'SUGAR' JACKSON OSEI BONSU vs CARLOS BALDOMIR

One of the most durable fighters in boxing meets a hard-hitting younger fighter in Belgium on Saturday when rock-chinned former welter champion Carlos Baldomir faces “Sugar” Jackson Osei Bonsu, who was born in Ghana but lives in Antwerp.

The 12-rounder is a WBC title eliminator, so, at the age of 37, Baldomir is within one fight of challenging once more for a world championship.

Although Baldomir, is the underdog, he has a great chance to win, even though he is boxing in his opponent’s adopted homeland.

Bonsu, 27, can certainly punch but he is a raw fighter who tends to throw wide hooks and swings. Baldomir is much more experienced against a higher level of opposition, and he is back in his natural welterweight division after an unsuccessful attempt to win the 154-pound title against Vernon Forrest, who was much too fast and athletic for him.

In his last fight, Baldomir had a surprisingly difficult time against strong but limited Luciano Perez but he battled his way to a close decision win. Although he has been inactive for 13 months he has apparently stayed in the gym, sparring with his Argentinean protégé Luis Carlos Abregu.

This fight is in the nature of a last grab at glory for Baldomir so you know he will be coming into the ring in top-notch condition and ready for 12 hard rounds.

Bonsu has been more active than Baldomir, but he comes into this fight after a couple of highly disappointing performances.

First, Bonsu’s long run of wins came to an end when he was well beaten by the veteran Rafal Jackiewicz in Poland, a defeat that cost him his European title. Bonsu was knocked down in that fight, which was surprising as the Polish boxer has never been considered a very hard hitter.

Then, in his last fight, Bonsu barely eked out a win over a southpaw Romanian trial horse named Gheorge Danut, who wobbled him with a left hand in the third round.

Bonsu, in fact, may have peaked and could even be past his best. His chin has looked questionable for some time. He was stopped in the first of his two losses, when he collapsed from exhaustion. Since then Bonsu has been exciting but erratic. He was knocked down three times in his win over French journeyman Fabrice Colombel in the first of two meetings, and Bonsu was rocked badly by Russia’s Maxim Nesterenko and knocked down by Nordine Mouchi, a French fighter of North African descent, in the first of two fights.

From what I have seen of Bonsu, he is a wild puncher who wins most of his fights on sheer hitting power. If he is unable to land a big shot early, Bonsu gets his victories either by outlasting opponents in back-and-forth shootouts or making them think defensively and outpointing them.

Saturday’s fight is a last chance for Bonsu as well as for Baldomir. If he loses, Bonsu will be written off as just the latest in a long line of heavy hitters who were exposed when stepping up in class.

Baldomir is the better, more seasoned, much tougher fighter but Bonsu is a decade younger and fighting at home. Neither has looked good in his last two fights — a loss followed by an unimpressive win in each instance.

Strangely enough, although Bonsu is the banger in the fight, I think he is the one most at risk of being stopped. His chin is highly suspect, and while Baldomir isn’t a seriously hard hitter he is crisp and accurate with the right hand and the Ghanaian can often be a wide-open target.

So, an either-way fight, but my feeling is that Bonsu, with the crowd behind him and his back to the wall, can win this on youth and energy, simply by throwing more punches than Baldomir. If Baldomir wins it will be considered an upset, but, for me, only a mild one.