#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 recognized for his defensive potential, needed to take a whole lot of laborious photographs 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 last seconds of the sixth, and after the spherical ended, the battle was correctly halted. Marriaga would doubtless been instantly knocked out in the beginning of the seventh if it had been allowed to proceed, however they did the fitting 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 appeared like the identical man he as soon as was since his back-to-back losses to Vasily Lomachenko and Oscar Valdez.
Marriaga shocked followers by beginning quick towards Nunez within the first spherical, nailing him with three highly effective proper arms thrown with knockout intentions.
The 37-year-old Marriaga put every little thing he had in his punches the whole battle, catching Nunez with photographs to the top and physique that had the gang collectively going, ‘Whoa.’
Nunez can punch, however not like Marriaga. Nonetheless, Marriaga’s potential to take the photographs coming again at him from Nunez was the distinction within the battle. Marriaga additionally made many tactical errors that value him the battle.
He frequently allowed Nunez to again him up towards 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 properly,” mentioned promoter Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about Miguel Marriaga. “It’s fairly troublesome while you’ve obtained that type of battle as a result of everyone knows he’s [‘Sugar’ Nunez] obligatory for the IBF title towards [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 towards 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 a substitute, 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 appeared like Cordina was being shielded from the highly effective Mexican knockout artist ‘Sugar’ Nunez.
