Calderon's next move will define the remainder of his career
Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon finally tasted his first professional defeat in the hands of a straight-up brawler from Mexico named Giovanni Segura. The fight started with Calderon's signature boxing skills which caused Segura to miss wildly with his power shots. Even though initially out-manoeuvred, the durable and strong Mexican came with a strategy and stuck to the plan. The strategy was simple enough, and that was to pressure the pure boxer relentlessly with a pace so frantic that it could even exhaust the audience.
Sure enough, the Puerto Rican wilted under Segura's pressure which was reminiscent of the attacking style of Margarito. Segura's punches continued to come, hitting Calderon in every legal body part possible. The hard-hitting Segura battered Calderon's arms, shoulders, biceps, face, not to mention his body. Calderon was obviously not as fast as his younger self and he was slowed down even more by Segura's body attacks which forced Calderon to fight toe-to-toe more than he used to.
In the eighth round, Calderon realized that he had taken too much punishment and took a knee in the corner. The referee made the mandatory count but the Puerto Rican did not even bother to beat it. The accumulation of blows to the side of the body punctuated the surprisingly exciting fight. For casual boxing fans, a Calderon fight is expected to be a snoozer but this fight was an exception. It's even considered as a candidate for the fight of the year.
Calderon's declining abilities make exciting fights
As true boxing fans, we hate to admit that whenever Calderon dominates a fight, it ends up being boring. Sure, the flashes of boxing brilliance that the Puerto Rican displayed throughout his career had put us in awe at some point, but watching him pot-shot opponents for twelve rounds without enough power to even create a flash knock-down can be frustrating. Calderon is the perfect example of a pure boxer without any power to be considered as a knock-out threat.
The recipe in beating Calderon is no secret. His opponents know they just need to oblige Calderon to fight. It can be said that no one in his class can beat him in a pure boxing match. Even with that knowledge, Calderon's past opponents still failed to defeat the diminutive pugilist. The Iron Boy was simply too slick, swift, and skilful. Walking through Calderon's punches was simply not enough. To beat him, the opponent should be a gifted brawler. Segura was exactly that type of a fighter - quick, durable, powerful, and most of all, relentless.
Segura fought Calderon at the time of the Puerto Rican's decline. The 28-year-old Mexican was still peaking, hungry, and fresh while the 35-year-old Puerto Rican does not possess the same spring in his legs any more. In the lighter weights, 35 years of age is already considered way beyond due and many will argue that at Calderon's peak, he's virtually unbeatable, and that includes Segura.
It seems the only way to make a Calderon fight exciting is through his defeat. It is a true testament to his superior boxing ability. Now that he's old and not as dominating as before, his fights are starting to get more interesting. It is Calderon's new-found vulnerability that excites us. In a weird way, many of the fans want him to triumph but not in a boring manner.
Crossroads
It's quite certain that Ivan Calderon now knows that he can be beaten soundly. He has been put in a position where he needs to think of adjustments and improvements in his game. We have to thank Segura for that.
Calderon's capability of improving this late in his career is highly doubtful but he has never mentioned retiring. After his loss, he voiced that he wanted a rematch against Segura. Javier Capetillo, Segura's trainer, is adamant that Calderon will never be able to defeat his boy and suggested that Calderon should fight in a lower weight class for him to regain lost glory as he simply can't compete against bigger guys any more. The controversial trainer might be right, but Calderon, as of now, wants to prove the trainer wrong.
Calderon will spend a lot of time thinking about his next career move. To even the odds, he may choose to fight at minimum weight. On the flip side, he may continue fighting at light flyweight and face the challenge from fighters naturally bigger and stronger than him.
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