Eric Armit's World View by Eric Armit Feb 22nd 2008

Sometimes I have these wild wishes. Most of them would get me banned from the Internet but the one I am about to relate is only the sort that got me banned from the WBC. Take the case of Jesus Iribe, a light-flyweight from Mexico who on the February 9 show in Leon lost on points to the WBC champion Edgar Sosa, by 12 points on two cards and 10 on the other. Not so bad a match on paper as Iribe was rated No 13 by the WBC. Well he was in December, but in November, when the ratings were actually done by the WBC ratings committee, he was not in the top 40. However in December he beat Raul Castaneda (also not in the top 40) and in the ratings released at the end of December he suddenly appears at No 15 and in January is up at 13. Could it really be that the ratings committee did that?. Some promotion for beating a nobody. My dream is that Jose Sulaiman takes over the running of Scottish football and if East Fife can beat one of their other Third Division opponents then the following month we can get Jose to promote us to the Premier and we get to play Celtic or Rangers. Hidden down that Leon show was a shock result achieved by a young Mexican boxer as light-flyweight Adrian Hernandez kayoed Filipino Rodel Mayol in four rounds. Hernandez was winning his twelfth fight in a row, ten inside the distance, but he was facing a guy with a 23-2 record whose losses had both been in world championship challenges and Adrian was a big outsider. The former WBA strawweight and light-flyweight champion Rosendo Alvarez is preparing a licence application to promote in California in April. He and his wife, Ana Francis Donaire, have promoted shows in Nicaragua and now are looking to branch out. History will not record just how good Alvarez was as he lacked the dedication to sustain his outstanding talent. Anyone who can floor and take the great Ricardo Lopez to a technical draw (Alvarez would have won the decision but for the WBC rule that automatically deducted a point from the other fighter when one was cut in a clash of heads) and then to a split decision over twelve rounds, where he was one point from a draw, is a great fighter. Alvarez is not talking comeback at this stage as he appears to be waiting for his contract with Don King to time expire. The 2004 Olympic Games tied together three of the winners on the show in Hinckley on February 1. Most impressive performance was by Mexican Alfredo Angulo who kayoed Ricardo Cortes in one round. It should have been a tough one for Angulo as Cortes was 22-1-1 coming in but he was blown away by the 25 year old light-middleweight from Mexicali. The 5'10” Angulo is now 12-0 with nine by stoppage or kayo. He competed in the 2004 Olympics but went out in the first series. He won his place in Athens by beating Jean Pascal and finishing as runner-up to Andre Dirrell in the Americas qualifiers. The same Andre Dirrell moved to 14 wins on the show with a third round stoppage of Shannon Miller at super-middleweight. A Kronk fighter as an amateur, Andre took home the bronze from Athens. He actually won his first United States Senior amateur title as a featherweight. The third “Olympian” was Mickey Bey who made it ten wins by outpointing super-featherweight Roberto Acevedo on the show. Well almost an Olympian! Mickey, another Kronk amateur, won the US Trials but a loss to in the American qualifiers and illness stopped him taking his place there. Why do they do it? February 2 in Mar del Plata, Ruben Acosta kayoed Julio Cesar Vasquez in one round for the South American super-middleweight title. Vasquez was an excellent WBA light-middleweight champion. Between 1992 and 1995 he made eleven defences beating guys such as Javier Castillejo, Aaron Davis and Winky Wright (including a title defence in Belfast in May 1994 when he halted Ahmet Dottuev in ten) and to see him still putting his health on the line at the age of 41, and with 80 bouts behind him is such a pity. A mixed night for the “Juniors” in Scottsdale on February 2. Hector Camacho Junior outpointed Luis Lopes, Marvin Cordova Junior decisioned Darien Ford, but Carlos De Leon Junior lost an upset verdict to Ecuadorian Fernando Zuniga. Camacho is not a patch on his dad. He has an impressive enough 44-3-1 record, but the losses have been to Omar Weis, Andrei Tsurkan and Don Juan Futrell so not so mucho macho. Marvin's dad does not have a Camacho profile, but welterweight Junior is doing well as he now has 18 wins and a draw. De Leon was being built carefully but just does not seem to have it to make it to the top at super-middleweight. Dad had four spells as WBC cruiserweight between 1980 and 1990, including a dire (and that is being polite) draw with Johnny Nelson in Sheffield in January 1990. Cruiserweights Damian Austin Norris and Mike Simms were both outstanding as amateurs but seem headed for nowhere as pros, Simms in particular. In Sacramento on February 7 Austin won a split verdict. Cuban Austin was world junior champion and great things were expected when he defected but so far he has stumbled to an 11-4 record. Simms was world champion in 1999, beating David Haye on the way, and also having a win over Steve Cunningham as an amateur. However, he was dismissed for indiscipline from the US Olympic team for the 2000 Olympics, and as a pro is 19-8-1 with four losses in a row. Armenian-born light-middleweight Vanes Martirosyan did represent the US in the Olympics in Athens and despite not winning a medal is making good progress as a pro. In Las Vegas on February 7 he halted Miguel Munoz in three rounds to go to 19 wins. He beat highly touted Andre Berto to qualify for Athens, but had the bad luck to draw Cuban Lorenzo Aragon and went out. Frenchman Jean-Marc Monrose will be watching for the outcome of the David Haye-Enzo Maccarinelli fight. The official challenger for the EBU cruiserweight title, he meets Johnny Jensen on May 3, he obviously hopes to be in with a chance when the smoke clears. In Seine-et-Marne on February 8 he halted Zoltan Peto in three rounds of a “keep busy” outing and has won 22 in a row after losing his first pro fight. In boxing an “Indiana” record is a bit like a Rolex you buy at the local pub (not that I ever have, officer).  It may look good, but it is not the real thing. Take heavyweight Rich Boruff who fought JD “The Natural” Chapman in Dubai on February 8. He came in with a 17-1-1 record which looked good, but there was no substance to it and Chapman had no trouble in kayoing him in two rounds. Perhaps it was significant that the one loss on Boruff's record was a first round stoppage by Chapman's trainer, 40-year-old Michael Moorer. Chapman is 29-0 with 26 by stoppage or kayo, a very Indiana looking record. Jonathan Haggler has a Carolina record. That is an Indiana record but served with grits instead of corn. In Sewell, New Jersey on February 15, despite Jonathan's impressive looking 18-1 record, Chazz Witherspoon ate him up in four rounds and took his record to 22 wins, 15 inside the distance. Fighters from the Indiana and Carolina's club circuit are generally (very) modest but have somehow found opponents even more modest (I am trying to be polite here) and then get crushed when they take any move upwards. On the same night, in Istanbul, Sinan Samil Sam took an easy won as he outpointed Egyptian novice Mazur Ali over six rounds. Back in 2003 in the space of just over two months Sinan halted both Danny Williams and Julius Francis in EBU title defences. On the same show future star Selcuk Aydin kayoed Leonti Vorontsuk in two rounds. Known as “Mini Tyson” the 26 year old light-welterweight has 13 wins, twelve by stoppage or kayo after winning a hatfull of medals as an amateur. Vorontsuk was a regular loser here a while back.

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