Inside the Ropes 11.30.09: BU-TE, BU-TE, Plus Williams vs. Martinez, Molina Jr. and More
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 11.30.2009
Lucian Bute looked damn good on Saturday as he states his case for being one of the division's best at super middleweight. Plus, looking ahead at Martinez vs. Williams, John Molina Jr.'s loss to Martin Honorio, Hopkins and Jones in action and my wedding!! All this and more on this week's Inside the Ropes!
Bute remains unbeaten
Rather than my typical main topic with a few shorter ones, I've decided that this week I'll go at things a little bit differently as there's just too much to cover. So for this week, I'll be taking some short shots at a few happenings in the sport.
That being said, chew on this!
- When Showtime's Super Six Boxing Classic became official, I thought to myself; Lucian Bute should've been included. With the first round now a wrap and Bute fresh off an impressive destruction of the usually indestructible Librado Andrade, I once again say that Bute should have been in the mix. With a controversial first win over Andrade, the rematch took place on Saturday night in Quebec and the champion made it look easy as he pounded Andrade out before knocking him out with a picturesque left to the ribcage that left the challenger in quite a bit of pain. I've seen a few of Bute's bouts and he seems to be getting better each time out. That he can box, punch and move effectively makes him quite a mountain to climb and I wouldn't mind seeing him tangle with the eventual winner of the Super Six. He's proven to be a major draw in Canada and an appearance in the U.S. is overdue - given that he last fought here in 2004, so let's hope he gets another notable opponent for his next bout.
- Rough night for John Molina Jr. who simply ran into a ball of fire named Martin Honorio. The 'opponent' as he was called has been in the ring with some top fighters and has come out on the winning end of a few of them. This should give Honorio another marquee match-up in the future and he truly deserves it. He's the type of guy who doesn't usually stand out but can give anyone a helluva fight on any given night. Good for him. As for Molina, well he didn't go down without a fight and was never beat up. He went toe to toe with Honorio and simply came up with the short end of the stick. I think this will serve as a good learning experience for him. The kid has some talent but he'll need to be ready for this type of fighter each time out. Given that it was a competitive brawl, his stock shouldn't drop too much and I expect he'll be back in the ring soon enough.
- The Funeka-Guzman result was an absolute tragedy. Quite frankly I'm getting pretty damn tired of this sort of thing. Funeka clearly dominated the second half of the fight and part of the first, only to return home to African with a split draw. Guzman was bloodied, frustrated and out of his element on Saturday and to deny Funeka a much deserved title belt is disgusting. Lou DiBella said it best via his Twitter and I suggest you all give it a read. That being said, I can live a fulfilling life without ever seeing Guzman in the ring again who's gone from a rising star to a joke. If there's anything good to say about him this week is that he at least seemed legitimately surprised when it was announced that the fight was a draw. As for Funeka, I really do hope he gets another title shot and pronto. At the very least give him another crack at Guzman so he can right the wrong that was done to him over the weekend.
- My hats off to Rico Ramos who continues to put on fun scraps. Same goes to Alejandro Perez who put up a good fight despite the lopsided scores. This type of experience will serve Ramos well and help build up his confidence. I've seen him fight a few times in San Jose and he shows some pretty good technique. He's a fighter to watch!
- Bernard Hopkins steps into the ring this week against Enrique Ornelas while Roy Jones Jr. tries his luck in the cruiserweight division when he tackles Danny Green in Australia. Should be an interesting night as we'll see how well or bad Jones fares in a new weight class while Hopkins looks to stay busy against Ornelas before possibly tangling with Jones next year. I have nothing against Hopkins facing Ornelas as it's not like he pulled out of a megafight to take on a lesser foe (hear that Pavlik?) Hell in years past, fighters would take tune up bouts in between other fights just to stay active and I have no problems with that. It was either Ornelas or staying on the sidelines until 2010. I'll take Dec. 2 instead. Not sure what to expect from Jones though but Green isn't exactly a world beater. He's not a push-over either so let's see what Jones has left in the tank. He'll really need to look spectacular if he wants to make a statement.
- On Saturday night, Paul Williams takes on Sergio Martinez in what should be an exciting night of action. Williams packs a wallop and never stops punching while Martinez is quick and mobile, not to mention busy as well so I expect both fighters to go right after each other. I think Williams takes this fight but I don't think it'll be an easy night either. Martinez is one of the sport's most underrated fighters and is tough to figure out - just ask Kermit Cintron. I'm glad Williams retained his Dec. 5 date as well and kudos to Martinez for stepping in after Pavlik again pulled out of the fight. We'll have a full preview of this one later this week.
- In other action on December 5th, I'll be getting married to our beautiful photographer Laura De La Torre who patiently awaited for my hand in marriage. It's about that time and I'm honestly looking forward to seeing what life brings with her in my life on an everyday basis. We've had our ups and downs but in the end, it's been a great few years and the next step is only a few days away. I'll be shooting over some photos when I have the opportunity so look out for those. While I take care of all this wedding stuff, I'll be away for a few days including the week after for some honeymoon enjoyment but I'll return shortly. I'll peak my head in from time to time until mid-December when I'll return to regular writing duties.
- Rough night for John Molina Jr. who simply ran into a ball of fire named Martin Honorio. The 'opponent' as he was called has been in the ring with some top fighters and has come out on the winning end of a few of them. This should give Honorio another marquee match-up in the future and he truly deserves it. He's the type of guy who doesn't usually stand out but can give anyone a helluva fight on any given night. Good for him. As for Molina, well he didn't go down without a fight and was never beat up. He went toe to toe with Honorio and simply came up with the short end of the stick. I think this will serve as a good learning experience for him. The kid has some talent but he'll need to be ready for this type of fighter each time out. Given that it was a competitive brawl, his stock shouldn't drop too much and I expect he'll be back in the ring soon enough._hoganphotos_33069.jpg "Photo by Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos / Golden Boy Promotions")
- Bernard Hopkins steps into the ring this week against Enrique Ornelas while Roy Jones Jr. tries his luck in the cruiserweight division when he tackles Danny Green in Australia. Should be an interesting night as we'll see how well or bad Jones fares in a new weight class while Hopkins looks to stay busy against Ornelas before possibly tangling with Jones next year. I have nothing against Hopkins facing Ornelas as it's not like he pulled out of a megafight to take on a lesser foe (hear that Pavlik?) Hell in years past, fighters would take tune up bouts in between other fights just to stay active and I have no problems with that. It was either Ornelas or staying on the sidelines until 2010. I'll take Dec. 2 instead. Not sure what to expect from Jones though but Green isn't exactly a world beater. He's not a push-over either so let's see what Jones has left in the tank. He'll really need to look spectacular if he wants to make a statement.
- In other action on December 5th, I'll be getting married to our beautiful photographer Laura De La Torre who patiently awaited for my hand in marriage. It's about that time and I'm honestly looking forward to seeing what life brings with her in my life on an everyday basis. We've had our ups and downs but in the end, it's been a great few years and the next step is only a few days away. I'll be shooting over some photos when I have the opportunity so look out for those. While I take care of all this wedding stuff, I'll be away for a few days including the week after for some honeymoon enjoyment but I'll return shortly. I'll peak my head in from time to time until mid-December when I'll return to regular writing duties.
