Pawel Wolek Vs James Moore Foreman and Cotto Undercard
While all eyes are on Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman as they prepare for their WBA junior middleweight title clash on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium, several other fighters are preparing to christen the venue as part of the undercard. While the Cotto vs. Foreman fight is the only world title bout on the card, there are several intriguing match-ups happening which have the potential to steal the show from the headliners.
One of the main undercard fights features Polish fighter Pawel Wolek taking on Irishman James Moore in a fight that will - like the main event of the evening - connect with two of the largest ethnic groups in New York. It also could be the most action-packed fight of the night. Both men like to do their work inside and pound away, and neither are afraid to take a punch. The 10-round junior middleweight contest certainly could be the most entertaining fight of the card, even if both fighters are several steps away from becomes legitimate title threats.
Wolek (26-1, 17 KOs) has earned the nickname “Raging Bull” for his extremely aggressive, old-school approach to fighting. He is certainly capable and willing when it comes to taking a shot in order to give one in return. His hallmark is his relentless pace and ability to keep coming after his opponents. His last win was an eighth-round unanimous decision victory over Ishmail Arvin in January on the undercard to the Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Stevie Luevano fight and was a perfect example of his boxing technique. He worked over Arvin’s body repeatedly before finding a home upstairs. Arvin simply wasn’t able to catch his breath while trying to deal with assault after assault.
He’ll find a fighter willing to mix it up on Saturday night in Moore (17-2, 10 KOs).Despite having an extensive amateur background that includes earning a bronze medal at the 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships, Moore has adapted a more rugged stance during his professional career. Through 2008, he was something of a hot prospect within the division, running his record to 14-0 with a unanimous decision victory over the veteran Juan Carlos Candelo. However, his career went backward from there as he lost two of his next three fights in being outpointed by Foreman and Gabriel Rosado.
While both been are comfortable dealing with a fast-paced, rough and tumble fight, it would appear that Wolek would have the edge in that type of fight. Instead, look for the more skilled Moore to attempt to control the fight by letting Wolek bull rush in and attempting to counter. It’s a fight that could do either way, and it may well come down to who is in better shape as the fight goes on to the later rounds.
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