-34 doesn't seem to reflect how tight a contest this feels like. Montiel since that hot start has been just edging the Filipino in a nonstop firefight at mid-range, and is getting clipped with lots of left crosses that buckle his knees on a regular basis. Doliguez has also completely taken away Montiel's jab with the right glove down-slap, making it just a bombing contest.

 

Doliguez kicked his ass in the fifth! Robbed of a knockdown ruling! (there was a wet spot on the canvas, which both have been slipping on repeatedly, but that is NOT why Montiel went down...it had a lot more to do with the crunching left cross on the mouth, through his guard as he retreated. I almost feel like he might've stretched his leg out to ensure he did step on the wet spot and give the ref a reason to save his bacon...)

49-44 FM

 

Montiel clapping his gloves together on his stool between the 5th and 6th, like WALL-E, pumping himself up as his corner basically ignores him. Eerily quiet - his entire team wordlessly going to work, dabbing at blood and sweat, wiping him clean but saying nothing.

 

Poor body language from Montiel, gloves down on the outside, blowing hard with his lips puckered. Montiel clinching and hitting behind the head as Doliguez grazes him with power shots. Doliguez robbed of ANOTHER knockdown, skimming Montiel's hairline with another left hand and missing a clubbing right hook that pushes down on the former champ (which did admittedly have some forearm contact on the follow-through, but...) - and chintzy warning from the ref even though Montiel was doing just as much shoving.

58-54 Montiel

 

Montiel with a comeback round, opening up his bag of veteran tricks in the eighth. Strolling halfway into the pocket, dropping into a low crouch, exploding up with left hooks, melting away, knees bent deeply, throwing quick dash-in high jabs, using lots of pigeon-bob head feints and stutter-steps to scramble Doliguez's rhythm. Point from Doliguez for butting, after fair warning.

68-63 Montiel

 

I completely missed this card last month. Aired on Azteca.

It also featured Hernan Marquez, Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr., and big-hitting prospect Daniel Echeverria - but all in mismatches.

 

Montiel showing a bit of cleverness - or, let's say wisdom. He is figuring out how to outbox Doliguez without a jab. A little shuck & jive action. Left hooks downstairs and superman rights up top, alternating which is the lead and which the follow-up punch, keeping Doliguez guessing, and controlling range by air-jabbing and shadowboxing in shoeshine motions, able to minimize the amount of actual energy-sapping movement is required of his legs. Doliguez is growing frustrated, still keeping a tight guard and making all the right noises offensively but just unable to get off without Montiel blasting him and backing out. Continued warnings to Doliguez for butts & use of the arm inside.

78-71 Montiel

 

Heavy artillery from Montiel. Doliguez is showing a strong chin, grinning respectfully at Montiel at the bell after eating another massive combination. At one point Montiel literally knocked him across the entire ring, Doliguez bouncing off the ropes but remaining vertical. Doliguez got in some blows of his own, mainly left hand leads on the body - huge Montiel round, however. Borderline 10-8 even though Doliguez never went down.

88-80 FM

 

Doliguez is dropped early but from a rabbit punch, and shoots right back up with both he and Montiel going at it straight away. The ref doesn't bother insinuating himself or clarifying that it wasn't a knockdown (obvious enough). Good action. Doliguez slips on that wet spot in the corner - left of & below the big center-ring Tecate logo. HUGE right windmilled by Montiel, looking for a late KO. Doliguez steps back to make him miss. Doliguez is exhausted but throwing straight lefts at the belt line and overhands into Montiel's chin. Doliguez a little sharper, though both are tired. Montiel tries a lead right, a bit short. Doliguez steps on Montiel's foot and floors him with a big overhand left! The ref waves it off. Not a knockdown. Fair ruling. Doliguez was basically standing on Montiel's ankle.

10-9 Doliguez

97-90 Montiel

 

:think I guess I kinda see the parallels and the reasoning in pairing this with Arce vs. Carbajal - in both cases you have a fading legend taking on a tough, hard-hitting youngster and staging one more really good performance. Montiel is 36, Doliguez 23. Back in '99, Carbajal was 32, Arce 20.

...though Montiel (as much as I do like him) is no Carbajal, and Doliguez is definitely no Arce. :yep

 

I'm going to keep an eye on "Hercules" Doliguez hereafter.

Very entertaining fighter, durable, powerful, not too crude, and southpaw. He could probably give a lot of ranked featherweights problems.

...though he did lose his previous match before Montiel to Dennis Tubieron, who just lost an embarrassing shutout to UK prospect Josh Warrington, looking completely amateurish in the process.

So I'm not counting on Doliguez making any big waves. :yep I'm just saying if he lands the right person, on the night, his style and ruggedness could give someone fits and maybe even net him an upset here and there.