By Sam Geraci: On the undercard of Saturday’s mega fight, WBC champion in recess and apparent future superstar in recess Timothy Bradley defends his WBO championship against Olympic gold medalist and former super featherweight and lightweight champion Joel Casamayor.
The fight has been promoted as a battle between a rising superstar who is seeking a fight with Pacquiao and a crafty veteran who is seeking to revive his career while making history by becoming the first Cuban fighter to win championships at three weight classes.
The only problem with this entire matchup is that at 40 years old and after one of the better trilogies in boxing history with Diego Corrales, Casamayor no longer resembles the amateur standout and champion who was ducked and avoided by many of the games top fighters, including Hatton, Mayweather, Pacquiao, and Judah.
Up until 2007, Casamayor was ducked and avoided because he was seen as a fighter who wasn’t worth the risk. With the exception of Mayweather, Casamayor was probably the most technical fighter south of 147. Unlike Mayweather, however, despite his gifts and dominance, a fight with Casamayor was difficult to sell because he was from Cuba and he never got a shot at a big name like De La Hoya.
At the age of 40, it is difficult to imagine Casamayor accomplishing much more than going the distance against a top fighter like Bradley. Moreover, considering Bradley’s unwillingness to fight Khan, Maidana, or even Matthysse, it seems clear that there is probably not much left in Casamayor.
Unless Casamayor can somehow turn back the clock or change his style into that of an “old” great fighter, like Morales has done, I think a dominant twelve round decision for Bradley with the possibility of a late round sympathy stoppage is the most likely outcome. Unfortunately, I also think there is a chance we might see a post-Hatton Castillo-like performance out of Casamayor that should end his career.