by Cliff Rold

As signs point to Donnie Nietes moving towards a rise in weight, the 108 lb. class could be losing the man most see as its top battler. Even if he doesn’t ultimately move up, Nietes isn’t getting any younger. Considering his size, his time consistently near the top probably won’t be that much longer relatively speaking.

Saturday in Mexico City, one of his countrymen has a chance to stamp his place as a big part of the future course at Jr. flyweight.

Challenger Jonathan Taconing of the Philippines has earned his crack at a major strap by way of the long grind. He’s won nine straight since a technical decision loss in 2012, eight of them by stoppage. He faces an unlikely titlist in Ganigan Lopez. Lopez looked a cut below the title level over the course of his career and fell well short in his first title shot.

Then he put it all together against the right opponent on the right night. Going on the road to Japan, Lopez won the WBC belt from Yu Kimura going away (despite one odd draw score). He gets his first defense at home.

Will it be his last?    

Let’s go the report card.

The Ledgers

Ganigan Lopez

Age: 34

Title: WBC light flyweight (2016-Present, 1st Attempted Defense)

Previous Titles: None

Height: 5’5

Weight: 107 ½ lbs.

Hails from: Mexico City, Mexico

Record: 27-6, 17 KO, 1 KOBY?

Record in Major Title Fights: 1-1

Rankings: #2 (BoxingScene, BoxRec), #3 (ESPN), #4 (TBRB), #8 (Ring)

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 4 (Adrian Hernandez L10; Mario Rodriguez UD12; Pedro Guevara L12; Yu Kimura MD12)

Vs.

Jonathan Taconing

Age: 29

Title/Previous Titles: None

Height: 5’2 

Weight: 107 ¼ lbs.

Hails from: Paranaque City, Philippines

Record: 22-2-1, 18 KO

Record in Major Title Fights: 0-1

Rankings: #7 (BoxingScene), #9 (TBRB, BoxRec)

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 2 (Kompayak Porpramook L TD5; Ramon Garcia TKO10)

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Lopez B; Taconing B

Pre-Fight: Power – Lopez B; Taconing B+

Pre-Fight: Defense – Lopez B; Taconing B

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Lopez B+; Taconing B+

This battle of southpaws matches a pair of reliable, durable combatants. Between the two of them, there is only one stoppage loss. Lopez is the more classic boxer, firing the jab and a nice straight left. Lopez is a patient boxer with plenty of experience. In the back of his mind will surely be the last time he faced a powerful, aggressive Filipino foe.

In 2012, Lopez was run over by big punching Denver Cuello. Taconing might not be the same level puncher Cuello can be for a single shot but he appears a better overall boxer. He was unlucky in his lone title shot against Propramook in 2012. Fighting on the road in Thailand, a case could have been made for Taconing being ahead. A cut hastened the action in the fifth round (always a tough round for a guy on the road when a cut happens).

Taconing has a quick jab, though sometimes it lacks the authority it could. He’s comfortable in the trenches throwing lots of punches. The leather can come a bit wide at times, allowing Lopez’s classic high guard to pick off shots. Taconing may offset some of that with the volume of shots he delivers. For Lopez to slow him down, he will have to establish his jab.

As the older man, Lopez’s patience will be a key. Taconing is likely to have a motor father into the fight. The man who establishes the pace probably wins what should be an interesting fight. Interested fans with access to Televisa could have a treat here.

The Pick

Lopez is one of the feel good stories of the year. Anytime a fighter at his age, in these weights, can snag a belt, it’s easy to be happy for them. Winning and holding on to a title are two different things. If the fight is close and goes the distance, Lopez has the hometown edge. Taconing will have to demand the fight. He has the style to do so. The bigger puncher, and younger man, should be able to take control of the fight after a few rounds. Taconing’s body shots and quick combinations eventually break Lopez down. Look for a late stoppage in favor of Taconing on Saturday night.

Overdue Extra

While plenty has already been said about it, here’s a parting shot on last week’s outstanding welterweight brawl in Brooklyn.

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Thurman B+; Porter B+/Post: Same

Pre-Fight: Power – Thurman A-; Porter B/Post: B+; B

Pre-Fight: Defense – Thurman B+; Porter B/Post: B; C

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Thurman B+; Porter B+/Post: A; A

While it was not the best action fight of 2016 (that remains Orlando Salido-Francisco Vargas), even with a ninth round that will rank with the years best stanzas, Thurman-Porter was by far the most watched and the most important US fight of the year so far. Almost 4 million people caught some part of the main event. Ratings number show that those numbers rose throughout the bout. That means that as word spread of a feisty scrap on CBS, many folks changed the channel to see what all the chatter they saw on their social media feeds.

That it happened in the media capital of the world magnified the action even more. Fans saw two top ten welterweights in their physical prime fighting their ass off. Consider, if the punch stats are close to accurate, just how much of a chin Shawn Porter showed.

CompuBox had Keith Thurman landing fifty percent of his power shots. He shook Porter on a few occasions to go with the numbers and Porter kept coming. In terms of defensive artistry, it wasn’t a good night for Porter. In terms of guts, character, and desire, it was compelling stuff. Numbers don’t tell the whole story either. Thurman wasn’t getting the leverage he wanted on a lot of those shots because Porter wouldn’t give him the room.

One great moment came late in the fight. An uppercut blasted Porter, buckled him, and spun him around. As he spun, he had the wherewithal to ride Thurman around with him and come out of the brief clinch firing back.

In the end, this scribe scored the bout even, unable to differentiate conclusively between the dictation of the fight set by Porter and the more effective clean punching of Thurman. Both men merit a round of applause for their effort and for giving the fan’s the kind of fight they wanted. Let’s hope the PBC can ride this momentum into even more big audiences. Boxing is better off when more people are watching.

It’s even better off when the people who tune in leave wanting more. Thurman and Porter left accomplished that.  

Report Card and Staff Picks 2016: 27-9 (Including Joshua-Breazeale and Groves-Murray)

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com