Marriaga Confident He Can Defeat World Champ Walters Again

Colombian challenger Miguel Marriaga is already in New York, waiting for the World Boxing Association featherweight super champion, Jamaica’s Nicholas Walters. They are both undefeated and fighting on Saturday, June 13 at the Madison Square Garden.

Marriaga (22-0, 19 KO) talked to the Colombian press before leaving for the US and confessed that he had always dreamed of having the opportunity to fight for a world title. “Now I have that dream coming true and I am ready to fullfil it”, said Marriaga, who will dedicate the victory to his mother.

Marriaga and Walters know each other since they fought during a 2008 qualifier in Guatemala for a place in the Beijing Olympics. The amateur bout between Marriaga and Walters (25-0, 21 KO) took place during the first day of the tournament.

Marriaga said that he defeated Walters by boxing his opponent throughout the fight, which ended in his favor 14-9, in the 57 kg division. Although Marriaga did not pass on to the Olympics, the experience encourages him now that he is facing Walters professionally.

On the other hand, Walters has a different view of the history and he wants to settle the score with Marriaga for leaving him out of the qualifying event of the 2008 Olympics.

As for this Saturday’s fight, Marriaga said that he and his manager Samuel Gómez studied the champion’s fight videos, and is confident that he has the key to beat Walters.”You have to box him and attack him with combinations; I know that my hook will do much harm,” said Marriaga.

The left hook is Marriaga’s favorite punch and it is the one he uses more during fights because it hurts his opponents.
On Friday June 12, during the Executive Committee meeting of the World Boxing Association in Sofia, Bulgaria, an international officials’ seminar will take place.

Stanley Christodoulou, together with Raul CaIz Sr, will be talking about ethics and professional behavior, scoring and the half point.

Luis Pabon will show some videos illustrating 10-9, 10-8 and half point scoring.

They will talk about the dress code, the Protocol when arriving at events, the checking of the ring, ropes, canvas, in addition to reviewing videos of different situations that occurred in the ring during bouts and the performances of referees at that time.