Jesus Soto-Karass vs Yoshihiro Kamegai Preview April 15th
Veteran Mexican slugger Jesus Soto Karass will be taking on Japan’s Yoshihiro Kamegai this Friday, April 15th at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, California. The 10-round super-welterweight bout can be seen live in the U.S. on the Estrella television network and has the potential to be an extremely exciting contest. Soto Karass has never been a world champion, but he’s faced some of the best boxers in the welterweight and junior middleweight divisions over the years. He may not have beaten the top names out there, but he’s always been more than competitive. Kamegai is known to North American fans for his 12-round slugfest with Robert Guerrero in June of 2014.
Soto-Karass vs Kamegai Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook 5dimes.eu
- Yoshihiro Kamegai +200
- Jesus Soto-Karass -240
My Pick
The 33-year-old Soto-Karass will enter the ring with a record of 28-10-3 along with 18 Kos. He’s fought the likes of Keith Thurman, Mike Jones, Marcos Maidana, Vince Philips, Yuri Foreman and Devon Alexander and is the only man to stop former welterweight titleholder Andre Berto. Soto-Karass may have some ring rust to deal with though as his last outing was a unanimous decision loss to Alexander back in June of 2014. The 33-year-old Kamegai climbs through the ropes with a mark of 26-3-1 and has 23 Kos under his belt. His biggest fights have been against Guerrero, Johan Perez and Alfonso Gomez, which were all losses by unanimous decision.
Karass and Kamegai are known more for their brawling abilities than their boxing finesse. They’re both tough with a lot of heart and heavy fists. The matchup in styles should provide fans with some good entertainment. Soto-Karass is 5-feet-9-inches tall and has a 72-inch reach while Kamegai is 5-foot-9 with a wingspan of 71 inches. Soto-Karass has been stopped three times, by Thurman, Maidana, and Gabriel Rosado, so his chin is questionable at this stage of his career. His own knockout ratio stands at 43 per cent and he’s fought 302 rounds since turning pro in 2001. Kamegai has 166 rounds under his belt since 2005 and has a knockout ratio of 77 per cent.
But while Soto-Karass may throw a lot of punches each round, his connect percentage isn’t too impressive. This means he could leave himself open for Kamegai to pick him off with punishing counter shots. Kamegai will also need to show Karass he possesses decent power if he hopes to keep him at bay. The Japanese slugger has good power in his fists and also has a solid chin as he’s never been stopped. He has the power to turn things around with one or two solid shots if he lands them squarely on Soto-Karass’ jaw. The Japanese boxer also likes to keep busy once the bell rings and this could cause a problem for Soto-Karass if he’s not 100 per cent ready.
Prediction……
Both of these boxers like to throw punches and aren’t afraid to take two or three shots to land one of their own. This makes it a fan friendly fight which should produce some fireworks along the way and possibly a knockdown or two. Their chins will definitely be tested and the one who can take the best shot will certainly have the advantage. Fans should expect both boxers to just keep moving forward in an attempt to break the other down with powerful shots to the head and body and little use for any boxing skills. Kamegai’s best chance here is to jump on Soto-Karass right from the opening bell to see just how rusty he is. He needs to press the action against the Mexican before he has the chance to settle into a rhythm. Look for Kamegai to eventually stop Soto-Karass before the final bell.
This is a coin toss so both boxers should be seeing some wagering action.
Play: Kamegai +200 @ 5dimes.eu
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Jesus Soto Karass betting • Yoshihiro Kamegai betting