Since I was in Brantford saturday night at the pro show I had missed watching the HBO After Dark card live but watched it first thing sunday morning. I did all I could to avoid knowing the results so I could still watch the fights with some excitement. WBC Welterweight Champ Andre Berto continued to shine with a good unanimous decision over Juan Urango. As I thought Berto was just too fast for Urango. Urango kept plodding forward winging those wild powerful hooks but they just couldn't find their mark. Berto showed great movement and speed but just fell into the clinch far too much. And I am not sure why. Maybe he was worried about Urango's power on the inside but he held alot more than he should have been. The 4th round was probably the best with some great exchanges and Berto had landed a fantastic right uppercut but some tangled feet sent Urango to his back and the referee didn't call it a knockdown. Berto controlled the entire fight and made it look easy. But even having two impressive wins now over Urango and Collazo I still wouldn't place Berto with the elite in the division just yet. I still don't think he is quite at the level of Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto, even Paul Williams, but I would be interested in seeing him fight one of them in the near future.
Kermit Cintron surprised alot of boxing fans on the undercard by winning a 12 round decision over previously unbeaten rising super welterweight star Alfredo Angulo. I have never been impressed with Cintron much before but I was this time. Could have been his best performance to date. He boxed well and landed alot of great bombs in a very entertaining fight. He had Angulo in a little bit of trouble in the 4th round as well. Angulo persued him the entire fight but just couldn't be effective. Angulo's style reminds me so much of Antonio Margarito, just a notch below...he even looks like him. I wouldn't call it a huge setback for Angulo, the fight was still very good and competitive. He has to go back, work on a few things, and I can still see him winning a title at 154 lbs somewhere in the future. And based on this performance Cintron is a threat in the division. Would be interested in seeing him fight Vernon Forrest or a rematch with Sergio Martinez.
And on a final note the Russian Giant Nicolai Valuev escaped this weekend with his WBA Heavyweight title as the rematch with Ruslan Chagaev was cancelled the day before the fight. Apparently Chagaev had failed some Finnish medical tests and they would not allow the fight to proceed. So the boxing world was spared that fight for the time being. But then to my shock and horror I read that John Ruiz's team is petitioning for a third fight now between Ruiz and Valuev! Funny since I had mentioned in a previous post that the only fighter I hate watching more than Chagaev, is Ruiz!!! I was spared Chagaev to possibly having an even worse fight made!!! The only reason a fight promotor would want to put together a third fight between Nicolai Valuev and John Ruiz is that they must just simply be cruel natured and in some sadistic way want to torture the boxing world with this fight. The first two meetings between the two have to rank up there with the worst heavyweight fights I've ever had to sit through, and that is saying alot. Ruiz is simply just dreadful to watch. But my curse is that if the fight gets made...I will have to endure sitting through all 12 painful rounds to watch.
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