CHRIS AVALOS vs JOSE NIEVES

Exciting bantamweight banger Chris Avalos returns to ShoBox on Friday in potentially his toughest test against Jose Nieves, the Puerto Rican southpaw who has lost only once in 21 fights. (The show also marks the return to ShoBox commentary duties for Nick Charles, the respected and much-loved broadcaster who is making a comeback after a courageous struggle against a cancer that is now in complete remission. A personal fight such as this puts everything in perspective, including boxing.)

Avalos, 20, gave big-hitting displays on ShoBox last year when he wrecked Andre Wilson in two rounds in July and rallied from adversity to hammer the tough Giovanni Caro in the fourth round in September. Since then Avalos has won two more fights, including going past six rounds for the first time when he won a unanimous eight-round decision over the trial horse Robert DaLuz.

Nieves, 29, has the style and the experience to give Avalos a difficult night. His only loss was on points to the unbeaten Victor Fonseca in an all-Puerto Rican 12-rounder that saw both men down, while Nieves's most significant win was over fellow-southpaw Tomas Rojas, when he survived two knockdowns to box his way to a somewhat debatable although unanimous decision victory.

I saw the fight with Rojas, and I had it a draw. Rojas was the aggressor while Nieves used a hit-and-move style, with a bit of the Hector “Macho” Camacho look about him. He was very elusive in that fight and at one point blew Rojas a kiss after making the Mexican fighter miss. Although Nieves took two eight counts, the second flooring seemed as much a slip as anything. In the last round, Nieves switched to the orthodox stance and boxed fluidly in this posture.

Nieves has given some good performances, such as outpointing the Argentinean Sergio Santillan, who was South American 115-pound champion at the time.

It does concern me a little, though, that Nieves was down three times in the fight with Fonseca. Clearly he can be caught and hurt — and Avalos is a very good puncher.

My worry regarding Avalos is that he can rely a bit too much on blasting people out and tends to neglect his defence. He was nailed by some heavy left hooks in the fight with Caro and defeat looked a distinct possibility until he turned things around with heavy shots in the fourth against an increasingly reckless opponent.

I think, though, that the Caro fight was a good learning experience for Avalos. He was under pressure but fought through the crisis. Avalos — who reached the Western Olympic trials in the amateurs — is promising and fun to watch but he hasn’t met anyone as seasoned and slippery as Nieves. The big risk for Avalos will be if he gets frustrated, wings and misses and gets picked off and outscored. Avalos has a big advantage in firepower, though. Even if he falls behind on points he will always have the chance of changing the course of the fight with one big punch. Nieves is a tricky southpaw, but Avalos was able to land his bombs against the left-hander Andre Wilson.

This, to me, is the sort of fight that could go either way, but I feel that Avalos’s youthful zest and punching power gives him the advantage. The fight is an upward progression for Avalos, but I believe he can handle the task. I get the feeling that Avalos will catch up with Nieves late in the fight — and I’m looking forward to Nick Charles’s return to the ringside microphone as much as I’m looking forward to the fight itself.