This fight interests me more than most I think. I feel that whilst Napa starts favourite, Haskins will surely be more at home against a short non puncher than he was against Munyai.
Lee has looked quite classy during his career and whilst having the odd blip in terms of making hard work of things he does possess good skills and I can see this being a bit closer than most people seem to think
Read something somewhere that most favoured Napa to actually stop Haskins is that the same here, any of Haskins team able to give a view or how his training is going, I know that they frequent the site.
Close fight for me this one.
NAPA/HASKINS
its a hard one to call, napa does not have the power to stop haskins....so therefore its gonna go to points or haskins stops napa, i cant see the latter happening as napa has only been stopped on stamina issues before so im sure its a points job, but it will be close, napa i think shades it about 116-114 as haskins does not box well after about the 5th round in any fight.
Hackney's born again Ian Napa defends his British bantamweight title against Lee Haskins of Bristol on September 21 at York Hall.
It's a cracking match, promoted by Frank Maloney.
Napa won the title with a fine decision over Nottingham veteran Jason Booth in Wigan in July - a fine revenge decision, given Booth had outscored the cute Londoner for the British flyweight title way back in November 2000, taking his unbeaten record in the process. Napa took it badly and little was seen of him over the next few years but he finally emerged and shrugged off a couple of contentious defeats to fellow Londoners Marc Callaghan and Martin Power (in a first stab at the British bantamweight title) and got on with it. He showed new-found maturity and was ultimately rewarded with a shot at the European bantamweight title, where he was beaten again but proved competitive. And when Power relinquished the British bantamweight title just prior to a defence against Booth, Napa stepped in and boxed cleverly to make sure of his redemption.
A triumph for perseverance
So 29-year-old Napa won't want to lose the title in his first defence, although Haskins poses a real threat. In 17 fights, the flashy challenger has lost only to South African bogeyman Tshifhiwa Munyai in six rounds in a challenge for the Commonwealth bantamweight title last October. It was Haskin's first fight at the weight and an audacious one against an unbeaten champion who holds two stoppage wins over Power. But he came back with a wide points win over decent Ghanaian Sumaila Badu in a six-rounder in February.
Quick, cocksure, switch-hitting and heavy-handed, Lee won the Commonwealth flyweight title with a powerful two-round stoppage of Tanzania's Anthony Mathias in February 2006 but struggled to make the weight for his first defence against old man Zolile Mbityi and to take the points. Still only 23, his move up to bantam was justified but his Naz-like style - he carries his hands low and throws shots from unusual angles - was never going to work against the tall, accurate Munyai.
Against Napa?
Haskins certainly has the punch to force the champion into his shell for long periods. Napa tucks up well and picks his counters. He's not much of a puncher but goes to the body and retains his old flyweight speed. Some would argue he can still make flyweight and the advent of the super-flyweight divison must interest him, win or lose. He's fresh after just 20 outings - a lovely boxer
So this one is bound to be close, and Napa's lack of power makes for a long, close fight. He looks up against it early on but Liverpool waste of talent Peter Culshaw is the only man to have stopped Napa and expect him to come on strong down the stretch, much as he did against Booth.
But my gut feeling is that Haskins will throw more punches - enough punches - to get the decision.
It's a cracking match, promoted by Frank Maloney.
Napa won the title with a fine decision over Nottingham veteran Jason Booth in Wigan in July - a fine revenge decision, given Booth had outscored the cute Londoner for the British flyweight title way back in November 2000, taking his unbeaten record in the process. Napa took it badly and little was seen of him over the next few years but he finally emerged and shrugged off a couple of contentious defeats to fellow Londoners Marc Callaghan and Martin Power (in a first stab at the British bantamweight title) and got on with it. He showed new-found maturity and was ultimately rewarded with a shot at the European bantamweight title, where he was beaten again but proved competitive. And when Power relinquished the British bantamweight title just prior to a defence against Booth, Napa stepped in and boxed cleverly to make sure of his redemption.
A triumph for perseverance
So 29-year-old Napa won't want to lose the title in his first defence, although Haskins poses a real threat. In 17 fights, the flashy challenger has lost only to South African bogeyman Tshifhiwa Munyai in six rounds in a challenge for the Commonwealth bantamweight title last October. It was Haskin's first fight at the weight and an audacious one against an unbeaten champion who holds two stoppage wins over Power. But he came back with a wide points win over decent Ghanaian Sumaila Badu in a six-rounder in February.
Quick, cocksure, switch-hitting and heavy-handed, Lee won the Commonwealth flyweight title with a powerful two-round stoppage of Tanzania's Anthony Mathias in February 2006 but struggled to make the weight for his first defence against old man Zolile Mbityi and to take the points. Still only 23, his move up to bantam was justified but his Naz-like style - he carries his hands low and throws shots from unusual angles - was never going to work against the tall, accurate Munyai.
Against Napa?
Haskins certainly has the punch to force the champion into his shell for long periods. Napa tucks up well and picks his counters. He's not much of a puncher but goes to the body and retains his old flyweight speed. Some would argue he can still make flyweight and the advent of the super-flyweight divison must interest him, win or lose. He's fresh after just 20 outings - a lovely boxer
So this one is bound to be close, and Napa's lack of power makes for a long, close fight. He looks up against it early on but Liverpool waste of talent Peter Culshaw is the only man to have stopped Napa and expect him to come on strong down the stretch, much as he did against Booth.
But my gut feeling is that Haskins will throw more punches - enough punches - to get the decision.