The Rise of the Little Big Men

Here's a piece I wrote on the lower weight classes in boxing. Includes Donaire, Viloria/Marquez, Roman Gonzales etc. Thoughts welcome.

I'll also be covering Eddie Hearn's Christmas ******* Bill on December 8th from ringside, and will be tweeting throughout (@dvano1). Bill includes Darren Barker vs Kerry Hope, Lee Purdy vs Carlson Jones, John Ryder vs O'Kane, Cardle, Yafai etc. Anyway, enjoy:

The most lucrative division in boxing has long been the Heavyweight division. Ever since Geroges Carpentier stepped up from Light Heavyweight to challenge Jack Dempsey in what would become the first million dollar gate in boxing history (the fight actually took in $1.7 million in gate recipes), the other divisions have played second fiddle. Even as far back as John L Sullivan’s bare knuckle rule, larger fighters have usually drawn bigger crowds and earned more money. Indeed, critics have long said that boxing is only as healthy as the Heavyweight weight class.

Of course, there are some fighters who have received Heavyweight popularity. Sugar Ray Robinson, Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, and later Oscar Del La Hoya all transcended the sport, earning fortunes and often drawing larger crowds than their heavyweight counterparts. But these men are very much the exception to the rule.

That was until the last decade or so. With Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko dominating the heavyweight crown, fans have turned en mass to the lighter divisions. Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have become kings of the Pay Per View in the United States, while the Klitschko Brothers were dropped from HBO.

But the trend doesn’t stop with Pacquiao and Mayweather, as fans are looking further down the weight pool for their inspiration. Minimum weight and Light Flyweight supreme Ivan Calderon was long thought of as one of the best pure boxers on the planet before he succumbed to the superb Giovani Segura in a 2010 Fight of the Year contender. Further back, Vic Darchinyan received great acclaim when he was bulldozing his way through the Flyweight division, before he was sensationally stopped by Nonito Donaire in 2007’s Upset of the Year. Just two months ago Mexico’s Mario Rodriguez shocked the world by stopping the previously unbeaten Nkosinathi Joyi to further popularise the lower weights.

These epic showdowns have two things in common. 1) The best are willing to fight the best, and 2) there is an air of uncertainty into how the fights will pan out.

Just last weekend, we were reminded again of just how good the lighter weight divisions are with when Brian Viloria stopped ‘Tyson’ Marquez in a brutal Flyweight contest in Los Angeles. Viloria, whose career looked all but over when he dropped a majority decision to Edgar Sosa in 2007, has been on a terrific run having lost just once in the last 13 fights going in, including wins over Giovani Segura, Ulises Solis and Julio Cesar Miranda. Herman ‘Tyson’ Marquez would, on paper at least, be Viloria’s toughest test since he knocked out Segura in 8 brutal rounds to win the WBO Flyweight title. Having been stopped just once(against pound for pound star Nonito Donaire), Marquez had knocked out Luis Concepcion in the 11th round of 2011’s epic Fight of the Year to win the WBA Flyweight crown, and repeated the feat six months later, this time stopping Concepcion in the first round. Going into the unification bout, he secured decision wins over Richie Mepranum and Fernando Lumacad to give him added confidence.

In customary fashion, both men spirited to the centre of the ring and went to war. And it was Marquez who landed the first telling blow, hurting Viloria with a hard left hand that wobbled the WBO belt holder. Marquez, looking to seize the initiative early on, neglected his defence, and was dropped by a hard left hook-right hook combination.

Over the next few rounds, Viloria would put on a boxing clinic, pushing ‘Tyson’ around the ring, while never really hurting the Mexican.

The battle would heat up again in round 5. Viloria began the stanza well, digging in hard left hands to the body. As he worked his way inside, Viloria was tagged by a vicious short right hand which buckled his knees. In desperate trouble, Viloria tried to avoid the Marquez onslaught to no avail. Lefts and rights reined in. A left hook seemed to put Viloria down, but it was ruled a slip. Instead of picking his punches, however, Marques threw caution to the wind, and threw a barrage of shots, most of which were blocked. But the punches were becoming slower and more predictable, lacking any real power due to the sheer volume. With a minute left in the round, and having seemingly punched himself out, it was Marquez who was on the floor once again. A hard right hook backed Tyson up, and Viloria followed it up with a 1-2 combination that sent the Mexican crashing down. Rising at 8, and with a minute left in the round, Viloria pounced on the hurt Marquez. Looking to finish his opponent off, Viloria moved in, but was tagged hard by a right hook from Marquez, stopping the American in his tracks. The final 30 seconds was sheer bedlam. The jab had been neglected by both fighters, as each threw hurtful punches, but neither man could make the breakthrough.

While Marquez may have troubled the judges’ scorecards for the first time in the 7th, he was still very much in the fight, despite the two knockdowns against him. He continued to pile forward in the 8th with growing confidence. Viloria was still attacking the body, but was now boxing more than brawling. Marquez was starting to bully Viloria, pushing him back and ripping straight lefts to the body. A late flurry certainly winning him round 9.

The end was to come in the next round. Viloria, looking increasingly tired, was smashed back onto the ropes by a Marquez left hook. Marquez, just like in round 5, began to throw punches from all angles. 5, 6, 7, unanswered punches seemed to snap Viloria’s head back once more. But just like in round 5, Marquez completely disregarded his defence. A huge left hook from Viloria snapped Marquez’s head back and sent the Mexican crashing to the canvas for the third time in the fight. Bravely rising at the count of 9, Marquez was a sitting duck. He did his best to hold Viloria off, but with his legs looking shaky, the Mexican’s corner rightfully threw in the towel.

Having solidifying himself as the best 112lb fighter in the world, attention inevitably turns to Viloria’s next opponent. South Africa’s hard punching Moruti Mthalane may be top of the fans’ list. The IBF title holder, who stopped Ricardo Nunez in his last bout, hasn’t tasted defeat since his 2008 loss to Nonito Donaire, and could take advantage of Viloria’s attacking style. A rematch with Giovani Segura, who hasn’t fought since Viloria stopped him late last year, would be another action packed fight for the fans.

But the real challenge may come in the form of WBA Light Flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez. The unbeaten ‘El Chocolatito’ has racked up 34 wins (28 inside the distance) at 108lbs, and won a hard fought decision against Mexico’s Juan Estrada on the Viloria – Marquez undercard. KO wins over Ramon Hirales, Omar Salado, Francisco Rosas and a points victory over Manuel Vargas has cemented Gonzalez as not only the best Light Flyweight in the world, but also as one of the hardest hitters pound for pound on the planet.

Whatever is next for either man, their paths will eventually cross should the pair keep racking up victories. When the two finally do meet, expect another Fight of the Year contender, which has become a familiar trait with the lower weight classes

 

I totally agree. Glad you enjoyed it :good

Solid contribution

 

Bumping this to give others a chance to see it.

 

Thanks pal. Yeah I've posted it around :good