By James Slater: In less than two weeks, fight fans from all over the globe will be arriving in vast numbers in Fabulous Las Vegas. Thousands upon thousands of, as Dan Rafael calls them “fight freaks” will be ready willing and able to part with a small fortune so as to enjoy the Cinco de Mayo boxing extravaganza that will be topped by superstar Floyd Mayweather Junior going in with Puerto Rican hero Miguel Cotto.
The under-card that May evening will also excite and thrill (we hope anyway) and with future megastar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and faded star “Sugar” Shane Mosley set to rumble in a classic Young Tiger Vs. Ageing Lion showdown, the fans should get value for money. The fight party is expected to rock the house inside The MGM Grand that night, that’s for sure. But all parties need a beginning, and the night before (probably at The Hard Rock, just off the strip) Mexican banger and former long-reigning WBO super-bantamweight king Daniel Ponce De Leon will face fellow southpaw Eduardo Lazcano over a scheduled 10 rounds at featherweight.
Set to go out on Fox Espanol, the weekend’s opening bout could be an exciting rumble, and with so many fight fans in town to see the big action the following night, there will be a lively crowd in attendance to see if 31-year-old De Leon can take care of his 26-year-old, never-stopped opponent.
De Leon, 42-4(35) may have lost two of his last three, but a close points loss to rising hotshot Adrien Broner (a points loss some say De Leon actually deserves to win) and a TD loss to Yuriorkis Gamboa do not suggest poor form. The currently legally troubled Gamboa was just too fast for De Leon, as is the case with most everyone the gifted Cuban faces, but speedster Broner was given all he could handle. De Leon is far from a finished fighter.
Looking to get himself back in the title picture (De Leon won a 6th-round KO over Omar Estrella back in January), the Mexican slugger must look good against his countryman Lazcano, 24-2(11). This fight offers “Chucky,” as Lazcano is known, a big opportunity to shine in front of his biggest audience yet, as he attempts to pick up a win over his biggest name yet.
De Leon holds a big edge in experience over the five years younger man though. Never having boxed outside of Mexico before, Lazcano will be facing a former champion who has boxed in the U.S on a number of occasions. De Leon will enter the ring as a big favourite to win on May 4th and only a big upset will prevent him from getting the victory. The fans in attendance, however, will likely be happy whoever wins this one; so long as the fight is not dull.
I pick De Leon to put his power to good use as he bangs out a late stoppage; leaving the fans more than ready for the big action that will follow 24 hours later!