Derek Chisora vs. Carl Baker – Heavyweights

This was yet another mismatch on the card. Derek Chisora (12-0, 7 KO’s) stopped Carl Baker (9-5, 6 KO’s) in the 2nd round of a scheduled 10 round bout. The stoppage was way too quick by referee Richard James Davies in the 2nd round. Chisora landed a hard right hand that sent Baker backing up to the ropes. He wasn’t hurt, just knocked backwards from the shot. Chisora then got sloppy and started throwing a ton of punches, most of which missed badly.

The referee then jumped in for no reason and stopped the action with Baker looking totally unhurt and surprised. It was one of the worst stoppages I’ve ever seen. I guess it didn’t really matter, because Chisora was probably going to win the fight anyway. Baker looked too fat, too slow and not powerful enough to compete with Chisora. I can’t say I was impressed with Chisora. He’s small for a heavyweight at only 6’1”, doesn’t look very powerful with his shots and lacks the quickness that I see with other top contends. I think he’s great local fighter, though, but I can’t see him beating a top fighter in the world scene.
Grade for Chisora: C

Kevin Mitchell vs. Ignacio Mendoza – Lightweights

Unfortunately, this was another one of the mismatches on the card. I knew it was a mismatch the moment I saw who Kevin Mitchell (31-0, 23 KO’s) was pitted against. Never the less, Mitchell did what he had to do against the fodder opponent Ignacio Mendoza (27-6-2, 18 KO’s). Mitchell did little in the 1st round of the fight, just circling and pawing with his shots.

Mitchell landed almost exclusively jabs in the 1st round. Mendoza landed almost nothing. In the 2nd round, Mitchell caught Mendoza with a hard right hand to the head just as Mendoza was moving forward. The punch bounced off Mendoza’s head sending him backwards with his feet kicking slightly. Mitchell then added a grazing left hand, but by then Mendoza was already on his way down to the canvas. He landed on his back and the fight was promptly stopped so that he could be checked over to make sure he was ok. It was good performance by Mitchell. The right hand he landed was perfect.

WBO lightweight interim champion Michael Katsidis could be next for Mitchell in the Summer.

Grade for Mitchell: A

Frankie Gavin vs. Peter McDonagh – Welterweights

Frankie Gavin (6-0, 5 KO’s) was taken the distance for the first time in his one year career against Peter McDonagh (14-16, 2 KO’s) in a six round decision win. Gavin, 24, was on points by the score of 60-54. However, he took a lot of head shots in the fight by McDonagh and was lacking completely on the defense side of things. McDonagh took the fight to Gavin in the opening round and landed a number of excellent shots. Although Gavin came back to win the round narrowly in my view, it was unsettling to see a fighter as hyped as Gavin taking so many shots from a fighter in the class of McDonagh. Gavin’s power didn’t look impressive, and he had no defense against the right hands from McDonagh.

Gavin looked a little better in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, landing left hands to the head of McDonagh. However, Gavin continued to get hit way too much and looked little better than his over-matched opponent. McDonagh continued to give Gavin problems in the 4th through 6th rounds, hitting him with some nice shots.
Overall, I thought Gavin did enough to win, but the way he struggled against McDonagh tells me that Gavin will likely have huge problems competing against top welterweights in the future. I just don’t see him being anything more than a bottom dweller.

Grade for Gavin: C-

Nathan Cleverly vs. Antonio Brancalion – Light heavyweights

And yet another mismatch on the card with light heavyweight contender Nathan Cleverly (19-0, 9 KO’s) making easy work of Italian Antonio Brancalion (32-8-2, 8 KO’s) in a 5th round stoppage. Brancalion, 34, came into the fight having been knocked out in the 1st round in his last fight a year ago against Jurgen Braehmer in June 2009. That alone should suggest what kind of fight we were going to be seeing on Saturday night.

Cleverly, 22, had his way with Brancalion, hitting him hard with hooks to the head and body and basically just toying with him. In the 5th round, Cleverly landed a hard right hand to the head that drove Brancalion to the ropes. Cleverly then landed two hard right hands that caused Brancalion to sag into the ropes where the fight was then stopped by referee Jean-Louis Legland at 1:15 of the 5th. Cleverly won the vacant EBU (European Boxing Union) light heavyweight title with his victory over Brancalion.

It was a good win for Cleverly. However, given the poor opposition that he was in there with, the win proves little other than it took Cleverly five rounds to accomplish what was done by Braehmer last year. Cleverly needs to face better opposition, because this is a waste of time for him.

Grade for Cleverly: A