AT LAST...Nate Campbell is going to finally get his IBF mandatory shot at Juan Diaz. Campbell has been the mandatory for Diaz for quite some time and has not had his chance at the title. Diaz who is the IBF/WBA/WBO lightweight champion has a lot of mandatories but Nate Campbell is the fighter who has had to wait the longest. Promotional disagreements between Diaz's camp and Don King has really prolonged this fight. This fight was not truly official until like 2 weeks ago. But At Last...Finally the fight is going to happen.
Now my breakdown of both fights. Sam Peter has improved his boxing skills tremendously. He has learned how to establish a consistent jab and move his head a little more. His conditioning looks a lot better as he has dropped some weight and toned his body. Evidence of his conditioning being better was in his last fight against Jameel McCline, where he was knocked down three times but still managed to win. You saw many weaknesses in Peter but you also saw the strength and true heart of a champion in that fight. I feel if Peter establishes the jab like he did against James Toney, he will be a headache all night long for Maskaev. Peter probably has the power advantage too, so a jab and a hard right hand could be a great combination for Peter to win the fight. Now Maskaev, he is an inconsistent fighter. He looks best against Hasim Rahman. What I know about Maskaev is he has been knocked out several times, but he has a hard right hand that can KO people too. I mean ask Rahman about the right hand. The key for him to win is to make Peter stay on the outside of his jab. Do not try to exchange with Peter unless he has too. As I stated Maskaev has a great right hand but his chin has failed him a few times. I sense Peter's power is more than Maskaev. I do worry about Maskaev's conditioning. He has not fought since the end of 2006 and he has gotten older. At 37, his legs may not be the strongest so he wants to use his jab and avoid too many punches especially early. If he does that he maybe able to get a late round stoppage or win a decision. I think this is Samuel Peter's coming out party personally. I think he wants to prove that his last fight against McCline was an off night and he is the true WBC Champion. The workout clips I have seen of Peter shows he has worked hard in all areas and I think come Saturday it will all pay off for him.
Now the Nate Campbell-Juan Diaz fight is going to be a good fight as well. I expect a very active fight. Diaz is exactly what his nickname says, a baby bull. There is no stop, not even a pause in his game. He does not have great power, but he has great activity. His condition is great and no fighter can take a break with him. Diaz works the body very well and has some nice inside punches such as his uppercut. Campbell is a underrated fighter with power. He has to stay consistent with his fight plan and not let Diaz bull his way inside. Campbell should establish a hard jab right away to keep Diaz at a distance. If Campbell establishes his jab early he can follow behind it with his hard right hand. Diaz has not been in too much danger from what I have seen because he gets inside so quick that he smothers the other fighter from throwing hard punches. So in order for Campbell to be successful he cannot let Diaz smother his punches. My take on the fight is I think Diaz with his young aggressive style will be too much for Campbell. I think it will be a UD for Diaz. Campbell will bust Diaz up a little but I just don't think he will be able to keep Diaz off of him the whole fight or KO him early. I do expect a great fight between these two guys.
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