ShoBox: Do not hate on J'Leon Love

In the main event of Friday night’s ShoBox: The New Generation at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, Inkster’s J’Leon Love (17-0-1, 10 KOs) stopped the overmatched but pesky Vladine Biosse (16-2-2, 7 KOs) in the final round of the 10-round super middleweight bout.

Vladine Biosse, who played football for the University of Rhode Island in college, was never in the fight, as the talented and skillful J’Leon Love kept him at bay with his stiff jabs, good footwork and well-timed combinations for most of the night.

The only significant thing that Biosse did to Love was when he was able to inflict a cut above the latter’s left eye courtesy of a headbutt in the fourth round. Otherwise, it was a one-sided affair in which the outcome was never in doubt. Another win, another successful outing for the young fighter being groomed for bigger things by The Money Team.

Love cut, bloodied and punished his opponent all night with shots coming from all angles, and the game Biosse took them all. It was a picture of contradiction as Love had all the talent and skill but Biosse had all the heart and determination. Biosse ate all the leather that Love could give, but still did not quit. Biosse withstood Love’s onslaught for 9 full rounds and even up to those fateful last minutes of the 10th, or so we thought.

That is why when the referee Benjy Esteves finally decided to end the fight with more or less a minute and a half remaining in the 10th and final round to give J’Leon Love the TKO victory, many fans were dismayed, since although Vladine Biosse was cowering and cornered on the ropes and J’Leon Love was teeing-off, the shots were not landing solidly and were in fact deflected by Vladine Biosse’s glove and movements.

As one of my friends put it, “C’mon, give the man a break. He lasted this long; let him finish the fight on his feet.”

“They just want to put a TKO on his record,” added another. Sometimes this writer found it amusing when people would throw in the ‘conspiracy angle’ on things that did not suit their tastes or beliefs.

The ShoStats showed J’Leon Love’s overwhelming dominance over the hapless Vladine Biosse by outlanding him 263 to 99 in total punches, with a 224 to 85 edge in power punches.

In pummeling Vladine Biosse in lopsided fashion, J’Leon Love showed us why he is considered to be a future world champion and highly regarded by no less than the great Floyd Mayweather, Jr., as shown by the pre-fight brotherly hug and whispers that the pound-for-pound king gave his fellow Michigander.

Still, to some boxing observers, J’Leon Love’s victory left something to be desired. Yes, he was dominant and showed a lot of weapons in his arsenal, yet people were left wondering that there was something missing in his performance. Yes, all the essential things were there -- movement, accuracy, hand speed and good defense -- but

people want to see in J’Leon Love the spark, the fire and the ability to destroy an opponent, especially if that opponent is a fighter like Vladine Biosse who is not in his league.

Vladine Biosse, in their eyes, had no business to trade gloves with J’Leon Love in the first place, and him lasting that long in the ring was an indictment on Love’s ability as a fighter rather than his opponent’s durability.

As for me, J’Leon Love’s inability to finish off Vladine Biosse early was the only element that was missing in a rather impressive performance in my book. And this writer can live with that small bump at this point of J’Leon Love’s career.

But if J’Leon Love wants to be a bankable star in the future, he needs to elevate his game more. He needs to start fighting and destroying more credible opponents rather than feasting on journeymen and patsies.

How about a rematch with Gabriel Rosado for a start?

Note: This article was first published on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

Rey Loreto shocks Nkosinathi Joyi, grabs IBO light flyweight belt

In the undercard match of the Gennady Golovkin-Osumanu Adama WBA middleweight championship fight in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Filipino journeyman Rey Loreto (18-13, 10 KOs) sent former IBF minimumweight champion Nkosinathi Joyi (24-2-0-1, 17 knockouts) into slumberland in round three of the scheduled 12-round title fight to win the vacant IBO light flyweight belt

In the second round, Loreto, the supposed cannon fodder for Nkosinathi Joyi's comeback to contention, unleashed a hard right uppercut and a bad left hook to stun Joyi to start his onslaught on the former champion, who, until then, had established control of the fight. The Filipino pugilist pinned his opponent to the ropes and battered him with several hard unanswered shots before the South African was saved by the bell.

But it was only a matter of time,as the highly-regarded (WBC #7, WBA #10, IBF #6) Nkosinathi Joyi found himself at the receiving end of Rey Loreto's hammer fists in the third round. The Filipino fighter showed his killer instinct as he came out of the corner firing and did not let up until his opponent was on the ground. Nkosinathi Joyi was finally down and out at 0:46 from Rey Loreto's brutal left bomb.

Pacquiao out to prove that he is still an elite fighter against Rios

Tonight, at The Venetian in Macao, China, when Manny Pacquiao steps into the ring against Brandon 'Bam-Bam' Rios after almost a year-long lay-off following his humiliating loss to nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, the eyes of the boxing world will be on him.

At 34, Manny Pacquiao is at an age when a lot of ring observers, fighters and boxing scholars alike believe that it will be hard for any fighter to recover after a knockout as devastating as what Juan Manuel Marquez inflicted on him in Last Vegas last year.

But Manny Pacquiao has been unperturbed in recent interviews and has been philosophical about the December 2012 debacle. His pronouncements gave observers insight on his frame of mind, that he has accepted his fate and has already moved on from that particular chapter of his ring life and is raring to carve a new path back to the top.

"Everybody wants to talk to me about the knockout (loss to Juan Manuel Marquez). Everybody. But that's part of boxing. If you think you're going to box as long as I have and think you are not going to get caught, you're kidding yourself. It happens. Knockouts are a part of boxing."

It's only natural that people will count you out and doubt your ability to come back when you get knocked out cold in a manner as brutal as what Manny Pacquiao suffered at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez in December 2012. There are only a few fighters in recent memory (see: Roberto Duran, Wladimir Klitschko, Lennox Lewis) who were able to rebound following a disastrous outing, and history is not on Manny Pacquiao's side.

But if there's one fighter who can defy the odds and bounce back, it would be Manny Pacquiao. The Filipino boxing superstar has defied the odds in the past en route to becoming an unprecedented 8-division world champion and pound-for-pound king on the side.

In Brandon Rios, Manny Pacquiao has an opponent that will not only test his mettle but his frame of mind. Brandon Rios is an in-your-face fighter that many say is tailor-made for Manny Pacquiao's style, a nightmare who can punch and who will keep on coming until you stop him in his tracks.

If Manny Pacquiao can back up his promise to put on a show and still has what it takes to be an elite fighter, he will have no problem in disposing Brandon Rios inside the distance and in spectacular fashion. If Manny Pacquiao fails to do just that, maybe it is best to hang it all up.

Note: This article was first published at Detroit Fight Spots Examiner

Tomasz Adamek edges Steve Cunningham in 'controversial' split decision

Polish heavyweight Tomasz Adamek outpointed American Steve Cunningham in a split decision in their IBF title eliminator at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The win was Adamek's second split decision victory over Cunningham, as he also eked out an SD win four years earlier in New Jersey.

But Tomasz Adamek's victory came with a little controversy, courtesy of Judge Debra Barnes' bizarre score card. The fight was initially announced as a draw: David Greer scored the fight 116-112 for Adamek; Tim Miller had it 115-113 for Cunningham and Debra Barnes' initially had it at 115-115 even. But for whatever reason behind the snafu, whether it was failure at basic arithmetic or just a cruel twist of fate, Barnes' score was changed (or corrected) to 115-112 in favor of Tomasz Adamek (48-2, 29 KOs) that obviously bewildered a visibly dejected Steve Cunningham (25-5, 12 KOs).

"I really don't know what more I can do. What can I say? What can I do? Real men cry, real men shed tears. You can't knock everyone out. We did our thing in the ring. It saddens me. I can't be getting cheated like this. It's sad, man, it's sad. It's nonsense. What needs to be done in boxing for this not to happen again? This isn't a game. What else do I have to do?"

In 2008, Tomasz Adamek knocked Steve Cunningham down three times during the fight, but failed to sink him as he settled for a split decision verdict. It took four years for Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham to meet again, and although both fighters are older and heavier this time around, both fighters came to fight...
And a game plan: Steve Cunningham, in an interview before the fight, said that he will exploit his reach advantage (82" vs.75") and utilize his jab, while Tomasz Adamek stated that he will use his quickness and power to gain an edge.

After the customary 'feeling out' process in the first round, true to form, both fighters began to implement their prepared fight script against each other. Steve Cunningham began to let his left jab go and dictate the tempo, while Tomasz Adamek attempted to pressure his opponent to land his power shots.
For the first four rounds, Steve Cunningham began holding court and was successful in fending off Tomasz Adamek's attacks by his constant movement, stiff jabs and hard rights.

But in the fifth, Tomasz Adamek began to press the issue as he finally penetrated Steve Cunningham's defenses and landed his shots. Although Cunningham would fire back, it was obvious on who between them had the more lethal firepower.

It became a see-saw battle, starting in the sixth up until the end of the fight. Just when you think one fighter will have the round under wraps, momentum would shift making it a very hard fight to score. Throughout the entire 12 rounds, the fight was close and could have gone either way as both fighters were doing everything they could to gain an advantage over one another.

Both fighters had their moments: Tomasz Adamek cutting the ring and landing hard rights to his opponent's face while pinning him in the corner, while Steve Cunningham would suddenly come alive and retaliate with his own hard punches to the jaw.

The give and take was intense -- both fighters would score and make their punches count when they mattered: Steve Cunningham with his accurate left jabs and jarring overhand rights; Tomasz Adamek with his double-fisted hard attacks. It was a battle between two determined gladiators right from the start. And the firefight did not let up until the bell tolled to end the 12th and final round of the bout.

Steve Cunningham had an edge over Tomasz Adamek in total punches landed, 209-169, and he also outjabbed the Pole, landing 129 of 349. But Tomasz Adamek connected more power punches than his American opponent, 120-80.

Roger Bloodworth, Adamek's trainer, put the fight in perspective --

"It all depends on what you were looking at. If you looked at effective punching, which is what the judges saw, they would have give this to Tomasz. If you liked running and being a stylist, then you wanted Cunningham. I think the more effective puncher won this fight, and that was Tomasz."

True, it was a close fight that was hard to score and this writer would have no problem if it ended up the way it was first announced -- a draw.

What do you think?

Note: This article was first published on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

Nonito Donaire tames "The Menace" with his fists

photo credit: Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 KOs), the WBO super bantamweight champion made short work of challenger Jorge Arce inside three rounds. The Filipino Flash blitzed El Travieso in the fight and into retirement with his fast and powerful hands. And as usual, Nonito Donaire made an emphatic statement with his fists on Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

The total number of punches thrown by Nonito Donaire belies his dominance but confirms the power packed in his hands: landing 27 of 93 punches thrown for 30% clip against Jorge Arce's anemic 13 of 96 connection for a mediocre 14% rate.

Jorge Arce (61-7-2, 46 KOs), the Mexican veteran, was never in the fight. Aside from skills and talent, the Filipino fighter's edge in all departments are enormous: the punching power difference was obvious, the reach advantage was glaring, and the disparity in size was plain to see. Yes, Jorge Arce was tailor-made for Nonito Donaire to be massacred.

It was apparent to the casual ring observer that Jorge Arce was intimidated by his opponent's reputation inside the ring even before he climbed into it. Thus, we can say, like many that came before him, Jorge Arce already lost the battle inside his head and only needed a validation of some sort inside the ring to confirm what he feared or believed.

Nonito Donaire is boxing's version of "The Great Intimidator." Yes, folks, that's what Nonito Donaire does to his opponents. How many times have we seen fighters with glowing records who melted under Nonito Donaire's glare? How many times have we seen boxers with solid ring credentials who tripped when they entered the ring with Nonito Donaire? Now we can add Jorge Arce's name to that growing list of Nonito Donaire's 'famous' victims.

After a ho-hum first round, Nonito Donaire sent an omen of things to come to the very wary Jorge Arce, with a short right straight down the middle that led to the referee's mandatory eight count on the Mexican in the second round.

In the fateful third round, Jorge Arce abandoned his cautious approach in favor of his old reliable style and decided to mix it up with Nonito Donaire. Big mistake, as the Filipino Flash quickly put an end to his night: a combination of a powerful right and three successive lefts put Jorge Arce on his back with less than a second left in the round.

Yes Houston, Nonito Donaire had no problem at all in disposing Jorge Arce in his usual 'boring' fashion. Jorge Arce was easy pickings for Nonito Donaire and many boxing observers believed that we have not seen Nonito Donaire's best yet.

Maybe a fight with Abner Mares or Guillermo Rigondeaux, two of the best fighters in the division, will be the catalyst for the real Nonito Donaire to finally burst out of his shell?


Note: This article was first published on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner