Fight breakdown: Soto-Guzman
Joan Guzman, whose nickname is Little Tyson, defends his WBO super featherweight title Saturday at the Borgata in Atlantic City, N.J., against Humberto Soto on HBO. Here is what each man must do to win:
Keys to victory | ||
SOTO'S KEYS | GUZMAN'S KEYS | |
1. Cut the ring: Guzman is much quicker and likes to use his legs. Soto needs to cut off the ring to force Guzman to trade. | 1. Change directions: Guzman needs to make Soto keep trying to find him. | |
2. Up and down: Soto needs to throw a hook to the body and then quickly bring it up to the head. | 2. Don't admire your work: After Guzman lands a combination, he needs to spin and get out of Soto's punching range. | |
3. Pressure: Soto can't allow Guzman ever to coast. | 3. Down the middle: Guzman needs to rely on straight punching. | |
4. Watch that jab: Guzman can get lazy with his jab. If he leaves it hanging out, Soto must come over the top with a hard overhand right. | 4. Tie up on the ropes: Nothing good will happen for Guzman on the ropes, so he needs to tie Soto up and look for the referee to break them. | |
Rating the fighters | ||||||
Comparison of Joan Guzman and Humberto Soto on a rating of 1 to 10 in several key categories: | ||||||
CATEGORY | HUMBERTO SOTO | JOAN GUZMAN | IOLE'S SKINNY | |||
Punching power | 9 | 7 | It's been almost four years since Guzman has had a knockout. | |||
Jab | 7 | 8 | Trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. is working on Guzman's jab. | |||
Body attack | 8 | 8 | Soto tends to head hunt, but he's effective when he goes to the body. | |||
Speed and quickness | 7 | 9 | Soto will have to corner Guzman – not an easy task. | |||
Defense | 7 | 8 | Guzman will use his legs and his jab as his defense. | |||
Chin | 9 | 8 | Soto has been in with a number of big punchers. | |||
Stamina | 9 | 9 | Conditioning will be key, as the pace will be quick. | |||
Ring smarts | 8 | 7 | Guzman has a tendency to lose concentration. | |||
Corner | 7 | 8 | Will Guzman, who speaks little English, be able to understand Mayweather's instructions? | |||
Intangibles | 9 | 8 | Soto is one of the hottest fighters in the game. | |||
Total | 80 | 80 | This is an outstanding matchup between two of the four best super featherweights in the world. Guzman's boxing will help him earn a tight decision. | |||
