Latin Fury 15: Duddy vs. Chavez Jr. Live Results
First on the card
In the PPV opener Salvador Sanchez was upset by Tomas Villa in a decent action tussle. All three judges scored in favour of Villa: cards were 77-75, 79-73, 78-74.
Prelim action
Top Rank’s 18 year old super prospect, Jose Benavidez, destroyed Josh Beeman with a bodyshot in the first. Benavidez progresses to 7-0 with 7 KOs.
Fight 2
Raul Martinez mauled Gabriel Elizondo over seven rounds putting him down 3 times before the ref waved it off. Martinez only loss in 28 fights was to the top super flyweight in the world Nonito Donaire. He has now strung together 3 straight wins since that slip up.
Barrera showcase
Marco Antonio Barrera boxed to a comfortable 10 round decision over Adailton De Jesus. It was Barrera’s first time out since getting busted up by Amir Khan more than a year ago. Marco has enough savvy to outclass guys like De Jesus in spite of his hugely deteriorating skills. The score cards read 100-90, 98-92 and 99-91. He wants to win one more title, but at this point, I really don’t see him beating anyone who will add anything to his glistening record. His legacy is secure; why fight on as a shell of the fighter he once was?
Main Event Time
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (40-0-1) vs. John Duddy (29-1)
Duddy has been trying to box smarter in recent fights. I don’t think he can do that tonight. To win this he will need to be the old John Duddy. He will have to out war Chavez.
Chavez Jr. is coming off a dismal performance against Troy Rowland on the Pacquiao/Cotto undercard . After which he tested positive for a diuretic and was subsequently banned. Both men are in need of a good showing tonight.
Chavez Jr. took a unanimous decision. I think this was the type of fight most people wanted to see from these guys. They stood toe to toe for the duration and just traded. They fought on even footing for the first 8 or so rounds and it looked like anybodies fight. Chavez was superior defensively though, and as the rounds wore on Duddy became easier and easier to hit. Rounds 9 to 11 were really brutal on Duddy. He was hurt badly several times, and it’s a credit to him that he not only survived it, but actually came back to win the final round. That tremendous show of heart has been a character trait of Duddy right throughout his career.
For Chavez, it was a career best performance, and will go a long way to rebuild him after the debacle he had last time out. Let’s be perfectly honest about it, the guy is not a championship level fighter, but there is no shame in that. Tonight he came in in shape and prepared for a 12 round battle. He showed a ton of guts, and there was definitely some noticeable improvements since starting training at the wild card. If he can keep putting on fights of this caliber, I don’t think too many people can complain.
The scores were 120-108, 116-112 and 117-111. The fact that one judge scored a fight like that a shut out is completely indefensible.
What do you think Chavez’s apex is with Roach in his corner?
Also, where does your boy Duddy go from here?
It’s hard to say how far Chavez can go now. I suppose it’s a matter of how much he continues to improve under Roach’s tutelage. I think one big hurdle they got over in this fight is that they had Chavez prepare like a professional. He was in the condition needed to give his best performance. Now time will tell if that is a permanent change or if his old ways will begin to creep back in after he has become more used to his new wild card surroundings.
There was talk of him fighting Miguel for that light middleweight title he just win, and that would be a dreadful decision for him at this point. The kid gets hit far too much to be thrown in with Cotto. His ribs will be shattered, and fast. One of the reasons I had always tended to defend Jr. is because he always had good action fights. That was up until that last one. If he can keep having fights like this, im sure he can make a very nice career for himself.
John still has a fair few options. He’s a good ticket seller, and he’s renowned for having exciting fights, so he will always be in demand. There is 2 big fights for him at home against our other top middleweights Andy Lee and Matthew Macklin. People have wanted to see those three face off for a long time, and it would be a sure fire sell out. The problem is that I don’t see him winning either of those fights really. I think Lee would likely outbox him, and Macklin would beat him up bad.
I feel John has lost something compared to what he was in 2007-08. He’s always been in these wars and maybe they are beginning to take their toll. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something just hasn’t been there in his last few bouts. He still fights with such passion and heart though, and he is great value for money. I’m sure there will be plenty more opportunities out there for him.
Chavez is a great fighter. His fighting stance and quick combination made feel superior in the fight. This guy has a long way to go with Roach in his corner. That judge who scored a 120-118 is questionable….
Yeah, the fight was probably a solid 7 rounds to 5 or maybe even 8-4, but any wider than that is ridiculous.