By Cliff Rold
There are some fighters who, if given the chance, are never going to miss a chance at a knockout blow.
Previously undefeated 25-year old Jr. Welterweight Victor Cayo (24-1, 16 KO) of the Dominican Republic fought with heart and character against 26-year old Argentine Marcos Maidana (28-1, 27 KO) on Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also gave Maidana the chance in round number six, Cayo sent home on a single brutal body shot. Both men weighed in at the division limit of 140 lbs.
The Dominican slickster boxed well enough for all of the first six minutes, Maidana pressing while Cayo moved and wisely kept his distance. It was the second after six that got him in trouble, Maidana landing a harsh left hand after the bell to end round two and dropping Cayo to the seat of his trunks. Referee Joe Cortez ruled a knockdown and Cayo rose before the count of ten, his corner excoriating Cortez for allowing the blow to count.
Maidana jumped right on Cayo to start the third, checking to see where his opponent was, and returned to patient stalking when it was clear Cayo had his legs. The pace was measured throughout the third until the closing seconds when a barrage of blows from Maidana appeared to leave Cayo unsteady.
Cayo, somehow growing more relaxed under the pressure, started working short hooks and uppercuts underneath in round four as Maidana charged forward. Backing Maidana to the ropes before the round was over, Cayo even elected to exchange with the power puncher at ring center. He did it again in round five, stopping Maidana in his tracks with a left only for the ruthless Argentine to turn the tide with rocking rights and lefts along the ropes and near the corner. With thirty seconds to go, both men took turns turning each other near the ropes, Cayo closing with the advantage and a lacing right hand.
Cayo ate a nasty right in the first minute of the sixth, amongst other levied blows, but kept firing back. Clipped in the corner with a right, Cayo nearly fell over trying to respond, his chin holding up.
The ribs would not.
With Cayo attempting to throw a left to the head, Maidana exploded with a short right hand to the gut and Cayo dropped like he’d been shot. Able to lift his body only to all fours, Cortez finished the count at 1:38 of round six.
Maidana held on to the WBA’s distinction as the interim 140 lb. titlist, keeping him in line to someday theoretically face regular titlist Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO). Maidana may end up pursuing other titlists in the division before a Khan bout surfaces, some speculation focusing on WBC/IBF titlist Devon Alexander (19-0, 12 KO). Maidana stated he’d like “Whoever comes out at 140,” and, with his style, can expect fans to want to see him under those terms.
It was a clean knockout and a clean contest but the televised opener was all about proving that, sometimes, cheaters do prosper.
After getting beaten convincingly by 31-year old South African Lightweight Ali Funeka (30-3-3, 25 KO), only to escape with a draw in a November 2009 battle for the vacant IBF Lightweight belt, 33-year old Joan Guzman (30-0-1, 17 KO) showed up for his next shot at the title weighing a grotesque nine pounds over the weight limit. A Featherweight (125 lbs.) less than five years ago, Guzman stepped on the scale at 144 lbs. while Funeka, who had done his job, weighed in at the division limit of 135.
The show went on, Funeka the only man who could win the IBF title which after Saturday will remain vacant, Guzman’s comfortable weight assisting in his garnering a split decision on Saturday night.
Taller by five inches at 6’1, Funeka wasted little time returning to the punch which carried his advantage in their first encounter, sticking his long jab from a distance. The fleet footed southpaw Guzman circled, attempting to move in and out but there was no comfortable distance for him. A hard right counter set up a chopping left hook for Funeka in the final minute.
Guzman closed the first with some sharp body blows and opened round two the same way, backing to the ropes and letting Funeka get close before firing. Funeka caught on to the strategy quickly and used it to open a booming counter near the midway mark. In the final minute, both men unloaded heavy blows in close quarters, a rugged fight unfolding.
As had been the case in their first fight, Funeka began to assert dominance in round three and carried it through rounds four and five, increasingly catching Guzman with clean hooks to close combinations and steadily outworking his Dominican foe with jabs and body shots. Guzman did his best to stay away and look for pot shot counter opportunities.
In round six, a Funeka left hand birthed a crimson flow from the nose of Guzman but the tide turned quickly. A Guzman right hand looped over the guard of Funeka, dropping the African and hurting him. Funeka rose quickly and took the eight count of referee Robert Byrd, signaling he could continue and weathering as an emboldened Guzman rushed Funeka into the ropes and went to work. Firing upstairs and down with both hands, Guzman looked for a possible early end but Funeka endured, collecting himself and firing back by round’s end.
Funeka showed no ill effects in round seven, coming forward and letting loose a stream of blows. Guzman took advantage with occasional hard counters but Funeka kept his feet. Funeka again threw and landed more in the eighth but Guzman had some crowd pleasing moments, hurling some big shots and showboating in an attempt to get under Funeka’s skin. With seconds to go, Guzman went back to the overhand rights but Funeka moved underneath the shot and landed some short left hooks in close.
A clash of heads in the ninth seemed to hurt Guzman more than any punch had but Byrd gave no heed to Guzman’s attempt to complain. Funeka simply moved ahead, steadily pressuring and chipping away. Staying with looping rights and clubbing blows to the body, Guzman showed he was still well in the fight the following round, momentarily freezing Funeka in the closing seconds of round ten.
Fighting with confidence, Guzman was taunting again in the eleventh but neither man did much of anything until the final minutes, Funeka landing a long right and Guzman answering with a few rights of his own.
Guzman looked to move and counter Funeka’s aggression in spots for the final three minutes, smugly employing theatrics with a practiced professionalism his preparation for the contest had lacked. It was enough for the win though, Guzman ahead on two cards at the end at scores of 116-111 and 114-113, Funeka taking the other end of the split at 114-113.
It was a disappointing end for Funeka whose professionalism has seen him punished every time he’s come to the United States. Aside from the fiasco this weekend, he also was faced with a then-reigning Nate Campbell last year who failed to make weight and of course the dubious draw in the first Guzman bout.
Guzman moves forward with a win though disciplinary action for his second failure to make weight in a title fight in less than two years could be heavily considered. In 2008, Guzman showed up overweight for his mandatory shot at Nate Campbell and the fight was ultimately cancelled.
The broadcast was carried in the U.S. on premium cable outlet HBO as part of its Boxing After Dark series, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.
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
