Carlos Canizales vs Daniel Matellon Preview June 9th, 2023
Former WBA Light Flyweight Champion Carlos Canizales of Caracas, Venezuela will be taking on Daniel Matellon of Cuba in a 12-round WBA Flyweight elimination bout in Buenos Aires, Argentina this Friday, June 9th. Canizales last fought in August when he stopped Armando Torres in just 125 seconds. The unbeaten Matellon stopped Ivan Carrillo in the third round in July in his last outing for the vacant WBA Fedecaribe Light Flyweight Title. Canizales lost his title to Mexico’s Esteban Bermudez in May, 2021 when he was stopped in the fifth round and has rebounded with three straight wins over German Barreras, Ganigan Lopez and Torres, with the last two coming by stoppage. There’s actually some confusion concerning the verification of this fight as it’s either June 9th or 10th.
Canizales vs Matellon Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Daniel Matellon +125
- Carlos Canizales -155
My Pick
The 30-year-old Canizales has a fine record of 25-1-1 with 19 Ko’s. Before losing his title to Esteban Bermudez, the only blemish on his record was a 12-round split decision draw with Ryoichi Taguchi in Japan on New Year’s Eve, 2016 in an attempt to win Taguchi’s WBA crown. Canizales then won the vacant WBA Light Flyweight Title in March, 2018 via a unanimous decision over Reiya Konishi and defended it against Bin Lu by 12th-round stoppage and Sho Kimura by unanimous decision before running into Bermudez.
Canizales turned pro in 2014 and 137 rounds of experience under his belt since. He possesses very good power as he carries a current knockout ratio of 70.4 per cent. He’s stopped his last two opponents while his two previous victories came by going the distance. The former champion stands 5-feet-3-inches tall with a reach of 64.5 inches. He also won the WBA Fedelatin Light Flyweight Title in October, 2015 with an 11-round split decision over Robert Barrera.
The 35-year-old Matellon enters the fight with an impressive mark of 13-0-2 with 7 Ko’s and has boxed 83 rounds since making his pro debut in 2016. Before that, Matellon enjoyed an extensive amateur career which saw him reach the final of the 2009 and 2011 Cuban National Championships, the 2007 and 2008 semifinals and the quarterfinals in 2014 along with winning the event in 2010.
Matellon measures 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 62-inch wingspan which gives him an inch edge in height on Canizales but a 2.5-inch reach disadvantage. He won his first two pro outings and then fought to two straight draws as he went four rounds with Argenis Cheremo and then six rounds with Azael Villar. Since then he’s won 11 fights in a row. He won the vacant WBA Fedelatin Light Flyweight Title in September, 2017 with an 11-round unanimous decision over Kenny Cano.
He then added the interim WBA World Light Flyweight Belt in February, 2020 with a 12-round majority decision over Erick Omar Lopez and defended it eight months later via a unanimous decision over Jose Argumedo. Matellon also has wins over Camilo Mendoza, Masamichi Yabuki and Luis De la Rosa. He’s been involved in a few exciting fights as Matellon doesn’t have the greatest chin and has been decked a few times. He has average power himself with a current knockout ratio of 46.7 per cent and has won three of his last five fights by stoppage.
Prediction…
Canizales has pretty good boxing skills but he’s basically gotten this far on his power. Matellon owns the better skills of the two but lacks the power of Canizales. Matellon is 35 years old now but there hasn’t been much wear and tear on his body as a pro. If he can handle Canizales’ power he should have a good chance of having his hand held up in victory. Still, I’ll go with Canizales has he’s faced tougher opposition as a pro.
Canizales power and experience give him a slight edge.
Play: Canizales -155 @ BetOnline.ag
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Carlos Canizales betting • Damiel Matellon betting