Martirosyan vs Ouma is tonight in case anyone forgot

He looked good from a distance. Every time he was in space he moved well, threw powerful right hands that rocked Ouma and had a controlling jab. When Ouma moved in? He started winging hooks and uppercuts that weren't anywhere near the target and looked absolutely off the mark when Ouma brought the pace inside. The most frustrating thing is that he never adapted once Ouma got his timing down. Ouma realized when the right hand was coming and would duck, Vanes never had an answer. He didn't feint, didn't throw a well timed uppercut and didn't show any sort of composure in close.

 

speaking of Brewer, old news but he's fighting Cuban prospect Estrandy Lara who's 9-0 .. should be a good one, dunno where to lean

I've seen Vanes tear through most everyone he's fought, but keep in mind Ouma was 3-4 times better then anyone Vanes has been in the ring with

 

Vanes ran into a former world champion, it was a big step up in class.

He went to a B-Level, contender level opponent, and he had previously been fighting C-class fighters and journeyman


Obviously he still has a lot to work on. But he looked exactly what he is-

He's a good prospect and can potentially be an elite fighter. He needs the fights and he needs the experience

 

I agree with MexicanJew. We may be bailing out a little early on Vanes.

 

vanes julio cezar chavez jr whould be a nice fight

 

Sounds about right now that I calmed down a little. I was pissed about the scorecards. I expected a tko or wide ud for Vanes, but that was based on my beleif that Ouma was shot ( he lost to Bundrage for Christ sake!) Ouma is not shot, and that was obvious from the opening bell.

I started out routing for Vanes, but a few rounds in, I switched sides. I scored it 97-96 for Ouma. A close decision either way would have been fine, but as is often the case, the 3 blind mice judged the fight. The scorecards made it obvious Ouma never had a chance. Vanes is lucky Kassim is a bit feather fisted, or he would not have seen the end of 8 rounds.

 

The Nightmare had a tough fight against Ouma, unfortunately, the scores were utter crap. I had it a draw 95-95. I was somewhat disappointed, but not surprised at all with the scorecards.

 

My sentiments exactly, best post I have read. People forget Ouma gave Jermain Taylor in Jermaine Taylors fight all he could handle, people also forget this guy has a granite jaw(even though I thought he was on his last legs in the final 10 seconds), I also think he is quite erratic with his head, and should have been sternly warned after the 3rd or 4th head butt I counted, also he is very unorthodox with his stance and can be quite deceiving with his power, not world class but heavy handed.
Good win for Vanes against a tough opponent, he has a lot to learn but this will only give him the experience he needs.

 

I think Ouma being featherfisted is what won Vanes the fight. Im sure the fight looked different ringside, Vanes was obviously the much much harder puncher.


I didnt realize Vanes was so hyped. I'd seen the kid fight, he is very good. But he hasnt been in with any class contenders or even decent journeyman.

I figured Ouma could give him a tough night, and thats what happened. He is only 23.

2 or 3 more fights again B-level, contender level opponents, he could get a title shot in 2011. I think this year though he definitely needs to step up finally to world class opponents.

 

yeah now people are turning the corner, don't wanna repeat it but compared to who Vanes was previously fighting, Ouma is actually live opposition

**different weight class and I've never seen the fight, but it kinda reminded me of The Peterson's .. Lamont had his way vs pretty much everyone he fought, and when he finally stepped up vs Bradley look how he did

granted Vanes-Ouma went different then Peterson-Bradley, but IMO it's the same idea where young undefeated (Vanes, Peterson) steps up in class and experiences lots of trouble

 

I admit that I over rated Vanes Martirosyan, and under rated the current version of Kassim Ouma. In the near future Id like to see two things happen.

1) If Grady Brewer gets past Lara, I'd like to see him fight Vanes. I've said for a long time you do not put your undefeated prospect in with Brewer unless you are 100% certain he is the real deal. I for one am not convinced Lara is the real deal in spite of his amateur career. It's just like Grady said, "This is the pros!"

Vanes obviously needs to fight some different styles. Preferably guys who can make him think on his feet and adjust accordingly. Brewer can box, he can fight, he can spoil, fiddle, and frustrate, and if he catches you repeating the same mistakes multiple times, it's lights out, and there goes the zero! Brewer would be a good learning experience for Top Rank to take a look at.

2) I'd like to see Ouma take a couple easier fights, get the wins, and then make another title run. He clearly has something left in the gas tank.

 

I think this is the pick you want for a young up-and-coming guy, Ouma is a tough guy that is going to be hard to KO and will be in your face the whole fight. I think he handled it well and it was a great learning experience to be made to go the distance

 

I had Ouma winning by 2 rounds.

 

Good points Boo, especially the part about adapting to the awkward style of a proven and durable, SOMEWHAT dirty fighter like Ouma. Vanes IS 23 years old and had a cut caused by the head butt that was really affecting him. I actually would like Vanes to rematch Ouma, as crazy and risky as that sounds for Vanes, I think he does better in the rematch. Yes Brewer will there and a very formidable opponent.