By Ian S Palmer
Luis Abregu of Argentina and American Sadam Ali will meet in a 10-round welterweight bout at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday, November 8. This fight is on the undercard of the Sergey Kovalev vs Bernard Hopkins Light Heavyweight Title unification bout and can be seen in Canada and the U.S. on HBO. British fans can view the live action on BoxNation. Ali is a former Olympian who’s now undefeated as a pro while Abregu is a solid opponent.
The 30-year-old Luis Abregu will climb into the ring with an impressive mark of 36-1 along with 29 Kos while the 26-year-old Ali of Brooklyn, New York, is perfect at 20-0 with 12 Jos. Abregu stands 5-feet-10-inches tall and has an inch height advantage while Ali has an inch reach advantage at 73 to 72 inches. Abregu has the edge in pro experience with 175 rounds under his belt compared to 90 by Ali. This is a good test for both boxers and a step up in class for Ali.
Abregu shouldn’t be taken lightly as he’s a quality fighter. His only loss came by a decision at the hands of former world champion Timothy Bradley. He’s a tough customer who isn’t afraid to mix it up and brawl it out. Ali fought in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China and he’d prefer to use his boxing skills rather than slug it out. He turned pro a year after the Games, but hasn’t really been tested by a solid opponent as of yet. His last contest came back in August when he beat Jeremy Bryan by a split decision.
Ali has decent power in his fists, but Agrebu still has the edge in the power department. Agrebu moves in and out well and has a good sense of distance. Ali’s quick on his feet and likes to throw his effective left hook to keep his opponents honest. Ali has the better boxing skills and this should allow him to win his fair share of rounds. Agrebu needs to wear him down and look for a late stoppage or at least win some rounds by leaving no doubt in the judges’ minds.
Abregu will need to go to Ali’s body if he wants to keep him off balance and make sure the American doesn’t settle into a rhythm. He’ll try to work his way to the inside where he can inflict the most damage on Ali. As for Ali, he needs to catch the Argentine as he’s boring his way in and make sure he doesn’t throw just one shot at a time.
Prediction
Ali’s handlers may have bitten off more than they can chew here by putting their man in against a tough veteran like Abregu. However, he’s going to have to beat tough opponents such as the Argentine native if he has aspirations of becoming a world champion. Sooner or later he has to step it up in class and he’s doing so here. Agrebu could be too tough for him though and it looks like Ali will come out on the wrong end of a late stoppage or decision.
