The ESPN2 Friday Night Fights TV Cheat Sheet- Apr. 22, 2011 By Martin Mulcahey, MaxBoxing (April 22, 2011) Special to Doghouse Boxing - Tweet
Those who doubt the international appeal of boxing
has only to look at this weekend’s TV schedule to dissuade them of their
opinion. Tonight on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights,” a Mongolian battles a Colombian
for relevance in the junior welterweight division. Tomorrow night, on Showtime,
boxers from Ghana, Mexico, Armenia, and Colombia square off against one another
to produce a legitimate threat to pound-for-pound-rated Filipino bantamweight
Nonito Donaire. Our sport is, perhaps, only second to soccer in its global
presence. Despite reports to the contrary, from pole to pole and continent to
continent, boxing is alive and well.
April 22nd (Friday), 2011
At the Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT (ESPN2) Breidis Prescott (23-2) vs. Bayan Jargal
(15-1-3) (ESPN2)Demetrius
Andrade(12-0) vs. Omar Bell (8-1)
Omar Bell – The younger brother of ex-WBC and IBF
cruiserweight champion O’Neil Bell, whom I admit to knowing very little about
aside from his relation to the former titlist. I scanned the internet and asked
around about Omar without receiving much useable feedback but assume TeamAndradescouted Bell and found him suitably flawed. I say that,
given the weak matchmaking for Andrade in the past, whichTeddy Atlasis sure
to comment upon again on multiple occasions during tonight’s telecast. Bell is
32-years-old and had two fights in his nine-bout career which could be called
step-up bouts. Did defeat former Irish national amateur championHenry Coyle but was stopped in one round by current hot prospect
Keith Thurman in his other notable bout. Lacks his big brother’s boxing acumen
but does carry decent power, stopping five of eight low-level opponents. It
does not look like Bell has ever faced a southpaw, which will be a big problem
against a rangy lefty like Andrade. Between 2008 and 2010, Bell took a
year-and-a-half off from the ring, directly following his kayo loss to Thurman.
Bell has registered two wins since his return but again, inactivity plays a
part with Bell, since he has not been in the ring for over 12 months. It could
be that Bell is the naturally larger man tonight, since he has performed consistently
in the mid to high 150s weight range. Pictures reveal a ripped midsection, with
rounded muscular shoulders and broad back that hint toward a long reach. With
the exception of one fight, has fought entirely in the Southern circuit, where
records are easily padded. The press release for this event describes Bell as
having “a very exciting non-stop, high-output punching style which will make for
a very entertaining fight.”This fight is scheduled for eight rounds but Bell
has only completed the six-round distance on one occasion. Sadly, given the
unexceptional career of Bell, I have to take the word of public relations for
this until the opening bell.
Demetrius Andrade – The New England blue-chip
prospect was a 2008 Olympian, nurtured and educated in the finer points of
pugilism from the age of six. The consensus opinion swirling around Andrade was
that he had the best pro potential of a below-average team. The southpaw was a
disappointment in the Olympics, losing controversially in the third round to
two-time bronze medalistKim
Jung-Jooof South Korea by a score of 11-9. However, Andrade did
win the2007 World Amateur Boxing
Championships, and nearly every national
amateur tourney in an unpaid career that spanned nearly 300 bouts with only a
handful of losses. A two-time U.S. national champion andGolden Gloves champion, Andrade holds victories over world middleweight title
challengerDaniel Jacobsand
current WBA world titlist Austin Trout. Twice defeated much hypedFernando Guerrero and German prospect Jack Culcay as well. Did suffer
losses to current contenders Brad Solomon and Erislandy Lara but, as a whole,
dominated in the amateurs. Is a mature 23-year-old junior middleweight now and
has carriedpunching powerfrom his
welterweight days in the amateurs up to 154 pounds. Andrade’s 67% kayo ratio,
stopping eight of 12 foes, is based on speed, accuracy, and punch selection
instead of brute force. However, the level of opposition to this point has been
decidedly weak, considering Andrade’s pedigree. There is also a concern that
Andrade is not developing optimally, since he continues to use his father as
lead trainer without seeking outside guidance. Aside from that, Andrade seems
to have all the tools to develop into a world titlist. When in rhythm and
feeling comfortable, snaps off a piston-like jab and can switch from southpaw
to orthodox stance in an instant. In that sense, Andrade is like his boxing
hero Roy Jones Jr. and carries the kind of speed and reflexes to get away with
mistakes for now. A major criticism has been consistency, since Andrade only
shows his terrific skills in spurts. That points to either a lack of mental
poise or boredom with the opposition. In every outing, sharp footwork has
gotten and kept Andrade in punching range but he did not exploit it with
combinations or aggression, frankly. Andrade is accepting of the easy connect,
when more pressure could open up an opponent for the stoppage. At 6’1”, Andrade
uses his size well on defense, employing long steps to get out of range with
one fluid motion leaving opponents reaching and off-balance. Andrade is a
bright and likable kid but likeAndre
Wardearly in his career, mediocre opposition and lack of
fire has fans viewing him as passionless.
Verdict
– I buy nothing sight unseen, which forces me to side with the known commodity
in this fight. Even if Bell is better than I anticipate, the amassed skills of
Andrade in the amateurs and his superior pro résumé should be enough to
overcome Bell. Unable to judge Bell on style or reflexes, I will give him the
benefit of the doubt and predict he lasts beyond five rounds without winning a
stanza. Andrade by sixth round stoppage.
Bayan Jargal – Although Mongolia has a warrior
nation reputation, granted it was earned back in the 1200s, it is not exactly a
hotbed for boxing prospects. Some might be surprised Mongolia has already
produced a world champion in Lakva Sim, whom Jargal naturally calls his
inspiration and based an aggressive boxing style upon. Sim was a powerful
straight-ahead brawler and even though Jargal has earned the nickname of
"The Mongolian Mongoose," that is more on the strength of his
reflexes than defensive aptitude. Jargal amassed a 65-5 amateur record and
advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2004 World Amateur Championships. Still
fights a bit in the amateur style with a lot of upper body movement, leaning,
weaving, and bobbing left and right to avoid punches instead of using his feet
or blocking punches. Jargal lacked the jab to excel in the amateurs, preferring
to mix it up and still looks for one punch instead of combination punching in
the pros. Keeps both feet planted for power, advancing slowly and trying to
make every punch count. That cost Jargal in his only loss to elusive
counterpuncher Steve Chambers, whom he charged straight at, unable to move laterally
to cut off the ring. This is surprising since Jargal sparred a lot with former
Olympian Gary Russell Jr. and even a much biggerPaul Williams.
Majority of time, he keeps both hands up but Jargal’s gloves are held wide open,
leaving him vulnerable to jabs and straight punches down the middle. Too often
lifts his back foot to lunge at opponents, causing Jargal to loop or lean in
with punches. Finishing punch is theleft hook but Jargal goes to the body well and consistently.
Lacks sizzling hand speed, depending more on getting close to land punches.
Does punch from awkward angles and out of a defensive roll of shoulders, his
punches hidden by that movement and lands unexpectedly. Jargal has a dangerous
tendency to lean back on defense to avoid punches but does roll in anticipation,
making him harderto reach, and Jargal’s
chin is solid. Early in his career had stamina issues, where his punch output
steadily declined and lacked zip to land on target. Jargal’s height has been
variously listed at 5’7” and 5’9” and he is at least two inches shorter than Breidis
Prescott.
Breidis Prescott – Colombian banger earned a
worldwide reputation with a one-round blowout of highly-toutedAmir Khan, knocking out the current champion in less than a
minute. However, Prescott has been relegated to the back of the title line by
two losses in step-up fights in Europe and America. Frankly, Prescott will
feast off the Khan victory and continue to get TV fights as long as Khan
remains a marketable champion. The 27-year-old sports a 76% kayo ratio, which
is inflated since all but one came against weak opposition and is a draw on
both sides of the Atlantic because of a willingness to travel for good paydays.
Like other Colombians, falls into the one-trick pony category, ostensibly
losing when unable to land debilitating hooks or straight right hands up the
middle. In setbacks, followed opponents around the ring, eating jabs and
counters, but to his credit, did not relent in pushing the pace. Like many
sluggers, Prescott battles hand problems but even in fights where he has hurt a
hand, committing fully to punches though dropping the punch volume. Not a big
thinker between the ropes, Prescott remains calm (even when bitten on the
shoulder by Humberto Toledo) and dedicated to a seek-and-destroy game plan no
matter the opponent or his effectiveness. Prescott is vulnerable on defense
because his forward momentum leaves him unable to pivot or move laterally to
avoid blows. So it is a good thing Prescott has a solid chin, with
hard-punching Amir Khan, Kevin Mitchell, and Miguel Vazquez never hurting him.
A secondary concern for tonight is that Prescott has been out of the ring for
the last eight months and is not a fast starter. It should worry Prescott fans
that he has been defeated by the movement and countering of Mitchell, as well
as the straight punches and inside fighting of Vazquez. I keep getting back to
the one-dimensional quality of Prescott but he was a good amateur with over 200
bouts and some international seasoning. It surprises me that Prescott does not
use his long frame to box more and set up his punches through feints or employs
a blinding jab instead of trying to overwhelm with hooks. When Prescott’s
slightly looped punches connect, they are devastating and completely change the
course of a fight as well as foes’ willingness to take chances. I can’t help
but be held in rapt attention as to which Prescott shows up: the spectacular or
the befuddled…
Verdict – Jargal is troubled by movers and speed,
neither of which Prescott is particularly blessed with, which will make this a
good scrap until one fighter imprints his physical superiority. Prescott is the
bigger man and throws his punches straighter along with being the more balanced
boxer. Jargal’s chin and upper body movement should allow him to get off shots
and confuse Prescott early. As Prescott times Jargal, he pushes him back with a
higher connect percentage and Prescott will use his superior speed and size to
soak up Jargal’s counters. The Mongolian is lost going any direction but
forward but looks to have the toughness to last the distance if the referee or
his corner does not stop the fight.
Prediction record for 2011: 87% (65-9) Prediction record for 2010: 85% (218-40)
