MONTE CARLO OR BUST!
Mcdonnell is out to beat Solis clearly this time, writes Daniel Herbert
Previewing Mcdonnell, Quigg and Chisora’s upcoming Monaco tests
JAMIE MCDONNELL gets the chance to put the record straight when he defends his secondary WBA bantamweight belt against Liborio Solis at the famed Casino’s Salle Medecin in Monte Carlo on Saturday (November 4).
Nearly one year ago the pair fought elsewhere in the same town and Mcdonnell retained with a hotly disputed 12-round decision despite many feeling Solis had done more than enough to deserve victory.
This rematch, which tops a Matchroom show televised on Sky Sports Action/ Main Event, was ordered by the WBA, although it was delayed initially by the organisation wanting Mcdonnell to unify against its main title-holder, Rau’shee Warren.
But in February Warren lost to Zhanat Zhakiyanov, who in turn recently lost to IBF champ Ryan Burnett – whom Jamie could meet in a massive domestic showdown should this weekend’s ‘roll of the dice’ prove successful.
Neither Mcdonnell nor Solis has boxed since their first fight but Jamie is convinced he will do better this time, even though he maintains his 2016 triumph was justified. “I believe I won quite comfortably, by three or four rounds,” said the Doncaster man. “But I know where I went wrong. I was coasting through the fight but this time, from the first bell, I’ll be going flat out. “A year ago I can remember being on the ropes a lot, slipping his shots but not doing much back. I regret that. Solis was quite strong and kept at a good pace, swinging right hands a lot, but it was nothing I can’t deal with comfortably. This time I think I can look good and, I hope, even stop Solis.” It’s never a bad idea to take things out of the judges’ hands, although last time
Jamie had nothing to complain about as unanimous cards of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 saw him retain. This, despite Solis appearing to forge ahead as he landed rights and drove Mcdonnell back.
The Yorkshireman, much the taller man (5ft 10ins to 5ft 4ins), finally got his jab and right cross working over the fight’s second half as Solis – four years older at 35 – faded down the stretch.
That pattern suggests it might have been the Venezuelan who suffered from being tight at the 118lb limit, even though Mcdonnell’s trainer Dave Coldwell recently admitted his man would be better four pounds higher at super-bantam.
Four years ago, Solis failed to make the 115lb limit for a unification fight at super-fly, in which division he held the WBA belt. And in June 2016 he scaled as high as 122 1/4lbs for a non-title bout in his homeland, so perhaps in his old age (for a little man) he struggles to shed those last few pounds.
Mcdonnell wasn’t his first bantam title crack. In March 2016 Solis recovered from a second-round knockdown to floor then-wbc ruler Shinsuke Yamanaka twice in the third – only to go down again in round nine on the way to a wide, unanimous points defeat.
Yet for all the excitement of that Tokyo contest, Solis is not a devastating banger at top level. Same with Mcdonnell, so barring injuries this one should go the full route again – and, once more, it will come down to who impresses the judges.
That should be Mcdonnell, whose skills have earned him six consecutive WBA secondary title wins, including two over U.s-based Japanese star Tomoki Kameda in Texas. Jamie can make the necessary adjustments to tame his feisty challenger on points, this time without argument.
The stacked undercard features two British world contenders in crucial 12-rounders, most notably Dereck Chisora challenging for the European heavy crown.
Finchley’s Chisora, 27-7 (19), goes up against
Agit Kabayel, a German of Turkish origin who has won all his 16 fights, 12 inside the distance. Dereck, who held the EBU belt in 2013-14, needs to win to maintain any relevance in the world title picture following his thrilling loss to Dillian Whyte in December.
And win he should, probably on points, with his much greater experience proving the difference against Kabayel, who became champion with a decision over moderate Belgian Herve Hubeaux in February. Bury’s former WBA super-bantam king
Scott Quigg takes on Oleg Yefimovych of Ukraine in a non-title featherweight contest.
Quigg, 29, has lost only to Carl Frampton in 36 fights (two draws, 24 wins early). After that February 2016 split decision, Scott left trainer Joe Gallagher for Freddie Roach in Los Angeles and moved up to 126lbs, where he has beaten Jose Cayetano (rsf 9) and Viorel Simion (pts 12).
Former European featherweight champ Yefimovych has a good-looking 29-2-1 (16) record, but he’s a bit long in the tooth at 36, so the pick is for the hard-working Quigg to win clearly on points.
This card provides a showcase for exciting Russian light-heavyweight
Dmitry Bivol, who defends his WBA belt against Australia’s Trent Broadhurst in a clash that HBO televises in the U.S. Bivol, a 26-year-old born in Kyrgyzstan, has had only 11 pro fights (all wins, nine inside the distance), but as early as his seventh he outpointed Felix Valera for the WBA’S Interim belt, which was upgraded when full titlist Andre Ward retired, then Badou Jack gave up the secondary title.
Broadhurst is 20-1 (12) but back in 2011 Robert Berridge knocked him out in five rounds – a result the heavy-hitting Bivol can improve upon by a couple of sessions.
THE VERDICT Mcdonnell must see off Solis in style to clinch a Burnett showdown.
‘I CAN REMEMBER BEING ON THE ROPES A LOT, WHICH I REGRET’