Carl "The Jackal" Frampton (16-0, 11 KO) has tasted success, but now he wants more, and Jeremy Parodi (35-1-1, 9 KO) is standing in his way. Belfast, Ireland will be buzzing Saturday when its newest star in the sport of boxing attempts to defend his title at the Odyssey Arena.
Frampton was born and raised in Belfast, so the audience at the Odyssey will be almost entirely in his corner. The 26-year-old is in search of his first world title, and defeating Parodi could land him the opportunity he craves.
Parodi is far more experienced, but he hasn't faced top-notch competition in his career. Can he derail The Jackal and earn his own shot at a title? Here's how you can watch as those questions are answered.
The Book on Frampton
Not since Barry McGuigan has an Irish fighter evoked such a huge following in the sport, so it's only natural that McGuigan would be Frampton's promoter. Because of Frampton's in-ring skills and McGuigan's notoriety, the two make a perfect boxing package that is easy to market in their homeland.
The love of the Irish is a given, but Frampton also wants respect and recognition from the entire boxing community. That can only come with success and in-ring excitement.
Frampton captured both in his last fight. He knocked out Kiko Martinez in the ninth round of their bout in February to make the biggest statement of his young career.
While Frampton has been inactive since his bout with Martinez, Martinez has not. He's scored two wins by stoppage since Frampton defeated him. The last victory came by sixth-round TKO over Jhonatan Romero in August, and it earned Martinez the IBF super bantamweight title.
Guess which belt Frampton is ranked third in line for?
A rematch with Martinez would seemingly favor Frampton, as he stopped the Spaniard just eight months ago. Because of this dynamic and an inexperienced opponent on Saturday, things are laid out well for Frampton.
All he has to do is beat Parodi.
The Book on Parodi
Though Parodi is not nearly as well-known, he is ranked just behind Frampton in the IBF rankings. His record is sparkling, but the 26-year-old hasn't faced any opponents of note. When he faces Frampton on Saturday, it is safe to say he'll be in the ring with the most talented opponent he's faced in his career.
How he responds to the pressure, the pro-Frampton crowd and the spotlight will be key.
From what he told David Kelly of The Belfast Telegraph, he is not intimidated: "I never been knocked down, never taken a count in my career, in a fight or in sparring. If I had any fear I wouldn't have come here. Frampton is a good boxer but I am not impressed by him."
Coming into the bout, Parodi's chin has drawn respect. Frampton also made reference to the fact that his opponent hasn't been stopped.
He told the News Letter: "Parodi has never been stopped, so I want to stop him at the Odyssey. Kiko Martinez had never been stopped and I put him away at the Odyssey in February. I totally respect Parodi, he is a tough boy, but I plan to stop him at the Odyssey and impress while doing it."
Can Parodi take advantage of Frampton's eagerness to impress? We'll have to wait and see.
Prediction
Admittedly, I've only seen Parodi fight two times, and both instances occurred within the last 48 hours. Having seen Frampton on multiple occasions, a few details jump out.
Parodi fights like a fighter who has power, but from the looks of his modest KO total, he doesn't pack a significant punch. Nine KOs in 37 bouts is Paulie Malignaggi-esque.
But when I watch Parodi fight, he seems to load up for counter power shots, looking to do damage. Granted, one of the bouts I saw was against an abnormally tall super bantamweight named Alexander Monterrosa, who looked like he was wearing George Foreman's trunks.
Nonetheless, Monterrosa's arm length could have forced Parodi to fight that way.
Even still, Parodi doesn't have a long reach, and he doesn't possess extraordinary quickness like other short-armed fighters, such as Yuriorkis Gamboa. Thus, his effectiveness against elite fighters will be limited.
Is Frampton an elite fighter? It is still too early to say for sure, but what is certain is that he'll have Parodi outclassed in the areas of speed and power.
There has to be something to the belief that Parodi's chin is at least better than average, so it is hard to tell whether The Jackal will accomplish his goal and finish him. Unfortunately for Parodi, that's about all the drama we're likely to see in this bout.
Prediction: Frampton wins by 10th-round TKO
Follow me for musings on boxing, MMA, the WWE, the NBA and sports video games.
Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment