GLASS JAW, CRYSTAL BALL
Ready for the Big Battle in Boise?
M?eh. I?ve already talked about Saturday?s fight between Roy Jones Jr. and Prince Badi Ajamu. So let?s quickly move on to a pair of August fights which are available right now on the futures market. One can only hope these two bouts will produce more drama than we?re likely to see in Idaho.
Hasim Rahman (-230) vs. Oleg Maskaev (+190)
Where have you gone, Lennox Lewis? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. This bout is for the WBC Heavyweight Title that nobody seems to want to get his hands on. Rahman first won this belt when he knocked out an underprepared Lewis in 2001, only to lose it seven months later in the rematch. But fortune smiled again on Rahman when reigning titleholder Vitali Klitschko retired last year.
Klitschko was supposed to face Rahman for the belt, but kept having to postpone the bout due to injuries. The WBC cooked up an ?interim? championship fight between Rahman and Monte Barrett, just in case Klitschko didn?t recover; Rahman won by unanimous decision, not that it was much of a contest. He and Barrett were close friends, and they spent most of the match clinching and generally ticking off the 15,000-plus fans in attendance.
On the heels of that farce came a draw with James Toney last March. At least Rahman put up a game fight in that one, and was ahead on many unofficial scorecards, as well as the 116-111 card of the only one of the three ringside judges who did not see it as a draw. The ?interim? tag was also removed from Rahman?s title. That doesn?t make him much of a champion, though. He?s ranked 10th in the world among heavyweights.
Maskaev, meanwhile, is ranked 15th, and beat Rahman back in 1999 via KO in the eighth round. But Rahman worked his way into the title picture, whereas Maskaev never made the big leap. Because of a suspected glass jaw, the best he?s been able to do is win the WBC International Heavyweight Title, which he did last November against Sinan Samil Sam. Still, given the questionable credentials of both men, getting +190 odds on the man who?s already knocked out Rahman appears worth investigating. The fireworks take place Aug. 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Edison ?Pantera? Miranda (+215) vs. Arthur Abraham (-275)
This Aug. 26 middleweight bout is for Abraham?s IBF title, if anyone really cares about that belt. Nonetheless, this looks like it could be a nice little fight. Miranda is undefeated at 26-0 with 23 knockouts. Most of that came against tomato cans in his native Colombia, where he grew up on his own in less than ideal conditions. As raw as Miranda is from a technical standpoint, he?s got a heavy right hand and he?s a tireless worker. A TKO win over Howard Eastman last March ? the first KO loss of Eastman?s career ? propelled Miranda into this title bout.
Abraham is also undefeated at 21-0 with 17 KOs; however, all those fights came in his adopted home country of Germany, again with glorified punching bags (and Eastman) providing most of the opposition. ?Tireless? may not be the best word to describe the champion. He doesn?t appear to have the same stamina as Miranda, nor quite as much punching power. But there?s no doubt he is the better technical fighter at this stage.
The differences between the two fighters were underscored earlier this month when the champion reportedly refused calls from the Miranda camp for both boxers to wear Reyes gloves for the fight. Abraham will instead cash in his champion?s prerogative to make both boxers wear Everlast gloves ? provided the fight goes as scheduled in Oldenburg, Germany and isn?t moved to a jurisdiction where boxers don?t have to wear the same gloves as their opponents. The Reyes glove is considered better for punching power; Abraham has been training with Everlasts.
Abraham is a bit of a fan favorite because of his colorful ring entrances, and it can be difficult for an outsider to come into Germany and get a fair shake from the judges. The plan in the Miranda camp is to avoid controversy by knocking Abraham out. That might prove to be self-defeating. Miranda was patient in the early rounds against the mobile Eastman, flashing the occasional jab and waiting for his opportunities in the middle rounds. Abraham is also a patient fighter; glacial, even. This time, Miranda may have to push the pace in order to come out ahead. But the onus is on the champion to stay upright for 12 rounds, which makes Miranda a tempting value pick.
--Perry
BetWWTS
Ready for the Big Battle in Boise?
M?eh. I?ve already talked about Saturday?s fight between Roy Jones Jr. and Prince Badi Ajamu. So let?s quickly move on to a pair of August fights which are available right now on the futures market. One can only hope these two bouts will produce more drama than we?re likely to see in Idaho.
Hasim Rahman (-230) vs. Oleg Maskaev (+190)
Where have you gone, Lennox Lewis? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. This bout is for the WBC Heavyweight Title that nobody seems to want to get his hands on. Rahman first won this belt when he knocked out an underprepared Lewis in 2001, only to lose it seven months later in the rematch. But fortune smiled again on Rahman when reigning titleholder Vitali Klitschko retired last year.
Klitschko was supposed to face Rahman for the belt, but kept having to postpone the bout due to injuries. The WBC cooked up an ?interim? championship fight between Rahman and Monte Barrett, just in case Klitschko didn?t recover; Rahman won by unanimous decision, not that it was much of a contest. He and Barrett were close friends, and they spent most of the match clinching and generally ticking off the 15,000-plus fans in attendance.
On the heels of that farce came a draw with James Toney last March. At least Rahman put up a game fight in that one, and was ahead on many unofficial scorecards, as well as the 116-111 card of the only one of the three ringside judges who did not see it as a draw. The ?interim? tag was also removed from Rahman?s title. That doesn?t make him much of a champion, though. He?s ranked 10th in the world among heavyweights.
Maskaev, meanwhile, is ranked 15th, and beat Rahman back in 1999 via KO in the eighth round. But Rahman worked his way into the title picture, whereas Maskaev never made the big leap. Because of a suspected glass jaw, the best he?s been able to do is win the WBC International Heavyweight Title, which he did last November against Sinan Samil Sam. Still, given the questionable credentials of both men, getting +190 odds on the man who?s already knocked out Rahman appears worth investigating. The fireworks take place Aug. 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Edison ?Pantera? Miranda (+215) vs. Arthur Abraham (-275)
This Aug. 26 middleweight bout is for Abraham?s IBF title, if anyone really cares about that belt. Nonetheless, this looks like it could be a nice little fight. Miranda is undefeated at 26-0 with 23 knockouts. Most of that came against tomato cans in his native Colombia, where he grew up on his own in less than ideal conditions. As raw as Miranda is from a technical standpoint, he?s got a heavy right hand and he?s a tireless worker. A TKO win over Howard Eastman last March ? the first KO loss of Eastman?s career ? propelled Miranda into this title bout.
Abraham is also undefeated at 21-0 with 17 KOs; however, all those fights came in his adopted home country of Germany, again with glorified punching bags (and Eastman) providing most of the opposition. ?Tireless? may not be the best word to describe the champion. He doesn?t appear to have the same stamina as Miranda, nor quite as much punching power. But there?s no doubt he is the better technical fighter at this stage.
The differences between the two fighters were underscored earlier this month when the champion reportedly refused calls from the Miranda camp for both boxers to wear Reyes gloves for the fight. Abraham will instead cash in his champion?s prerogative to make both boxers wear Everlast gloves ? provided the fight goes as scheduled in Oldenburg, Germany and isn?t moved to a jurisdiction where boxers don?t have to wear the same gloves as their opponents. The Reyes glove is considered better for punching power; Abraham has been training with Everlasts.
Abraham is a bit of a fan favorite because of his colorful ring entrances, and it can be difficult for an outsider to come into Germany and get a fair shake from the judges. The plan in the Miranda camp is to avoid controversy by knocking Abraham out. That might prove to be self-defeating. Miranda was patient in the early rounds against the mobile Eastman, flashing the occasional jab and waiting for his opportunities in the middle rounds. Abraham is also a patient fighter; glacial, even. This time, Miranda may have to push the pace in order to come out ahead. But the onus is on the champion to stay upright for 12 rounds, which makes Miranda a tempting value pick.
--Perry
BetWWTS
