I DON’T know what to make of Juan Manuel Marquez?s one-punch knockout of Likar Ramos in little over a minute in the very first round.
Impressive as it was from a purely pugilistic perspective, it was not so much the coup de grace but rather its immediate effect that had many shaking their heads in disbelief.
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Southpaw Ramos was holding his own against Marquez when around the one-minute mark, he stepped trying to land a right hook, but Marquez countered with a right to the chin that didn?t look like it had a lot of torque behind it.
Ramos lay down seemingly unconscious for a few minutes like he?d been shot.
Was it a bad acting job? Was it a lucky punch? Or was it the real thing?
It is beyond cavil that Marquez has power in those hands. With 39 knockouts in 53 wins, you can?t doubt the pop behind those gloves.
But he?s never been of the one-punch-knockout artist variety.
I?m tempted to sit on the fence on this one, but ultimately you have to consider that because Ramos wasn?t in Marquez?s class, you just have to call it one hell of a knockout.
CONGRATULATIONS. Hooray for Brian Viloria. I predicted a unanimous decision win for the ?Hawaiian Punch?, but for a brief moment in that first round, I thought he would make a prevaricator out of me.
There was no quintessential feeling-out first round as both men immediately buckled down to work. But around the two- minute mark, Brian landed a booming right hand followed by a ripping left hook and down went Miranda.
He immediately got up and walked to a corner, looking more surprised than hurt, but this early in the fight, he definitely felt Brian?s power. Viloria tried to finish him off, but a supremely-conditioned Miranda fought back gamely.
He would will himself back into the fight in the middle rounds, through his sheer tenacity, coming forward throwing punches in bunches.
In the last part of the fourth round, he would make a comeback, mauling Viloria along the ropes, putting him on defensive mode for most of the fifth and the sixth. I was mortified at the thought that Viloria was set to fade again in the second half of the fight.
Miranda was on him like bees on honey and while Viloria was fending off the marauding Mexican, he was letting some of the rounds slip by. What was alarming was that the spring in his legs was gone, and a grim, somber looked had replaced what had earlier been a confident, motivated expression.
BODY SHOTS. But just in the nick of time, Viloria started to land some sick-looking digs to Miranda?s mid-section. In the seventh, a well-placed body shot stopped Miranda dead in his tracks, allowing Viloria to once again take command of the fight.
The championship rounds were close, but I thought Viloria edged the 10th and 11th with his more accurate blows. Though I am not a big fan of his evasive tactics wherein he practically turns his back to his opponents while trying to reset, he was clearly in survival mode and was holding on to preserve his lead.
In the end, he showed the heart of a champion by fighting back even though his gas tank was empty.
CHALLENGE. Now that he is a three-time world champion, the challenge it seems is how to make his reign protracted and fruitful. In his first two tenures, he lost while making a second defense of his belts.
Brian looks stronger and fresher as a flyweight, and he should stay that way, for now. The infamous Viloria fade was still in full display, but at least he survived this one. He might be outgrowing this division already, or it might be a case of making proper adjustments in diet and nutrition so his energy doesn?t sap towards the end of his fights.
Whatever the case, let?s savor and cherish this championship. In case you failed to notice, they are getting hard to come by these days.
LAST ROUNDS. Are on my buddy Atty Kenneth Yap and my godchild Julie Villamor who recently celebrated their birthdays. Cheers!
