Via Craig Daly: Jose ‘Sniper’ Pedraza and Richard Commey take on it in a 10-round match in a first-place matchup this Saturday night, August 27, on ESPN at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cards Pedraza vs. Commey will be shown on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET.
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Former world champions Pedraza (29-4, 14 KOs) and Commey (30-4, 27 KOs) are having disappointing losses.
Former IBF lightweight champion Commey is moving up to 140 lb after a decisive 12-round loss to Vasyl Lomachenko last December.
It will be interesting to see if Commey’s prowess surpasses the light weight division, as he has always been a 135th major boxer.
But as fighters gain weight, sometimes they no longer show up in their punches. Teofimo Lopez is a prime example of that. He’s a big boxer at 135, but at 140, he doesn’t have it.
Former two-division world champion Pedraza, 33, is winning 3-1 since moving up to 140 lb in 2020. Last March, Pedraza lost in the 12th round to the former unified lightweight champion. Jose Pedraza with the scores 116-112, 116-112 and 116-112.
During a major bout of support, heavy leads Jared Anderson (11-0, 11 KO) will happen Miljan Rovcanin (24-2, 16 KOs) in the scheduled eighth round match.
Also on the card, heavyweight leads Richard Torrez (2-0, 2 KO) will face Marco Antonio Canedo (4-2, 2 KOs) in a six-round match.
“Like Richard, I’m going to lose money,” Pedraza said. “I’m looking for a big win and be among the top names of the league.”
“I believe I need to be more aggressive, more offensive in this fight.”
“A big win on Saturday against a great boxer like Richard Commey will put me one step closer to my chances of winning the world championship. That is what we are looking for.”
Commey is a dangerous opponent for Pedraza, especially if he doesn’t run out of gas. Pedraza will need to be on guard at all times inside the ring on Saturday as Commey is a terrible boxer with both hands.
“It’s very important because I lost my last game in December. It’s an opportunity to get back to winning ways and this is my first fight at 140 years old. I just wanted to announce myself,” Commey said.
