By Ian S Palmer
Miguel Marriaga of Colombia will try to halt a two-fight losing skid when he takes on Jono Carroll of Ireland in a 10-round featherweight tilt this Saturday, March 18th in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with the bout being shown on ProBox TV. Marriaga last fought in August when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision for his third defeat in his last four outings while Carroll beat James Chereji via an eight-round unanimous decision in his last outing in December.
Carroll is a 30-year-old southpaw who climbs through the ropes with a mark of 23-2-1 with just 7 Ko’s. He turned pro back in 2012 after a pretty good amateur career which saw him box in the Irish Youth, Under-21 and Intermediate championships and has boxed 171 rounds since. He won the Lightweight Title in the British Prizefighter tournament in 2014 by beating Michael Devine and has beaten the likes of Andy Vencves, Declan Geraghty, Gary Buckland, Stephen Foster and Barrington Brown and beat John Quigley by a 12-round split decision in 2017 to win the vacant IBF European Super Featherweight Title.
He then beat Humberto de Santiago by third-round TKO to capture the vacant IBF Inter-Continental Super Featherweight Crown and defended it against Geraghty by ninth-round stoppage. His biggest battle was against Tevin Farmer in 2019 when Farmer still held the IBF Super Featherweight Title. Carroll put up a good fight but dropped a unanimous decision. Carroll bounced back with a 10-round unanimous decision over Eleazar Valenzuela and stopped Scott Quigg in the 11th round in his next outing in 2020.
His second defeat then came at the hands of Maxi Hughes via a close 10-round unanimous decision in August, 2020 and his lone draw was a 12-round affair with Guillaume Frenois in 2018. Carroll doesn’t have much in the way of power at all with a current knockout ratio of just 26.9 per cent but he has stopped two of his last three opponents. Carroll has a solid chin though and a fine work ethic and stands 5-feet-7-inches tall with an unlisted reach.
The 36-year-old Marriaga is 30-4 with 26 Ko’s. His defeats have been to then-WBA Featherweight Champ Nicholas Walters by unanimous decision in 2015 as well as to Oscar Valdez via unanimous decision for the WBO Featherweight Title in 2017. He was stopped after seven rounds by Vasyl Lomachenko for the WBO Super Featherweight Crown in 2017 and dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Joet Gonzalez in September, 2020 for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Featherweight Title and also lost to Eduardo Ramirez and Conlan by unanimous decision his last two contests. .
Marriaga stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 67-inch reach which gives him an inch in height over Carroll. He has 198 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro in 2009 following a brief amateur career and has better-than-average power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 72.2 per cent. He won four straight bouts after losing to Lomachenko with all four of them coming by stoppage but has lost three of his last four now. Marriaga likes to initiate the action in the ring while moving forward by throwing power shots to the head and body.
However, he doesn’t really utilize his jab all that well and that could cost him here. His power means that he’s never really out of a fight though as he can turn things around with a single punch. When he fought upper-class opponents such as Walters, Valdez and Lomachenko for world titles he’s fallen short but Carroll isn’t on that level. Since turning pro Marriaga’s won a couple of minor belts such as the WBC Continental Americas, and the WBO NABO Featherweight Titles.
Prediction…
Marriaga’s an aging power puncher with plenty of experience against top-level foes but he’s now 36 years old. Carroll has little in the way of power but possesses fine boxing skills. His chin will likely be tested here and that’s going to be the key to this fight. If Carroll can handle Marriaga’s power he should be able to box his way to victory.
