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Colombian light welterweight terror Juan Urango defends his WBC Latin American belt against tough Brooklyn based challenger Andre Eason on the undercard of Showtime’s big pay-per-view card taking place tomorrow night in Hollywood, Florida. Urango is one of the best up and coming 140-pound contenders and needs to put on an impressive display but will not have an easy time of it with the quick-handed, iron-jawed Eason. Coupled with the much anticipated O’Neil Bell – Sebastian Rothmann IBF cruiserweight title bout and the comebacks of heavyweights Jameel McCline, Lance Whitaker and Shannon Briggs, this light welterweight showdown will be of importance to an already talent packed division and certainly bears a closer look.
While he hasn’t knocked out everyone he’s faced, three have survived to hear the final bell, Juan Urango has fight ending power in either hand. In his most recent outing Urango, 15-0-1 (12), became the first fighter to knock Francisco Campos cold and prior to that stopped noted tough guy Ubaldo Hernandez quicker than anyone had previously, including WBO kingpin Miguel Cotto who needed five more rounds than the Colombian to do the job.
Andre Eason, 15-3 (6), has enjoyed a good career since turning pro in 1999 and has a solid trainer in the form of Yoel Judah, father of unified welterweight world champion Zab Judah. The twenty-nine-year-old Brooklynite has posted victories over the likes of solid journeymen such as Luis Santiago, David Armstrong and Sammy Sparkman but has not yet been able to raise his game when confronted with a sharp skilled prospect. Francisco Bojado, Demetrius Hopkins and Freddie Cadena all found a way to beat Eason and the New Yorker must produce a career best performance if he is to have a hope of derailing the momentum of the South American puncher.
Urango also has had adversity in his highest profile bout, a scheduled twelve rounder with fellow unbeaten prospect Mike Arnaoutis. The two met a year ago in Florida for the NABO title but neither man could hold an advantage as Urango and the lightning fast handed Arnaoutis fought to a draw. Hard-as-nails Russian fighters Leva Kirakosyan and Sergey Sorokin also gave Urango, who now resides in Spain, tough distance fights, although Sorokin had to climb off the canvas in the third round.
Eason should provide a good yardstick in measuring the potential of Urango as the big hearted light welterweight has been in with some of the best American prospects in the division. If Urango can’t get past Eason, he’ll be relegated to undercards unless he can work his way back up the ladder. If “El Mello” can win in style or become the first to stop the solid Eason, we may have yet another certified hot prospect in an already burning weight class.
Contact Curtis McCormick at thomaspointrd@aol.com
