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Weekend Preview: Andrade, Montiel, Angulo in action

Fighters Network
18
Aug

FRIDAY

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE vs. GRADY BREWER

Rounds / weight class: 10 rounds, junior middleweights

Location: Hammond, Ind.

Television: ESPN2 (season finale)



The backdrop: Andrade (13-0, 9 KOs) is a gifted 2008 U.S. Olympian who has not faced a legitimate challenge in his career. That will change on Friday. Many wrote off the aging Brewer (28-12, 16 KOs) after he was dominated and then stopped by Erislandy Lara in 10 rounds in January of last year. However, the winner of the second season of the reality series The Contender recently followed the lead of Bernard Hopkins, proving that a 40-plus fighter can still be effective. Brewer, 40, was a significant underdog against then-unbeaten contender Fernando Guerrero but scored a stunning fourth-round knockout in June on Friday Night Fights. That earned him another appearance against a rising young fighter on national television. Andrade, who lost in the third round of the Olympics in Bejing, has dominated opponents as pro with his all-around ability but has yet to beat a recognizable opponent. He’ll make a significant statement if he beats Brewer.

Also fighting: David Diaz vs. Hank Lundy, 10 round, lightweights

Rating the card: B+. Very good card. This is the type of test we want young fighters to face, a capable opponent who will probably lose but put up a good fight. And, of course, we want to see whether Brewer has another surprise for us. The fight between Diaz (36-3-1, 17 KOs) and Lundy (20-1-1, 10 KOs) also is an interesting fight, a grinder against a slick boxer. Diaz, 35, is 2-2 in his last four fights – losses to Manny Pacquiao and Humberto Soto and majority decisions over a faded Jesus Chavez and Robert Frankel. Lundy  is 2-0 since he was stopped by John Molina last year.

Prediction: Guerrero was more experienced that Andrade is but had moved down from middleweight to junior middleweight for his fight with Brewer, which might’ve played a role in his defeat. Andrade seems to be a complete fighter who is perfectly comfortable at 154 pounds. No surprises from Brewer this time. Andrade wins by a one-sided decision.

 

MICHAEL PEREZ vs. MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ

Rounds / weight class: 10 rounds, lightweights

Location: Bronx, N.Y.

Television: Telefutura

The backdrop: This is a regional matchup between fighters of Puerto Rican descent and residents of Newark, N.J. (Perez) and New York City (Rodriguez). Perez (13-0-1, 7 KOs) is a former amateur standout with only a draw being the only blemish on his pro career, which started in 2008. He is coming off a third-round knockout of Ira Terry in May in Puerto Rico, his third consecutive fight there. His most-telling victory might be a split decision over capable journeyman Jose Hernandez in December. This is Perez’s first scheduled 10-rounder. Rodriguez (7-3, 3 KOs) might be in over his head. He has fought only twice in the past four years, losing both times. He is coming off a near-shutout eight-round decision against prospect Mike Faragon in May. He had won five consecutive fights in 2006-07. Gomez (5-0, 4 KOs) is an 18-year-old prospect from the Bronx.

Also fighting: Eddie Gomez vs. Marcus Hall, 6 rounds, welterweights

Rating the card: C. Perez appears to be a legitimate prospect, which makes him worth watching. It’s hard to imagine that Rodriguez will be much of a threat, though.

Prediction: Perez isn’t a huge puncher but the disparity in ability here will result in a knockout, probably in the mid to late rounds.

 

Also fighting Friday: Tomas Rojas defends his WBC junior bantamweight title against Suriyan Sor Rungvisai in Srisaket, Thailand.

 

SATURDAY

ALFREDO ANGULO vs. JOSEPH GOMEZ

Rounds / weight class: 10 rounds, junior middleweights

Location: Mexicali, Mexico

Television: ESPN Deportes / ESPN3.com

The backdrop: Angulo (19-1, 16 KOs) returns to the ring in his hometown after a 13-month layoff, the result of visa issues that have kept the Mexican out of the U.S. and promotional issues. His handlers are working on resolving the former and he recently signed with Golden Boy Promotions, which is tickled to have one of the more entertaining fighters in the world in its stable. Angulo was on a roll when his career was put on hold, having KO’d four consecutive opponents – Gabriel Rosado, Harry Joe Yorgey, Joel Julio and Joachim Alcine – since he was outpointed by Kermit Cintron in May 2009. Joseph Gomez (17-4-1, 8 KOs) is a journeyman who has lost three of his past four fights, including his last two (the first to Polish prospect Patrick Majewski). He is from Bloomington, N.M. Angulo’s handlers are working on a title-elimination fight with former U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan for late this year or early next year.

Rating the card: C+. Angulo is the type of fighter who plows forward until his opponent flattened, which is why he’s so much fun to watch. Defense? What defense? The matchup probably won’t be competitive in spite of the layoff, though.

Prediction: Gomez hasn’t seen anything like this before. He’ll be in with a killer (figuratively speaking). And he probably won’t survive long. Look for Angulo to score a knockout within five rounds.

 

FERNANDO MONTIEL vs. ALVARO PEREZ

Rounds / weight class: 10 rounds, junior middleweights

Location: Ensenada, Mexico

Television: Fox Deportes

The backdrop: Montiel (45-3-2, 35 KOs), one of the hottest little fighters in the world only six months ago, continues to rebuild after his devastating second-round knockout loss to bantamweight king Nonito Donaire in February. The Mexican bounced back with a strange third-round KO of Nehomar Cermeno in June, in which he hurt the Cermeno with a body shot late in Round 2 but former bantamweight contender was counted out to open Round 3. Cermeno apparently quit between rounds. And now Montiel takes on former title challenger Alvaro Perez (21-3-1, 12 KOs) of Nicaragua, who has outpointed two journeymen in six-round fights since he lost a technical decision to Hugo Ruiz for the interim WBA bantamweight title in January. Perez was stopped in four rounds by WBC 118-pound titleholder Hozumi Hasegawa in December 2009, his only title shot. Montiel was 11-0-1 (nine KOs) in his previous 12 fights before the disaster against Donaire. He has said he’d like a rematch with the Filipino-born American.

Rating the card: B. Montiel is one of the best and most-exciting fighters on the planet. And Perez is no pushover. His fight with Ruiz, a capable fighter, was very close.

Prediction: Montiel is too much for his opponent – too talented, too strong, too experienced. He’ll probably break down Perez with vicious body shots and then stop him in the middle rounds.

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