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I'm only going to touch the 4 main fights even though there were more.
Mauricio Herrera vs Johanne Perez
I really enjoy watching Herrera fight, I thought Perez did a better job than expected, but in the end Herrera really boxed well and took the fight over. He is so underrated IMO and I really hope he gets the fights and the pay days he deserves. I love his awkward style, the way he sets up the jab by being so off rhythm, throws it from an angle, standing straight up, on the move, he can do so much with that punch. Nobody wants to fight this guy, and it's obvious why.
Francisco Vargas vs JuanMa Lopez
This is a classic example of how 31 can be old. At 31 years old, JuanMa looks to have a million miles on the odometer. Not taking anything away from Vargas, but JuanMa can't take a shot anymore. I hope for his safety and the rest of his life, he quits boxing after being a really good fighter for so long. Vargas I believe is close to 30 and they need to push this guy fast. He has a lot of tools, and isn't just a come forward fighter. He can box, pressure and counter punch and depending on how fast he continues to improve, I really like watching him fight.
Abner Mares vs Johnathan Oquendo
This was a sloppy fight IMO. Oquendo was the stronger fighter, and was doing well early on but then Mares adjusted in the later rounds and pulled it off. Mares didn't look sharp though, the time off affected him and hopefully he stays busy and looks better the next time we see him. He just looked off, wasn't countering the way we are used to seeing and looked a little bit slower than usual. He needs to sharpen up if he's to fight Rigo.
Canelo Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara
I picked Canelo by stoppage in the 10th but also said that it could be a boring fight because of styles. Well, it was definitely an uneventful fight. Canelo isn't the pressure fighter people think he is, he's a counter puncher by trade and when he does come forward, does it with intelligence and caution. I knew Lara was going to move, but I expected him to throw more.
In the first 3-4 rounds it was a very tough fight to score because neither man was really doing much. I gave those early rounds to Lara because he was moving a lot, but was landing 1-2's more often and keeping Canelo at distance. Then in the middle to later rounds, Lara stopped punching. I think there was a moment in the fight where Lara realized that Canelo is not only more powerful than he thought, but a better boxer than he expected.
Mayweather vs Canelo played out much different and the comparisons aren't justified IMO. Mayweather moved yes, but also stood in front of Canelo and made him pay. He realized that Canelo was nowhere near the boxer he was, and standing in front of him wasn't really a risk. Where as Lara I think realized that the longer he stood in front of Canelo, the more risk it was because eventually he was going to get caught.
Canelo did have a hard time cutting the ring off, but that's again because he comes forward but with caution. He's not going to come in like Angulo face first and risk getting caught with a big shot. Instead he was taking angles, using the jab effectively and going to the body beautifully. I do think those body shots also affected Lara even though he wouldn't admit it.
I scored it 7-5 for Canelo, but I think a draw would have been justified. These fights are incredibly hard to judge because it depends on what style you like more. Do you score it for Lara who used better defense, movement and landed more head shots? Or do you score it for Canelo who pressured, used effective aggression and landed the better body shots and harder punches?
It's a tough call and 115-113 either way was understandable but that last judge at 117-111 was a disgrace. Lara screwed himself though, he talked a lot leading up to the fight, he wanted this fight and called it the fight of his life and then shows up and.....DUD. Just doesn't do anything and thinks he's still in the Pan American games fighting in the international amateur system. This is the pro's and boxing and moving is great, but you have to land shots eventually. The Cuban school of boxing is fantastic....for the amateurs. For the pro's they need to learn to adjust, and understand that what wins in the end is throwing punches, it is boxing when all is said and done.
I personally don't want to see a rematch, not because it's a hard fight for Canelo, but because of the styles. They just don't mesh well, the same reason I didn't want to see Canelo vs Mayweather again. Lara now has to go to the back of the line, and maybe we see Cotto and Canelo take a fight before a big showdown next year.
Style wise, Canelo vs Cotto would be incredible. This has all the makings of FOTY and you mix in the Mexico vs PR thing, it's a mega fight.
Mauricio Herrera vs Johanne Perez
I really enjoy watching Herrera fight, I thought Perez did a better job than expected, but in the end Herrera really boxed well and took the fight over. He is so underrated IMO and I really hope he gets the fights and the pay days he deserves. I love his awkward style, the way he sets up the jab by being so off rhythm, throws it from an angle, standing straight up, on the move, he can do so much with that punch. Nobody wants to fight this guy, and it's obvious why.
Francisco Vargas vs JuanMa Lopez
This is a classic example of how 31 can be old. At 31 years old, JuanMa looks to have a million miles on the odometer. Not taking anything away from Vargas, but JuanMa can't take a shot anymore. I hope for his safety and the rest of his life, he quits boxing after being a really good fighter for so long. Vargas I believe is close to 30 and they need to push this guy fast. He has a lot of tools, and isn't just a come forward fighter. He can box, pressure and counter punch and depending on how fast he continues to improve, I really like watching him fight.
Abner Mares vs Johnathan Oquendo
This was a sloppy fight IMO. Oquendo was the stronger fighter, and was doing well early on but then Mares adjusted in the later rounds and pulled it off. Mares didn't look sharp though, the time off affected him and hopefully he stays busy and looks better the next time we see him. He just looked off, wasn't countering the way we are used to seeing and looked a little bit slower than usual. He needs to sharpen up if he's to fight Rigo.
Canelo Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara
I picked Canelo by stoppage in the 10th but also said that it could be a boring fight because of styles. Well, it was definitely an uneventful fight. Canelo isn't the pressure fighter people think he is, he's a counter puncher by trade and when he does come forward, does it with intelligence and caution. I knew Lara was going to move, but I expected him to throw more.
In the first 3-4 rounds it was a very tough fight to score because neither man was really doing much. I gave those early rounds to Lara because he was moving a lot, but was landing 1-2's more often and keeping Canelo at distance. Then in the middle to later rounds, Lara stopped punching. I think there was a moment in the fight where Lara realized that Canelo is not only more powerful than he thought, but a better boxer than he expected.
Mayweather vs Canelo played out much different and the comparisons aren't justified IMO. Mayweather moved yes, but also stood in front of Canelo and made him pay. He realized that Canelo was nowhere near the boxer he was, and standing in front of him wasn't really a risk. Where as Lara I think realized that the longer he stood in front of Canelo, the more risk it was because eventually he was going to get caught.
Canelo did have a hard time cutting the ring off, but that's again because he comes forward but with caution. He's not going to come in like Angulo face first and risk getting caught with a big shot. Instead he was taking angles, using the jab effectively and going to the body beautifully. I do think those body shots also affected Lara even though he wouldn't admit it.
I scored it 7-5 for Canelo, but I think a draw would have been justified. These fights are incredibly hard to judge because it depends on what style you like more. Do you score it for Lara who used better defense, movement and landed more head shots? Or do you score it for Canelo who pressured, used effective aggression and landed the better body shots and harder punches?
It's a tough call and 115-113 either way was understandable but that last judge at 117-111 was a disgrace. Lara screwed himself though, he talked a lot leading up to the fight, he wanted this fight and called it the fight of his life and then shows up and.....DUD. Just doesn't do anything and thinks he's still in the Pan American games fighting in the international amateur system. This is the pro's and boxing and moving is great, but you have to land shots eventually. The Cuban school of boxing is fantastic....for the amateurs. For the pro's they need to learn to adjust, and understand that what wins in the end is throwing punches, it is boxing when all is said and done.
I personally don't want to see a rematch, not because it's a hard fight for Canelo, but because of the styles. They just don't mesh well, the same reason I didn't want to see Canelo vs Mayweather again. Lara now has to go to the back of the line, and maybe we see Cotto and Canelo take a fight before a big showdown next year.
Style wise, Canelo vs Cotto would be incredible. This has all the makings of FOTY and you mix in the Mexico vs PR thing, it's a mega fight.
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