WTF is he up to? :huh He is co-headlining this week's installment of ESPN2 Thursday Night Fights. That in and of itself wouldn't be too weird (he is, of course, an ESPN2 veteran with eight lifetime appearances, including a run of four televised main events in a row before his Showtime debut last October in his first IBF 130lb title defense over Fernando Saucedo) - he doesn't quite have enough of an exciting style to guarantee demand for him to appear exclusively on "big shows" on HBO or Showtime, though you would expect him to revert in between more notable clashes to headlining on ESPN2 rather than taking an extra step backward into a supporting role. What is strange is that he seems to have abandoned the super featherweight division altogether. :? His mandatory was José Pedraza but rumors were that he was going to make use of some IBF loopholes to bypass the Sniper and instead extend the offer to Ricky Burns to be his 2nd defense. That was a few months ago. He is taking on Angino Pérez on Thursday, in a contest scheduled for 140lbs. That is, for those keeping score at home, a ten pound (two division) jump in weight. Such jumps usually are not a temporary state of affairs. I question whether he can make 130lbs anymore if his stay-busy tuneup is all the way up at 140. Further troubling is that Pérez last fought at junior middleweight. The pattern of the Dominican-American's campaign is completely erratic: a few in a row at welter, one at lightweight, and then junior middle. :huh Given that he is 6'2" with freakishly interminable arms (5" longer than Barthelemy's!!) that might actually be where he belongs. He is also capable of putting up a decent argument, even weight drained. He dropped then-unbeaten Karl Dargan (nephew of Bro Naz Richardson) before succumbing via TKO a couple of rounds later, in his recent lightweight jaunt. So why is Rances fighting on a Thursday? In a division two north of where he is a world titlist? Against someone with considerable physical advantages? This all makes for very baffling decision-making on the part of Kid Blast's team.
He's fighting in Hialeah over the weekend. Against Angino Perez. I've been to the Hialeah Park Race Track countless times, Cubans love it in Hialeah.:good
Last I heard Barthelemy vacated his 130 lbs title to move up. Billy Dib vs Jose Pedraza was ordered by the IBF...!!!
Good hopefully Pedraza can beat Billy into retirement, maybe we can get a twofer coupled with Panterita retiring Burns.
