By Jackie Kallen
Friday night in Shelton, WA at a place called Little Creek Casino Resort, Mayweather Promotions is highlighting some of their undefeated prospects on Showtime. They have put together their own version of the Night of Future Champions.
The main event is a 10 round Middleweight showdown between 15-0 J’Leon Love and 23-4 Lajuan Simon. Twenty-six year old Love is originally from the Detroit area and has that tough Motown attitude. This is his first fight since May when his decision win over Gabriel Rosado was overturned after Love tested positive for a banned diuretic in his system.
Simon, from Philly, may not be the toughest test for Love, but it is an activity fight and will show boxing fans where Love is in his career. Simon has lost 4 out of his last 6 fights, getting stopped in the first round of his last fight (two years ago) against GGG. Before that his toughest opposition was Arthur Abraham in 2009. Simon lost a unanimous decision.
Also on the card, 15-0 super-middleweight Badou Jack faces Rogelio Medina, who has a 31-4 record. From Mexico, Medina has never fought in the US. His last fight was October 5 in Chihuahua against Marcos Reyes. He lost a 12 round decision. He is a solid slugger, though, and always has a puncher’s chance. He has knocked out 71% of his opponents and if he cuts off the ring and catches Jack–he just may get lucky.
The third 10-rounder is a super featherweight bout between 18-1 Mickey Bey and 20-6 Carlos Cardenas. The Cleveland boxer was on a nice roll until he ran into John Molina this past July in Las Vegas. Bey seemed to be safely ahead when the tides turned in the 10th round and Molina rallied. He started his onslaught with a left hook and referee Vic Drakulich stopped the fight with 59 seconds to go.
In retrospect, Bey probably wishes he had boxed and stayed away that last round. But he didn’t and he paid the price. He felt the ref stopped the fight too soon, but the loss is now on the books and he is his way to redemption. Cardenas may be a confidence-builder and a nice win.
It’s been over a year since Cardenas got stopped by Edgar Puerta in Mexico in the 8th round of a title fight. This is his American debut and he is no doubt hoping that Bey’s KO took a lot out of him and he is open to be beaten again. I don’t see it happening.
Super Middleweight Luis Arias looks to go to 8-0 when he gets into the ring against Cameron Allen, who has an unimpressive 5-13 record. He has been KOed seven times, so this should be an easy notch on Arias’s belt.
There is one interesting match-up that could go either way. 9-0 Christopher Pearson is putting his undefeated record on the line against 14-0-1 Acacio Joao Ferreira from Vegas. Someone’s 0 will go and it may be Ferreira’s. He may not be able to handle Pearson’s power.
This looks like a good card and a full evening of boxing for the fans in the upper Northwest.