Having been lost in the Joshua/Klitschko hype, this PBC on FS1 card has received basically no attention. This is especially true after it lost its original and excellent Shumenov/Dorticos scheduled main event a couple weeks ago. This lack of attention is a shame as the new main event is a compelling style matchup with big divisional implications between featherweights Carloz Zambrano (26-0, 11 KOs) of Peru and Dominican Claudio Marrero (21-1, 15 KOs).
First and foremost, if you watch this card you will probably hear talk of a world championship or title. Ignore it. The bit of hardware at stake Saturday night is not a world title belt, but instead one of the WBA’s imaginary titles that we are so fond of here at S8C. What it does mean, however, is that the winner of this fight will be in position to be the mandatory challenger to the winner of the ordered Leo Santa Cruz/Abner Mares rematch. That definitely makes this a relevant fight.
Whether or not this is a good fight, however, is largely up to Claudio Marrero. Carlos Zambrano will not want it to be. Peruvian Carlos Zambrano is definitely an unknown. He began his career in the states, but since 2010 he has fought his last fifteen fights exclusively in his native Peru. Scouting him on youtube, however, does show a competent pro fighter, just not a very positive one. Carlos Zambrano is definitely a negative fighter. He looks to move away and pot shot, and he likes to clinch a lot whenever his opponent gets close. His style does not make for exciting contests.
Claudio Marrero’s style, on the other hand, does. Marrero comes forward aggressively, something he showcased to a wide audience for the first time in a 2013 Friday Night Fights bout against then unknown Jesus Cuellar. No one knew that Cuellar would go on to become a top fighter, so when Marrero aquitted himself well in a competitve loss only fifteen fights into his career, he didn’t necessarily get the credit that he would in hindsight deserve for his exciting performance that night. Marrero is 7-0 since, a streak that contains a one punch knockout of former world titlist Rico Ramos in Marrero’s best win to date.
Here we have the classic style matchup of a man in Zambrano who wants there to be very little fighting versus a man in Marrero who wants punches to fly. Zambrano has not been asked to compete on this level, but hasn’t isn’t can’t. Everyone has to step up at some point. The Peruvian is coming into this fight off an eighteen month layoff, however, so that should work in the more exciting Marrero’s favor.
The card also features Jamaican born, Illinois based Nathaniel Gallimore (17-1, 14 KOs) versus Dominican Jeison Rosario (12-0, 9 KOs) in the middleweight division as the co-feature. The records promise power, but both fighters are an unknown to me at this point. Rosario will be fighting outside of the Dominican for the first time where it is very easy to build a record, but plenty of fighters from the Dominican Republic also end up being quality professionals too so we will see.
The card starts at 10 PM eastern, long after the Joshua/Klitschko festivities have ended.
