CompuBox Review: Gamboa-Salido, Rios-Peterson

By CompuBox

Saturday night’s “Boxing After Dark” doubleheader that saw Yuriorkis Gamboa decision Orlando Salido and Brandon Rios get a disqualification win over fellow unbeaten Anthony Peterson should have been renamed “Slugging After Dark.” The proof: Of the 783 connects recorded in both fights 650 – 83 percent – were produced by hooks, crosses and uppercuts.

The main event saw Gamboa retain his WBA “regular” featherweight title and annex Salido’s IBF belt by nearly doubling him in total connects (260-140) while nearly matching the Mexican’s usually prodigious output (738-759). Also, Gamboa was far more effective with his power shots, for despite attempting 100 fewer blows (504 to 604) he landed almost 80 more of them (208-129).

The jab battle – such as it was – was also won by the more nimble and diversified Cuban as he landed 52 of 234 (22 percent) to Salido’s typically anemic 11 of 155 (7 percent).

The round-by-round breakdowns revealed just how difficult it was for Salido to deal with Gamboa’s gifts. The fast-starting Gamboa roared out of the blocks while the slower Salido struggled to adjust to the Cuban’s speed and mobility.

Over the first four rounds Gamboa out-landed his rival 78-27 overall and 62-25 in power shots. Beginning in the fifth the gaps closed primarily because Salido dramatically increased his output. Over the first four Salido averaged 47.5 punches per round but from rounds five through 10 that figure jumped to 77.6, which was in line with the 74.8 he averaged in nine previous CompuBox-tracked fights. That allowed Salido to close the connects gap from 78-27 (overall) and 62-25 (power) to 127-90 (overall) and 99-83 (power). Meanwhile, Gamboa’s remained cool under fire as his output was 59 over the first four and 64.1 in rounds five through 10.

Gamboa pulled away – at least in a statistical sense – in the final two rounds as he out-landed Salido 55-23 (overall) and 47-21 (power), reaching percentage highs in both categories (48 percent and 46 percent overall and 57 percent and 48 percent in power shots). That is an excellent testament to Gamboa’s stamina given the heat Salido applied during the middle rounds.

The PunchZone maps graphically revealed how each man targeted his attack. Nearly 83 percent of Gamboa’s 260 connects (218) struck Salido’s head while the Mexican’s attack was more diverse (76 head connects and 64 body hits for a 54-46 ratio) if not more prolific. The most dramatic gulf in effectiveness was that Gamboa hit Salido’s chin 94 times while Salido struck Gamboa’s just 15 times. Still, each was able to register a knockdown.

As for the rest of the head connects, Gamboa’s left scored 58 hits and his right 63 while Salido’s left was nearly twice as effective as his right (40 connects to 21).

Salido’s success to Gamboa’s body was in perfect balance – 32 connects on each side – while Gamboa’s right hand saw slightly more success (25 hits to 20 for the left). Neither man logged a low blow.

Despite the lopsided scorecards (116-109, 115-109, 114-109), Gamboa still seemed unable to strike a proper balance between the cautious and responsible boxing his people prefer and his volcanic offensive instincts. He suffered the fifth knockdown of his relatively young pro career and he incurred a two-point penalty for hitting a fallen Salido in the final round. Perhaps Gamboa should consult videos of a prime Roy Jones Jr. to see how a tremendously gifted yet unorthodox fighter can be an exciting offensive force without compromising a vulnerable chin.

The co-feature saw another sporting drama play out as the 30-0 (20 KO) Peterson faced the most challenging foe of his career in fellow unbeaten Rios (24-0-1, 18 KO coming in).

One revealing stat was produced moments before the fight as the 135-pound Rios rehydrated to 151 while the 134 pound Peterson put on just five pounds, turning a lightweight fight into a junior middleweight-versus-junior welterweight encounter. Rios used that added bulk – and his far heavier hands – to break Peterson’s body before doing the same to his spirit.

Peterson dominated the first round as he out-landed Rios 32-6 overall, out-jabbed him 11-1 and produced a 21-5 edge in power connects. This was typical of Peterson’s superiority over previous foes, for in four previous CompuBox-tracked fights Peterson out-landed his foes by nearly a third (22.3 to 15.1) and boasted a 42.5 percent to 28.3 percent edge in connected power shots.

But once Rios started firing back in the second Peterson discovered he didn’t have the heft to blunt his rival’s attack. From round three onward Rios amassed edges of 157-126 (total punches) and 130-110 (power). Moreover, Rios felt he could launch an all-out attack without fear of consequence. After throwing just 43 punches in round one, Rios averaged 105.6 punches the rest of the way – 40 percent above the 63.6 lightweight average. Meanwhile, Peterson’s 69 punch output in round one dropped to 57.5 the rest of the way, including just 35 punches in the fifth.

Without the strength and one-punch power to hold off Rios’ surge, Peterson resorted to low blows for two reasons. First, to garner brief respites and second, perhaps to express his frustration over his inability to impose his will as he had in previous fights. In the end, Rios’ dominance was completed in the seventh when referee Russell Mora disqualified Peterson instead of deducting a third penalty point.

Even so, the final totals were not indicative of Rios’ superiority. In fact, Peterson landed more punches (194-189) despite throwing 263 fewer (414-677), connected on an equal number of jabs (35 of 106 for Peterson to 35 of 210 for Rios) and landed five more power shots (159-154) while throwing 159 less (308-467).

The PunchZone numbers revealed very similar attacks. Seventy-eight percent of Rios’ connects (146) targeted the head while 71 percent of Peterson’s connects (134) struck Rios’ head. Rios’ left struck 39 times, his right 48 times and 59 blows hit the chin while Peterson’s left registered 46 hits, his right 35 hits and 53 punches struck the chin.

According to PunchZone Peterson’s legal body attack scored 56 hits (the hook posting 32 strikes and the right 24) while Rios scored 42 body strikes (22 with the hook and 20 with the right). Rios’ registered one low blow while Peterson was “credited” with four.

While Rios branded himself as a fighter to watch, one trait could prove fatal against heavier-hitting opposition – his tendency to field tons of power shots. In five previous CompuBox-tracked fights Rios tasted 40 percent of his rival’s hooks, crosses and uppercuts and against Peterson that number soared to 52 percent. Unless Rios improves his defense his star could be bright but brief.

All in all it was a hard-hitting night for the four fighters involved in Saturday’s card and can only wonder how its effects will manifest themselves over the rest of their careers. Time – as it always does – will eventually reveal those answers.