By: Shane Willoughby
With the number of dates the television networks have, it’s no surprise promoters fight cards clash. But this weekend is one for the boxing die hards – the real hardcore fight fans.
After the Fury vs Schwarz debacle boxing fans are desperate for some solid matchups. Top Rank returns with a real and extremely strong fight card this Friday at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in California.
Headlining the show will be Richard Commey making his 1st defence of his IBF title against the seasoned veteran Raymundo Beltran.
Whilst Beltran has seen better days, now aged 38, he was WBO Lightweight champion last year before losing to Pedraza. This is probably Commey’s biggest step up since he won the title but everyone is still expecting him to win.
Whilst Beltran will be seen as an underdog he has never been a fighter not to give 100% and so long as he has life in his body he will be going for it from the first bell. This fight could be fireworks. Commey has the power to knock anyone out.
However, It would be interesting to see what style Commey tries to bring. We saw him take a safety-first approach in the Shafikov. Plus, with a possible Undisputed fight with Lomachencko around the corner, it’s difficult to know how Commey will come out.
The only issue is Beltran definitely isn’t afraid of getting into a tear up and he will come forward all night. It’s just whether Commey will try and box early or go for the kill. If he does go for it then it’s going to be a hell of a fight while it lasts.
Heavyweight prospect Junior Fa is back in action against the veteran Dominick Guinn. The New Zealander is looking to improve on his 17-0 record and possibly move on to bigger fights at the back end of this year. He shouldn’t have many problems with Guinn, who is definitely past it.
Maybe if it was the Guinn who fought Monte Barret 15 years ago, then he could pose a threat. But with that said, in Guinn’s 12 losses he has never been stopped. The veteran definitely knows how to defend himself so, Fa will probably be in for a long nights work.
Some fights you can just look at before the bell rings and know; this is going to be entertaining. This is going to be a war. One of Mexico’s highly touted prospects is in action against Miguel Gonzalez. Saul Rodriguez is in a decent step up fight here, whilst Gonzalez has had 4 losses, he has never been knocked out or even come close.
In addition to that, Gonzalez is young and hungry – coming off 2 good knockout performances himself. Now whilst neither fighter is a household name, everyone knows what happens when you match two Mexicans against each other. War!
Trust me, this fight will not disappoint, both fighters can punch but are not very defensively aware. So it should be an intense scrap. Both young with a good engine; this fight could be like a scene out of Rocky.
The fight of the night will probably be Carlos Adames vs Patrick Day. Now whilst it will not offer you the same level of entertainment as the others, its a real ‘pick-em’ fight. It’s the old school matchup of brawler vs boxer, speed vs power.
There are some fighters who from the first bell have evil intentions, Adames is the epitome of that. He wants to hurt his opponents and he will try and bring pain from the start. But Day is a tricky customer and won’t stay stationary.
At times Adames will probably look silly chasing Day around, and the Dominican fighter tends to admire his work and get very inactive, which could create an opportunity for Day to land. With that said it’s difficult to see him avoid Adames’ power punches for 10 rounds and if he does land, his day is done.
Either way, it should be extremely interesting to watch and if Adames gets through the fight without any problems, then he is a real player in the super welterweight division and should be looking for a big step up.
It’s good to see Bob Arum return with a good competitive card after Tyson Fury’s exhibition match. This card will probably go unnoticed but for the real hard-core fans who end up watching it, they will be in for a real treat.
