By Chris Cella
On Friday, December 8, 2012, from Temple University in Philadelphia, undefeated hometown heavyweight and current USBA champion Bryant Jennings (15-0, 7 KO) will put both his unblemished record and his belt on the line in a 12-round bout against challenger Bowie Tupou (22-2, 16 KO).
Both fighters’ styles lead to match-up that will undoubtedly start off like a chess match, with each boxer looking to find his comfort zone. The heavy hands of Tupou will most likely open up the fight and force Jennings to either stand there and bang to make a war of it or get on his bicycle through each round.
Jennings is one of the more technical boxers in the heavyweight division, and he will need to use both his hands and legs to avoid the power of Tupou.
Coming off of a 35 second knockout victory over Chris Koval in September, Jennings has continued to soar through the rankings of the heavyweight division as he stayed active through 2012, going to battle four times and coming out victoriously each time.
“Having this fight in my hometown is great for me right now,” Jennings commented about fighting in front of his Philadelphia fans.
“I’ve been representing my city for a while, fighting tough fights and bringing home wins. I believe this fight will be a good one for the fans. Bowie is aware that I have something to prove so I’m expecting him to come to fight and I am ready.”
On the same night back in September when Jennings made easy work out of Koval, Tupou faced the toughest test of his career in Malik Scott, where despite making it to the eighth and final round, was stopped 52 seconds in.
This battle for the USBA title will be a defining moment for Tupou and how the next step of his career shapes up. It is a big opportunity to defeat a rising undefeated prospect in his own backyard, and catch the attention of boxing fans and media worldwide.
“It’s a good opportunity to get back into the mix again,” said Tupou. “It’s a must win fight for me and I can’t afford to lose. That’s what I’m focused on, winning no matter what.”
These two fighters will set the stage on December 8 in what will be a power puncher who is relentless in coming forward and bringing the fight to his opponent against a crafty technical heavyweight looking to pick his punches and offset his opponents in route to winning the fight.
The fight will be aired live on NBC Sports.
