Golden Boy and Main Events have come up with another big winner in Las Vegas with Alvarez vs. Kovalev. The undercard bouts on the Alvarez (51-1-2) vs. Kovalev (34-3-1) WBO light heavyweight title fight November 2 at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, is equally good. One of the joys of a big fight is the undercard. New prospects get to share the spotlight with the top guys and show their skills. These prospects are not often known outside the hard-core boxing world. The bouts can be exciting, unpredictable, and enjoyable.
The major undercard attractions are Ryan Garcia (18-0-0) vs. Romero Duno (21-1-0); Bakhram Murtazaliev (16-0-0) vs. Jorge Fortea (20-1-1); and Meiirim Nursultanov (12-0- 0) vs. Cristian Olivas (16-5-0). All of the bouts should be first-rate and names that will appear in the future.
What might turn out to be the best fight on the card is the match between Ryan Garcia and Romero Duno. Although Duno has one blemish on his record, these two lightweights do not know how to lose. Both boxers are familiar with fans but will be new to the general public.
Garcia is the new pretty boy of boxing. He looks more like junior high school math student than a power-punching monster. He puts opponents away like Butterbean put away Snickers bars. He is just 21 years old and if he continues in his present fashion he might become the next Canalo Alvarez. As a kid, he understands the power of the new media and has over 800,000 followers on Instagram. The girls love him and the boys are envious. He is a straight-up boxer in the style of his idol Oscar De La Hoya. He is well schooled for his age. He covers well, has a decent chin?although it has not really been tested?is lightning fast and has decent power. He does need some work. He is conservative with body shots, occasionally throws uppercuts from too far out, and has a bad habit of backing straight out. Angles are a good thing for a boxer (or a con-man) and he needs to start working on them now in order to make them a habit. He does not lack for guts, especially for such a young man. He is starting to get a bit cocky, as would anyone so young when glory comes so fast. His father trains him and should keep him in line and not let him become destroyed by fame, riches, and women.
Romero Duno brings the reputation of Philippine warriors into the ring. Lately, they seem to be everywhere. Pacquiao has raised boxing in the country to the status of the stars. Most of Duno?s fights have been in the islands. At the age of 24 he is reaching his prime for a light fighter. He throws a plethora of uppercuts, but, like Garcia, occasionally throws them from too great a distance. He loves the body and works it from the opening bell to the finish. If he gets an opponent in trouble with a head shot he puts together a symphony of top and bottom blows rather than just concentrate on the head, as do so many boxers. He has decent defense and a rock solid chin. Juan Antonio Rodriguez nailed him several times with perfect shots to the chin in their NABO title fight. Duno was not fazed. He appears, however, to tire in the later rounds.
Any fight where the winner cannot be predicted with any certainty is a good one. Such fights carry with them suspense, surprise, mystery, tension, and anticipation.
Bakhram Murtazaliev (16-0-0) vs. Jorge Fortea (20-1-1) is an interesting match-up. Murtazaliev is part of the Russian invasion into the world of boxing. All but 3 of his fights have come by knockout. At the age of 26 he should be in great physical shape.
Forta is another story. With just 6 KOs he is no puncher. He is also Spanish. Nothing against Spanish males, but they have a poor record of producing boxers. All of his fights have been in Spain against anemic opponents. He was KOd by 8-1 Kelvin Dotel. Fifteen of his wins have come against losing opponents like 1-14- 0 Diego Jair Ramirez and 15-40-1 Rafael Mansouri. Murtazaliev will have to carry him for a few rounds just to make a fight of it. Still, there is always that element of surprise. The surprise in this case will be if it goes the distance.
A better match-up is between Meiirim Nursultanove (12-0-2) and Cristain Olivas (16-5- 0). Nursultanove is from Kazakhstan. They grow them tough there, a land of harsh climate and hard living. To get a decent match-up one needs an opponent with the same living conditions, in this case, Mexico. One never knows if a man can fight until he fights a Mexican. At the age of 27, Olivas has been around. Half of his losses have been by split decision, so he can fight. He can also punch as his 13 KOs prove. This should be a decent fight and fun for everyone.
The main event between Alvarez and Kovalev has not garnered as much excitement as one might expect. Alvarez is the much better boxer. He can punch from any direction and can?t be knocked out. GGG nailed him some good ones to no effect. Eleider Alvarez and Andre Ward both knocked Kovalev in his 3 losses. Many people predict the same result for this fight. They might be surprised. Kovalev is still a formidable opponent with a decent punch. He is naturally much bigger than Alvarez. How Alvarez deals with the size may be the determining factor.
