Tonight’s interim WBA Jr. Welterweight title fight between champion Marcos Maidana and challenger Victor Cayo was a showdown between two young and hungry pugilists who were relatively unknown to American audiences. Both men were hoping to change that reality by night’s end.
Sporting and 24-0 record with 16 knockouts, Cayo was overly confident heading into his bout with Maidana. He said that his Argentinean foe’s TKO victory over Victor Ortiz this past summer showed him weaknesses that he would be able to capitalize on.
In the first round Cayo did well, controlling the action with his speed and fluidity. Nicknamed ‘Mermelada’ in his native Domincan Republic (‘Marmalade’ in American terms), Cayo was able to befuddle his foe early on.
The action changed in the second, however, as Maidana was able to break through towards the end of a frustrating stanza by dropping Cayo right as the bell sounded. Referee Joe Cortez issued Cayo a standing eigh count as it was obvious Maidana’s power was going to play a huge role.
In the third Cayo regrouped and had a solid start, again getting back to throwing punches in bunches. Towards the end of the round Maidana would turn the tide as he tagged his opponent with a volley of punishing blows late in the round. The action was noteworthy in the fourth as well as Cayo and Maidana took turns tagging each other. The action was halted momentarily as Maidana had Cayo pinned behind the corner post.
In the fifth was a wild one as Cayo stormed out early and appeared to stun Maidana with a combination in the center of the ring. Appearing to be in trouble, Maidana would recklessly throw caution to the wind and beat Cayo to the body. Down the stretch the action was furious as both men fought desperately to gain the edge.
Maidana came out like a bat out of hell in the sixth and applied non-stop pressure to his flailing opponent. Maidana pinned Cayo along the ropes and unleashed a hellacious assault. Cayo was weakening due to the increasing punishment and a body shot dropped him moments later. Cayo didn’t beat the count and Maidana and his team erupted in celebration.
With the win Maidana improves his record to 28-1 with 27 knockouts. As the interim WBA Jr. Welterweight champion he will surely have his eyes on WBA champion Amir Khan as he faces off with Paulie Malignaggi May 15th in New York. Cayo fought gamely but sees his record fall to 24-1 with 16 stoppages. At just 25 years of age he still has time to make an imprint in the sport but for now he must go back to the drawing board.
When speaking on his opponent Maidana recognizes that the victory wasn’t easy.
‘It was very tough and he had a lot of movement. I was coming out looking for the knockout punch but when I went back to the corner they told me to settle down. His movement and his handspeed was very fast but we worked on it in the gym’.
When asked about the third round, where he appeared to drop Cayo just as the bell sounded, Maidana had no guilty feelings. ‘It wasn’t intentional’ Maidana claimed.
In closing Maidana spoke on his future aspirations. He proved himself tonight and is eyeing all comers at 140 pounds.
‘Whoever is at a 140. We saw that movement wasn’t a problem for me. Whoever comes out from 140.’
Guzman salvages career with split-nod over Funeka
Heading into his rematch with Ali ‘Rush Hour’ Funeka, Joan Guzman’s reputation had already taken a severe hit. The Dominican escaped with a controversial draw against his South African foe this past November in which nearly everyone felt he deserved to lose and came in at a shocking 144 pounds for their second encounter, nine pounds over the scheduled Lightweight limit. With his chances at a title out the window Guzman still looked to salvage what was left of his once-promising career.
In the first round Guzman started strong, trying to make an impression with his speed and right hands. Funeka remained patient and the action picked up in the second round. The two men exchanged volleys at a furious rate in the center of the ring early but Funeka appeared to control the second half of the round by staying busier and ripping his shorter foe to the body.
Guzman began clowing around a little bit in the third and was warned by referee Robert Byrd after holding on to the ropes. Guzman was chiding Funeka with his tongue but doign little else. Funeka appeared to take the round by landing effectively towards the end of the stanza. The 4th was action packed and although Funeka landed effectively, Guzman closed the round with a piercing right hand.
In the fifth Guzman showed excellent counter-punching skills as he tagged Funeka repeatedly as he was rushing in. This was Funeka’s least effective round up until that point. Guzman had a huge sixth round as he floored Funeka with a crushing right hand and punished him along the ropes soon after. Funeka looked to be in trouble as he headed back to his corner.
Funeka came back strong in the seventh as he stalked Guzman and landed effectively to the body. Guzman landed as well but no at the same rate as his South African opponent. Funeka appeared to take the round and the fight appeared to be very close at that point as you could make a case for either man.
The eighth was another competitive round. Guzman began taunting Funeka early after absorbing some hard blows but wasn’t able to match his work-rate the rest of the round. As the bout reached the championship rounds it was a case of Funeka’s activity against Guzman’s precise counterpunching and thudding work to the body. Guzman appeared to give away the 12th round with the belief that he had done enough to win the contest.
Guzman ended up capturing a split-decision nod with two judges granted him a 116-111 and 114-113 victory. Funeka took the third card 114-113. Although Guzman wasn’t professional enough to make the weight he was able to show enough grit and skill to live another day. It’s unknown as to what division he will be campaigning in from here on out.
Danny Jacobs batters and stops Berrio in one
?The Golden Child? Danny Jacobs had a short nights? work as he bludgeoned veteran Jose Miguel Berro in one round. Jacobs is regarded by many as one of the sports? most promiosing prospects and he attacked early with a controlled aggression. A flush right hand towards the end of the round staggered Berrio and the end was just around the corner. Jacobs assaulted his elder foe along the ropes and a dropped him with a flurry soon thereafter. Berrio rose but was dropped by a sweeping left seconds later. Referee Jay Nady deemed that the Columbian was in no shape to continue and the contest was called off. Jacobs was impressive and improves his record to 19-0 with 16 knockouts.
Shields? prospect Jermell Charlo beats Gerardo Prieto over eight rounds
Trainer Ronnie Shields looks to have a solid prospect on his hands in 19-year old Jermell Charlo, who improved his record to 11-0 with 5 knockouts after easily beating Gerardo Preito over eight one-sided rounds. Charlo was last seen stopping Abdon Lozano on the undecard of Paulie Malignaggi?s rematch with Juan Diaz and was equally effective tonight despite going the full route.
Charlo controlled the contest with a strong jab and worked the body effectively, especially with his left. A knockdown in the late rounds all but sealed the deal but to his credit Prieto stayed tough and found a way to last until the final bell. Scores of 80-71 and 79-72 twice all went Charlo?s way.
Unassuming Omar Figueroa dominates Edgar Portillo
Looking much younger than his 20 years of age, Omar Figueroa looks anything but a fighter. Don?t let that fool you however, as the Weslaco, Texas native has mean intentions with his punches as well as some noticeable skill to back it up.
Figueroa easily controlled his contest tonight against fellow Texan Edgar Portillo, capturing a unanimous decision over six rounds. Scores of 58-56 twice didn?t reflect the fact that Portillo was on the wrong end of many hard exchanges and the 60-54 verdict in Figueroa?s favor seemed to be more accurate. With the win Figureroa moves to 9-0 with 8 knockouts.
Chaves stays unbeaten with hard win over Santos Barros
Diego Chaves won a clear but hard fought unanimous decision over Brazilian Edvan Dos Santos Barros, now living near Miami, Florida. The younger Chaves had trouble with Barros early on but soon adapted and began landing the cleaner and more telling blows.
Barros was looking very weary in the 3rd but found a way to dig down and keep fighting. He came out strong in the 4th but didn?t have an answer for the Argentinean, who controlled the late rounds with excellent work to the body. Scores of 60-54, 59-55, and 58-56 were all read in Chaves? favor, who moves to 14-0 with 12 knockouts. The well traveled Barros, best known for being featured on an episode of HBO?s Ring Life, falls to 10-9-1.
