PHOTO CREDIT: Jeandra LeBeauf/BadCulture.net
Yesterday’s weigh-in for HBO’s October 18 “Mexican Style” card had one of its main event fighters in Marco Antonio Rubio failing to make weight. Rubio, a long-time contender, missed the middleweight limit by 1.8 pounds. He either decided not to try or couldn’t lose the weight in the mandated two hours, resulting in a $100,000 deduction/penalty from his $450,000 purse. His opponent, WBA and IBO middleweight Gennady Golovkin, easily made weight, coming in at 159 pounds.
GOLOVKIN: 159
RUBIO: 161
PREDICTION: Rubio’s late stoppage defeat came in 2009 at the hands of Kelly Pavlik. Since then he’s gone 16-1, the lone loss being a unanimous decision to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2012. For the past two years, he’s tried in vain to get a shot at a major title and even took the WBC to court. They threw him a bone in his last fight under the guise of an interim title bout against Domenico Spade, which Rubio won via an 11th round KO. But with Cotto now holding the lineal title and only seeking big fights, Rubio options for a name opponent were limited to the division’s most avoided fighter, Gennady Golovkin.
Rubio’s a tough guy, but there’s nothing we’ve seen to suggest he’ll do much better than GGG’s previous opponents not named Kassim Ouma. Pavlik’s power made Rubio gunshy as their fight progressed. Golovkin’s power, coupled with his accuracy, will do the same but much quicker. Rubio lasting past the sixth round would be surprising. GOLOVKIN TKO6
DONAIRE: 125.6
WALTERS: 125.6
PREDICTION: This is a very intriguing fight with big implications for the featherweight division. Since his schooling at the hands of Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire’s career has been in flux. He nearly lost to old rival Vic Darchinyan last year until his power saved him. His last outing, a fifth round technical decision victory due to a headbutt, also left a lot to be desired from a man at one time considered the third best boxer on the planet behind Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward.
With these subpar performances over the last year, the questions have turned to Donaire’s love for the sport. He insists that he still loves boxing, but it’s clear he doesn”t hold the same fire, hunger and outright viciousness we saw in 2010 and 2011 against the likes of Volodymyr Sydorenko and Fernando Montiel. Nicholas Walters, an imposing knockout artist, is the perfect fighter to test Donaire’s mettle.
Walters has stopped his last four opponents, including a May domination of Vic Darchinyan. As a career featherweight, it’s likely he’ll hold a strength advantage over Donaire as well.
Durability is the big question mark. Even in his fifth weight class, Donaire’s left hook is still formidable, and Walters’ chin has yet to be truly tested. Donaire also has the skills edge, which I believe will be enough for Donaire to take a close decision win. DONAIRE SD
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 