Brian Magee defends his IBO Super Middleweight title against Omar Gonzalez in Belfast in what only can be described as a disapointing bill in Belfast.
All in all a points victory seems likely for the Irishman, Gonzalez is a guy who loses when he steps it up to remotely near Magee's level. The word is that Magee will be challenging the for a world title soon, I hope so because by continually fighting someone of Gonzalez's level he's only going to go stale. Although, interestingly Gonzalez does hold a surprising win over the once legendary Roberto Duran, but giving the callibre of Duran's opponents in his latter career - its shows a sign of Gonzalez quality that someone that ancient thought he could win. Although having recently saw Duran vs Pazienza II (about 2 years prior to the Gonzalez loss) the legend surprisingly still was far from poor even in his late 40 (probably older).
However, you've got to fancy the Irishman here, although I predict another dull performance.
Michael Hunter has an intriguing contest with Nikolai Eremeev on the Undercard. Eremeev is also a fighter who tends to lose had the higher level, however, he has fought at the highest level losing to former world champion Wayne McCoullough and also future World title challenger Phillip Ndou. Also in his last fight he was at lightweight and went the distance with big punching Graham Earl. Will he be weight drained, or will he be too strong for Hunter. I have been impressed with Hunter and I think he'll have the skills to beat Eremeev on pts. I look forward to a domestic clash with Esham Pickering in the New Year.
There is also an interesting bill in Germany tonight. European Super Middlweight champion Danilo Haussler (22-0) defends his title against Mads Larsen (44-2), the Dane being fresh off his defeat for the WBA/IBF Supermiddleweight championship. I for one, was dissapointed that Larsen couldn't cause the upset as you cannot but be impressed with his KO percentage, which includes a stoppage of Sugar Boy Malinga (something which Nigel Benn, Robin Reid, Chris Eubank, and Richie Woodhall couldn't do). Those of us who saw Haussler's first fight with Britain's Glenn Cateley know that he's not the greatest European champion ever as he was handed a boxing lesson by the Bristol Boy that night. However, he has since gone on to confirm supremacy over the former world champion and for that he must be given some credit. I personally would like the winner of this contest to be Joe Calzaghe's opponent in December, as I haven't seen Ottke vs Larsen (which again I believe was a fairly 50:50 fight) perhaps it was the underrated slippery skills Ottke that caused the problems. Maybe the more convential tactics of Calzaghe, given the fact he's not to difficult to hit, perhaps Larsen will find it easier. It could be argued that Larsen hits harder than Mitchell, and we all know what Mitchell could do to Calzaghe.
Of course, should Haussler win then he is then 23-0 and with a record that includes a former world champion and a former title challenger. He would be deserving of his fight with Calzaghe.
As for this fight, its a tough one to call - I think Haussler has got a solid chin, but I just got the feeling that we'll see a new European Champion. I've never been a fan of Haussler and he also has a problem with cuts. I see a cuts stoppage somewhere around the 8th round.
Also on the Germany bill is former WBO Middleweight champion Armand Krajnc, who hopefully will be in line for a shot at the European champion Howard Eastman in the New Year. Also returning to Europe on this bill is Angelo Dundee trained Heavyweight hope Attila 'The Hun' Levin. Both of whom should score easy win.
Finally, Keith Holmes returns in a non US televised bout on the Holyfield vs Toney undercard. It will be interesting to see just what the former champion has left. I still believe he has enough to give Britain's Howard Eastman a few problems. Perhaps tonight will help answer that.
Other fights tonight.
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Dutch Windmill
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Nicolai Valuev will be taking on solid yourneyman Otis Tisdale on the undercard of Haussler-Larsen
For me it's TKO11 for Larsen by the way. I've seen a lot of his fights. It will be a totally different than the Ottke fight. Haussler is a brawler.
He's had surgery on his left eye, let's see if it does any good for his cut problem. Larsen has the edge in several divisions, power, reach, height, speed, stamina. Haussler was known for his workrate but in his last two fights he has been very inactive.(Juan King Bongo Nelongo Perez and Rachid Kanfouah)
One should have respect for Affif Djelti, he's 44 years old!
I hope we get a good undercard too, maybe some french prospects.
For me it's TKO11 for Larsen by the way. I've seen a lot of his fights. It will be a totally different than the Ottke fight. Haussler is a brawler.
He's had surgery on his left eye, let's see if it does any good for his cut problem. Larsen has the edge in several divisions, power, reach, height, speed, stamina. Haussler was known for his workrate but in his last two fights he has been very inactive.(Juan King Bongo Nelongo Perez and Rachid Kanfouah)
One should have respect for Affif Djelti, he's 44 years old!
I hope we get a good undercard too, maybe some french prospects.
Yeah, good call. Djelti is a underated fighter who I'd like to see get a decent pay day and a fight for the world title. However, on his last showing it did look like Father time was finally catching up with him and he looks very beatable at long last.Kilburn wrote:Hey don't forget Affif Djelti live on Eurosport at 7pm defending his European title against a former champ.
I'll be tuning in definately (I bet Alex Arthur is too), it's a pleasure to watch that guy fight.
It was also a pleasure watching him show the Brit boys, hyped up by sky as world beaters (Shepard, Moon, Pithie etc), how to box. However, the main man Barry Jones beat him a few years back.
BELFAST'S IBO super-middleweight champion Brian Magee defends his title against Omar Gonzalez of Argentina at the Ulster Hall in Belfast tonight (Saturday, October 4). Magee had been lined up to meet Bristol's ex-WBC champion Glenn Catley and then Canada's highly-ranked Syd Vanderpool, but nothing was ever signed and sealed. He makes do with the rugged Gonzalez, the current Argentine super-middleweight champion who gave another unbeaten southpaw, Jurgen Brahmer, a tough 12-rounder in Germany in his last fight a year ago.
Brian has been showing excellent form himself. Last time out in June, he broke up the rugged Andre Thysse in 10 impressive rounds on the Michael Brodie-Juan Cabrera undercard at the MEN Arena in Manchester. It was a fourth successful defence of the title he won in October 2001 with a stunning first round win over Argentina's Ramon Britez in 2001, and took his unbeaten run to 19 (14 by stoppage or knockout).
The former four-time Irish amateur champion (who also won silver at the '98 Europeans and beat Jeff Lacy in the amateurs) will want to impress again in his own hometown, where he has boxed only three times as a pro - all of them in undercard fights. Promoter Barry Hearn says: "Brian has been travelling around boxing all throughout England - Huddersfield, Manchester, Leeds, Crawley, Liverpool. Now Brian is about to create his own homecoming in Belfast and he needs to do that on the back of a major win. Then we'll start throwing down the gauntlet to Joe Calzaghe. If he can't find an opponent, if he can't find someone to give him a test, then we'll give him all this and his worst nightmare thrown in."
It's true, as Hearn suggested, that the 28-year-old Magee has failed to really push on in his career after claining the IBO title in just his 14th fight back in 2001. He laboured in his first three defences and, more notoriously, pulled out of a scheduled defence against the strong but beatable Brian Barbosa at The Everton Park Sports Centre, angering Sky-TV bosses. Tony Dodson stepped in at short notice and outpointed Barbosa in an eight-rounder, flooring him with a cracking right hand in the seventh. It all shone Magee in a poor light, though in fairness Magee felt he had been messed about. "I was to have fought James Crawford and then he pulled out, and then we had other opponents. Then Barbosa was on and off and things just got really messy," he said at the time.
But the Thysse display has erased all that. Brian turned in a near faultless display against a man who had beaten - and nearly stopped - David Starie for the Commonwealth super-middleweight title in his fight previous. He jumped on the taller Thysse in the opening round, and maintained his positive, aggressive approach throughout. A big seventh round, followed by another dominant ninth, made referee Paul Thomas take a long hard look at the challenger and, after number of impressive flurries in the tenth, Thomas rightly stepped in.
"I knew I had to start fast because this guy was full of confidence after his last win," said Brian afterwards.
Gonzalez will also be confident after extending the rugged and unbeaten Brahmer 12 rounds in his last fight in Germany - an unbeaten southpaw like Magee. And facing Magee will hardly instil any fear in the heart of the 31-year-old from Mar Del Plata. Gonzalez has faced and beaten Roberto Duran in a 10-rounder in Mar Del Plata in March 1999 (unanimous points), albeit a 47-year-old Roberto Duran. He's also reigned as Argentinian super-middleweight champion since 1997. He isn't a great puncher, as his record of 25-4 (9) indicates, but like most Argies is tough, cute and well capable of giving anyone a fight, even though another southpaw Mads Larsen stopped him in six rounds in November 1999.
But then Larsen nearly beat Sven Ottke.
The champion lacks that kind of experience and doesn't seem to be a particularly heavy-hitting fighter either, regardless of his stunning dismisal of Ramon Britez (who was floored three times) to win the title. He floored the tough Miguel Jiminez within 90 seconds of a subsequent title defence, but failed to finish off a man, who, to be fair, had taken Joe Calzaghe the full 12 rounds - and also failed to floor Thysse, despite the one-sidedness of the contest. This is probably nitpicking, but it takes a good puncher to really trouble the rough and tumble Gonzalez. This fight will almost certainly be decided by Magee's skill rather than his power.
As for picking the winner; Magee has been busy of late and trained hard for the prospect of meeting Vanderpool. Gonzalez hasn't boxed for a year (he's only boxed five times since January 2000 in fact) and also and took the fight very late after negotiations to bring Vanderpool over broke down. Yes, he's been in with some good company, but that inactivity hardly bodes well for his chances.
A fitter, sharper Magee wins clearly on points.
Brian has been showing excellent form himself. Last time out in June, he broke up the rugged Andre Thysse in 10 impressive rounds on the Michael Brodie-Juan Cabrera undercard at the MEN Arena in Manchester. It was a fourth successful defence of the title he won in October 2001 with a stunning first round win over Argentina's Ramon Britez in 2001, and took his unbeaten run to 19 (14 by stoppage or knockout).
The former four-time Irish amateur champion (who also won silver at the '98 Europeans and beat Jeff Lacy in the amateurs) will want to impress again in his own hometown, where he has boxed only three times as a pro - all of them in undercard fights. Promoter Barry Hearn says: "Brian has been travelling around boxing all throughout England - Huddersfield, Manchester, Leeds, Crawley, Liverpool. Now Brian is about to create his own homecoming in Belfast and he needs to do that on the back of a major win. Then we'll start throwing down the gauntlet to Joe Calzaghe. If he can't find an opponent, if he can't find someone to give him a test, then we'll give him all this and his worst nightmare thrown in."
It's true, as Hearn suggested, that the 28-year-old Magee has failed to really push on in his career after claining the IBO title in just his 14th fight back in 2001. He laboured in his first three defences and, more notoriously, pulled out of a scheduled defence against the strong but beatable Brian Barbosa at The Everton Park Sports Centre, angering Sky-TV bosses. Tony Dodson stepped in at short notice and outpointed Barbosa in an eight-rounder, flooring him with a cracking right hand in the seventh. It all shone Magee in a poor light, though in fairness Magee felt he had been messed about. "I was to have fought James Crawford and then he pulled out, and then we had other opponents. Then Barbosa was on and off and things just got really messy," he said at the time.
But the Thysse display has erased all that. Brian turned in a near faultless display against a man who had beaten - and nearly stopped - David Starie for the Commonwealth super-middleweight title in his fight previous. He jumped on the taller Thysse in the opening round, and maintained his positive, aggressive approach throughout. A big seventh round, followed by another dominant ninth, made referee Paul Thomas take a long hard look at the challenger and, after number of impressive flurries in the tenth, Thomas rightly stepped in.
"I knew I had to start fast because this guy was full of confidence after his last win," said Brian afterwards.
Gonzalez will also be confident after extending the rugged and unbeaten Brahmer 12 rounds in his last fight in Germany - an unbeaten southpaw like Magee. And facing Magee will hardly instil any fear in the heart of the 31-year-old from Mar Del Plata. Gonzalez has faced and beaten Roberto Duran in a 10-rounder in Mar Del Plata in March 1999 (unanimous points), albeit a 47-year-old Roberto Duran. He's also reigned as Argentinian super-middleweight champion since 1997. He isn't a great puncher, as his record of 25-4 (9) indicates, but like most Argies is tough, cute and well capable of giving anyone a fight, even though another southpaw Mads Larsen stopped him in six rounds in November 1999.
But then Larsen nearly beat Sven Ottke.
The champion lacks that kind of experience and doesn't seem to be a particularly heavy-hitting fighter either, regardless of his stunning dismisal of Ramon Britez (who was floored three times) to win the title. He floored the tough Miguel Jiminez within 90 seconds of a subsequent title defence, but failed to finish off a man, who, to be fair, had taken Joe Calzaghe the full 12 rounds - and also failed to floor Thysse, despite the one-sidedness of the contest. This is probably nitpicking, but it takes a good puncher to really trouble the rough and tumble Gonzalez. This fight will almost certainly be decided by Magee's skill rather than his power.
As for picking the winner; Magee has been busy of late and trained hard for the prospect of meeting Vanderpool. Gonzalez hasn't boxed for a year (he's only boxed five times since January 2000 in fact) and also and took the fight very late after negotiations to bring Vanderpool over broke down. Yes, he's been in with some good company, but that inactivity hardly bodes well for his chances.
A fitter, sharper Magee wins clearly on points.
Yes, I read this today in The Belfast Telegraph. It said Magee and Reid would meet in December. Both are in the same promotional camp so I don't see why it shouldn't happen, though it doesn't seem to make much sense business-wise. Still, Reid has re-signed with Hearn (after initial reports that he had gone back to Warren) with the premise that he gets some big fights no doubt. And Magee-Reid is a pretty big fight.