The Top Puerto Rican Boxing Prospects: March 2014

1.                  Jose “Sniper” Pedraza 16-0 (10 KO) [Super Featherweight]

2.                  Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez 17-0-1 (14 KO) [Jr. Middleweight]

3.                  Luis “Orlandito” Del Valle 18-1 (13 KO) – Bayamon [Featherweight]

4.                  Felix Verdejo 11-0 (7 KO) [Lightweight]

5.                  McWilliams Arroyo 14-1 (12 KO) – Fajardo      

6.                  Carlos Ivan “Twin Dream” Velasquez 15-1 (11 KO)

7.                  Gamalier Rodriguez 22-2-3 (15 KO) – Bayamon [Featherweight]

8.                  Luis “El Artesano” Cruz 21-2 (16 KO) – Las Piedras [Lightweight]

9.                  Prichard “Digget” Colon 7-0 (7KO) – Orocovis [Jr. Middleweight]

10.              Jesus M. Rojas 19-1-1 (14 KO) 

11.              Jayson “La Maravilla” Velez 21-0 (15 KO) – Juncos [Featherweight]

12.              McJoe Arroyo 13-0 (7 KO) - Fajardo [Super Flyweight]

13.              Luis Rosa 16-0 (7 KO) – Connecticut, USA [Super Bantamweight]

14.              Michael Perez 19-1-2 (10 KO) – Newark , NJ [Jr. Welterweight]

15.              Emmanuel “Manny” Gonzalez 14-0 (7KO) – NYC [Super Featherweight]

16.              Reylando “El Maestro” Ojeda 13-0 (8 KO) – San Juan / Canovanas [Lightweight]

17.              Miguel “No Fear” Cartagena 12-0 (5 KO)

18.              Emmanuel Rodriguez 8-0 (5 KO) – Vega Baja [Super Flyweight]

19.              Frank “Notorious” Galarza 12-0-2 (7KO) – Brooklyn , NYC [Jr. Middleweight]

20.              Thomas Dulorme 21-1 (14 KO) – Carolina /D. Republic [Jr. Welterweight]

21.              Robert J. Acevedo 8-1 (5KO) - Bayamon

22.              Vicente Miranda 16-1 (9 KO) – Bayamon

23.              Jonathan Oquendo  24-3 (16 KO) – Vega Alta

24.              Jorge “Destroyer”  Melendez 28-3-1 (26 KO) – Manati

25.              Jose “Wonder Boy” Lopez 13-0 (11 KO) – Carolina [ Super Bantamweight ]

26.              Israel Vazquez 9-0-2 (6 KO)

27.              Wilkins Santiago 9-0-1 (1KO) -  Ohio, USA

28.              Gabriel Bracero 23-1 (4 KO) – Brooklyn, NYC

29.              Frank Santo de Alba 10-1-2 (4KO) – Bayamon / Pennsylvania, USA

30.              Jose Martinez 10-0 (7 KO)

31.              Luis “La Roca” Hernandez 10-1 (6KO) – Rio Piedras

32.              Alberto Mercado 8-0 (2KO) – Las Piedras

33.              *Dusty Harrison-Hernandez 20-0 (11KO) – Washington D.C.

34.              John Karl Sosa 8-0 (6 KO) – Caguas [Jr. Welterweight]

35.              Edgardo “Sasso” Lopez 9-0-1 (4KO)

36.              Jose Martinez 10-0 (7 KO) - Las Marias [Bantamweight]

37.              Javier Flores 9-0 (8 KO) – Hartford, Connecticut, USA

38.              Rafael Vasquez 10-1 (8KO)

39.              Emmanuel Rivera 9-1 (5 KO)

40.              Edgardo Laboy 7-0 (4 KO) [Featherweight]

41.              Eliezer Gonzalez 14-0 (9 KO) – Cupey Alto [Jr. Middleweight]

42.              Jonathan Vidal 17-2 (9 KO) – San Juan [Bantamweight]

43.              Antonio “Carita” Nieves 5-0 (2KO) – Ohio , USA

44.              Jose Aguirre 6-0 (4 KO) – Manati

45.              Janiel Rivera 10-1-2 (6KO)

46.              Edwin Soto 9-0-2 ( 4 KO)

47.              Kevin Nieves 6-0 (3KO)

48.              Starling Cordero 7-0 (4KO)  - Carolina [Bantamweight]

49.              Andy Mejias 14-0 (6KO)

50.              Angel Fret 16 -0 (13KO) – Vega Alta [Super Bantamweight]

51.              Alberto “El Explosivo” Machado 5-0 (3KO)

52.              Fransisco Almestica Garcia 6-0 (4 KO) – [Welterweight]

53.              Charlie Clemente 6-0 (4KO) – Carolina [Super Flyweight]

54.              Carlos Narvaez 6-0 (5 KO)

55.              Jonathan Perez 5-0 (3KO) – Moca [Jr. Welterweight]

56.              Fransisco “Pechuga” Vargas 2-0 (2KO)

57.              Braulio Santos 11-2 (10 KO) – Carolina [Featherweight]

58.              Jeffrey “Dinamita” Fontanez 15-0 (11 KO) – Caguas [Lightweight]

59.              Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez 13-1 (11 KO) - Caguas [Flyweight]

60.              Jorge Diaz 17-3 (10KO)

61.              Daniel Rosario 7-0 (6KO) - Caguas

62.              Angel “Tito” Acosta 6-0 (6KO)

63.              Osenohan Vasquez 6-1 (1 KO) – Jersey City , NJ

64.              Abner “Pin” Cotto 17-2 (7KO) [Lightweight]

65.              Yomar “The Magic” Alamo 4-0 (4KO) – Aguas Buenas

66.              Christopher “Pitifo” Diaz 3-0 (2KO)

67.              Kenny Galarza 16-2 (15KO) – Ponce / Juana Diaz [Jr. Welterweight]

68.              Noel Echevarria 11-2 (6 KO) – North Carolina, USA [Lightweight]

69.              Camilo Perez 9-2 (4 KO) – Carolina

70.              Miguel “El Loco” Robles 12-4 (5 KO) – San Juan

71.              Edwin Rodriguez 5-0 (4KO) [Super Flyweight]

72.              Emmanuel De Jesus 10-0 (6 KO) – Canovanas [ Jr. Middleweight]

73.              Antonio “Cacique” Ortiz 4-0 (3KO) - Humacao

74.              Miguel Marrero 7-0-2 (4KO)

75.              Kenneth Rivera 5-1 (4KO) [Featherweight]

76.              O’Nell Negron 9-1-2 (8KO)

Danny “Swift” Garcia: The Irrational Scrutiny.

Let’s look at Danny “Swift” Garcia at 26 year boxer with a professional boxing record of 28 – 0 16 KO’s, the WBA (Super) & WBC 140 lbs. champion, with 6 successful world title defenses, and the undisputed champion at 140 lbs. Not even the future IBHOF Miguel Cotto achieved that much at 140 lbs. At any rate, you see a lot of irrational hate towards Danny Garcia many times this is fueled by things other than boxing, and a group of so called fans that use the sport to push their own agendas.

Garcia has defeated Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse the mythological boxer juggernaut, and the darling of the network commentators and the casual fans. Looks like many in the boxing sports media and commentators still have some residual trauma from seeing their darling Matthysse being defeated.

Garcia defeated Zab Judah, Erik Morales twice, Amir Khan, Kendal Holt, and Nate Campbell. A pretty good record for a 26 years old boxer that is under constant scrutiny by the boxing media and the causal fans mainly dominated by ethnics groups not very partial, or objective towards any Puerto Rican boxer with any kind of success. All one has to do is look at all the boxing threads through the web and people will obtain an idea.

The most recent fight vs. Mauricio Herrera for the WBC and WBA (Super) world titles is the most recent example of the bias and hate towards Garcia. In contrast, you won’t see the same hate and criticism for a boxer like Mikey Garcia that is not even the undisputed world champion in his respected division. Additionally, Mikey Garcia has been fighting the old WBO recycled C class boxers, yet he is deemed to be among the pound for pound best.

The double standard and hypocrisy is great, yet Garcia continues on regardless of all that is said. Be that as it may, the casual fans and media can create a new monster that will defeat Garcia, and it will give him an opportunity to prove them all wrong and shut their mouths. Looks like the new adopted monster is Provodnikov or at the age of 33 Mayfield that has accomplished nothing but defeat NABO boxers.

The intelligence of the average boxing fans has gone down since the 1990’s with the rise of human piñatas and their fan base that believe that the Rocky Movie is the standard of great boxing. Notice that the new hero of the causal fans is Mauricio Herrera, I counted a total of 73 clinches by Herrera, and according to the commentators and many in the boxing media smothering, head-butts, jabs, rushing in head first, and landing an occasional right hand wins a world championship.

However, what matters is the judges and their scoring that was Gustavo Padilla (Panama) 114-114; Carlos Colon (Puerto Rico) 116-112; Alejandro Rochin (Mexico / USA) 116-112. Sorry, but Steve Farhood, Paul Malignaggi, Al Berstein, and others are not professional judges, but simple commentators that are there to entertain and appease the ethnic demographics that supports their network. Their opinion is irrelevant outside entertaining and nothing more.

The Top Puerto Rican Boxing Prospects: February 2014

1.                  Jose “Sniper” Pedraza 15-0 (10 KO)

2.                  Jonathan “Mantequilla” Gonzalez 17-0-1 (14 KO)

3.                  Luis “Orlandito” Del Valle 18-1 (13 KO) – Bayamon

4.                  Felix Verdejo 10-0 (7 KO)

5.                  Carlos Ivan “Twin Dream” Velasquez 15-1 (11 KO)

6.                  McWilliams Arroyo 14-1 (12 KO) – Fajardo

7.                  Jesus M. Rojas 18-1-1 (13 KO)   

8.                  Gamalier Rodriguez 22-2-3 (15 KO) – Bayamon

9.                  Jayson “La Maravilla” Velez 21-0 (15 KO) – Juncos

10.              Luis Cruz 20-2 (16 KO) – Las Piedras

11.              Prichard “Digget” Colon 7-0 (7KO) - Orocovis

12.              McJoe Arroyo 13-0 (7 KO)

13.              Luis Rosa 15-0 (6 KO) – Connecticut, USA

14.              Braulio Santos 11-1 (10 KO) – Carolina

15.              Michael Perez 19-1-2 (10 KO) – Newark , NJ

16.              Emmanuel “Manny” Gonzalez 14-0 (7KO) – NYC

17.              Reylando “El Maestro” Ojeda 11-0 (6 KO) – San Juan / Canovanas

18.              Frank “Notorious” Galarza 12-0-2 (7KO) – Brooklyn , NYC

19.              Robert J. Acevedo 8-1 (5KO) - Bayamon

20.              Jonathan Vidal 17-1 (9 KO) – San Juan

21.              Israel Vazquez 9-0-2 (6 KO)

22.              Wilkins Santiago 9-0-1 (1KO) -  Ohio, USA

23.              Vicente Miranda 16-1 (9 KO) – Bayamon

24.              Jonathan Oquendo  25-3 (15 KO) – Vega Alta

25.              Jorge “Destroyer”  Melendez 27-3 (26 KO) – Manati

26.              Miguel Robles 12-3 (5 KO) – San Juan

27.              Emmanuel Rodriguez 6-0 (5 KO)

28.              * Thomas Dulorme 20-1 (14 KO) – Carolina ( From the Dominican Republic)

29.              Gabriel Bracero 23-1 (4 KO) – Brooklyn, NYC

30.              Frank Santo de Alba 10-1-2 (4KO) – Bayamon / Pennsylvania, USA

31.              Jose Lopez 10-0 (8 KO) - Carolina

32.              Jose Martinez 10-0 (7 KO)

33.              Luis “La Roca” Hernandez 10-1 (6KO) – Rio Piedras

34.              Miguel “No Fear” Cartagena 11-0 (4 KO)

35.              John Karl Sosa 8-0 (6 KO) – Caguas

36.              *Dusty Harrison-Hernandez 20-0 (11KO) – Washington D.C.

37.              Rafael Vasquez 10-1 (8KO)

38.              Edgardo “Sasso” Lopez 9-0-1 (4KO)

39.              Jose Martinez 8-0 (6 KO)

40.              Javier Flores 9-0 (8 KO) – Hartford, Connecticut, USA

41.              Emmanuel Rivera 9-1 (5 KO)

42.              Edgardo Laboy 7-0 (4 KO)

43.              Eliezer Gonzalez 13-0 (8 KO) – Cupey Alto

44.              Antonio “Carita” Nieves 5-0 (2KO) – Ohio , USA

45.              Jose Aguirre 6-0 (4 KO) – Manati

46.              Alberto Mercado 6-0 (1KO) – Las Piedras

47.              Janiel Rivera 10-1-2 (6KO)

48.              Edwin Soto 9-0-2 ( 4 KO)

49.              Kevin Nieves 6-0 (3KO)

50.              Andy Mejias 14-0 (6KO)

51.              Alberto “El Explosivo” Machado 5-0 (3KO)

52.              Fransisco Almestica Garcia 4-0 (2 KO)

53.              Carlos Narvaez 6-0 (5 KO)

54.              Jonathan Perez 5-0 (3KO) – Moca

55.              Fransisco “Pechuga” Vargas 2-0 (2KO)

56.              Jeffrey “Dinamita” Fontanez 14-0 (11 KO) – Caguas

57.              Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez 13-1 (11 KO) - Caguas

58.              Jorge Diaz 17-3 (10KO)

59.              Daniel Rosario 7-0 (6KO) - Caguas

60.              Angel “Tito” Acosta 6-0 (6KO)

61.              Osenohan Vasquez 6-1 (1 KO) – Jersey City , NJ

62.              Abner Cotto 17-1 (7KO)

63.              Yomar “The Magic” Alamo 4-0 (4KO) – Aguas Buenas

64.              Christopher “Pitifo” Diaz 3-0 (2KO)

65.              Noel Echevarria 10-2 (6 KO) – North Carolina, USA

66.              Camilo Perez 9-2 (4 KO) – Carolina

67.              Edwin Rodriguez 5-0 (4KO)

68.              Emmanuel De Jesus 8-0 (5 KO) - Canovanas

69.              Antonio “Cacique” Ortiz 4-0 (3KO) - Humacao

70.              Miguel Marrero 7-0-2 (4KO)

71.              O’Nell Negron 9-1-2 (8KO)

72.              Jorge Maysonet jr. 11-1 (10KO) – Catano

73.              Miguel Soto 11-2 (11 KO) – Arecibo

74.              Dennis Galarza 2-0 (1KO)

75.              Luis Saul “El Zurdo” Rosario 2-0 (2KO)

January 2014 in Review

January was an interesting month with very decent boxing bouts, disappointments, brutal KO’s, and a month that has put boxers in a situation in which they must reassess their boxing career. Among these boxers in the tough as nails Puerto Rican out of Philly, King Gabe Rosado who is a throwback to the old school boxers, but recently cuts have hurt his career. Rosado went down back to 154 lbs. after two failed attempts at a middleweight title, but his first fight back at 154 lbs. was against the prospect Jermell Charlo 23-0 (11KO) resulting in a defeat via a unanimous decision. Another boxer is Romanian Lucian Bute fighting out of Canada who was given a boxing lesson by Jean Pascal after the 5^th round TKO defeat at the hands of Carl Froch in Nottingham, England, Bute is no longer the same and it’s has been demonstrated that Bute was more of a marketing creation that a boxing talent. I believe it’s time for Bute to call it quits.

Boxing was a vehicle that took Victor Ortiz out of the bad situation in the early years of his life, however, now it’s time to reassess his boxing career and find other things that will continue helping him through life. After a long layoff Ortiz somehow believed that he was going to bully and use intimidation tactics against the crafty and skillful veteran Luis Collazo, due to injuries, management problems, and with his controversial defeats at the hands of Andre Berto and Ricky Hatton. Collazo became a distant memory to the casual fans, but after the brutal KO of Victor Ortiz this puts him right into the Golden Boy Promotion Welterweight division sweepstakes. For Luis Collazo the Ortiz fight was a pivotal point in his career it was do or die, and he stepped up to the plate and won with a brutal KO. Now what is ahead for Collazo who knows? There is the possible dangerous fight versus Keith Thurman.

The Mikey Garcia vs. J.C. Burgos was expected to be a good fight with Burgos claiming that the WBO Jr. Lightweight title was his and this being his third shot a world title more was expected form him. After Burgos hurt Garcia and then later was hurt. Burgos then decides to call it in for the night and went into survival mode since he could not adjust to Garcia excellent management of distance and power. Garcia has been down and hurt in his last two fights something to look out for in his boxing, as he moves up in quality of opponents. According to reports Garcia will be fighting Yuriorkis Gamboa whose career has been in a steady decline and is looking for relevance. The fight is said to be in May that should be an interesting technical fight with both boxers depending on their management of distance, power, speed, and counter punching abilities.

In Europe the 6’2” Serbian Cruiserweight Marco Huck fighting out of Germany defeated Firat Arlsan via a 6 round TKO, and becomes the WBO Cruiserweight Champion.

The best January KO’s / TKO’s: 

Luis Collazo’s  KO of Victor Ortiz in 2 rounds; Frank “Notorious” Galarza KO’s John “Apollo Kidd” Thompson in 2 rounds; Felix Verdejo’s KO of  Lauro Alcantar in 21 seconds; Marco Huck’s TKO Firat Arslan in 6 rounds.

Prospects that shined in January:

154 lbs. 5’ 7” Eddie “Eboy” Gomez 16-0 (10KO) out of the Bronx, NYC won a 10 round UD versus another undefeated power punching prospect Daquan Arnett. 

154 lbs. 5’10” Frank “Notorious” Galarza 12-0 (8KO) out Brooklyn, NYC won via a 2^nd round brutal KO of  another undefeated boxer John “Apollo Kidd” Thompson.

135 lbs. 5’9” Felix Verdejo 10-0 (7KO) out of San Juan, Puerto Rico won via a 1^st round 21 second brutal KO of undefeated Lauro Alcantar.