By Whiskey Flowers: Arnold Barboza Jr. is 32 and is being spoon-fed when he should have already been eating at the big table with the big boys. He has fought weak or old opposition his entire career and is being given a soft touch this Saturday night on the Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia undercard.
(Photo credit: Golden Boy / Cris Esqueda)
The only thing about Goldenboy’s fighter is that he still has a 0 in the loss column. After Saturday he will still have that 0 with the opposition that he is being given. No one believes the hype with this guy. He can’t punch, is easy to hit, and would be walked like a dog if he ever took on a live body.
With all due respect to Sean McComb, he isn’t even gatekeeper status. He is as pillow-fisted as they come with his five entire knockouts and often fights shorter than what he is. He is there to be mauled in the hopes that Barboza can get a knockout. There is no way that Barboza will not walk through whatever McComb is throwing. McComb will take a tremendous beating and be on his way to Ireland mid-afternoon after a stint in the hospital for precautionary reasons. Barboza Jr. will talk to the camera about wanting big fights and the hype train will start again. There are big fights for Barboza Jr., he doesn’t want any of them.
Subriel Matias would dog-walk Barboza Jr. all around the ring before viciously KO-ing him if they ever fought. At 32, Barboza Jr. should have already been fighting for world titles. Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, two boxers on the same card at the same weight have been doing so for years. I can understand staying away from guys like Richardson Hitchins, Liam Paro, and Gary Antuane Russell. Those guys are undefeated and he might be exposed. But Barboza is too scared to take his chances with flawed fighters who have been beaten before.
Barboza should be fighting guys like Sandor Martin, Kenneth Sims Jr., and the like. If he really wanted to test himself in a fight without the possibility of being seriously hurt, then guys like Regis Prograis and Jack Caterall should have been his opponent. I suspect Barboza wants no problem with guys like Caterall, despite also having low power, Caterall would be there the entire fight and take the 0 that Barboza is trying to hold onto. Barboza does have a best case scenario for Saturday.
I think that Barboza Jr. either stops or pounds McComb into the ring on Saturday. Once he runs his mouth about wanting a title, he has to hope that one of the champions takes him up on it. Isaac Cruz is severely undersized for the division and could be a possible opponent. He could also get Rolando Romero to face him. Ryan Garcia came in too fat to be use to Barboza since even if he wins, there is no title on the line. I can see Manny Pacquiao and his people paying close attention to this fight. Barboza Jr. would have to take a Cruz fight if it comes and for far less money than he should be making at this point in his career. If he is smart, he will put it in the bank after the loss to Cruz and then start fighting his supposed peers instead of no-hopers like Sean McCombs.
