Berto still not shining…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Another victory and another “eh” from The Boneman regarding welterweight boxing champion Andre Berto.
Berto had his way with junior welterweight champion Juan Urango in earning an easy unanimous decision last night.
When I first saw Berto three years ago, what amazed me was his relaxed attitude and blistering five-six punch combinations.
I don’t understand that as the prospects get older, they start the mundane “one-two and that’s it” approach.
I know the competition is tougher at the elite level, but there has got to be a time when you just trust your skills and heart to get the job done.
Berto was spending a good portion of the night holding instead of really letting his hands go. Maybe I was just cranky watching the fight at 2 a.m., but it certainly didn’t make me clamor for more of the youngster. And if you know me, I WANT to believe in Berto because he is good for the sport.
Urango is built like a truck, can’t believe how thick he is. But he never really had what looked like a real plan to attack Berto.
On this night, he looked like David Tua in his heavyweight title bout vs. Lennox Lewis. Slow and plodding and unable to do anything offensively.
Scores were 117-111 and 118-110 (twice). My groggy card read 118-110 as well.
In the co-feature, junior middleweight Kermit Cintron put his name back on the boxing map with a unanimous decision over Alfredo Angulo.
And after six rounds, had turned me into a believer. But those final six rounds were just weird and don’t have me thinking Cintron is any more ready for a big fight than he was entering.
Let me explain.
Through the first seven rounds, I had it 5-2 for Cintron. His speed and power were too much for the up-and-comer.
But in rounds 8-11, Cintron did nothing. The HBO crew was harping on the fact Cintron wasn’t letting Angulo fight his type of fight. Though true, Cintron didn’t land one memorable shot in that time. He was tiring and holding and retreating.
So through the 11th, I had it 5-5-1. Cintron guts out the 12th round, for sure, and earns the win. But if I was a Cintron die-hard supporter, might turn the fight off after the seventh round when watching it again.
Cintron’s biggest opponent has been his own nerves, and he conquered them Saturday. Maybe it’ll lead to something bigger.
For Angulo, I think he wins a rematch. Didn’t seem like the kid was ready to go 12 rounds after all the quick KOs in his previous bouts. Wake-up call, but one I think he’ll take in stride.
***
Former Central Oklahoma wrestler Jared Hess had no problems in knocking out Yosmany Cabezas in the third round late Friday night in the semifinals of
the middleweight tournament of Bellator.
Hess used his wrestling skills all night, taking down Cabezas repeatedly and dictating the action. After winning the first two rounds, Hess hammered Cabezas in the third and forced the referee to stop the fight.
Hess will fight Hector Lombard in the finals. Lombard scored a first-round knockout Friday. The winner will make $175,000 combined for the three fights.
Hope to catch up with Hess later this week and get his thoughts.
MMA is back in the spotlight as WEC might have its biggest fight ever (at least one I can remember) with the rematch between Mike Brown and Urijah Faber next Sunday. Brown stunned the MMA world with a KO of Faber in December. Have much more on that and other MMA news this week.
Hess two fights away from dream…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Had a chance to talk with Jared Hess earlier this week as he prepares for his semifinal bout Friday night at the Bellator event in Monroe, La.
Here’s the story from Wednesday’s paper, and here’s some more with Hess.
At the last event, Hess didn’t step into the cage until after midnight, which was a good and bad thing.
He said around 5 that he was nervous. But after all that waiting around, he no longer felt the nerves and just wanted to get out there and get the job done.
Hess had never fought on such a big stage before, but he handled the environment well. He’s fought in Texas a couple of times, but nothing as big as the Bellator event.
He gets excited when he starts talking about Bellator. That makes sense as the company took a chance on a young kid with no real MMA pedigree. And now he’s making Bellator look smart, too.
Hess takes on Yosmany Cabezas in the semifinals of the middleweight tournament. Cabezas submitted Edwin Aguilar in the first round. After re-reading the report, I remember that fight well.
Aguilar found a home for his uppercut, and I think got a little too overconfident. Cabezas did a great job of not getting flustered and took his time to work his plan.
Hess said though Cabezas won by rear-naked choke, it’s the leg kicks that are giving him some concern.
Hess surprised Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney with how easily he defeated Daniel Tabera of Spain.
In the other semifinal, it is Hector Lombard vs. Damien Stelly. Lombard is being groomed as the “it factor” fighter of Bellator. And you know what? I’m buying into the hype.
He had the sensational knockout at the Norman show and has the look. You know, passes the “eye test” with flying colors.
I’ll be following along on the Bellator site Friday night to see what happens, and then Hess said he would be OK with me calling him over the weekend to talk about things.
***
Not much news on the boxing front. Shaping up to be a rather eventful summer with Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey as well as Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez. But before we get there, it’s Andre Berto vs. Juan Urango on Saturday on HBO.
I don’t view this as a step up for Berto but some do. I don’t blame Berto for the fights being made, but I wish his team would stop coddling the kid and let us see what he’s got.
***
My condolences go out to Mike Tyson and his family after the tragic accident that has taken the life of his 4-year-old daughter Exodus.
Apparently, she was hung by a cord on a treadmill before being found by her brother.
She battled but was taken off life support Tuesday. Prayers go out to the Tyson family.
UFC in Oklahoma City???
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
UFC’s big-time events always find a home in familiar surroundings. But UFC president Dana White has not been afraid to take UFC around the nation (and even internationally).
Last year, Nebraska got its first taste of the Octagon. Now rumors are persisting that it might be Oklahoma City’s turn for an Ultimate Fight Night on September 16.
White has said publicly a couple of times of his intentions to bring the UFC to Oklahoma City, but it seems we’re now done with the “hoping to” point of the discussion.
Here’s the link that got the conversation started again, right here.
The article suggests that it would take place at the Cox Convention Center, which I’m torn about. Think the place would fill up in no time, but to understand how big the MMA game in Oklahoma is, an event at the Ford Center would have been a good gauge.
With all the renovations going on, not possible at this stage in the game.
Just thinking out loud here. If there is a UFC event in Oklahoma City, some local flavor would definitely help.
Norman’s Matt Grice has fought in the UFC several times and has a bout at UFC 100 in July. A two-month turnaround shouldn’t be too bad.
Then we go to the “former Oklahoma State wrestlers” group of Johny Hendricks, Jake Rosholt and Shane Roller. Hendricks will be involved in a ridiculously good UFC debut bout with Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah in August. So might have to rule him out.
Rosholt lost his UFC debut in March, but this would be a perfect bounce back opportunity for him as well as Roller.
We’ll see what develops. UFC IV was in Tulsa all those many years ago with Royce Gracie defeating Dan Severn in the finals of the eight-man tournament. My oh my, how things have changed in the UFC since then, no?
If it’s September and Oklahoma, then you know most eyes are diverted to OU/OSU football. The Sooners play Tulsa that week while Oklahoma State has Rice. September 16th is a Wednesday, nice mid-week diversion from the gridiron.
Back later in the week with a Bellator preview.
Machida slays Sugar Rashad…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Not every gut instinct is correct. In this case, I’m wayyyy off on what I thought would happen between Sugar Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 this weekend. I told you I was sucked into the Sugarman’s Kool-Aid, but Machida didn’t much care about that.
He did it on the ground with takedowns, and then a concussive left hook put Evans out late in round 2. I had no idea this was the first title bout in UFC history between two undefeated fighters. Just would have figured it had happened before in some way or another.
In reading their post-fight words, both said things that make you a fan of them. Machida was gracious in victory while Evans said it’s time to move forward and bounce back.
For Machida, gotta think a date with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is in the works. Thought Evans and Jackson were going to fight right around this time, and Rampage definitely is deserving of getting another big bout.
In the other main draw of the night, hey, I got one as Matt Hughes earned a close unanimous decision against Matt Serra. Scores were 29-28 across the board as Serra obviously won round 1 and had Hughes in real trouble after an accidental heabutt and then a not-so-accidental punch to the head. Hughes was wobbly and Serra tried to do what he could, but the veteran survived.
Rounds 2 and 3 belonged to Hughes with an effective takedown game. He didn’t necessarily dominate vs. Serra, but he got the job done to earn his 43rd victory.
Perhaps the biggest shock (to me) was Hughes is not going to call it a career now. And it sounds like he only wants to be in the UFC.
He’s hoping to get a crack at the winner of the HUGE Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves fight at UFC 100. Alves and GSP are the last two men to beat Hughes.
***
Now that UFC 98 is done, one event closer to the mega, mega event that will be UFC 100. In the meantime, boxing returns Saturday on HBO with Andre Berto defending his welterweight championship against Juan Urango.
Urango is tough and durable and has improved greatly since his loss to Ricky Hatton (wow, that was nearly 2 1/2 years ago).
More on that and former Central Oklahoma product Jared Hess fights in the semifinals of Bellator this week, so hoping to grab words with him as well. A little late, but this Bellator KO is about as sick as it gets. This is from a couple of weeks ago.
Will “Sugar” Rashad turn sour?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Boxing is taking a breather after a hectic last couple of weeks. But UFC is back with UFC 98, which is shaping up to be not that bad.
The headliner will be “Sugar” Rashad Evans making his first title defense against Lyoto Machida but from a pure interest standpoint, kinda excited about the Matt Serra vs. Matt Hughes battle.
Serra exploded onto the scene with a win over Georges St. Pierre. That was over two years ago and GSP came back to beat Serra.
In fact, take away those two GSP bouts and Serra hasn’t fought anyone since 2006.
Does Hughes have one last performance in him? He’s been saying this will be the end of his legendary career.
Hughes made his UFC debut at UFC 22…in 1999. Guess you could say he’s been here a time or two.
It’s been depicted as a huge grudge match, and it may turn out that way. I don’t see it like that. It’ll be an entertaining fight but not in the way fight fans are anticipating.
I’ma give it to the “old guy” one final time. Don’t think Serra is well-rounded enough to give Hughes a real challenge.
In the main event, the biggest question (to me) is will the next big UFC star once again lose?
I don’t think for one minute that the UFC was banking on Evans to become what he has become.
But considering what he’s done in the last year (KO wins over Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin), he’s become an unlikely star.
This will be his toughest bout yet. Evans (from what I’ve seen) has been a slow starter and then comes on strong and finishes with the best of ‘em. But will Machida give him a chance?
Though if you’re talking unlikely stars, Machida certainly fits that to a T as well. His jiu-jitsu game is one of the best.
But what makes him stand out is his ability to be so dang elusive that it frustrates his opponents (and viewers at times).
Know Machida will have the stamina. Neither fighter has ever lost a professional fight. So what might be more interesting is to see how the loser bounces back in his next fight?
As for my prediction, I drink the Sugar Kool-Aid, so saying Evans by a TKO in the third or fourth round.
Catching up with the local scene…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Whoa, been more than a week since my last post. Things were pretty busy at HQ, but I apologize about that.
This Saturday is UFC 98, headlined by Sugar Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida and not too bad undercard.
I’ll have more on that later in the week.
In boxing, Andre Ward made his first step up (or did Edison Miranda make his first step down?). Either way, a great environment in Oakland for a not-so-dazzling fight.
Ward fought through some adversity (most notably the cut) and boxed beautifully in his first real test.
He was asking for Carl Froch afterward. Hmm, wouldn’t go that far but like his confidence.
Also, my personal favorite heavyweight Kevin Johnson won his third straight fight by knockout last Friday.
Johnson caught my eye a few years ago because of his jab and now he’s trying to add a little power to the flash.
Reports say it was the best outing of his career, but I don’t know what that really means because he hasn’t really fought anyone of note yet.
And before I go, here is a local update from the Oklahoma fight game.
Comanche Boy rained out
Right after the first round, strong winds and rain came through Lawton and forced Lawton super middleweight boxer George “Comanche Boy”
Tahdooahnippah’s bout to be ruled a no-contest last Friday at the Comanche Nation Casino.
The fight was fought in the EvenTTent where the high winds caused some cable damage. Nothing too big or threatening but enough to halt the night’s action. No injuries were reported. Oklahoma has had a couple of weird storms in the last week like that.
Tahdooahnippah was fighting Dan Wallace of Detroit and appeared to have things under control when the storm hit.
The bout is scheduled to take place again in September, but Tahdooahnippah hopes to fight at least one more time between now and the rematch.
In other action at Lawton, junior middleweight Grady Brewer of Lawton needed less than a round to knock out Reggie Nash while former Oklahoma City Blazers enforcer Ron Aubrey’s opponent pulled out the week of the fight and no replacement could be found.
Fagan returns
Former Oklahoma lightweight champion Oisin Fagan has been waiting for another chance after his second-round KO loss to Amir Khan in December.
Fagan gets that chance Saturday night in Ireland.
In his bout vs. Khan, Fagan suffered a spiral fracture in his left fibula in the first round but kept on fighting. His corner stopped the bout in the second round.
The lightweight is 22-6 and said he wants to prove doubters wrong who believed his career was over after the Khan fight.
Cole back to form
Norman’s Wayne Cole has shown an excellent ability to bounce back from loss, and he did it again at a C3 Fights event in Newkirk last week.
Cole, coming off an emotionally draining loss at the Bellator event in Norman in April, needed only 36 seconds to beat Rick Roufus with an armlock submission.
With the win, Cole retained his C3 Fights light heavyweight championship.
Jones enjoying time in spotlight…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Had a chance to catch up with Carson Jones on Monday afternoon to talk about everything.
He’s soaking up everything he can right now. I don’t blame him. After all the early-career troubles he went through, he’s allow to have a little fun right now.
As I’ve said before, his early troubles really had nothing to do with him or his ability. Well, unless you consider not being world-class at 19 a crime, then it did have something to do with his ability. He simply should not have been in the ring with some of those guys as young as he was.
Now, well, that might be a different story.
I asked him if he felt the light bulb went on this year for him, his answer didn’t really surprise me:
No, I mean I’ve known all long that I’ve had the talent and ability. I think other people have viewed me as just a local fighter. I just needed a good team that really supports me. That’s what I have now.”
Manager Bobby Dobbs has done a good job of marketing Jones and getting him in fights he can win even against top-flight competition.
Jones showed his full arsenal in knocking out Michi Munoz in 10 rounds last Thursday to win the WBC Continental Americas junior middleweight championship and guarantee a top-10 world ranking by the WBC.
He didn’t put extra pressure on himself, but he did say he trained harder than he’s ever done before in his six-week camp.
Jones admitted Munoz was tougher than he thought he would be. Jones said on film that Munoz looked a little slow, but he was game last week.
Because of that, Jones said he took the first three rounds to figure everything out and then exploited the body.
I saw he was a little chubby there, so we put a lot of emphasis on working the body. I could start to hear him moan after some of the shots late in the fight.”
With Munoz all but out on his feet, it was stopped in the 10th round.
I’ve heard all kinds of stories about what fighters do with their first championship. I asked if Jones has slept with the belt yet.
He hasn’t, but he did wear it going into a McDonald’s. Add it to the list of things champs do with their belt.
For more on Jones, check out Wednesday’s Oklahoman.
Introducing Mr. Jones…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Haven’t had a chance to review the fight yet, but from all reports and conversations it appears Oklahoma City’s Carson Jones thoroughly dominated Michi Munoz last Thursday in Tulsa to win the WBC Continental Americas championship in the junior middleweight division.
The official tally is Jones TKO 10 Munoz. With the win, Jones automatically gets thrown into the mix in the WBC and is guaranteed a top-10 ranking.
I’m not trying to toot Jones’ horn too much, but I admire the way he has handled some early setbacks. He could have easily chosen a different path for his career, but he hasn’t.
He accepted the tough losses and is fighting the best competition he possibly can at this point. He won’t be fighting Paul Williams anytime soon, but he is doing things the right way.
I’ma try to catch up with Jones later this week. Interested to see what he wants to do the rest of the year. He’s been so active, so I wonder if he wants to take it easy or if he is going to put his foot on the gas even more in the upcoming months.
***
Want to know why I didn’t write an extended preview for the Chad Dawson-Antonio Tarver fight Saturday on HBO? If you watched the fight, you know why.
In a rematch nobody wanted to see, we may have seen an even more dull fight in their second contest than what we saw in their first several months ago.
For the record, it was Dawson in an easy unanimous decision, which would have been my pick.
Still a believer in Dawson, but I don’t think he knows how to finish people. He hasn’t had the ability to against his toughest opponents, and in fact, has repeatedly tired down the stretch. He did so vs. Tarver, losing the final two rounds on most everybody’s scorecard.
What’s next for Dawson? Logically, it’s a rematch vs. Glen Johnson. So in boxing, you know, that means we prob won’t see it. I don’t see Bernard Hopkins or Joe Calzaghe in his future, so…
***
This week, ShoBox returns with a pretty cool event Saturday. 2004 Olympian Andre Ward takes on Edison Miranda. The first big step up for Ward and a crossroads bout for Miranda.
Have more on this later in the week.
Jones’ time to shine?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
A lot of local boxers are always looking for that one shot. That one opportunity to try to prove to critics (and themselves) what they’re really made of.
It’s not often an opportunity comes around like that, but one Oklahoma City boxer has a golden chance tonight.
At 22, Carson Jones is not old by any stretch. But he’s not wet behind the ears, either. Jones started his pro career two months after turning 18.
He wasn’t brought up like most local products. He was thrown into the fire early and often and his record has taken a hit because of it.
But don’t let his 20-7-1 record fool ya, he has some skills. He has a great opportunity to put it all together tonight in Tulsa vs. Michi Munoz for the WBC Continental Americas championship in the junior middleweight division.
It seems the light bulb is gone on for Jones, who is starting to realize if he ever wants to become more than just a local name, the competition was going to have to be stepped up.
And become more active.
Jones fought six times in 2008, but his activity rate in 2009 has left little to be desired. Not much more he can do.
Tonight will be Jones’ fifth fight and his second real test.
He lost against Jesus Soto-Karass in February. Jones was dropped twice before rallying in the middle rounds. JSK closed the show in style down the stretch.
That loss instilled more confidence in Jones among boxing writers (including myself) than any of his previous wins.
Since, Jones has won twice, and Munoz should provide a real test at the Charity Fight Night event.
Munoz is 21-2, and the two were supposed to meet last September at the Cox Convention Center.
Munoz pulled out the week of the fight because of an injury but is ready to go. It’s also a huge opportunity for Munoz, so it should make for a very intriguing fight.
Boxrec.com (a fight lover’s dream) has Jones ranked 27th in the US and 102nd in the world in the junior middleweight division.
I don’t have too many complaints about that. And if Jones does, this is his chance to show why he deserves to be a name that’s considered for future big fights.
This will be the first scheduled 12-round fight in Jones’ career. That’s another animal that I’m interested to see how he deals with.
***
Following a disappointing outing at the Bellator Mixed Martial Arts event last month, Norman’s Wayne Cole attempts to bounce back Saturday night.
Cole will defend his C3 Fights light heavyweight title against Rick Roufus at the First Council Casino in Newkirk.
Tickets are available at the First Council Casino, at ticketstorm.com and at zooamp.com.
The following week, C3 Fights will be back in Lawton for a boxing event at the Comanche Nation Casino, featuring Lawton boxers George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah and Grady Brewer.
For more information, call catBOX Entertainment at (405) 408-3599 or the Comanche Nation Casino at (580) 354-2000.
***
Hendricks confirmed for UFC 101
It’s been speculated for over a month, but the Ultimate Fighting Championship confirmed that former Oklahoma State wrestler Johny Hendricks will fight Amir Sadollah at UFC 101 on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.
Sadollah has not fought since winning “The Ultimate Fighter 7” finale last June.
***
And finally, word out of MMA circles is that Nick Diaz and Roy Jones Jr. may meet in an MMA-rules bout.
Oy.
RJJ has wanted so bad to get Anderson Silva in the ring/cage, but UFC president Dana White wasn’t having any of it.
So Strikeforce is more than willing to try to get some publicity with this. Let’s just say it won’t end kindly for Jones if it actually does happen.
The Bellator submission…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Lost in all the going ga-ga over Manny Pacquiao and his dominating performance against Ricky Hatton, may have been one of the most unique submissions in MMA history.
At the Bellator event last Friday in my old stomping grounds of Dayton, it was Jorge Masvidal vs. Toby Imada in the semifinals of lightweight tournament.
Masvidal was considered to be the heavy favorite not just in the semifinals but in the whole tournament.
And from all accounts, was winning his fight with Imada pretty handily.
And then this happened:
Seriously, don’t what else to say. It’s an inverted triangle choke, I guess. Unbelievable. Well, that’s one way for Bellator to try to make a name for itself.
Ratings have said to be great on ESPN Deportes so far for the five events. Bellator heads to Texas this week and Chicago next week.
Here in Oklahoma City, hoping the event returns when Jared Hess returns to the cage. He would have the decided home-cage advantage.
