Nicholas Walters vs. Miguel Marriaga
For the boxing fans who are itching to see knockouts HBO has what you need come Saturday night. On Saturday one of the best, if not the best, featherweight in the world will be in action and his name is Nicholas Walters. Walters is a heavy hitter and so is his opponent Miguel Marriaga. These two men first met in the amateurs with Marriaga coming out on top and now Walters wants his revenge. The two prizefighters and knockout artists will be doing battle over 12 rounds for Walters' WBA featherweight title. However, that title isn't the only thing at stake because a win for Walters will set up a showdown with fellow featherweight star Vasyl Lomachenko according to their promoter Bob Arum.
 |
| Walters is too strong for most opponents |
When it comes to knockouts Walters is a master. The Jamaican is an orthodox fighter and he has good size for his division. While Walters is aggressive he has an intelligent aggression and doesn't get too wild. Walters carries with him a nice jab but it is his crooked punches that are dangerous. What makes Walters such a devastating puncher is that he has such tremendous power in both hands. Walters can end a fight with his left hook upstairs but he also has just as much power in his right hand. He usually likes to throw that right hand over the top but he also flashes a beautiful uppercut with the right hand, a punch that has dropped has last two opponents Vic Darchinyan and Nonito Donaire. Defensively Walters is solid but not great and he is vulnerable to the overhand right which he got rocked with by Donaire. However because of his offensive ability and power his defense hasn't been an issue.
The wins that Walters has over Darchinyan and Donaire are what really announced his presence in the featherweight division. Walters had some nice wins before that,but in 2014 when he beat both of those top level fighters the sport really took notice. Not only did Walters beat them, he knocked them both out and made it look fairly easy. As a pro Walters has put together a perfect record of 25-0 with a hard to believe 21 knockouts. While Marriage won't be the most skilled opponent that Walters has ever faced, he may be the biggest puncher.
 |
| Marriaga will enter the ring never having lost |
Like his opponent on Saturday night, Marriage is a power punching orthodox fighter. He is very aggressive and loves to walk opponents down and put them on the ropes so he can land his power punches. Marriage flashes a nice jab and he has a brutal left hook to the body. The Columbian fighter also has a heavy overhand right but he throws that punch very wild at times, which will leave him open for Walters quick left hook. Marriage will also throw a straight right hand on occasion and that punch is much more accurate then when he throws it over the top. Also like Walters, Marriage throws very good uppercuts, especially on the inside. In a typical Marriaga fight his defense isn't tested all that often because he stays so busy on offense that his opponent can sometimes be overwhelmed.
This fight will be a battle of undefeated fighters because Marriaga like Walters has never lost as a pro. His record stands at 20-0 and he has an almost unfair 18 knockouts. The only question mark about Marriaga is his level of opposition. Marriage hails from Columbia and many Columbian fighters are known as great punchers but not very skilled boxers, and Marriaga faced a lot of tomato cans early in his career. Marriage really started facing better competition in 2013 but Walters, who he beat as an amateur will be his toughest test as a professional.
This is the type of fight that you calls your friends about to tell them to turn on the TV. Both men have a ton of power and neither would be described as slick which means fans should be in for a head-on collision. Walters is probably the more skilled of the two and he also shows more patience and if the fight goes into the deep rounds that patience could pay off and it might be Walters who has more left in the tank. However, this does not seem like the type of fight that will go 12 rounds because both men should be standing toe-to-toe trying to break the others will to continue.
PREDICTION: This should be a brutal fight and chances are that both fighters can hurt at some point. The difference in this fight will be the fact that Nicholas Walters has faced better competition than Miguel Marriage has and that experience will show. The fight will be close throughout but in the later rounds Walters will look stronger and win the fight by the way of 9th round stoppage.
Felix Verdejo vs. Ivan Najera
The co-feature on Saturday's HBO card will feature Felix Verdejo, who looks like he is on his way to becoming Puerto Rico's next superstar. If Verdejo wants to achieve the success he hopes to attain he will first have to beat Ivan Najera on Saturday night. Both fighters are undefeated as pros and they are scheduled to go 10 rounds in the wide open lightweight division. The fight will be the night before the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City so the atmosphere should be electric.
When it comes to skills inside the squared circle Verdejo seems to have them all. If he was a baseball player he would be a 5-tool player. In boxing he has speed, power, and has shown a lot of athleticism. The Puerto Rican fighter uses an orthodox stance and he has nice long jab that he likes to stick to the body. Along with that jab Verdejo flashes a strong straight right hand and when he throws that right hand crooked it is usually lights out for his opponent. Perhaps the best punch that Verdejo has is his left hook. It is an explosive punch and he has even knocked opponents out with it while backing up. The only question about Verdejo is how he handles adversity since he has never really been in a tough scrap as a pro.
What Verdejo has done as a pro is put together a perfect record of 17-0 with a strong 13 knockouts. The Puerto Rican has been brought along at a nice pace and wasn't rushed. He had a handful of 4-round and 6-round fights before stepping up and Saturday will be the second 10-round fight of his career, although he has never had to go passed 8 rounds and only had to go a full 8 rounds once in his career. While Verdejo hasn't yet faced any top level fighters he does have some dominant wins over tough veterans and he has faced the better opposition between he and Najera.
Najera is also an orthodox fighter but he does not have much power. What Najera does have is a very good jab which he can land upstairs or to the body with equal success. The Mexican fighter also has a good left hook, although he doesn't have big knockout power. Najera will enter the ring with the disadvantage in power and also in size as he stands 4-inches shorter than Verdejo. He will also throw a straight right hand which is a good punch, and one he should use more often, especially following his stiff jab. Defensively Najera is solid but he hasn't faced many quality fighters and Verdejo may hand him his first loss.
As a pro Najera has never lost. He has a record of 16-0 with 8 knockouts but he has faced a high level of opposition. While he has been facing better talent as of late they are still far from being the type of fighter that Verdejo is. One thing to look out for is the fact that Najera has never been scheduled in a 10-round fight, however he has gone 8 rounds numerous times so he actually has more experience in deeper rounds than Verdejo does.
What makes this fight so intriguing is the fact that both fighters are undefeated. Verdejo looks like he is on his way to stardom and a future on the pound for pound top ten list and certainly that is something Najera would love to upset. Verdejo has never been involved in a real tough fight where he has had to dig deep and if Najera can make this a tough, bruising battle he may really bother Verdejo.
PREDICTION: Ivan Najera is going to be a game fighter and his ability to land the jab to the body may frustrate Felix Verdejo for a round or two. However, after those first early rounds this fight will be all Verdejo and he will win the fight with an 8th round knockout.
 |
| Verdejo has power & skills in the ring |
What Verdejo has done as a pro is put together a perfect record of 17-0 with a strong 13 knockouts. The Puerto Rican has been brought along at a nice pace and wasn't rushed. He had a handful of 4-round and 6-round fights before stepping up and Saturday will be the second 10-round fight of his career, although he has never had to go passed 8 rounds and only had to go a full 8 rounds once in his career. While Verdejo hasn't yet faced any top level fighters he does have some dominant wins over tough veterans and he has faced the better opposition between he and Najera.
 |
| Najera has never lost a fight as a professional |
As a pro Najera has never lost. He has a record of 16-0 with 8 knockouts but he has faced a high level of opposition. While he has been facing better talent as of late they are still far from being the type of fighter that Verdejo is. One thing to look out for is the fact that Najera has never been scheduled in a 10-round fight, however he has gone 8 rounds numerous times so he actually has more experience in deeper rounds than Verdejo does.
What makes this fight so intriguing is the fact that both fighters are undefeated. Verdejo looks like he is on his way to stardom and a future on the pound for pound top ten list and certainly that is something Najera would love to upset. Verdejo has never been involved in a real tough fight where he has had to dig deep and if Najera can make this a tough, bruising battle he may really bother Verdejo.
PREDICTION: Ivan Najera is going to be a game fighter and his ability to land the jab to the body may frustrate Felix Verdejo for a round or two. However, after those first early rounds this fight will be all Verdejo and he will win the fight with an 8th round knockout.
Comments
Post a Comment