The Sweet Side of the Sweet Science - Women's Boxing Monthly Vol 11

The team of Rijker and Prazak win again

By Mark A. Jones – Since the last edition of “The Sweet Side of the Sweet Science” (January) much has transpired in women’s boxing. The consensus #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, Cecilia Braekhus, cemented her claim to that title with a dominant ten-round unanimous decision over former light-welterweight champion, Myriam Lamare. Super-featherweight Diana Prazak, who carries the weight of Australian women’s boxing on her shoulders, impressively dismantled a former featherweight champion in fellow Australian, Shannon O’Connell. Prazak, trained by Lucia Rijker, has developed into a force in the ring, and because of her success; an ever-growing number of Australian female boxers are gaining well-deserved recognition. 

USA vs Canada

In the amateur ranks, the 87th annual New York Daily News Golden Gloves finals are scheduled to be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 18-19. Christina Cruz (Atlas Cops & Kids), the tournaments only seven-time winner, will look to add an unprecedented eighth title this year. She pounded out a 3-0 decision over Emily Colon (Glen Cove BC) on March 1 in the quarterfinals of the 125-pound division. On March 29 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO, elite women’s boxing teams from the United States and Canada met in an International duel. It was the first such meeting for the United States in 2014. The US won the first six bouts and settled for a 7-2 team victory over their Canadian counterparts.

Winners: 112 - Marlen Esparza USA, 119 - Christina Cruz USA, 125 - Tiara Brown USA, 132 - Queen Underwood USA, 141 - Marie-Eve Dicaire Can, 152 - Myriam DiSilva Can, 165 - Franchon Crews USA, and Youth - Jajaira Gonzalez USA 

A look back at January - March 2014 in women's boxing:

On January 4 in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Daniela Romina “La Bonita” Bermudez, 114, won the vacant WBO female super-flyweight title with an eight-round technical knockout of “Triple L” Linda Laura Lecca, 114 ¾. The 24-year-old Bermudez (16-2-2, 5 KOs), who fights out of Rosario, Argentina, now stands as a four-time champion winning world titles at both bantamweight and super-flyweight. She showed well in defeats earlier in her career against the current WBA & WBO light-flyweight champion, Yesica Yolanda Bopp and the current WBA featherweight champion, Edith Soledad Matthysse. It was the first stoppage loss for Lecca (9-2-1, 3 KOs) of Lima, Peru.

On January 18 in San Clemente del Tuyu, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ana Laura “La Monita” Esteche, 138 ¾, of San Martin, Buenos Aires, won the WBA female light-welterweight title with a ten-round unanimous decision (98-92/99-91/98-92) over the previously unbeaten Monica “La Gata” Silvina Acosta, 139 ¼. The 35-year-old Acosta (19-1-2, 5 KOs) fighting out of Santa Rosa, Argentina, was making her fourth defense of the WBA title. Esteche, with the upset win, moves her record to a deceiving (10-3-1, 2 KOs). The 23-year-old emerging star failed in previous attempts at world lightweight titles losing hometown decisions to fellow Argentine Victoria Noelia Bustos and Columbian Enis Pacheco.

Quick hits from January:

Southpaw Monica Lovato (13-1, 5 KOs) entered the ring for the first time in six years scoring a stoppage victory over DJ Morrison (TKO-4). Lovato is best known for winning the IBA female bantamweight title with a split-decision victory over Mexican boxing star, Mariana “Barbie” Juarez in 2007. Arely Mucino (19-2-2, 10 KOs), in her home town of Monterrey, Mexico, rallied to get past former longtime WBA super-flyweight champion, Tenkai Tsunami (19-9, 9 KOs) winning a controversial ten-round majority decision. Tsunami, a native of Tokyo, Japan, tasted defeat for the fifth time in Mexico. The first-ever Chilean born world champion, Carolina Rodriguez moved to (11-0, 1 KO) successfully defending her WIBA bantamweight title for the first time with a ten-round unanimous decision (100-89/100-89/99-89) over Simone Da Silva Duarte (14-5, 6 KOs). Duarte tasted the canvas in the eighth round. Yazmin “La Rusita” Rivas (29-8, 9 KOs) won the vacant WBC Silver female super-bantamweight title with a ten-round unanimous decision over the hard-hitting Calixta Silgado (11-3-2, 8 KOs) by the scores (100-90 x 3)

Braehus retains her title as the best in the world

On February 1 at Arena Nord, Frederikshavn, Denmark, Cecilia “First Lady” Braekhus, 145, of Bergen Norway, retained the WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles with a commanding ten-round unanimous decision over challenger Myriam Lamare, 143, of Marseille, France. Braekhus, the consensuses #1 ranked pound-for-pound female fighter in the sport, moved to (24-0, 7 KOs) with the victory that included a seventh round knockdown of the well thought of French challenger. "The only reason Lamare was still standing was her twenty years of experience,’’ said Braekhus. “Me and my new coach Otto Ramin have trained explosively, and that came through in this fight.” Immediately after the fight, the 39-year-old Lamare ended her eleven-year professional career announcing her retirement.

“Cecilia was very strong, an incredibly good boxer,” said Lamare. “For me, the time has come to step down. I wish Cecilia all the best.” Lamare (22-4, 10 KOs), a three-time, light-welterweight champion, exits the sport having defeated several contenders during career losing only to Braekhus, Holly Holm, and Anne Sophie Mathis. Matched against an excellent opponent, Braekhus, at the age of 32, looked better than ever and appears to have reached the height of her career.

Mighty McMorrow dropped a decision to Barbie

On February 22 in Puebla, Mexico, Mariana “Barbie” Juarez, 114 ¾, Mexico City, Mexico, defended her WBC International female super-flyweight title for the first time with a ten-round unanimous decision over “Mighty” Melissa McMorrow, 112 ½, San Francisco, USA, by the scores (96-94 x 3). McMorrow, the WBO female flyweight champion, elevated to super-flyweight for this contest and showed well against the larger and immensely popular Juarez. This super-fight featured an excellent contrast in styles with Juarez having enough success from long-range to stave off a late rally from McMorrow, an extreme volume-puncher, who tried to take the fight to the inside. McMorrow, the tough-luck loser in this fight, at a minimum earned a draw.

Quick hits from February:

Esmeralda “La Joya” Moreno (25-7-1, 9 KOs) once a pound-for-pound ranked fighter, is attempting recapture top form after a year hiatus from the ring due to childbirth. She moved to (0-1-1) since her return dropping an eight-round, split-decision (77-76/75-77/75-77) to Maribel Ramirez (9-6-2, 3 KOs). Kristin Gearhart (3-0, 1 KO), a bright American light-welterweight prospect out of Chicago, scored a stoppage victory over Allanna Jones (RTD-3). Mako Yamada (7-0, 2 KOs) won the WBO female minimumweight title with a ten-round, split-decision over hard-punching slugger, Su-Yun Hong (9-1, 5 KOs) by the scores (96-94/97-93/96-97). Yamada, at the age of 19, becomes the youngest female world champion. Fernanda Soledad Alegre (18-1-1, 9 KOs) defended her WBO female light-welterweight title for the ninth time with a sixth-round technical knockout of Marisol Reyes (13-8-1, 6 KOs). Although underrated, Alegre is one of a long line of female world boxing champions from Argentina and is one high profile victory away from pound-for-pound mentioning. In a battle of two elite flyweight prospects, Kenia Enriquez (10-0, 5 KOs) emerged winning a six-round unanimous decision over Noemi Bosques (4-1-2, 1 KO). The scoring (60-53/60-53/59-54) was not indicative of the competitiveness of the fight. Enriquez scored a knockdown in the first round.

La Loba is an Avenger

On March 1 at the World Trade Center, Naucalpan, Mexico, WBC female super-flyweight champion Zulina “La Loba” Munoz,115, of Mexico City, Mexico, successfully defended her title for the fifth time with a six-round technical decision (59-55/ 58-56/58-56) over 33-year-old Alesia “The Tigress” Graf, 115, of New South Wales, Australia, by way of Belarus. Graf (26-4, 11 KOs), in September 2007 claimed Munoz as one of her victims (UD-10) during her nearly five-year stint as the GBU female super-flyweight champion. Since, the 26-year-old Munoz (41-1-2, 26 KOs), has gone undefeated, winning world titles at bantamweight and super-flyweight and she has developed into one of the most exciting and popular fighters in all of women’s boxing.

Clearly, “La Loba” Munoz treated this highly anticipated rematch as an opportunity to avenge the only loss of her career stated, “I can say that I feel much more mature and experienced defeating Alesia. I have thoroughly prepared to give my audience a memorable fight, which I dedicate to Don Jose Sulaiman.” In contrast, Graf, who has not defeated a world-class opponent since 2009, was confident that she would defeat Munoz and leave with the title.

From the opening stanza, the ultra-aggressive Munoz dominated with her left hand consistently landing jabs and hooks keeping Graf off-balance, unable to mount an effective counterattack. After sustaining a cut over her left eye from an accidental headbutt at the end of the third, Munoz stepped on the accelerator in the fourth leading with left hooks, some of which had a noticeable impact on Graf. The aggressive nature of the bout caused referee Kenny Bayless to have his hands full with the two fighters constantly clashing heads. Graf, who suffered a cut over her left eye from an accidental head butt earlier in the fight, with a minute remaining in round six, sustained a severe cut over her right eye from yet another accidental head butt. After evaluating the damage, the ringside doctor called a halt to the contest resulting in the technical decision victory for Munoz. The fight was co-promoted by Canelo Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions and was televised on Mexico Televisa and USA Fox Espanol. Newly installed WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman Saldivar, stated that the fight for the WBC female super-flyweight title between current champion, Zulina Munoz and challenger Mariana Juarez (39-7-3, 16 KOs), is mandatory. The WBC has set a deadline for promoters to reach an agreement on the details of the fight, and if no agreement is reached, a purse bid will be conducted at a future date.

Winner and still champion Christina Hammer

On March 1 at the GETEC Arena, in Magdeburg, Germany, Christina Hammer, 159, defended her WBO & WBF female middleweight titles for the seventh time each with a one-sided unanimous decision victory (100-90 x 3) over former two-division world champion, Jessica Balogun, 156 1/4. The 23-year-old Hammer, who simultaneously with her middleweight titles holds the WBO super-middleweight belt, enjoyed a four-inch height advantage over the 25-year-old Balogun, a trait which she exploited over the course of the 10-round fight. Hammer appeared relaxed throughout keeping her hard-charging opponent at arm's distance landing at will with straight punches from the outside. Balogun, best known for winning three rounds on two scorecards against welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus in 2012, tried to take the fight to the inside against Hammer, but ran into uppercuts and hooks when Hammer adjusted to her tactics.

With the win, Hammer improves to (17-0, 8 KOs), whereas Balogun falls to (23-3, 11 KOs). Hammer has essentially cleaned out the middleweight division. Her next title challenger will likely elevate from the welterweight or light-middleweight classes. This match up was promoted by SES Boxing and televised live in Germany on SAT1.

Prazak fires her guns at Shotgun O'Connell

On March 1 at the Melbourne Pavilion in Flemington, Victoria, Australia, Melbourne native and two-time world champion, Diana Prazak, 127 ¾, successfully defended her WBC female super-featherweight title for the first time with a fifth round technical knockout over former featherweight title holder, Shannon “Shotgun” O’Connell, 129 ¼, of Slacks Creek, Australia. At the time of the stoppage, Prazak was leading (39-35) on each scorecard. The Prazak title defense originally received second billing on the card to a male middleweight bout between modestly ranked fighters. It was elevated to the main event when the middleweight bout was reduced in rounds.

The 34-year-old champion, a slugger with ever-improving boxing ability, nearly ended the fight early knocking the elusive O’Connell down twice in the second round with crushing right hands. The knockdowns were a harbinger of things to come as Prazak's physical strength, coupled with a two-fisted attack caused O’Connell to wilt under the pressure eventually prompting a referee stoppage at 1:56 of the fifth round. Prazak, who is currently based out of Los Angeles, California, moved her record to (13-2, 9 KOs). Under the tutelage of her trainer, Lucia Rijker, Prazak has developed from a one-handed banger into a two-fisted fighter boasting a left-hook that not only complements her right-cross, but essentially won her the WBC super-featherweight title with a knockout of popular Swede, Frida Wallberg (KO-8) in June 2013. It is no coincidence that the counter left hook was the signature punch of Prazak’s trainer during her active boxing career. The 31-year-old challenger won the WBF female featherweight title in June 2013 by knockout over Gabisile Tshabalala (KO-7). Before Prazak, her most significant fight was a decision loss to then WBA featherweight champion, “Defector Girl” Hyun-Mi Choi in South Korea. With the loss, O’Connell drops to (8-3, 5 KOs).
She is trained by former IBF lightweight champion, Philip Holiday.

Quick hits from March:

Hardy brings the Heat

Heather Hardy (9-0, 2 KOs) took a significant step in her maturation into a world-class, super-bantamweight with an eight-round unanimous decision victory over former world title challenger, Nydia “Dha Phenomenal” Feliciano (7-5-3)by the scores (78-74/78-74/79-72). Flyweight prospect Joselyn “Princesa Tapatia” Arroyo-Ruiz moved to (16-0, 7 KOs) by stopping Leidis Martinez (KO-2) who drops to (4-4) with the loss. The 19-year-old prodigy, who started punching for pay in 2011, has already won a minor title (NABF flyweight) and is on the cusp of making serious noise in the ultra-talented flyweight division. In a stunning upset, Yazmin Ortega (2-2-1, 1 KO) scored a ten-round unanimous decision over former two-division world champion, Irma Sanchez (28-7-1, 8 KOs). Ortega earned the Sanchez fight by knocking out Lourdes Juarez, the sister of Mexican boxing superstar, Mariana Juarez in February. In a non-title bout, heavy-handed WBC featherweight champion, Jelena Mrdjenovich (32-9-1, 16 KOs) won a ten-round unanimous decision (100-89/99-90/98-91) over survivalist Fatuma Zarika (24-7-1, 14 KOs). Zarika hit the deck in the first round courtesy of a left-hook from Mrdjenovich and looked to survive the rest of the fight. In anticipation of her super-fight with Delfine Persoon, in April, “La Pantera” Erica Anabella Farias stayed active improving to (19-0, 9 KOs) with a ten-round unanimous decision (98-91 x 3) over Maria Eugenia Lopez (8-8-2). Farias scored a knockdown of Lopez in the tenth. Sonya “The Scholar” Lamonakis (9-1-2, 1 KO) won the vacant USA New York State female heavyweight title with an eight-round unanimous decision victory (79-73/78-74/77-75) over Tiffany Woodard who drops to a deceiving (4-8-3, 3 KOs). Marcela Eliana Acuna (41-6-1, 18 KOs) defended her WBO female super-bantamweight title with a sixth-round technical knockout of Estrella Valverde (9-4-1, 1 KO).

The Sweet Side Previews Erica Farias vs Delfine Persoon:

KO Digest breaks down Farias vs Persoon

On April 20 in Zwevezele, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Erica Anabella “La Pantera” Farias (19-0, 9 KOs) of Virreyes, Argentina, goes on the road to make her twelfth defense of the WBC female lightweight title facing her toughest challenger to date, Delfine Persoon (28-1, 13 KOs) of Roeselare, Belgium. In this battle for supremacy of the lightweight division, both fighters are 29-years-old and are currently among the pound-for-pound best in women’s boxing. Farias, from the rich women’s boxing hotbed of Argentina, receives less attention than fellow Argentine fighters Marcela Eilana Acuna and Yesica Yolanda Bopp, but has carved out a niche in her home country displaying elite power-punching during her current four-year reign as WBC champion. First appearing on the radar in 2012 with devastating stoppage victories over Lucia Morelli (TKO-5) and Erin McGowan (TKO-7) winning the WIBF and IBF lightweight titles respectively, Delfine Persoon has developed into a very dangerous puncher with her right hand.

With the momentum of a stellar 2013, that witnessed her post a record of (7-0, 3 KOs) including knockout wins over Eva Halasi (TKO-3), then the IBF welterweight champion and Lucia Morelli (TKO-10), which secured her the WIBF, WBF, and WIBA lightweight titles, Persoon poses a serious threat to Farias’s reign as champion. Stylistically, Persoon aggressively moves forward behind a jab in a straight-line looking to deliver her hard right hand. As with most European boxers, she needs room to punch and is an ordinary at best infighter. She often reaches with her punches leaving herself open to counters. She has elite power, good hand speed, and is exceptionally strong. Of the two, Farias is the more complete fighter adding long-range boxing ability and movement to her impressive arsenal recently. She throws a wide left hook, ordinarily considered a technical flaw, but it works to corral her opponent into her right hand. The most prominent common opponent is former WIBA featherweight champion, Irma Balijagic Adler (14-5, 7 KOs). Adler lost a lopsided decision to Persoon (UD-8) in October 2013 but suffered a stoppage loss to Farias (TKO-1) in June 2012.

Here is how the two female fighters break down in ten important categories. 
Farias holds a key advantage in 6 out of 10 of them with 1 even:

Power: Farias                        Speed: Farias  
Chin/Durability: Farias      Size: Persoon   
Accuracy: Persoon               Skills: Farias                            
Conditioning: Even             Punch Volume: Persoon
Defense: Farias                    Quality of Opposition:  Farias

KO's Sweet Side Prediction: Persoon, early in her career suffered a stoppage loss to Zelda Tekin, who, in her next fight received a two two-year suspension for refusing the post-bout doping test. Farias has knocked down six of her previous ten opponents stopping five of them. With the venue in her home country, Persoon could possibly obtain a decision win if she lasts the distance; however, I see this as doubtful and believe Farias lands early and often earning a stoppage victory in the mid-rounds.

Three Questions - Sweet Side Q&A with Sarah Kuhn

The Knockout

Welterweight contender Sarah “The Knockout” Kuhn, ranked as high as #4 by the IBF, turned professional in 2010 after a brief, but successful amateur career winning the New York State Golden Glove title at 152 lbs. in 2009 and 2010. Since turning professional, Sarah has pounded out a deceiving record of (7-4-1, 1 KO) with three of her four losses resulting from razor-thin decisions. In 2011, Sarah went on the road for the first time leaving the cozy confines of Albany, NY, for Mableton, Georgia, where she secured the WIBC light-welterweight title with a ten-round unanimous decision over Lisa Garland. As with most boxers, Sarah holds down a full-time career and recently signed with an upstart boxing equipment company to promote their products.

Q: How did you get your start in boxing?

A: In 2008, I wanted to change up my workout routine. I was stuck in the world of dieting and going to a gym with no direction, no one pushing me and no results. I've always been a heavy girl and pushed over 200 lbs in my late teens. I just couldn't figure it out. I tried all the fad diets, crash diets, treadmill routine, and swimming. As a child I took ballet, tap and jazz for about 10 years, so I decided I would give that a try again! A few doors down in the same plaza I saw a sign for Sweeney's Boxing and Fitness. I thought "hey why not" and I walked through the door. This would change my life. Rick Sweeney, the owner and my trainer looked at me, and one of his first questions was "how much do you weigh?" followed by "do you want to fight?" All he saw was a girl walking into a boxing gym. I made an appointment for a free trial, and that's where it started. I worked my butt off that day. I proved to myself that I could get through that workout and after a long talk with myself, I decided to stay. My 3 times a week turned into 6 days a week. I trained 4 hours average every day, trying to learn this sport that I knew nothing about. It's the first athletic thing that I've been really good at. I played a lot of sports growing up, but I just wasn't very good at any of them. For some reason this sport came naturally. Six months later I had my first amateur match. I walked into the gym weighing 178 lbs., and I stepped on the scale at 152 lbs. that night. The first round of that fight was a whirlwind. I've never been so scared in my life! My opponent had a little more experience, all I remember in the first round is taking a beating. I remember thinking to myself "Sarah, mom is watching you get punched in the face right now, she must be so worried and upset." After the first round ended I walked back to my corner. Rick says to me "are you tired?" "No," I said. "Well look at her, because she is exhausted. Now go punch her back." And that's exactly what I did. In the 3rd round, the ref stopped the match, and I won my first fight and the Adirondack Regional Golden Gloves. I went on to win NYS Golden Gloves the following month. My amateur career was pretty short. I finished with a 6-3 record, my last fight being in the National Golden Gloves, which was a great experience in being there with all of those amazing women.

Q: The Albany, NY area has several successful boxing gyms. 
Which is your home and who is your trainer?

A: I train with Rick Sweeney at Sweeney's Boxing and Fitness in Delmar, NY. There are a few gyms in the area, but even less with female boxers, and even less than that who want to work with female boxers. Rick happens to prefer working with female fighters. We both knew my style was a little more conducive to professional boxing. I'm not the quickest boxer, and endurance is definitely my strong point. So here I am 5 years later, still following this journey. I’m just a small-town, home schooled girl from Schoharie, NY, who is ranked in the top 10 in the world, getting ready for my 13th professional fight. I truly believe our lives will take the path that they are meant to; we just have to be willing to take that turn. We have to trust our souls, even when we don't know why it's leading us that way. This has been the most difficult and rewarding journey of my life. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings me, and no matter what it does bring, because of this experience I know I'll be able to conquer it. I don't believe I would have had these opportunities at any other gym. Rick is a special trainer. He's been like another Dad to me. He's sacrificed a lot, time, money and taken me all over the country to fight, and all over the state to spar. I was meant to find him. I work very hard for him, and he works very hard for me. We both do it for the love of boxing. It's certainly not for the money! It’s great to see more and more females coming in over the years too. I'm very proud to know that I share a part in that.

Kuhn has a hand in Machina Boxing equipment

Q: Recently, you signed with Machina Boxing of Philadelphia to promote their line of boxing equipment. Can you please describe your relationship with this upstart business?

A: My role is to basically give ideas on what styles I do and don't like as a professional boxer. The fit of their gloves are engineered to fit a woman's more narrow hand, the clothes are flattering and supportive, and their new sparring equipment is some of the best I've ever used. Before I signed on they didn't have headgear or 16 oz. sparring gloves. I was able to tell them what I thought was the best fit, most comfortable, practical and protective. I try it out and give feedback which goes to the designer. Machina is breaking into the professional competing side of it, and I'm very proud that I've had a hand in that. They are going to provide stylish and good quality equipment, and I am excited for what they bring to the table. It's wonderful to know that there is a company out there that believes in 'us'. Sometimes I feel like the bigger companies just think of women's boxing as an afterthought. I think products from Everlast, Title, and so-forth are great, but just because you make something the same way and color it Pink or Purple (girlie colors) don't mean it's designed for a woman! That's where they are different. I'm very happy for the opportunity to represent them and women's boxing. Thank you for this chance to tell a little bit about myself. I love this sport; I love the ins and outs, the ups and downs. I love the challenges, and the victories that I have gained whether I won or lost the match. I try to live the other parts of my life like I do boxing.
Take chances, train hard, FIGHT and then no matter the outcome, learn.

KO Digest's Dynamite Dozen Pound-for-Pound Ratings:

Braekhus is still #1 Pound For Pound

1- Cecilia Braekhus (24-0, 7 KOs) Norway
2- Erica Anabella Farias (19-0, 9 KOs) Argentina
3- Marcela Eilana Acuna (41-6-1, 18 KOs) Argentina
4- Christina Hammer (17-0, 8 KOs) Germany
5- Diana Prazak (13-2, 9 KOs) Australia/USA
6- Yesica Yolanda Bopp (26-1, 12 KOs) Argentina
7- Ann Sophie Mathis (27-3, 23 KOs) France
8- Jelena Mrdjenovich (32-9-1, 16 KOs) Canada
9- Jessica Chavez (19-3-3, 4 KOs) Mexico
10- Delfine Persoon (28-1, 13 KOs) Belgium
11- Ibeth Zamora Silva (19-5, 8 KOs) Mexico
12- Naoko Fujioka (11-0, 6 KOs) Japan 

"The Sweet Side of the Sweet Science" is written by women's boxing expert Mark A. Jones - exclusively for KO Digest. You can find more of Mark's work on his women's boxing blog:  Boxing Jones

KO Digest Interview: Joey McCreedy - "This is my dream come true"

April Fools

If you ask Joey McCreedy, he’ll proudly proclaim he’s fighting for the WBC light heavyweight championship. And he’s not wrong.

McCreedy’s matchup with Top Rank's undefeated Irish Seanie Monaghan (20-0, 13 KOs) on April 12 in Las Vegas is set for the WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight title. But in Joey’s world, this fight is for more than just a minor version of a major title. This pay-per-view undercard bout, seen by much of the boxing world as a mere precursor to the next big Manny Pacquiao fight, is his Rocky moment, the type of rare opportunity that only comes once and has the ability to change far more than his win-loss record. For McCreedy (15-6-2, 6 KOs), this title fight is about pride. Fighting out of gritty Lowell, Massachusetts, McCreedy has fought his entire life to be recognized, even in the early days when life was centered on football instead of boxing.

Anyone from the Greater Lowell area associates the town with amateur boxing (and Micky Ward) but Joey McCreedy is still somewhat of an unknown commodity outside of local boxing circles. Trained now by Ward and fellow Lowell fighter Sean Eklund, McCreedy’s shot against Monaghan is not unlike Micky’s 1997 HBO PPV shot in the dark against the undefeated Alfonso Sanchez, a come-from-behind victory against steep odds that shaped the remainder of his now storied career. McCreedy is his own person, but listen to him talk for long enough (we listened for over an hour) and he even begins to sound like Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund, the latter of whom will not be in his corner come April 12.

"Dicky is going through some injuries. He can’t really be on his feet a lot or bounce on his legs," claims McCreedy. 

Paid vacation in Vegas  

Fittingly, this fight is about second chances—or, perhaps more aptly, tenth or eleventh chances at this point. McCreedy’s hard knocks began outside the ring, when a high school football career disappeared due to low grades and a lack of academic ambition that slipped potential scholarships off the table. The Army National Guard also proved to be out of reach, and six different losses in his professional career have bumped him down a peg or two on the ladder of competition. Yet, no matter the strength of the blow, McCreedy stands back up and keeps on charging, making the man in the Japanese proverb sound bush-league. Sure, the man in the proverb stood up eight times, but were any of the seven times he fell due to an obliterated jaw against Andre Hemphill or a literal back stabbing in the form of attempted murder? Spend enough time on the streets of Lowell and you’ll see some things you can’t un-see, and as much as McCreedy identifies with his hometown, he’d like for his family to have the chance to see the world from outside the city limits, a chance he never got. Until he started boxing.

"I've fought in Canada and Florida. You meet so many different people. It’s fun to travel like Micky did. It’s like a free vacation to see other places, what they’re like, to see things differently. It’s good to get out there."

On his 29th birthday (February 19) McCreedy got the greatest gift of his career in the form of an opportunity, but the job is far from complete. This gift is like boxing’s version of “some assembly required.” The gift box is glamorous, but without the hard work and dedication to assemble it, it sits on the shelf as a tale of what might've been. For McCreedy, this isn’t just about a title, a payday, or an HBO spotlight. It’s about much more than that. This fight against Monaghan is McCreedy's everything. KO Digest caught up with The Champ of Lowell by telephone on St. Patrick's Day 2014 during a break from his training with Ward—the reigning Pride of Lowell. Were that a WBC title, it would surely be Emeritus.

KO Digest's Joel Sebastianelli: How did you first get started in boxing?

Joey McCreedy: When I was about 12 years old, my dad brought me down to the West End Gym and I did it just to stay in shape for football, because that was my main goal: to become a pro football player. Being a pro boxer wasn’t what I wanted to do. I was seven years old when I started playing football. I did boxing just for conditioning, speed, and for the footwork. I was introduced to Dicky Eklund, who grew up with my father and trained Micky Ward. Football got put on the backburner after high school. I was getting recruited as a running back by a few colleges, but got denied because of my grades. I was the captain of the football team and let it get to my head. I didn’t go to class and I did stupid things, getting away with things and not taking school seriously and in the end, it bit me in the ass. I got denied going to college and my back was against the wall. I was still messing around with boxing, but lost in the Golden Gloves one year and didn’t want to do it anymore. I gave up and went to go join the National Guard like my father, but I failed the test and picked up boxing aside from my construction job to pay bills over the summer. By then, I took it seriously and won the Golden Gloves and made a name in boxing. I watched Micky Ward beat Emmanuel Burton and Arturo Gatti, and that’s when I fell in love with it. I won a few amateur fights, and Dicky suggested that I go pro and my style was a pro style.

Boxing saved Joey from the streets

KOD: Of all of these life experiences you've had—many of them very negative—have these setback actually helped you as a fighter somehow?

JM: Definitely. Every experience I went through, whether it’s football, people doubting me, or having my back against the ropes and not knowing what to do with my life, made me realize that if you want something out of life, you’re going to have to work hard for it. I didn’t want to be a person struggling in life living paycheck to paycheck and not knowing what I’m going to eat at the end of the week or if my bills are going to be paid. I want to be comfortable and live a great life, and the only way I’m going to do that is if I put in the hard work. I live in a bad neighborhood around crack houses, where at night you hear gunshots. It makes me even stronger because I don’t want to see my little brothers grow up the way I grew up. If my Mom and Dad didn’t put me through sports, I would be dead, in jail, or in a gang, because that’s basically how Lowell is. A lot of people don’t make it as a professional athlete from Lowell because there are a lot of distractions. I’m thankful they kept me out of that.

KOD: You were born and raised as a product of Lowell, a famous fight town with plenty of gritty history. How has Lowell shaped you as a fighter and a person? What does it mean to you when you tell somebody you’re from Lowell?

JM: It means everything to me. I can get out of Lowell, and hopefully one day I do, but it’s like the saying goes: you can take the kid out of Lowell, but you can’t take Lowell out of the kid. My family grew up here, so something about Lowell always makes me come back. It’s a city where everyone is tough to survive. In any sport, if someone says “you’re facing someone from Lowell,” you know you’re going to have to train because these kids come from nothing. I come from nothing. Everybody had to fight to get to where they are. I fight for my fans, my family, my friends, and for the whole town. At the end of the day, we’re all one big family, and without their support, I would be nothing.

Trainer Dicky Eklund and fighter Joey McCreedy

KOD: How has Lowell’s boxing legacy influenced your career?

JM: Lowell is an amateur town, not a professional town. When you hear Lowell in boxing, you think about the Lowell Golden Gloves. Everybody came here to fight—if you do your history report, every legit fighter fought at a time in their life in the Golden Gloves in Lowell. West End Gym was the gym where everybody started out. Larry Carney, the Christakos Brothers. It’s a mill city, a fighting town. I’m proud to be from Lowell. I love Lowell.

KOD: It hasn’t been easy for you inside or outside the ring, filled with plenty of ups and downs and experiences that shaped you. How have you stayed so resilient through all the setbacks?

JM: God, believing in myself, and not giving up. The support of my friends. I wanted to give up plenty of times in high school, when people said I was too small and never going to make it. I was told I was an awesome kid and tough as nails, but I was too small. I never believed it. I wanted to believe in myself even in boxing when people said I was never going to make it. It made me so tough being an underdog since I was a kid. I was always a great athlete, but I wasn’t an A+ anything. I was a C+, but it’s OK to be that because that’s who I am, and it makes me train so much harder to prove those people wrong. When I got my jaw broken, the doctors didn’t want me to fight. My mother and father didn’t want me to fight anymore. My friends didn’t want me to fight anymore. People didn’t want to see me get hurt again and go through what I went through. It was a rough time and a life changing experience where I had to ask, “is this for me? Is this what I want to do?” I went through an eight week period of having my mouth wired shut. I don’t wish this on any fighter or any person in the entire world. I can’t describe the pain. All I can describe is what I went through—addiction, depression, pills, basically anything to stop the pain. It was an eight hour surgery with my right and left sides of my jaw broken. I had to eat baby food, and I couldn’t even walk because I was so tired. I was crying every day. I was a prisoner locked up in my house, taking liquid Percocet, liquid morphine, anything they gave me I took. Waking up every day knowing I couldn’t talk made me feel like I was in jail with my life taken away from me.

KOD: How did you get over the hump and decide that life and your career would go on after the Hemphill fight?

McCreedy refuses to give up in boxing

JM: A lot of people told me to give up, but I sat back and contemplated all the hard work and setbacks I’ve been through. I decided that I’m not the type of person who gives up. I want to prove to everybody I can come back stronger than ever and be a world champ, to make a run after this. I even thought that if I break my jaw again, I’ll hang ‘em up and go to work like a normal person. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened. I took it day by day and trained so hard because I knew what everyone would think of me when I came back. The fighters I face might think I have a glass jaw, but my jaw is actually a hundred times stronger. I have titanium plates in my bones in my jaw—like a bicycle chain. When I came back in 2006, I fought Chris Traietti, a National Champion amateur, an undefeated fighter. It’s like being in jail and picking the biggest person and knocking him out so nobody messes with you—that’s what I did. Then right after I fought Vladine Biosse in 2008 on ESPN, I went into the Smokehouse in Lowell. I came out of the bathroom and got hit in the back of the head with something and blacked out after hitting my head on the floor. I awoke in the middle of the hall. I was stabbed six times. I almost died. They missed my kidney by about two inches. The doctors told me I was lucky to be alive. Of course, I was out of boxing for a little bit after that, but I came back. If you hit me, I’m going to get back up.

KOD: Now you’ve got the biggest fight of your career ahead of you against WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight champion Seanie Monaghan on April 12 in Las Vegas on the Pacquiao-Bradley II HBO PPV. How did you get this fight, and how emotional was the potential breakthrough for you?

McCreedy will have Micky and Sean in his corner - no Dicky

JM: This is my dream and I’m not going to stop, I don’t care what it takes. I was getting ready to fight for CES after I re-signed my contract with Jimmy Burchfield. I was just back in the swing of things after winning four fights in a row (Editor's Note: actually it's two in a row and it would be five had McCreedy beaten Shujaa El Amin in Lowell in 2012. Instead, McCreedy lost a ten round decision) but I was miserable in training and can't go out for my birthday, just killing myself in the gym. But, I got the phone call about fighting Monaghan, and I ran it by everybody. I’m not getting any younger. I’m only 29, but that’s still old in boxing, so I took the fight. This is a great opportunity. I’m training the hardest I’ve ever trained with Micky Ward. He’s the best trainer to have in my corner for this fight. I’m not with Dicky Eklund right now because he’s going through some injuries on his leg. He can’t really be on his feet a lot or bounce on his legs, so for a fight like this, I need somebody there to be one hundred percent by my side and healthy to be in the right mindset. Dicky is a great trainer. I love him. He started me out, he taught me everything I know in boxing, and if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am now. I owe him everything but right now I'm with Micky for this fight and everything has been going great. Micky has been through everything and he knows what it takes to go ten rounds strong. Micky is waking me up at 5:30 in the morning every day running four to six miles. We’re going more than ten rounds in the gym every day sparring, doing things I never did in my career. My body is like, what are you doing to me?

KOD: So you believe this is not only the biggest fight of your career, but the toughest fight as well?

Ward turned his boxing life around against Sanchez in 97

JM: Oh my God yes, this is the toughest fight, a life changing experience, a dream come true for me. This is my Rocky. This is the biggest payday, it’s about 90 percent bigger than any other fight payday I’ve had. It’s a great opportunity that I’ve dreamed of. This is like a Rocky story, like how he got an opportunity for the heavyweight championship of the world, or like what happened to Micky with the Sanchez fight when everybody doubted him. I’m getting a lot of good feedback from Lowell, people coming to Vegas to see me fight and rooting for me. This is something that I can look back on when I’m 60 years old, telling them I fought for the WBC light heavyweight championship on a Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view card. I can look back and say “I got my shot.”

KOD: How has Sean Eklund been an asset to your camp?

JM: He does all my conditioning work with me every morning and really pushes me. We’re good friends and we’ve been through a lot together, so he knows what to say to push me. He even knows how to piss me off in a good way so I get the most out of training. He’s an excellent teacher. I owe a lot to him for getting me into great shape, and we still have a few weeks to get ready for this fight. I’m only six or seven pounds away from my weight limit because I’m eating right, I’m running a lot, and I’m focusing with no distractions. My Beast Squad Family is my team, people I cannot live without.

KOD: You said this fight is your “Rocky moment,” but when I was thinking about this fight, the boxing movie that came to mind for me was “THE FIGHTER,” especially because of the connection to Irish Micky Ward. 
Do you see any parallels between yourself and Micky in terms of this upcoming title fight?

McCreedy hopes to write his own sequel 

JM: I’m not saying that I’m just like Micky, because nobody is like him and nobody will be. If I went through the type of fights that Micky went though, I wouldn’t be here right now. He’s not normal. Those three Gatti fights alone, I’m not sure how he’s standing! The fight for me that comes to mind is the Sanchez fight. I’m the underdog getting the chance of a lifetime. Of course, the comparison is going to come up, and that’s normal, but I’m Joey and I’m making my own future. It’s still an honor to be mentioned in that category, but there’s only one Micky Ward.

KOD: We’ve touched on your alliances with Micky and Dicky, but what about your relationship with Jimmy Burchfield? You’re back with CES promotions once again after a period away. 
How did you wind up with them again?

JM: Me and Mr. B have a connection. He’s been there for most of my career and he’s done a lot. We had a great three year contract, but I thought the grass was greener on the other side and I went with another company. I learned my lesson and I got screwed, but things happen. I kept winning again as a free agent and I wanted to expand my career and get back on top to where I was before the ESPN fight [with Biosse]. I called Jimmy, we set up a meeting, and now things are great. They got me this fight and I couldn’t ask for a better birthday present. It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten because if everything is done right, this will change my life. I believe in God and I believe everything happens for a reason—He gave me this opportunity for a reason, put it on my lap, and said “here you go. You have to put the work in, you have to want it, and you have to do this.” They can get me the fight just like you can bring a horse to water but you can’t make him drink it. CES is behind me and I look and Jimmy like a father figure. He talks to me like a son and I love him for that. He cares for his fighters and loves them. If Mr. B thought I was going to get hurt, he would have told me not to take this fight, but Mr. B knows I can beat him if I put in my hard work and bring my A game, I can be WBC champ.

McCreedy has a message for Monaghan

KOD: Monaghan seems to think you’re an easy opponent, and his résumé of past fights is highly acclaimed. Is he is viewing you as an easy opponent, does that serve as an extra motivating factor?

JM: They’re looking at me like “OK, we’ve got two Irish fighters. It’s going to be an exciting war for five or six rounds, but our guy is going to win because he's better.” Well, he’s no Olympian and he’s no world class fighter. He’s the same person as me; he bleeds just like I do, he has two hands just like I do, and he doesn’t have a lot of amateur fights, just like me. He hasn’t been in with tough competition, but I have. If you look at my record, I’ve been in there with guys who can bang like Otis Griffin and Hemphill. They’ve been in there with tough contenders. I’m not saying I’m better, but I’m saying that they’re wrong for overlooking me. They have another thing coming because I’m so hungry and I want this more than life itself. I’m not going to Las Vegas to lose. I’m going there to take that WBC belt and bring it back home. I know that mentally, I’m focused and ready for this fight. If they think this is going to be a short night, well I’m sorry—they're in for a long night. I’m not a stepping stone for anybody. I don’t care how big he is or what his attitude is like—nothing scares me. I'm not backing down. I’ve been through everything, bigger things than him that didn’t put me down, so I’m not going to let him put me down. I’m going to fight my balls off and win, lose, or draw, I’ll give it everything I have—my heart, my soul, my blood, everything.

A happy McCreedy in Lowell with a title on his waist

KOD: A lot of fans and media are very critical and think all the title belts in boxing are worthless, but I've heard more than a few fighters discuss how important they really are. Why is having a title, even a minor one, so important to you and most fighters?

JM: It means something to the fighter. It doesn’t matter if it’s a plastic belt called the “Budweiser Belt” it’s something you’re fighting for. They say the titles don’t mean anything, but to the fighters, they do. It’s something you’re training for, and when you finally get that opportunity, it’s like working a full time job and having one month to earn a bonus. It’s just like that. When you work so hard for something, whether it’s a belt, money, or respect, it’s something you can live with for the rest of your life. You don’t have to give that belt back—it’s yours! It’s like my New England belt: Vladine won, but I fought hard for it and I was a champion at one time. I’ve got something to prove that I was. It means so much when you can actually see something you’ve fought for.

The Future of Boxing

KO Digest Interview conducted by Joel "The Future" Sebastianelli
 
Joel joined KO Digest in January 2013 and has been a fixture on press row in the New England area for three years. In 2012, he served as the host of “The Boxing Fix” on Leave it in the Ring Radio. Sebastianelli is the future of boxing journalism and broadcasting.

Joel can be found Tweeting on Twitter @JJSebastianelli 

Bantamweights & Below - Boxing's Other Five Weight Divisions Vol. 14

Hands up at the IBHOF for Too Sharp

By Derek "DBO" Bonnett -- The most salient challenge when differentiating between boxing greats from past eras is the assessment of oppositional quality. Like we see today, there is often a lot of fluff amid the ledgers of past ring legends. Over the years, I have read critical perspectives of Pongsaklek Wonjongkam's resume. He fought often and between world title bouts he kept active against fighters with little to no recorded ring experience. Yet, Jimmy Wilde, whose resume is replete with insufficiently documented resumes, is often hailed as the greatest flyweight of all time. He's up there for sure; his numbers are great. However, is the meat between the bread as hearty as it's given credit for? The same could be said about Wonjongkam, who had he not been active would have surely made the top ten, possibly top five. Another issue is dominance over weak opposition.

I personally see few fighters on this list that I would say beat Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson hands down. Yet, they all have better resumes than him at 112 pounds. Johnson's talent got him in the conversation, but, in the end, he only just missed the cut. Perhaps a more unpopular opinion of mine is that although excellent fighters, Benny Lynch and Pascual Perez, both in the lower half of the top ten, benefitted greatly from weaker eras or not having a legitimate rival. Others who missed the cut held a significant win or two in the division, arguably better than others, but campaigned at flyweight for only a small portion of their careers. The greatest challenge with my compilation of the best flyweight boxers of all-time was the sheer volume of time and participants involved. The strawweight and light flyweight divisions lack the historical significance of the flyweight division, which is among the original eight weight classes in boxing.
The light flyweight class only dates back to 1975 and the strawweight division emerged in 1987.

World Class Boxing Results at Bantamweight and Below:

On Saturday, March 1, at Emperors Palace, Gauteng, South Africa, Hekkie Budler blitzed Karluis Diaz in one round of a WBA minimumweight title bout. The bout ended at the 2:59 mark. Budler raised his ledger to 25-1 (8) and notched the first defense of his title. Diaz fell to 21-4 (14). Budler remained my top-rated 105-pounder in the game.

On Saturday, March 8, at Coliseo Dibos Dammert, Lima, Peru, Alberto Rossel defeated Gabriel Mendoza by unanimous decision in a twelve round interim WBA light flyweight title bout. Rossel notched his fourth title defense in his homeland and raised his record to 32-8 (13). Mendoza dipped to 19-3-2 (16). Rossel maintained his number seven ranking among my top-rated 108-pounders.

Reveco drops Vides

On Friday, March 21, at Villa La Ñata Sporting Club, Benavídez, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Juan Carlos Reveco stopped Manuel Vides in two rounds of a WBA flyweight title bout. Reveco defended his title for the sixth time in total between interim and full title bouts. He lifted his ledger to 33-1 (18). Vides crashed to 15-3 (9).Reveco jumped passed Luis Concepcion in my flyweight rankings to number nine. Concepcion dipped to tenth.

On Saturday, March 22, at Arena Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Merlito Sabillo suffered an upset tenth round TKO against Francisco Rodriguez Jr in WBO minimumweight title bout. The bout was waved off at the 1:50 mark. Rodriguez captured his first world title and raised his record to 14-2 (10). Sabillo dipped to 23-1-1 (12). Rodriguez crashed my minimumweight rankings at number five. Sabillo fell from fifth to eighth. Ryugi Hara exited the top ten to make room.

At Arena Roberto Duran, Panama City, Panama, Anselmo Moreno outpointed Javier Nicholas Chacon in a twelve round WBA bantamweight title bout. Chacon was dropped twice in the second round, but hung on to hear the final bell. Moreno won by scores of 117-108, 117-109, and 118-108. Moreno defended his title for the thirteenth time and improved his dossier to 35-2-1 (12). Chacon dipped to 19-2 (4). Moreno remained my number two bantamweight in the world today. Also on the card, Leroy Estrada defeated Edwin Diaz in a ten round minimumweight bout. Estrada won by scores of 98-92, 96-95, and 96-93 in spite of hitting the canvas in the ninth round. Estrada upped his record to 12-1 (5). Diaz fell to 16-19 (5). Estrada claimed the tenth spot among my top-rated 105-pounders. Diaz, previously ranked tenth, exited.

On Wednesday, March 26, at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, Denkaosan Kaovichit was stopped by Kohei Kono in eight rounds for the vacant WBA super flyweight title. The end came at the :50 mark. Kaovichit was dropped in the fourth and eighth rounds. Kono elevated his record to 30-8 (13) in reclaiming the title. Kaovichit fell to 62-4-1- (26). Kono affirmed his number three ranking among my top 115-pounders. Kaovichit fell from ninth out of the top ten. Felipe Orucuta advanced from tenth to ninth. Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. returned to the ten spot.

Bantamweight and Below Featured Rankings -
All-Time Best Retired Flyweights (112):

Canto is #1 All Time at Flyweight

1.) Miguel Canto (112) 61-9-4 (15) ~ Former WBC Flyweight Champion ~ Best Wins at 112: W15 Shoji Oguma I, W15 Betulio Gonzalez II, W15 Martin Vargas I

2.) Betulio Gonzalez (112) 78-12-3 (52) ~ Former two-time WBC and WBA Flyweight Champion ~ Best Wins at 112: W15 Miguel Canto, W15 Guty Espadas, KO12 Shoji Oguma

3.) Jimmy Wilde (112*) 132-3-1 (99) ~ Former World Flyweight Champion ~ Best Wins at 112: TKO 9 Sid Smith, W15 Joe Symonds, TKO11 Tancy Lee, W20 Memphis Pal Moore

4.) Frankie Genaro (112) 79-21-8 (19) ~ Former NBA Flyweight Champion ~ Best Wins at 112: W12 Pancho Villa, W10 Pancho Villa, W15 Pancho Villa

5.) Pancho Villa (112) 78-4-4 (22) ~ Former World Flyweight Champion ~ Best Wins at 112: KO7 Jimmy Wilde, W8 Kid Williams, W12 Bud Taylor

Pong Wonj gets the honorable mention

6.) Benny Lynch (112) 88-14-17 (34) ~ Former World Flyweight Champion ~  Best Wins at 112:
RTD2 Jackie Brown, W15 Small Montana, KO13 Peter Kane

7.) Pone Kingpetch (112) 28-7-0 (9) ~ Former World, two-time WBC, and two-time WBA Flyweight Champion ~ Best Wins at 112: W12 Pascual Perez,
TKO8 Pascual Perez, W15 Fighting Harada

8.) Yuri Arbachakov (112) 23-1-0 (16) ~ Former WBC Flyweight Champion ~
Best Wins at 112: KO8 Muangchai Kittikasem, TKO9 Muangchai Kittikasem, W12 Chatchai Sasakul

9.) Masao Ohba (112) 35-2-1 (16) ~ Former WBA Flyweight Champion ~ 
Best Wins at 112: W15 Betulio Gonzalez, KO 12 Chartchai Chionoi,
W10 Bernabe Villacampo

10.) Pascual Perez (112) 84-7-1 (57) ~ Former World Flyweight Champion ~ 
Best Wins at 112: KO 5 Yohsio Shirai III, W15 Yoshio Shirai II, W15 Leo Espinosa

* Wilde never actually scaled as high as 112 for a fight, but competed at flyweight.    
He typically fought in the high 90's up to what we could call strawweight today.

Honorable Mentions: Mark Johnson, Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (still active), Midget Wolgast, and Fidel Labarba.

Bantamweight and Below: Give That Man a Title Shot!

Give Buitrago another shot at the WBO title

Nicaragua's Carlos Buitrago, 22, has not fought since his disputed draw against Merlito Sabillo back in November, but since then the WBO minimumweight title has changed hands. On that night, Buitrago settled for a draw in Sabillo's native Philippines by scores of 114-114, 115-113, and 113-115. Just this week, Mexico's Francisco Rodriguez Jr., 20, dethroned Sabillo by tenth round TKO. Rodriguez, 14-2 (10), was rebounding from a recent stoppage loss to Roman Gonzalez, Buitrago's countryman, last year in Nicaragua. Rodriguez was able to bring Sabillo to Mexico to meet him for their title bout. Buitrago, 27-0-1 (16), traveled to Mexico for a recent win in 2013, so he should be more than willing to do so again for a second opportunity at the WBO minimumweight title.

The Nicaraguan is still ranked number one and would provide a youthful dynamite match-up with Rodriguez.

Bantamweight and Below  — On the Horizon:

Clash in Newcastle

On Saturday, March 29, at Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom, Stuart Hall versus Martin Ward in a twelve round IBF bantamweight title bout. Two of the UK's top bantamweights clash in Newcastle while their British peers Lee Haskins and Jamie McDonnell await the winner.

On Saturday, March 29, at Texas Station Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Brian Viloria versus Juan Herrera in a ten round super flyweight bout. The former champion begins his hunt for his fifth belt in his third division in this tune-up bout. Viloria has not fought since being upset by Juan Francisco Estrada.

On Saturday, April 5, at Arena Tecate, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, Giovani Segura versus Felipe Salguero in a ten round flyweight bout. The most feared puncher from Bantamweight and Below looks to keep his win-streak alive.

Big night for Naoya Inoue?

On Sunday, April 6, at Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan, Akira Yaegashi versus Odilon Zaleta in a twelve round WBC flyweight title bout; Adrian Hernandez versus Naoya Inoue in a twelve round WBC light flyweight title bout; Roman Gonzalez versus Juan Purisima in a ten round flyweight bout. This stacked card features three of today's top fighters from Bantamweight and Below. It is rumored that Gonzalez is next in line for Yaegashi should both men win.

Inoue is my pick to pull off the upset against Hernandez.

On Wednesday, April 23, at Castle Hall, Osaka, Osaka, Japan, Shinsuke Yamanaka versus Stephane Jamoye in a twelve round WBC bantamweight title bout. The world's best bantamweight looks to tame the seasoned Belgium challenger with pressure punching. 

On Friday, April 25, in Phitsanulok, Thailand, Oleydong Sithsamerchai versus Noli Morales in a twelve round super flyweight bout. The Thai fighter is long overdue a title fight amid his seventeen bout win-streak.

Written by Derek "DBO" Bonnett - exclusively for KO Digest

You can find more of Derek's writings & ratings at www.SecondsOut.com

You can also contact the author Derek Bonnett on Facebook

KO Digest Scoring and Analysis of Danny Garcia vs Mauricio Herrera

Was the fix in the Main or co-main?

By Jeffrey Freeman -- One fan's close fight is another fan's robbery.

Such is the way of the world in a sport as subjective as boxing. Barring a knockout or some other premature ending, all fights are decided by the opinions of fellow human beings seated ringside. We call them judges but it's not just these opinions that get voiced when fights are close and when passions run deep. Last weekend in Puerto Rico on Showtime, Philadelphia's Danny Garcia (28-0, 16 KO's) retained his World Junior Welterweight Championship with a highly disputed majority decision (116-112, 116-112, and 114-114) over Mauricio Herrera (20-3, 7 KO's) in which the controversial WBC policy of "open scoring" was in effect. What this meant was that the scores of the fight were revealed after the 4th and 8th rounds had been completed.

Nobody in attendance should have been terribly surprised to learn that Garcia was ahead on the cards, this being a "homecoming" title defense on the island of his parent's birth. For the record, KO Digest scored the fight 115-113 in favor of Garcia. Due to fan outrage and myriad cries of robbery, I have decided to have a second look, which I must say goes against my long-standing policy of scoring a fight once on its first live viewing and then sticking with that result. In any case, I have thrown out my original score pad from that night. Honestly, I do not remember which rounds I originally gave to who and I am ready to look at the fight again and re-score it. With that said, I now thrown caution (and bias) to the wind and whatever happens, happens. Every round will be looked at (again) very closely and very fairly and no effort will be made to "fix" the result or create one favorable to me or my original score.

Closely matched competitors

Round 1: Battle of the jabs early while Garcia looks for a home for the left which Herrera avoided more than a few times throughout the round. A pair of straight right hands from Garcia strafed Herrera on the ropes. Herrera found a home for his jab to the stomach of Garcia. Close opening round goes to Garcia 10-9

Round 2: Garcia continues his struggle to land the left hook while Herrera keeps up his jab attack to the midsection of Garcia. A sweeping right hand from Herrera lands to the face of Garcia at the mid way point in the round. Herrera is moving well and jabbing well and Garcia looks unable to set up his best punches. A left jab in close snaps back the head of Garcia. The challenger punctuates a good round by going to the body down the stretch while Garcia missed again and again with his left hook. Herrera wins the round 10-9. 

Round 3: Lead right hand to the head from Herrera to open the round. Herrera is beating Garcia to the punch and that includes a nice left hook to the chops as well as most of the jabs in this round. Herrera complains about an obvious low blow from Garcia and then goes right back to disrupting his offense by punching and moving out of range or clinching when he can't back up safely after punching. Herrera wins the round 10-9  

Round 4: Herrera is busy to start the round with jabs up and downstairs. Sloppy clinches muddle the fight's flow and make it difficult to interpret the action. What was clear to see was a ripping left to the body from Garcia followed by a straight right hand down the middle that lands flush on the chin of Herrera. The jabs of both fighters hit and miss with equal frequency in the second half of the round which Garcia wins on the strength of his power punching 10-9 

Garcia was puzzled by Herrera

Round 5: Herrera immediately beats Garcia to the jab to open the round and then lands a thudding right hand flush to take control of it. Garcia shows his frustration at the body attack of Herrera when in fact it's Garcia who has strayed most south in this fight so far. A sweeping left hook catches Garcia on the chin backing up. Easy round to score based on superior ring generalship illustrated in the fact that Herrera is fighting his fight, making Garcia miss with his money punch, and so Herrera wins the round 10-9  

Round 6: The official judges score totals after four rounds are read aloud in Spanish. No surprise, Garcia is leading 38-38, 40-36, 39-37. Herrera grabs the initiative in the round by landing a left hook. Garcia tries to attack but his punches are either too slow, or too inaccurate. Simply put, Garcia is having a very hard time landing anything solid but he does rip a nice left to the body while Herrera stood in front of him. Herrera closes the round with a flush lead left jab but it's not enough to steal a very close stanza. Garcia wins it 10-9

Round 7: Herrera lands a left hook to open the round and that just has to frustrate Garcia because he can't seem to get his on target at all. Garcia is backing up looking for counters and Herrera is pushing the fight while avoiding most of them them. Herrera's jab is also more accurate which sets him up nicely for the stuff he is outworking Garcia with on the inside, and in clinches. Garcia lands his best jab of the fight and it snaps Herrera's head back. In a close round, Garcia finally finds a spot for a few left hooks and this energizes the crowd and wins the round 10-9 for Swift.

Garcia bleeds while Herrera attacks

Round 8: Garcia looks to have made an adjustment for avoiding the left hook but not one for landing it. Herrera times a lead right hand and Garcia eats it with his face. Garcia is beginning to look a bit weary and a bit unsure of himself as the crowd begins to boo. As Herrera walks down Garcia and occasionally puts him in the corner, the champion lands his left hands to the only place he can put them, the body of Herrera. Garcia flashes a flurry to close the round but it's not enough to take it. Herrera round 10-9  

Round 9:  Herrera again lands a left hook to open the round, an exercise in irony for sure.  A booming overhand right from Herrera lands and sends Garcia slightly off balance in his own effort to counter. More jabs from Herrera set up another right hand and Herrera mixes in the right uppercut on the inside. Another big right hand from Herrera draws blood from the nose of Garcia and backs him into the ropes where Herrera roughs him up and does quality pro work with both hands up and down. Garcia tries to rally but it falls short.  
Herrera wins the round 10-9

Round 10: Open scoring after eight rounds announced as 78-74, 77-75 for Garcia and 77-75 for Herrera. Glove tap to open the round, a relief for Garcia who takes to backing up immediately while Herrera again continues to push the fight and pick his man apart. Lead right hand from Herrera is an eye catching punch and Garcia appears more than willing to clinch and maul in response. Quick exchange of punches by both is highlighted by another successful Herrera left hook. Little firefights are being won by Herrera and it is Garcia who initiates the clinches after being hit.  
Another round for Herrera 10-9   
 
Round 11: Garcia is again making wind with his left hook as it consistently sails over the head of Herrera or harmlessly in front of his face. Perhaps emboldened by this, Herrera stands still in front of Garcia with his back not too far off the ropes which allows Garcia to do some of his best work. Herrera moves to the middle of the ring for the last minute where he acts like a statue and gets hit for his troubles. Garcia wins the 11th round 10-9

Homecoming close call for Danny and Daddy

Round 12: Herrera is back in more of an attack mode to start the final round and he is keeping Garcia's back on the ropes. Garcia pushed off and landed a decent left hook but it wasn't enough to disrupt the offensive output of Herrera who lands a nice right hand over the top in an effort to close the show strong. Garcia landed a nice one-two combo but Herrera walked through it and Garcia's back was on the ropes again from the pressure of Herrera. Another clean left hook from Herrera lands while Garcia tries to blitz his way towards winning the last round. Two straight right hands and two left hooks from Herrera punctuate the round and he is on the attack with a flush jab to the face when the bell rings. Herrera wins the 12th round 10-9

Official Scores: 116-112, 116-112, and 114-114 in favor of Danny "Swift" Garcia to retain his world title.

KO Digest scores the fight 115-113 in favor of Mauricio Herrera

KO Digest Spotlight on Boxing's Up and Comers - Randy Caballero

El Matador

In the March edition of KO Digest's 'Spotlight on Boxing's Up and Comers' we zoom in on another rising star with a world championship belt firmly in his sights. Randy Caballero (20-0, 12 KO's) is now ranked number four by the IBF and - after former champion Jamie McDonnell was forced to withdraw from their proposed eliminator in the UK - Caballero will now travel to Japan in order to face number five ranked Kohei Oba (35-2-1, 14 KO's) in an eliminator for the IBF bantamweight title held by Stuart Hall.

"The whole team was looking forward to going out to England," said Caballero "We were excited for that fight. Then we got the call about whatever was happening with his management, and I'm not sure on the full story (McDonnell is in a legal battle with promoter Dennis Hobson as he looks to terminate his contract and sign with Eddie Hearn) but then they threw us Japan, and I'm excited again. Regardless of where I fight, I am going to have to put a 100% in, whether it is in England, Japan or anywhere else in the world, I gotta do what I gotta do once I get in that ring. It makes no difference to me."

Caballero, born September 27, 1990 in Coachella, CA., chalked up an exceptional record during his time as an amateur including a national championship in 2008. He compiled an impressive marker of roughly 167-10 as he looked to follow in the footsteps of those close to him. "My Dad was a boxer and when he came to the US he ended up getting with Lee Espinoza at the Coachella Valley Boxing Club, and he has been there ever since. My older brother was a boxer too, and I used to love watching him, he used to knock out people like crazy. Then I got involved with the sport. It's just a family thing man, my two younger brothers are now boxing too. It runs in the family."

Caballero is loyal to family

Caballero is trained by his father Marcos, at a gym close to his home, alongside his brothers. It is certainly a family thing. It will come as no surprise that the undefeated fighter, nicknamed 'El Matador', has no plans of changing camp anytime soon. "My Dad trains me, he has taught me everything I know and I'm not gonna go with anybody else. I came in to the sport with my Dad and I'm not leaving without him. We're going all the way to the top. He's worked with a lot of top names, he worked with Johnny Tapia before, but he focuses all his attention on us."

Like he said, "It's a family thing man."

Caballero can fight. He is a boxer-puncher who puts his punches together well and he possesses enough power in either hand to keep you honest. He is technically sound and certainly well schooled but not always conventional. His lead-right hand is effective, his jab is crisp and thrown often and his left hook often punctuates his combinations well. His defensive skills are largely underrated and as the quality of opponent improves, we should expect to see him make the necessary adjustments. "To be honest, I don't think the people have seen the boxing skills that I have. I have very fast footwork and I can out-box a fighter but for some reason that part of my game hasn't clicked in yet. I've just been knocking these guys out," said Caballero.

Caballero has stopped over half of his opponents, operating as more of a bull than a matador for the time being. His first knockout came in his professional debut against fellow debutant Gonzalo Nicolas at Commerce Casino in Commerce, CA., "It was a night I'll never forget, I was pumped up man. I know everybody gets nervous, and don't get me wrong, I was nervous too, but once I started walking out to the ring dude, and all of my fans where there, I was just pumped up and ready to go. As a matter of fact, we had a guy pull out and they found a guy on the day of weigh-ins. We ended up weighing in for that fight, two hours before we went in to the locker rooms."

Caballero and Oba will square off on April 4th at the Sambo Hall, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. The winner will likely travel to the UK to face IBF champion Stuart Hall. It is certainly not a formality for the young bantamweight but it is likely to offer the easiest route for Caballero who is also ranked number two by the WBO. Caballero has come a long way since that night in Commerce, CA., and he definitely has a long way to go, literally. The trip to Japan will take him and his team half way around the world in a quest for IBF supremacy. Despite being positioned higher than Oba in the official rankings, and still having to travel, Caballero refuses to let the logistics dampen his spirits.

"Sometimes I ask the same questions, like 'why can't they come to me?' But, you know, I just let Golden Boy find my fights and I will train 100% and get ready, and we are ready for this fight. It's a tough fight, we have seen the way he fights, going into his hometown is definitely going to be different, but like I said, we are ready."

Written by Terry Strawson ~ exclusively for KO Digest  
Photo Credit: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

KO Digest Interview: Carlos Molina - "I’m a boxing technician"

Carlos is finally King

Often times, the most ferocious fighters in boxing turn out to be gentle giants outside of the ring, away from their hyped personas and promotionally fabricated facades of grandeur. We’ve heard that story so many times that it’s almost become cliché. IBF junior middleweight titlist Carlos Molina is different—he behaves the way he fights. To many fans, a quick round of word association about Molina would lead to adjectives like “boring, dull, and unpolished.” But before you read into that comment any further, let’s dispel these all-too-common fallacies about the Mexican-American champion, who was born in Mexico but now resides in Chicago. For bloodthirsty fans that long for haymakers and who focus interest and attention on merely one facet of the sport, Molina’s KO percentage of 20.69% can be a turn off.

However, what Molina may lack in sheer in-your-face power, he makes up for with a calculated approach that flies under the radar both in and out of the ring. Molina is a family man, and he likes to lay low away from the spotlight, electing to stay out of trouble. While some cry “dirty,” he simply does what it takes to win, having been through far too many controversial decisions to leave anything on the table. And while a résumé featuring only seven amateur fights certainly gives the impression of being unpolished, Molina overcomes with will-power. When he sees something he wants, regardless of how far down the road it lies, he sets his sights on it and meticulously maps out the best avenue to get there. Ahead of his March 8 showdown with Jermall Charlo in Las Vegas, Molina admits he isn’t satisfied.

“A lot of people didn’t think I was ready to fight as a professional, but I did and I was winning. A lot of people didn’t think I was going to beat certain guys, but I did. A lot of people didn’t think I would be a world champion, but I am. A lot of people don’t think that I can defend this title, but I will.  I’m not satisfied just winning the championship. This is the beginning of a new chapter for me—I want it all,”  he said, lacking flamboyance but sounding firm and totally confident. Carlos Molina (22-5-2, 6 KO's) might not be the flashiest fighter in the talented junior middleweight division, but setbacks be damned, he’s determined to get the job done, no matter how many years, fights, or rounds it takes.

Molina grew up around boxing

KO Digest's Joel Sebastianelli: You’re Mexican by birth but you reside in Illinois, and started your amateur career at the relatively advanced age 18. How do the cultures of Mexico and boxing tie into your family and your upbringing?

Carlos Molina: I was born in Mexico, but I lived most of my life here in the U.S. I started boxing here, so I think my Mexican heritage is still an important part of who I am. Growing up, I was into boxing because it was one of the biggest sports. Even though I wasn’t participating in boxing at the time, I was still around it and watching it. Every time there was a big fight, the family would get together and have a good time, so it directed me towards boxing.

KOD: Early on, there were tough fights against guys like Mike Alvarado and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.  Did fighting top notch talent from the get-go, even in defeat, help you to grow as a fighter as opposed to taking the slow and easy road to the top? Were you more prepared for guys like James Kirkland and Erislandy Lara when you did recently face them?

CM: Yes, I think so. Those kinds of dangerous fights can either ruin your career or help you out in your career. I always worked on my defense, and it ended up helping me. I was beat up and got hurt, I got damaged, and had fights I thought I won that were close. Learning from those fights and those mistakes mentally prepares you for any fight.

KOD: Should other fighters try to go the same route you did, scheduling more challenging fights early on?

CM: I don’t think so. I did it because I didn’t have a promoter or manager for most of my career, so I just had to. I didn’t have the luxury or the privilege of fighting in my own hometown or building up an undefeated record but it made me a better fighter and I wouldn’t change it in any way. Some of them fighters who have promoters are having easier fights and an easier route to get to the top, but some guys still come up the hard way because some people don’t see them or believe in them and what they’re capable of doing. This is all I have. This is the best thing I know how to do.

Molina thought he beat Chavez Jr

KOD: You fought Julio Cesar Chavez Jr twice; first was a draw in 2005, and the second bout you lost by majority decision in 2006. However, both of those fights were surrounded by controversy. How did you see the circumstances and results of those fights through your eyes?

CM: The first fight I won. I won the first fight, and the crowd also thought I won—they were chanting my name! The second fight was closer and could have been a draw, but it was still a close enough fight that it went his way and it happened to me again. But, you move on from that. I try not the think about it anymore. It’s in the past, and I want to keep moving forward.

KOD: Often times, a controversial decision leads to a rematch. About eight years have passed, and although you both are prominent fighters in your respective divisions, Chavez Jr. has bulked up and is a much larger fighter, meaning that another rematch would not be possible. Does it bother you that you’ll probably never get that chance again?

CM: I always thought that a rematch would be there for me down the line in a few years later and settle it with a third fight. But, like you said, he’s two weight classes away from me now. Anything is possible, and I might move up one weight class, but two? I’m not so sure about. I wish it would have happened, but it doesn’t bother me.

KOD: You were involved in another close decision against Mike Alvarado in 2007. 
Was there any controversy surrounding that 8-round majority decision loss?

CM: That was a close fight. Alvarado came and put pressure on me. I felt like the first four rounds were his, and maybe one of those was mine, but the last four I felt like I won. I was gaining momentum at the end of the fight, and I still feeling good. That was a fight that I wish was longer, like a 10 or 12 rounder. The distance really decided who won. Everything is stacked against you if you aren’t the favorite fighter. They’re the undefeated fighters. In all of these fights we’ve talked about, they have promoters, they’re the favorite, and all of that’s against you. Going in, you’re down two rounds already before the fight even starts. That’s just it.

Molina was handling Kirkland until the DQ

KOD: The James Kirland bout was another in the long line of controversies. You were disqualified by referee Jon Schorle after your corner entered the ring following a flash knock down in a fight you were winning. Take us through the night, the circumstances as you remember, and the aftermath.

CM: I thought I was winning the fight. Kirkland was still Kirkland. He was a dangerous fighter through the whole fight. When I lost my balances, he landed a punch at the same time in the tenth round, so it was officially a knockdown. As far as me being hurt and him winning the fight simply because of that? My corner man went in because he thought that the round was over. No, it wasn’t fair. I don’t think about it at all though. It happened already, I learn from every fight, and obviously it was a bad disqualification because the bell shouldn’t have rang. The referee wasn’t trying to help me out in any way, and it should have continued.

KOD: Who has been the toughest fighter you’ve faced?

CM: At the time, the toughest fight was Wayland Willingham, after the Chavez Jr. fight. He was a pretty tricky southpaw, the first time I ever fought a southpaw like that. It made for a hard fight, and in the third round, he dropped me with a right hook I didn’t see coming at all. That’s the one time in my career that I’ve been hurt, but I got up. In the final rounds, I almost got him out, but it was too late and I lost the fight by decision. It was one of my toughest fights, given the experience that I had.

The dream comes true for King Carlos

KOD: Last time out against Ishe Smith, picked up the IBF junior middleweight title, the first world title of your career. How emotional was that breakthrough for you?

CM: It was satisfying. Everything that I’ve been working for, everything that we’ve been through, I just kept saying “move on, move on” after controversial fights, but finally my time came after putting in the work. It felt great.

KOD: The next target is Jermall Charlo on March 8th. What are some of your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, and how do those tie into your game plan?

CM: I think his weakness is that he’s inexperienced as a professional, and his strengths are his height and reach. I’m usually the shorter guy, so my game plan will be pretty much the same: get on the inside and work him on the inside. Our plan is to always be in top shape, the best physical shape possible and go in there with a plan after all the hard work.

KOD: I want to read a quote to you that Charlo said the other day. "This is like a regular fight to me, like any other fight I've ever had. Molina is just the stepping stone. Once my team gets past this, I feel like we'll be at the top forever. I'm 17-0 right now. I haven't even clinched twenty fights and I'm fighting for a world title. I feel like an elite fighter." Having heard that, do you think he might be looking over you and that maybe he is overconfident about this fight, not anticipating you to be as big a challenge as you really are?

Molina prefers to do his talking in the ring

CM: Definitely. I feel like he’s making the same mistake as a lot of fighters have made in the past. They think it’s easy to go against what I do in a fight, but once they step in there, it’s different. There are things I do to adjust that he doesn’t see. For him, it’s just another regular fight, as compared to the opponents he fought in the past—not to talk bad about them, but he hasn’t fought top ten guys. It’s going to be different when we go into the ring.

KOD: There is a pair of criticisms about you that I’d like to give you the opportunity to respond to. The first comes from another quote by Charlo on the KO Digest Facebook page. He said “Molina will have to find ways to use his dirty tactics without getting hit with KO punches.” What do you have to say about that?

CM: Dirty fighter? (laughing) Is that like a compliment? I don’t know. They’ve been saying that for the last two or three fights. I don’t know where that comes from. Maybe everybody is judging me from the fight against Kirkland, where I clinched him, but they say I use my head and I don’t. I’ve never head-butted anybody. I just keep my head down so I don’t get head-butted. I’ve been cut many times before, and I just learned to keep my head down.

KOD: The other knock on you is more common among fans, who say that you’re a “boring fighter.” Now, they say that about a lot of guys, including Floyd Mayweather, who is the greatest fighter in the sport. How do you respond to that?

CM: Every fight that I’m in, I’m always throwing punches, I’m always the aggressor, I’m always bringing the fight, but they want to see the knockout. They don’t appreciate my boxing in there. I’m a boxing technician. That's the way I learned how to fight. I throw a lot of punches, but all I can do is perform at my best.

Mayweather is the goal for Molina

KOD: Certainly, you don’t want to overlook your opponent, but in the event that you win and defend your title for the first time, what would be the ideal next step? What are some of your goals in the sport that you’ve yet to achieve?

CM: We’re not looking past him, we’re taking it fight by fight. Before, the goal was to win the world title, but now that I’ve won the title, my goal is to keep it. In order for me to keep the world title, I need to focus on the fight ahead of me. I’m happy winning my fight right now—I’m not even thinking other fights. I couldn’t get Canelo and obviously everyone wants to fight Mayweather. That’s my main goal before he retires. All I can do is control what I’m doing. If I win my next few fights in a row, then I’m right there for a Mayweather fight.

KOD: What’s your prediction for the Charlo fight next weekend?

CM: I’m going to take any opportunity I can to take him out. In the later rounds, I’ll push for the stoppage. I need the stoppage because I can’t afford another controversial decision. I feel I can get Charlo frustrated and work him real good.

KO UPDATE (3/7/14 - 4PM EST): Carlos Molina was arrested in Las Vegas on Tuesday March 4th, just five days before his scheduled bout with Jermall Charlo on the Canelo-Angulo "Toe To Toe" undercard. Molina was jailed for failing to register as a sex offender in Wisconsin, this having to do with a sexual relationship he allegedly engaged in with a 14 year old girl when he was himself just 18. Molina is now 30 years of age. There were also immigration issues complicating matters and efforts to free him in time to weigh in today at 3PM PT for the fight were unsuccessful. As of this writing, Molina is still behind bars and his title fight with Charlo has been scrapped. Molina's current status as IBF junior middleweight champion is now in question but it seems doubtful that he'll be allowed to keep his title.   

Molina was finally released from jail in mid-April and returned to Mexico City.
The IBF junior middleweight champion has since signed with boxing powerbroker Al Haymon.

The Future of Boxing

  
KO Digest Interview conducted by Joel "The Future" Sebastianelli
 
Joel joined KO Digest in January 2013 and has been a fixture on press row in the New England area for three years. In 2012, he served as the host of “The Boxing Fix” on Leave it in the Ring Radio. Sebastianelli is the future of boxing journalism and broadcasting. 

Joel can be found Tweeting on Twitter @JJSebastianelli