STACKED SHOW
Andrade retains his world title but could have done more to impress
Demetrius Andrade keeps hold of his world title on a packed card in Miami
OF all the fighters in boxing, it is WBO middleweight champion
Demetrius
Andrade who finds himself at the biggest disadvantage. Because for Andrade, just winning impressively time and again has not proven to be enough to get the big matches he deserves. So what is a man to do? Win in spectacular fashion every time out, that’s what. Then eventually the public will demand that the big names take him on.
Andrade, from Rhode Island, has finally come to understand this. Shedding his sometimes-cautious approach, he rushed across the ring and dropped challenger Luke Keeler seconds into their fight. Keeler got up, then took a knee before rising again at referee Telis Assimenios’ count of ‘nine’. We waited for the spectacular ending to unfold, but the plucky Irishman survived the round. But southpaw Andrade was loading up on every blow, his left glove sometimes being brought up from below the hip to give the punches maximum force.
Late in the second, another left hook dropped Keeler, his head hitting the lower rope. The man from Dublin got up dazed, the bell coming to his rescue. Surely this new version of Andrade would soon deliver the conclusive ending that would make the highlight reels.
But then things reverted to form. Keeler, though never winning a round the rest of the way, was able to hold Andrade off and even have some brief moments of success, before the champion found the big punches at the end of the ninth round to force a stoppage at 2-59.
Keeler complained, but he at least could be proud of having extended the fight longer than expected after those two heavy knockdowns. On balance it was a successful night for Andrade, but he did let a golden opportunity to make a statement slip away.
On the stellar undercard at the Meridian at Island Gardens (Matchroom), world titles changed hands in back-toback contests.
In what was undoubtedly the fight of the night, if not year thus far, Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev won a split decision over defending IBF and WBA super-bantam champ Daniel Roman.
You will rarely see a match that will equal the skill level, intensity and resiliency displayed here. The ultimate difference was the heavier hands of the southpaw challenger who rocked Roman, from Los Angeles, on numerous occasions, most notably at the end of the fifth. But Roman always shook off the punches and came forward behind an effective jab while firing out shots.
Most of the rounds were close. A draw would not have been unfair, but I had Akhmadaliev up 115-113, as did judges Carlos Sucre and Nelson Vazquez. Rodolfo Aguilar went 115-113 for Roman. Frank Gentile refereed. It was second time lucky for Joseph
Diaz, who had lost out in his previous attempt at a world title. On this night, the Californian annexed the IBF superfeatherweight belt by a unanimous decision over Philadelphian Tevin
Farmer in a battle of southpaws. Diaz faced adversity when he was cut from a headbutt over the left eye in the second round, but it turned out to be a non-factor. His pressure and timing threw off Farmer’s rhythm. Some were concerned how the champion’s body language looked. He blinked his eyes at times and seemed a little more tired than usual, at one point checking the time left in a round not long after it had gotten underway. In fact, after the fight Farmer was taken to the hospital for observation.
However, it was far from one-sided, with judges Richard Green and Alex Levin scoring 115-113 (same as me), and John Rupert 116-112. Samuel Burgos refereed.
Farmer was the faster of the two, but it was Diaz who was able to reach the target more. On the inside he clubbed Farmer to the body with his free hand while they were locked in clinches and boxed with a bit more confidence throughout. Afterward, Farmer said he plans to invoke the immediate rematch clause that was put into the contract.
Considering that Amanda Serrano will be matched with Katie Taylor this spring, you would think that it would have been prudent to give her maximum exposure instead of burying her on the undercard in a scheduled six-round fight. For those who viewed it, Serrano, from Brooklyn, looked superb, dropping Sao Paulo’s Simone Da Silva in the second round, then overwhelming her in the third to force a stoppage at 53 seconds. Referee Burgos should have stepped in a little sooner in my view. Touted prospect Anthony Sims
Jnr’s toughest test to date ended in a disappointing 10-round split decision loss to former world title challenger Roamer
Alexis Angulo of Miami. Sims, from Illinois, ran around the ring all fight making the proceedings dreadful to watch. Angulo, who had a point deducted in the fifth round for holding by referee Christopher Young, followed Sims around, landing a blow now and then, but rarely cut the ring off. Sims looked to have done enough, but his cautious approach turned off judges Gloria Martinez and Rocky Young, each scoring 96-93 for Angulo. Green had Sims up 95-94.
THE VERDICT Andrade gets the job done but may regret not making more of a statement.