Some good fights last week, though there was one switchup on the televised schedule. Here's what we got:
Brian's pick Fields I pick Fields Winner Fields
Brian's pick Clottey I pick Clottey Winner Clottey
Brian's pick Rodriguez I pick Rodriguez Winner Rodriguez
Brian's pick Antillon I pick Antillon Winner Antillon
Brian's pick Guinn I pick Guinn Winner Hawkins
Now the Brian's also picked Darrell Woods to beat Mark Woolnough while I picked Woolnough, mainly because I thought Woods was done. Woolnough dropped out and Woods fought Louis Sargeant, a total scrub, and lost. So, I know the Brian's would have had Woods, but I don't know for certain that I would have picked Sargeant, so, I'm gonna throw that one out. As for the others, Fields looked mediocre, but Koval was terrible. Clottey looked good. Rodriguez looked bad and McGee did much better than I thought, losing a close decision. And, I was wrong about Guinn. He didn't show up and got beaten easily by Hawkins. I should have expected trouble when Teddy Atlas, in his first comment of the year said he wished ESPN had done a better job of putting the show together. Great. So, I was 4-1 and the Brian's were 4-1.
This week will be a busy one. We have 3 cards Friday night and one on Saturday on Showtime. We'll start with the Telefutura card on Friday. The co-featured bout is a 10 round Super Flyweight fight featuring Brian Viloria vs. Jose Garcia Bernal.
Viloria was born in Honolulu and fights out of Waipahu, HI. He is 19-2-0 and 27 years old. He was a National champion in 1999 and fought for the US in the 2000 Olympics. His last fight, in April at Light Flyweight, he lost a majority decision to a decent Edgar Sosa. I have seen him fight four times, three times on his way up, when he was a very heavy handed little guy, beating up on people, and once, when he was revealed as a slow guy with bad defense. That was against Omar Nino Romero, against whom he got a majority draw in the rematch but the result was vacated when Romero failed a drug test. There are some names on the roster, Eric Ortiz and Jose Antonio Aguirre, in addition to Romero, but there are definitely questions about what the added weight will do and if he is already spent. He is currently rated 9th in the All-Time Light Flyweight list and 6th on the Active list. Garcia Bernal was born in Barranquila, Colombia and fights out of Miami. He is 27-9-1 and 37 years old. In his last fight, he got knocked out in the 12th by Juan Mercedes, who is fairly good, in October. In addition to Mercedes, he has also lost to Julio Ler and Mauricio Pastrana. He has lost 3 of his last 4 and 5 of his last 7. He is rated 14th in the All-Time Super Flyweight ratings and 11th in the Active ratings. This is a guy trying to move up and show that he belongs in the higher weight class by beating essentially a B level fighter. The Brian's put it at Viloria 785.0 over Garcia Bernal 658.4. I think Viloria will win, but if he loses, he will fall out of the championship contender level.
The Telefutura Main Event is a 12 round Light Welterweight bout featuring Michel Rosales vs. Dairo Esalas. Rosales was born in and fights out of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He is 13-1-0 and 24 years old. In his last fight he bombed out rising prospect Americo Santos with a first round TKO in October. I have seen his last two fights, but there is not much to remember, other than his decent power taking out Santos. The only other decent name on his resume is Manuel Garnica, whom he also beat. He is rated as the 75th All-Time Light Welterweight and 35th on the Active list.
Esalas was born in San Onofre Colombia and fights out of Brea, CA. He is 30-10-0 and 33 years old. He has lost 5 of his last 6 and 9 of his last 11, though in his last fight, he won a split decision over fading but still good DeMarcus Corley in November. He has lost to several other good fighters, Jose Armando Santa Cruz, Francisco Bojado, Edgar Santana, Terrance Cauthen, Jose Luis Cruz, Lamar Murphy, and Julio Diaz. An interesting and perhaps telling statistic, while he is 26-2 in his home Colombia, he is only 4-8 away from there. He is currently rated 40th on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 54th in the Active list. This is a rising prospect looking to take a bite out of a guy with a good record, as many others have done. The Brian's say Rosales 755.3 over Esalas 675.7. Despite his recent victory, I don't see it being even that close. I'll take Rosales.
Next up, a ShoBox event on Showtime featuring the Peterson brothers. On the undercard, we will start with a 10 round Welterweight fight between older brother Lamont vs. Antonio Mesquita. Peterson
was born in Washington, DC and fights out of Memphis. He is 23-0-0 and 23 years old. In his last fight, he KOd a decent Humberto Toledo in the first in November. I have seen him fight 5 times. He is a good boxer with nicely polished skills. He does not have particularly heavy hands, but can get a knockout if you aren't any good at defense. He is long and lean and also decent on defense. He doesn't have any great names on the roster, Toledo probably being the best. He is currently rated 94th on the All-Time Welterweight list and 17th on the Active list. Mesquita
was born in Guaruja, Brazil and fights out of Las Vegas. He is 34-0-0 with 26 knockouts and 35 years old. His last fight was a unanimous decision against a barely decent Joshua Smith in August. That broke up a string of 6 KO victories prior to it. Most of his fights have been in Brazil against substandard competition and not much is known about him in the states. The only folks he has fought have been Santos Pakau and Juan Carlos Ramirez. He is currently rated 25th on the All-Time Light Middleweight ratings and 12th overall. This is a moderate step up for Peterson, and he will be fighting a dangerous puncher. This could be his first real stern test. I think Mesquita is not as good as his record, but I don't think he is a chump either. The Brian's put it at Mesquita 928.1 over Peterson 885.7. I think I'll take Peterson to step up and win.
In the main event, we have Anthony Peterson vs. Jose Antonio Izquierdo in a 10 round Light Welterweight fight. Peterson
the Younger was born in Washington, DC and fights out of Memphis. He is 25-0-0 and 22 years old. His last fight was a TKO of a decent Oscar Leon. I've seen him fight 3 times. He is a little less boxer than Lamont, but a lot heavier puncher. Younger, but more exciting. He has also fought the better names, beating Alfred Kotey, Juan Garza, Luis Ernesto Jose, Leon, Jermaine White. He is rated 25th on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 8th on the Active list. Izquierdo was born in Pina Del Rio, Cuba and fights out of Chihuahua, Mexico. He is 16-1-1 and 30 years old. In his last fight, he lost a unanimous decision to a fair Cesar Soto in April. I saw him fight once, unmemorably. Soto and Nick Casal are the only decent guys on his record and neither is as good as Anthony Peterson. He is rated 73rd on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 38th on the Active list. Izquierdo hasn't fought in a while, took the fight on short notice, and appears, to me, to be out his depth. The Brian's put this as Peterson 887.5 over Izquierdo 741.2. I'll take Peterson, by early stoppage.
The last Friday night card is on ESPN. The co-featured bout is an 8 round Lighweight fight featuring Zahir Raheem vs. Ricardo Dominguez. Raheem
was born in Philadelphia and fights out of Las Vegas. He is 28-2-0 and 31 years old. He fought for the US in the 1996 Olympics. In his last fight, in July, he won a unanimous decision over a solid Cristobal Cruz. I have seen him fight five times, including his last three. He can be very very good, with high skills and very good speed. I sometimes worry about his motivation, however. He has fought some of the best, Erik Morales, Rocky Juarez, and Acelino Freitas and he beat Morales. He is currently rated 50th in the All-Time Lightweight list and 12th on the Active list. Dominguez
was born in Culiacan, Mexico and fights out of Tucson. He is 23-2-2 and 22 years old. In his last fight, he TKOd noname Francisco Castro in the first in November. 6 of his last 7 victories have been by knockout. I have seen him fight once, unmemorably and he has not really fought anybody decent. He is rated 193rd in the All-Time Welterweight ratings and 58th in the Active ratings. So a guy looking to stay active fighting a decent fellow who has never been tested and is looking to make his name. If Dominguez is hungry and Raheem is not taking this fight seriously, he could be in trouble. But, if Raheem is ready, Dominguez could be nervous and it could go just the other way. The Brian's put it at Raheem 905.8 over Dominguez 739.5. I'll take Raheem to be interested in the fight.
The Main Event is a 10 round Super Middleweight bout featuring Allan Green vs. Rubin Williams. Green
was born in and fights out of Tulsa. He is 25-1-0 and 28 years old. In his last fight he bombed out a decent Sherwin Davis in the 2nd round in October. I have seen him fight 8 times. He is heavy handed, active and a fair boxer. His power is the thing, though. He has fought some good folk, Darrell Woods, Edison Miranda, Jerson Ravelo, Emmett Linton, and Jaidon Codrington. He is rated as the 25th All-Time Super Middleweight and 15th on the Active list. Williams
fights out of Detroit. He is 29-2-1 and 31 years old. His last fight was a draw with a very good Antwun Echols last January. I have seen him fight twice, the two times he stepped up in class of fighter before Echols. They were both losses, to Jeff Lacy and Epifanio Mendoza. He is stepping up again and I think his prospects are bleak, particularly coming off such a long layoff. He is currently rated 57th on the All-Time Super Middleweight list and 30th in the Active list. Williams looks good, but Green actually is good. The Brian's say Green 916.1 over Williams 844.1. I'll take Green.
Finally, the Saturday night card on Showtime. It begins with a 10 round Light Heavyweight fight between Glen Johnson and Hugo Pineda. Johnson
was born in Clarendon, Jamaica and fights out of Miami. He is 46-11-2 and 39 years old. He has fought for the Middleweight and Super Middleweight world titles and held the Light Heavyweight Championship. In his last fight, he KOd a decent Fred Moore in July. I have seen him fight 5 times. He is a decent boxer and he has decent power. I think of him more as solid plugger than as anything spectacular. He has fought all the studs, Antonio Tarver twice, Roy Jones, George Jones, Richard Hall, Clinton Woods three times, Montell Griffin, and more. He is currently rated 63rd on the All-Time Light Heavyweight list and 11th on the Active list. Pineda fights out of Barranquila, Colombia. He is 39-3-1 36 years old. His last fight was a TKO over a young Zach Walters way back in November of '06. The only names on his resume are two of his three losses, Felix Trinidad and Kostya Tszyu. He is currently rated 72nd on the All-Time Light Heavyweight ratings and if he were active, he would be 18th. So, a good journeyman pro, staying active before his next title shot in April against a guy who has been off for a long time and probably came back for a decent payday. The Brian's put it at Johnson 921.2 over Pineda 888.0. I'll take Johnson.
Brian's pick Fields I pick Fields Winner Fields
Brian's pick Clottey I pick Clottey Winner Clottey
Brian's pick Rodriguez I pick Rodriguez Winner Rodriguez
Brian's pick Antillon I pick Antillon Winner Antillon
Brian's pick Guinn I pick Guinn Winner Hawkins
Now the Brian's also picked Darrell Woods to beat Mark Woolnough while I picked Woolnough, mainly because I thought Woods was done. Woolnough dropped out and Woods fought Louis Sargeant, a total scrub, and lost. So, I know the Brian's would have had Woods, but I don't know for certain that I would have picked Sargeant, so, I'm gonna throw that one out. As for the others, Fields looked mediocre, but Koval was terrible. Clottey looked good. Rodriguez looked bad and McGee did much better than I thought, losing a close decision. And, I was wrong about Guinn. He didn't show up and got beaten easily by Hawkins. I should have expected trouble when Teddy Atlas, in his first comment of the year said he wished ESPN had done a better job of putting the show together. Great. So, I was 4-1 and the Brian's were 4-1.
This week will be a busy one. We have 3 cards Friday night and one on Saturday on Showtime. We'll start with the Telefutura card on Friday. The co-featured bout is a 10 round Super Flyweight fight featuring Brian Viloria vs. Jose Garcia Bernal.
Viloria was born in Honolulu and fights out of Waipahu, HI. He is 19-2-0 and 27 years old. He was a National champion in 1999 and fought for the US in the 2000 Olympics. His last fight, in April at Light Flyweight, he lost a majority decision to a decent Edgar Sosa. I have seen him fight four times, three times on his way up, when he was a very heavy handed little guy, beating up on people, and once, when he was revealed as a slow guy with bad defense. That was against Omar Nino Romero, against whom he got a majority draw in the rematch but the result was vacated when Romero failed a drug test. There are some names on the roster, Eric Ortiz and Jose Antonio Aguirre, in addition to Romero, but there are definitely questions about what the added weight will do and if he is already spent. He is currently rated 9th in the All-Time Light Flyweight list and 6th on the Active list. Garcia Bernal was born in Barranquila, Colombia and fights out of Miami. He is 27-9-1 and 37 years old. In his last fight, he got knocked out in the 12th by Juan Mercedes, who is fairly good, in October. In addition to Mercedes, he has also lost to Julio Ler and Mauricio Pastrana. He has lost 3 of his last 4 and 5 of his last 7. He is rated 14th in the All-Time Super Flyweight ratings and 11th in the Active ratings. This is a guy trying to move up and show that he belongs in the higher weight class by beating essentially a B level fighter. The Brian's put it at Viloria 785.0 over Garcia Bernal 658.4. I think Viloria will win, but if he loses, he will fall out of the championship contender level.The Telefutura Main Event is a 12 round Light Welterweight bout featuring Michel Rosales vs. Dairo Esalas. Rosales was born in and fights out of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He is 13-1-0 and 24 years old. In his last fight he bombed out rising prospect Americo Santos with a first round TKO in October. I have seen his last two fights, but there is not much to remember, other than his decent power taking out Santos. The only other decent name on his resume is Manuel Garnica, whom he also beat. He is rated as the 75th All-Time Light Welterweight and 35th on the Active list.
Esalas was born in San Onofre Colombia and fights out of Brea, CA. He is 30-10-0 and 33 years old. He has lost 5 of his last 6 and 9 of his last 11, though in his last fight, he won a split decision over fading but still good DeMarcus Corley in November. He has lost to several other good fighters, Jose Armando Santa Cruz, Francisco Bojado, Edgar Santana, Terrance Cauthen, Jose Luis Cruz, Lamar Murphy, and Julio Diaz. An interesting and perhaps telling statistic, while he is 26-2 in his home Colombia, he is only 4-8 away from there. He is currently rated 40th on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 54th in the Active list. This is a rising prospect looking to take a bite out of a guy with a good record, as many others have done. The Brian's say Rosales 755.3 over Esalas 675.7. Despite his recent victory, I don't see it being even that close. I'll take Rosales.Next up, a ShoBox event on Showtime featuring the Peterson brothers. On the undercard, we will start with a 10 round Welterweight fight between older brother Lamont vs. Antonio Mesquita. Peterson
was born in Washington, DC and fights out of Memphis. He is 23-0-0 and 23 years old. In his last fight, he KOd a decent Humberto Toledo in the first in November. I have seen him fight 5 times. He is a good boxer with nicely polished skills. He does not have particularly heavy hands, but can get a knockout if you aren't any good at defense. He is long and lean and also decent on defense. He doesn't have any great names on the roster, Toledo probably being the best. He is currently rated 94th on the All-Time Welterweight list and 17th on the Active list. Mesquita
was born in Guaruja, Brazil and fights out of Las Vegas. He is 34-0-0 with 26 knockouts and 35 years old. His last fight was a unanimous decision against a barely decent Joshua Smith in August. That broke up a string of 6 KO victories prior to it. Most of his fights have been in Brazil against substandard competition and not much is known about him in the states. The only folks he has fought have been Santos Pakau and Juan Carlos Ramirez. He is currently rated 25th on the All-Time Light Middleweight ratings and 12th overall. This is a moderate step up for Peterson, and he will be fighting a dangerous puncher. This could be his first real stern test. I think Mesquita is not as good as his record, but I don't think he is a chump either. The Brian's put it at Mesquita 928.1 over Peterson 885.7. I think I'll take Peterson to step up and win.In the main event, we have Anthony Peterson vs. Jose Antonio Izquierdo in a 10 round Light Welterweight fight. Peterson
the Younger was born in Washington, DC and fights out of Memphis. He is 25-0-0 and 22 years old. His last fight was a TKO of a decent Oscar Leon. I've seen him fight 3 times. He is a little less boxer than Lamont, but a lot heavier puncher. Younger, but more exciting. He has also fought the better names, beating Alfred Kotey, Juan Garza, Luis Ernesto Jose, Leon, Jermaine White. He is rated 25th on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 8th on the Active list. Izquierdo was born in Pina Del Rio, Cuba and fights out of Chihuahua, Mexico. He is 16-1-1 and 30 years old. In his last fight, he lost a unanimous decision to a fair Cesar Soto in April. I saw him fight once, unmemorably. Soto and Nick Casal are the only decent guys on his record and neither is as good as Anthony Peterson. He is rated 73rd on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 38th on the Active list. Izquierdo hasn't fought in a while, took the fight on short notice, and appears, to me, to be out his depth. The Brian's put this as Peterson 887.5 over Izquierdo 741.2. I'll take Peterson, by early stoppage.The last Friday night card is on ESPN. The co-featured bout is an 8 round Lighweight fight featuring Zahir Raheem vs. Ricardo Dominguez. Raheem
was born in Philadelphia and fights out of Las Vegas. He is 28-2-0 and 31 years old. He fought for the US in the 1996 Olympics. In his last fight, in July, he won a unanimous decision over a solid Cristobal Cruz. I have seen him fight five times, including his last three. He can be very very good, with high skills and very good speed. I sometimes worry about his motivation, however. He has fought some of the best, Erik Morales, Rocky Juarez, and Acelino Freitas and he beat Morales. He is currently rated 50th in the All-Time Lightweight list and 12th on the Active list. Dominguez
was born in Culiacan, Mexico and fights out of Tucson. He is 23-2-2 and 22 years old. In his last fight, he TKOd noname Francisco Castro in the first in November. 6 of his last 7 victories have been by knockout. I have seen him fight once, unmemorably and he has not really fought anybody decent. He is rated 193rd in the All-Time Welterweight ratings and 58th in the Active ratings. So a guy looking to stay active fighting a decent fellow who has never been tested and is looking to make his name. If Dominguez is hungry and Raheem is not taking this fight seriously, he could be in trouble. But, if Raheem is ready, Dominguez could be nervous and it could go just the other way. The Brian's put it at Raheem 905.8 over Dominguez 739.5. I'll take Raheem to be interested in the fight.The Main Event is a 10 round Super Middleweight bout featuring Allan Green vs. Rubin Williams. Green
was born in and fights out of Tulsa. He is 25-1-0 and 28 years old. In his last fight he bombed out a decent Sherwin Davis in the 2nd round in October. I have seen him fight 8 times. He is heavy handed, active and a fair boxer. His power is the thing, though. He has fought some good folk, Darrell Woods, Edison Miranda, Jerson Ravelo, Emmett Linton, and Jaidon Codrington. He is rated as the 25th All-Time Super Middleweight and 15th on the Active list. Williams
fights out of Detroit. He is 29-2-1 and 31 years old. His last fight was a draw with a very good Antwun Echols last January. I have seen him fight twice, the two times he stepped up in class of fighter before Echols. They were both losses, to Jeff Lacy and Epifanio Mendoza. He is stepping up again and I think his prospects are bleak, particularly coming off such a long layoff. He is currently rated 57th on the All-Time Super Middleweight list and 30th in the Active list. Williams looks good, but Green actually is good. The Brian's say Green 916.1 over Williams 844.1. I'll take Green.Finally, the Saturday night card on Showtime. It begins with a 10 round Light Heavyweight fight between Glen Johnson and Hugo Pineda. Johnson
was born in Clarendon, Jamaica and fights out of Miami. He is 46-11-2 and 39 years old. He has fought for the Middleweight and Super Middleweight world titles and held the Light Heavyweight Championship. In his last fight, he KOd a decent Fred Moore in July. I have seen him fight 5 times. He is a decent boxer and he has decent power. I think of him more as solid plugger than as anything spectacular. He has fought all the studs, Antonio Tarver twice, Roy Jones, George Jones, Richard Hall, Clinton Woods three times, Montell Griffin, and more. He is currently rated 63rd on the All-Time Light Heavyweight list and 11th on the Active list. Pineda fights out of Barranquila, Colombia. He is 39-3-1 36 years old. His last fight was a TKO over a young Zach Walters way back in November of '06. The only names on his resume are two of his three losses, Felix Trinidad and Kostya Tszyu. He is currently rated 72nd on the All-Time Light Heavyweight ratings and if he were active, he would be 18th. So, a good journeyman pro, staying active before his next title shot in April against a guy who has been off for a long time and probably came back for a decent payday. The Brian's put it at Johnson 921.2 over Pineda 888.0. I'll take Johnson. And, in the main event, we have Paul Malignaggi vs. Herman Ngoudjo in a 12 round Light Welterweight title fight. Malignaggi
was born in and fights out of Brooklyn. He is 23-1-0 and 27 years old. He won the 2001 National Championships. His last fight was a whitewash of a very strong Lovemore N'Dou to win the Light Welterweight title. I've seen him fight 5 times. He is a pure slickster, good speed, good boxer, zero punching power. He did show some toughness in his only loss, giving Miguel Cotto trouble even after he broke his jaw. Other than Cotto and N'Dou, he has fought Edner Cherry, Donald Camarena, and Ramiro Cano. He is rated 26th on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 9th on the Active list. Ngoudjo
was born in Douala, Cameroon and fights out of Montreal. He is 16-1-0 and 28 years old. He fought for Cameroon in the 2000 Olympics. In his last fight, he won a split decision against a very good Randall Bailey in June. The fight before that he lost a very close split decision against world class Jose Luis Castillo. I've seen him fight 4 times and I like him. He does not have aparticularly great skills, but he is very tough, he applies good pressure, and he keeps coming forward. In addition to Castillo and Bailey, he has fought JC Rodriguez, Donald Camarena and the always tough Emanuel Augustus. He is rated 46th on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 19th on the Active list. I did like Malignaggi before the Cotto fight, but he showed me some real heart there. I don't particuarly like his slickster style. But, he's good. Ithink Ngoudjo may be out of his depth. But, Ngoudjo has come up big before when he seemed outmatched, against Castillo and Bailey. I don't put Malignaggi in their class yet. The Brian's put this as Malignaggi 884.3 over Ngoudjo 824.2. I think I may be picking with my heart, but I'll take Ngoudjo.
was born in and fights out of Brooklyn. He is 23-1-0 and 27 years old. He won the 2001 National Championships. His last fight was a whitewash of a very strong Lovemore N'Dou to win the Light Welterweight title. I've seen him fight 5 times. He is a pure slickster, good speed, good boxer, zero punching power. He did show some toughness in his only loss, giving Miguel Cotto trouble even after he broke his jaw. Other than Cotto and N'Dou, he has fought Edner Cherry, Donald Camarena, and Ramiro Cano. He is rated 26th on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 9th on the Active list. Ngoudjo was born in Douala, Cameroon and fights out of Montreal. He is 16-1-0 and 28 years old. He fought for Cameroon in the 2000 Olympics. In his last fight, he won a split decision against a very good Randall Bailey in June. The fight before that he lost a very close split decision against world class Jose Luis Castillo. I've seen him fight 4 times and I like him. He does not have aparticularly great skills, but he is very tough, he applies good pressure, and he keeps coming forward. In addition to Castillo and Bailey, he has fought JC Rodriguez, Donald Camarena and the always tough Emanuel Augustus. He is rated 46th on the All-Time Light Welterweight list and 19th on the Active list. I did like Malignaggi before the Cotto fight, but he showed me some real heart there. I don't particuarly like his slickster style. But, he's good. Ithink Ngoudjo may be out of his depth. But, Ngoudjo has come up big before when he seemed outmatched, against Castillo and Bailey. I don't put Malignaggi in their class yet. The Brian's put this as Malignaggi 884.3 over Ngoudjo 824.2. I think I may be picking with my heart, but I'll take Ngoudjo.In review, The Brian's pick
Viloria-----------I pick Viloria
Rosales----------I pick Rosales
Mesquita--------I pick Peterson
Peterson---------I pick Peterson
Raheem---------I pick Raheem
Green-----------I pick Green
Johnson---------I pick Johnson
Malignaggi-------I pick Ngoudjo
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