Moreno-Bopp

Some experts were calling Yesica Yolanda Bopp the best female light flyweight in the world before she fought four time, two division titlist Carina Moreno in Buenos Aires on January 29th. ‘Tuti’ is gifted with quick reflexes, excellent speed, a firm grasp of fundamentals, and the timing of a natural counter-puncher. Against Moreno, the undefeated double alphabet titlist showed patience, courage, and a sneaky overhand right in notching her third defense of the WBO female light flyweight title and her fifth defense of its WBA counterpart. That doesn’t mean she had an easy time of it.

‘La Reina’ came to Buenos Aires on the heels of a close, hard fought, and disappointing decision loss to Mexico’s Anabel Ortiz. The Watsonville, California native came home but left her WBC female minimumweight title in the Yucatan. Feeling that she had let her hometown fans down, Moreno was hungry to win another major title and prove she was still a champion. She got to business right away and kept punching from bell to bell. Bopp appeared to steal a close first round by kicking it up a gear in the last thirty seconds but Moreno continued to bring it. Bopp appeared to take the second round off, but Moreno woke her up with hard punches in round three and brisk two way action followed with Moreno appearing to get the better of the exchanges.

Round four was much like round one, but this time Moreno took her frustrations and disappointments out on Bopp when the defending titlist tried to shift into high gear again. The tide only seemed to turn back in Bopp’s favor after she cuffed Moreno into the ropes with a wide left hook halfway through round five. Moreno didn’t look hurt but Bopp set the pace for the rest of the round and carried the momentum into the sixth, catching most of ‘La Reina’s’ punches on her gloves and elbows while beginning to get the right hand into a groove. Her increased effectiveness took its toll: Moreno was off target in rounds seven and eight. Bopp’s own output rose in the eighth.

Moreno wasn’t done. She landed her best punches of the fight in round nine, attacking constantly and forcing Bopp back onto the defensive. ‘Tuti’ clearly felt some urgency when round ten began; she came out punching for the first time in the fight. Moreno was still busier, but Bopp’s effective right hands had taken a toll. Moreno was wild, while Bopp was able to trade very effectively in spurts.

The fight was close and the anti-climactic scorecards (Judge Jorge Millicay scored the fight 100-91, Enrique Portocarrero 99-91, and Ricardo Duncan 98-92, all for Bopp) were very disappointing after a highly competitive fight. The Boxing Geek scored the fight 96-94 off the YouTube broadcast and some of the rounds could have gone the other way.

Moreno was very disappointed by the scorecards but made no excuses. “My conditioning was there,” she said, “but I couldn’t pull the trigger. I’m going to get back to basics and see what I need to do better.”

It didn’t help that promotional problems kept Moreno out of the ring for all of 2010. Moreno and Noble have a plan to address that too.

“Carina, myself, and a few other people, we got into promoting,” Noble said. “We’re promoting amateurs and MMA and we hope to put on a combination show featuring Carina.” Noble hopes that self-promotion will enable his fighter to stay active. “We're back on track, working on a six rounder in July and another in the fall.”

Moreno is unafraid to return to Argentina if a rematch is available, she says. “I love fighting, I'll go anywhere. Just give me the opportunity.” She also, with wry humor, sees the potential opportunities that come with difficulty.

"Hopefully having lost twice in a row now, people who haven't been interested in fighting me might take an interest."

I hope so.

I strongly recommend watching the fight just to see both fighters in action. Hometown shut-out aside, it was far more entertaining than listening to Larry Merchant bash the Bradley-Alexander fight for ten rounds.