by Cliff Rold
The best fight of the weekend, even if falling short of being a Fight of the Year type of show, gave fans plenty of what they can ask for. We got a fair fight, a fair decision, skill, and plenty of leather.
When twelve rounds were complete, the best Jr. Flyweight in the world had extended his reign and the challenger had performed well enough to merit a look against other beltholders in the division.
As always, one set of questions answered opens the door to new questions to be asked. What is next for champion Donnie Nietes? Will the two-division titlist make a go at three? And which of the remaining top Jr. Flyweights would be most interesting for former unified 105 lb. titlist Francisco Rodriguez Jr.
Let’s go the report card.
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Nietes B; Rodriguez B/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Power – Nietes B; Rodriguez B/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Defense – Nietes B+; Rodriguez C/Post: B; B-
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Nietes A; Rodriguez B+/Post: Same
It appeared going into the fight that, while age and general size might favor Rodriguez, the skill level of Nietes was going to be the biggest difference. It played out that way, and in an even more pronounced way than hoped for warfare would allow. Rodriguez needed to be close to win and managed to stay at the range he wanted. Nietes was better there, and outside, countering and going to the head in body at any distance.
Late in the fight, Rodriguez seemed to be wearing at Nietes. He may have had his best round in a fast-paced eleventh. Over the course of the fight, Rodriguez showed he is still growing as a fighter, boxing better than he was even a year ago. Part of that means he sacrifices some of the sheer aggression he showed in unifying against Katsunari Takayama last year. Letting his hands go, there seemed at least a feasible chance to go for a dramatic finish.
Instead it was Nietes, the WBO and Ring Magazine champion, digging deep in the twelfth to stop the rally. Combined with his knockout of Moises Fuentes last year, the best of Nietes looks to be happening right now. After years of being one of the more forgotten Filipino champions, he has gradually expanded his audience outside his native land.
The clock says now is the time to find out just how far he can extend his reach in the sport. While unification is always a solid option, it’s rare in lower weights for a reason. More belts mean more fees and that mean there has to be more money in the pool. How much money is there really in facing other titlists Ryoichi Taguchi (WBA), Javier Mendoza (IBF), or Pedro Guevara (WBC)?
The answer is probably not enough. Where there is more money, and more challenging fights, is in the robust Flyweight division. Nietes has reigned at 105 and 108 for most of the last eight years. An attempt at a title in a third weight class could mean fights with the likes of Roman Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada.
After another excellent win Saturday for Nietes, those are fights anyone who follows the lower weights could get excited about. Nietes will be healing from cuts in the Rodriguez fight in the short term. Every day he waits to make a move after that is a day he isn’t getting back as he nears the age of 34.
Also worth getting excited about would be bouts between Rodriguez and Mendoza or Guevara at 108. In Mexico, those bouts could all do good business and make fan friendly battles. Rodriguez lost to the best Jr. Flyweight in the world. That doesn’t mean he can’t make a run at taking Nietes place if and when the Filipino tactician heads for higher ground.
Report Card and Staff Picks 2015: 58-13 (Including staff picks for Thurman-Collazo and Herrera-Lundy)
Cliff’s Notes…
So that mismatch between Keith Thurman and Luis Collazo didn’t quite unfold that way, huh? While never the best possible match, Thurman-Collazo was too easily denigrated and Khan-Collazo turned out to be no indicator of outcome. Collazo stayed in the fight all the way until cuts stopped him and even had Thurman in some trouble. Thurman remains an enigma as we wonder how good he really is…or isn’t…Lightweight Terry Flanagan adds another belt for the UK. There’s a new wave emerging from the Queen’s Empire…Mauricio Herrera-Hank Lundy was a drag. Both guys were fighting testy and the cut finish didn’t really let us see who the better man was. At least Herrera won a close one…Tony Harrison’s reaction to losing to Willie Nelson is what we should expect to see. Losing should be a painful experience. Good losers are overrated. The point of sports is to win.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com