Nordine Oubaali vs Rau’shee Warren Preview Jan. 19th
The vacant WBC Bantam Championship is on the line at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday when former WBA Super, and IBO Bantamweight Champ Rau’shee Warren of Cincinnati, Ohio takes on unbeaten Nordine Oubaali of France. The 12-round bout can be seen live on Showtime pay-per-view in America while fans in the UK can check it out on ITV 4. Warren last fought in April when he beat Juan Gabriel Medina by an eight-round unanimous decision while Oubaali was also in the ring last April when he stopped Luis Melendez in the second round.
Oubaali vs Warren Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Rau’shee Warren +319
- Nordine Oubaali -379
My Pick
Warren, a southpaw, enters the ring at 16-2 with just 4 kos. He lost his IBO and WBA crowns via a split decision to Zhanat Zhakiyanov of Kazakhstan in February of 2017 in his first defence. The 31-year-old is just over 5-feet-4-inches in height with a 64.5-inch reach. Warren has 126 rounds of pro experience in the bank since turning pro in 2012. He has hardly any power to speak of with just four stoppages to his name and current knockout ratio of 21 per cent.
Warren enjoyed a fine amateur career and fought for the American Olympic team at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, the 2008 Games in Beijing, China and the 2012 Games in London, England. He was also crowned the World Amateur flyweight champion in 2007. In fact, he’s the only American boxer to participate in three Olympic Games. Warren lost his first world title tilt to Juan Carlos Payano by split decision in August of 2015 in a controversial decision.
He had had Payano on the canvas in the 12th and final round and Payano was also deducted a point in the third stanza. However, Warren was deducted two points in the ninth round. Warren then won the rematch in June of 2016 by majority decision and captured the pair of world titles in another close fight. Warren’s a good counterpuncher with fast hands and probably has a bit more power than his record would indicate.
Oubaali is 23 years old and is also a southpaw. He boasts a perfect record of 14-0 along with 11 Kos. He’s obviously got some power in his hands and owns a knockout ratio of 79 per cent. But that being said, five of his 14 opponents have had losing records and he’ll be stepping up in class against Warren. Oubaali won the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Bantamweight Title in December of 2016 when he stopped Julio Cesar Miranda in the 12th round.
He also captured the vacant WBC Silver Bantamweight crown in June of 2017 via a 10th-round TKO over Alejandro Hernandez. He defended it against Mark Anthony Geraldo by seventh-round in December, 2017 and also has a seventh-round win over Iran Diaz in May, 2016. Oubaali is 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 64-inch reach which makes him the same size as Warren. He turned pro in 2014 and has boxed 64 rounds since.
Oubaali is also a former Olympian as he represented France at the 2008 Games in Beijing and the 2012 event in London. He lost to Zou Shiming of China in 2008 and interestingly enough he edged Warren 19-18 on points in 2012 and was beaten 22-18 by Michael Conlan of Ireland.
Prediction…
This is a great matchup for the fans as it’s a rematch of Warren and Oubaali’s 2012 Olympic bout. Since turning pro, Warren has concentrated on his slick boxing skills while Oubaali has developed his power punching attributes. This is a hard one to pick, but as long as Warren can Oubaali’s power he should have a good chance at being able to box his way to victory. However, I have a feeling Oubaali’s going to do just enough to beat Warren once again in another very close contest.
I think Oubaali will beat Warren as a pro the same way he did as an amateur.
Play: Oubaali -379 @ BetOnline.ag
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Nordine Oubaali betting • Rau'shee Warren betting