Weekend fights

Celestino Caballero VS Duad Yordan

I could write a whole post about this but let me sum it up quite simply.

Celestino Caballero threw the 3rd most punches by a featherweight in a Compubox recorded fight, he had a knockdown in round 2 and by the eighth round, every commentator was wondering why they wouldn’t stop the fight and whether Duad Yordan had just had his career shortened significantly. If you've seen the Ring's pound for pound list recently and were wondering who the hell is Celestino Caballero at #10, watch the recap of this fight so you see what anyone at lightweight is not looking forward to getting into the ring with.

Carlos Quintana VS Andre Berto

First off, Carlos Quintana scored a knock down in the first round. It was ruled a slip but the replay clearly shows it was a clean hit and Berto went down. That’s irrelevant in retrospect but I just wanted to make that clear because even though Quintana has no star power at all, I like the kid’s grit and though he lost another fight, I consider Carlos a good solid fighter that can expose people, case in point his fight against Paul Williams. Here’s a quick round per round recap.

Round 1 – Sloppy fighting, rough tactics Quintana gets a knockdown but the referee sees it differently, Quintana gets warned for hitting behind the head. Quintana should have won the round but because of the call on the knockdown, Berto gets the round.

Round 2 – Carlos Quintana looks like a Hispanic Bernard Hopkins or Ric Flair if you’re a wrestling fan. He’s holding the arm and hitting, rough boxing and pretty much getting Berto out of his element. At the end of the round though, Berto seems to finally be hitting his stride.

Round 3 – As predicted, Berto has hit his stride and starts connecting more often. Quintana loses a point for hitting behind the head… this time a flagrant hit and a move he did twice more during the fight. Berto connect body punches, left hooks and solid right hand shots.

Round 4 - More rough house tactics from Quintana but Berto is able to push him to the ropes and capitalize. On a couple of occasions it seems as if Berto stings Quintana especially with right hands.

Round 5 – Another round for Berto though hardly a blow out. Not the prettiest fight this side of the TV screen but it’s competitive.

Round 6 – In between rounds Berto looks like he’s got an injured arm. A guy in the corner is rubbing down the bicep and from what I’ve read in boxing, that’s one of the worst things you can do to a fighter before a fight, much less during a contest. The reason given is that a massage releases lactic acid and actually induces fatigue on the muscle because even if it relieves tension, it moves and stimulates muscles. I actually see Quintana edging out a close round by out hustling Berto but when they go to the corner, Quintana looks gassed and Berto looks in pain from the bicep but otherwise ready to keep going. Berto had moments but Quintana had the better of the round.

Round 7 - The round can be summed up with Berto landing a solid right that rocked Quintana and it was the beginning of the end.

Round 8 – Some exchanges occur but then Berto connects to Quintana who seems buzzed. Andre doesn’t let off and lands a vicious exchange that could have led to a stoppage. The ref lets the fight go on which reaches the other side of the ring. There Berto lands more heavy shots and Quintana looks like he’s about to go down but the fight continues. He’s getting backed across the ring again into the ropes and after a crushing right, the ref finally steps in and stops the fight.

RECAP:

Quintana still has something to offer boxers and a style to frustrate lesser opponents but he’s 33, isn’t beloved in Puerto Rico even if he did win a championship belt. He’s cagy but if he gets caught, he has one or two opportunities to get back into the game and anyone who capitalizes can get a stoppage. Berto looked a bit sloppy but powerful. It’s a shame he and Shane didn’t face off because I think that’s a hell of a fight though I’m glad Shane is getting a shot with Floyd. Berto though looks prime to sit atop the welterweight division in 1 or 2 year’s time.

Evander Holyfield VS Frans Botha

I didn’t see the fight but Holyfield at 47 scored a Knockout over Botha who is 41. The title is a joke but the win isn’t because it actually puts Holyfield in the heavyweight mix to face people that can do him quite a lot of harm. Was it good to see the great warrior score a KO? Of course it is, I just don’t want to see the guy getting hurt and it seems as if he’s sizing himself up for just that.