#1 IBF tremendous featherweight contender Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez (27-1, 27 KOs) stole the present final Saturday night time together with his sixth-round TKO win over the heavy-handed Colombian Miguel Marriaga (31-8, 26 KOs) on the Dignity Well being Sports activities Park in Carson, California.
(Credit score: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
Marriaga’s Resurgence Exceeds Expectations
‘Sugar’ Nunez, 27, who isn’t identified for his defensive capacity, needed to take a number of laborious pictures from the nonetheless harmful 37-year-old Marriaga early on within the contest earlier than taking management within the fourth spherical to drop him after which knock him down once more within the sixth.
‘Sugar’ dropped Marriaga with a physique shot within the ultimate seconds of the sixth, and after the spherical ended, the battle was correctly halted. Marriaga would probably been instantly knocked out initially of the seventh if it had been allowed to proceed, however they did the precise factor to halt the competition.
Within the buildup to the battle, many individuals assumed that Nunez would destroy Marriaga in a single or two rounds. The Colombian fighter has been on the slide since 2017 and hasn’t seemed like the identical man he as soon as was since his back-to-back losses to Vasily Lomachenko and Oscar Valdez.
Marriaga stunned followers by beginning quick in opposition to Nunez within the first spherical, nailing him with three highly effective proper arms thrown with knockout intentions.
The 37-year-old Marriaga put all the pieces he had in his punches the whole battle, catching Nunez with pictures to the pinnacle and physique that had the group collectively going, ‘Whoa.’
Nunez can punch, however not like Marriaga. Nevertheless, Marriaga’s capacity to take the pictures coming again at him from Nunez was the distinction within the battle. Marriaga additionally made many tactical errors that price him the battle.
He regularly allowed Nunez to again him up in opposition to the ropes and unload with flurries. Marriaga didn’t possess the within recreation to maintain Nunez off, which was the distinction within the battle.
Nunez Solidifies His Title Rivalry
“And he can punch as nicely,” stated promoter Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about Miguel Marriaga. “It’s fairly troublesome once you’ve received that type of battle as a result of everyone knows he’s [‘Sugar’ Nunez] obligatory for the IBF title in opposition to [super featherweight champion Anthony] Cacace.”
‘Sugar’ Nunez will face the winner of the Anthony Cacace vs. Josh Warrington battle subsequent. IBF tremendous featherweight champion Cacace defends in opposition to Warrington on September twenty first at Wembley Stadium.
Nunez ought to have been the one to problem former IBF 130-lb champion Joe Cordina for his title final Might, however as an alternative, the 35-year-old Cacace was given the title shot forward of him. That transfer raised some eyebrows with followers and the media, because it seemed like Cordina was being protected against the highly effective Mexican knockout artist ‘Sugar’ Nunez.
