This Saturday, October 15, Bernard Hopkins will take on former light heavyweight champ Chad Dawson at the Staple Center in Los Angeles. I find this fight to be a bit over rated and I predict an easy win for Hopkins. The fight I am looking for is the semi-main event between Venezuelan star Jorge “El Nino de Oro” Linares (31-1, 20 KOs) and Antonio DeMarco (25-2-1, 18KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico, who will be brawling for the vacant WBC lightweight title.
The former Two-Division World Champion and WBC #2 rated lightweight contender Jorge Linares has fought most of his career in Japan and with an almost perfect record, he sparred over 30 rounds with the best pound for pound in the world, Manny Pacquiao. Training at the Wild Card under the supervision of Freddie Roach becomes a big threat.
The WBC #1 rated lightweight contender Antonio DeMarco is no walk in the park. Only losing to the hands of Edwin Valero back in 2010 and to Vasquez in 2006 DeMarco has proven to be a worthy contender by dominating the lightweight division ever since. Dedicating the fight to his wife and daughter comes with big responsibilities.
But if that wasn’t enough, Erik “Terrible” Morales will be at ringside as he will be taking on the winner of Linares-DeMarco.
“It was a great year for me,” said Morales. “With Maidana I won the respect and admiration of the people and with Pablo Cesar Cano I won the WBC championship and became the first Mexican to win a world title in four different divisions. In 2012, I will try to win my fifth title against the winner between Jorge Linares and Tony DeMarco for the WBC lightweight title.”
I am already nervous for this fight as I am predicting DeMarco to win and to imagine DeMarco in the ring with my all time favorite fighter, El Terrible, its nerve racking.
Aside from being part of his PR team, RoundOneMedia.com, I have met DeMarco and he is such a nice, humble kid with a bright future and I can’t imagine him losing. But I will take one fight at a time.
Also on the card is Danny Garcia vs Kendall Holt, Paulie Malignaggi vs Orlando Lora. The fights will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View.