Keith Thurman vs Diego Chaves –This fight went down exactly how I called it. I knew Keith Thurman would score the KO in the later rounds and he did just that (9th round KO). I have fun watching Thurman box, I think he’s got decent power and ring IQ but I cannot see him beating anyone elite. I was somewhat impressed with Chaves at the beginning of the fight; he looked pretty good in earlier rounds but couldn’t pull through with the KO. It was a good scrap for an opening fight. My prediction is that we see a fight made between Keith Thurman & Jesus Soto-Karass next. I’m calling it!
Andre Berto vs Jesus Soto-Karass –Karass deserved the KO bonus in my opinion. He’s not great, but he’s good and was impressive last night! His overhand right is sensational and he did better than I expected against Berto. I can’t say anything negative about Andre Berto last night. He suffered from a shoulder injury and went on to fight with one arm. It’s hard for me to like him personally because of his attitude and PED use, but I respect him in last night’s bout. I had predicted Karass would win VIA UD but he scored the KO in the 12th of an exciting fight, which is why I felt he was more deserving of that knockout bonus.
While I’m on the topic of Berto/Karass …I just want to point out that last night’s fight definitely showed Virgil Hunter’s flaws. I have been saying for a while that he’s not all that he’s cracked up to be. He’s a good trainer, but not in my top 5! I know, “the trainer can’t fight for the fighter” –no shit, but he wasn’t giving very good advice in Berto’s corner, either. I also didn’t see an improvement in Berto’s game; he needs to completely ditch the hideous shoulder roll. I’m just keeping it real, y’all…the boxing whisperer failed last night. Apparently Andre Ward is aware of that as well, I heard he went on a sensitive rampage last night blocking everyone on Twitter who wasn’t nut-hugging Berto. Damn!
Omar Figueroa Jr vs Nihito Arakawa –(Saved the best for last) WOW!!!! As a friend of Omar’s, that fight was difficult for me to stomach the first time watching it. I would cringe every time Omar looked as if he was putting Arakawa away, and then Arakawa would get back up and smile as if he was saying “bring it!” When I watched the fight again this afternoon, I watched as a fan of boxing instead of a friend to the winner, so that I could critique this fight the best I could. The war between Figueroa and Arakawa spoke volumes about both fighters.
Almost all boxing fans were familiar with Edwin Valero (27-0-27 KO’s) when he was alive. In an interview with Mario Morales (Edwin’s former trainer), boxing fans learned that at the tender age of 19 years old, Omar Figueroa (who’s now 23) gave Edwin Valero hell during sparring. The fact that Nihito stood strong and took Omar’s power proves that he’s an absolute warrior in the ring. I salute a boxer that can take the same power that stunned Edwin Valero during preparation for his final bout against Antonio DeMarco. I was prepared to see Omar fight Nihito for 12 hard rounds, but expected to see an early KO for Omar and Nihito proved me (and a lot of other fans) wrong.
Omar is known for getting into the ring and quickly putting his opponents away in early rounds. That is what I and a lot of fans expected and predicted. Regrettably, I underestimated Nihito’s ability to take a punch and was shocked that he lasted 12 rounds. I watched the fight with my dad (as I always do), and he commented early on that he believed Omar was suffering from hand injuries because he had hit Nihito on the top of his head, which is one of the hardest places to hit someone. In the 10th round, Omar confirmed that he was fighting with injured hands. I feel that Omar struggled with his defense because his best defense is his offense, and without his hands, he had no offense. He couldn’t use his hands properly to keep his opponent at bay and finish Arakawa off when he had him hurt. I read a lot of criticism on social media networks regarding Omar’s fighting style and defense , claiming that he has absolutely no head movement, he fights flatfooted, he has 0 technical boxing skills, fatigues too early, wouldn’t beat anyone elite, and the one that made me laugh the hardest… Omar is a protected bum who fights bums.
Allow me to gladly respond to each criticism: first and foremost, Omar is a Mexican-American fighter who doesn’t mind brawling, it’s in his blood. He will stand toe-to-toe with any opponent and fight his heart out while giving his all to prove he’s a force to reckon with. He ducks absolutely no one, past or future. If he’s being protected, it’s not by his wishes. Like most boxers, he is managed and promoted so it is not technically up to him to call the shots for himself. Boxing is a business and that’s just how things are in this sport. I know from personal conversations with him that he would be absolutely honored and thrilled to get into the ring with some of the top 5 guys in the division he’s in and other heavier divisions when the time is right to move up. He’s got a passion for his career and wants to fully live it out fighting the best guys out there, regardless of the outcome. If you have a problem with his opponents, take it up with Al Haymon and Golden Boy. He doesn’t have a choice at this point in his career to decide who his next opponent is, like some of the other boxers do (Broner); he just goes out there to fight whoever is put in front of him. Head movement, stamina, boxing skills…with the right adjustments in his next camp, those issues could easily be fixed. However, I just want to educate the folks who said Figueroa has “absolutely no head movement”. According to ShowTime’s punch stats; Figueroa threw 942 punches in 12 rounds and landed 480 of them. Arakawa threw 1,170 punches and landed 280 of them. That means Omar managed to dodge about 890 punches. No head movement?! He almost dodged as many punches as he threw himself! Another thing, I’m not sure how it’s possible to be 22-0-17 KO’s if you have “0 technical boxing skills”, some of you “critics” are delusional. If you were one to say Omar fights flatfooted, you need to have your eyes properly examined before watching the replay of last night’s bout, because he is not a flatfooted fighter. If Omar is ever caught in a flatfooted stance, it’s because he’s switching his styles. As far as fighting an elite opponent; he wants everyone. Broner, J. Molina, Burns, DeMarco, Gamboa, Russell Jr…it doesn’t matter. He simply wants to fight the best out there. Omar is an upcoming prospect who is just recently getting attention for his skills. Are you seriously expecting him in the ring with Mayweather or something? Give it time. This guy is young, he’s fresh, and he’s upcoming and eager to stick around for a while to show what he’s made of. How can we let one fight against a superhuman robot define his future in the sport of boxing?
Sometimes, I fail to realize that so many fans of boxing suffer from DKSAB and I always end up flabbergasted to see absolutely ridiculous comments made daily. These same fans that praise Adrien Broner for beating Paulie Malignaggi (32-5-7 KOs) are suggesting Omar Figueroa is a protected bum for fighting another bum. Let that sink in. I know it sounds crazy, but almost every fan I saw giving negative criticism towards last night’s warriors…are huge Adrien Broner fans. If Omar Figueroa is protected, what is Adrien Broner? Broner is making millions and hasn’t really fought a top challenging opponent in my opinion that has me convinced he’s worth the hype. Marcos Maidana has been calling out Broner ever since he split-decision’ed feather fisted Malignaggi, and all I’ve heard from Broner about a fight between them is crickets. He’s not in a hurry to sign a contract to fight Maidana. Omar suffered from two injured hands, a nasty cut from an accidental head-butt, some other cuts and bruises, yet still went on to convincingly beat Arakawa, who endured a couple of hematomas, internal bruising with cuts on his face, ruptured ear drums, and most likely broken ribs…but these guys are bums? You boxing fans with so much criticism for Figueroa and Arakawa, let me know when Adrien Broner takes a brutal ass beating while giving one out and then ends up having a bout that’s considered “Fight of the Year”.
It may seem inevitable that I write a post about boxing without mentioning idiotic “fans” or taking little jabs at Broner…but unfortunately, this is what boxing has come to. The cool cats with the swag, gold teeth, bedazzled t-shirts, diamond earrings, and rap careers are being idolized as boxing’s best while the gutsy, ballsy, entertaining, passionate warriors are considered “bums”. With that said, DKSAB is a serious illness and I hope a cure is found sooner than later.
P.S. I still have my HBO subscription.
-The Boxing Queen