Jose Uzcategui drops one he should have won!
Former IBF super middleweight champion Jose Uzcategui (29-3, 24KO) may have shown why it could have been premature to gift him retired former champion James DeGale’s title back in 2018. Many understood he was the mandatory and DeGale elected to vacate the title. However, he hadn’t actually fought for that title.
Sure he fought former highly regarded contender Andre Dirrell twice; stopping him once and getting controversially disqualified which prevented a sure knockout win to come in the other. However, the inconsistency he displays from fight to fight is what has fans not trusting in his talent.
On the under-card of Gervonta Davis vs Yuriorkis Gamboa, Uzcategui sported a #5 ranking with the IBF as he stepped in the ring with tough but very beatable veteran Lionell Thompson. This would mark the Venezuelan born fighter’s second bout since losing his gifted title to Caleb Plant in January.
UNDERESTIMATING YOUR OPPONENT PAYS A PRICE
As the two men started the first round, the height and reach advantage was evident for Uzcategui. The difference in talent was obvious as well as Thompson seemed less fluid with his movement with a stiff upper-body.
The former champion would land jabs between the guard of his foe with ease but would fail to really follow up on them. It seemed he knew he was the much better man as he looked to have a lackadaisical attitude in the ring.
This would haunt him for the duration of the fight. As the round came to a close, Uzcategui would get caught half committed on defense by a jab, straight-right combination that put him on the canvas. He would quickly recover but this was definitely something that was not supposed to happen!
AFRAID TO TAKE CHANCES
After that knockdown occurred, Uzcategui seemed to “play it safe” in an attempt to not give any unnecessary opportunities to Thompson. This allowed several rounds where the Mayweather Promotions protege would outwork the former champion with sheer volume.
It wasn’t that Thompson was accurate with his shots or he was this elusive target that couldn’t be hit while he landed sharp counters on an overly aggressive opponent. No! He would win rounds simply because he kept punching and Uzcategui did not!
Round after round you can hear the corner of Uzcategui yelling “let your hands go!” However, the pleas fell on deaf ears. It was honestly eye-wrenching to watch the former champion produce less volume than setting your television set to “silent mode!”
A LITTLE TOO LATE
Towards the end of the fight, Thompson had a feeling he had the bout in the bag. Therefore, he elected to move around the ring and play matador to the bull. Only then did Uzcategui start to let his hands go since Thompson was no longer trying to engage.
It would be a little too late. As the tenth round came to a close, the crowd didn’t seem too entertained and the corner of the former champion had looks of disgust imprinted on their faces.
The judges would see the fight a unanimous decision by scores of 95-94 and 96-92 twice to the underdog Lionell Thompson! The scorecards were a bit wide, but in reality, Uzcategui deserved to lose this fight.
It will be difficult to see where the Venezuelan fighter goes from here. Besides losing to someone he probably should have knocked out, his lack of production in this fight may haunt fans and promoters which could prevent them from wanting to see him in a fight anytime soon.
Time will tell! However for now, it’s safe to say Uzcategui is light-years away from becoming a champion again!
By: EJ Williams
