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Career Defining Fight At Garden For Herrera

Credit: Amanda Westcott/ DAZN

New York-   Saturday night at Madison Square Garden the attention is with Canelo Alvarez. The WBC middleweight champion will attempt to gain another title against WBA Super Middleweight champion Rocky Fielding and join the elite fighters from Mexico as a three-division king.  

This is the first of a mega fight deal for Alvarez with DAZN Network and promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. Oscar De La Hoya, the former champion and boxing Hall of Famer also holds rights to Alvarez who holds the richest contract for an athlete in that range of $350 million.  Also the fight with Fielding has interest, as Alvarez makes his first fight appearance at the Garden.

Not to mention. DAZN and Matchroom Boxing has also become the new and lead promotion signing top notch fighters with the streaming network.

Mauricio Herrera, the 38-year old welterweight with Mexican heritage, came close four years ago and almost dethroned Danny Garcia for a piece of the super lightweight title.  More known now as a welterweight, Herrera  opposes former champion Sadam Ali Saturday night as one of the headline bouts at the Garden.

Ali, a one-time  outstanding amateur, is the former WBO Welterweight champion who dethroned and retired four-division champion Miguel Cotto at the Garden a year ago.  So, both fighters are at a crossroads  and this could be make or break in their careers.

“I’m  not putting it really big in my head making it such pressure on me,” Herrera said. He compares this same pressure as it was going into the fight with Danny Garcia that took place in enemy territory of San Juan Puerto Rico four years ago.  

To Herrera, this is just another fight. And no matter the importance and fighting before Ali’s hometown fans from Brooklyn, Herrera has his plan ready. The layoff between fights, the last one in August of 2017, a majority 10-round decision, also was a crossroads fight.   

“It is pretty big, it’s Madison Square Garden,”Herrera said. “My career has been up and down. This is just another fight. I kept taking tough fights and took  long layoff with some weight issues. It was a loss but a win, (Garcia) and been trying to pick it up.”

However, and with the history of this sport, a win after a long layoff can lead to something more. Still, Sadam Ali comes in the ring with credentials. This won’t be easy and Mauricio Herrera has a plan. Styles make fights and this could be one.

“I think I can frustrate guys with style,” he said. “Perfect for my style. I can frustrate him and get into his head.”

The 30-year old Ali  would lose the championship via TKO in May. The 28-0 and undefeated James Munguia stopped Ali in the fourth round.       

“Really think about it, he hasn’t fought much since Cotto,” Herrera said. “See it as not being in the ring as much. I have to remind him, I’m going in there to mentally break him down and frustrate him back where he started.”

Ali said, “There’s nothing like fighting at home. It doesn’t get to happen every time but when it does, I’m excited and I’m ready.”

But Mauricio Herrera has his message. And it is perfectly clear about this being a make or break fight.

“I never expected to go this far,” he said.. “Now this is the top of my career. Now Madison Square Garden.  if it all ends that night I’m gonna be very happy.”

Comment: Ring786@aol.com  Twitter@Ring786  Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso

 

 

  

  

 

 

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