In gay Paris, France on December 8th for the inaugural crowning of a WBA super welterweight "Gold" world champion. Yes, this org, so frequently maligned for having too many versions of its belts, just made up yet another. Effectively, however, just think of this as being an eliminator to solidify the mandatory contender position. Soro is currently ranked #1 and Vendetti ranked #9 by the WBA. Soro, a skillful boxer-puncher originally hailing from Côte D’Ivoire, is coming off two consecutive victories against respectable opponents in the last eleven months, rebounding from his SD loss to current WBA "regular" world champion Brian Castaño. Vendetti, a gritty "ham and egg" type from my neck of the woods, is three years the Frenchman's junior and riding a five year unbeaten streak but has never fought outside the Western hemisphere, and only twice before outside the Greater Boston area - most recently triumphing over the since-retired Yoshihiro Kamegai this past August on a GBP on ESPN2 card at Fantasy Springs. Murphys Boxing (who are co-promoting this event despite it being in Soro's home country, and represent Vendetti) have said they will stream the bout, in case no television outlets pick it up.
Vendetti on paper is tailor-made for Soro, but for some reason this match-up has me a little nervous for Abou. Vendetti will just keep walking through counters all night, and could wear him down...although I'm probably 80% confident of a Soro wide decision or late stoppage...
My head tells me Soro, but my gut is telling me Vendetti, he looked ****ing amazing against Kamegai, it wasn't a 98-92 or 97-93 fight, it was a shutout. He did every bit as Cotto did against Kamegai, maybe even a little better.
I would call it 97-93 or 98-92 in favor of Vendetti. Maybe Vendetti did look just as good as Cotto did against Kamegai - but Kamegai put plenty of mileage on his clock against Cotto. Kamegai was fading, has since admitted as much, and has retired. Kamegai was a tailor-made guy for Vendetti. Greg is a brawler with a very good motor and a good gas tank. He welcomed Kamegai's pressure because he wants to be at close distance, anyhow, and he was able to become more dominant in Rds 8-10 as Kamegai tired. Nobody on this forum will be happier than me if Vendetti beats Soro (I'm from Greg's hometown) - but I think you should listen to your head on this one. Start with Vendetti's résumé. Beyond fading-gatekeeper Kamegai he's only fought three meaningful fighters who were all regional NE fighters. He outpointed Khiary Gray - who's slick...but not much else. He outpointed Derek Silveira - who's awkward...but not much else. And he outpointed Casey Kramlich - who was a very uneducated "prospect" begging to be exposed. Now you gotta break down Greg as a fighter: - Not a big puncher (Greg is obviously a very strong dude at 154 lbs - but he's not an explosive puncher) - He's not a very good combination thrower (hinted at in his fight with Kamegai...but very obvious in his fights against Silveria and Gray) - Not much speed in his legs or hands. Kamegai could beat him until he started to tire and the same was true of Khiary Gray. - He's wild and not hard to catch/hit. I will say that Greg tends to tighten up his game in the later rounds - and he's not the easiest guy to hit when he works from a crouch - but maybe that has more to do with his gas tank. - Untested chin. I'm not saying Greg's chin is bad - he just hasn't faced a really big puncher yet. Kramlich caught him with one really nasty looking shot in the 2nd round of their fight - and Greg ate it well - but he hasn't faced the sort of power that a Hurd, Charlo, or even Soro has at 154 lbs. Soro is not a quick starter and he'll be a bit rusty when he faces Greg - but how will Greg close the distance on him and what can he really do if he does? Vendetti looked a bit vulnerable in Rds 4-6 against Kamegai before Kamegai started to tire. I think Soro will do some serious damage to Greg around the same time - so I think we're looking at a mid-late stoppage of Vendetti by Soro.
Soro is a couple levels up from a fading Kamegai. Soro is a much better pressure fighter than Kamegai - and he can fight as a boxer/puncher, too. I think Greg is at his best toe-to-toe wearing out his opponent or fighting from a crouch. Soro doesn't need to play that game - he's a better, rangier boxer than Greg and he can pick Vendetti apart with only a little added distance. I suspect that Soro will be a bit cautious with Greg at the start but will be taking over by about Round 3. Greg has a bit of a wild streak and he's not a very good combo thrower - I think he's going to get frustrated by Soro, try to throw some foolish stuff, and get caught/hurt. Mid-late stoppage by Soro seems the likely outcome to me. If Vendetti is still intact after 8 rounds...it does get more interesting. I felt Soro could have beaten Castano if he were willing to do more work down the stretch - is Soro's heart a bit questionable? Vendetti looks to have a very good motor on him - so if he's able to work at his preferred distance in the closing rounds...this fight could be a close one.
This is a week out. Honestly the next significant bout on the boxing schedule, as the intervening several days are rather paltry.
Get hype. This content is protected There is, as it turns out, actually one more televised card ahead of this one this week, and it will, improbably, also be taking place in France, on a different channel (RMC Sport) - https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/anderson-prestot-vs-robert-Świerzbiński.620348/
