Undefeated super featherweight prospect Mickey Bey (16-0, 8 KOs) will be squaring off with Jose Hernandez (10-4, 4 KOs) as part of the undercard of Fernando Montiel vs. Nonito Donaire on February 19.
On Thursday evening, I spoke with Bey and trainer Jeff Mayweather about their upcoming bout.
Despite breaking his right hand in his fight with Eric Cruz in November, Bey completed the 6-round match and went on to score a unanimous decision victory.
?It (the injury) was in my last fight, actually when I was about to get the knockout,? Bey said. ?Now it’s feeling great. It probably got even stronger when it healed. It feels great. That was a few months ago, and it healed pretty good.?
Mayweather commended the young fighter for the way he handled himself in dealing with the injury.
?That’s one thing that you have to do when you find yourself in an adverse situation,? Mayweather stated. ?You’ve got to find another way, and that’s what he did. He won in grand fashion, even though he was fighting with one hand. He even dropped the guy with a left hook.?
Despite the setback, Bey is pleased with his recent training camp.
?Oh, it’s been great,? Bey said. ?I trained hard, had a good camp, I’m in great shape and I’m ready to go.?
Bey then talked about what he expects from Jose Hernandez.
?I know he’s a real tough fighter. I just look at every opponent as a road block ? every opponent in my way. I’m just expecting a very tough fight. I don’t have an exact prediction, but I’ll give a hundred percent guarantee of a victory. I’m sure I’ll win the fight in spectacular fashion.?
When I asked for opinions on the main event, Bey said that he expects a Donaire victory.
?Ah man, that’s gonna be an excellent fight. Actually I’ll be hitting a U-Turn after my fight to watch it. I think Nonito Donaire, you know, I’m going for him. Both of them are very sharp. Fernando Montiel, man, he’s an excellent fighter as well. But Nonito, I don’t see him losing. I think he can take the fight by unanimous decision, or even a late stoppage.?
Mayweather didn’t give a prediction, but said that he expects a great fight.
?To be honest, I can’t really speak on that because I’ve only seen highlights of Montiel. He looked like he’s a very, very good fighter. But Donaire, I’ve actually had the chance to watch him live, and I know that he can fight. He’s a very good fighter as well. It looks like the making of a great fight. A lot of people are already saying that it has the possibility of being the fight of the year.?
In closing, Mayweather expressed his confidence in the technical skills and experience of his fighter.
?Mickey’s a very technically sound and well-balanced fighter,? Mayweather said. ?He’s not a one-punch knockout guy, but he’s a very good puncher. He’s not a knockout puncher, but he puts combinations together really well. And he’s a thinking guy. He’s a guy who can out-think you. He can bait you into traps. You know, Mickey’s been around for a long time. He had over two-hundred and something amateur fights, and he knows his way around that ring.?
?Stay tuned. We got a lot of exciting things getting ready to happen,? Bey said. ?I’m going to be putting on some spectacular shows. Thanks for the support.?
