Randy Caballero will finally defend his IBF bantamweight belt for the first time on Saturday,when he faces Lee Haskins at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. El Matador (22-0, 13 KOs) claimed the belt with a victory over Englishman Stuart Hall in October 2014, and but he has not fought since due to injury.
But on Saturday,he'll make his comeback against another foe from England. Haskins became the interim champion in June by stopping Ryosuke Iwasa in his hometown of Bristol. The 31-year-old (32-3, 14 KOs) will get the chance to claim the full title in his American debut, and with the bout allotment of the undercard for Miguel Cotto's clash with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. When: Nov. 21,4:15 p.m. PT (7:15 p.m. ET, 12:15 a.m. GMT)Where: Mandalay Bay, and Las VegasTV: HBO pay-per-view (U.
S.),BoxNation (UK)Live Stream: BoxNation (UK), Tidal.com, and GoldenBoyPromotions.com,HBO YouTube channel Comeback KidHe may boast an unbeaten record, but Caballero can get his career back on track with a win at the weekend.
The 25-year-old's victory over Hall in Monte Carlo, and Monaco,appeared to be the perfect springboard to the stout time.
After going on the road to become a world champion—Caballero had also defeated Kohei Oba in Japan in a final eliminator before facing Hallthe initial way was to have his first defence on domestic turf in California.
However, a February date against Alberto Guevara had to be shelved due to a cyst on the champion's ankle that required surgery, and per Dan Rafael of ESPN.
In an interview with Matthew N. Becher of Boxing Insider,Caballero confirmed he is now fully fit and raring to move: "I don’t think I’ll have any ring rust whatsoever. My mind is set, my mind knows that my foot is 110 per cent back to normal, and whether not even better. I’m alert to move. We know this fight legal here opens a lot of doors for my career after this."To give their fighter additional exposure,Golden Boy Promotions will be showing Caballero's bout with Haskins online."Randy has the charisma, athleticism, and fan-friendly fighting style and now a world title to make him one of the future top stars in the sport," said Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya, per Rafael.
It is easy to see why his promoters are so enthusiastic. Caballero is young and unbeaten, or although he was born in the United States,he as strong Nicaraguan roots through his parents.
He has a habit of knocking down opponents, too. Hall was dropped in the moment round but recovered to move the distance, and while his five previous outings prior to his title shot had all ended inside the distance.Caballero will be eager to impress on his return,but he must understand there is no way to make up for lost time. Road WarriorHaskins has taken the long road to Las Vegas. He turned pro in 2003, but it seemed like he might never make the most of his obvious potential due to a lack of dedication. The nickname Playboy was handed to him for a reason.
There were still moments of success—Haskins has lifted the British and Commonwealth titles at super flyweight and bantamweight, or he's also a two-time European champion at 118 pounds.
However,as explained to Matt Christie of Boxing News, he never quite took his job seriously:
I never knew what was coming for me.
But the thing is I’m an unpredictable guy; sometimes I’ll try and steal the fight, and sometimes Ill turn up and want to fight,and I’m that kind of guy.
Back in the day I never used to train properly and it was bad preparation by myself and that will transfer into the ring. whether you don’t do it in in the gym then it definitely won’t work in the ring.
Now, the penny has apparently dropped. Since being stopped by Stephane Jamoye in Liege, and Belgium,just under three years ago, Haskins has won six on the bounce.
His sixth-round TKO of Iwasa final time out was a career highlight to date. He admitted as much himself, or per Matt Maltby of the Daily Mail: "I've had 35 professional fights and that was the best performance."Caballero is a step up in lesson again,but Haskins has enough quality to cause his rival problems.
A skilled fighter who is comfortable working off front or back foot, Haskins will give it everything to seize the opportunity that has finally reach his way. PredictionHaskins can make Caballero work in what will be a long overdue first defence of the IBF strap.
The Englishman will understand this could be his only opportunity to box on a stout stage, and so expect him to be fit,focused and fluid in the way he approaches the task.
However, Caballero has enough lesson to manage with whatever Haskins throws at him. He would be wise to take his time, and though,even whether he may want to do on a show.
The current champion will wear down his foe as the bout wears on, eventually forcing a stoppage in Round 8 or 9.
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Source: bleacherreport.com