By Ian S palmer
Unbeaten lightweight Mickey Bey will be taking on John Molina in a 10-round bout in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday July 19 with the contest being aired nationally on the Showtime network. The 30-year-old Bey hails from Cleveland, Ohio and will enter the ring with a more or less perfect record of 18-0-1 along with 9 Kos. Molina is also 30 years old and fights out of California. He goes into the bout with a mark of 25-3 with 20 Kos.
Bey has a great career as an amateur before turning to pro boxing back in the spring of 2005. The pro game has obviously agreed with him so far since he hasn’t lost a fight. The only blemish on his record is a majority draw with Jose Hernandez. Bey has fast hands and decent power. His best weapon is a lethal left hook. However, he needs to improve his defensive side of the sport since his straight-up style means his chin’s often left open for his opponent to nail.
Molina has more power than Bey and he’s quite accurate with his punches, but he’s considered by many fans to be a little too one dimensional and has lost two of his last three contests. Molina likes to be the aggressor and keeps moving forward. He’s not that hard to find as he’s usually right in front of most of his opponents. He needs to stay as busy as possible for the entire round and keep the pressure on Bey by cutting the ring off.
Bey has trained in the past with Floyd Mayweather Sr and is a good prospect. However, he doesn’t fight often enough to remain in the public eye. This will be just his second bout since last entering the ring in November of 2011. Ring rust could be a problem for him and he may need a few rounds to get going, but it’s a 10-round fight. Also, Bey was suspended for three months recently for having elevated testosterone levels in his system.
Prediction
Molina really needs a win here to get back on track and to remain a contender. He’s not as fast as Bey and is easier to hit, but he has the power to stop his opponent. Bey would rather boxer Molina than try to slug it out with him and he’ll be satisfied with a decision victory. Molina gives the impression of being the more determined fighter here and while he may lose some of the early rounds by getting tagged and out boxed look for him to eventually impose his will on Bey. Molina’s experience should pay off here and he should catch up to Bey and stop him late or squeeze out a close decision.
