RCM Boxing Weekend Recap: Tale of Two Benavidez, Martinez and Galahad, Munguia’s 38-0 Road
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Anaheim, CA (November 14th, 2021)– At 38-0 with 30 knockouts, Jaime Munguia of Tijuana, Mexico, is seeking to conquer the world middleweight division as the next potential Carlos Monzon. At 26-14-1 with 156 knockouts, Gabriel Rosado of Los Angeles, California is the ranked middleweight gatekeeper. The World Boxing Organisation Inter-Continental Middleweight title of Munguia remains of little consequence. Can Munguia, who held the WBO World Super Welterweight title, succeed at 160 pounds, that is the question in 2022.
Rosado, at age 35, had the tighter defense and the edge on experience., Munguia had height and reach advantage, and youth at age 25. In the DAZN main event at Honda Center in Anaheim, California, November 13, 2021, Munguia landed combinations with speed, with Munguia eventually standing his ground in center ring and countering. Rosado did not land enough counters to win, but had power when he landed and kept the bout interesting.
It became clear as the bout evolved Munguia was in for a complex war and a long night, as Rosado was not going anywhere. Caution was eventually thrown into the wind, as Munguia dished it out, and Rosado took it, and looked to give it back with interest. Rosado just did not have the volume to keep up with the furious pace tempo in center ring, though he did take Munguia on a 36 minutes trip to hell. For sure, Munguia now knows, the road ahead in the middleweight division will get harder. Rosado’s high arms and elbows earmuffs style defense held up well. Munguia had volume on his side, while Rosado retaliated with pinpoint jabs and body shots. Both fighters tumbled to the floor without issue in round seven, perhaps a consequence of both combatants struggling for control on the inside in center ring. Rosado, getting hit with short shots, came forward and tackled Munguia. “You can’t wrestle!” referee Jack Reiss explained to the holding and grappling Rosado.
Rosado seemed to like it best in close, where his wicked left and right hands could land with best power. Rosado kept it dirty with occasional rabbit punches to the back of the head despite being warned to stop. Near the end of round nine, Rosado pinned Munguia on the ropes and wailed away with bombs, reminding Munguia that Rosado remained ever dangerous if he was not careful for even an instant. At the end the end of round nine, referee Jack Reiss still warned both Rosado and trained Freddie Roach to stop the bullsh#t or lose points.
As round 10 began, Rosado landed a big bomb on the chin of Munguia in center ring, but Munguia’s chin held. As the round evolved, Munguia landed more bombs than Rosado, who really needed to win the championship rounds as Freddie Roach implored.
Rounds 11 and 12 were a rude education for Munguia, as Rosado simply gave and took and would not fall. Rosado knew how to hold when Munguia landed too many combinations, Rosado could not defeat Munguia with one punch at a time, and the opportunity to landed the overhand right to take Munguia out never materialized. Rosado could have been stopped late in round 11, but referee Jack Reiss gave Rosado the benefit of the doubt. Munguia punched from every angle, forcing Rosado to play too much defensive catch. In the end, they were both fighting close and dirty, and Munguia had been taken to school in a war.
What will really prove interesting is if Gennady Golovkin, at 39, can beat Ryota Murata on December 29, 2021, and unify the WBA Super, IBF and IBO World Middleweight titles, is if Munguia challenges Golovkin thereafter in GGG’s subsequent bout in 2022. This would tell the story of what Munguia is really made of. GGG versus Munguia would be a great DAZN bout for both combatants in 2022, if GGG can defeat rival world champion Murata in Super Arena, in Saitama, Japan.
Result: Jaime Munguia Win 12 Gabriel Rosado, Middleweights
Munguia retains WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight title
Scoring: 119-109, 118-110, 117-111. Referee: Jack Reiss.
Rosado, who tackled Munguia to floor in round seven, and his trainer Freddie Roach, were warned for rabbit punches and fouling by referee Jack Reiss, between rounds nine and ten.
At Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, former welterweight contender Jose Benavidez Jr., 27-1-1 with 18 knockouts, Phoenix, Arizona, making a comeback after 37 months of inactivity and being shot in a leg, fought to a hard-fought super welterweight draw with Francisco Emanuel Torres, 17-3-1 with five knockouts, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Benavidez fought the bout slower and more cautious than his previous ring wars, with a reduced punch volume than the past. Torres appeared to do enough to outwork Jose in Jose’s hometown of Phoenix, but the judges did not see it that way. The bout was close. Both combatants appeared in top condition and emerged the bout in fine shape. Torres had won nine consecutive bouts coming in, and his appearance was not a social call. At 157, Jose is campaigning at a higher weight, close to middleweight, and should go back to welterweight.
Result: Jose Benavidez Jr. Majority Draw 10 Francisco Emanuel Torres, Welterweights
Scoring: 96-94 for Jose Benavidez Jr. The other two judges had 95-95, and 95-95 a draw.
Referee: Chris Flores
Jose’s brother, former World Super Middleweight champion David Benavidez, now 25-0 with 22 knockouts, remained in the hunt for a mega bout with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez with a seventh-round stoppage of game Kyrone Davis, 16-3-1 with six knockouts, Wilmington, Delaware. Davis fought circling away, and tried to remain out of range to make Benavidez reach for him. David came forward as a calm, slow but sure patient stalker, cutting off the ring and placing his head jabs and body shots meticulously.
Benavidez continued to move forward with pressure, while Davis punched and counterpunched. When Benavidez had Davis along the ropes, Benavidez threw combinations with evil intent. David tried to keep Benavidez out of range, but eventually, Benavidez began to score with power shots. Davis tried to fight backing up, but could not move Benavidez. Whenever Benavidez got Davis along the ropes, his power punches landed effectively. Davis looked like an inflated version of Gervonta Davis, and tried to slug it out with Benavidez in heated exchanges as the bout evolved.
Davis took this bout with only a few weeks of notice, and despite being in top form and condition, lacked the study preparation with the correct game plan to deal with Benavidez. The championship pace set by Benavidez eventually took its toll, and when Davis began to slow down, Benavidez landed power shots and uppercuts in close. Too many Benavidez power shots to the head and body got in, and Davis could not counter by volume sufficiently to stop the onslaught. The more combinations Davis threw, the more Benavidez beckoned him to test him more. Benavidez began to brutalize Davis with body shots, and firepower shots on Davis trapped on the ropes. In the seventh, with Benavidez battering a slowed down Davis who was no longer moving, the Davis corner threw in the towel.
Result: David Benavidez TKO 7 Kyrone Davis, Super Middleweights (0:48)
Referee: Wes Milton. The Davis corner threw in the towel.
At Sheffield Arena in Yorkshire, United Kingdom, Kid Galahad lost his world title the hard way. Kiko Martinez, 43-10-2 with 30 knockouts, Alicante, Spain, won the International Boxing Federation World Featherweight title, dropping Galahad in the fifth round, and scoring a TKO immediately with a right to the chin as the sixth round began. Galahad, in white trunks, tried to outbox Martinez, in black trunks, in the center ring, and the bout evolved to who was going to break down who first. Galahad switched from southpaw to orthodox stance, an awkward style. Galahad, 28-2 with 17 knockouts, Sheffield, United Kingdom, appeared to have a slight height advantage, so Martinez concentrated on getting inside with short counter shots. Martinez was cut over the right eye in the third round. Martinez began moving forward on the front foot with pressure, trying to assert command of the tempo of the bout. There were no indications of power from either man, when all of a sudden a sweeping power right hook with 15 seconds left in round five put Galahad on his back.
When the sixth round began, Martinez landed the same overhand right again to the chin, this time knocking out Galahad on his back. Martinez had found a flaw in Galahad’s defense. The flaw remains a low left hand in Galahad’s southpaw stance/ Galahad did not appear troubled waiting for the sixth round bell. However, Galahad did not make the internal correction in style flaw, and Martinez simply timed and targeted the same flaw again. Former World Middleweight champion Sergio Gabriel Martinez, in the corner of Spanish compatriot Kiko Martinez, might have spotted the defensive flaw during the bout. Kiko Martinez had a kitchen sink of experience in the ring, and in his corner. It helped.
Result: Kiko Martinez TKO 6 Kid Galahad, Featherweights (0:06). Martinez wins
International Boxing Federation World Featherweight title. Martinez knocked Galahad down near the end of round five with a right hook to chin over low left. Martinez knocked Galahad down at the start of round six with a right to chin over low left. Referee: Steve Gray.
On the UK Undercard
Alycia Baumgardner TKO 4 Terri Harper, Female Super Featherweights (0:23).
11-1 Marshall Kauffman fighter Baumgardner wins World Boxing Council and International Boxing Organization World Super Featherweight title over previously undefeated Harper, 11-1-1, Denaby Main, United Kingdom. Referee: Mark Lyson.
English
No Comments Yet