ESPNs Friday Night Fights brings back its popular Boxcino Tournament tonight with a card being aired live from the Mohegan Sun Casino in eastern Connecticut. Last year's Boxcino tournament undoubtedly led to FNFs 2014 ratings bump and the folks in Bristol are undoubtedly hoping the trend continues into 2015, as well.
One man who clearly hopes to make this year's Boxcino memorable is California's Ricardo Pinell. With a 10-1-1 record, Pinell has knocked out over fifty percent of the men he's beaten. Pinell was supposed to take on fellow Californian Cleotis Pendarvis in a six round junior middleweight scrap. ESPN, however, reports that Pendarvis was disqualified for not making weight. That means Pinell will now have to face an unknown commodity in New Jersey native John Thompson.
This might seem like good news for Pinell, since Johnson clearly took the fight on short notice. Yet the southpaw is now going to face a man with a record of 14-1 who he hasn't specifically trained for. That means Pinell is going to have to expect the unexpected. That can be a frightening proposition, especially when one considers how much of boxing comes down to simple prep work.
There's no doubt, however, that Pinell plans on making the most of this opportunity, no matter who he's up against. A fighter who stalks his prey with a right jab lead, Pinell has the potential to wear opponents down through sheer aggression. He may not be the fastest fighter, but Pinell is relentless.
Thompson, on the other hand might well be looking for redemption. For it appears Pinell's FNF opponent is the same John Thomspon who was flattened last year before a Showtime audience by Frank Galarza. If that's the case, a shocking win to offset a thunderous loss would be a career boost for Johnson indeed.
Expect both men to go for broke in Connecticut this weekend.
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