Toe to Toe Tuesday returns tonight at 9 PM on FS1. Designed to feature Cuban Junior Lightweight prospect Leduan Barthelemy (12-0, 6 KOs), this card is unfortunately unremarkable even by the low standards of the series. Nicknamed “La Problema,” Barthelemy is the younger brother of both failed pro prospect and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Yan Barthelemy and and two division titlist Rances Barthelemy.
A six foot tall 130lber who until his last fight had been competing just north two divisions down at 122, Barthelemy definitely prefers to work slowly at range behind his jab. He has been featured as a PBC as FS1 opener and a PBC on Spike swing bout previously, but his highest profile bout, the PBC on FS1 opener against Ricardo Nunez, did not go completely smoothly as he struggled to maintain this distance. The much more experienced (then 28-4) Nunez kept his head on Barthelemy’s chest and worked inside. Leduan was able to get separation at times and counter from both distances, but Nunez was able to land on the inside while there. Barthelemy’s status as a prospect was nearly derailed as he escaped with a narrow split decision win over eight rounds that he probably did not deserve.
Barthelemy returned with an easy six round touch buried deep on the Frampton/Santa Cruz II bill back on January and now returns tonight against 14-3 (8 KOs) Reynaldo Blanco.
From the Dominican Republic and fighting out of Puerto Rico, Blanco is about as non-descript as they come. His record shows he has gone ten rounds two fights ago in a split decision loss to 12-3-1 Desmond Brock which Barthelemy will likely be doing for the first time tonight, but it is had to find any other advantages here. He has not fought on any notable cards and is only 6-3 outside of his native country.
He is here to lose and Barthelemy’s four inch height advantage should help him along in doing so.
The undercard features 11-1 (5 KOs) Kyrone Davis against 9-0 (2 KOs) Marco Hernandez in a Junior Middleweight bout. Davis will be dropping from middleweight for the first time for this fight whereas Hernandez has been consistently fighting at the weight.
Davis has previously opened a FS1 card in a very narrow defeat to since busted prospect Junior Castillo. He is a counter puncher and will look to land in the openings that Hernandez will present in his come forward style. I like Davis here as I suspect Hernandez will find that he does not have the power to suit his style as he moves up in class. Even though it is a mall step, Hernandez is indeed moving up here in my estimation.
Finally and probably most excitingly, PBC middeweight prospect Malcom McAllister faces 9-2-2 (4 KOs) Mexican Alejandro Torres. I am not 100% sure this will be televised, but historically PBC on FS1 has used a three fight model so I do expect it to be. McAllister is an interesting young prospect with a perfect 9-0 (9 KOs) record to maintain here. He has been on FS1 before and has shown a reasonably fan friendly style. It is always interesting to see if a fighter’s power carries up in quality of opposition, though I am not sure Torres really represents a step up. I am unfamiliar with him, but I do know he is here in the hopes that he will fall over.
