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Philippines, 30 Sep 2024 |
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Undefeated Matthew Griego scores majority decision over Jeronil Borres in New Mexico By David Finger PhilBoxing.com Mon, 09 Mar 2020  Borres (L) and Griego (R). There is almost nothing tougher in boxing than having to go into a popular undefeated fighter's hometown and have to somehow pull off the upset in hostile territory. Well, for the quick punching Filipino Jeronil Borres, he almost did just that...and he almost did it on three days notice. Borres engaged in a New Mexico fight of the year candidate en route to an exciting, albeit losing, effort against undefeated New Mexico prospect Matthew "Diamond Boy" Griego. Griego came out with a razor thin majority decision victory and the ABF Continental Americas title. Griego, 111.8, dug deep to win a hard fought ten round majority decision over Jeronil Borres, 110.8, of the Philippines. Borres was seen as a solid litmus test for Griego, having only been stopped twice by world class fighters in Ivan Soriano (who is ranked #5 by the IBF at 108 pounds) and Junto Nakatani (who is ranked #3 by the WBO at 112 pounds). But in round one it looked like the awkward Filipino had just the weapon that could cut the Diamond Boy: lightning fast speed. Borres boxed behind a quick jab and midway through the round he switched from orthodox to southpaw to add to Griego’s frustration. By round two Griego began to work his jab and seemed to find some success with it. But for the Filipino the second round saw him make an adjustment as well. Abandoning the jab, that had proved effective in round one, Borres began to load up and fire wild overhand rights. It was a surprisingly effective strategy, but one that still seemed to nullify his speed advantage. The edge in speed seemed gone once he began to stalk the New Mexican while looking to land the hard right hand. Nonetheless Borres seemed to win the third round as the wide overhand rights were keeping Griego “honest” while also occasionally landing. Griego also seemed to possess a very bad habit, one that he will need to work on in the gym, of turning his head to the side whenever a right hand came close to his chin. The odd defensive technique may have made his chin somewhat more elusive but it also made it appear that many of the right hands that missed did in fact land. Griego again bounced back in round four as he incorporated some heavy body shots into his arsenal. The body work did seem to have the Filipino slowing down, but he roared back with a vengeance in round five. After landing a right cross Borres unleashed an onslaught upstairs that clearly rattled the local boy. But by the end of the round Griego again was able to establish his distance and even landed a hard overhand right from the outside. Borres incorporated his own body attack in round six but it remained the overhand rights upstairs that were the most problematic for Griego, who was clipped by several in the early part of the round. But it was what took place in the final minute of the round that would be the moment that Griego showed what he was made of. A hard overhand right landed flush on the chin of the Diamond Boy and he stumbled, visibly hurt. The Filipino recognized his wounded prey and stepped on the accelerator, trying to take out the New Mexican. Griego survived the round but having never fought past six rounds before and having been badly rattled, local boxing fans were nervous at the direction the fight was heading. Well, if Matthew Griego is someday destined to become a world champion, that champion was born in the seventh round of his fight with Jeronil Borres. Diamond Boy boxed beautifully behind a jab, popping his Filipino opponent upstairs and throwing combinations to the head whenever Borres cut the gap. Round eight saw Diamond Boy continue his effective boxing, although the round was much closer and more difficult to score. However, it was Diamond Boy who had the gas to finish the final two rounds with a slight edge. Although it did appear that Diamond Boy did just enough to pull off the fight, most of press row recognized how close the fight was and almost everyone had the fight either even or within a point or two for Griego. The close nature of the fight was reflected in the final decision as Chris Tellez scored the fight 95-95. However he was overruled by Stan Saavedra who scored the fight 96-94 and Juan Nunez who had a somewhat curious score of 99-91, both for Griego. Fightnews scored the fight 96-95 for Diamond Boy, who improved to 11-0, 8 KOs. The tough Filipino sees his record fall to 11-5-1, 6 KOs. ‘I’m a fighter,” Borres said after the decision was announced, “I accept I lose. For me, I really accept it. He’s a tough fighter. A very good fighter. A world champion.” Griego was excited about winning his first belt (the ABF Continental Americas belt) and was respectful about his opponent as well. “He was tough, he took everything I had,” Griego said of his opponent. “I thought I won it pretty clear, he’s a good sport. I hope he has much success in the future.” Click here to view a list of other articles written by David Finger.  |
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