Luke Campbell vs Argenis Mendez Preview July 30th
Lightweight contenders Luke Campbell of England and Argenis Mendez of the Dominican Republic will square off in a 12-round bout for the vacant WBC Silver Lightweight Championship at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England this Saturday, July 30th. Campbell last fought in March and stopped Gary Sykes in the second round. Mendez was last in the ring against Robert Easter Jr. in April and was stopped in the fifth round. Both boxers need an impressive win here if they hope to get a world title shot in the future. Mendez knows what it’s like to be a world champ as he’s a former IBF Super Featherweight titleholder. The bout can be seen live in the UK on Sky Sports.
Campbell vs Mendez Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook 5dimes.eu
- Argenis Mendez +700
- Luke Campbell -1100
My Pick
The once-beaten 28-year-old Campbell is now 13-1 with 11 Kos to his name. Campbell is a southpaw who stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 71-inch reach. He only turned pro in 2013 and has 69 rounds under his belt up to now. He’s got good power with a current knockout ratio of 79 per cent. Campbell, who hails from the city of Hull, won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England. He’s handled the pro game just as well as the amateurs with his only loss come at the hands of Yvan Mendy by way of a 12-round split decision last December 12th.
Campbell lost his WBC International Lightweight title in that bout, but he won the vacant Commonwealth Lightweight crown against Sykes in April. Campbell has progressed okay as a pro, but failed the test when he met his first world-class solid opponent in Mendy. However, he did manage to meet fellow Hull native Tommy Coyle by 10th-round TKO last August. Campbell possesses fine boxing skills to go along with his power and is generally regarded as a fan-friendly boxer.
Mendez lost his IBF Super Featherweight Championship against Rances Barthelemy of Cuba two years ago, but lost a 12-round unanimous decision. The two combatants originally squared off in Minnesota six months earlier when Mendez was dropped twice in the second round and the referee stopped the contest. However, the boxing commission reversed the referee’s call and changed it to a no decision after video replays showed Mendez was hit after the bell. Mendez is now 30 years old and climbs into the ring with a record of 23-4-1 with 12 Kos.
The 30-year-old Mendez is the same size as Campbell with a 71-inch reach and also stands 5-feet-9 inches tall. His draw came against Arash Usmanee in a 12-round affair in August of 2013 in a title defence. Mendez had captured the IBF super featherweight title by stopping Juan Carlos Salgado in the fourth round in March of 2013. Mendez isn’t considered a one-punch knockout artist as his current knockout ratio is just 41 per cent in the 181 rounds he’s fought since turning pro in 2006.
Mendez has been stopped once, which was in his last outing against Easter Jr. in April. Along with losing to Barthelemy, he’s also dropped decisions to Juan Carlos Salgado in 2011 and Jaime Sandoval in 2008. He’s fought some decent boxers during his career including Martin Honorio, and Miguel Vazquez. This will be a good test for him as he has the chance to prove his loss to Easter was nothing more than an off night.
Prediction……
This is another tough fight to call as Mendez has fought better opponents, but has been beaten four times and also stopped once. Campbell struggled a bit against Mendy and lost a close decision even he was the hometown fighter. This should be a relatively close affair with both boxers having their moments. Don’t be surprised by any result, but let’s go for Campbell by decision or late stoppage.
This could go either way, so there should be some action on Mendez.
Play: Campbell -1100 @ 5dimes.eu
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Argenis Mendez betting • Luke Campbell betting