ANTONIO PITALUA vs WILFREDO NEGRON

After scoring a spectacular, come-from-behind knockout over Jose Reyes in August, Antonio Pitalua returns to the Telemundo network in Friday when he meets Wilfredo Negron in a 12-rounder for the vacant WBC Latin welterweight title.

Pitalua is moving up in weight for the second fight in succession — just six months ago he was getting blown out by Edwin Valero in a lightweight title bout, while the match with Reyes was made at junior welter.

Negron’s last two bouts were at 147 pounds, so he is the naturally bigger man, and he will have significant height and reach advantages. Quite frankly, I think these are his only advantages in this clash of veterans.

Pitalua, the 39-year-old Colombian who lives in Mexico, looks the better fighter and is clearly the bigger puncher. Puerto Rican Negron, 35, can box and punch quite well, but he is not the most durable of fighters, as his eight stoppage defeats show. Perhaps he will take a punch better at 147 pounds, but on Friday he meets a dangerous puncher who still looks ambitious despite closing in on his 40th birthday.

If Negron maintains a tight guard, keeps his distance and doesn’t take too many chances, he can stay in the fight. Once Negron starts to open up, though, he will be at risk of getting caught by a big right hand.

Pitalua has a languid look and seems unhurried, but he is always ready to unload a big right hand. Negron can score points with the jab and right hand at long range, but I can see Pitalua edging ever closer. It just seems inevitable that Pitalua will connect at some point in the proceedings, and I don’t think that Negron will be able to stand up to the big shots. I’m expecting a Pitalua KO win somewhere between the sixth and ninth rounds.