This Saturday afternoon in the States, the WBC (lineal in my book) heavyweight champion Tyson Fury returns to the ring for a big payday versus a fighter making his pro debut in Francis Ngannou on ESPN PPV. Saturday evening, we have an intriguing junior lightweight title bout between O’Shaquie Foster and Eduardo Hernandez on DAZN. All-action Amanda Serrano is back not only to defend her undisputed crown but to make history in the process.
(Photo credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom or Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
This boxing podcaster doesn’t want to spend a bunch of time breaking down this heavyweight bout. Updated on Boxrec, it appears to be a 10-round fight, so it won’t count as an exhibition on either combatant’s official record. Clearly, it’s a money grab by Tyson Fury, who’s still an active boxer, so I do have a minor issue with that item, but oh well. When Fury retires from the sport, he can fight whoever he wants, and you want to hear or see me say one word. Of course, he has the right to do whatever he wants, which quite honestly describes the talented Tyson Fury to a tee.
This is basically an infomercial or appetizer for the main dish. Never was really interested in this one, but once those clips came out of Francis throwing punches, it hit home how much of a joke this fight really is. But that’s okay. As long as we get the real contest, everyone wants to see Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk. Fury is, at the very least, in a training camp for Saturday’s action, so he should be ready to hit the ground running very soon after.
My Official Prediction is Tyson Fury by KO.
Now, on to a real fight. Coming off a superb outing versus Rey Vargas, O’Shaquie Foster takes on Eduardo Hernandez for Foster’s WBC 130-pound strap. Foster took two losses in 2015-16, one to Samuel Tech and the other via split decision over 8-rounds to Rolando Chines. Since then, Foster has collected ten straight victories over a few good boxers like previously mentioned Rey Vargas, Jesus Bravo, and Jon Fernandez.
Eduardo aka Rocky, has just one defeat back in 2019 to Roger Gutierrez by early stoppage. Rocky’s most impressive win came over Jorge Castaneda. Eduardo did manage to get a fight in during the summer, whereas Foster, who’s had trouble finding an opponent, hasn’t been in the ring since February. This one on Saturday is an old-school boxer against a puncher-type matchup, but it’s not as simple as that.
As a come-forward fighter, Hernandez is fairly smart with his approach instead of swinging wildly or throwing too many punches without purpose. Rocky has a quality jab that he applies pressure with to ultimately land his power punches. His lead left hook is dangerous, and he also favors overhand rights and uppercuts. Thirty-four wins and 31 KOs is nothing to overlook, even if Eduardo’s comp hasn’t been all that great. Besides Rey Vargas, it’s not like Foster’s resume is all that impressive.
On the Foster side, the key will be to stay off the ropes and limit the amount of exchanges on the inside. Accomplishing that won’t be easy, but is starts with Foster’s solid jab that he targets to the head and stomach. Defensively, Foster is better than Rocky at using his feet to avoid punches along with head/upper body movement. O’Shaquie also has the ability to counter with both hands, but it will start with the jab. Look for Foster to control the distance with his jab, 1-2’s, lead right hands, and defensive techniques already discussed.
Although this is a closely-matched fight on paper, the boxing betting sites have it a tad closer than this fight junkie has it. Hernandez is around a +130 to +148 (+138 on BetMGM). This hack-of-a-scribe isn’t throwing shade at Rocky; just looking at it as a good opportunity to bet on Foster because he may not have these close odds in his next one. A good competitive fight becomes a bit more one-sided in the second half, basically from Foster having more paths to victory.
My Official Prediction is O’Shaquie Foster by Unanimous Decision.
PODCAST LINK: http://tobtr.com/s/12280839
Side Note: Amanda Serrano vs. Danila Ramos is scheduled to fight 12-rounds with 3-minute rounds on DAZN Friday night. Also, Fabio Wardley vs. David Adeleye is an interesting heavyweight bout on the undercard of Fury/Nganno.
Written by Chris Carlson, Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio
