‘Aquí el boxeador soy yo’, afirma el rival de aspirante cubano a faja mundial
Félix Varela tiene madera de predicador. Antes que los golpes, el dominicano (15-1, 13 KO) lleva la palabra de su religión cristiana como un estandarte que muestra sin miedo, incluso frente a una pelea tan peligrosa como la de este sábado en el Garden de Nueva York contra Sullivan Barrera.
Pero quién le ha visto pelear sabe que su palabra se vuelve acero en el fragor de la batalla. El cubano (20-1, 14 KO) se haría un flaco favor si no toma en serio a este rival que se antoja una suerte de puerta hacia un posible enfrentamiento contra el campeón Dmitry Bivol.
Una persona que forma parte del campamento del quisqueyano -y que este reportero conoce bien- alertó que "Varela va preparado a guerrera 12 asaltos. Puede complicar a Sullivan si este se confía''.
De modo que guerra avisada, no mata a soldado.
¿Cómo ha sido la preparación para esta pelea?
"Mejor imposible. He finalizado en Miami todo el plan de trabajo y he contado con apoyo de muchas personas para que los entrenamientos se dieran sin problemas, así que con el favor de Dios voy listo para llevarme la victoria y aspirar a cosas grandes''.
¿Te molesta que no seas el favorito, que al menos no te vean así?
"No, para nada, a estas alturas de mi carrera ya no me preocupo por eso. Mi única preocupación es lo que he hecho en las semanas previas al combate y lo que haré cuando suene la campana. Molestarme por que la gente piense que él va a ganar sería perder el tiempo''.
¿Qué es lo que más valoras en Barrera?
"Su pegada. No se puede negar que ha enfrentado a rivales de calidad y se ve que el hombre pega, pero yo tengo mi boxeo, mi rapidez de manos y piernas, y acumulo más experiencia en lo profesional. Creo que puedo contrarrestar esa fuerza''.
¿Entonces le piensas ganar con habilidades?
"No quiero abundar mucho sobre el tema. No voy a revelar mis armas, Creo que él va a venir a buscarme y ahí es donde intentaré sorprenderlo. El va a venir para encima y yo le voy a caminar el ring. Aquí el boxeador soy yo. No es primera vez que me enfrento a alguien con mucha fuerza y pegada''.
¿Cómo Dmitry Bivol, el actual campeón de la AMB?
"Sí, ese ruso tiene fuerza, pero le aguanté a pie firme. Todo el mundo vio cómo le ganó al australiano [Trent Broadhurst] en su última pelea para llevarse la faja del mundo. Aprendí de esa derrota que no puedo perder la calma, sino ser más inteligente''.
Bivol te arrebató una corona interina, ¿crees que puedes volver a ser rey en tu peso?
"Si no lo creyera, no estuviera aquí en los entrenamientos, listo para subir al ring con uno de los mejores en las 175 libras. Antes de perder con Bivol yo me encontraba invicto, y solo tengo esa derrota en mi record. Y el me gana porque me cortó y ya todo no fue igual. Soy un boxeador más experimentado y una vez que supere a Barrera, cualquier cosa puede suceder. Si le gano a Barrera quiero a Kovalev''.
Pero esa división ligero pesada está demasiado fuerte.
"Nada me asusta, con Dios por delante no hay nada imposible''.
Category | Sullivan Barrera | Felix Valera |
Age | 35 | 29 |
Record | 20-1 (14 KOs) | 15-1 (13 KOs) |
Strength | Barrera has solid endurance and a granite chin. He has a strong jab that he uses well and has shown great patience in breaking his opponents down. | Valera is a crafty southpaw who has one-punch knockout power in both hands. He moves around well and does his best to utilize the whole ring to his advantage. |
Weakness | Sullivan is known to get somewhat wild, he needs to keep it together and stay sharp in order to avoid one of his opponent's thundering blows. | Felix gets careless at times. He likes to drop his guard and taunt his opposition. Barrera is a sharp fighter who can capitalize on this if Felix is not careful. |
Experience | He is an experienced fighter who has been in with some of the best fighters in the division: Andre Ward, Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, Karo Murat and Joe Smith Jr. Barrera He came back from a first-round knockdown in his last fight against Smith Jr. to secure a unanimous decision victory. His ability to overcome adversity has made him a stronger fighter. | Although, he has not faced the same level of opposition as Barrera, Valera is still a former world champion. He managed to accomplish a lot in his career despite only being 16 pro fights deep. He earned the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight World Championship against Stanislav Kashtanov in Russia before losing it to current titleholder Dmitry Bivol. |
Power | Sullivan has a powerful jab and a devastating right hand that has been very influential in a majority of his stoppage wins. | Valera delivers thunderous blows to his opponents. He relies heavily on his power, which has been a very successful strategy thus far. |
Speed | Sullivan has average speed and maintains a steady pace throughout the fight. He understands when to turn it up a notch if he feels he can finish his opponent. | Valera uses many different gears in hopes of throwing his opponents of off their game. |
Endurance | Barrera proved he could go 12 rounds when he came up short in a decision loss to former titleholder Andre Ward. He also earned a 10-round decision win over ranked contender Joe Smith Jr. in his most recent bout. | After starting his career with 11 knockout wins, all occurring in the first and second rounds, Valera proved that he is durable when he captured the WBA title in a 12-round decision win over Stanislav Kashtanov. |
Accuracy | Sullivan's is on point when he gets his jab going and puts his punches together behind the jab. | Felix does not utilize his jab as well as his opponent. |
Defense | If he commits to the jab, then Barrera can be very effective in taking his opponents out of their element, making it that much more difficult to get anything going offensively. | Although he relies heavily on his power, Valera is a very effective defensively. He is very agile in the ring and is a sharp counter puncher. |
Chin | Sullivan has a granite chin. He has been knocked down in prior bouts, but has risen to the occasion to finish strong. | Valera has a solid chin. He was the first opponent to overcome knockdowns and go the distance with knockout artist and current titleholder Dmitry Bivol. |
Style | Sullivan is a technical fighter that likes to stick his jab and set up his shots. He also has a brawling style that inevitably comes out when his opponents show that they are willing to engage. | Valera is a knockout artist and a crafty southpaw who relies heavily on his power. He also likes to taunt his opponents, hoping to catch them off-guard and deliver one of his many thunderous blows. |
Intangibles | Barrera has taken on some of the division's best fighters in recent years. He has been extremely vocal about his desire to fight the best in the world on his way to a title shot. There are very few light heavyweights riding the same momentum and, after taking out two of the biggest punchers in the division in Joe Smith Jr and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, he will risk his ranking against another heavy-hitter in Felix Valera. A win over Valera can almost guarantee Sullivan his long-awaited shot at the world championship. | In just 16 professional bouts, Felix Valera has already made a name for himself in the light heavyweight division. He earned the WBA world title in his 13thpro bout and although he lost the title in his next fight, he lasted 12rounds against one of the biggest punchers in the sport, Dmitry Bivol. Since then, Valera has gotten back to his winning ways and is aiming to seize an opportunity by taking out one of the hottest fighters at 175 lb in Sullivan Barrera. A win over Barrera will catapult him into the top of the ratings. |
The Match-Up | 1. Will Barrera be looking past Valera to future fights? 2. Is Valera in over his head with an active Barrera? 3. Will Barrera be able to handle the power of Valera? 4. Will Valera be mentally prepared for his first fight on US soil on such a big stage? | |
Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 22 de noviembre de 2017, 3:23 p. m. with the headline "‘Aquí el boxeador soy yo’, afirma el rival de aspirante cubano a faja mundial."