Richard Commey vs Ray Beltran 6/28/19 Boxing Odds, Preview, and Prediction

Lightweight champion Richard Commey will defend his belt for the first time as he steps inside the ring against former world champion Ray Beltran on 6/28/19 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.

First Title Defense

Richard Commey is the reigning IBF lightweight champion. The native of Ghana was the former Ghanaian lightweight champion, African Boxing Union lightweight champion, and Commonwealth lightweight king. In his last bout, he captured the vacant IBF world title, winning the world title in his second try.

Commey enters this fight with an impressive 28-2 record with 25 knockouts. Since suffering back-to-back losses ( the only losses of his career ) to Robert Easter Jr. and Denis Shafikov in 2016, he has won four fights in a row and is coming off a second-round TKO win over Isa Chaniev last February. The 32-year old Ghanaian stands 5-9 and has a 71-inch reach while fighting as an orthodox fighter.

The champion is a very aggressive boxer who possesses punching power in both hands. That power has produced a stoppage in eight out of his last nine bouts and it also dropped Robert Easter Jr. in their very competitive fight which Commey lost via split decision. Commey isn’t a fast starter but once he gets his groove, he becomes relentless and just lets his hands go. In his other loss, also by split decision, he threw over 1200 punches against Denis Shafikov.

Former World Champion

Raymundo Betran is a former WBO lightweight champion, winning that belt in his fourth attempt. Beltran is popularly known as one of Manny Pacquiao’s chief sparring mates during the Pacman’s rise to eight division titles. The Los Mochis, Sinaloa native has an impressive resume that boasts of bouts against the likes of Sharif Bogere, Hank Lundy, Ricky Burns, Takahiro Ao, and Terence Crawford.

Beltran heads to this encounter with a record of 36-8-1 with 22 knockouts. Beltran is coming off an impressive 9th round knockout win over Hiroki Okada last February and he has won six out of his last seven bouts. The 37-year old Mexican has stands 5-8 and has a 67-inch reach while also fighting out of the orthodox stance.

The challenger is getting up there in age but he’s as tough as all the Mexicans are. Beltran loves to box on the inside and wear down his opponents. He puts together very good punch combinations and is also a solid counterpuncher. He isn’t really a hard-hitter but his relentless attacks have produced five stoppages in his last seven wins. He is a fighter who just continues to move forward during the fight until he gets the result he wants,

Who Wins?

This is going to be a competitive fight and Beltran is going to have his chances to land against Commey because the champ has a tendency to be wild with his punches at times. However, this isn’t the same Ray Beltran from five years ago. If Beltran were in his prime, I think he would have a real chance at winning this fight. The odds haven’t been released yet but once they’re out, Commey should be a comfortable boxing betting favorite here.

Commey is athletic, rangy and an excellent boxer. He is going to make life miserable for Beltran with his slick boxing and movement. I can remember how Beltran struggled to get in the fight against Terence Crawford because Bud was tough to hit with his movement and he kept peppering Beltran with fast and swift punch combinations. I see this fight going that way too.

Beltran is also more of a fighter than a boxer and he’s one who really gets into a real fight every time he steps inside the ring. That’s going to be his downfall against Commey who has legit punching power. Beltran was also floored by Jose Pedraza and Jonathan Maicelo and considering that Commey has more pop in his punches than the two, I’m concerned with Beltran’s fighting style heading to this fight.

I expect Beltran to come out swinging right from the opening bell. He’s going to try and put the pressure on Commey right from the get-go. The key for Commey will be to weather the early storm. With all the physical advantages, the champion should take over after a couple of rounds. In the middle rounds, I expect the aging Beltran to slow down, given the pace, I think he will try to push early.

At some point during this bout, these two are going to go toe-to-toe. Beltran will be too stubborn to avoid a slugfest and that will be his downfall. Commey is going to catch a tired Ray Beltran and drop him with a big punch. Then it’s game, set and match. I’m picking Richard Commey to beat Ray Beltran on 6/28/19.

Place Your Bet Here

Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks 04/19/2023 NBA Odds and Prediction New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers 04/17/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees 04/14/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction OKC Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans 04/12/2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Odds and Prediction