Radivoje Kalajdzic vs Sullivan Barrera Preview March 13th, 2024
After close to three years out of the ring, 42-year-old veteran Sullivan Barrera of Cuba returns to action on Wednesday, March 13th as he takes on Radivoje ‘Hot Rod’ Kalajdzic of Serbia. The 10-round light-heavyweight bout from Plant City, Florida can be seen live on ProBox TV in most nations and it’s also carried on Sportsnet World in Canada. Barrera’s last bout took place in July, 2021 when he was stopped in the fourth round by former world champion Gilberto Ramirez for his second straight defeat and his third in his last three fights. Kalajdzic last saw action in September when he halted Mickey Ellison in the eighth round.
Kalajdzic vs Barrera Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Sullivan Barrera +750
- Radivoje Kalajdzic -2000
My Pick
Kalajdzic is 32 years old and fights out of Saint Petersburg, Florida, but many fans have never really heard of him even though he was stopped by Artur Beterbiev in the fifth round back in 2019 in a shot at the IBF Light Heavyweight Belt. He’s owns a fine record of 28-2 with 20 Ko’s. He has plenty of power as 71.4 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including his last three. He’s also won four fights in a row since his loss to Beterbiev and stands 6-feet-3-inches tall with a 76-inch.
Kalajdzic and his family fled the Bosnian War in 1992 and ended up in America as refugees in 1998. He turned pro back in 2011 and has boxed 100 rounds since. His first loss came to Marcus Browne in 2016 when he dropped an eight-round split decision for the vacant WBC United States Light Heavyweight Title. Kalajdzic was decked in the very first round but returned the favour by flooring Browne in the sixth stanza. The only other recognizable names on his list of opponents are Otis Griffin, Lionell Thompson, and Denis Grachev.
The 42-year-old Barrera fights out of Miami, Florida and has a record of 22-4 with 14 Kos under his belt. He had a pretty good amateur career and was a two-time bronze medalist at the Cuban national championships in 2002 and 2003. Barrera stands 6-feet-2-inches tall and has a 73-inch reach which means he gives up an inch in height and three inches in reach to Kalajdzic.
Barrera turned pro in 2009 and has boxed 150 rounds since then. He’s not known as a heavy hitter due to his superb boxing skills, but 63.6 per cent of his victories have been by stoppage. He’s been dropped a few times and stopped twice in his career so now owns a somewhat questionable chin. Barrera has a good selection of punches to choose from though, has an effective jab and doesn’t mind the infighting either.
His first loss came in March, 2016 when Andre Ward beat him by a 12-round unanimous decision with his second defeat coming at the hands of WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol by 12th-round stoppage in March, 2018. He was then beaten by Jesse Hart via a 10-round unanimous decision in June, 2019 and was halted by Ramirez in his last outing. Barrera’s best wins have been against Felix Valera, Joe Smith Jr, Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, Jeff Lacy and Karo Murat. He’s captured the WBC International and WBC USNBC, WBA Fedlatin, and WBO Latino Light Heavyweight Titles since turning pro, but has never won a world title.
Prediction…
Barrera is making a comeback after close to three years of inactivity and he’s 10 years older than Kalajdzic. However, Kalajdzic hasn’t really been too active himself as he fought just once a year for the last five years and took 2017 off. Still, considering that Barrera lost his last two fights and three of his last four and was stopped in two of them, he’s facing an uphill battle here no matter how good his skills are. Barrera does have a slight puncher’s chance but I’m expecting a Kalajdzic win this mid-week contest, with a stoppage being a good possibility.
Barrera’s age and inactivity won’t help him.
Play: Kalajdzic -2000 @ BetOnline.ag
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Radivoje Kalajdzic betting • Sullivan Barrera betting