This weekend sees WBC interim Light Welterweight champion Lucas Martin Matthysse (32-2-0-1, 30) make the the first defense of his title as he faces American challenger Mike Dallas Jr (19-2-1, 8) who is rightfully seen as a big underdog.
As the under-dog it's only fair to look at the challenger first as in all honesty, he will need a miracle, though same may say he actually got one to even get this fight after Henry Lundy was originally scheduled to face Matthysse.
Dallas Jr is a pretty decent boxer and comes from a solid amateur background that almost saw him qualifying for the 2008 Olympics (losing to Danny Garcia in the trials). He moves well, he has solid technique and impressive hand speed though sadly he lacks the power to keep anyone around world level honest and will need to use his skills as opposed to anything else if he intends to go as far as his potential would have suggested a few years ago.
Sadly for Dallas Jr he's been "exposed" and suffered 2 losses in 2011, losing his unbeaten record via 7th round TKO to Josesito Lopez and then losing a decision to the unheralded Mauricio Herrera. Since then however Dallas Jr has bounced back with 2 wins over decent competition and rebuilt his once shattered confidence.
Dallas at his best is a very talented boxer, who uses his skills wonderfully to stay out of trouble whilst landing his own clean, crisp shots. At his worst however he can be dragged in to a brawl where his lack of power really puts him at a disadvantage, and against Matthysse the worst thing you can do is brawl with him and show you're a man.
Whilst Dallas Jr is a bit of a pure boxer, Argentinian Matthysse is a true animal in the ring with a combination of aggressive pressure and a nasty hurtful punch that has made him one of the most feared men in world boxing. He's relentless, teak tough and attempts to destroy his opponent bit by bit, as he did last time out against Ajose Olusegun, who bravely took a beating for 10 rounds.
Despite having 2 losses on his record many view Matthysse as an unbeaten fighter with both of his losses being very controversial split decisions to the promoters fighters in their home towns. Though in all honesty I think those losses have made Matthysse a meaner fighter more determined to end the show early rather than risk a decision.
With Matthysse's mean streak and the fact Dallas likes to get involved in a brawl when he shouldn't I can't see this ending any other way than Dallas getting stopped, probably in the middle rounds as Matthysse's power and tenacity breaks down the challenger.
Prediction-Matthysse TKO6
Showing posts with label WBC interim Light Welterweight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WBC interim Light Welterweight. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Robert Guerrero v Andre Berto
This weekend Mexican American Robert Guerrero (30-1-1-2, 18) will be hoping to make the first defense of his WBC "interim" Welterweight title as he faces former champion Andre Berto (28-1, 22) in an interesting match up that will see both men asked a lot of questions.
Guerrero, 29, claimed the title just 4 months ago as he claimed a competitive but clear decision over Turkish hard hitter Selcuk Aydin and will now look to prove that he is one of the top dogs at 147lbs having moved up swiftly in recent years. In just 5 years we've seen Guerrero moving from Featherweight (where he was a 2-time IBF champion) all the way up to Welterweight, claiming some form of title at both Super Featherweight and Lightweight on his way up.
Although the champion is a relatively big guy for the weight at 5'8" and with a 70" reach he's certainly not a big guy in terms of power having failed to stop anyone of note above 130lbs (with his last notable stoppages come way back down at 126lbs). As well as his questionable power at Welterweight some also question Guerrero's durability at the weight. Whilst it's true that he has never been stopped in his 34 fight career he has been dropped and hurt, and seemed really hurt late in his fight against Aydin.
Whilst I'm certainly not sure of Guerrero's ability to match the best physically at Welterweight he certainly isn't with out his own positives. Firstly Guerrero is a very talented boxer, he's very good at using his reach and and getting off with his jab though his real asset is is work rate and speed, especially hand speed. Against Aydin, Guerrero looked lightening quick, especially early on as he landed combinations at will, and his boxing ability really looked to be a class or two better than the Turk.
Whilst I have a lot of questions about Guerrero's toughness and power at Welterweight, I have more questions about Andre Berto. Berto, a former IBF and WBC champion at Welterweight returns to the ring for the first time in over a year after failing a drugs test in preparation for a rematch with Victor Ortiz, the only man thus far to have defeated him. The questions about Berto are not just what will he be like after a year out, but also what mental questions are over his head following his failed drugs test?
Prior to the ban Berto was an exciting, though somewhat limited fighter. He was an explosive combination puncher who could unleash 5 or 6 punch combinations in a heart beat and although he often looked like he could be out boxed no one managed it, and it only took a gutsy performance by Ortiz back in April 2011 to decrown him in an hallacious war.
Despite being a career Welterweight, Berto is actually only a shade taller (1/2") than Guerrero and only has a minor reach advantage(also 1/2") and due to his love of throwing hooks Berto may actually leave him self to be out boxed at range despite having the longer reach. However if the bout takes place up close, Berto's explosiveness will be the difference maker.
The odds on this fight are very interesting with Berto a slight favourite (4/5) and I'd agree with that. There is a lot of questions over his return however if he is anything like the fighter he once was, I'd snap your hand off for Berto by T/KO as his power and speed are a big step up from Aydin's. If Berto has lingering issues however Guerrero could outbox him to a decision.
Prediction-Berto TKO7
Guerrero, 29, claimed the title just 4 months ago as he claimed a competitive but clear decision over Turkish hard hitter Selcuk Aydin and will now look to prove that he is one of the top dogs at 147lbs having moved up swiftly in recent years. In just 5 years we've seen Guerrero moving from Featherweight (where he was a 2-time IBF champion) all the way up to Welterweight, claiming some form of title at both Super Featherweight and Lightweight on his way up.
Although the champion is a relatively big guy for the weight at 5'8" and with a 70" reach he's certainly not a big guy in terms of power having failed to stop anyone of note above 130lbs (with his last notable stoppages come way back down at 126lbs). As well as his questionable power at Welterweight some also question Guerrero's durability at the weight. Whilst it's true that he has never been stopped in his 34 fight career he has been dropped and hurt, and seemed really hurt late in his fight against Aydin.
Whilst I'm certainly not sure of Guerrero's ability to match the best physically at Welterweight he certainly isn't with out his own positives. Firstly Guerrero is a very talented boxer, he's very good at using his reach and and getting off with his jab though his real asset is is work rate and speed, especially hand speed. Against Aydin, Guerrero looked lightening quick, especially early on as he landed combinations at will, and his boxing ability really looked to be a class or two better than the Turk.
Whilst I have a lot of questions about Guerrero's toughness and power at Welterweight, I have more questions about Andre Berto. Berto, a former IBF and WBC champion at Welterweight returns to the ring for the first time in over a year after failing a drugs test in preparation for a rematch with Victor Ortiz, the only man thus far to have defeated him. The questions about Berto are not just what will he be like after a year out, but also what mental questions are over his head following his failed drugs test?
Prior to the ban Berto was an exciting, though somewhat limited fighter. He was an explosive combination puncher who could unleash 5 or 6 punch combinations in a heart beat and although he often looked like he could be out boxed no one managed it, and it only took a gutsy performance by Ortiz back in April 2011 to decrown him in an hallacious war.
Despite being a career Welterweight, Berto is actually only a shade taller (1/2") than Guerrero and only has a minor reach advantage(also 1/2") and due to his love of throwing hooks Berto may actually leave him self to be out boxed at range despite having the longer reach. However if the bout takes place up close, Berto's explosiveness will be the difference maker.
The odds on this fight are very interesting with Berto a slight favourite (4/5) and I'd agree with that. There is a lot of questions over his return however if he is anything like the fighter he once was, I'd snap your hand off for Berto by T/KO as his power and speed are a big step up from Aydin's. If Berto has lingering issues however Guerrero could outbox him to a decision.
Prediction-Berto TKO7
Friday, 7 September 2012
Lucas Martin Matthysse v Ajose Olusegun
Like everyone else who follows boxing I hate "interim" titles. Whilst I agree in principle with them, they have become incredible misused, especially in recent times where every division appears to have an "interim" by the WBA or the WBO as the organisations look to cash in on an extra stream of revenue. This weekend however we have an "interim" title bout that is hard to argue with, in fact it's slightly shocking that neither man is a world champion already.
In one corner we have the exciting and highly rated Argentinian Lucas Martin Matthysse (31-2-0-1, 29) and in the other we have the unbeaten Nigerian born British citizen Ajose Olusegun (30-0, 14). Both men probably should already have had multiple opportunities at titles though, for one reason or another neither man has been crowned a "world champion" so far.
Firstly lets look at the Argentinian. The 29 year old from Buenos Aires is the younger of the two fighters but also the smaller, more powerful man, in fact one a pound-for-pound ranking Matthysse would ranking up amongst the best for his power. Unlike countryman Marcos Maidana, Matthysse isn't wild and reckless, instead he's a well schooled pressure fighter who uses some very under-rated defensive skills to get inside an opponent and hammer them with hard, thudding shots to both the head and body. Whilst the head shots are capable of shaking anyone at 140lbs the body shots are his trademark and the the blows that break fighters when they land.
Matthysse has been around for a while and was a well established amateur at the turn of the millennium having competed in a number of major international events. After missing out on the 2004 Olympics however Matthysse decided it was time to leave a trail of destruction in the professional ranks.
As a professional Matthysse's power and aggression spoke volumes and none of his first 23 fights went beyond 4 rounds as he ran up a record of 22-0-0-1 (21), his only none T/KO win during that streak was a 3rd round DQ victory over Bernardino Gonzalez. It wasn't until the tough Carlos Adan Jerez that Matthysse would find an opponent who could stand up to his power, however Matthysse scored a clear points win over Jerez (who incidentally had been stopped by Lucas' older brother Walter Dario Matthysse several years earlier).
Having created a bit of buzz back home in Argentina, Matthysse would get his first chance to make a name for himself in the USA as he traveled to face former multi-weight world champion Zab Judah. The bout, aired on HBO saw Matthysse suffering his first professional loss as he was on the receiving end of a highly controversial split decision which many felt should have gone the Argentinians way. Despite the loss to Judah many watching had suddenly become Matthysse fans and fallen in love with the exciting Argentinian who they wanted to see more of. Those fans got their wishes just 7 months later as Matthysse fought former world champion Devon Alexander (who faces Randall Bailey in an IBF Welterweight title bout on the same telecast). History would repeat it's self for Matthysse as, like in the Judah bout, he lost by a controversial split decision in a bout he seemed to clearly win.
It would have been understandable for Matthysse to say screw American after being denied twice by controversial scoring, but he returned to the US earlier this year and defeated former multi-weight champion Humberto Soto by TKO between rounds 5 and 6. It was the win over Soto that saw him earning this bout for the "interim" WBC Light Welterweight title.
As previously mentioned Matthysse is a skilled pressure fighter with very under-rated defense and whilst he does get caught, most shots he gets hit with are glancing shots or taken well. It's his offense however that should be the worrying factor for Olusegun. Not only is Matthysse a hard hitter but he's accurate and can penetrate an opponents guard with alarming regularity. Even if he doesn't land clean his shots hurt and he can put on the pressure late as he showed against Judah. As well as his style he may mentally want this more as well, having twice felt robbed in America he'll likely seek the stoppage victory.
Whilst Nigerian Ajose Olusegun goes into this bout as the less well known fighter he will go into it with a lot of belief that his time has finally come having had a long and drawn out process to finally get his world title opportunity.
Despite being born in Lagos, Nigeria (and competing at the Olympics) it was in Britain that Olusegun earned his professional boxing stripes. He debuted back in 2001 and with in 18 months he had claimed his first professional title, the lightly regarded World Boxing Foundation Intercontinental Light Welterweight title. By the end of 2005 he added both the Nigerian and the African Boxing Union titles at Light Welterweight as he took fights in both Nigerian and Israel.
The first notable victory for Olusegun came in late 2004 as he stopped Welshman Bradley Pryce. Pryce, the nearly man of British boxing, had fought for the British title 19 months earlier and would later go on to claim the Commonwealth title at Light Middleweight. Olusegun would build on the victory over Pryce by knocking out the then promising Ali Nuumbembe in eye catching fashion. It seemed at this point as if Olusegun would be fast tracked to major international titles.
It took a year following Olusegun's victory over Nuumbembe for Olusegun to claim his next title, the Commonwealth Light Welterweight title as he dominated Gary Reid over 12 rounds. This should have been the platform of Olusegun's world title challenge but sadly, due to poor management Olusegun was stuck making defenses of the Commonwealth title and taking several stay busy fights as he patiently waited for an opportunity. After defending the Commonwealth title 4 times (defeating Nigel Wright twice, Scott Haywood and Colin Lynes) and claiming the British title it seemed almost inevitable that Olusegun would chase a world title fight having gotten sick of waiting in line.
In September 2011 Olusegun finally got his chance to make a mark on the world rankings as he made his US debut and faced Frenchman Ali Chebah in a WBC Eliminator. The winner was supposed to fight to winner of the Erik Morales v Pablo Cesar Cano bout, however, despite dominating Chebah the WBC failed to enforce the bout instead allowing the #2 ranked WBC fighter Danny Garcia to face Morales instead.
Olusegun is a hugely talented Southpaw. He may not pack the power of Matthysse but he has blinding hand speed, a huge variety of punches (many of which are thrown from bizarre angles), brilliant reactions, great footwork and beautiful combinations. Olusegun may have, at times shown a lack of interest in the ring (and often toyed with opponents out of boredom) but when he has his mind on the job he can look sensational both going forward and backwards.
What we have here is two very deserving fighters (a real rarity for an "interim" title bout) though two fighters with very, very different styles. Olusegun is the much faster, taller fighter who whilst not really tested at world level has looked sensational against British fights and his performance against Chebah proved that he was at least fringe world level. Matthysse, the smaller fighter (by around 3" in height and 2" in reach) will know that he will need to get inside Olusegun, he will probably also know that he will need to slow Olusegun with body shots if he is going to win this. It's also interesting to note that whilst Matthysse is tested at the higher level both of his losses have come to quick southpaws, something that Olusegun has in common with both Judah and Alexander.
To win this bout Matthysse will need to slow down Olusegun and body shots will be the key. The Argentinian will struggle to get over the notable size disadvantage but he will have to find a way, likely using his under-rated skills to cut off the ring and unleashing shots to the live when up close. He shouldn't be expecting Olusegun to trade with him (like Soto did) but if he can make things close he will have success. This won't be an easy fight for the Argentinian but it is one he will feel he can win, in fact he almost certainly feels he can beat anyone at 140lbs.
Olusegun's keys to victory will be based around his size, movement and speed. If he can keep Matthysse at range by boxing and moving he should be able to pick up the win. Olusegun however will need to keep his wits about him, he can't try to get cheeky or look for a fight with Matthyse as he would likely come off second best. As long as he can keep up a good work rate for the 12 rounds, keeping Matthyse from unloading up close he stands a solid chance. Olusegun cannot look at this bout as his chance to leave 3 years of anger in the ring but instead he need to think of it as his chance to vindicate himself after feeling like he's been avoided for he past few years.
My take on this fight is that Olusegun, with his speed and range will start the bout fast, he will likely reel off the first 3 or 4 rounds and bag them with his movement, work rate and hand speed. However Matthysse is excellent at cutting the ring off and expect him to catch Olusegun at least a couple of times to the body. In the middle rounds the body work will begin to build up from Matthyse and down the stretch the Argentinian will manage to just grind down the Nigerian in the last few rounds.
Matthyse is the favourite and is priced around 4/9 however I have this much closer to a 50-50 bout that could genuinely go either way and whilst I do favour the Argentinian I wouldn't be surprised if he did lose.
This bout has genuine potential to be really exciting (if Matthysse gets his way) or dull (if Olusegun manages to control the whole 12 rounds with his movement and reach) or some where between the two so is certainly worth tuning in for.
Prediction: Matthysse TKO 11
In one corner we have the exciting and highly rated Argentinian Lucas Martin Matthysse (31-2-0-1, 29) and in the other we have the unbeaten Nigerian born British citizen Ajose Olusegun (30-0, 14). Both men probably should already have had multiple opportunities at titles though, for one reason or another neither man has been crowned a "world champion" so far.
Firstly lets look at the Argentinian. The 29 year old from Buenos Aires is the younger of the two fighters but also the smaller, more powerful man, in fact one a pound-for-pound ranking Matthysse would ranking up amongst the best for his power. Unlike countryman Marcos Maidana, Matthysse isn't wild and reckless, instead he's a well schooled pressure fighter who uses some very under-rated defensive skills to get inside an opponent and hammer them with hard, thudding shots to both the head and body. Whilst the head shots are capable of shaking anyone at 140lbs the body shots are his trademark and the the blows that break fighters when they land.
Matthysse has been around for a while and was a well established amateur at the turn of the millennium having competed in a number of major international events. After missing out on the 2004 Olympics however Matthysse decided it was time to leave a trail of destruction in the professional ranks.
As a professional Matthysse's power and aggression spoke volumes and none of his first 23 fights went beyond 4 rounds as he ran up a record of 22-0-0-1 (21), his only none T/KO win during that streak was a 3rd round DQ victory over Bernardino Gonzalez. It wasn't until the tough Carlos Adan Jerez that Matthysse would find an opponent who could stand up to his power, however Matthysse scored a clear points win over Jerez (who incidentally had been stopped by Lucas' older brother Walter Dario Matthysse several years earlier).
Having created a bit of buzz back home in Argentina, Matthysse would get his first chance to make a name for himself in the USA as he traveled to face former multi-weight world champion Zab Judah. The bout, aired on HBO saw Matthysse suffering his first professional loss as he was on the receiving end of a highly controversial split decision which many felt should have gone the Argentinians way. Despite the loss to Judah many watching had suddenly become Matthysse fans and fallen in love with the exciting Argentinian who they wanted to see more of. Those fans got their wishes just 7 months later as Matthysse fought former world champion Devon Alexander (who faces Randall Bailey in an IBF Welterweight title bout on the same telecast). History would repeat it's self for Matthysse as, like in the Judah bout, he lost by a controversial split decision in a bout he seemed to clearly win.
It would have been understandable for Matthysse to say screw American after being denied twice by controversial scoring, but he returned to the US earlier this year and defeated former multi-weight champion Humberto Soto by TKO between rounds 5 and 6. It was the win over Soto that saw him earning this bout for the "interim" WBC Light Welterweight title.
As previously mentioned Matthysse is a skilled pressure fighter with very under-rated defense and whilst he does get caught, most shots he gets hit with are glancing shots or taken well. It's his offense however that should be the worrying factor for Olusegun. Not only is Matthysse a hard hitter but he's accurate and can penetrate an opponents guard with alarming regularity. Even if he doesn't land clean his shots hurt and he can put on the pressure late as he showed against Judah. As well as his style he may mentally want this more as well, having twice felt robbed in America he'll likely seek the stoppage victory.
Whilst Nigerian Ajose Olusegun goes into this bout as the less well known fighter he will go into it with a lot of belief that his time has finally come having had a long and drawn out process to finally get his world title opportunity.
Despite being born in Lagos, Nigeria (and competing at the Olympics) it was in Britain that Olusegun earned his professional boxing stripes. He debuted back in 2001 and with in 18 months he had claimed his first professional title, the lightly regarded World Boxing Foundation Intercontinental Light Welterweight title. By the end of 2005 he added both the Nigerian and the African Boxing Union titles at Light Welterweight as he took fights in both Nigerian and Israel.
The first notable victory for Olusegun came in late 2004 as he stopped Welshman Bradley Pryce. Pryce, the nearly man of British boxing, had fought for the British title 19 months earlier and would later go on to claim the Commonwealth title at Light Middleweight. Olusegun would build on the victory over Pryce by knocking out the then promising Ali Nuumbembe in eye catching fashion. It seemed at this point as if Olusegun would be fast tracked to major international titles.
It took a year following Olusegun's victory over Nuumbembe for Olusegun to claim his next title, the Commonwealth Light Welterweight title as he dominated Gary Reid over 12 rounds. This should have been the platform of Olusegun's world title challenge but sadly, due to poor management Olusegun was stuck making defenses of the Commonwealth title and taking several stay busy fights as he patiently waited for an opportunity. After defending the Commonwealth title 4 times (defeating Nigel Wright twice, Scott Haywood and Colin Lynes) and claiming the British title it seemed almost inevitable that Olusegun would chase a world title fight having gotten sick of waiting in line.
In September 2011 Olusegun finally got his chance to make a mark on the world rankings as he made his US debut and faced Frenchman Ali Chebah in a WBC Eliminator. The winner was supposed to fight to winner of the Erik Morales v Pablo Cesar Cano bout, however, despite dominating Chebah the WBC failed to enforce the bout instead allowing the #2 ranked WBC fighter Danny Garcia to face Morales instead.
Olusegun is a hugely talented Southpaw. He may not pack the power of Matthysse but he has blinding hand speed, a huge variety of punches (many of which are thrown from bizarre angles), brilliant reactions, great footwork and beautiful combinations. Olusegun may have, at times shown a lack of interest in the ring (and often toyed with opponents out of boredom) but when he has his mind on the job he can look sensational both going forward and backwards.
What we have here is two very deserving fighters (a real rarity for an "interim" title bout) though two fighters with very, very different styles. Olusegun is the much faster, taller fighter who whilst not really tested at world level has looked sensational against British fights and his performance against Chebah proved that he was at least fringe world level. Matthysse, the smaller fighter (by around 3" in height and 2" in reach) will know that he will need to get inside Olusegun, he will probably also know that he will need to slow Olusegun with body shots if he is going to win this. It's also interesting to note that whilst Matthysse is tested at the higher level both of his losses have come to quick southpaws, something that Olusegun has in common with both Judah and Alexander.
To win this bout Matthysse will need to slow down Olusegun and body shots will be the key. The Argentinian will struggle to get over the notable size disadvantage but he will have to find a way, likely using his under-rated skills to cut off the ring and unleashing shots to the live when up close. He shouldn't be expecting Olusegun to trade with him (like Soto did) but if he can make things close he will have success. This won't be an easy fight for the Argentinian but it is one he will feel he can win, in fact he almost certainly feels he can beat anyone at 140lbs.
Olusegun's keys to victory will be based around his size, movement and speed. If he can keep Matthysse at range by boxing and moving he should be able to pick up the win. Olusegun however will need to keep his wits about him, he can't try to get cheeky or look for a fight with Matthyse as he would likely come off second best. As long as he can keep up a good work rate for the 12 rounds, keeping Matthyse from unloading up close he stands a solid chance. Olusegun cannot look at this bout as his chance to leave 3 years of anger in the ring but instead he need to think of it as his chance to vindicate himself after feeling like he's been avoided for he past few years.
My take on this fight is that Olusegun, with his speed and range will start the bout fast, he will likely reel off the first 3 or 4 rounds and bag them with his movement, work rate and hand speed. However Matthysse is excellent at cutting the ring off and expect him to catch Olusegun at least a couple of times to the body. In the middle rounds the body work will begin to build up from Matthyse and down the stretch the Argentinian will manage to just grind down the Nigerian in the last few rounds.
Matthyse is the favourite and is priced around 4/9 however I have this much closer to a 50-50 bout that could genuinely go either way and whilst I do favour the Argentinian I wouldn't be surprised if he did lose.
This bout has genuine potential to be really exciting (if Matthysse gets his way) or dull (if Olusegun manages to control the whole 12 rounds with his movement and reach) or some where between the two so is certainly worth tuning in for.
Prediction: Matthysse TKO 11
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