This is the co-feature to a WBA super featherweight title bout (Javier Fortuna vs. Carlos Ivan Velasquez) on Fox Sports 1 on Tuesday night. J'Leon is the favorite, and "house fighter" as the one signed to Al Haymon and promoted by Leonard Ellerbe. Ozzie, however, is a live dog and has comparable resume highlights. His top 5 scalps are Grady Brewer, Roman Karmazin, Mohammed Akrong, Marcus Upshaw, and Angel Hernandez; Love's are Marco Antonio Periban, Vladine Biosse, Jason Escalera, Lajuan Simon and Derrick Findley (the Rosado bout was officially rendered a No Contest when Love failed a PED test). Pretty comparable. Love was also KTFO in three by Porky Medina, which is far more embarrassing than Adama's lone stoppage loss, lasting until the seventh with Gennady Golovkin. Adama also performed better in defeat against Daniel Geale than J'Leon Love did in eking out a victory replete with scares over Marco Antonio Periban. Adama has both height and reach on Love, a better chin and more pop. Love is younger, quicker and more athletic.
Adama has to stop Love. There is no way he could get a decision against the home town fighter. Not sure if Adama got enough in him left after Golovkin's beating.
The Mayweather Promotions boxer was roughed up badly for stretches by Findley, hurt severely by Periban, and put to sleep by Porky Medina. The Ghanaian doesn't hit extremely hard but does bring heavy pressure and has a good enough chin to walk through everything Love throws. On the other hand, Adama lost to American domestic-level club fighters Donovan George and Dyah Davis (and was dropped by both) and Love is vastly superior to them. Styles make fights. This one's a pretty interesting little puzzle.
I would favor Adama unless Love is on enough PEDs to make him radioactive. So that being the case my official prediction is Love on points
Adama is out, reportedly didn't attend the weigh-in for whatever reason. Marcus Upshaw is the replacement, on 24 hours notice. Upshaw is 18-14-4 but has only been stopped thrice...including once by Ozzie Adama, ironically. He went the distance with moderate to heavy punchers in Tarvis Simms, Rob Brant, Patrick Majewski, Lamar Russ, Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez, Marco Antonio Rubio, David Lemieux, and Edwin Rodriguez. I guess Love can eke out a bit of credit with a stoppage. Otherwise this is a meaningless stay-busy placeholder.
From the brief highlights they showed, it did look kind of interesting... even if just for the gap in size.
