In this week’s three punch combo I will start by taking a look back at Raymundo Beltran’s upset victory of Hank Lundy on Friday night. Next we will take a closer look at an interesting super middleweight bout this Thursday between Thomas Oosthuizen and Rowland Bryant. And finally we will examine the career path of Deontay Wilder and preview his bout Saturday against Kertson Manswell.
Hank Lundy vs. Raymundo Beltran
Hank Lundy turned in a very disappointing performance Friday night and lost a ten round majority decision to journeyman Raymundo Beltran. The loss for Lundy is particularly disappointing as he seemed on the verge of a big fight, possibly against Adrien Broner, in his next bout.
In my estimation, while Beltran fought a good fight, Lundy has only himself to blame for the loss. He clearly did not take this fight seriously and was overlooking Beltran. It took Lundy four attempts to make weight on Thursday in what was the first sign that Lundy did not take his training serious.
He did not utilize his good movement to create angles as he had in prior fights against Dannie Williams and David Diaz. Instead, Lundy stood in front of Beltran and in some rounds chose to fight with his back against the ropes. By doing so Lundy gave his aggressive but slow opponent a chance to get inside and get work done to the body and head. So the question is why would Lundy do this when he seemingly dominated Beltran while at a distance and using good movement?
The answer in my opinion is Lundy knew he didn’t train hard and did not feel he could go a strong ten rounds by constantly moving and using his good boxing skills. And by doing this he gave Beltran the only opportunity he had to win the fight. Beltran did an effective job when on the inside of working combinations to the body and head, and he deserves credit for constantly keeping the pressure on Lundy and fighting a very determined fight.
However, had Lundy fought the correct fight stylistically he would have easily decisioned Beltran. If I were managing Lundy I would try to make the rematch with Beltran, maybe to open Friday Night Fights 2013 season, and get Lundy back on track to a big payday in 2013.
Thomas Oosthuizen vs. Rowland Bryant
There is an interesting super middleweight bout on Thursday at the Roseland Ballroom in New York between the undefeated Thomas Oosthuizen from South Africa and Rowland Bryant. Oosthuizen, fighting for the third time in the United States, is being groomed for big bouts in the loaded super middleweight division but better not pull a Lundy and overlook Bryant on Thursday.
Oosthuizen, a southpaw, is a very technically sound boxer who utilizes his height and reach advantage to his full potential. In his last fight, he successfully kept one time prospect Marcus Johnson out at the end of his punches, never allowing Johnson to get inside en route to an impressive ten round unanimous decision victory.
Bryant is coming off his own career best win with a third round TKO over perennial contender Librado Andrade. The reason I feel this fight is dangerous for Oosthuizen is that Bryant is a very aggressive fighter who will throw technique out the window at times. He can be very awkward and as seen in the Andrade fight can crack with the right hand. This is particularly important to note as that is the punch that can land on a southpaw. Bryant is also naturally bigger, having fought his last fight at 173 pounds and having fought as high as 183.
But with all this said, I do like Oosthuizen to come out victorious with a stoppage, probably in the middle rounds, of Bryant. Bryant’s style will probably cause a little uneasiness early for Oosthuizen and he may even get rocked in the early going. Expect the technically sound Oosthuizen to figure Bryant’s style out by the 3rd round and break him down in the middle rounds en route to a stoppage victory.
Deontay Wilder
Heavyweight prospect Deontay Wilder returns Saturday to face Kertson Manswell in Alabama. Wilder has impressive amateur credentials, winning the only USA boxing medal at the Beijing Olympics, and a glossy record of 23-0 with 23 KOs. However he has faced very weak opposition and amazingly Manswell represents a slight step in competition.
Manswell has been knocked out twice, including his last fight in March, and has no notable wins on his resume (unless you include an over the hill Corey Sanders). And I am confident he will be knocked out early Saturday as well. It is time for Wilder to step up the competition after this fight. He is not learning anything by knocking out these low level fighters and risks developing bad habits facing these overmatched foes.
He has been a pro for four years already, and has done more than enough on the job training. Hopefully after this bout his management team stops spoon feeding him opponents and allows their charge to face some real competition that will develop his career.
