bennie wrote:kikibalt wrote:
Bolton's Amir Khan fairly leaps on to the world stage against Mexico's inimitable Marco Antonio Barrera at the MEN Arena in Manchester this Saturday night (March 14).
Lightweight Khan faces one of the greatest fighting machines of all time at the same arena where he was smashed in 54 seconds by unknown Colombian Breidis Prescott just five months ago. OK, the 22-year-old Khan has since dumped a mysterious Cuban trainer for American 'name' Freddie Roach and blown away an Irish cloakroom attendant by the name of Oisin Fagan, but it still seems an incredibly hasty decision to take on Barrera so soon after a shattering defeat, so soon into a three-and-a-half year career, even a supposedly 'shot' Barrera.
Barrera was beaten back-to-back by back-to-back greats Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2007, both on points in 12-rounders. He returned last November and has overcome a couple of obscure Amercians since (picking up a cut against one). In his first ever fights at lightweight, Barrera looked old and chubby - he looked poor. Nevertheless, on the evidence of two showings - of two wins - Barrera is said by many in the British media to be 'shot' . Such an assumption smacks of the famous line in the Thrilla' in Manila. "They said you were through, Joe."
"They lied."
Barrera, 65-6 (43), a pro since 1989, represents a massive gamble for Khan and his team and would surely be favoured to outsmart the heavy handed Prescott, by way of an analogy. As for another analogy, I am old enough to remember a 'shot' Ayub Kalule coming over here to face Liverpool's talented and unbeaten Jimmy Price at the Alexandra Palace in North London in 1984. Kalule, just like Barrera, had lost to a couple of top fighters (Davey Moore and Mike McCallum) and was moving up from his established weight to face middleweight Price.
Kalule destroyed Price inside a round.
Nevertheless, Khan, 19-1 (15), is undoubtedly bigger than Barrera, and probably faster, too. His speed and strength might surprise the great man. He has added advantages of youth, hunger, home advantage and that man Roach, of course, who guided Pacquiao to two huge wins over Barrera. Motivation is always a biggie. Where does Barrera draw his from these days?
The plan must be for Khan to get on his bike and outbox the ageing, rusty, only reasonably interested Barrera, as Khan cantered to a landslide decision over former world super-featherweight champion Gairy St Clair last February in London. St Clair barely landed a punch. Khan can stick and move for the full 12 rounds at a hot pace; Barrera might be too old to chase such a shadow
Also on the Khan-Barrera show in Manchester, Dagenham stylist Nicky Cook makes the first defence of his WBO super-featherweight title against Puerto Rican threat Roman Martinez.
It is a mandatory defence.
The gritty, clever, stiff-punching Cook wrested the title with a shock but unanimous decision over Edinburgh puncher Alex Arthur last September in Manchester. After nine worthy years at featherweight, 29-year-old Nicky proved a revelation at super-featherweight as he outworked a flat-looking Arthur and finished much the stronger of the two. Some fighters really struggle when they move up in weight; other fighters make it look easy. Cook made it look easy. Sure, everyone said Arthur was dead at the weight but they had been saying that for years. "Amazing" Alex went into the Cook defence on a long winning run.
"Rocky" Martinez is unbeaten in 22 fights (one draw) since turning pro in December 2001 and earned his ranking when he came through 12-round wars with Dominican warriors Francisco Lorenzo and Daniel Jimenez in 2007. He ticked over with four wins last year and looks like a great prospect at 25 - sharp, talented and quite heavy handed. Like Nicky he has plenty of height and reach for his weight. The draw on his record came in 2003 in Miami with a Colombian by the name of Jose Leonardo Cruz, 9-0 at the time, who never went on to achieve anything, although you cannot sniff at 9-0.
You know, Martinez has NEVER fought outside of America or Puerto Rico and might be a little inexperienced on the world scene. He failed to stop lanky Colombian southpaw Walter Estrada over 10 rounds in December, a man our own Kevin Mitchell (Nicky's sparmate) had caught up with in five rounds earlier last year. Cook, in contrast, has lost only to slick American southpaw Steven Luevano in 30 outings, the current WBO featherweight champion, and held British, Commonwealth and European featherweight titles in his time. He enjoys a real edge in seasoning, and home advantage, of course, and super-featherweight suits him.
Cook boxes and punches his way to a close, hard-earned decision.
Also on the big bill, Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli takes on American-based Nigerian Ola "Kryptonite" Afolabi for the 'interim' WBO cruiserweight title.
This is a good-looking clash of boxer v puncher. Maccarinelli blew away full heavyweight Matthew Ellis in his last outing in December, after several cruiserweights ducked out of a showdown with the frightening Swansea giant who has already held the WBO title (proper), losing it to new heavyweight sensation David Haye a year ago.
The flashy, sharp-boxing Afolabi brings less experience but raised his profile enormously last April when he outlasted and stopped previously unbeaten Eric Fields in 10 shock rounds. Fields was coming off a first-round blastout of Kelvin “Koncrete” Davis but Afolabi proved slick in the early rounds and then picked his punches nicely, dropping Fields three times before the stoppage. Promoted by the Duvas, Afolabi has lost only to world class super-middleweight Allan “Sweetness” Green in 17 outings, in their light-heavyweight days (on points in a four-rounder). Green later crushed New Yorker Jaidon Codrington in 18 seconds
Afolabi looks highly capable with a smooth, relaxed American approach and will make this return trip with confidence (he was born in London), but Maccarinelli has been given the runaround recently and looks all set to let the big punches fly to regain the belt.
