Solis Stops Bates

By Boxing News - 10/19/2007 - Comments

solis-bates34.jpgFormer 2004 heavyweight Olympic gold medalist for the Cuban team, Odlanier Solis (5-0, 4 KOs) obliterated American Jeremy Bates (21-15-1, 18 KOs) in the 2nd round tonight at the Estrel Convention Center, Neukoelln, in Berlin, Germany. Using mostly uppercuts and powerful body shots, Solis pounded away at Bates, 33, knocking him down in the 1st round, and then hurting him badly in the 2nd round with a devastating right uppercut that sent him to the ropes where the referee moved in and halted the bout.

Solis, 27, looked remarkably overweight at 250+ pounds, 50 more than he weighed in three years ago when he won the heavyweight gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. I suppose Solis feels that he needs the weight to compete in the heavyweight division, where the money is better than the cruiserweight division – where Solis should really be fighting at his height (six feet). However, mixed in with all the blubber that Solis has put on there’s a decent amount of muscle, which makes him effective against the unskilled heavyweights in the division like Bates.

Tonight, Solis’s speed was a major factor in his win, as he pounded Bates with blinding fast combinations which seemed incredible considering his huge, portly frame that he was lugging around the ring.

As the fight started in the first round, Solis was immediately all over Bates, hitting him with vicious body shots and brutal right hand head shots. Several big right hands from Solis drove Bates to the ropes where he took several right hands that had him bouncing off the ropes after absorbing the shots. Solis mixed in several jabs as a measuring stick and then proceeded to hit Bates with a large series of combinations to the head and body. Near the end of the round, Solis dropped Bates with a hard combination that had him down, clinging to the ropes on his knees while Solis landed a couple more shots when he was in this defenseless position.

After getting to his feet, Bates weathered the storm for the next few seconds until the round ended, lucky for him. As he came out for the 2nd round, the 33-year old Bates looked still hurt from the previous round and it seemed obvious that he wouldn’t last long. Solis came right at him, hitting him with a left and then a right uppercut that sent Bates flying into the ropes where he crashed into them, badly hurt. The referee then moved in and put a stop to the bout.