With scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice, Martin Honorio, 27-4-1 (14) showed that a good little man should beat a lumbering, off balance, defenseless big man every time. That's why it's called boxing and not weightlifting.
Before last night, John Molina's career had been effortless. He had piled up 14 KOs in 18 fights, many of them in the first round. Molina, 18-1 (14) had never been past six rounds, and probably wasn't planning on going past six in this fight. His opponent, Martin Honorio, made his name at featherweight with wins over the likes of Steve Luevano, a current world title holder. The recipe for Molina's promoter, Dan Goosen, and his handlers, was to bring a smaller man with experience and skill--Honorio--into the ring, so the 26-year-old could look good knocking out a veteran. That isn't what happened.
Martin Honorio's Boxing Skills Too Much for John Molina
Molina's problems showed themselves within 30 seconds of round one. Honorio, (29) traditionally more of a slugger than a slick boxer, was acting a lot like a slick boxer. Honorio's jab found Molina's nose with disconcerting ease, if one is a Molina fan, and Honorio's lateral movement kept Molina's untrained feet from keeping up. That isn't to say that Honorio ran, because he didn't, he simply kept moving and Molina didn't know how to cut off the ring.
John Molina Lacks Fundamental Boxing Skills
Frankly, Molina's footwork and balance are horrible. Unable to set his feet, and without counterpunching skills, Molina lunged at Honorio in a futile effort to land something that could turn the fight in his favor. His wish nearly came true in round five, when Honorio chose to stand in front of Molina, giving the power puncher his best opportunity of the night. A surprise uppercut from Molina set up a combination capped off by a whistling right than spun Honorio's head around just seconds before the bell.
In round six, Honorio went back to boxing and pocketed the final five rounds.
Rico Ramos is an Emerging Star
The real story of the night was the emergence of Rico Ramos, 14-0 (8). In with a tough-as-saddle-leather Alejandro Perez, 14-2-1, Ramos showed excellent footwork, a solid chin, some power, and veteran-like counterpunching skills en route to a unanimous decision victory. Two judges saw a 80-71 fight over eight rounds, while the third marked a 78-73 for Ramos.
Although Ramos had 23-year-old Perez's noggin bobbing violently throughout the fight, only once was he able to put Perez on the canvas. In round two, with Perez on the attack in the corner, Ramos countered a left hook with a straight right to the side of an off-balance Perez's head, sending him careening into the ropes, shaken but not stirred.
Ramos, 22, is a skillful fighter worth keeping an eye on in the future
Bill Scherer - Bill Scherer has written for RingSports.com and TigerBoxing.com, enjoyed a stint as the Managing Editor for FightTube.tv and is a United ...
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