Although the really big junior welterweight fight comes May 2 on HBO PPV, when champion Ricky Hatton defends the lineal championship against pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, there's an excellent 140-pound fight Saturday on Showtime (10:45 p.m. ET/PT) in which titleholders Timothy Bradley Jr. and Kendall Holt will meet in an evenly matched bout to unify their alphabet belts. I think it's going to be a good, tactical fight with the potential for fireworks because both men possess solid power and can be drawn into battle.
While Bradley and Holt meet in the main event, the televised undercard fight is interesting in its own right. It pits super middleweight contender Librado Andrade against Vitaly Tsypko in an elimination bout. The winner gets a mandatory title shot against belt holder Lucian Bute, the darling of his adopted hometown of Montreal.
One of the things that makes Andrade-Tsypko interesting is that it will take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, which happens to be the site of Andrade's memorable loss to Bute, who defended his belt against Andrade with a decision victory in October.
Although Bute won a clear decision, there was controversy because Andrade nearly knocked Bute out in the waning seconds of the fight. There are a lot of folks who saw that fight who believe Bute got a little home cookin' from referee Marlon Wright, whose delay in the count perhaps saved Bute from being knocked out.
To Bute's credit, he has said all along he would be happy to give Andrade a rematch. He said it right after the fight and he said it again after his March 13 knockout of Fulgencio Zuniga.
I figure a lot of the boxing fans who show up at the Bell Centre to watch the live fights Saturday will be there to see Andrade-Tsypko so that they can see whom their hero will fight later in the year.
Andrade, who wants a rematch with Bute, knows that to get it he must beat Tsypko (22-2, 12 KOs), a decent fighter known best for his two fights with Jeff Lacy, the first of which was a no contest and the second of which Tsypko lost on a hard-fought decision.
Heading into Saturday night's fight, Andrade (27-2, 21 KOs) answered a few questions for Showtime. Here's what he had to say:
Question: What do you know about Tsypko?
Andrade: The only thing I know and hope is that he doesn't run too much. If he doesn't run, then I'll be OK. If I don't have to chase him all around the ring, I'll be fine. My coach watches tape of all the fighters. I don't like to do it. I don't like to know too much. It gets into my head the weaknesses of my opponents and it can play tricks with your mind.
Question: The Montreal fight fans are very knowledgeable and actually cheered for you when they showed you on the big screen at Lucian Bute's last fight there. How did you become so big in Montreal?
Andrade: It started with my fight against Otis Grant in 2006 [a seventh-round TKO]. I started training in Montreal before the holidays, came back, but have actually been back in Montreal since Jan. 17. I've always just been welcomed there. There are boos at times, but there are more cheers than there are boos. The fans there just want to see a good fight. They are not going to just go after the hometown fighter. They are such a good crowd. They seem to recognize me all the time whenever I'm out in public.
Question: Are you surprised you are fighting in Montreal and on Showtime again?
Andrade: I'm very, very surprised. I really thought we were going to fight in the Ukraine, where Tsypko is from. I was prepared for that. It's just really a credit to my management team and my promoters at Golden Boy Promotions to get this fight there. They've really done a great job with me and given me an opportunity to really get my name out there.
Question: You are from La Habra, Calif., near East Los Angeles, and are signed with Golden Boy. Do you speak much with Oscar De La Hoya?
Andrade: We talk from time to time. I've trained with him for about two months in the past. We have a good relationship. It's not like a buddy-buddy relationship. He's real nice when I have to deal with him, but as my promoter he's basically dealing with my management team.
Question: Did it take a long time to get over your controversial loss to Bute?
Andrade: No, I got over it right away. I accepted it and moved on. They keep saying he made a mistake, but I don't think he did. He fought a good fight. He was beating me the entire fight. I did come out feeling like a winner in that fight. I fought the way I wanted to fight and finished like I wanted to finish, but I ran out of time. But I accepted it right away. I can only ask for one more chance to fight him, and I think I will get it. I want to fight him to clear up this mess.
Question: What are some things you like to do outside of the ring when you're not training or preparing for a fight?
Andrade: I like to just be at home and relax with my family. I just miss home so much. I think about it all the time. I'm going to be moving back to California after this fight, to where I started at the La Habra Boxing Club, and I can't wait to get back on a normal schedule and routine like I'm used to.
Dan Rafael
