By Jim Calfa: Undefeated #1 Jeremias Ponce and #2 Subriel Matias will square off tonight in a battle for the vacant IBF light welterweight title on Showtime Championship Boxing in a 12 round fight at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Argentinian Ponce (30-0, 20 KOs) and the knockout artist Matias (18-1, 18 KOs) will meet in the main event on Showtime beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Matias, 30, is an Arturo Gatti / Aaron Pryor type of volume puncher who throws nonstop punches to wear his opponents down slowly until he stops them. Although Matias has a lot of knockouts on his resume, he’s not a one-punch guy.
Matias is willing to take a shot to land one of his own, and his victories come from his willingness to stay in the trenches for his entire fights. It’s a style that works, but it’s a risky one because he gets hit way too much.
Eventually, Matias is going to get stopped, and it might happen tonight by the body punching Ponce, who is a different type of fighter than the headhunters that Subriel has fought his entire eight-year professional career.
Undercard:
Jamal James vs. Alberto Palmetta
Elvis Rodriguez vs. Joseph Adorno
Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Shawn Owens
Derrick Jackson vs. Willie Jones
Jonathan Lopez Marcano vs. Eduardo de Oliveira Guedes Diogo
Kel Spencer vs. Margarito Hernandez
Breeon Carothers vs. Kevin Schmidt
When does Matias vs. Ponce start tonight?
Tonight’s card begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT, live on Showtime.
The Puerto Rican Matias hits hard, but there are many bigger punchers in the division than him.
Again, Matias’ many knockouts have come from his high-volume punching style, as he never stops throwing, and he’s willing to take awful punishment to get his knockouts.
That’s the one problem Matias has. As I mentioned earlier, Matias gets hit A LOT and is frequently hurt in his fights, even by lesser guys. What’s interesting to note about Matias is that he’s never fought a body puncher before, so it’s impossible to say how he’ll deal with the body shots that Ponce will be hitting him with.
We know that Matias’s punch resistance to the head is extraordinary, but what we don’t know is if he can take it to the body, and tonight he’s going to get tagged to the body a lot by Ponce.
Where to watch Matias vs. Ponce?
Matias-Ponce can be seen on Showtime. The televised portion of the card begins at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 PT.
Ponce-Matias will fight for the IBF 140-lb belt vacated by former undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor, who has been inactive for the last year, dealing with injuries and such.
“Most of who I am today, I owe it to my town, and I feel proud to represent them,” said Subriel Matias to Showtime Boxing. “I’ve been out here in Jiquipilco, Mexico, for about nine months.
“The idea to be here for so long came from my promoter, and everything the man does works out for the best. But it’s been hard for me because I have three daughters, but at the end of the tunnel, I know the sacrifice will be worth it.
“On February 25th, I’ll be disputing the open title at the IBF against Argentine boxer Jeremias Ponce. He’s a great fighter; he is brave and strong,” said Matias.
“I am training in Rafael Calzada. This school is a part of my life for the ten years that I’ve been here,” said Jeremias Ponce. “The name Zacarias goes back several generations, and we honor the name by excelling here at the gym. Not just me but all the kids that box here.”
Ponce will be looking to land his left hook to the body of Matias all night, and it’s going to be interesting to see if the Puerto Rican fighter can handle those punches the entire fight without crumbling as so many other fighters have.