Simpiwe Vetyeka stops Chris John

By Boxing News - 12/07/2013 - Comments

john6By Chris Williams: In WBA Super World featherweight champion Chris John (48-1-3, 22 KO’s) was beaten for the first time in his long 15-year pro career last Saturday night in losing to #14 WBA fringe contender Simpiwe Vetyeka (26-2, 16 KO’s) by a 7th round stoppage at the Metro City, Northbridge, Western Australia, Australia. The 34-year-old John failed to come out for the 7th round after having been knocked staggered and knocked down in the 6th round by a series of huge right hands from Vetyeka.

John had been hurt in the 5th round from a right hand from Vetyeka that hooked around to the back of John’s head that put him out on his feet. John was somehow able to make it out of the 5th, but he was in bad shape for the 6th. He still didn’t look recovered from the blow, and he also looked very tired and old. At 34, John looked old and not the same fighter who had been given a controversial win over Juan Manuel Marquez and a controversial draw against Rocky Juarez in his youth.

You could tell earlier in the fight that John was going to lose this fight because he was loading up with big left hooks, and trying to trade with the younger and more powerful Vetyeka. John looked sluggish and heavy on his feet for someone using that kind of fight plan against a stronger fighter. John was able to land some nice shots, but Vetyeka wasn’t bothered at all by them and just walked through them to connect with his bigger punchers.

For John, he now has his official 1st loss on his resume. However, many boxing fans already saw John as having been beaten by Marquez and Juarez in past, so it’s not that big of a deal that he suffered his first loss because many fans already saw him as 48-2 coming into this fight.

John should think about retiring from the sport because he doesn’t look like the same fighter he once was. If you put him back in with Vetyeka, he’s going to lose and he won’t see the final bell. You could stage the fight anywhere, and I don’t see John making it the distance. Additionally, John wouldn’t stand a chance against the better featherweights in the division like Jhonny Gonzalez, Orlando Salido, Evgeny Gradovich, Nicholas Walters, Daniel Ponce De Leon and Abner Mares. John has been the WBA champion for a long time, but mostly just in title only. He’s not been considered as being in the league of the top guys for ages, perhaps as far as back as his controversial win over Juan Manuel Marquez in 2006.

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In the undercard, IBO lightweight champion Daud Cino Yordan (32-3, 23 Ko’s) defeated Sipho Taiwe (21-4-1, 14 KO’s) by a very close 12 round split decision. The final judges scores were 116-111, 117-110 for Yordan, 114-113 for Taiwe. I had Taiwe winning the fight by a narrow score.



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