ANTONIO ESCALANTE vs MIKE OLIVER

Antonio Escalante’s career took a serious hit when he was stopped by Colombian veteran Mauricio Pastrana in January 2007, but he has come back with four wins in a row. Now his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, is rolling the dice again, having matched Escalante with slick southpaw Mike Oliver in a 12-rounder for the vacant NABO junior featherweight title in Telefutura’s co-main event on Friday.

This a very important fight for the 23-year-old Mexican-born Escalante, from El Paso, TX, just as it is for Oliver, the 28-year-old southpaw from Hartford, CT, who was stunningly stopped in his last fight by the veteran Colombian Reynaldo Lopez.

Oliver was riding a 21-fight unbeaten record and seemed on his way to a world title fight when he entered the ring against Lopez. There was an ominous foretaste of impending disaster when Lopez — like Oliver a southpaw — shook the Connecticut boxer with a left hand in the second round. Oliver seemed to be boxing his way back into command of the fight in the third round when he got nailed by another big left hand from Lopez’s southpaw stance, and this time he went down and out.

If Oliver is to get his career back together it is imperative that he wins on Friday. Oliver is usually a quick, clever boxer with outstanding hand speed. Perhaps what happened against Lopez was just one of those things. Anyone can get caught. Oliver did seem a little too casual against Lopez. His camp must have confidence in him to put him in this fight, on the West Coast against a Golden Boy prospect on a Golden Boy show.

If it hadn’t been for the Lopez stunner, I think that Oliver would be the favourite in this fight. It was a heavy defeat, though, and he comes in as the underdog.

Escalante looks the stronger fighter physically but there is still a certain rawness about him and while he is exciting he can be a bit wide open at times — and his chin is definitely suspect. Not only was Escalante drilled by the former light-flyweight champion Pastrana he suffered a knockdown in his rousing win over Jose Hernandez and, disturbingly, he was wobbled by the journeyman Jose Berranza.

Oliver can hit crisply, especially with the southpaw right hook, but he is not normally a hard puncher, which could be one reason why he was selected as Escalante’s opponent. Still, this is a tricky fight for Escalante. Apart from the Lopez upset, Oliver as a rule is hard to hit, and his style of counter-punching in bursts, then moving away or clinching, could bedevil Escalante, who has never faced anyone this cute and artful, plus being a southpaw. There is, in fact, a chance that Oliver has a style that will be “wrong” for Escalante.

Still, while I see this as a difficult fight for Escalante, I do think he will be the winner. Escalante is fast on his feet and with his hands, and he fights in a zestful, confident way. Oliver is a long way from his New England comfort zone and he is coming into the bout after getting knocked out in his last fight. There is a reasonably good chance that Oliver will be a little tentative early, and I feel that Escalante can get off to a good start, moving well enough to keep the southpaw from getting settled. Oliver will be looking to counter but Escalante might be able to score points points with busy-punching attacks.

It could be nip and tuck, but I have the feeling that Escalante will be able to stay a step ahead in most of the rounds. (BoxRec has it as a 10-rounder but the Golden Boy bout sheet lists the fight as being a 12-rounder). Oliver is used to being the faster man in the ring but Escalante, I think, can match him for rapidity and, to me, the Mexican fighter just seems the more aggressive and vibrant of the two boxers, the one who will be more willing to take the initiative and who thus might find favour on the judges’ scorecards. I’ll go with Escalante, on points, although the way that Oliver crashed to the canvas against Lopez raises the slight possibility of an early ending.