ESPN FNF Special Edition: Ray Beltran outslugs Ji-Hoon Kim in Las Vegas

photo credit: Chris Farina/Top Rank

In Thursday night's ESPN Friday Night Fights Special Edition main event, NABF lightweight champion Ray Beltran retained his belt via a 98-92, 98-92 and 97-94 unanimous decision victory over the very game Ji-Hoon Kim at The Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The wide margin in the scorecards does not mirror the brawl that ensued right after the opening bell, when both fighters traded knockdowns to usher the 10-round firefight.

It was a hard-earned win for Ray Beltran (27-6, 17 KO), who for years was Manny Pacquiao's main sparring partner, against one of the toughest brawlers in the division in Ji-Hoon Kim (24-8, 18 KO) of South Korea, who was on a three-fight win streak and ranked no. 3 by the IBF.

It was sweet victory for Ray Beltran, the perrenial "sparring partner" who for years was fighting for respect as a fighter. The Mexican fighter did not get his due against the likes of Sharif Bogere and Luis Ramos Jr. wherein he found himself at the short end of the decisions. He did not get the respect that he deserved even in a win against highly-touted Hank Lundy, who by the way, is still ahead of him in many sanctioning bodies' rankings.

But in this particular fight, Ray Beltran earned his due and got the respect that he deserved -- rankings, ratings and sanctioning bodies be damned.

The epic first round...

Ji-Hoon Kim immediately jumped into Ray Beltran right from the start with hard albeit wild shots, which Ray Beltran tried to evade by backtracking as he tried to time and counter his opponent. But with 1:44 in the round, Beltran found himself on the canvas after receiving a short left to the jaw from Kim.

Ray Beltran beat the count as Ji-Hoon Kim swarmed him, throwing wildly with power shots, but Beltran never panicked and and landed a counter left, smacking Kim in the jaw. Kim staggered backwards and smiled as he acknowledged the hard shot that he just received. It was a see-saw battle from then on as the two fighters tried to outland and outbomb each other.

With less than 10 seconds left in the round, Ray Beltran snuck in a left hook to the jaw that downed Ji-Hoon Kim. Visibly shaken while the referee administered the mandatory eight count, Kim was saved by the bell as he wobbly walked back to his corner.

For whom the bell tolls...

The second round found Ray Beltran and Ji-Hoon Kim continuing where they left off: Going toe-to-toe in the pocket; Beltran digging to the body and hooking upstairs. Kim, on the other hand, continued to head hunt. In the last 10 seconds, Beltran hurt Kim with several hard shots, but Kim was again saved by the bell.

Ray Beltran showed his patience while under fire (even absorbing a low blow with 2:12 minutes left in the round) and was very methodical and accurate with his punches when attacking the wild punching Ji-Hoon Kim. Still, Beltran has a cut above his left eye to show after the round, caused by one of the bombs that his opponent landed on him.

In the third round, a minor snafu in his corner did not deter Ray Beltran from engaging Ji-Hoon Kim in trench warfare. With the referee stopping the fight and ensuring that he had his mouth guard on him, Ray Beltran and Ji-Hoon Kim continued putting the hurt on each other. While Ji-Hoon Kim continued to head hunt, Ray Beltran began digging on his opponent's rib cage. And the Korean would wince every time Ray Beltran's right would land on his side with a thud.

And with 15 seconds remaining, Ji-Hoon Kim found himself on the receiving end of Ray Beltran's assault. Again, the bell played its spoiler role and Kim survived the onslaught.

From rounds 4-10, the trend of the fight was throwing bombs all the way. Every punch thrown was packed with mean intentions. Every punch landed with thunderous explosions.

The hardnosed battle showed both fighters trading hard shots in trying to outgun and outpower each other inside the pocket. But while Ji-Hoon Kim continued to come forward and head-hunt, Ray Beltran always varied his approach to the fight -- a right hook to the body, a left hook to the face -- tactics that proved a menace to Ji-Hoon Kim's cause in the end.

In a tit-for-tat war, Ray Beltran's very methodical approach negated Ji-Hoon Kim's wild hard punches. In the brutal exchanges, Jin-Hoon Kim's vaunted artillery failed him. Ray Beltran's investment in the body early took its toll on Ji-Hoon Kim's power and aggresiveness later on. In the end, Ray Beltran's accuracy in the trenches proved to be the difference, while Ji-Hoon Kim's weapons faltered when it mattered the most.


Note: This article was previously posted on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

Jessie Magdaleno grabs NABO super bantamweight title in easy win over Jonathan Arellano

Prospect Jessie Magdaleno stamped his class over Jonathan Arellano during the ESPN Friday Night Fight Special Edition on Thursday night, sweeping the three judges' scorecards 80-70, 80-70, 80-69, for a unanimous decision win to keep his unblemmished record intact (13-0, 9 KO) and claim the NABO super bantamweight belt at The Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Jessie Magdaleno brought the fight to Jonathan Arellano (13-2-1, 3 KO) right from the opening bell as he immediately unloaded on his opponent. But Arellano withstood the early barrage to escape the round unscathed.

The second round proved to be Jessie Magdaleno's best round of the fight as he put down Jonathan Arellano on the canvas with a well-timed right hook on top of the head with just 1:24 left in the round. Still, Jonathan Arellano regained his bearing on time and survived the round.

Jessie Magdaleno continued his double-fisted attack in the third canto: Pummeling Jonathan Arellano at every chance he got -- driving him into a corner, or pinning him on the ropes with a variety of shots. But Jonathan Arellano was able to counter with a left hook to the face that backtracked Jessie Magdaleno.

In the 4th round, Jessie Magdaleno boxed beautifully, timing and countering with hooks everytime Jonathan Arellano tried to mount an attack. But in this round, Jonathan Arellano would not be denied as he landed three consecutive hard left hands on Magdaleno just before the round ended.

With 1:08 left in the 6th round, Jessie Magdaleno pummeled and downed Jonathan Arellano to the canvas. Magdaleno tried to finish him off but was able to grab for dear life to survive the round.

Both fighters bartered shots throughout the 7th with Jessie Magdaleno sneaking several uppercuts, while Jonathan Arellano landed some left hooks of his own. But Jessie Magdaleno was way ahead in all the scorecards, and barring a freak knockout, is already assured of victory.

The last round was anti-climactic as Jessie Magdaleno elected to fight in spurts as he easily cruised to a unanimous decision victory over the overmatched Jonathan Arellano.

"Charles & Reggie: Toe to Toe with Manny Pacquiao" explodes on TNT tonight

We all know that Manny Pacquiao loves basketball and is a big fan of the NBA. It is well-known that on numerous occassions, he would defy his trainer Freddie Roach's order not to play the game during training just so he can play pick-up basketball with his friends.

But if there is any doubt left about the Filipino boxing superstar's passion for the game, we only need to remember his fight with Timothy Bradley last June wherein Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum decided to delay the start of the main event so that Pacquiao could watch Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

We also know that NBA Legends and Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller are big boxing aficionados. They are also regular fixtures at big time fights in Las Vegas. And NBA fans have seen Charles Barkley figured in a scuffle with fellow TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal eons ago during one of their games, but if we are talking about Sir Charles' boxing skills, that's another story.

On numerous occasions, both Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller have been very vocal about their love of prizefigting as well as professing their admiration for Manny Pacquiao during their coverage of NBA games on TNT.

And in last week's Thursday night telecast of the Miami-San Antonio game, Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller spoke about their experience working out with Manny Pacquiao.

Charles Barkley: “We spent a day with Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach, and let me tell you something — one of the great days of my life. “

"I don’t wanna brag, but there’s no doubt in my mind I could knock Manny Pacquiao out."

To which, Reggie Miller disagreed, “No, you can’t. Manny (Pacquiao) call me, let’s set this up.”

Now, there is no doubt that Reggie Miller is one of the best shooters to ever play in the NBA. Yes, there is no doubt that Charles Barkley is one of the best talkers, if not the best bruisers to ever play in the NBA. And there is no doubt that Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers to ever display his wares in the ring. Aside from their common love for Boxing and Basketball, all three are funny and hilarious in their own special way.

Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller gave us a hint of what we should expect from the 30-minute TNT wherein they went toe-to-toe with Manny Pacquiao.

 "As a boxing fan, it was one of the coolest things I've ever done," Barkley said.

"As a professional athlete, it's always interesting to hear how other elite athletes prepare themselves for competition. Training with Manny was an experience I'll never forget," added Miller.

It will be interesting to see how Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and Manny Pacquiao talk shop, interact, and literally and figuratively throw jabs at each other -- a welcome respite from all the monotony and serious talk about the fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, subjective odds, analysis and all, being peddled to every boxing fan by boxing scribes during fight week.

Let us keep our fingers crossed and hope that the well-adverstised TNT special will not only be explosive but a knockout; Laugh-wise, that is.

Tonight, TNT will air  "Charles & Reggie: Toe to Toe with Manny Pacquiao" after the NBA double-header between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks at 8 p.m. ET, with the Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns following at 10:30 p.m. ET.

 Note: This article was previously posted on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero outguns and tames Andre "The Beast" Berto

Days before his fight with Andre Berto, Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero vowed that he will beat Andre "The Beast" Berto up and "take care of business" on fight night. On the other hand, Andre Berto proclaimed that "I've had a hell of a year, going through a lot of trials and tribulations," and hoped to turn things around.

On Saturday night's HBO Boxing After Dark, Robert Guerrero (30-1-1, 18 KOs) fulfilled his promise in stunning fashion as he gave Andre Berto (28-2, 22 KOs) the beating of his life and his second career loss via a Unanimous Decision victory to retain the interim WBC welterweight title in front of a loud and boisterous crowd at the Citizens Business Center Arena in Ontario, CA. The three judges have identical scores of 116-110 favoring the Gilroy, CA native.

On Saturday night, Andre Berto went to hell and back, yet fell short of his aspirations and succumbed to a gutsy and superior fighter in one of the best fights of the year to date.

Andre Berto surprised the crowd when he came out of his corner doing the patented Floyd Mayweather, Jr. stance. Robert Guerrero surprised the crowd by coming out of his corner by taking the fight to his opponent and throwing bombs.

Caught by surprise by Robert Guerrero's aggressiveness, Andre Berto's experiment, the 'shoulder roll' defense was no match for the hard shots that were unleashed by a fighter ready to rock and roll.

And despite giving up 5 pounds to Andre Berto (158 to 152), Robert Guerrero imposed himself on his opponent: leaning, crowding, pushing and smothering him against the ropes -- tactics that the Ghost used very well to his advantage in order to tame the Beast.

Although Andre Berto was able to recover from two earlier knockdowns, the rugged fight once again showed his vulnerability; his suspect chin, among others, probably contributed to the way the fight unfolded.

A left upper cut by Robert Guerrero followed by two left hooks to the side of the head that downed Andre Berto in the first round set the tone of the rough and tumble fight. Never mind that Guerrero landed some of the shots while holding Berto behind the head for leverage and easier targets. The dye was cast and the showdown was on.

The second round belonged to Robert Guerrero as he pummeled Andre Berto with hard shots that sent the game Haitian-American to the canvas for the second time. A lot of observers thought it would only be just a matter of time before Andre Berto would crumble from the barrage of punches that he was taking. Yet, he survived the fateful round, regained his composure, fought his way out of danger and engaged Robert Guerrero in a war of attrition for the next 10 rounds.

And what 10 rounds of no-holds-barred fighting it would be -- a test and showcase of both fighters' will to win and unyielding courage. They exchanged vicious upper cuts that would put a lesser man to sleep. They traded wicked blows to the body, digging hard and deep with impacts that could make even the Undertaker wince in pain.

Robert Guerrero and Andre Berto pummeled each other with sledgehammers, wrestled like no other and threw some dirty tricks on the side for good measure, all just to have that small edge in the hotly-contested firefight. Both fighters traded their original game plans in favor of closed quarters combat characterized by toe-to-toe bombings and phone booth snipings.

It was a fast-paced, mean-spirited battle between two fighters who threw caution to the wind and unleashed their vast and powerful armaments on each other: upper cuts, hooks, straights. But Robert Guerrero maintained the upper hand for the rest of the night because just like in a nightmare, the Ghost just keeps on coming and engaging Berto in an in-your-face brutal brawl.

Andre Berto was supposed to be the faster and stronger fighter, but he had little effect against a very game Robert Guerrero, a fighter with decent power and speed beating him to the punch as well as to a pulp.

We may ask, where is the speed and where is the power? Either Robert Guerrero's chin is made of granite or the Ghost was on his element on this particular night because he was getting off his punches faster and quicker than his opponent.

Or could it be that Andre Berto's vaunted speed and power were the product of PEDs, as some people allege? Thus, having tested positive for norandrosterone recently last May and just serving out his suspension, maybe it is safe to assume that Andre Berto was free of any PEDs inside his well-chiseled body for this fight.

Anyway, Robert Guerrero and Andre Berto figured in an old school slugfest that made boxing a true mirror of man's heart and spirit. The barnburner was a picture of two fighters who gave it their all and then some.

And when the final bell tolled, both fighters sported the marks of a hard-fought battle: Robert Guerrero with a huge mouse on his right eye while Andre Berto's eyes were almost closed from the swelling, not to mention all the blood, sweat and tears that they shed in the ring.

Robert Guerrero landed 258 of 731 of his total punches for a 35% clip compared to Andre Berto's 182 of 411 for a 44% clip. But Robert Guerrero also threw more power punches to negate Andre Berto's accuracy -- 234/611, 38%, versus 162/326, 50%.

In the end, Robert Guerrero outworked, outhustled and outgunned the favored Andre Berto to ensure his career-defining victory.

Note: This article was previously posted on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

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