Moving On...

This will most probably be my final blog entry. Early this week, I've been given an opportunity to write for 8CountNews.com.

Everything that I've been blogging about will now be in 8CountNews.com. I will still write the same articles that I normally write in this blog. I will still maintain the tally as we move along every title fight. I will continue to do my fearless forecast but will start my slate from scratch. I had a good run here accumulating a 42-5-3 record with several picks going against the norm and hopefully I maintain that pace in 8CountNews.

I'm excited to join the 8CountNews team and would like to encourage my blog readers to continue reading my articles there.

By the way, I have a couple published already including the schedule for the coming week. Please check it out.

Champs and Titleholders By Countries

Darchinyan, Sturm, Adamek & Hasegawa Will Headline A Loaded Fight Week

Thank you.

Title Fight Result (July 4)

July 4 (Saturday) - Vienne, France
Panama’s Anselmo Moreno [26(8)-1(0)-1] vs. Iran’s Mahyar Monshipour [31(21)-4(2)-2]
Moreno retains his WBA Bantamweight (118 lbs.) title via split decision

Moreno successfully defended his title by using his length against a constantly hounding Monshipour. Monshipour was, as expected, in attack mode from start to finish. Moreno handled the pressure well as he used the ring to maneuver himself against the Tehran-born French citizen. The Panamanian penetrated Monshipour’s defense by throwing combinations in between and around his gloves. I scored the bout 115-113 for Moreno as he built a lead early to compensate for Monshipour’s late rounds rallies. I actually gave 4 of the last 5 rounds to Monshipour plus the third round. If Moreno’s due a mandatory then it’s very likely that he’ll meet interim titleholder Nehomar Cermeno. If he has time for another voluntary defense then unification against the winner of the Joseph Agbeko -Vic Darchinyan fight next week is possible. That’s something to look forward to. Other notable names in the 118-lb. class are Hozumi Hasegawa (if Moreno goes to Japan then this might happen), Fernando Montiel (not likely because of the hand injury and a rescheduled fight against Eric Morel) and Wladimir Sidorenko (Moreno’s probably tired of beating him). Ring; ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction outcome: Right on the money, Moreno by decision.

Another notch to my win column. My record is now 42-5-3. No changes in the tally.

Title Fight Scheduled (July 4)

Slow week for title fights but next week will be huge. The calm before the storm. Barring anymore cancellations, there are 7 on tap next week. Here’s the lone title fight this weekend.

July 4 (Saturday) - Vienne, France
Panama’s Anselmo Moreno [25(8)-1(0)-1] vs. Iran’s Mahyar Monshipour [31(21)-3(2)-2]
Moreno‘s WBA Bantamweight (118 lbs.) title

Moreno will be defending his title for the 4th time after dethroning Wladimir Sidorenko last year. His last defense was a rematch against Sidorenko and pulled off a split decision win in Sidorenko’s home base of Germany. I always thought that a split decision win as a visitor is like a unanimous decision win in a neutral venue. That proves that Moreno can win anywhere. Monshipour is a French citizen born in Tehran. He is not a familiar name to casual boxing fans but hardcore fans cannot forget his war against Somsak Sithchatchawal in 2006 which ended up getting the consensus 2006 fight of the year. The tenth round was the round of the year. I remember my arms and face hurting just by watching that fight. Ironically, Monshipour lost his WBA super bantamweight title in that fight after ruling for almost 3 years and successfully defending it 5 times. He retired after that bout but came back last December with a firm objective of winning another world title in a different division. That explains the move to 118 lbs. from 122. He is 3(2)-0 since the comeback. He declared that he will retire for good if he does not win Moreno’s belt. It’s tough to bet against him specially if his work rate is the same as before. I’ll most likely root for him but with his age and Moreno’s abilities, smart money still goes to the Panamian. Prediction: Tough call but I still believe it’ll be Moreno only by decision because he doesn’t have knockout power. This is one prediction I don’t mind being wrong.

Title Fights Results (June 27)

June 27 (Saturday) - Berlin, Germany
Armenia's Arthur Abraham [30(24)-0(0)-0] vs. Germany's Mahir Oral [25(10)-2(1)-2]
Abraham retains his IBF Middleweight (160 lbs.) title via TKO in the 10th

Abraham was his usual self behind an impenetrable defense in the first three rounds. I believe Oral took at least 2 of the first 3 rounds because he was more aggressive not because he connected. Everything changed from round 4. Oral was still active but Abraham started throwing his bombs. He knocked Oral down in the 4th then also in the 6th. In the 10th Abraham displayed all his power as Oral was down 3 times until the German’s corner waved the towel. I sure hope that Kelly Pavlik unifies with Abraham first before Felix Sturm because if he doesn’t, Abraham will be moving up to super middleweight on his next bout. Since Abraham is due a mandatory soon then it’s almost unlikely for Pavlik and Abraham to meet unless it’s in the 168-lb. class. ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction outcome: If Oral didn’t beat the count in the 6th, I could’ve been right on target again. Anyway, Abraham still won and it’s another stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Atlantic City, NJ
Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez [26(24)-0(0)-0] vs. Cameroon's Olivier Lontchi [18(8)-1(1)-2]
Lopez retains his WBO Junior Featherweight (122 lbs.) title via TKO in the 9th

In my opinion, except for a few series in the 5th round, Lontchi does not deserve to be in a headline bout of a PPV card. His only claim to fame is an undefeated record but the way he fought, rather ran, and engaged, rather embraced, is a disgrace. Lontchi was down in the 2nd and the 9th, and then his corner decided to call it off before the start of the 10th. I’m glad there were a lot of fights last night to take care of my boxing fix, otherwise I would’ve been in a bad mood and asked for my money back on that PPV purchase. Lopez was in his usual devastating self but seems to be frustrated all throughout the fight because he was chasing Lontchi all night. That’s probably the last time I see Lontchi on TV. Gerry Penalosa, who is more of a natural bantamweight, was more active and willing in spite of his age than Lontchi when he fought Lopez last April. Ok, I’ve had enough Lontchi bashing in my blog. Top Rank’s Bob Arum has been talking about eventually matching Lopez against another dynamo in Yuriorkis Gamboa sometime. That’s another fight I’m looking forward to aside from those that were already mentioned by the media in Israel Vazquez, Rafael Marquez and Celestino Caballero. ESPN: Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction outcome: If Lontchi quit running then he could’ve been down a lot earlier or like what I predicted somewhere mid-fight. Anyway, another Lopez stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Venezuela's Jorge Linares [27(18)-0(0)-0] vs. Mexico's Josafat Perez [12(7)-2(1)-0]
Linares retains his WBA Super Featherweight (130 lbs.) title via TKO in the 8th

I did not see the fight but it was quite clear that Linares schooled Perez who, according to his records, has not faced any world class opposition in his career. Home crowd advantage did not help either. The Japan-based Linares, I believe, is due to fulfill his mandatory obligations next and the highest ranked WBA 130 pounder is Sergey Gulyakevich of Belarus. Fight News

Prediction outcome: Linares indeed by stoppage.

Another 3 notches to my win column as my record is now 41-5-3. No changes in the tally.

Title Fight Result (June 26)

June 26 (Friday) - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina's Omar Andres Narvaez [30(19)-0(0)-2] vs. Mexico's Omar Soto [17(11)-5(3)-1]
Narvaez retains his WBO Flyweight (112 lbs.) title via KO in the 11th

Narvaez was practically pitching a shutout and was in complete control of the fight. He totally outclassed Soto who was hitting air more than anything else. After a feeling out first round, Narvaez got Soto figured out that he even had his guard down quite often. He was sniping at will and was taking advantage of almost every Soto miss with shots to the head. Soto was deducted a point in the eight for head butting after repeated warnings starting from the fourth round. Finally, the defending champ knocked Soto down in the eleventh. Soto beat the count but the referee decided to correctly stop the fight. Narvaez was declared super champion by the WBO before the fight started. My Spanish is not that good but it’s safe to assume that it is because of successfully defending his title 15 times. Regardless, he’s still the lone belt holder in the WBO's 112-lb. class with no interims or whatever bogus title unlike the WBA. If that’s the WBA then they will have a so-called regular champion contending soon. I don’t think there will be any threats to Narvaez’s title as he is quite satisfied in defending his title at the comforts of his home country. Unification against Denkaosan Kaovichit or Daisuke Naito is highly improbable. Nonito Donaire is moving up so he’s definitely out and obviously even if he’s staying put in the flyweight division there’s no chance that they will meet. The only time Narvaez gets dethroned is when he retires or gets a formidable mandatory. WBO’s flyweight rankings do not look promising. The highest ranking fighter that can probably give Narvaez a run for his money is Panama’s Luis Concepcion. Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction outcome: Right on target, Narvaez indeed by late stoppage.

Another notch in my win column as my record is now 38-5-3. No changes in the tally.

Title Fights Scheduled (June 26-27)

A few weeks ago, this weekend was slated to be one of the heaviest stacked title fight weekends in boxing history. 8 title fights with 5 on US TV. I was pleasantly worried that I will not have enough space left in my DVR. Yet, hand infection, hand injury, tooth infection and blood ailment later, title fights scheduled were cut in half. Ironically, all injuries were endured by the title holders which cancels or postpones the championship bout.

Kelly Pavlik’s staph infection on his hand prevented him from defending his WBC, WBO and Ring magazine middleweight titles against Sergio Mora. There are of course conspiracy theories which are related to Pavlik’s contract extension with Top Rank. In the planned undercard of the Pavlik fight, Fernando Montiel was suppose to defend his WBO bantamweight title against Eric Morel until he injured his hand while on training. There are no new dates yet announced for both with Pavlik-Mora not very likely to be rescheduled. There have been reports that a unification bout against either Arthur Abraham or Felix Sturm is in the works.

Andreas Kotelnik had a reported tooth infection that postponed his WBA super lightweight title fight against Amir Khan to July 18. The postponement also moved the venue from London to Manchester. Then only a couple of days ago, Chris John fell ill to what was reported to be some kind of a blood-related ailment. His much anticipated WBA featherweight title rematch against Rocky Juarez is in limbo until they find out more about his condition.

So here are the remaining 4 title fights this weekend.

June 26 (Friday) - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina's Omar Andres Narvaez [29(18)-0(0)-2] vs. Mexico's Omar Soto [17(11)-4(2)-1]
Narvaez’s WBO Flyweight (112 lbs.) title

Narvaez, the longest reigning titleholder will defend for the 16th time since dethroning Adonis Rivas seven years ago. When healthy and home I don’t see any reason Narvaez will lose his title to Soto. Nevertheless, Narvaez is the least regarded flyweight titleholder because he rarely takes risk and is contented on defending at home. Add to that the quality of his opponents or lack thereof. This is Soto’s second try for a world title. Muhammad Rachman knocked him out three years ago for the IBF Mini Flyweight title. Prediction: Narvaez by late stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Berlin, Germany
Armenia's Arthur Abraham [29(23)-0(0)-0] vs. Germany's Mahir Oral [25(10)-1(0)-2]
Abraham’s IBF Middleweight (160 lbs.) title
Showtime 9 pm ET

There are two possible reasons Oral will upset Abraham. One, Abraham’s struggles in meeting the 160-lb. limit will affect his conditioning in the fight where Oral will take advantage of as it gets to the later rounds. Two, having been a long-time sparring partner, Oral is very familiar with Abraham. These are possibilities where Abraham might end up losing the fight and eventually, missing the opportunity to fight Pavlik. Yet, the likelihood of it happening will still be, in my opinion, improbable. Abraham and his shell-like defense is still one of the best in the 160-lb. class. After Oral and hopefully Pavlik (win or loss), he will very likely move up to 168 lbs. Prediction: Abraham by mid-fight stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Atlantic City, NJ
Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez [25(23)-0(0)-0] vs. Cameroon's Olivier Lontchi [18(8)-0(0)-2]
Lopez’s WBO Junior Featherweight (122 lbs.) title
Top Rank PPV 9 pm ET

JuanMa proved that he can maintain his power and speed after going past the 6th round in his last fight against the ageless Gerry Penalosa. That will come in handy against the undefeated Lontchi. The Montreal-based Lontchi was born and raised in Cameroon and fought for his homeland as an amateur until 2001. Together with fellow boxer Herman Ngoudjo, they migrated to Canada to pursue their pro careers. Lontchi is a tough challenge but I expect Lopez to continue his knock out streak. Lontchi will just be another stepping stone for big fights ahead possibly against Israel Vazquez, Rafael Marquez or Celestino Caballero. Prediction: Lopez by mid-fight stoppage.

June 27 (Saturday) - Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Venezuela's Jorge Linares [26(17)-0(0)-0] vs. Mexico's Josafat Perez [12(7)-1(0)-0]
Linares’ WBA Super Featherweight (130 lbs.) title

Linares’ last reported ring action got a lot of media exposure and was featured in Ring magazine yet it was just a sparring session. It was more intense than his last two fights against Gamaliel Diaz and Whyber Garcia. That is because it was against pound for pound champ Manny Pacquiao. If Linares can mix it up with the PacMan even at a weight disadvantage, can Perez stand a chance? He does however slim it may be. Perez is lucky to get this title shot having lost his last fight against an unheralded fighter. This will be an easy night for Linares inspite of the expected hostile crowd against him. Prediction: Linares by late stoppage.

Title Fight Results (June 20)

I figured out a way not to doze off a heavyweight title fight. Underestimate it and expect that it will be extremely boring that I will eventually doze off. That way the slightest action will still excite me. Ha! Reverse psychology. It worked. That’s it and it’s not because of the strong espresso that I chugged before the fight started. But seriously speaking, the fight wasn’t as lackluster as I thought it would be. In fact, I enjoyed the fight after all as Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko and his potent jab successfully defended his IBF Heavyweight and WBO Heavyweight titles and captured the vacant Ring Heavyweight title by stopping Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbekistan. The fight doctor and Chagaev’s corner decided to raise the white flag just before the 10th round after seeing enough of Klitschko’s jab and debilitating right straight to their fighter’s face, including one that sent Chagaev to the canvass in round 2. Chagaev whose only chance is to make it a phone booth fight but can’t get close enough as every try is met with a nasty jab. Klitschko may have been criticized for being too robotic but why should he care if it works. Up next is his IBF mandatory, Alexander Povetkin of Russia. Ring; ESPN; Boxing Scene; Fight News

In Santa Fe, Argentina, Hugo Hernan Garay surprisingly lost his WBA Light Heavyweight title in front of his home crowd to WBA #15 ranked Gabriel Campillo of Spain via majority decision. I did not see the fight so don’t have any insights on it. A bummer because it’s another notch in my loss column. I don’t expect Campillo to aim for a unification bout against other title holders. He will most likely make his voluntary defenses at home until his mandatory who as of today’s WBA rankings is former Garay victim Juergen Braehmer. Fight News

As expected, it was an easy night for WBC Light Flyweight champ Edgar Sosa of Mexico as he stopped Panama’s Carlos Melo in the 5th. It’s obviously a mismatch as Melo does not only have soft hands but has a vulnerable torso too. A vicious left hook to the ribs took Melo down gasping for air. He beat the count but Sosa rained on him with at least 20 unanswered shots prompting the referee to stop the carnage. It was Sosa’s 9th defense after winning the vacant title over Brian Viloria. A rematch with Viloria, who’s now the current IBF titlist, to unify the belts will be interesting. Another possibility is also a unification against Ivan Calderon if he decides not to take the rematch with Rodel Mayol and stakes his WBO and Ring titles against Sosa’s WBC. Boxing Scene; Fight News

Prediction Results:
Got Klitschko right but thought it’ll be by decision.
Campillo’s upset over Garay adds a 5th setback to my record.
Easy pick in the easy Sosa win.

My record is now 37-5-3. Ukraine adds another title and remains in 4th place. Argentina is out of the log jam for 5th and drops to 8th tied with the Philippines. Spain is now in the list tied with 12 others with a title each.

Here’s the updated list.

As of June 21, 2009

Rank	Country	No. of Titles	Title Holders
1st (2 are tied)	Mexico	9	Cristobal Cruz - IBF126 Raul Garcia - IBF105 Juan Manuel Marquez - Ring135;WBA135;WBO135 Fernando Montiel - WBO118 Giovanni Segura - WBA108 Edgar Sosa - WBC108 Humberto Soto - WBC130
1st (2 are tied)	USA	9	Andre Berto - WBC147 Timothy Bradley - WBO140 Steven Luevano - WBO126 Shane Mosley - WBA147 Kelly Pavlik - WBC160;WBO160;Ring160 Cory Spinks - IBF154 Brian Viloria - IBF108
3rd	Puerto Rico	7	Ivan Calderon - WBO108;Ring108 Miguel Cotto - WBO147 Jose Lopez - WBO115 Juan Manuel Lopez - WBO122 Roman Martinez - WBO130 Daniel Santos - WBA154
4th	Ukraine	6	Sergiy Dzinziruk - WBO154 Vitali Klitschko - WBC200+ Wladimir Klitschko - IBF200+;WBO200+;Ring200+ Andreas Kotelnik - WBA140
5th (3 are tied)	Armenia	4	Arthur Abraham - IBF160 Vic Darchinyan - WBA115;WBC115;IBF115
5th (3 are tied)	Japan	4	Takahiro Aoh - WBC126 Hozumi Hasegawa - WBC118 Daisuke Naito - WBC112 Toshiaki Nishioka - WBC122
5th (3 are tied)	Panama	4	Celestino Caballero - WBA122;IBF122 Guillermo Jones - WBA200 Anselmo Moreno - WBA118
8th (2 are tied)	Argentina	3	Sergio Gabriel Martinez - WBC154 Omar Andres Narvaez - WBO112 Victor Emilio Ramirez - WBO200
8th (2 are tied)	Philippines	3	Nonito Donaire - IBF112 Donnie Nietes - WBO105 Manny Pacquiao - Ring140
10th (4 are tied)	Hungary	2	Karoly Balzsay - WBO168 Zsolt Erdei - WBO175
10th (4 are tied)	Poland	2	Tomasz Adamek - IBF200;Ring200
10th (4 are tied)	Thailand	2	Denkaosan Kaovichit - WBA112 Oleydong Sithsamerchai - WBC105
10th (4 are tied)	Venezuela	2	Jorge Linares - WBA130 Edwin Valero - WBC135
14th (13 are tied)	Colombia	1	Juan Urango - IBF140
14th (13 are tied)	Denmark	1	Mikkel Kessler - WBA168
14th (13 are tied)	Germany	1	Felix Sturm - WBA160
14th (13 are tied)	Ghana	1	Joseph Agbeko - IBF118
14th (13 are tied)	Haiti	1	Jean Pascal - WBC175
14th (13 are tied)	Indonesia	1	Chris John - WBA126
14th (13 are tied)	Italy	1	Giacobbe Fragomeni - WBC200
14th (13 are tied)	Nicaragua	1	Roman Gonzalez - WBA105
14th (13 are tied)	Romania	1	Lucian Bute - IBF168
14th (13 are tied)	Russia	1	Nikolay Valuev - WBA200+
14th (13 are tied)	South Africa	1	Malcolm Klassen - IBF130
14th (13 are tied)	Spain	1	Gabriel Campillo - WBA175
14th (13 are tied)	UK	1	Carl Froch - WBC168