Undefeated junior featherweight contender Mike “Machine Gun” Oliver (19-0, 7 KOs) and 15-year veteran, Cruz “Chucho” Carbajal (28-13-2, 24 KOs) square off in this weeks installment of ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights, from The Castle at Park Plaza in Boston, Mass..
The 12-round IBF junior featherweight title elimination main event will land the winner a mandatory title fight against the reigning, and undefeated champion, Steve “The Canadian Kid” Molitor (24-0, 10 KOs).
The 27 year-old Oliver, a graduate of a stellar amateur background, to include over 300 bouts and a trip to the Olympic trials, is a slick southpaw with arguably the quickest hands in boxing. He first entered a boxing gym at the age of two, and displays a comfort level in the ring that is almost unparalleled. Most importantly, he has never tasted defeat as a professional, and that, in the eyes of his promoter Rich Cappiello, makes him all the more dangerous. “Mike is the real deal.
His amateur background speaks for itself, and the fact that he’s never lost as a pro gives him an even greater degree of confidence. On July 18th, Mike Oliver will become a star.”
To become boxing’s next star, Oliver will have to first get past 43-fight veteran, Cruz Carbajal, the man Cappiello refers to as “The gatekeeper to all the world champions.” Carbajal, who’s nickname translates to “stingy,” is a straight-ahead brawler. He’s willing to take his licks, so long as he can get his opponent to engage. He’s not difficult to hit, but that often times results in his opponents developing a false sense of confidence. A big mistake, as that is typically when Carbajal begins to impose his strength and will upon his unsuspecting target.
In his most recent outing, Carbajal was getting severely rocked by former featherweight champ Eric Aiken, and that was just one minute into the first stanza. Upon the completion of the 10-round slugfest, Aiken appeared worse for the ware. When the bout was ruled a draw, Carbajal was utterly shocked, a disappointment he will likely try and take out on Oliver.
If Oliver cashes in his meal ticket, and utilizes his superior speed, skill, and counter-punching ability, he will likely find himself staring across the ring at Molitor, by years end. “Mike-Mike wins this fight hands down, on paper,” stated Oliver’s trainer John Scully. “He’s better in every aspect of the game, he knows what to do, now he just has to go out and do it.”
The evening’s co-feature bout pits unbeaten, Buddy McGirt-trained featherweight prospect Dat “Dat Be Dat” Nguyen (10-0, 6 KOs) against his most formidable opponent to date in fellow stablemate Castulo Gonzalez (9-2, 3 KOs). The straight-ahead fight style of these two action-packed pugs, make this a can’t miss, made for TV, fight.
Tickets to the Cappiello Promotions / ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights are available by calling 508-586-2277. Tickets are priced at $100, $60, and $40.