Steve Molitor (26-0) vs. Fernando Beltran Jr. (30-2-1)

Discussion in 'Boxing' started by speeds, Apr 1, 2008.

  1. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>“The Canadian Kid” Steve Molitor (26-0, 10 kos) returns to Casino Rama to defend the I.B.F. Junior Featherweight Champion Title in this mandatory defense against the #1 ranked contender Mexico’s Fernando Beltran Jr. (30-2-1, 17 kos). This event will include additional undercard bouts, and will be broadcast live, coast-to-coast on TSN HD.</div>
     
  2. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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    From the sounds of it Molitor and his camp aren't terribly interested in this (mandatory) fight and they have done a limited amount of preparation for it. Hopefully this doesn't lead to him being unready for the fight.
     
  3. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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    http://www.tsn.ca/boxing/news_story/?ID=233644&hubname=

    [​IMG]

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The Canadian Kid went to 27-0 and retained his IBF world junior featherweight title on Saturday night with a victory by unanimous decision over Mexico's Fernando Beltran Jr.

    Molitor's arms shot in the air when the bell sounded to end the 12th round, a sign that he was confident of the result before the judges had even registered their decision. He was full marks for the win after a workmanlike effort that wasn't flashy but proved effective.

    Beltran's record dropped to 30-3-1 with a loss in his second world title shot. He was beaten by Joan Guzman in April 2005 in a fight for the WBO super bantamweight belt.

    It was an evenly fought first round, with Molitor mostly playing defence and catching Beltran with body shots while dancing around the outside of the ring.

    The Canadian did a better job of asserting himself in the second round. The southpaw Molitor caught his opponent with a couple lefts before Beltran had the crowd booing after he connected with a low blow just before the bell.

    The only time Molitor found himself in any danger during the early rounds is when he got caught against the ropes.

    Molitor hit Beltran with a big left midway through the fifth round and caught him with a hard right uppercut moments later as he appeared to start dictating the terms of the fight.

    Beltran came out aggressively in the sixth round before Molitor sent a charge through the entertainment hall with a sharp left hook. Soon after, Molitor's trainer Chris Johnson was yelling from the corner after Beltran kept hitting his man with shots to the back of the head.

    The Mexican started breaking down in the seventh round as Molitor hit him in the head with a variety of punches. The sellout crowd started sensing victory.

    A chant of ``Let's go Stevie!'' went up as Molitor seized control. There was blood dripping from a small cut under Molitor's left eye but he was clearly the aggressor, hitting Beltran with several hard shots to the head during the eighth and ninth rounds.

    The referee had to step in just before the end of the ninth after Beltran hit Molitor with another low blow. Molitor was left wincing during the 10th round when he was hit with yet another shot below the belt.

    Beltran appeared tired as the match wound down and Molitor took advantage by connecting with more head shots in the final two rounds.

    All four of Molitor's title defences have been staged in the 5,200-seat entertainment hall at Casino Rama. He beat South Africa's Takalani Ndlovu by TKO in the ninth round last July, won by unanimous decision over Thailand's Fahsan 3K Battery in October and scored another unanimous decision over Ricardo Castillo in January.

    Molitor turned pro in May 2000 after posting a 93-11 record as an amateur.</div>

    At first, Beltran Jr. didn't make weight for the fight and had to cut a pound or two between weigh-ins. It might've caused him to tire in the second half of the fight.

    This was Steve's fourth title defense in nine months, making him one of the most active champions worldwide. With no opponents left for him in the IBF, the next fight he has should be a unification tilt with WBC Champion Israel Vasquez (43-4) or WBA Champion Celestino Caballero (28-2).
     

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