Dmitriy Salita Brooklyn Fight Card Preview: Bujaj Favored Over Wright in Slugfest
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
Brooklyn, NY (May 15, 2014)– Dmitriy Salita’s Star of David Promotions presents a nine fight card called the ‘Brooklyn Brawl’, with matchmaker Diana Rodriguez putting together a main event which could be the 2014 Fight of the Year in New York City. The card will take place in Brighton Beach Brooklyn at Millennium Theater on Thursday, May 15, 2014.
In a ten round main event guaranteed slugfest, Stivens ‘Superman’ Bujaj of New York City is favored over Junior Anthony ‘Hurricane’ Wright of Chicago in a battle of Golden Gloves champions for the vacant World Boxing Council International Cruiserweight title. Bujaj trains full-time, while Wright works full-time. While not denying this is an even match on paper, Bujaj, at age 23, has the edge in terms of training time, raw punching power, stamina, work rate, and activity. At 12-0 with nine knockouts, Bujaj has a 75% knockout ratio. At 10-0 with nine knockouts, Wright, at age 27, has a 90% knockout ratio.
The bout has exciting star potential, with the winner angling for a faster shot at WBC World Cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk of Poland. Wright is trained by master trainer Rick Wilson. Bujaj is trained by master trainer Billy Jiles. The winner of this bout boils down to who can control the ring and the action in it, who has the better jab, who gets inside and does the better work, and most importantly, who has the better stamina in the later rounds.
The fight has all the potential of being a rock’ em sock’ em thriller. However, it could evolve into a highly technical fight. Wright demonstrated the ability to win such a technical fight when he won a technical six round war over 12-0-1 Nick Kisner in Chicago on August 2013. Bujaj demonstrated both power and technical skill when he stopped Victor Barragan In seven rounds for the vacant WBC USNBC cruiserweight title in Tacoma, Washington, in March 2014. Prediction: StivensBujaj win by 10 round decision over Junior Wright in the New York City fight of the year.
The outcome could be affected in Bujaj versus Wright if trainer Rick Wilson puts forth a superior game plan to use Wright’s height and reach to better advantage. Wilson, who has a great deal of experience and ring savvy, is coming into Brooklyn with a magnificent opportunity fight and will try his best for his fighter to win. Bujaj has demonstrated the ability to get inside with power, cut off the ring, come on stronger in the later rounds, though, and he appears to be the hungrier fighter. Jiles, a world class trainer like Wilson, knows has to use a fighter’s natural talents to keen advantage. Nonetheless, this is going to be a rough tangle for as long as it lasts.
While most boxing experts would not consider the size of the ring necessarily as a factor, the smaller ring at Millenium Theater will give the stronger and more consistent fighter a decisive advantage towards getting the job done. At Webster Hall in Manhattan in a large ring, Mike Bissett managed to hold for five rounds against Bujaj. Later, Elvin Sanchez could not get out of the first round with Bujaj at Millenium Theater. Nonetheless, both fighters remain significantly untested. A superior cutman could also create a better corner in a close, brutal, bloody bout, which the bout could become if it turns hard fought and dirty, which it might. If Wright is equally hungry, he might fight for it in the later rounds, and Bujaj will have to be up to the test.
Super heavyweight Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller is favored over cruiserweight Josh Harris by stoppage within three or four rounds. Harris, Miller, 8-0-1, was originally supposed to fight Vincent Thompson, who was recently jailed for his part in six armed bank robberies.
Miller, 8-0-1 with eight knockouts, Brooklyn, New York, has weighed 264 to 271 pounds in recent bouts. Miller will outweigh Harris by over 60 pounds. This reporter is on record that this preliminary bout to the main event is not a good bout on paper, given the extreme weight discrepancy. Harris, 9-7-1 with seven knockouts, will pay a hard price for taking a paycheck in the wrong division. Super heavyweight is defined as over 250 pounds unofficially. Miller, a future New York State heavyweight champion, is being offered cheesecake for the slaughter in the form of a late opponent. If Harris gets hit and goes down, the bout needs to be stopped for obvious reasons. The matchup is lopsided.
Rising middleweight prospect Steve Martinez, 14-1 with 11 knockouts, Bronx, New York, will face Brockton, Massachusetts journeyman Antonio Chaves Fernandez, 4-17-2. Fernandez has faced 16 unbeaten or debuting fighters, and his last seven opponents had a combined record of 55-1-5 at the time he fought then. Martinez should win by stoppage in the fourth round or later.
Southpaw former International Boxing Federation World Super Featherweight champion Amanda ‘ The Real Deal’ Serrano, 20-1-1 with 15 knockouts, will face Puerto Rico’s Belinda ‘Brown Sugar’ Laracuente, 29-28-3, nine knockouts. Laracuente has been stopped once in 60 professional bouts, and it was in a WBA Female World Lighty Welterweight title last August. Laracuente will be more powerful at the lower super feathweight, and could provide Serrano with her first decent match in a while. Serrano is predicted to win by six round decision or late round stoppage. Serrano is truly the world champion without a title. No female champion wants to fight her, and no area promoter has yet signed her.
New York City welterweight prospect Mikkel Lespierre, 4-0-1, three knockouts, is favored to win over Mexican American journeyman Raphael Luna of Albany, New York, 4-8-3 with one knockout, by six round decision. Luna, who fought last year’s New York City ‘Fight of the Year’, is a ringer who could bring trouble. However, Luna starts slow. Lespierre should win rounds on the cards because of that factor, and the fact Luna did better in his draw with DImahNiyazov last year in the larger ring at Webster Hall. The small Millenium Theater ring allows the smaller Luna no similar type of maneuvering tactics, although Luna has a solid chin, and counterpunching ability in the later rounds.
Kazakhstan lightweight prospect Dimash Niyazov, 5-0-1 with four knockouts, faces hot and cold Puerto Rican lightweight Jose Del Valle, 2-5-3. Del Valle has gone the distance in nine of his 10professional bouts. Niyazov trounced veteran Jonathan Cuba by third round knockout in his last outing in the millennium Theater ring in his last outing, boxing cautiously but using the smaller ring well with well-placed jabs, counter punches and counter power shots. Niyazov is predicted to win by knockout from the third round on.
Russian power hitter cruiserweight prospect Alexey Zubov, 2-0, two knockouts, Oxnard, California, is favored to win by four round decision over Pennsylvania journeyman heavyweight Glenn Thomas. It should be noted Thomas has gone the distance of four rounds three times at heavyweight, and should do better at the lower weight.
Rising 2-0-1 Bronx light welterweight prospect Marcos Suarez, is favored to win by decision over 2-6-2 Brooklyn journeyman Ian James in the opening four round bout.
Tickets for Brooklyn Brawl can be purchased by calling 646-481-5558 or at the door of Millenium Theater at 1029 Brighton Beach Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets are $150 stage, $125 V.I.P. seating, $80, $60 and $40. Doors open Thursday May 15, 2014 at 6:30 P.M. First bout at 7 P.M.
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