#1 IBF super featherweight contender Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez (27-1, 27 KOs) stole the show last Saturday night with his sixth-round TKO win over the heavy-handed Colombian Miguel Marriaga (31-8, 26 KOs) at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
(Credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
Marriaga’s Resurgence Exceeds Expectations
‘Sugar’ Nunez, 27, who isn’t known for his defensive ability, had to take a lot of hard shots from the still dangerous 37-year-old Marriaga early on in the contest before taking control in the fourth round to drop him and then knock him down again in the sixth.
‘Sugar’ dropped Marriaga with a body shot in the final seconds of the 6th, and after the round ended, the fight was wisely halted. Marriaga would likely been immediately knocked out at the start of the seventh if it had been allowed to continue, but they did the right thing to halt the contest.
In the buildup to the fight, many people assumed that Nunez would destroy Marriaga in one or two rounds. The Colombian fighter has been on the slide since 2017 and hasn’t looked like the same guy he once was since his back-to-back losses to Vasily Lomachenko and Oscar Valdez.
Marriaga surprised fans by starting fast against Nunez in the first round, nailing him with three powerful right hands thrown with knockout intentions.
The 37-year-old Marriaga put everything he had in his punches the entire fight, catching Nunez with shots to the head and body that had the crowd collectively going, ‘Whoa.’
Nunez can punch, but not like Marriaga. However, Marriaga’s ability to take the shots coming back at him from Nunez was the difference in the fight. Marriaga also made many tactical mistakes that cost him the fight.
He continually allowed Nunez to back him up against the ropes and unload with flurries. Marriaga didn’t possess the inside game to keep Nunez off, which was the difference in the fight.
Nunez Solidifies His Title Contention
“And he can punch as well,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about Miguel Marriaga. “It’s quite difficult when you’ve got that kind of fight because we all know he’s [‘Sugar’ Nunez] mandatory for the IBF title against [super featherweight champion Anthony] Cacace.”
‘Sugar’ Nunez will face the winner of the Anthony Cacace vs. Josh Warrington fight next. IBF super featherweight champion Cacace defends against Warrington on September 21st at Wembley Stadium.
Nunez should have been the one to challenge former IBF 130-lb champion Joe Cordina for his title last May, but instead, the 35-year-old Cacace was given the title shot ahead of him. That move raised some eyebrows with fans and the media, as it looked like Cordina was being protected from the powerful Mexican knockout artist ‘Sugar’ Nunez.
