Throughout the short history of the Super Middleweight division the Brits have always been amongst the best in the world, in fact the first ever Super Middleweight champion was Britain's very own Murray Sutherland (who was the IBF champion back in 1984). Since Sutherland we've seen British champions such as Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Robin Reid, Richie Woodhall, Joe Calzaghe and current champion Carl Froch. With this in mind it should be little wonder that Britain currently has some of the top Super Middleweight prospects, including the unbeaten and very highly regarded "Saint" George Groves (14-0, 11).
The 24 year old Groves from Hammersmith, London first made his name in the amateurs where he became a 2-time ABA champion. It was whilst still fighting as an amateur that Goves and fellow British prospect James DeGale first crossed paths with the two men now having a heated rivalry which has crossed over into the professional ranks.
Groves turned professional debut following his 2008 ABA Middleweight triumph and debuted in November 2008 under the "Hayemaker" banner. On his debut Groves defeated Kirill Psonko out pointing him over 6 rounds on the same card as David Haye faced Monte Barrett.
Following his successful debut Groves was kept active stopping Romaric Hignard in 3 rounds in February of 2009 and then stopping hard hitting Brit Paul Samuels in a single round the following month. Amazingly by the end of 2009 Groves had managed to run his record to 7-0 (5) and had managed to show case his talents not only in his native UK but also in Germany as he out pointed the teak tough Kanstantsin Makhankou (UD8) on the undercard of David Haye's WBA Heavyweight title fight with Nikolay Valuev.
Groves would step up considerably in 2010 and after stopping Grigor Sarohanian (TKO3) in his first fight of the year he would go on to claim the Commonwealth Super Middleweight title by destroying the teak tough Charles Adamu in an incredibly impressive display that really put him on the map. Later the same year Groves made his US debut by stopping Alfredo Contreras (TKO6) before being involved in a war with Scottish hardman Kenny Anderson. Against Anderson (who had been given little notice for the fight) Groves was dropped twice before stopping a tiring Anderson in 6 rounds. It's the bout with Anderson that still looms over Groves' head as a professional with many feeling Groves was incredibly lucky to escape the bout with win.
In 2011 Groves managed to record another 3 wins. Firstly Groves stopped the tough Daniel Adotey Allotey (TKO4) before managing to score a notable (and controversial) majority decision win against former amateur rival, and Olympic gold medal winner James DeGale. The victory over DeGale, in what was a highly anticipated bout saw Groves maintaining his unbeaten record whilst inflicting the first professional loss to DeGale. The DeGale bout also saw Goves unifying his Commonwealth title with the British Super Middleweight title to become the #1 fighter domestically (and only behind Carl Froch in terms of Top British fighters in the division). Groves would defend both titles once, stopping former British champion Paul Smith in 2 rounds.
Since beating Smith Groves' career has been really disappointing as he's pulled out of a number of fights with various injuries. Amongst those bouts that he has pulled out of was a rematch with Kenny Anderson and a world title bout with Robert Stielgltiz. Groves however does look set to return to the ring this coming weekend as he's scheduled to face hard hitting Mexican Francisco Sierra (25-5-1, 22) and if he wins he is expected to fight again in September in Wembley. Against Sierra, Groves will go in as the favourite though he will need to be careful not to be caught by Sierra who has got genuine power and is actually going into this bout on the back of an upset against the previously unbeaten Rogelio Ruvalcaba.
Groves, trained by Adam Booth, is seen by many as a future world champion and at just 24 years old he has got a lot of time to pick up a title, though he does still make mistakes that Booth will need to iron out sooner rather than later.
The video below is thanks to JSFIGHTTV
Showing posts with label super middleweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label super middleweight. Show all posts
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Thursday, 8 December 2011
Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna
The Super Middleweight division is one of boxing's hottest divisions and of course boxing fan is looking forward to the up coming Super 6 Final between Andre Ward and Carl Froch. As we all know it's not only Froch and Ward that hold a lot of interest from fans but we also have fighters like the IBF champion Lucian Bute, the 2 time former champion Mikkel Kessler, former title challenger Andre Dirrell, WBO title holder Robert Stieglitz, former Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and emerging British stars George Groves and James DeGale. Though we also have a number of lesser well known fighters who are slowly but surely emerging as serious threats, one of which is Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna.
Maderna is from La Plata, Buenos Aires and really has Argentinian boxing fans drooling at his combination of skill and raw power which has seen him advance to a record of 16-0 (12) since turning professional in 2008. Before he turned professional however Maderna was a world level amateur fighter having won Bronze at the 2006 South American games before going to both the 2007 World Amateur Championships and the 2008 Olympics.
After being beaten in the Beijing games by Shawn Estrada of the US Maderna would turn professional and debuted in December 2008. On his debut he defeated Guillermo Pablo Armani over a 4 round decision this victory was followed up just 3 weeks later when Maderna defeated Victor Hugo Peralta, also by decision. Through 2009 and 2010 Maderna would add a number of wins to his record and actually moved to 12-0 (9) by defeating relatively obscure fighters in his homeland. Though it was in 2011 that he really stepped up a level and showed he was a fighter who needed to be followed.
In Maderna's first fight of 2011 he defeated former world title contender Ruben Eduardo Acosta via a 10 round decision. It was the first time Maderna had been beyond 5 rounds in his career and he passed the test by beating a tough fighter in Acosta in a fight that would see Maderna crowned the Argentinian Super Middleweight champion. Since then Maderna has added the interim WBO Latino Super Middleweight title to his waist by stopping Martin Abel Bruer inside a round and defending both of his titles once.
Stylistically Maderna seems to be a very intelligent fighter who appears to be huge for a Super Middleweight (he was dwarfing over Jorge Rodriguez when the two men met earlier this year). It's not just that Maderna is a massive fighter but he also uses his height well, especially using his jab to establish distance. Rather than being an out and out power puncher Maderna seems to be able to break opponents down well before stepping in with the heavy artillery. As you can see in the video below Maderna does have a lot going for him and when he lands that straight right hand he may well have one of the best punches in the Super Middleweight division.
Whilst Maderna has been on a tear through the C level Super Middleweights in 2011 he has been racing up the rankings. He is currently #21 in the IBO's computerised rankings, and #24 on Boxrec.com though most impressive is his #9 ranking with the WBO. These rankings have helped push him into being one of the top Argentinian boxing prospects.
Video thanks to boxeola1
Maderna is from La Plata, Buenos Aires and really has Argentinian boxing fans drooling at his combination of skill and raw power which has seen him advance to a record of 16-0 (12) since turning professional in 2008. Before he turned professional however Maderna was a world level amateur fighter having won Bronze at the 2006 South American games before going to both the 2007 World Amateur Championships and the 2008 Olympics.
After being beaten in the Beijing games by Shawn Estrada of the US Maderna would turn professional and debuted in December 2008. On his debut he defeated Guillermo Pablo Armani over a 4 round decision this victory was followed up just 3 weeks later when Maderna defeated Victor Hugo Peralta, also by decision. Through 2009 and 2010 Maderna would add a number of wins to his record and actually moved to 12-0 (9) by defeating relatively obscure fighters in his homeland. Though it was in 2011 that he really stepped up a level and showed he was a fighter who needed to be followed.
In Maderna's first fight of 2011 he defeated former world title contender Ruben Eduardo Acosta via a 10 round decision. It was the first time Maderna had been beyond 5 rounds in his career and he passed the test by beating a tough fighter in Acosta in a fight that would see Maderna crowned the Argentinian Super Middleweight champion. Since then Maderna has added the interim WBO Latino Super Middleweight title to his waist by stopping Martin Abel Bruer inside a round and defending both of his titles once.
Stylistically Maderna seems to be a very intelligent fighter who appears to be huge for a Super Middleweight (he was dwarfing over Jorge Rodriguez when the two men met earlier this year). It's not just that Maderna is a massive fighter but he also uses his height well, especially using his jab to establish distance. Rather than being an out and out power puncher Maderna seems to be able to break opponents down well before stepping in with the heavy artillery. As you can see in the video below Maderna does have a lot going for him and when he lands that straight right hand he may well have one of the best punches in the Super Middleweight division.
Whilst Maderna has been on a tear through the C level Super Middleweights in 2011 he has been racing up the rankings. He is currently #21 in the IBO's computerised rankings, and #24 on Boxrec.com though most impressive is his #9 ranking with the WBO. These rankings have helped push him into being one of the top Argentinian boxing prospects.
Video thanks to boxeola1
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Marco Antonio Periban
It seems recently this page has been a little bit forgotten about for a number of reasons, mainly my work on a different site. Though to bring this site back to the public's attention I'll be talking about one of my hot tips for the future, Mexican Super Middleweight Marco Antonio Periban (12-0, 9). Periban is a 26 year old who turned professional in 2008 though has started to race up the rankings after a number of noteworthy wins.
After being a very solid amateur fighter in his native Mexico he would turn professional and score a 3rd round KO on his debut over fellow debutant Oscar Solis. In fact only one of his first 5 contests would go to a decision and that was his second professional bout when he faced Miguel Zamarripa who managed to survive the 4 rounds the bout was scheduled for. He would quickly run to 6-0 (4) adding by taking the 0 of the then 10-0-1 Richard Vidal by decision and it started to seem as if the Mexican was really one to watch despite being such a novice to the pros.
Periban's early career wasn't all easy work though, he was dropped in his 7th professional contest by Salomon Rodriguez in the toughest fight of his career. Periban would take a split decision that night and manage to escape with a perfect record though alarm bells were ringing that maybe he wasn't going to be fast tracked as some assumed. In his 8th bout he would face the very durable Jason Naugler, who had managed to take the explosive David Lemieux the distance. Whilst Naugler's durability weren't an issue his face, which was cut and swelling was and Periban became only the 2nd man in over 30 fights to stop Naugler in a fight that allowed him to show all the facets to his game.
Since the stoppage win over Naugler we have seen Periban run up 4 more straight wins by KO in the opening 2 rounds. Included in those wins were victories over the durable and tough Darnell Boone and over the then 10-0 Dion Savage.
Periban has been pencilled in to fight on the undercard of Gilberto Keb Baas' WBC Light Flyweight world title fight against Adrian Hernandez though an opponent seems to be rather difficult to find for the rising Mexican star. The rumour is that Periban will be fighting Jose Alberto Clavero (30-7-1) from Argentina who is 5-6-1 in his last 12 bouts and would feel like a rather under-whelming opponent for Periban.
Periban is a very skilled fighter with fast heavy hands and although questions may be about his chin and stamina he's an excellent and exciting addition to the Super Middleweight division and certainly a name to watch out for.
After being a very solid amateur fighter in his native Mexico he would turn professional and score a 3rd round KO on his debut over fellow debutant Oscar Solis. In fact only one of his first 5 contests would go to a decision and that was his second professional bout when he faced Miguel Zamarripa who managed to survive the 4 rounds the bout was scheduled for. He would quickly run to 6-0 (4) adding by taking the 0 of the then 10-0-1 Richard Vidal by decision and it started to seem as if the Mexican was really one to watch despite being such a novice to the pros.
Periban's early career wasn't all easy work though, he was dropped in his 7th professional contest by Salomon Rodriguez in the toughest fight of his career. Periban would take a split decision that night and manage to escape with a perfect record though alarm bells were ringing that maybe he wasn't going to be fast tracked as some assumed. In his 8th bout he would face the very durable Jason Naugler, who had managed to take the explosive David Lemieux the distance. Whilst Naugler's durability weren't an issue his face, which was cut and swelling was and Periban became only the 2nd man in over 30 fights to stop Naugler in a fight that allowed him to show all the facets to his game.
Since the stoppage win over Naugler we have seen Periban run up 4 more straight wins by KO in the opening 2 rounds. Included in those wins were victories over the durable and tough Darnell Boone and over the then 10-0 Dion Savage.
Periban has been pencilled in to fight on the undercard of Gilberto Keb Baas' WBC Light Flyweight world title fight against Adrian Hernandez though an opponent seems to be rather difficult to find for the rising Mexican star. The rumour is that Periban will be fighting Jose Alberto Clavero (30-7-1) from Argentina who is 5-6-1 in his last 12 bouts and would feel like a rather under-whelming opponent for Periban.
Periban is a very skilled fighter with fast heavy hands and although questions may be about his chin and stamina he's an excellent and exciting addition to the Super Middleweight division and certainly a name to watch out for.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez
Mexican fighters are probably the most fascinating group of boxers out there at the moment. If you wish to just stereotype they are true warriors, they battle until they can't fight on and they often enjoy a good scrap. Although a few more skilled than that, such as current IBF Lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez who prefers to fight on the move with accurate counters and slippery movement, the majority prefer to fight than to box. Though one youngster who can box or bang and is very much one to watch is Gilberto Ramírez Sánchez.
Sanchez aged just 19 looks set to follow in the footsteps of so many other fighters from Mexico and go from being almost unheard of to reaching the top of the boxing tree. He has already sparred with a world champion (the then WBA Light Middleweight champion Rigoberto “Español” Alvarez, older brother of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez) and has already started to gain some form of notoriety as a hard punching youngster.
With a record of 16-0 (14) you could easily assume the 19 year old southpaw has been facing soft touch after soft touch. His record of a mere 43 rounds does suggest that his fights haven't been long gruelling tough affairs. Though below the raw numbers his opponents have been surprisingly solid so far. Since debuting as just an 18 year old back in 2009 Sanchez has faced opponents with a combined record of 123-65-6. Although he has faced several debutants and “career losers” his most recent opponents have been impressive enough fighters in their own right and have included:
Christian Solano (22-19-4 upon entering)-Solano had beaten British fighter John O'Donnell, he had taken Julio Cesar Chavez Jr 10 rounds and Saul Roman the same distance.
The, then unbeaten Rogelio Medina (23-0)
And veteran Antonio Arras (21-9)
Against Medina Sanchez picked up his first title as a professional by winning the vacant WBC Youth World middleweight title. This entitled Sanchez to a WBC ranking (though he is still outside of the top 40 after checking at with the organisation) though his most notable ranking is the #13 ranking he has with the NABO. The independent rankings of the IBO and Boxrec.com place Sanchez at #76 at Middleweight (IBO) and #41 at Middleweight (Boxrec.com) though the rankings hardly matter at this point.
From sources found on the web about Sanchez it's no wonder he is being matched as a professional. He is according to an article on “notifight.com” he was a “national champion and three-time junior national champion elite” as an amateur. Though as a professional those skills haven't really been required. Instead his exceptional power, thunderous aggression and ability to land hard clean shots to both head and body have helped “Zurdo De Oro” create a bit of a buzz.
Fighting out of Sinaloa, Mexico Sanchez will have plenty around him that know the business inside out. Sinaloa is of course the state that contains Los Mochis (think Fernando Montiel) and Culiacán (Julio Cesar Chavez). If Sanchez can emulate either of those two he'll become a name to be remembered, though as a Mexican middleweight/Super Middleweight he'll also have something going for him. Although Marco Antonio Periban is a Mexican Super Middleweight who may end up competing for a world title by the end of 2012 Sanchez, at just 19, will easily out grow the Middleweight division and could easily end up as high at Light Heavyweight. Imagine a Mexican 3 weight champion taking belts at Middleweight, Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight, that really is the potential of young Gilberto Ramírez Sánchez.
Since his debut he has shown fast heavy hands, a patience far beyond his time and an ability to pick the right shots at the right time. The combination of these traits could very easily see him becoming of the modern Mexican greats.
Sources:
Notifight.com
Video below thanks to ZapariBoxingNotifight.com
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