By Cliff Rold
Mexico versus Puerto Rico is a storied rivalry in boxing for a reason. The latest example unfolded last Saturday night as Giovanni Segura traveled to hostile territory in Puerto Rico for a fight that exceeded even the highest expectations.
There were no accidental cuts, no decision that left room to argue. At night’s end, the audience might not have gone home happy after seeing the hometown hero broken down, but they had to go home satisfied knowing they had received their money’s worth. It was in stark contrast to the circus that drowned out a fight which deserved far more attention than it got going in and afterwards.
No one would care if Albert Pujols couldn’t excel in Cricket. And yet the weekend (and week) saw far too many boxing outlets mesmerized by the question of whether a fat, washed up James Toney could be as disappointing in a cage as he too often was in the boxing ring. Segura (25-1-1, 21 KO) and Ivan Calderon (34-1-1, 6 KO) were a shining example of the sweet science in comparison, managing to be a good show and a good fight.
Let’s go to the report card.
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Calderon A; Segura B/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Power – Calderon C-; Segura A/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Defense – Calderon A; Segura C-/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Calderon A; Segura B/Post: A; A
The speed and skills advantages for the now former World, Ring, and WBO Jr., Flyweight titlist Calderon were easy to assume going into the contest. They played out in the early going but the WBA titlist and new king in wait Segura was never far away. He took his pounds of flesh in a way often described but less often utilized.
Segura hit whatever was available. Lots of hard body stuff was getting through (even more evident in a repeat viewing) but Segura’s commitment meant hammering shoulders, elbows, forearms, and hips. He wasn’t going to get anywhere head hunting and didn’t waste much time trying after round three. If he went upstairs, it was only after going down first.
The feeling before the fight was that Calderon might be, at age 35, on the brink, but Segura needed a relentless assault to make it happen. Had he been like most Calderon foes over the years, the frustration of the chase and the sharp, accurate punching of Calderon might have made him hesitate. Instead, he tried harder.
It was a credit to his game planning and to the mastery of his own rugged style over the course of a now 6-fight knockout streak. There are some easy comparisons to be made with the 2008 Antonio Margarito win over Miguel Cotto (and not just because Segura is trained to a similar approach by Javier Capetillo). Calderon, like Cotto, was thoroughly beaten in the end, not knocked out for ten but forced into surrender on his knees.
It’s hard to criticize because of what came before. Calderon enters every fight knowing that a knockout is the least likely scenario. At 5’0 and natural in weight to his divisions, he’s small even for small men. He has been the anti-Jimmy Wilde.
And yet, as he had done to survive rough waters in the first Hugo Cazares fight, Calderon fought back harder when pressed, landing with accuracy and fire. Taken for granted as a fancy dan, Calderon managed to stun Segura in spots. He didn’t have the hammer to turn the tide with finality and the 28-year old Segura brought him off his toes faster than anyone who had come before. The rallies in rounds four and six sandwiched a survival game in the fifth, a three round stretch as thrilling as anything boxing has seen in 2010.
Everyone’s time to lose comes eventually. Calderon’s came on Saturday, two divisions and 18 title wins under his belt. Segura? His time has arrived and, with a thrilling style, a time of revival at 108 lbs. needed since the end of the Michael Carbajal era might be at hand.
Looking Ahead
Much of that revival will depend on whether Segura is long for Jr. Flyweight. He discussed the Calderon fight being an incentive to stay at Jr. Flyweight and he has the frame for 112, or Flyweight proper. The better fights are probably right where he’s at now and further unification would be welcome. As noted in the post-fight wrap, WBC titlist Omar Nino (29-3-2, 11 KO) is out there and an all-Mexican showdown would be yet another Fight of the Year contender on paper.
That this ended up a Fight of the Year contender (if not leader) was a pleasant surprise. If Calderon wanted to do it again after the rest he said he was taking, he deserves the chance to try. He won’t get any younger, and his chances might not seem bright, but stranger things than a reversal of fortune here have occurred. It’s known now for sure that this mix of pure boxer and nasty puncher is a winner.
Calderon could also attempt a less physically exacting challenge. None of the notable Flyweight champs, including lineal World Champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, are as pressuring or physical as Segura. A third divisional title isn’t out of reach.
For Segura, an interesting possibility also exists in a man three pounds below him. 105 lb. titlist Roman Gonzalez (25-0, 21 KO) has the look of something special. The Nicarauguan is technically superior to Segura but also a tad smaller. Both bring dynamite wrapped in leather. It wouldn’t be any James Toney-Randy Couture.
Amen to that.
Report Card Picks 2010: 21-11
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com