TalkingBoxing Articles
Saturday Night Provides Intriguing Match-Up…And it’s not Taylor
FRI December 8, MIKE MOORE - Tomorrow night, for the first time in months, there are no significant football games on television, leaving most Americans confused as to what to do or watch. While a good portion of the country will be suffering withdrawals due to lack of 11 on 11 competition, we will be perfectly content. Why, you ask? Well, lucky for us boxing fiends, HBO is providing us with some solid match-ups that we can sit inside and enjoy, avoiding the elements while getting our fix at the same time.
That’s reason #1277 why it is good to be a boxing fan. Most viewers will be tuning in to HBO to watch middleweight king Jermain Taylor defend his title against the decidedly undersized, but very game Kassim Ouma. However, not to be overlooked is the televised undercard bout pitting Andre Berto vs. Miguel Figueroa.
This fight represents a significant step up for the hot prospect Berto. A 2004 Olympian, Berto ended up representing Haiti, after a controversial disqualification in the US trials. Berto has been on the fast track to the top since turning pro in 2004 just after his 21st birthday. Widely considered one of, if not the top prospect of the 2004 Olympic class, Berto has already been featured on several ESPN cards, as well as received exposure being on the under cards of high profile pay per view fights. But this Saturday night will be the most exposure the 23 year old will have to date. Berto has been impressive thus far, amassing an unblemished record of 15-0 (13 KO’s). With solid fundamentals, an exciting ‘seek and destroy’ style, and good power in both hands, the boxing world is awaiting to see what will happen tonight. Will he make arguably his biggest step forward in his promising career? Or encounter a setback? Similar to what fellow prospect Vicente Escobedo ran into earlier this year.
His opponent Saturday, Miguel Figueroa, may not have taken the same golden lined path as Berto, but he is nonetheless going to prove a stern test. Figueroa, 28, based out of New Jersey, turned pro back in 1996, when Berto was merely 13 years old. With a respectable record of 24-5-2 (14KO’s), Figueroa is by far the most experienced and accomplished fighter that Lou Dibella has put Berto in the ring with. Figueroa is coming off of a 9 month layoff, his last bout resulting in a Draw with the solid Larry Mosley. Without a doubt, Figueroa will attempt to use his experience to throw the young gun off of his game and pull of the upset in front of the large Little Rock and HBO audience.
No Division I football? No problem! Who needs a USC game every Saturday night? A hot prospect in with a tough veteran; the middleweight champ in with a tough, buzz saw type of fighter? Sounds good to me. Tune into HBO Saturday 12/8 at 10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT.
Michael Moore can be reached at: mmoore@talkingboxing.com - and always enjoys receiving your thoughts, comments and questions.
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