Edwin Rodriguez vs. Jason Escalera
This upcoming Saturday brings an intriguing fight to HBO's "Boxing After Dark" pitting major prospect Edwin Rodriguez vs. up-and-coming New Jersey fighter Jason Escalera in a 10 round bout at super middleweight. Boxing fans know Rodriguez from his previous fights on ESPN's FNF and a recent HBO fight. They also know that Rodriguez is a skilled boxer who is very fan friendly inside the ring. Escalera on the other hand is much less known by the boxing community, having only 13 professional fights. Experience or not, with these two fighters in the ring fans are almost guaranteed a brawl.
Between the two fighters the guy with the higher ceiling has to be Edwin Rodriguez. He has an athletic body and uses it to his advantage as a classic boxer. His record to this point is an unblemished 21-0 with 14 of those victories coming the way of KO. Although he is more of a boxer he is not adverse to trading punches at close range, which would explain his high KO rate. Unfortunatley for fight fans Rodriguez's promoter Lou DiBella is bringing him along slowly and carefully. His last two fights have both been victories albeit against lesser competition. First Rodriguez beat Will Rosinsky who besides being a pro fighter is also an emergency medical technician for the FDNY. Rosinsky is a tough fighter and is game in the ring but will never amount to anything more than a stepping stone for young fighters looking to move up through a hard fought bout. Then came a victory against Don George who is 23-3 with 20 KO's. George's record looks good and he is undoubtably a hard puncher but all of his wins have come against very weak competition. By Rodriguez fighting Escalera he is still not taking the step forward boxing fans would like to see him take against better competition. On the other hand this is a very big step up for Jason Escalera.
Escalera is a physical specimen in the ring who stalks his opponents in a manner that would remind many big time boxing fans of Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. He likes to get his opponent up against the ropes and tee-off to the body. He doesn't seem to have the highest of skill levels but is still very fun to watch fight. Escalera has a record of 13-0-1 with 12 KO's. Clearly by his high KO rate it is easy to see Escalera is a slugger who likes being in fights, a fact that always have fight fans salavating. He has not fought anybody of note and Rodriguez will without a doubt be the biggest challenge of his young blossoming career.
Rodriguez and Escalera might not conjure up images of Gatti vs. Ward but that is just what we might get on September 29th. Like Gatti and Ward both of these fighters don't have the best skills but love the taste of blood, be it their own or that of their opponent. Punches will be thrown and questions will be answered after the fight Saturday. For Rodriguez it will be can he take care of another little known opponent and finally step up the level of his competition. For Escalera it will be can he make a name for himself with fans by beating the always exciting Rodriguez, and continue his climb towards being a legit pro. Which fighter answers the bell on Saturday will be the fun thing for fight fans to witness, and you can be sure thousands of them will be glued to their couches waiting for a big KO.
PREDICTION: Edwin Rodriguez wins by 9th round stoppage.
Vic Darchinyan vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle
The other fight come September 29th will also be a brawl between to hard punchers. Fans will see 36 year old Vic Darchinyan taking on 25 year old Luis Orlando Del Valle in a 10 round junior featherweight fight. When casual fans see a junior featherweight fight they don't get too excited, instead calling for the next American heavyweight. However both of these fighters pack a serious punch and can easily drop any opponent put in front of them.
Darchinyan is obviously the more experienced fighter being 11 years the senior of his young foe. Darchinyan has also fought many of the top names throughout the years including: Nonito Donaire, Jorge Arce, Joseph Agbeko, Yonnhy Perez, and Abner Mares. He has held a world title at flyweight and super flyweight, and without a doubt knows his way around the ring better than his young counterpart Del Valle. Darchinyan has amassed a career record of 37-5-1 with 27 of those victories coming from a KO. He fights southpaw and throws hard, a difficult fight for any opponent, especially one like Del Valle with such little pro experience.
Luis Orlando Del Valle unlike his opponent Darchinyan fights in an orthodox stance and has power to match anyone he steps in the ring with. His record stands at 16-0 with an outstanding 11 KO's. As impressive as his record is to this point it has come against virtually unknown opponents or young prospects who might not ever amount to anything inside the ring. While Darchinyan is looking to prove he still has a lot in the tank, Del Valle will be trying to prove he belongs in the same breath as other rising prospects in the sport. Two fighters with heavy hands and a lot to prove should make a fun fight for big time boxing fans.
PREDICTION: Vic Darchinyan wins by majority decision. Look for a very close fight.
Comments
Post a Comment