I’ll be the first to admit that over the last few months boxing has had its ups and downs. In-fact maybe more downs then ups, but on Saturday a low key rematch between Kendall Holt (23-2-0, 12 KOs) and Ricardo Torres (32-1-0, 28 KOs) should shape up to be an exciting display of raw boxing excitement.
It was back on Sept. of ’07 in Torres’ hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia that witnessed the first segment of this story. Although most of the public outside of the arena was left in the dark concerning the details of what transpired that evening (outside of the final outcome), reports from Holt’s camp detailed the riot type atmosphere that culminated from the crowd.
What we do know is that Holt was ahead on the score cards for most of the fight. A six-round knock down of Torres surely bolstered Holt’s chances of retaining the WBO light welterweight title, but then came the 10th and 11th rounds.
Closing the gap on the score cards, the Colombian native scored a left hook that grounded his opponent on the canvas. Holt was able to scrape himself off the mat, but a broken foundation in his weak legs placed referee Geno Rodriguez front and center. With 26 seconds remaining in the 11th round, Rodriguez was forced to call the match after Torres landed flush combinations that pinned the New Jersey native to the ropes.
Torres happily swiped the victory that evening, but several testimonies from Holt’s camp described the mob scene that ensued during the 11th. Reports of beer cans hitting Holt in the head and a member of the crowd (or someone form Torres’ corner) grabbing the American’s legs from outside the ring gave speculation that the bout should have been investigated by Colombian boxing officials and the WBO commission. Even Holt’s wife sustaining a "claimed" laceration over her head from on lookers throwing objects was placed inside a report.
In the end Torres retained the victory.
So now that we have an understanding of what transpired that night it only makes sense that both promoting teams would schedule out a rematch. That day has arrived and this Saturday at the Planet Hollywood casino in Las Vegas, Holt will get a chance for redemption.
Holt, or “Rated R” as he’s liked to be called, is a top notch counter puncher who defines what the science of being a boxer is all about. He’s got ambush like tactics that have worked well during his seven-year professional career. What Holt lacks in aggression he makes up for in patience and accurate targeting.
But as seen (or heard) in the so called “debacle” in Colombia, most analysts believe Holt becomes gun shy when he’s hurt opponents with the crushing counter left hook. Basically, when he smells blood he circles instead of just striking for the kill.
Torres on the other hand is polar opposites. He possesses tenacity and a will to climb back into a fight. If 28 KOs in a total of 33 fights isn’t enough indication that Torres likes to press his opponents then knocking down one of boxing’s elite in Miguel Cotto should put an exclamation mark on this guy’s torrent style.
Cotto went on to take a seventh round victory over Torres, but this was the first time that the undefeated Puerto Rican native found himself on the canvas.
So with the bout now on American soil and the controversy surrounding the first match part of history most books have gone on to install Holt as a $2.60 favorite. Ricardo Torres is catching the short end of the stick as a $2.00 underdog.
Here a list of some prop bets from Sportsbetting.com that could net top dollars:
Draw – 19/1
Holt by Decision – 3/2
Holt by KO, TKO, DQ – 8/5
Torres by Decision – 9/1
Torres by KO, TKO, DQ – 3/1
Anyway you look at it this fight has the makings of a scripted story line from Hollywood. After the debacle that “allegedly” took place in Colombia, Holt will have no excuse concerning outside factors that could determine the end result.
With Torres’ explosive style of attack and Holt’s ability to counter, we’ve got two athletes who complement each other to the “T”.
Joshua Jacobs can be reached at jacobs@vegasinsider.com.
