As we approach the end of the boxing “season”, the action quietens down this weekend with a real lack of noteworthy action. The main attraction comes from Kazakhstan, as Arthur Villanueva challenges Nordine Oubaali for the WBC bantamweight championship on an #MTKFightNight at the Barys Arena.
Streamed live on iFL TV as well as ESPN+, the fight which is in association with Top Rank has gathered support in recent weeks. Without the fear of being lost in a weekend of stacked action, it’s a great chance to delve a little deeper down the weight divisions, with two fighters that are well known outside of France or the Philippines.
Oubaali’s stock is rising. Having beaten Rau’shee Warren via a fairly wide unanimous decision earlier this year, the 32-year-old southpaw is looking forward to the first defence of his WBC strap this weekend. At 15-0, Oubaali turned over fairly late from the amateurs having had success in the unpaid ranks. Since then, he’s been fast-tracked in the pro game and had taken each opportunity as they’ve come. His trip to Vegas to fight for the vacant bantamweight strap in January was only the second fight he has had outside France; he made his debut in Marrakech in 2014.
Arthur Villanueva isn’t a bad opponent, but with just two wins in his last five matches, ‘El Matador’ will need to find something special in Kazakhstan to wrestle the title away from the champion. He’s the younger man at 30, but with 36 fights in his career, his chance may have come a little late in the day. A loss to Zolani Tete in 2017 for the interim WBO title was the closest he has previously come to glory, outside of the International and Pacific titles.
His losses have come at the fists of Arroyo, Nery and Tete – all world level fighters. If you’d put any of those three in with this version of Oubaali, then the result would be unclear. This will underline Villanueva’s chance of upsetting the odds on Saturday.
The number of times that Villanueva has been down in his career is the biggest concern to his challenge. Oubaali isn’t a huge puncher, but he has proven he can hurt opposition in the past – his 73% KO record shouldn’t be overlooked.
I’m of the opinion that Oubaali will be too strong for Villanueva this Saturday, but how the win comes about is the biggest question. It could prove to be a systematic beatdown in Barys, with the challenger happy to hear the final bell. Oubaali has proven he has the minerals to perform at the highest level – now he will be looking to cement his place as a world champion.
Nordine Oubaali to beat Arthur Villanueva @ 1/12 (BetVictor)
Nordine Oubaali to beat Arthur Villanueva by Decision/Technical Decision @ (odds not yet available)
