Bornea stops Obbadi to become IBF mandatory
Last night in Mexico we saw an IBF Super Flyweight eliminator as unbeaten Filipino Jade Bornea (17-0, 11) faced off with Italian based Moroccan fighter Mohammed Obbadi (22-2, 13). Going in both men were looking to secure themselves a shot at IBF champion Jerwin Ancajas, who will be defending his title in February, and it was clear that this was a major bout for both men, who had a lot of respect for each other.
The opening round started slowly, but heated up really nice in the last minute or so, with both fighters picking up their pace at about the same time. When that happened Bonrea became the stalker, whilst Obbadi showed some lovely movement, quick hands and good straight shots. The final minute of the round really was something very exciting, and saw both have some really good moments. Through the round the best single shots seemed to come from Bornea, but Obbadi had good success with his volume and it was probably his output that shaded what ended up being a really good round.
The second round started much like the first round had ended, with the major difference being that Bornea was fighting the second as a southpaw, and landed one or two gorgeous shots from the lefty stance, including a brilliant straight left hand. It was another really good round, but it was clear that Obbadi had tasted Bornea's power and wasn't really wanting to taste it too often, keeping range more and touching Bornea at range. It was a really nice round from both fighters, though again the heavier, more telling shots were from Bornea, with those shots just edging him the round.
In round 3 Bornea continued as a southpaw, and it seemed like he was very confident at the start of the round. He seemed to hurt Obbadi with a brilliant body shot early on, and although Obbadi seemed to recover it was clear Bornea had smelled blood, and went the body several times through the round, landing some shots that were thrown with the intention of taking the wind out of Obbadi's sails and his footwork. The pressure from Bornea seemed to intensify and Obbadi seemed to be doing all he could to survive. Soon afterwards a headshot hurt Obbadi, and a body shot sent him down for the count.
Notably at the end Obbadi's left eye was a complete mess, it appeared the right hooks from Borena had really damaged his face whilst the body shots had taken the fight out of him.
For Bornea this is, by far, the most notable win of his carer, and whilst he might have to wait for a world title fight, he showed what he could do here and put in a very solid performance. As for Obbadi, this is a set back, but there's a lot for him to work with, and there's a good chance he will find himself back in the mix in the future. Sadly for him however this was a second stoppage loss, and there will be question marks about his toughness, durability and heart.
The opening round started slowly, but heated up really nice in the last minute or so, with both fighters picking up their pace at about the same time. When that happened Bonrea became the stalker, whilst Obbadi showed some lovely movement, quick hands and good straight shots. The final minute of the round really was something very exciting, and saw both have some really good moments. Through the round the best single shots seemed to come from Bornea, but Obbadi had good success with his volume and it was probably his output that shaded what ended up being a really good round.
The second round started much like the first round had ended, with the major difference being that Bornea was fighting the second as a southpaw, and landed one or two gorgeous shots from the lefty stance, including a brilliant straight left hand. It was another really good round, but it was clear that Obbadi had tasted Bornea's power and wasn't really wanting to taste it too often, keeping range more and touching Bornea at range. It was a really nice round from both fighters, though again the heavier, more telling shots were from Bornea, with those shots just edging him the round.
In round 3 Bornea continued as a southpaw, and it seemed like he was very confident at the start of the round. He seemed to hurt Obbadi with a brilliant body shot early on, and although Obbadi seemed to recover it was clear Bornea had smelled blood, and went the body several times through the round, landing some shots that were thrown with the intention of taking the wind out of Obbadi's sails and his footwork. The pressure from Bornea seemed to intensify and Obbadi seemed to be doing all he could to survive. Soon afterwards a headshot hurt Obbadi, and a body shot sent him down for the count.
Notably at the end Obbadi's left eye was a complete mess, it appeared the right hooks from Borena had really damaged his face whilst the body shots had taken the fight out of him.
For Bornea this is, by far, the most notable win of his carer, and whilst he might have to wait for a world title fight, he showed what he could do here and put in a very solid performance. As for Obbadi, this is a set back, but there's a lot for him to work with, and there's a good chance he will find himself back in the mix in the future. Sadly for him however this was a second stoppage loss, and there will be question marks about his toughness, durability and heart.