The US has a number of very young but very, very promising prospects coming through at the moment with one of those being 20 year old Frankie Gomez (12-0, 9) a fighter many are tipping as a sure-fire star of the future. Not only due to his links with Golden Boy Promotions and their head honcho Oscar De La Hoya, who has praised Gomez highly since he signed but also his exceptional amateur pedigree.
Gomez first became a "fighter to watch" in 2007 when he won the 54KG division at the World Cadet Championships in Baku. On route to winning the competition he stopped 3 of his 4 opponents, with only finalist Elvin Aliyev managing to survive the schedule with Gomez.
Gomez's success would continue in the amateur as he went on to claim the 2009 US National Championships, beating the highly touted Jose Benevidez Jr in the final. Whilst the victory over Benevidez was a notable win, the year just got better for Gomez who went on to claim the Silver medal at the 2009 World Championships, losing in the final to Cuban superstar Rosniel Iglesias (who went on to claim Gold at the 2012 Olympic Games).
Following his amateur success Gomez decided to turn professional in 2010 rather than remaining in the amateur ranks for the 2012 Olympic Games. He swiftly signed on to Oscar De La Hoya's "Golden Boy Promotions" and made his professional debut in April of that year stopping Clayvonne Howard in the 3rd round of a bout on the under-card of Bernard Hopkins v Roy Jones Jr II.
By the end of 2010 Gomez had swiftly and effectively moved his professional record on to 7-0 (6) with only the experienced Ramon Montano managing to survive the distance. The following year saw Gomez continue his development, and his winning run as he scored 5 more wins (3 by T/KO) however for the first time as a professional he struggled as the under-rated Adrian Granados pushed him close.
Since defeating James Hope in December 2011, Gomez hasn't fought, however he returns to the ring this coming Saturday to face experienced Mexican Manuel Leyva (21-9, 12). Whilst on paper Leyva is a good opponent, it needs to be noted that Leyva ia 1-7 in his last 8 contests dating back over 3 years and has been stopped 5 times over those 8 bouts.
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Friday, 26 October 2012
Tremaine Williams
Over the past few years people have been declaring boxing in the US a dying sport. This is despite the high profile success of fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr and the rise (and rise) of Adrien Broner and Andre Ward. Another fighter expected by many to follow in their foot steps is teenager Tremaine Williams (3-0, 2) who many insiders are tipping as one of the sports genuinely elite talents.
The 19 year old Williams first came to prominence in the amateur side of the sport where he was a genuine super talent despite being so young. In fact it's fair to say that the first glimpse of Williams' superstar potential came back when he was just a 16 year old at the 2009 USA Junior National Championships. Despite failing to win the tournament Williams shone in the 52KG division making his way to the final before losing by a single point to Ray Ximenez.
After his success in the 2009 Junior championships a lot was expected from Williams going in to the 2010 US National PAL Championships, though sadly his tournament came to an early end after just a bout as he suffered a walk-over "loss" in the Quarter-Finals to John Herrera before Rau'shee Warren eventually won the tournament.
With the disappointment of the 2010 PAL Championships behind him, Williams had an outstanding 2011. He was sensational in the US National Golden Gloves winning the tournament in the 56KG division beating Gary Russell III (the younger brother of professional prospect Gary Russell) along the way. Sadly, despite his Golden Gloves triumph, Williams did fail at the Olympic Qualifiers, losing twice to O'Shanique Foster (the eventual runner up).
Having missed out on his Olympic dream, Williams wouldn't wait long to start his professional career and in April 2012 he made his debut in the paid ranks. On debut Williams was sensational stopping Jesse Anguiano in just 141 one sided seconds as he looked every bit the star in the making. Whilst it was one sided, no one could have asked to have seen more from Williams than what he showed with poise, patience and lightning quick speed.
Since his debut Williams has fought twice, defeating Theo Johnson (KO3) and Jazzma Hogue (UD4) to progress his record against limited opposition. This coming weekend Williams is set for yet another test of his professional abilities as he fights for the fourth time in the paid ranks. A win here is almost certain and will hopefully progress Williams to facing tougher fighters that won't be shell shocked by his speed and natural ability.
Whilst we've yet to see Williams tagged by anything notable it's unlikely that any opponent he is likely to face in the next 24 months will really be too testing. Expect him to be developed well by manager James Prince who knows how to guide a young fighter very well, and hopefully by the age of 22 Williams will have managed to get the attention of a major promoter and maybe even some TV exposure on ESPN.
The 19 year old Williams first came to prominence in the amateur side of the sport where he was a genuine super talent despite being so young. In fact it's fair to say that the first glimpse of Williams' superstar potential came back when he was just a 16 year old at the 2009 USA Junior National Championships. Despite failing to win the tournament Williams shone in the 52KG division making his way to the final before losing by a single point to Ray Ximenez.
After his success in the 2009 Junior championships a lot was expected from Williams going in to the 2010 US National PAL Championships, though sadly his tournament came to an early end after just a bout as he suffered a walk-over "loss" in the Quarter-Finals to John Herrera before Rau'shee Warren eventually won the tournament.
With the disappointment of the 2010 PAL Championships behind him, Williams had an outstanding 2011. He was sensational in the US National Golden Gloves winning the tournament in the 56KG division beating Gary Russell III (the younger brother of professional prospect Gary Russell) along the way. Sadly, despite his Golden Gloves triumph, Williams did fail at the Olympic Qualifiers, losing twice to O'Shanique Foster (the eventual runner up).
Having missed out on his Olympic dream, Williams wouldn't wait long to start his professional career and in April 2012 he made his debut in the paid ranks. On debut Williams was sensational stopping Jesse Anguiano in just 141 one sided seconds as he looked every bit the star in the making. Whilst it was one sided, no one could have asked to have seen more from Williams than what he showed with poise, patience and lightning quick speed.
Since his debut Williams has fought twice, defeating Theo Johnson (KO3) and Jazzma Hogue (UD4) to progress his record against limited opposition. This coming weekend Williams is set for yet another test of his professional abilities as he fights for the fourth time in the paid ranks. A win here is almost certain and will hopefully progress Williams to facing tougher fighters that won't be shell shocked by his speed and natural ability.
Whilst we've yet to see Williams tagged by anything notable it's unlikely that any opponent he is likely to face in the next 24 months will really be too testing. Expect him to be developed well by manager James Prince who knows how to guide a young fighter very well, and hopefully by the age of 22 Williams will have managed to get the attention of a major promoter and maybe even some TV exposure on ESPN.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Ronald Cruz
The Welterweight divisions seems to be a division full of promise with a huge number of emerging fighters coming through the ranks and making a name for themselves. We currently have fighters like Diego Gabriel Chaves, Mike Jones, Yoshihiro Kamegai, Kell Brook, Thomas Dulorme and Wale Omotoso all on the edge of a world title fight though one name that often gets over looked is 25 year old American Ronald Cruz (15-0, 12).
Born in Manati, Puerto Rico though now based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Cruz is one of the Welterweight division's best kept secrets and yet he's also one of the division's most promising young fighters and one who is going about his work incredibly well with out the hype of some of the other top prospects.
Cruz turned professional to little fan fare back in early 2009 and after having a relatively easy first year he was thrown into real bouts during 2010. In just his 9th fight he faced Juan Ramon Cruz (who entered 16-8-2) who had faced the likes of Urbano Antillon and Anthony Peterson when they had each had over 20 fights. Just months later Ronald would face Jeremy Bryan (14-1 entering the bout) dropping him 3 times enroute to a 6th round KO.
In Cruz's most recent bout he stopped the usually durable Anges Adjaho (now 25-7) in 5 rounds, only the second time Adjaho had been stopped in a career going back over a decade. What made that victory impressive is that Cruz managed to do what the likes of contenders Brad Solomon, Joel Julio and prospect Shawn Porter couldn't manage in 10 rounds a piece.
Cruz will be facing the hard hitting and fun to watch Allen Conyers (12-5, 9) this coming Saturday in yet another tough bout. Whilst Conyers doesn't have an impressive record he has often only been beaten by top opponents such as Delvin Rodriguez, James Kirkland and Carlos Molina and recently upset the then 20-0 James De la Rosa. Cruz is in with a fighter who could really give him a great work out and even a shock if he isn't prepared for a hard fight.
Video below thanks to superboxmma5
Born in Manati, Puerto Rico though now based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Cruz is one of the Welterweight division's best kept secrets and yet he's also one of the division's most promising young fighters and one who is going about his work incredibly well with out the hype of some of the other top prospects.
Cruz turned professional to little fan fare back in early 2009 and after having a relatively easy first year he was thrown into real bouts during 2010. In just his 9th fight he faced Juan Ramon Cruz (who entered 16-8-2) who had faced the likes of Urbano Antillon and Anthony Peterson when they had each had over 20 fights. Just months later Ronald would face Jeremy Bryan (14-1 entering the bout) dropping him 3 times enroute to a 6th round KO.
In Cruz's most recent bout he stopped the usually durable Anges Adjaho (now 25-7) in 5 rounds, only the second time Adjaho had been stopped in a career going back over a decade. What made that victory impressive is that Cruz managed to do what the likes of contenders Brad Solomon, Joel Julio and prospect Shawn Porter couldn't manage in 10 rounds a piece.
Cruz will be facing the hard hitting and fun to watch Allen Conyers (12-5, 9) this coming Saturday in yet another tough bout. Whilst Conyers doesn't have an impressive record he has often only been beaten by top opponents such as Delvin Rodriguez, James Kirkland and Carlos Molina and recently upset the then 20-0 James De la Rosa. Cruz is in with a fighter who could really give him a great work out and even a shock if he isn't prepared for a hard fight.
Video below thanks to superboxmma5
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Prospect Review Pt 2
Whilst doing this blog it can be easy to forget about the guys I've already spoken about, so lets take a look back at everyone who has been mentioned on this blog since the first review back in April.
In the first review Billy Joe Saunders had just beaten Turgay Uzun in 2 rounds, more recently we've seen Saunders adding to his record by stopping the tough British fighter Kevin Hammond, also in 2 rounds. Saunders is now 9-0 (6) and may well be the most promising young fighter in the UK at the moment. He's exciting, growing and puts his punches together better every time he's out. Hopefully Frank Warren will get him into some sort of a title fight by the end of 2011 and move up through the levels swiftly rather than waste time at domestic level.
Although Gary Russell Jr hasn't fought since defeating Adolfo Landeros back in April he is pencilled in to fight at the end of this week on a card in Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California. The same card also features recent addition Leo Santa Cruz against Jose Lopez and the promising youngster Luis Ramos Jr facing Francisco Lorenzo.
17 year old Oscar Cortes moved to 15-0 (8) last week with a majority decision victory over Armando Mariscal. Cortes is currently pencilled in to fight on the undercard of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez v Ryan Rhodes in what should be an interesting bout. Hopefully Cortes will see his chance on the card as a stepping stone to bigger things as will Marco Antonio Periban who will also be fighting on the undercard. Periban is current 13-0 (10) having stopped the under-whelming Jose Alberto Clavero in 2 rounds back in April. Staying with Mexican fighters we also saw Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez move to 17-0 (15) by stopping Francisco Villanueva in 7 rounds.
Leroy Estrada, the 16 year old Panamanian prospect that I'm excited about moved to 5-0 (2) last weekend when he stopped Pedro Reyes in 3 rounds though it's a result that needn't be taken too seriously as Reyes wasn't expected to be even a slight test. One fighter who was in a tougher than expected test was Sadam Ali who defeated John Revish a few weeks back in a clear decision, though he was rocked late in the fight and had to show his maturity to survive and buy himself some time.
On May 14th we saw Sylvester Lopez scoring a sensational victory over Everardo Morales inside a round. Whilst Morales has now been stopped 10 times, he took fighters like Hugo Fidel Cazares, Tomas Rojas and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam a number of rounds to stop. Talking about stoppages Kubrat Pulev would stop Derrick Rossy in 5 rounds a week earlier in a result that looks iffy to say the least. A video of the Rossy v Pulev stoppage can be watched here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnlfUG2vCYw at around the 8:40 mark into the video.
Joe Hanks, one of the more promising American heavyweights managed to climb to 16-0 (11) after forcing Terrell Nelson to retire from a bout in late April.
Froilan Saludar has moved to 12-0-1 (9) after stopping Jack Amisa in just 48 seconds as the Pinoy puncher impressed again and the more we see of him the more impressive he seems to be.
As well as those fighters already mentioned as having bouts scheduled we also expect to see Jamie Kavanagh out in late June (23rd) and Thomas Dulorme in early June (10th). Kavangh's opponent has not yet been named though Dulorme is set to face the excellent test of Demarcus “Chop Chop” Corley in what should be an excellent learning fight for Dulorme.
All the fighters not mentioned in this blog have either not fought since the first review or haven't got a fight scheduled yet. Hopefully I'll update things at the start of July and we'll hopefully see the the likes of Carlos Ivan Velasquez returning to the ring.
In the first review Billy Joe Saunders had just beaten Turgay Uzun in 2 rounds, more recently we've seen Saunders adding to his record by stopping the tough British fighter Kevin Hammond, also in 2 rounds. Saunders is now 9-0 (6) and may well be the most promising young fighter in the UK at the moment. He's exciting, growing and puts his punches together better every time he's out. Hopefully Frank Warren will get him into some sort of a title fight by the end of 2011 and move up through the levels swiftly rather than waste time at domestic level.
Although Gary Russell Jr hasn't fought since defeating Adolfo Landeros back in April he is pencilled in to fight at the end of this week on a card in Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California. The same card also features recent addition Leo Santa Cruz against Jose Lopez and the promising youngster Luis Ramos Jr facing Francisco Lorenzo.
17 year old Oscar Cortes moved to 15-0 (8) last week with a majority decision victory over Armando Mariscal. Cortes is currently pencilled in to fight on the undercard of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez v Ryan Rhodes in what should be an interesting bout. Hopefully Cortes will see his chance on the card as a stepping stone to bigger things as will Marco Antonio Periban who will also be fighting on the undercard. Periban is current 13-0 (10) having stopped the under-whelming Jose Alberto Clavero in 2 rounds back in April. Staying with Mexican fighters we also saw Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez move to 17-0 (15) by stopping Francisco Villanueva in 7 rounds.
Leroy Estrada, the 16 year old Panamanian prospect that I'm excited about moved to 5-0 (2) last weekend when he stopped Pedro Reyes in 3 rounds though it's a result that needn't be taken too seriously as Reyes wasn't expected to be even a slight test. One fighter who was in a tougher than expected test was Sadam Ali who defeated John Revish a few weeks back in a clear decision, though he was rocked late in the fight and had to show his maturity to survive and buy himself some time.
On May 14th we saw Sylvester Lopez scoring a sensational victory over Everardo Morales inside a round. Whilst Morales has now been stopped 10 times, he took fighters like Hugo Fidel Cazares, Tomas Rojas and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam a number of rounds to stop. Talking about stoppages Kubrat Pulev would stop Derrick Rossy in 5 rounds a week earlier in a result that looks iffy to say the least. A video of the Rossy v Pulev stoppage can be watched here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnlfUG2vCYw at around the 8:40 mark into the video.
Joe Hanks, one of the more promising American heavyweights managed to climb to 16-0 (11) after forcing Terrell Nelson to retire from a bout in late April.
Froilan Saludar has moved to 12-0-1 (9) after stopping Jack Amisa in just 48 seconds as the Pinoy puncher impressed again and the more we see of him the more impressive he seems to be.
As well as those fighters already mentioned as having bouts scheduled we also expect to see Jamie Kavanagh out in late June (23rd) and Thomas Dulorme in early June (10th). Kavangh's opponent has not yet been named though Dulorme is set to face the excellent test of Demarcus “Chop Chop” Corley in what should be an excellent learning fight for Dulorme.
All the fighters not mentioned in this blog have either not fought since the first review or haven't got a fight scheduled yet. Hopefully I'll update things at the start of July and we'll hopefully see the the likes of Carlos Ivan Velasquez returning to the ring.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Sadam Ali
When it comes to rising American fighters, those in the know really are big on one young man, Sadam Ali. Known as “The World Kid” the 22 year old from Brooklyn seems to have been one of the quiet but improving fighters who people have perhaps forgotten about since his failure at the 2008 Olympic games. At the Olympics he would face talented Romanian Georgian Popescu who would thoroughly out point the young Ali though it was a learning experience. It would end Ali's amateur career which had seen him winning a number of competitions including 2 Golden Gloves championships.
After the Olympics Ali would turn professional and by the end of 2009 Ali was 4-0 (2) having stopped Ricky Thompson in his opening bout in just 102 seconds. Through 2010 Ali would add another 7 wins as he seemed to stand head and shoulders against the fighters he was facing. Although a win over Costa Rican Lenin Arroyo was impressive (Arroyo is a a veteran who had been durable though does seem to have faded in recent years) it seems like Ali was still a fighter playing in the low gears.
After 4 months out of the ring Ali started his 2011 and stopped Javier Perez on the Tomasz Adamek v Kevin McBride under card with a brilliant KO. Ali will return to the ring this coming Friday night at the same venue of the Adamek v McBride card (The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey) to face John Revish. Revish who is 10-3-2 (8) is another fighter that we'd expect Ali to beat with out too many problems and hopefully then move on to facing much better opponents as at the moment Ali is simply not being tested.
The super sharp, accurate puncher is so far not being forced to really show what he has and is getting away with winning whilst fighting on cruise control. We'd all love to see him in with someone who can force something else form him, though it could be a while before we see him in such a fight. Fighting in the talent heavy Welterweight division isn't going to help though he's young and will grow into a full blown Welterweight or even a Light Middleweight. He's one to keep an eye on and his fight with Revish will be a great chance to see just how good he is.
After the Olympics Ali would turn professional and by the end of 2009 Ali was 4-0 (2) having stopped Ricky Thompson in his opening bout in just 102 seconds. Through 2010 Ali would add another 7 wins as he seemed to stand head and shoulders against the fighters he was facing. Although a win over Costa Rican Lenin Arroyo was impressive (Arroyo is a a veteran who had been durable though does seem to have faded in recent years) it seems like Ali was still a fighter playing in the low gears.
After 4 months out of the ring Ali started his 2011 and stopped Javier Perez on the Tomasz Adamek v Kevin McBride under card with a brilliant KO. Ali will return to the ring this coming Friday night at the same venue of the Adamek v McBride card (The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey) to face John Revish. Revish who is 10-3-2 (8) is another fighter that we'd expect Ali to beat with out too many problems and hopefully then move on to facing much better opponents as at the moment Ali is simply not being tested.
The super sharp, accurate puncher is so far not being forced to really show what he has and is getting away with winning whilst fighting on cruise control. We'd all love to see him in with someone who can force something else form him, though it could be a while before we see him in such a fight. Fighting in the talent heavy Welterweight division isn't going to help though he's young and will grow into a full blown Welterweight or even a Light Middleweight. He's one to keep an eye on and his fight with Revish will be a great chance to see just how good he is.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Joe Hanks
American heavyweights have become a global boxing joke in recent years, the term seems synonymous with “old and faded” or “fat and never was”. A look at the top young American heavyweights include blubber boy Chris Arreola, Eddie “Chubby” Chambers and Chazz “My dads name is what I have” Witherspoon. The older bunch include Evander “How old is he now?” Holyfield, Ray “The Oldman” Austin and Hasim “The Crock” Rahman.
Although it's somewhat difficult to know which heavyweight is going to be a star one of America's best hopes is unbeaten Joe “The Future” Hanks. Hanks has a record that reads 15-0 (10) and is seen as a developing heavyweight who is several years from reaching his prime. As a resultof this he has has so far faced relatively average opponents. This trend seems set to continue in his next fight (where as part of a card televised by ESPN 2 as part of “Friday Night Fights” Terrell Nelson) though he's being given time to learn the ropes and get rounds under his belt.
Hanks turned professional in December 2007 after a solid amateur career in the US but doesn't quite seem to have progressed as many hoped he would have. He deburted by defeating Joseph Rabotte in the 2nd round then got taken 4 rounds by Corey Winfield, though his first opponent of note came 15 months after his debut when he faced trail horse Alvardo Morales. Morales had scored a draw with Seth Mitchell and had never been stopped prior to facing Hanks, though Hanks needed just 172 seconds to change that. This was followed by several steps up and was highlighted when he beat the then 10-0 Ashanti Jordan by decision. At this point it seemed like Hank's was being pushed as an emerging heavyweight saviour
Hanks' career though wouldn't continue in the same vein. 2010 seemed a mostly wasted year for Hanks who despite fighting 5 times seemed to regularly take one step forward to take 2 steps back. Wins over journeyman Cliff Couser and the once hotly tipped Johnnie White were followed by fights with novice Marcus Dickerson and Villi Bloomfield (who was coming in on 2 straight losses). It seemed as if Hanks' career management flicked between being confident of their man and being unsure of his capabilities.
The fights he has been given have left some fans as unsure on him as his team appear to be. He has shown good but not great power and speed, technically he looks flawed and sometimes as if he is fighting well within himself. Although having a bit of a “Shannon Briggs” look to him he lacks that fight changing power and destructiveness of “The Cannon” and at times looks like a mini Briggs. He stands at around 6'4” and weights 230-240, with an athletic but muscular build, a far cry from so many other American Heavyweights of today. Hanks is now 28 and will have to make a move in the next 12 months if he wants to become a major player in the division. Sadly his up coming fight on Friday is against Terrell Nelson (8-11, with 2 No Decisions and 5KO's). Nelson enters the bout aged 39 and having gone 0-7, 2ND in his last 9 fights (dating back to 2007), hardly the step up that Hanks needs in his career.
Although it's somewhat difficult to know which heavyweight is going to be a star one of America's best hopes is unbeaten Joe “The Future” Hanks. Hanks has a record that reads 15-0 (10) and is seen as a developing heavyweight who is several years from reaching his prime. As a resultof this he has has so far faced relatively average opponents. This trend seems set to continue in his next fight (where as part of a card televised by ESPN 2 as part of “Friday Night Fights” Terrell Nelson) though he's being given time to learn the ropes and get rounds under his belt.
Hanks turned professional in December 2007 after a solid amateur career in the US but doesn't quite seem to have progressed as many hoped he would have. He deburted by defeating Joseph Rabotte in the 2nd round then got taken 4 rounds by Corey Winfield, though his first opponent of note came 15 months after his debut when he faced trail horse Alvardo Morales. Morales had scored a draw with Seth Mitchell and had never been stopped prior to facing Hanks, though Hanks needed just 172 seconds to change that. This was followed by several steps up and was highlighted when he beat the then 10-0 Ashanti Jordan by decision. At this point it seemed like Hank's was being pushed as an emerging heavyweight saviour
Hanks' career though wouldn't continue in the same vein. 2010 seemed a mostly wasted year for Hanks who despite fighting 5 times seemed to regularly take one step forward to take 2 steps back. Wins over journeyman Cliff Couser and the once hotly tipped Johnnie White were followed by fights with novice Marcus Dickerson and Villi Bloomfield (who was coming in on 2 straight losses). It seemed as if Hanks' career management flicked between being confident of their man and being unsure of his capabilities.
The fights he has been given have left some fans as unsure on him as his team appear to be. He has shown good but not great power and speed, technically he looks flawed and sometimes as if he is fighting well within himself. Although having a bit of a “Shannon Briggs” look to him he lacks that fight changing power and destructiveness of “The Cannon” and at times looks like a mini Briggs. He stands at around 6'4” and weights 230-240, with an athletic but muscular build, a far cry from so many other American Heavyweights of today. Hanks is now 28 and will have to make a move in the next 12 months if he wants to become a major player in the division. Sadly his up coming fight on Friday is against Terrell Nelson (8-11, with 2 No Decisions and 5KO's). Nelson enters the bout aged 39 and having gone 0-7, 2ND in his last 9 fights (dating back to 2007), hardly the step up that Hanks needs in his career.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Gary Russell Jr
One of the names on the under-card of Maidana v Morales that seems to have been some what forgotten about is one of the USA’s most skilled prospects around. “Mr” Gary Russell Jr (14-0, 9KO’s). Currently based in Maryland the skilled youngster is still only 22 but seems headed to the top of the sport and is starting to take those big steps up in the boxing world that every fighter needs to make at some point.
Russell was one of the top young amateurs in the USA after picking up the sport at a young age he progressed well and ran up well in excess of 160 wins. He would win several amateur championships including the Junior Olympics (2004) Golden Gloves (2005), U.S. Championships (2005, 2006) and a Bronze medal at the 2007 World Amateur Championships. Though he missed out on making a shot at the 2008 Olympics when he collapsed prior to the weigh in.
Having seen his Olympic dreams crumble Russell would turn professional and make his debut in January 2009 on an episode of ShoBox: The Next Generation. He would stop Antonio Reyes in the 3rd round and follow it up with a handful of wins through out 2009 as he started to adapt to the professional scene. By the end of 2010 Russell Jr was starting to face substantially tougher opponents and gone were the inexperienced professionals that he had been allowed to face to get into the sport.
Stoppage wins against veterans Carlos Diaz, Mauricio Pastrana and the previously never stopped Rodrigo Aranda were hugely impressive for Russell. Russell showed not only was he maturing and genuinely able to throw hurtful shots but land to both the body and head. The key to Russell Jr though wasn’t his power but his lightning quick southpaw jab which comes from a wonderfully balanced stance. As well as the lightning jabs he can throw the hooks and crosses with the same alarming speed. He appears to be confident and is being pushed well by Golden Boy Promotions, hopefully they’ll continue to step him up in levels over his next few fights.
So far in 2011 Russell Jr has fought once beating Feider Viloria who entered the ring with a 23-7-1 record. Russell dropped Viloria in the 5th round before winning a 7th round technical decision in his longest fight to date. His upcoming fight on the Maidana v Morales fight sees him facing Ira Terry (24-4, 14KO’s). Terry is with out a win since December 2009 though lost in April 2010 to Carlos Ivan Velasquez in 4 rounds. Of course Carlos Ivan Velasquez was featured in the opening post of this blog, this gives us a chance to compare how the Puerto Rican and how Russell compare.
Stood at 5’5” and with a 61” reach Russell isn’t big for a featherweight though he is lightning fast and seems to be maturing into a fighter with a solid punch on him. The Featherweight division does seem to be one of the most promising in the world today with the likes of Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez dominating it. Though with American talent including Mickey Garcia, Robert Marroquin and Abraham Lopez all along with Russell the Americans could well become the divisions dominant force one day.
Videos courtesy of Youtube user Boxing Prospect (not confused with an actual link to this blog with the same name).
Russell was one of the top young amateurs in the USA after picking up the sport at a young age he progressed well and ran up well in excess of 160 wins. He would win several amateur championships including the Junior Olympics (2004) Golden Gloves (2005), U.S. Championships (2005, 2006) and a Bronze medal at the 2007 World Amateur Championships. Though he missed out on making a shot at the 2008 Olympics when he collapsed prior to the weigh in.
Having seen his Olympic dreams crumble Russell would turn professional and make his debut in January 2009 on an episode of ShoBox: The Next Generation. He would stop Antonio Reyes in the 3rd round and follow it up with a handful of wins through out 2009 as he started to adapt to the professional scene. By the end of 2010 Russell Jr was starting to face substantially tougher opponents and gone were the inexperienced professionals that he had been allowed to face to get into the sport.
Stoppage wins against veterans Carlos Diaz, Mauricio Pastrana and the previously never stopped Rodrigo Aranda were hugely impressive for Russell. Russell showed not only was he maturing and genuinely able to throw hurtful shots but land to both the body and head. The key to Russell Jr though wasn’t his power but his lightning quick southpaw jab which comes from a wonderfully balanced stance. As well as the lightning jabs he can throw the hooks and crosses with the same alarming speed. He appears to be confident and is being pushed well by Golden Boy Promotions, hopefully they’ll continue to step him up in levels over his next few fights.
So far in 2011 Russell Jr has fought once beating Feider Viloria who entered the ring with a 23-7-1 record. Russell dropped Viloria in the 5th round before winning a 7th round technical decision in his longest fight to date. His upcoming fight on the Maidana v Morales fight sees him facing Ira Terry (24-4, 14KO’s). Terry is with out a win since December 2009 though lost in April 2010 to Carlos Ivan Velasquez in 4 rounds. Of course Carlos Ivan Velasquez was featured in the opening post of this blog, this gives us a chance to compare how the Puerto Rican and how Russell compare.
Stood at 5’5” and with a 61” reach Russell isn’t big for a featherweight though he is lightning fast and seems to be maturing into a fighter with a solid punch on him. The Featherweight division does seem to be one of the most promising in the world today with the likes of Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez dominating it. Though with American talent including Mickey Garcia, Robert Marroquin and Abraham Lopez all along with Russell the Americans could well become the divisions dominant force one day.
Videos courtesy of Youtube user Boxing Prospect (not confused with an actual link to this blog with the same name).
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