The Weekend Wrap-Up
And the upsets keep raining down on us. Is it me or is 2011 making up for 2010? This is awesome. Each week we get a fight that just comes out of nowhere and this week was no different. It will be a slow week to end the month but there is always May. You have to think Shane Mosley is thinking he could give us the biggest upset in years in just two week’s time. I doubt but the way undefeated guys are dropping, anything is possible.
Friday
ESPN2
Uncasville, CT at the Mohegan Sun Casino,
Demetrius Andrade (12-0, 8 knockouts) vs. Omar Bell (8-1, 5 knockouts): This looks like an easy one for Andrade who is moving pretty slow for a prospect. Andrade looks like he could be really good but he could be fighting more often. He fought 7 times in 2009 but only 3 last year. Now he is on fight number two and the year is almost half over. I see a knockout here. Bell has been knocked out before and by someone not as good as Andrade. The only thing that bothers me is how bad Andrade looked in his last fight.
My pick: Andrade KO in 6.
What went down: Andrade was basically given a gift fighter to beat on and he did just that. he has gotten rid of his dad as trainer/manager and it showed. He looked better in his technique but was still not showing me he will be too exciting. It took just two rounds to get Bell out of there. I gave Bell too much space to survive. Andrade didn’t. Andrade KO 2.
Breidis Prescott (23-2, 19 knockouts) vs. Bayan Jargal (15-1-3, 10 knockouts): Prescott has not looked great in his last few fights, two of which are losses. I think this goes rounds. Jargal has a loss but has never been stopped. He’s not a top level fighter at all but he has a chin.
My pick: Prescott by decision.
What went down: Prescott hurt Jargal in the first round and it was pretty much him from then on. Jargal was like an all-star catcher taking everything Prescott had and asking for more. Jargal can move a little but all that did was draw the fight. This was a one sided fight. Prescott by unanimous decision. I’m just curious. If Jargal can eat Prescott’s bests shots all night and Amir Kahn got knocked the hell out by a jab, what does that say about King Khan?
Saturday
Showtime
Los Angeles, CA at the Nokia Theater
Yonnhy Perez (20-1-1, 20 knockouts) vs. Vic Darchinyan (35-3-, 27 knockouts): I broke this one down in my blog yesterday. Perez is the more natural to the weight, younger, hungrier because he has only had a belt for a brief time. Darchinyan seems like he wants to Mares and not Perez. Like Perez is some kind of afterthought.
My pick: Perez makes Darchinyan quit in round 11.
What went down: I was wrong as hell. Darchinyan came out fast and dropped Perez in the second. he never let Yonnhy get going or Yonnhy just couldn’t. Either way, when they clashed heads in the fifth, the fight had been all Darchinyan all the time. The judges scored the fifth and the technical decision went to Darchinyan. maybe it was me but Darchinyan looked like he got a little tired in the fourth. Still, I’d see him vs. Mares or Donaire again. Why not? Darchinyan technical decision in 5.
FOX Sports
Thackerville, OK at the WinStar Casino,
Robert Marroquin (19-0, 14 knockouts) vs. Francisco Leal (14-5-3, 9 knockouts): This is a stay prospect level fight for Marroquin but you shouldn’t miss it. This guy is the goods. Leal is an opponent who goes rounds but not this time.
My pick: Marroquin by knockout.
What went down: Can you blame me? Who thought that Leal would beat up, cut and take the “0” from Marroquin. Top Rank lost Lopez’ “0” last week and now Marroquin? I’m not knocking them. Top Rank is the best at developing fighters. I’m just shocked to see it twice in two weeks. Marroquin needs to fix that defense, work on how to fight a southpaw and go back to the drawing board big time. He did show he willing to get in there and fight his ass off but the things he is missing need to be fixed big time. Leal by split decision.
Casey Ramos (12-0, 4 knockouts) vs John Jackson (15-2, 13 knockouts): Another prospect level fight. I don’t know much about Ramos but looking at the opponent, who has never been knocked out, we will find out what Ramos has in the later rounds since he doesn’t have a lot of power. Jackson has 13 knockouts so we’ll see if the kid has a chin.
My pick: Ramos by decision.
What went down: This was a weird one. Ramos and Jackson got into a clinch in round one and Ramos hit off the break which dropped Jackson. Ramos his on the break again in the second round and lost a point because of it. In the fourth, Ramos knocked Jackson down but the ropes got in the way and broken as he fell. To add insult to knockdown, Jackson lost a point for spitting his mouthpiece out after the knockdown. Too bad he didn’t notice the broken ropes. he would have gotten the rest he was looking for with the mouthpiece move. Ramos won by unanimous decision.
