By Ian S Palmer
The vacant WBO Jr. Welterweight title is on the line in Manchester, England this Saturday, June 9th as Terry Flanagan of Manchester takes on Maurice Hooker of Dallas, Texas in a battle of unbeaten boxers. Flanagan last fought in April of 2017 when he beat Petr Petrov by a unanimous decision. Hooker was last in the ring in August when he beat Courtney Jackson by a 10-round unanimous decision. Flanagan, a southpaw, is a former WBO Lightweight Champion who defended his title five times before moving up in weight for this contest.
The 28-year-old Flanagan won the vacant title against Jose Zepeda by a second-round stoppage in July of 2015. He’s been pretty active since as he defended it against American Diego Magdaleno by second-round stoppage three months later, then beat Derry Mathews of Liverpool by unanimous decision in March before defending it for the third time against Mzonke Fana of South Africa by unanimous decision in July, 2016. He then stopped Orlando Cruz four months later and then beating Petrov.
The hometown hero Flanagan owns a perfect record of 33-0 with 13 Kos and is also a former European and British Lightweight Champion. Flanagan is a slick-boxing southpaw who has a fine jab and usually prefers to dictate the pace of his fights. He turned pro back in 2009 and has boxed 178 rounds since then with a knockout ratio of just 39 per cent. The champion stands just over 5-feet-9-inches tall and unfortunately has an unlisted reach.
Flanagan’s biggest wins have come over the likes of Gary Sykes, Nate Campbell, Zepeda, Magdaleno, Mathews, Fana, Petrov and Cruz. While he’s beaten some good boxers up to now, Flanagan hasn’t really taken on any big-name elite boxers as of yet as most of his fights have been against domestic and European opponents. However, he’s aiming to change that in the near future as he’s hoping to take on somebody such as Lineal Jr. Welterweight Champion Mikey Garcia.
Hooker is also 28 year old and climbs into the ring with a record of 20-0-3 along with 16 Kos. He’s got more power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 62 per cent and has boxed 103 rounds since turning pro in 2011. Before that, Hooker was a Dallas regional Golden Gloves Champion and had a fine amateur record of 85-7. Since turning pro he’s drawn with Darleys Perez (10 rounds) and Abel Ramos (eight rounds) as well as Tyrone Chatman over four rounds in his pro debut.
Hooker hasn’t really beaten anybody of note, but has wins over the likes of Santos Benavides, Tye Barnett and Cristobal Cruz. He’s also won the WBO NABO Super Lightweight Title as a pro and has defended it four times. Although Hooker has decent power and a good chin, he’s gone the distance in his last three outings. Hooker stands 5-feet-11-inches tall so he has a couple of inches in height over Flanagan, but his reach is also unlisted.
Prediction…
This isn’t the most exciting jr. welterweight title fight on paper, but it might not be that bad. It’s a pretty even matchup and both Flanagan and hooker should have their moments. Flanagan has the hometown edge here and that could prove to be the difference between the two. Also, Flanagan’s power may be a bit underrated as he’s stopped six of his past 10 opponents. Flanagan has quick hands and overwhelms opponents with his aggressiveness, but it won’t be easy against Hooker. I’ll go with Flanagan in a close fight.
