Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer
It’s not baseball, but I lost a double-header with my picks last week. No crying over spilled milk here, Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson, at worst should been called a no-contest when he was back-flipped and suffered a shoulder injury on Saturday night.
Jorge Linares was well ahead on the scorecards, when Antonio DeMarco landed some solid punches and stopped him in round 10. Linares could have backed away and won the fight on the cards, but as we have seen many times before, that Latino machismo wouldn’t allow that to happen.
Time to like our wounds and move on.
This week we have what should be an action packed fight from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Nonito Donaire, 26-1 (18) puts his WBC bantamweight crown on the line against veteran Omar Navarez, 35-0-2 (23) who holds the WBO title.
Normally I don’t like battles between two southpaws because they tend to be dull, but I just can’t see either of this battlers doing anything but letting loose.
Donaire, 28, is eight years younger than Navarez, who seems to do all his fighting (and winning) in Argentina. Taking nothing away from Navarez, it’s hard to comment on a fighter you rarely if ever see.
But the sheet says Donaire also has the edge in the height and reach department, and his only loss came ten years ago.
On paper a great action fight, but I’ll go with Donaire who should be the favorite of the NYC crowd.
Nonito by stoppage.
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