What Does Joel Casamayor Have Left?
When it comes to toughness in boxing, it’s hard to find someone with more of it than Joel Casamayor. He’s the definition of a warrior inside the ropes and in many ways the former Cuban Olympic gold medallist is a throwback to fighters from the “Golden Age” of boxing in the 1950s. He’s tough, rugged and willing to trade punches with anyone. Casamayor has become a fan favourite over the years for his gutty and gritty performances inside the ring.
However, those hard-fought battles might have taken their toll on Casamayor (37-4-1, 22 KOs). Certainly, it’s impossible to imagine that being involved in battle after battle wouldn’t have an impact on the 38-year-old. He’s fought 300 rounds as a professional along with hundreds (if not thousands) of rounds while working his way through the amateur boxing world in Cuba. Age and wear catch up with any boxer, and Casamayor would appear on the surface to be well past that point in his career as he prepares to take on former world champion Robert Guerrero (26-1, 18 KOs) on the undercard of the Juan Manuel Marquez/Julio Diaz rematch on July 31 in a make-or-break match for his career.
Casamayor has fought just one time in the last 22 months. This came on November 11, 2009 when he took on lightly-regarded Jason Davis. It was expected that Casamayor would have little trouble with Davis, who had lost his last three contests – two by stoppage – coming into the bout. However, Casamayor looked slow and sluggish in the bout. He was able to earn the unanimous decision victory but it was hardly a vintage performance. Casamayor has not fought since then, raising serious questions about what he can bring to the table against a prime opponent like Guerrero.
The closer-than-expected victory over Davis was the second consecutive clunker of a performance for Casamayor. The bout was his return to the ring after having his lightweight title taken away from him by Juan Manuel Marquez in September 2008. It was a particularly brutal encounter – Casamayor controlled the action early but Marquez took over once he found the range for his right hand in the middle rounds.
For Casamayor’s last victory over a fighter of note, you need to go back to March 2008 when he stopped Michael Katsidis in the 10th round to retain his interim WBO, Ring Magazine and lineal lightweight championships. The fight was a vintage display of everything good and bad about Casamayor. He won the bout by being tougher than Katsidis and was willing to trade with him even when he had a lead in the fight. But while he dropped Katsidis three times he was also decked himself. In addition, he lived up to his reputation as one of the dirtiest fighters in the sport when he was docked a point in the ninth round for landing a low blow.
One of the major red flags about Casamayor’s diminishing skills in recent years is his inability to take a punch. With the exception of the fight against Davis, any of Casamayor’s quality opponents over the last four years have been able to hurt him. You have to go back to Casamayor’s split decision victory over Diego Corrales (to cap their legendary trilogy) in October 2006 to find a significant opponent who didn’t knock Casamayor down.
The fact that Casamayor has been relatively inactive in recent years might have helped him to conserve some of the tread left on his tires. It certainly helps that there is likely no one in the sport who knows more about the “dirty boxing” secrets and veteran tricks than Casamayor, a skill set which has helped to extend the shelf life of many top fighters. But Casamayor’s style revolves around taking punches and being active – things that are tough to do as a fighter gets older. The chances of him having much left for the talented and dangerous Guerrero are slim.
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