Viktor Faust vs Lenier Pero Preview February 11th, 2023
There’s an intriguing heavyweight bout on tap this Saturday, February 11th between two unbeaten hopefuls as Viktor Faust (Viktor Vykhryst) of Ukraine takes on Lenier Pero of Cuba. The 10-round tilt from San Antonio, Texas can be seen live in America on Showtime. Faust last fought in December when he beat Franklin Lawrence by an eight-round unanimous decision while Pero last saw action in August when he stopped Joel Caudle in just 149 seconds.
Faust vs Pero Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Lenier Pero +110
- Viktor Faust -140
My Pick
The 30-year-old Faust now fights out of Las Vegas, Nevada and has 46 rounds of experience under his belt since making his pro debut in 2020. He enjoyed an extensive amateur career which saw him fight in the 2017 EUBC European Championships where he beat Frazer Clarke in the final. He also won gold at the 2019 European Games in Minsk but lost in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympic qualifiers and fought in the World Series of Boxing where he was stopped by Joe Joyce in two rounds in 2015.
Faust measures in at 6-feet-5-inches tall with an 81-inch reach and carries quite a bit of power in his punches with a current knockout ratio of 63.6 per cent. He owns a perfect record of 11-0 with 7 Ko’s but has been brought along slowly as a pro as his biggest wins have been against aging veteran Kevin Johnson as well as Iago Kilzade. His fight against Kilzade was a short slugfest as Faust was dropped in the first and second round and Kilzade was down twice in the first round and once in the second frame.
As for Pero, he’s a 30-year-old southpaw who fights out of Miami, Florida and also climbs through the ropes with a perfect mark as he’s 8-0 with 5 Ko’s and just 28 rounds of experience since turning pro in 2019. He also had an extensive amateur career with well over 100 bouts and fought in the World Series of Boxing. He was beaten as an amateur and by Frazer Clarke, Joe Joyce and Frank Sanchez but also had several victories over Sanchez and won the 2011 Cuban National Championships.
He also won gold at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games as well as the 2010 Youth Olympics and Youth World Championships. Pero represented his homeland at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and was stopped by Filip Hrgovic in his second bout. As a pro, He’s won the vacant WBA Fedelatin Heavyweight Title as he stopped Jorge Arias in the second round in 2020 but hasn’t fought anybody of note. Pero stands just over 6-feet-4-inches tall with a 79-inch reach so gives up two inches in reach to Faust. He also carries quite a bit of power with a current knockout ratio of 62.5 per cent.
Prediction…
We have two unbeaten heavyweight prospects here who are both 30 years old and were former amateur stars. Neither man has fought a contender as of yet and they’re both heavy hitters with somewhat questionable chins. This could be reminiscent of the Faust vs Kilzade fight which saw five knockdowns in just two rounds. This contest will probably come down to who owns the better chin and that’s really a tossup. This can go either way but I think I’ll go with Pero on a hunch.
Whoever has the better chin should be the last man standing.
Play: Pero +110 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Lenier Pero betting • Viktor Faust betting