Super middleweight rising star Sena “African Assassin” Agbeko scored a career best victory when he topped longtime contender Brian Vera, … more “Agbeko tops Vera in Murfreesboro, TN”
Top super middleweight prospects Callum Smith and Rocky Fielding will face the biggest tests of their careers tonight at Liverpool’s Echo Arena, as they look to confirm a long awaited local showdown, already scheduled for 26th September.
Smith, 16-0 (12KO’s), tops the bill in his clash with Frenchman and former George Groves foe Christophe Rebrasse, 23-3-3 (6KO’s) over 12-rounds for the vacant WBC Silver super middleweight championship.
In the main bout of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, 2014 Boxcino middleweight champion Willie “El Mongoose” Monroe Junior (19-1, 6 kos) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Brian Vera (23-9, 14 kos) at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona.
The slick New York southpaw could hardly have been more impressive as he dominated the 33 year old Texan veteran putting on a wonderful exhibition of boxing.
Last month’s Middleweight clash between Gabriel Rosado and Brian Vera may have been overlooked by the majority of fans, but its significance to the future of boxing should not be, as it heralded the arrival into the mainstream of BKB, Big Knockout Boxing. The bout took place not in a traditional boxing ring but in ‘The Pit’, a 17 foot diameter circular arena without any ropes or cage favored by other contact sports. With Championship fights taking place over seven, two minute rounds and under a new rules system designed to encourage more action and excitement, the main event did not disappoint. Rosado put on a magnificent display of controlled aggression eventually knocking out Vera with seconds to go at the end of the sixth round.
With the sport still in its infancy, Big Knockout Boxing will undoubtedly have many detractors quick to brand it as simplistic violence for uneducated boxing fans. Purists will decry it as a blasphemy against traditional boxing as it negates many of the defensive skills of their idols. But boxing fans should not overlook the interest BKB promises to bring to a sport that has seen better days. Whilst I understand the feelings many have about traditional notions of the ‘Sweet science’, fans have grown frustrated at being asked to pay top dollar to watch boring fights and have expressed a desire for change. Change that forces fighters to engage more and not simply run or hold. Change that encourages fighters to win decisively by knockout rather than relying on the judges’ scorecards. And change that will provide the excitement and drama necessary to attract new fans the sport. Casual fans and TV audiences simply do not want to watch two ‘Scientists’ run, hold or jab their way through twelve rounds of tedium refereed by a United Nations Peace keeper!
Just by hanging around, Vera was able to punish Chavez Jr. with less powerful shots and he had his face looking like he was the loser tonight instead of the winner.
The final judges scores were 114-113, 117-110, 117-110. There’s no question that Chavez Jr. deserved the decision this time around, but it’s too bad that he was given what many boxing fans saw as a gift decision over Vera last September in their previous fight. But Vera got a rematch out of that fight anyway, so it worked out about the same as him getting a win.
Chavez’ team members held aloft a giant sized void penalty cheque, in reference to the fine Chavez would have had to pay had he done as some expected and came in heavy. Instead, Chavez has clearly worked hard, his body looking hard, his conditioning looking excellent. Looks can of course be deceiving, but if Chavez fights as good as he looked on the scale, it could be bad news for Vera; a fighter many felt should have been awarded the decision after the first action-packed fight between he and the Mexican star.
No, young Julio isn’t cut from the same cloth as his father Chavez Sr. Honestly speaking the same could apply to the majority of the modern day fighters in contrast to the 200-300 fight warriors from days of old.
That said becoming a boxer is not exactly the easiest profession and for all the crap that’s been shoveled on him, most of it deserved, when in shape Junior is a solid chinned entertaining fighter that has challenged with limited success late in his fight, the lineal legitimate world titleholder and pound for pound member Sergio Martinez.
Before it was lack of competition that fans would drag Chavez Jr. through the coals for, now it’s his issues outside the ring that surfaced in the winter of 2012.
LONDON (Feb. 27) – Mexican star Julio Cesar Chavez Jr is hoping to give fights fans something to remember as he takes on Texan Bryan Vera in a bout he hopes will go down as ‘Fight of the Year’.
The former WBC middleweight world champion faces Vera in a rematch at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas this weekend following a meeting last September in which Chavez Jr won a highly contentious points decision over 10 rounds.
(Photo Credit: Chris Farina/Top Rank) SAN ANTONIO, TX (February 25, 2014) — Feb. 25, 2014, San Antonio,Texas — No. 1 contender Bryan Vera works out during media day Tuesday in San Antonio,Texas for his upcoming exciting rematch battle against former WBC Middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. , Saturday, March 1, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Zanfer Promotions, Banner Promotions, Foreman Boys Promotions and Tecate, Chavez Jr. vs Vera II will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®.
(Photo credit: Chris Farina/Top Rank) SAN ANTONIO, TX (February 25, 2014) — Fight Week in San Antonio for the eagerly- anticipated boxing doubleheader featuring the rematch between former World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion and Son of the Legend JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ JR. and Top-Five contender and two-fisted Texan BRYAN VERA began in earnest today as both participated in Media Workouts. In front of a packed Zarzamora Street Boxing Gym, both fighters trained for over three hours as they fine-tuned for their upcoming encore battle.
The doubleheader will also feature the historic challenge by two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist and 2013 Prospect of the Year, VASYL LOMACHENKO, in only his second professional fight, of World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion ORLANDO SALIDO.