By Dave Lahr: Powerful but limited welterweight contender Selcuk Aydin (18-0, 14 KO’s) will be fighting Jackson Osei Bonsu (30-2, 23 KO’s) in a 12 round World Boxing Council welterweight Elimination bout in Istanbul, Turkey. Aydin, 25, will be fighting in front of a home crowd in Turkey, and will be facing a tough test in the equally powerful Bonsu. Ranked #2 in the WBC, a win over Bonsu will put Aydin as the mandatory challenger for WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto.
Aydin has been brought along very carefully since turning pro three years ago with his best wins coming against Luis Hernandez (a 1st round TKO in March 2009) and a controversial 12-round split decision victory over Said Ouali. Aydin has heavy hands, but he’s not a real big puncher despite his nickname of the “Mini-Tyson.”
The mini part, at least, is correct because Aydin is only 5’7”, which is a height more accustomed to light welterweights and lightweights rather than in the welterweight division. Virtually all of Aydin’s knockouts have come against C and D-level opposition and it’s hard to tell how good he is.
In his last fight against Ouali, Aydin looked awful, a very crude and primitive slugger with not a lot of power. His defense was nonexistent against Ouali and he often fought in anger through much of the fight, as if not accustomed to being hit back.
In looking at the mostly dreadful opposition that Aydin has been put in with since turning pro, you can kind of understand why he’d be not quite acclimated to getting hit, because his opponents have been mostly fighters with inflated records. In looking at Aydin’s last fight, he looks like a 2nd tier fighter who doesn’t really belong in the top tier of the welterweight division at this point.
Aydin looks more suited for the light welterweight division because of his short height, but even that would be a stretch because he would need much better boxing skills to compete in that weight class. I could see a knockout artist like Marcos Maidana making short work of Aydin.
Bonsu, 28, ranked number #3 in the WBC, is a little better than Aydin. Bonsu is clearly a top tier fighter, but he’s not all that good either. His last win, a 12 round majority decision over Carlos Baldomir, looked like a hometown decision, because Baldomir appeared to win the fight handily.
Bonsu can punch, but he’s plagued by a stamina problems and poor defense. He’s good in the early rounds when he’s at his most dangerous because of his power, but he fades badly in his fights. This is what happened in his 12 round decision loss to Rafal Jackiewicz in September 2008.
Bonsu started off well, landing huge shots to the head and body of Jackiewicz in the early going, but then Bonsu faded in the latter rounds and ended up losing the fight. I see Bonsu doing enough in the fight to get a win over Aydin on Saturday night.
Aydin is very limited and not able to win rounds due to his limited boxing ability. As long as Bonsu doesn’t break down completely like he did against Baldomir and Jackiewicz, then I see him beating Aydin without too many problems. The winner of the fight will be easy pickings for the champion Berto, who is a level above Bonsu and Aydin in talent.
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