With a chance to earn a title shot in the light middleweight division on the line, 28-year-old Brian “The Lion” Rose (24-1, 7 KO) won’t be denied on Saturday night against Javier Maciel (27-2, 20 KO). The two men meet at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, Yorkshire, on the undercard of the Kell Brook-Vyacheslav Senchenko bout.
The English fans will undoubtedly be rooting Rose on, as he hails from Blackpool, Lancashire, which is just over 90 miles away from Sheffield.
The Rose-Maciel clash is designated as a WBO light-middleweight title final eliminator bout, per Matchroom Boxing. Thus, the winner would be in line to challenge for the vacant crown. It isn’t certain who Rose would face for the title, but you can bank on him beating Maciel.
The Argentinian has the edge in power, but Rose’s length and skill set will baffle him. The Lion is a 6-foot tall light middleweight who knows how to use his height and length as an advantage. He has a nice sharp and steady jab that he uses to set the pace.
Take a look at Rose battling Max Maxwell in a rematch of their 2010 tilt. Maxwell stopped Rose in the fifth round of the first fight. To this date, it is Rose’s only professional loss. In the rematch, Rose is more conscious and prepared, and he uses his length, movement and punching accuracy to avenge the loss with a lopsided unanimous-decision victory.
Because he doesn’t possess great power, he’ll have to stay out of long exchanges with Maciel and avoid being pressed against the ropes. If he keeps the fight in the center of the ring, he could coast to an easy decision win.
Maciel punches with power but not with a ton of accuracy. He tends to be a bit wild and winging, and that will leave him open for a smart technical fighter like Rose. Take a look at Maciel in action against Alejandro Gustavo Falliga in his last fight in September. Pay attention to the amount of power shots Maciel misses with and the unrefined manner in which he throws hooks and crosses.
Maciel stopped Falliga in the fifth round, but Falliga doesn’t have the greatest defense, and he was too willing to trade with Maciel.
Rose won’t fall into this trap. The fight is too important for him, and he understands where his advantages lie. Look for him to keep Maciel on the end of his jab and to frustrate him with his movement.
The result should be a relatively easy unanimous-decision win for Rose.
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