While we most certainly are in the midst of the “dog days” of boxing ESPN has been carrying the torch in providing us boxing junkies our fix.¬
Wednesday night we are treated to a showcase bout that features prospect Joel Julio battling Jose Varela in Hollywood, Florida.¬ Julio was a can’t-miss-prospect before being out boxed by Carlos Quintana back in 06.¬ At the time the loss – Julio’s only blemish – plummeted the Colombian slugger’s stock faster than Enron’s.¬ In retrospect perhaps it was a hasty reaction given Quintana’s status as a legitimate contender.¬ In recent outings Julio has looked pretty impressive albeit against limited competition but I would say he has the makings to hold a title in the fairly shallow junior middleweight division.¬ Varela is an unhearalded Nicaraguan fighter who seems to have lost every time he raised his level of competition (losses to Edison Miranda and Richard Gutierrez prove my point).¬ Expect Julio to perform impressively Wednesday night as he continues his quest for a title.¬ Personally I would like to see Julio begin to step his competition up but at 23 any sense of urgency would be premature.¬
Joel Julio Back in Action
Posted by Tim Starks on Aug 13, 2008 03:01
