This weekend American WBO Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (29-0-0-1, 12) will look to make the first defense of his title as he faces the exciting to watch but limited Ruslan Provodnikov (22-1, 15). This will in fact be the first time either man has fought since June 2012, the month that Bradley claimed a controversial decision over Manny Pacquiao and Provodnikov beat Jose Reynoso in 2 rounds.
Although Bradley's result over Pacquiao was highly criticised the unbeaten "Desert Storm" is a genuine top 10 pound-for-pound fighter on his own merit. Aged 29 the tenacious California native has claimed the WBO Light Welterweight title, the WBC Light Welterweight title (twice)and the WBO Welterweight title. As well as hit title collection he has scored notable wins over Miguel Vazquez, Junior Witter, Kendall Holt, Lamont Peterson, Devon Alexander, Joel Casamayor and of course Pacquiao. A genuine who's who if we're being honest.
In terms of style Bradley is, as mentioned above, tenacious. He looks like he's been carved out of stone and is both physically and mentally strong. He's a fighter who does a number of very under-rated things, in fact his ability to slip punches, as he showed against Pacquiao (who landed a lot less than Jim Lampley thought) is almost forgotten. He likes to come forward and be in an opponents face (often causing head clashes) whilst throwing accurate and moderately fast punches for 12 rounds whilst using his feet well to move in and out of range as well as around an opponent. His biggest real issue is his relative lack of power when compared to the rest of his skill set. It's not as if Bradley fights like Miguel Vazquez using his jab and moving constantly, but instead he often gets in to the trenches and goes for it.
Since first fighting at the world level back in 2008 Bradley only has a solitary TKO on his record and that was over a faded Joel Casamayor in 2011. Despite this he has been able to drop fighters on a regular basis including Witter, Edner Cherry, Peterson and Casamayor though was only able to finish off Casamayor.
Whilst Bradley is a proven world class fighter Provodnikov has yet to fight at this level. In fact Provodnikov has so far been making his name on ESPN Friday Night Fights where he has proven to be a popular, though somewhat limited, warrior. He's got a reputation as being tough as old boots, like Bradley and an aggressively minded fighter (also like Bradley) but lacing finesse in the ring and instead relying on his brute strength and work rate to try and over come opponents.
Often Provodnikov has managed to hide his deficiencies thanks to the weak level of opponents he has been facing including the shell of Emmanuel Augustus, a very shop worn DeMarcus Corley and an old Javier Jauregui. In his only loss (which some feel he should have won) Provodniov was taken 12 rounds by the teak tough Mauricio Herrera who has since proven to be a very credible "B" level fighter with hard fought decision losses to Mike Alvarado and Karim Mayfield as well as a victory over Mike Dallas Jr.
Although Provodnikov is very strong and very tough he has the facial features that mark up very easily and if, as I expect, he decides to fight Bradley head on, he could end up being very marked up very early on. Bradley's head has a knack of cutting others and with the punches also flying I think Provodnikov will end up being warrior who gets stopped against his wishes despite his face being a mess.
Prediction-Bradley TKO10
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Alberto Rossel v Walter Tello
Peruvian fighter Alberto Rossel (29-8-0-1, 13) will attempt to defend his WBA interim Light Flyweight title for the second time this coming weekend as he faces Panamanian Walter Tello (18-6, 7) in what promising to be a major event in the champion's homeland, despite it not being a country known for it's boxing.
The 35 year old Rossel may not be a name on the lips of every boxing fan however in his homeland he's a legend, he's not only the first male Peruvian to claim a world title of some sort but he's also the boxing icon of the country. He's been a classy fighter who has mixed with some of the best (including Ivan Calderon, Brian Viloria, Luis Alberto Lazarte, Vusi Malinga and Hugo Fidel Cazares) and finally reaps the rewards of his long and excellent career.
Rossel's been a professional since 1998 and although he's fought around the world (Peru, USA, Puerto Rico, Argentina, South Africa and Mexico) it's only been the last year or so that he's managed to make a name for himself thanks to victories over Jose Alfredo Rodriguez and Karluis Diaz as he claimed, then defended his world title.
In terms of fighting style Rossel is still a quick fighter for someone who is now 35 and although he's tiny he's got genuine ability to fight from the outside as well as the inside. Sadly through his career Rossel has found himself facing genuinely world level fighters who have simply had that level of exceptional talent rather than just good skills and he's come out the loser at the top level as a result.
At just 26 years old the Panamanian challenger is by far the younger man going in to this bout though he's not only less experienced but also less tested having only been in with 2 noteworthy in Manuel Vargas and Giovani Segura, both of whom convincingly beat him in Mexico in world title fights. This also reflected in the quality of Tello's victories which have been very limited and his only title victory was when he won the WBO Latino Minimumweight title back in 2008.
Tello is genuinely very limited and his confidence will not be high, despite a 3 fight winning streak because he's 4-3 in his last 7 and 5-4 in his last 9, including 2 losses to fellow Panamanian Carlos Melo.
Although Tello has only been stopped twice (once bey Segura and once by Luis Alberto Rios, who fights this weekend against John Riel Casimero for the IBF Light Flyweight title) I wouldn't be shocked if the pressure of fighting in Peru sees him mentally wilting before being stopped late.
Prediction-Rossel to win by TKO11
The 35 year old Rossel may not be a name on the lips of every boxing fan however in his homeland he's a legend, he's not only the first male Peruvian to claim a world title of some sort but he's also the boxing icon of the country. He's been a classy fighter who has mixed with some of the best (including Ivan Calderon, Brian Viloria, Luis Alberto Lazarte, Vusi Malinga and Hugo Fidel Cazares) and finally reaps the rewards of his long and excellent career.
Rossel's been a professional since 1998 and although he's fought around the world (Peru, USA, Puerto Rico, Argentina, South Africa and Mexico) it's only been the last year or so that he's managed to make a name for himself thanks to victories over Jose Alfredo Rodriguez and Karluis Diaz as he claimed, then defended his world title.
In terms of fighting style Rossel is still a quick fighter for someone who is now 35 and although he's tiny he's got genuine ability to fight from the outside as well as the inside. Sadly through his career Rossel has found himself facing genuinely world level fighters who have simply had that level of exceptional talent rather than just good skills and he's come out the loser at the top level as a result.
At just 26 years old the Panamanian challenger is by far the younger man going in to this bout though he's not only less experienced but also less tested having only been in with 2 noteworthy in Manuel Vargas and Giovani Segura, both of whom convincingly beat him in Mexico in world title fights. This also reflected in the quality of Tello's victories which have been very limited and his only title victory was when he won the WBO Latino Minimumweight title back in 2008.
Tello is genuinely very limited and his confidence will not be high, despite a 3 fight winning streak because he's 4-3 in his last 7 and 5-4 in his last 9, including 2 losses to fellow Panamanian Carlos Melo.
Although Tello has only been stopped twice (once bey Segura and once by Luis Alberto Rios, who fights this weekend against John Riel Casimero for the IBF Light Flyweight title) I wouldn't be shocked if the pressure of fighting in Peru sees him mentally wilting before being stopped late.
Prediction-Rossel to win by TKO11
Friday, 8 March 2013
Juan Carlos Salgado v Argenis Mendez II
In what will probably turn out to be the fight of the weekend IBF Super Featherweight champion Juan Carlos Salgado (26-1-1-1, 16) will attempt to defend his belt against the highly ranked Argenis Mendez (20-2, 10) in a rematch of their brilliant 2011 bout which saw Salgado claiming a controversial unanimous decision in his homeland of Mexico.
The 28 year old Salgado burst on to the scene back in 2009 when he scored an upset of the year contender blasting out Jorge Linares in just 168 seconds to claim the WBA Super Featherweight title. Whilst his reign didn't last long, losing hit title to Takashi Uchiyama in just his first defense, he had proven his ability was at least near world class and had actually put on a solid effort against Uchiyama.
Since the loss to Uchiyama, Salgado has claimed the IBF title and gone 5-0-0-1 actually claiming the title when he first beat Mendez. Although he hasn't looked great as a champion, scraping a decision over Martin Honorio and seeing his bout with Miguel Beltran Jr called off early after a clash of heads he has managed to keep a hold of his title significantly longer than his first reign.
Salgado is a solid enough fighter, he's a hurtful puncher, he's a hard worker and whilst he's not the most polished he has solid skills. There is nothing that's going to blow you away about him and he can fight down to his opponents level (as he did with Honorio) though at his best he's probably in the top 5 of a weak Super Featherweight division with out too many questions. He's not invincible but only Mendez and Uchiyama have managed to drop him so far and both of those came in the 12th round.
Whilst the Super Featherweight division is weak Mendez is deservedly ranked highly and boxrec's rating of #5 is around what I'd have him personally. He's a fighter who is very highly skilled and a fighter who has had to prove his ability against some of the other top Super Featherweights to get his chance in title fights.
Prior to the first Salgado fight Mendez had to travel to South Africa in an IBF eliminator, whilst there he widely out pointed former title holder Cassius Baloyi. Although he lost in Mexico the first time he faced Salgado he gave him a very tough fight, dropping Salgado before controversially being out pointed. Since then he has beaten Honorio (for a second time) in an IBF eliminator.
Born in the Dominican Republic though based in the US, the 26 year old Mendez, trained by Brit Lee Beard was a very good amateur and certainly has the superior skills of the two men. As long as he shows those skills he should get the decision this time, especially with the bout now being in the US rather than Mexico. It should also be a fantastic fight just like the first.
Prediction-Mendez by UD
The 28 year old Salgado burst on to the scene back in 2009 when he scored an upset of the year contender blasting out Jorge Linares in just 168 seconds to claim the WBA Super Featherweight title. Whilst his reign didn't last long, losing hit title to Takashi Uchiyama in just his first defense, he had proven his ability was at least near world class and had actually put on a solid effort against Uchiyama.
Since the loss to Uchiyama, Salgado has claimed the IBF title and gone 5-0-0-1 actually claiming the title when he first beat Mendez. Although he hasn't looked great as a champion, scraping a decision over Martin Honorio and seeing his bout with Miguel Beltran Jr called off early after a clash of heads he has managed to keep a hold of his title significantly longer than his first reign.
Salgado is a solid enough fighter, he's a hurtful puncher, he's a hard worker and whilst he's not the most polished he has solid skills. There is nothing that's going to blow you away about him and he can fight down to his opponents level (as he did with Honorio) though at his best he's probably in the top 5 of a weak Super Featherweight division with out too many questions. He's not invincible but only Mendez and Uchiyama have managed to drop him so far and both of those came in the 12th round.
Whilst the Super Featherweight division is weak Mendez is deservedly ranked highly and boxrec's rating of #5 is around what I'd have him personally. He's a fighter who is very highly skilled and a fighter who has had to prove his ability against some of the other top Super Featherweights to get his chance in title fights.
Prior to the first Salgado fight Mendez had to travel to South Africa in an IBF eliminator, whilst there he widely out pointed former title holder Cassius Baloyi. Although he lost in Mexico the first time he faced Salgado he gave him a very tough fight, dropping Salgado before controversially being out pointed. Since then he has beaten Honorio (for a second time) in an IBF eliminator.
Born in the Dominican Republic though based in the US, the 26 year old Mendez, trained by Brit Lee Beard was a very good amateur and certainly has the superior skills of the two men. As long as he shows those skills he should get the decision this time, especially with the bout now being in the US rather than Mexico. It should also be a fantastic fight just like the first.
Prediction-Mendez by UD
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Luis de la Rosa v Merlito Sabillo
In this weekends most overlooked fight once beaten Colombian Luis De La Rosa (21-1-1, 12) faces undefeated Filipino Merlito Sabillo (20-0, 10) in a bout over the WBO interim Minimumweight title. Although neither fighter is a big name both are well regarded by those in the know with several feeling that either man is there or there abouts in the top 10.
With this fight being in Colombia home star Luis De La Rosa must start the bout as the favourite despite having suffered a loss. In fact now I've mentioned that loss it's worth noting that it came by split decision against the hugely talented Raul Garcia back in 2010, in a bout that saw Garcia dropped in early in the bout. Although not a massive puncher it's fair to say that De La Rosa hits hard as Garcia isn't a fighter who goes down easily.
Sadly aside from Garcia it's hard to see another recognisable fighter on De La Rosa's ledger as he's faced a long string of nobodies since turning professional in 2006, although he did claim the Colombian Light Flyweight title back in 2010.
As well as the loss, De La Rosa has suffered a draw, a 4 round draw early in his career to the then debuting Stiven Monterrosa who recently got flatten by Roman Gonzalez. Other than that he's been a winner in all of his bouts, though he was taken close by journeyman Alfonso De la Hoz (who's record is a who's who of South America boxing).
Whilst De La Rosa will be in front of his home fans the hardcore boxing fans may well favour the Filipino challenger to come away with the title belt. Sabillo, like De La Rosa, has generally faced limited opposition though he has scored noteworthy wins over the likes of Jonathan Refugio to defend the OPBF Minimumweight title and Jetly Purisima for the Filipino title. Sure they aren't world names but they are decent enough fighters to test a fighters ability against.
From the footage of Sabillo he looks a very big guy for Minimumweight (he stands around 5'4") and looks very good fighting from a southpaw stance with a nice array of punches and a patient style despite often coming forward.
If the fight was in a neutral venue I'd have gone with Sabillo, though with it being in Colombia you need to favour the home fighter. Expect the fight to be close and go to a decision before the home fighter claims a close and probably controversial decision.
Prediction-De La Rosa via decision
With this fight being in Colombia home star Luis De La Rosa must start the bout as the favourite despite having suffered a loss. In fact now I've mentioned that loss it's worth noting that it came by split decision against the hugely talented Raul Garcia back in 2010, in a bout that saw Garcia dropped in early in the bout. Although not a massive puncher it's fair to say that De La Rosa hits hard as Garcia isn't a fighter who goes down easily.
Sadly aside from Garcia it's hard to see another recognisable fighter on De La Rosa's ledger as he's faced a long string of nobodies since turning professional in 2006, although he did claim the Colombian Light Flyweight title back in 2010.
As well as the loss, De La Rosa has suffered a draw, a 4 round draw early in his career to the then debuting Stiven Monterrosa who recently got flatten by Roman Gonzalez. Other than that he's been a winner in all of his bouts, though he was taken close by journeyman Alfonso De la Hoz (who's record is a who's who of South America boxing).
Whilst De La Rosa will be in front of his home fans the hardcore boxing fans may well favour the Filipino challenger to come away with the title belt. Sabillo, like De La Rosa, has generally faced limited opposition though he has scored noteworthy wins over the likes of Jonathan Refugio to defend the OPBF Minimumweight title and Jetly Purisima for the Filipino title. Sure they aren't world names but they are decent enough fighters to test a fighters ability against.
From the footage of Sabillo he looks a very big guy for Minimumweight (he stands around 5'4") and looks very good fighting from a southpaw stance with a nice array of punches and a patient style despite often coming forward.
If the fight was in a neutral venue I'd have gone with Sabillo, though with it being in Colombia you need to favour the home fighter. Expect the fight to be close and go to a decision before the home fighter claims a close and probably controversial decision.
Prediction-De La Rosa via decision
Tavoris Cloud v Bernard Hopkins
By far the most notable bout of this coming weekend sees IBF Light Heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud (24-0, 19) facing the legendary Bernard Hopkins (?-?) in what could end up being the final bout in the career of the iconic "Executioner".
The unbeaten Cloud, 31, is seen as an aggressive, fun to watch and hard hitting fighter. He started his career with an an impressive 18 stoppages in his first 19 fights before being taken 12 rounds in 4 of his last 5 bouts by experienced fighters such as former world champions Clinton Woods, Glen Johnson and Gabriel Campillo (as well as multi-time title contender Fulgencio Zuniga).
Although his power hasn't really carried up to the title level, he's still a very hurtful puncher and dropped Campillo several times on route to scoring a hugely controversial victory 13 months ago. Whilst he dropped Campillo it was also that fight that showed the limitations of Cloud who was regularly outscored by the moment and and hand speed of Campillo who appeared to win almost every round other than the first.
Whilst Cloud can be fun to watch he can appear crude and predictable at times. He's certainly determined and tough though his predictability is an issue, especially when he's facing clever fighters, like Hopkins is. However his energy, pure strength, and work rate does bail him out of being a little bit one paced at times. Despite his work rate there are question marks over his activity which has seen him fighting just 5 times since September 2008 and in fact since claiming his world title in August 2009 he has only defended it 4 times.
At 48 years old Bernard Hopkins is a fighter defying all logic. He's a fighter who is repeatedly proving that ring IQ is one of the most valuable assets a fighter can have and also something that allows you to carry on longer in the sport when the physical talents start to wane. Although saying that he can be beaten by fast fighters who manage to catch him or out work him whilst managing to maintain distance as Chad Dawson did last time out.
Hopkins may be best known for his outstanding Middleweight title reign between 1994 and 2005 however he has proven to be a very credible Light Heavyweight having beaten Jean Pascal and lost a controversial decision to Joe Calzaghe at the weight. However the victory over Pascal was almost 2 years ago and in 2 fights with Chad Dawson (a UD loss and a 2nd round Technical Draw) he was looking like an old man.
Sure Hopkins is a technical genius, he's made a career out of controlling the pace of the fight and the distance of the bout as well as using old skool tricks to get to his opponents, however he's the under-dog here fora reason. No one can carry on at the top level forever and Pascal showed in his first fight with Hopkins that the old man isn't as defensively sound as he once was. Cloud may not be a genius in the ring but he's bright enough to know that jumping on Hopkins early is the way to beat him.
The bookmakers have Cloud priced around 4/6 to win I'll be a little controversial and suggest that there is real value in Cloud by TKO/KO/DQ at around 5/1. The champion has a point to prove and the challenger is fighting both Cloud and father time.
Prediction-Cloud TKO6
The unbeaten Cloud, 31, is seen as an aggressive, fun to watch and hard hitting fighter. He started his career with an an impressive 18 stoppages in his first 19 fights before being taken 12 rounds in 4 of his last 5 bouts by experienced fighters such as former world champions Clinton Woods, Glen Johnson and Gabriel Campillo (as well as multi-time title contender Fulgencio Zuniga).
Although his power hasn't really carried up to the title level, he's still a very hurtful puncher and dropped Campillo several times on route to scoring a hugely controversial victory 13 months ago. Whilst he dropped Campillo it was also that fight that showed the limitations of Cloud who was regularly outscored by the moment and and hand speed of Campillo who appeared to win almost every round other than the first.
Whilst Cloud can be fun to watch he can appear crude and predictable at times. He's certainly determined and tough though his predictability is an issue, especially when he's facing clever fighters, like Hopkins is. However his energy, pure strength, and work rate does bail him out of being a little bit one paced at times. Despite his work rate there are question marks over his activity which has seen him fighting just 5 times since September 2008 and in fact since claiming his world title in August 2009 he has only defended it 4 times.
At 48 years old Bernard Hopkins is a fighter defying all logic. He's a fighter who is repeatedly proving that ring IQ is one of the most valuable assets a fighter can have and also something that allows you to carry on longer in the sport when the physical talents start to wane. Although saying that he can be beaten by fast fighters who manage to catch him or out work him whilst managing to maintain distance as Chad Dawson did last time out.
Hopkins may be best known for his outstanding Middleweight title reign between 1994 and 2005 however he has proven to be a very credible Light Heavyweight having beaten Jean Pascal and lost a controversial decision to Joe Calzaghe at the weight. However the victory over Pascal was almost 2 years ago and in 2 fights with Chad Dawson (a UD loss and a 2nd round Technical Draw) he was looking like an old man.
Sure Hopkins is a technical genius, he's made a career out of controlling the pace of the fight and the distance of the bout as well as using old skool tricks to get to his opponents, however he's the under-dog here fora reason. No one can carry on at the top level forever and Pascal showed in his first fight with Hopkins that the old man isn't as defensively sound as he once was. Cloud may not be a genius in the ring but he's bright enough to know that jumping on Hopkins early is the way to beat him.
The bookmakers have Cloud priced around 4/6 to win I'll be a little controversial and suggest that there is real value in Cloud by TKO/KO/DQ at around 5/1. The champion has a point to prove and the challenger is fighting both Cloud and father time.
Prediction-Cloud TKO6
Friday, 1 March 2013
Donnie Nietes v Moises Funetes
Filipino Donnie Nietes (31-1-3, 17) has long been one of the most forgotten men in the sport of boxing. He's unbeaten in over 8 years, he's claimed WBO title at both Minimumweight and Flyweight and he's won his last 18 bouts, including 7 world title bouts and yet he's rarely, if ever mentioned online even when fans are talking about under-rated fighters. It's likely however that if Nietes successfully defends his WBO Light Flyweight title this coming Saturday against Mexican Moises Fuentes (16-1, 8) the boxing world may finally start to give him the attention he deserves.
Nietes, 30, has been a professional since 2003 and since then has only suffered a solitary (and highly debatable loss) to Angky Angkotta in Angkotta's native Indonesia. Not only did Angkotta struggle to gain a split decision in front of his own fans but he also failed to make the agreed weight for the fight, coming some 6 lbs over weight.
Since his loss to Angkotta, Nietes has been exceptional defeating the likes of Pornsawan Porpramook, Manuel Vargas, Jesus Silvestre, Mario Rodriguez and Ramon Garcia Hirales using his excellent skills and speed. Despite these notable victories Nietes has remained almost an enigma to many boxing fans who either don't know about, or don't care about the activity in the lower divisions where fighters like Nietes ply their trade.
Whilst he may be overlooked by many fans that really doesn't take away from the huge level of talent Nietes has. He's not a hugely exciting fighter, due to his defensive skill and lack of power, though he is a hugely talented fighter who knows his way around the ring and know how to get rounds in the bag, even if he doesn't tend to dominate fights in the way that perhaps he should. His work in the pocket is beautiful as he ducks and dodges whilst landing hurtful counters and his boxing is hugely under-rated by many. Saying that however the fact he rarely manages to put opponents away is a worry especially when you consider he now has over 230 professional rounds under his belt.
If Neites is to be seen as a masterful boxer then on the other hand we have the wild and somewhat reckless looking slugger from Mexico in Moises Fuentes. Fuentes, who defended his WBO Minimumweight title last time out by stopping Ivan Calderon (who retired from boxing following the loss) is like Neites in only a handful of ways, the most notable is that he's often over looked by boxing fans despite forging a successful career.
Another similarity that Nietes and Fuentes share is that they have only been beaten once, in fact rather oddly their losses both came by controversial split decision to fighters who came in over weight with Fuentes losing to fellow Mexican Juan Hernandez back in 2011. Since the loss to Hernandez however Fuentes has really come in to his own scoring notable wins over Raul Garcia, Julio Cesar Felix and most famously Ivan Calderon in what are by far his biggest wins.
Whilst Fuentes has made his name at Minimumweight he's always been a huge guy at the 105lb limit and standing at 5'7" he's actually taller than Lucas Matthysse. His size advantage has made him very dangerous at Minimumweight though should also easily allow him to make the move up to Light Flyweight for this bout with Nietes. In fact Fuentes should look like the noticeably bigger man in the ring despite being the fighter who's coming up a division.
If you look at Fuentes' record you don't see that of a puncher, though he is a hurtful fighter and if you allow him to catch you, you will know about it. He's hurtful to both the head and body and whilst he can be made to look very clumsy he can also leave fighters wincing in agony at his clubbing shots. If he manages to catch Nietes getting too cute he could genuinely shake up the Filipino, though I think the champion knows how to take care of himself in such a way that he should be able to take a clear decision over Fuentes.
Prediction-Nietes decision.
Nietes, 30, has been a professional since 2003 and since then has only suffered a solitary (and highly debatable loss) to Angky Angkotta in Angkotta's native Indonesia. Not only did Angkotta struggle to gain a split decision in front of his own fans but he also failed to make the agreed weight for the fight, coming some 6 lbs over weight.
Since his loss to Angkotta, Nietes has been exceptional defeating the likes of Pornsawan Porpramook, Manuel Vargas, Jesus Silvestre, Mario Rodriguez and Ramon Garcia Hirales using his excellent skills and speed. Despite these notable victories Nietes has remained almost an enigma to many boxing fans who either don't know about, or don't care about the activity in the lower divisions where fighters like Nietes ply their trade.
Whilst he may be overlooked by many fans that really doesn't take away from the huge level of talent Nietes has. He's not a hugely exciting fighter, due to his defensive skill and lack of power, though he is a hugely talented fighter who knows his way around the ring and know how to get rounds in the bag, even if he doesn't tend to dominate fights in the way that perhaps he should. His work in the pocket is beautiful as he ducks and dodges whilst landing hurtful counters and his boxing is hugely under-rated by many. Saying that however the fact he rarely manages to put opponents away is a worry especially when you consider he now has over 230 professional rounds under his belt.
If Neites is to be seen as a masterful boxer then on the other hand we have the wild and somewhat reckless looking slugger from Mexico in Moises Fuentes. Fuentes, who defended his WBO Minimumweight title last time out by stopping Ivan Calderon (who retired from boxing following the loss) is like Neites in only a handful of ways, the most notable is that he's often over looked by boxing fans despite forging a successful career.
Another similarity that Nietes and Fuentes share is that they have only been beaten once, in fact rather oddly their losses both came by controversial split decision to fighters who came in over weight with Fuentes losing to fellow Mexican Juan Hernandez back in 2011. Since the loss to Hernandez however Fuentes has really come in to his own scoring notable wins over Raul Garcia, Julio Cesar Felix and most famously Ivan Calderon in what are by far his biggest wins.
Whilst Fuentes has made his name at Minimumweight he's always been a huge guy at the 105lb limit and standing at 5'7" he's actually taller than Lucas Matthysse. His size advantage has made him very dangerous at Minimumweight though should also easily allow him to make the move up to Light Flyweight for this bout with Nietes. In fact Fuentes should look like the noticeably bigger man in the ring despite being the fighter who's coming up a division.
If you look at Fuentes' record you don't see that of a puncher, though he is a hurtful fighter and if you allow him to catch you, you will know about it. He's hurtful to both the head and body and whilst he can be made to look very clumsy he can also leave fighters wincing in agony at his clubbing shots. If he manages to catch Nietes getting too cute he could genuinely shake up the Filipino, though I think the champion knows how to take care of himself in such a way that he should be able to take a clear decision over Fuentes.
Prediction-Nietes decision.
Richard Abril v Sharif Bogere
Talented Cuban Richard Abril (17-3-1, 8) will face US based Ugandan Sharif Bogere (23-0, 15) this coming Saturday on Showtime in a bout for the WBA Lightweight title, a belt that many feel already belongs to Abril who was widely viewed to have been robbed last year when he lost a decision to Brandon Rios.
Abril, 30, is viewed as a very talented boxer who may lack power though makes up for it by using his skills to fight to his strengths whilst neutralising his opponents, something he did spectacularly well to Brandon Rios. Sadly for Abril it's his lossesmore than his skills that he is best known for, with reverses to Breidis Prescott, Henry Lundy and most famously Brandon Rios (all by split decision), despite this Abril does have a number of notable victories himself including decisions over Jose Reyes and Miguel Acosta.
At 5'11" Abril is a tall fighter for the Lightweight division, he's rangy, has a solid jab, ties up very well under pressure and knows how to use the ring excellently. Whilst he may not be a whole lot of fun to watch he's a fighter who know what it takes to score victories and how to bag rounds. Sadly it's the fact that he's not fun to watch that may have put some fans off watching him, although when he opens up, as he did against Acosta he can be very effective (though sadly that was a faded Acosta).
Whilst Abril is somewhat well known to boxing fans for his ability to shut down offenses it's fair to say his opponent Sharif Bogere is best known for his now legendary ring entrance where by he wears the dead skin of a lion. Despite the gimmicky costume Bogere, like Abril, is a very credible fighter at 135lbs and has also scored notable victories, though unlike Abril he's unbeaten.
At 24 years old Bogere is by far the younger man and despite having fought more times as a professional he's also the lesser experienced of the two thanks to Abril's long amateur background. That however doesn't mean that Bogere lacks experience himself having been a professional since 2008.
In his 23 fights to date Bogere has beaten some very credible opponents including Manuel Leyva, Raymundo Beltran and Sergio Rivera (an opponent that both men have beaten). Admittedly however the fight with Beltran was very close and had Bogere not been unbeaten going in there is every chance he would have been beaten that night.
Whilst Bogere has a plus 50% KO rate he's not a huge puncher. His shots are hurtful though aren't concussive, especially near world level, instead Bogere will need to use his speed to dart in and out from Abril whilst hoping not to get caught on the way in. Whilst he has speed, he will not only need be cautious of being caught by Abril's shots coming in but also burning out lat in the fight having only been 7 or more rounds twice in his career (as opposed to Abril who has been 7 rounds or more on 7 occasions).
It's with good reason that Abril starts as a 1/4 favourite, and it's those odds I like.
Prediction-Abril by Decision.
Abril, 30, is viewed as a very talented boxer who may lack power though makes up for it by using his skills to fight to his strengths whilst neutralising his opponents, something he did spectacularly well to Brandon Rios. Sadly for Abril it's his lossesmore than his skills that he is best known for, with reverses to Breidis Prescott, Henry Lundy and most famously Brandon Rios (all by split decision), despite this Abril does have a number of notable victories himself including decisions over Jose Reyes and Miguel Acosta.
At 5'11" Abril is a tall fighter for the Lightweight division, he's rangy, has a solid jab, ties up very well under pressure and knows how to use the ring excellently. Whilst he may not be a whole lot of fun to watch he's a fighter who know what it takes to score victories and how to bag rounds. Sadly it's the fact that he's not fun to watch that may have put some fans off watching him, although when he opens up, as he did against Acosta he can be very effective (though sadly that was a faded Acosta).
Whilst Abril is somewhat well known to boxing fans for his ability to shut down offenses it's fair to say his opponent Sharif Bogere is best known for his now legendary ring entrance where by he wears the dead skin of a lion. Despite the gimmicky costume Bogere, like Abril, is a very credible fighter at 135lbs and has also scored notable victories, though unlike Abril he's unbeaten.
At 24 years old Bogere is by far the younger man and despite having fought more times as a professional he's also the lesser experienced of the two thanks to Abril's long amateur background. That however doesn't mean that Bogere lacks experience himself having been a professional since 2008.
In his 23 fights to date Bogere has beaten some very credible opponents including Manuel Leyva, Raymundo Beltran and Sergio Rivera (an opponent that both men have beaten). Admittedly however the fight with Beltran was very close and had Bogere not been unbeaten going in there is every chance he would have been beaten that night.
Whilst Bogere has a plus 50% KO rate he's not a huge puncher. His shots are hurtful though aren't concussive, especially near world level, instead Bogere will need to use his speed to dart in and out from Abril whilst hoping not to get caught on the way in. Whilst he has speed, he will not only need be cautious of being caught by Abril's shots coming in but also burning out lat in the fight having only been 7 or more rounds twice in his career (as opposed to Abril who has been 7 rounds or more on 7 occasions).
It's with good reason that Abril starts as a 1/4 favourite, and it's those odds I like.
Prediction-Abril by Decision.
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