By Ian S. Palmer
Kerry Hope vs Grzegorz Proksa Preview July 7th
Poland’s Grzegorz Proksa, the former EBU middleweight champion, will be attempting to win back his title in a rematch against Welshman Kerry Hope at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England on July 7. Hope beat Proksa by a close majority decision in March by scores of 114-113, 115-112, and 114-114. It was Proksa’s first loss as a pro and it dropped his record to 26-1 with 19 KOs while Hope improved to 17-3 with one KO.
The 27-year-old Proksa fought in brief spurts after the fourth round in their first match and the 30-year-old Hope took full advantage of it by backing him up onto the ropes with quick combinations. It looked like Proksa was overconfident and took Hope lightly due to his low knockout record. But while Hope might not be the hardest puncher around, he’s got enough boxing ability and determination to win fights.
Proksa’s defence was lacking in their first match. He kept his guard down way too low and he doesn’t have the speed or footwork to get out of the way of incoming shots. He didn’t match Hope’s work rate and paid dearly for it. Proksa’s a southpaw who stands 5-foot-8 while Hope’s also a lefty who has a couple of inches on him in height at 5-foot-10.
It’s possible that Proksa simply took Hope too lightly in their first match and will make the adjustments necessary to win his title back. He travelled over to Hungary May for a tune-up bout and stopped Rudolf Varga in the third round. If the Pole hopes to regain his belt he’s going to have to be much busier than he was back in March.
Hope looked the much bigger man in their first bout and he stood up well to Proksa’s power. It led many to believe that Proksa may be better off moving down in weight to compete in the junior middleweight condition due to his lack of size. If Proksa hasn’t improved over the past few months and worked on some of the basics in the gym, there’s a good chance Hope will beat him again.
Proksa’s defence definitely needs some work and he has to throw more combinations and be less robotic. He did several things wrong against Hope in their first fight and it’s hard to see him making the same mistakes again. He also suffered a bad cut over his left eye in the first meeting due to an accidental head butt and had trouble seeing for the rest of the bout. Even though he was handicapped slightly by the cut and had an off night, he still came close to pulling off a win.
With a few adjustments here and there Proksa should be able to do enough to regain his crown by a decision over Hope in their rematch.
Gavin Rees vs Derry Mathews Preview July 7th
European Lightweight Champion Gavin Rees will be taking on British titleholder Derry Mathews on July 7 when the two square off at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England. The two fighters met back in October, but the bout had to be stopped when Mathews suffered a broken nose due to an accidental head butt in the fourth round and it was called a technical draw.
The 28-year-old Mathews from Liverpool has stayed active since then. He was stopped in the seventh round by Emiliano Marsili in January before earning a sixth-round TKO over Anthony Crolla in April to take the British championship. The 32-year-old Rees of Newbridge, Wales last fought in March and stopped Anthony Mezaache in the seventh round in Paris, France.
The first meeting between Rees and Mathews was shaping up into a pretty good contest when it was stopped and fans are hoping for the same thing this time around. Rees will enter the ring with a 36-1-1 record with 17 KOs. The former WBA Jr. Welterweight Champion’s only loss came back in March of 2008 when Andriy Kotelnyk stopped him in the 12th round and took his world title. Mathews is 30-6-1 with 16 KOs and hasn’t fought the same level opponents that Rees has.
There are question marks hanging over both fighters heading into the bout. Rees has tired badly during his last two fights and could be nearing the end of his career as a meaningful fighter. Meanwhile Mathews was stopped in his very next bout after meeting Rees and his chin might not be able to stand up to Rees’ power.
Mathews started his career well by going unbeaten in his first 20 bouts and met some pretty decent boxers in Stephen Foster and John Simpson. He was just beginning to make a name for himself in Britain and Europe when he ran into Choi Tseveenpurev of Mongolia, who knocked him out in the fifth round in 2008. Mathews career then took a nosedive as he lost three out of his next four fights and was knocked out in all of them.
Mathews, who was then 26 years old, felt he didn’t have what it takes to succeed at the top level and decided to retire. It didn’t last long though and he was back in the ring within eight
months, He won a couple of bouts and then enter the British ‘Prizefighter’ televised boxing series where he ended up meeting Choi Tseveenpurev again. He managed to beat him by a three-round unanimous decision, but was then knocked out in the final bout in the second round by Gary Buckland.
Mathews glaring weakness is his chin and Rees would be wise to test it often and early. However, Rees often appears to lose focus in fights and doesn’t always enter the ring in top physical condition. He’s a bit of an enigma and often struggles against weaker opponents while boxing excellently against tough foes. He basically fights to the level of his opposition.
Rees also entered a Prizefighter tournament and beat Jason Cook, Colin Lynes, and Ted Bami to win the event in 2009. Rees found out that you have to be in top shape and use all of your skills to be successful in this sport when he lost his world title to Kotelnyk back in 2008. He learned a lesson in that defeat, but still seems to have difficulty the longer his fights go on.
If he doesn’t have any stamina issues, look for Rees to stop Mathews in the second half of this 12-rounder.
