By Ian S Palmer
The European Welterweight Championship will be on the line this Friday, August 1 in Wolverhampton, England when titleholder Leonard Bundu of Italy defends the belt for the sixth time. This time it’s against Commonwealth Champion Frankie Gavin of England. Both boxers enter the bout with undefeated records as the 39-year-old Bundu has a mark of 30-0-2 with 11 Kos while the 28-year-old Gavin is perfect at 19-0 with 12 Kos to his name. British viewers can catch all of the live action on sky Sports.
Gavin has a couple of advantages right off the get-go since the bout is being held in England and he’s nine years younger than Bundu. Gavin last fought in March when he beat Sacky Shikukutu via a unanimous decision. However, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds since the Englishman had to pick himself up off the canvas in the second round after his African challenger dropped him with a perfect left hand. Bundu’s last fight took place back in December when he stopped Lee Purdy of Britain in the 12th round.
Bundu’s a relative unknown outside of Europe, but he’s a pretty good boxer even though he’s quite short for a welterweight at just over 5-feet-6-inches tall. He’s still going strong, especially for somebody of his age and he’s also a southpaw. He’s got good speed, but lacks a little when it comes to punching power. He definitely got a late start in the sport since he was already 30 years old when he turned pro. However, he did have a good amateur career which saw him participate in close to 150 fights. He also fought for his homeland in the 200 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Bundu probably needs to get out of Europe for a few fights though if he hopes to get a world title shot. A victory over Gavin would look good on his resume, but the commonwealth champion’s not exactly a household name either. If Gavin hopes to add the European title to his collection he’ll need to be in better condition than he was in March. He should be motivated for this contest and he knows Bundu represents his toughest-ever pro opponent.
Gavin’s a former amateur world champion, but he hasn’t taken on any top contenders yet since turning pro back in 2009. His toughest tests have been Junior Witter, Bradley Pryce, David Barnes, Curtis Woodhouse, and Denton Vassell. He has a decent height advantage over Bundu as he’s 5-foot-10 and also has a slight edge in power. It could also be argued that he’s faced the tougher opposition as a pro.
Prediction
This is a good test for both boxers. Bundu is a smart fighter with just enough power to keep his opponents honest. Gavin’s chin might be questionable now since he was dropped the last time out. The Briton needs to initiate the action and try to win each round decisively. If he can do this as well as stand up to everything Bundu throws at him, then the home crowd should spur him on to a close decision victory.
