Juan Manuel Marquez By Points, Brandon Rios By Felony
Weigh-ins haven’t been kind to “Bam Bam” Brandon Rios lately
by Gautham Nagesh
Juan Manuel Marquez coasted to a points win over Sergey Fedchenko, while Brandon Rios received a gift from the judges to keep his unbeaten record intact on Saturday night’s HBO Pay Per View card.
Marquez took his time against the awkward European, picking his spots while content to fight at his opponent’s deliberate pace. Fedchenko gave a decent account of himself, but didn’t have the power or speed to give JMM any real problems. The 12-round contest ended up looking more like an afternoon of medium sparring for Marquez, who punished Fedchenko with an arsenal of punches delivered from every angle. Fedchenko stood his ground more in the last three rounds, and ate a number of vicious power shots for his courage. All three judges correctly scored it a route for Marquez.
It was obvious to anyone with a basic understanding of boxing that Richard Abril schooled the dried-up shell of Rios, who barely made a dent in the second half of the fight. The Cuban called Rios out at a press conference earlier this spring and made good on that bravado, giving Bam Bam a boxing lesson while barely sustaining any damage. The fight and his failure to make weight are final proof that Rios has no business campaigning at lightweight. His slow started was followed by a slower finish, as the obvious effects of the weight loss prevented his trademark late surge.
Abril used his six-foot frame and long arms to deploy the Philly Shell defense to great effect. By presenting himself at angles and using his right hand to guard his chin, he gave Rios a small target that Bam Bam was unable to tag effectively. Rios might have been more aggressive at times, but his punches seemed largely ineffective as the rounds wore on. Abril, on the other hand, increasingly stood his ground and landed long-range combinations that moved Bam Bam’s head. The Cuban’s punches had more snap throughout the fight, and he never seemed bothered by Rios’ vaunted power.
But sadly, for the third time in his career Abril was victimized by the judges in favor of the house fighter. While I didn’t watch his fights against Hank Lundy and Breidis Prescott, there is no doubt in my mind that Abril deserved to win. Rios won four rounds at most, and Abril dominated the second half of the fight. Judges Glenn Trowbridge and Jerry Roth inexplicably scored the fight 115-113 and 116-112 for Rios respectively, while Adalaide Byrd, who appeared to be the only judge watching the same fight as the rest of the world, scored it 117-111 for Abril. I doubt she’ll be working another Top Rank fight any time soon.
Trowbridge and Roth have both been on the negative end of some questionable decisions in recent years, casting serious doubt on their fitness to judge championship bouts. But this is one of the worst decisions I’ve witnessed since covering the sport. We’re doing our best to track down both, but hopefully at least one reporter has the guts to ask Roth and Trowbridge whether they’re corrupt or just incompetent. I hate invoking this tired complaint, but decisions like this are bad for boxing.
Mike Alvarado overcame a courageous effort from Stiff Jab favorite Mauricio Herrera to win an unanimous decision and keep his record perfect. Herrera won the first round by out-boxing Alvarado, but foolishly stood his ground in the second. The result was a series of heavy shots that damaged his left eye and set the tone for the rest of the fight. While Herrera made spirited stands in several rounds, he was unable to cope with his foe’s superior size and strength. Herrera is a true pugilist with tremendous heart and a great beard. But his lack of punching power will likely prevent him from reaching the top.
Alvarado is more intriguing, simply due to his imposing style and unblemished record. I’m not sure he could beat the top fighters at 140 like Amir Khan or Lamont Peterson, but he could be part of any number of entertaining fights. Alvarado probably gets schooled by a counterpuncher like Marquez, but Alvarado-Rios could be must-see TV.
Filipino lightweight prospect Mercito Gesta turned in a solid performance in the Pay Per View opener, breaking down Oscar Cuero en route to an eighth-round stoppage. Gesta drops his hands and leaves himself wide open to be hit, but he took the Colombian’s punches well. His strength is clearly on offense, where he unleashed the full range of punches with speed and power in both hands. His specialty in this fight was crunching hooks and uppercuts, but he can box on the outside as well. Gesta also switches needlessly at times to orthodox, but his defense is clearly stronger as a southpaw.
Gesta showed a real commitment to the body that had Cuero on the cusp of capitulating in the 7th. Gesta landed a vicious right hook to the body that had Cuero on his knee until the last possible moment. When the ref asked if he was OK, he appeared to be considering the question carefully. Cuero’s listed age is 26, but he looked at least a decade older at the opening bell, and closer to 50 when he walked back to his corner after the bell.
Cuero attempted to hold on for dear life, but Gesta was too precise with his punches in the 8th. The final blow was a glancing right, but it was more the accumulation of punishment that forced the ref to wave it off. Cuero showed no resistance, his will broken by Gesta’s body attack. Like all Filipino fighters, Mercito is plagued by Manny Pacquiao comparisons that don’t fit. But he’s a promising prospect in his own right, young enough to improve and blessed with considerably physical gifts. If he can tighten up his defense, he could be ready for a title shot in a year.
Top Rank lightweight Eric Flores made a sensational pro debut earlier in the evening, routing Wilbert Mitchell within 40 seconds of the opening bell. Flores looked like an assassin, calmly waiting for an opening before unleashing a right hand that stunned Mitchell. Flores pounced with a wide left hook that landed flush, hurting Mitchell badly. Flores never let his hands stop from there, showing excellent finishing instinct as he dumped Mitchell unceremoniously in the corner. Referee Tony Weeks wisely called it off without finishing the count.
Fighting out of Inglewood, Calif. with the backing of boxing’s biggest promoter, Flores looks like one to watch for the future. His older brother Anthony Flores also made his debut tonight on the undercard at 140 lbs., and reportedly scored a devastating first-round knockout of Gabriel Medina.
Unbeaten lightweight prospect Terence Crawford apparently scored a highlight-reel knockout over Andre Gorges while we were on hold waiting for Comcast to make our Pay Per View work. According to BoxingScene, Crawford put Gorges down with an overhand right in the fifth after flooring him with a left hook at the end of the fourth.