Masoud looks to continue unbeaten run against Sanmartin
Stoke-on-Trent's very own 'Top Gun' Shabaz "Maverick" Masoud (11-0 4KO) returns to the ring exactly one year on from his last fight to take on hard-hitting veteran Jose "El General" Sanmartin (34-7-1, 21KO) this Saturday night, November 11, at the Newcastle Arena.
The pair will pay their respects earlier in the day, with a minutes silence at 11am to mark Armistice Day, before taking up arms themselves approximately 11 hours later, live on DAZN.
27-year-old Masoud places his WBA Inter-Continental Super Bantamweight title on the line, in a maiden defence of the belt he won in his last fight with a career-best win over compatriot Jack Bateson on Remembrance Day last year. Masoud dismantled the unbeaten 17-0 prospect until a conclusive finish in the 12th round with just a single minute to go. As soon as Bateson went down for the first time, Masoud would not let him off and hounded him until there was a second knockdown, then referee Howard Foster stepped in while the former English champion was slumped on the ropes.
The Maverick is an exciting prospect of the 55-kilogram weight class. His awkward, mobile, fluid style and constant aggression and activity make him an exciting spectacle for fans.
While Masoud is not known for knockout power, having only recorded a quartet of KOs in his 11 fights to date, he has stopped three from his last four foes, which could be due to the step up in quality with opponents being more ambitious than earlier in his career. His last four fighters combined record equals to 97-17-1.
Masoud shows a level of mastery fighting in either stance, elusive and quick on his feet, which is why he draws comparisons to Prince Naseem.
This was mostly noticeable during his decisive points decision win over Yesner Talavera in 2019, which was his third winning opponent within his first six bouts. It was this standard six-rounder that made fight fans sit up and take notice of this young gun coming through.
Just like Naseem Hamed, Masoud uses tricky angles to land his shots, has blisteringly fast hands, teasingly hangs his chin out as a tempting target, and moves around the ring just like the former Lineal featherweight champion from Sheffield.
He has long levers, good technical ability, decent ring IQ, adept footwork and movement; he is sharp, fluid, athletic, unpredictable, has a good shot selection, and can finish a fight off when the time comes, as evidenced in his win over Bateson. He doesn't have one-punch KO power, but he has a snap to his shots and has the engine to unload unceasingly to force a submission or referee's intervention.
His Colombian counterpart, Jose ‘El General’ Sanmartin, has won WBA regional titles before and has 42 bouts and 12 years experience as a pro under his belt. He has boxed in 161 more rounds than the fledgling Masoud, and recently shared the ring with world champion Mauricio Lara.
The visitor is a huge underdog, expected to lose by most, but he has stopped 21 form 34 foes, so cannot be overlooked. As Masoud will be expected to be the aggressor to take control of the fight he should look to capitalise on any mistakes made, such as overreaching, being too greedy, showing patterns. He is certainly heavier handed than the Brit, but he does need time and to get into close range to be able to land those big shots, but Masoud won't be a sitting target for him. It's likely that Sanmartin will be picked off all fight long and will become frustrated at not being able to land his own shots because every time he gets into range, his target has moved again.
Victory for Masoud will see his name break into the Top 5 in the World with the WBA, which will be an incredible achievement within just a dozen pro fights. Then, just 45 days later, there could be an undisputed super-bantamweight champion when WBA and IBF titlist Marlon Tapales meets with WBC and WBO beltholder Naoya Inoue on Boxing Day.
The fight will be available to watch on DAZN this Saturday with the Main Card set to commence at 7 pm and Before the Bell underway at 5.10 pm.
Betting Odds (Betway Sports)
1/20 Masoud
8/1 Sanmartin
25/1 Draw
Predictions
The fight looks likely to end in a dominant decision win for Masoud with Sanmartin’s only viable option for a win being a huge upset stoppage.
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