CHICAGO -- There will be plenty of action in the squared circle on Oct. 6, and plenty of title fights. One of the titles on the line will be the WBA junior featherweight title currently held by Daniel Roman (25-2-1, 9 KOs). Roman will be making the third defense of that title when he steps in the ring with Gavin McDonnell (20-1-2, 5 KOs). The fight will stream live on DAZN as McDonnell looks to take Roman's title home across the pond.
Roman is an orthodox fighter with very little power but plenty of skills. If he had serious power he would probably be a star right now because he has an exciting style. He likes to use his jab as a measuring stick for a very accurate straight right hand. He also likes to come forward and has an aggressive style that can overwhelm opponents. Along with his accurate right hand, Roman also has a skilled left which he will throw hooks and uppercuts with. While he is usually there to be hit he doesn't typically take a lot of punishment and he's never been dropped as a pro.
The two losses and the draw on Roman's record all came within his first three years as a professional fighter. The last loss was a very close unanimous decision he dropped to Juan Reyes. That loss came in 2013 and since that loss he's gone 17-0 with six knockouts. Roman's last five opponents had a combined record of 86-1-1 and he handed Moises Flores, Shun Kubo, Adam Lopez, and Marlon Olea their first career losses in recent years. A win over McDonnell could set up some big fights for Roman since the junior featherweight division is very top heavy with fighters like Isaac Dogboe, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Rey Vargas, and Jessie Magdaleno.
McDonnell is also an orthodox fighter but he has even less power than Roman does. The U.K. fighter likes to work behind a busy jab and spends plenty of time using his legs to avoid having to sit and trade heavy leather. At times McDonnell throws a nice short left hook but other times he simply slaps with that punch. He will also throw a right hand but there isn't much behind it and he often just pushes it out. McDonnell's movement does help him defensively but he has to rely on staying busy to keep opponents on the outside because he doesn't have enough power to get their respect.
If McDonnell is able to beat Roman it will be the first time he held a full world title. He previously won a WBC silver world title which is a secondary belt and he's also won European titles. In 2017 he challenged Ray Vargas for a vacant WBC junior featherweight world title but lost that fight by majority decision. Since that loss McDonnell has stayed busy, going 4-0 with one knockout and he's already fought twice in 2018.
This fight should go the distance since neither Roman or McDonnell have much pop on their punches. Both fighters will need to be very active in order to secure the victory and that will be fine with Roman. Look for Roman to be very aggressive while trying to make this a phone booth fight. If Roman can get in the pocket and let his hands go he should be able to get the better of most of the exchanges. For his part, look for McDonnell to try and really stay busy with his jab so he can keep Roman on the outside while trying to land power punches with his right hand.
PREDICTION: Daniel Roman is a fighter who likes to come forward and let his hands go and that will be very bad for Gavin McDonnell. McDonnell doesn't have the power to make Roman think twice about coming inside and he isn't a very skilled inside fighter. Roman will control the distance in this fight and beat McDonnell comfortably by the way of unanimous decision.
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| Roman landing a hard right hand |
The two losses and the draw on Roman's record all came within his first three years as a professional fighter. The last loss was a very close unanimous decision he dropped to Juan Reyes. That loss came in 2013 and since that loss he's gone 17-0 with six knockouts. Roman's last five opponents had a combined record of 86-1-1 and he handed Moises Flores, Shun Kubo, Adam Lopez, and Marlon Olea their first career losses in recent years. A win over McDonnell could set up some big fights for Roman since the junior featherweight division is very top heavy with fighters like Isaac Dogboe, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Rey Vargas, and Jessie Magdaleno.
McDonnell is also an orthodox fighter but he has even less power than Roman does. The U.K. fighter likes to work behind a busy jab and spends plenty of time using his legs to avoid having to sit and trade heavy leather. At times McDonnell throws a nice short left hook but other times he simply slaps with that punch. He will also throw a right hand but there isn't much behind it and he often just pushes it out. McDonnell's movement does help him defensively but he has to rely on staying busy to keep opponents on the outside because he doesn't have enough power to get their respect.
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| McDonnell throwing a straight right hand |
This fight should go the distance since neither Roman or McDonnell have much pop on their punches. Both fighters will need to be very active in order to secure the victory and that will be fine with Roman. Look for Roman to be very aggressive while trying to make this a phone booth fight. If Roman can get in the pocket and let his hands go he should be able to get the better of most of the exchanges. For his part, look for McDonnell to try and really stay busy with his jab so he can keep Roman on the outside while trying to land power punches with his right hand.
PREDICTION: Daniel Roman is a fighter who likes to come forward and let his hands go and that will be very bad for Gavin McDonnell. McDonnell doesn't have the power to make Roman think twice about coming inside and he isn't a very skilled inside fighter. Roman will control the distance in this fight and beat McDonnell comfortably by the way of unanimous decision.
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