Chacon Fails To Impress as WBO Featherweight Champion - Tapia looks Set For Title

By Chris Curry

20.01 - Prince Naseem Hamed throughout his five year reign as WBO Featherweight World Champion ascended the lower weight division to the spark and excitement it is renowned for today. With the Prince out of the ring from his first defeat at the hands of Marco Antonio Barrera, the WBO Featherweight World Championship, for so long was announced with fireworks, drama and excitement is simply in the hands of a fighter who is well below the par of being called a Featherweight World Champion.

Julio Pablo Chacon defended the World Championship Belt, which is moulded for better fighters against Victor Polo, who is ranked as high as number two in the World by the IBF. Naz's Old Championship belt was once again back on English soil. This was the perfect opportunity for Julio Pablo Chacon to send out a message to the Featherweight Superstar. That whenever you come back, this is who you have to deal with if you want your WBO World Championship back!

Chacon had big problems. He had no concept on how to deal with a very limited tall southpaw fighter, never jabbed with intent and nearly forgot about straight right hands. But instead kept flinging in with a left uppercut and left hook that had no great affect, looking terrible in the process. From the first round Polo threw his southpaw jab with no force, nothing more than a shadow boxing movement. He looked like a challenger who never wanted to go that bit further to win a World Championship, leaving his ranking as IBF number two Featherweight look bad. Chacon circled the ring and looked like he was closing his eyes when Polo splashed no more than weak water at him. Bringing his gloves up the jabs mostly poured through. At around one minute into the round Chacon managed to throw a punch! sweeping a left hook at Polo who easily moved back. Victor kept jabbing while Chacon attempted a one, two combo missing. Polo jabs back with no meaning. Victor Polo should be forcing his jab with intent using his height over Chacon while keeping his defence tight and stepping in and out at least looking like he's fighting for a Championship of the World. Chacon at the end of the round try's launching himself, missing again with a left uppercut, left hook. Round one Victor Polo landed eighteen weak punches to the Champions Julio Pablo Chacon's "Zero". Chacon looked like a beginner rather than a Champion and should have been trying to enforce himself from the opening bell. In the home country of Naseem Hamed, you would think he would have wanted to impress.

Round three, Victor yawns out the southpaw jab and lands a straight left hand. Chacon moves side to side, wondering what he is doing and throws a couple of right hands, missing again. His guard is up, but he is exposing his chin and chest area. Chacon keeps missing with wild hooks and uppercuts. Polo is putting together better punches, not much, but better. Again a quiet and boring round.

Round four, Polo is off with the jab, opening up with more confidence, catching Chacon. Chacon backs Victor toward the ropes throwing a single body shot. Back in centre ring, Chacon circles Polo slipping his punches. Julio Pablo Chacon looks to be giving Victor Polo too much respect and watching a World Champion, you want to see him get inside under Polo's long arms and start unleashing punches. Chacon fails to do so and stands in front of Victor watching his jabs. The Champion is made pay for his leaky defence when a straight left hand pours through washing him to the floor. Chacon is up receiving a count, shakes his head as if to clear the splash and blinks
heavily. Polo is back in front of him and unleashes back, Chacon looks sloppy throwing a left uppercut, left hook. You would think by now he would realise that is not working. Polo chases him with right and left hands. Again the Champion did nothing.

Throughout the contest I was picturing, Naseem Hamed in front of Chacon. Even after his lay off Hamed would blow him around the ring like wet laundry and wring him out. If a limited Southpaw can cause Chacon problems and drop him, what would the hardest punching Featherweight in history do to him? with his switch hitting unorthodox, limbo style? This is the guy who has the World Crown of Boxing's Royalty and Naz should be jumping at the chance to fight this guy and reclaim one of his Boxing jewels before a super fight with Barrera or Morales.

Round twelve, The bloodily Champion comes out to meet Victor Polo for the final round and is greeted again with Polo's jab, just cooling his face. Chacon comes at Polo with a short flurry ending with a left hook. Victor keeps spearing the jab. Time is called to fix Polo's boot and the fight goes on. Victor is back in the contest troubling Chacon who comes at him with a jab, right hand, jab looking a bit more meaningful. Chacon landed at last, a left uppercut, left hook sending Victor back to the ropes firing in a hard right hand. A clinch sends them back to centre ring, Chacon slip's side to side away from Victors forecasted shots. While using the ring Chacon fly's in with two's and three's, trades more with Polo landing better meaningful left hooks. Chacon is looking to heat up the tempo in the late stages of the fight exploding forward. Looking a bit wild landing as many as he miss's, Polo is backed around the ring pushing his jab more that throwing it. The bell rings and the contest goes to the score cards in a fight that I was glad to see over. The scoring was a case of which style was liked best. Julio Pablo Chacon's harder, less frequent punches or Victor Polo's higher punch rate. Most of which were no more than slaps.

Either way it was a terrible contest for a version of the Featherweight World Championship in a fight that bored me to tell the truth. In a split decision of 114-113 Polo, 115-112 Chacon and 114-113 Chacon. Julio Pablo Chacon retained the title and looked leagues below the Featherweight premiership fighters. He will find out there will be a queue waiting to meet him. His reign as WBO Featherweight Champion will not last long, when fighter's like Prince Naseem Hamed, Wayne McCullough and Johnny Tapia are all looking for World Titles and a shot, once again at the glory of World Boxing. Of course the True Featherweight Champion of the World Marco Antonio Barrera, who is loyal to the WBO will I'm sure want to add that title to his collection when he finish's off Erik Morales and turns down his WBC Featherweight Championship.

British Fight Fans had a real treat on the same bill. Johnny Tapia rocked London on his UK debut when his "Crazy Life" landed in England. Only one thing was wrong, he should have been in rocking Julio Pablo Chacon winning a fifth World Championship in multiple weights. Tapia whipped the crowd up at London's York Hall against Eduardo Alvarez, and looked impressive as always in doing so. The New Mexico four time World Champion entered the ring bowing to the crowd who greatly warmed towards him. Tapia gave them a show of what he was all about as he famously warmed up during the introduction, rolling his head back and getting ready for business.

The fight is off "Mi Vida Loca" Johnny meets Eduardo Alvarvez in centre ring, Alvarvez jabs first. Tapia raises his glove and deflects, Johnny moving excellent throws an overhand right as he charges up to unleash! Johnny like a controlled pit-bull jabs toward Eduardo and works the ring backing him into a corner. Eduardo bounces off the ropes and jabs back at Johnny. Tapia, hands high works a straight right hand and backs Alvarvez onto the ropes exploding a right hand to the body and head and back to the body. Eduardo moves out and Tapia is quick to hunt him down. Blasting shots in and out as Alvarvez finds his home for the night is on the ropes. Eduardo moves around, jabs again as Johnny once more sends him home uncorking, fast, double left uppercuts. Tapia goes to work! opening his bag of tricks for the London crowd he brings down a rain storm on Alvarvez, cracking downthunderous right and left hands with lightening fast hard left hooks to the body. Reeling in four and five, he explodes a right hand bomb, shaking the shell of Alvarvez's body. Tapia attacks with finishing intent. Johnny keeps the assault on and attacks to head and body with hooks, right hands and uppercuts. Johnny Tapia is delivering an excellent display and Eduardo wishes he was not the receiver. The final onslaught sends Alvarvez crashing as "Mi Vida Loca" works body and head with right and left hand bombs, dropping him with a devastating body punch and leaving Alvarvez crushed in pain. Johnny does his famous "Crazy" back flip and sends the crowd into a frenzy with his first round knockout. Johnny said he loves the British fight fans and would love to stay based in Britain as he pursues his next World Title. He also said he would fight all on comers and would sign, no problem to fight Prince Naseem Hamed. A fight many fight fans would love to see! Johnny Tapia is a colourful, exciting fighter and it is excellent to see him back with big fights on the horizon and if Tapia was in with Chacon, he would be WBO Featherweight Champion. "Mi Vida Loca" Johnny rollercoaster's on.

By Chris Curry, Belfast, Northern Ireland (chris_esboxing@hotmail.com)