Joan Guzman of the Dominican Republic will be taking on Vicente Mosquera of Panama this Friday, June 28 in Kissimmee, Florida for the WBA’s interim junior welterweight championship.Guzman will enter the ring with an impressive record of 31-1-1 with 20 KOs to his name while Mosquera has a mark of 32-2-1 with 17 KOs. Guzman is a former two-time world champion who hopes to soon make it three even though it is an interim belt.
The veteran Guzman has been a force in the boxing world for several years now and it’s hard to believe he’s now 37 years of age. He’s lost just one bout in his career and this came recently when he dropped a technical decision to Khabib Allakhverdiev last November. He’ll be attempting to rebound strongly from that setback and is hoping to prove it was just a fluke.
Guzman has always been talented with a lot of hand speed, aggression and power in his forte. He’s proven that he’s basically unbeatable and this doesn’t really bode well for Mosquera going into the fight. Mosquera’s got a bit of an age advantage, as he’s just 33. He turned pro 15 years ago, and while he has a wealth of experience, it still doesn’t stand up to Guzman’s.
The Panamanian also has good hand speed and is the most effective when he fights inside. He lost a 12-round split decision back in 2000 to fellow countryman Armando Cordoba and was stopped in the 10th round by Edwin Valero in a world title fight back in 2006. He’s slowed down over the years,, but is still quite dangerous once the bell rings.
The only problem Mosquera has as a boxer is his defense, which is his biggest weakness. He’s not that hard to hit and if it wasn’t for his solid chin, he’d have a few more losses on his record.
Guzman’s only problem at the moment may be inactivity, since he has laced up the gloves just nine times since back in 2007. He’s had weight problems in the past as well, but has shook off most of the ring rust by fighting three times last year and has made weight for his last five outings.
Guzman is out to prove that he’s still one of the best in the world and he’s taking on a formidable opponent here in Mosquera. There should be plenty of action on both sides and Guzman shouldn’t have much of a problem finding and landing on Mosquera.
Guzman is likely to pick off his opponent if he’s overly aggressive and should take the interim belt here with a relatively comfortable decision.
