By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten WBA Super World Super Featherweight Champion Alberto Machado of Puerto Rico will be defending his crown for the first time as he takes on undefeated Rafael Mensah of Accra, Ghana at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas this Saturday, July 21st. Machado’s last outing was an eighth-round KO over Jezreel Corrales in October to win the title. Mensah last fought in August when he stopped Martin Ahiadekey in the fourth round. The 12-round bout between the pair of southpaws can be seen live in North America on HBO.
The 27-year-old Machado climbs into the ring with a perfect record of 19-0 with 16 Kos. It’s obvious that he has quite a bit of power as his current knockout ratio is an impressive 84 per cent and it was evident in his win over Corrales. He turned pro back in 2012 and has fought just 51 rounds since then due to his knack of stopping his opponents. He’s quite big for a super featherweight at 5-feet-10-inches tall with a reach of 72 inches.
Machado hadn’t really fought anybody of note until meeting Corrales. He was dropped in the fifth round in that bout, but picked himself up from the canvas and stopped Corrales three rounds later. Corrales had lost his title by coming in over weight for the bout and the title was on the line for Machado only and he certainly took advantage of the situation. He had a fine amateur career by winning a few national championships and since turning pro he’s also won the WBC United States (USNBC), WBO NABO, and WBA-NABA Super Featherweight Titles.
Mensah is the mandatory title challenger here and he;s also 27 years old with an unlisted height and reach. He has a perfect record too as he climbs into the ring with a mark of 31-0 along with 23 Kos. Like Machado, he’s a fan-friendly boxer due to his style and power, which is evident by his current knockout ratio of 74 per cent. Mensah turned pro back in 2010 and has boxed a total of 173 rounds since then. He’s fought his entire pro career in Africa against opponents most boxing fans won’t recognize and just 15 of his 31 foes have had winning records. Since turning pro he’s won the WBA Pan African and West African Boxing Union Lightweight Titles.
Prediction…
It’s hard to tell just how good Mensah is and even though he’s stepping up in class here he could give Machado a bit of a surprise. This has the potential to be a highly active and entertaining fight and there could be a knockdown or two along the way. Machado needs to use his size here, but if his chin doesn’t hold out then he may be in some trouble. This should be a competitive bout and Mensah has a legitimate shot at taking the title, but I think I’ll go with Machado here.
