Friday Night Fights Preview: Vera Can’t Look Past Bondorovas

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With spring gearing up, boxing is back in business as important fights are churning out every week. Last week, ESPN Friday Night Fights brought us a card featuring the comebacks of Donovan “Da Bomb” George and Kermit Cintron, this Friday we look forward to a card taking place in Verona, NY and headlined by middleweight contender, Brian Vera.

 

The co-feature bout will feature two rising prospects in the light heavyweight division with ex-Cuban national boxer Umberto Savigne (10-1 7 KO’s) up against Brazilian Jackson Junior (14-0 12 KO’s). Most experts believe that Savigne; now fighting out of Miami, FL and aligned with local promoter Acquinity Sports, will use his vast amateur experience that most Cuban fighters are known for to dominate the relatively unknown Junior who makes his second appearance in the United States.

 

In his first fight at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Junior managed to stop journeyman Dante Craig in just the first round and looks to make the same statement again. Savigne on the other hand has rebounded from a second round knockout loss in his 3rd pro bout to reel off eight consecutive wins against better opposition stopping veteran Richard Hall to win the WBA Fedelatin and WBC FECARBOX light heavyweight titles. With a division that’s constantly growing the winner will position himself up the rankings and become a contender while the loser will have to rebuild in this their foreign country.

 

The last time Brian Vera (22-6 13 KO’s) appeared on ESPN FNF was about 9 weeks ago against former middleweight champion Serhiy Dzinziruk whose only loss at the time was against P4P ranked Sergio Martinez; Vera dispatched of the Ukrainian in 10 fast paced rounds winning by TKO. Now positioned to gain the opportunity to fight WBA middleweight champ Gennady Golovkin; Vera is poised to do whatever it takes to win against tough Lithuanian Donatas Bondorovas (17-3-1 6 KO’s)to get a shot at the title.

 

Bondorovas who now fights out of Chicago, IL,  was last seen taking on David Thomas in the second consecutive fight he won by 2nd round TKO. Honing his craft in the Midwest territory against softer opposition, Bondorovas will be looking for his breakthrough fight against a man who has shared the squared circle with better fighters. Going against the Ronnie Shields trained fighter, Bondorovas will definitely have to set the pace early if he looks to put a roadblock in Vera’s first shot at a major title.

 

Fighting under the tutelage of Shields, Vera a Texas native; has all the momentum going for him since rebounding from his last loss to Andy Lee coming back with three consecutive victories, the most important being a rematch with Sergio Mora. Being the favorite for one of the few times in his life, going against such names as Mora, Lee, Kirkland, Dzinziruk, and McEwan among others; Vera has experience and power on his side.

 

As another Friday Night Fights approaches we look for the outcome of both fights to position the winners in divisions that are seeing a resurgence with some of the top pound for pound fighters holding belts at middleweight and light heavyweight.