PICK'EM FIGHT By Jeff Mayweather

On Saturday, January 25th at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula, California two very interesting fights will take place. Vernon "The Viper" Forrest vs Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga in the Main Event and Nate "The Galaxy Warrior" Campbell vs Olympic Gold medalist and former Jr. Lightweight Champion Joel "Cepillo" Casamayor.

Every true fight fan knows Vernon Forrest and feels he's certain to retain his I.B.F and W.B.C versions of the Welterweight Title and pick up the W.B.A version as well, to appoint himself the Undisputed Welterweight King. Mayorga will certainly come to fight, but if picking the winner based solely on skills Vernon should emerge victorious.

In the Co-Main Event it isn't so easy to pick a clear-cut winner. Casamayor is the better boxer of the two while Nate Campbell is definitely the better puncher. Casamayor is a little more heralded than Campbell so the general fight fan would lean toward Casamayor, but upon close examination of both records neither one stands out above the other. Their competition is probably on even ground. Casamayor may have fought one or two names in the division while Campbell may have fought only one.

In Casamayor's biggest fight he lost to a guy that reminds me a lot of Nate Campbell. Campbell appears to be just as good if not a little better than Acelino Freitas. Nate Campbell has not yet been in with a polished boxer on the level of Casamayor but he does have the punching power to change the outcome at anytime in the fight. I feel Nate Campbell is the underdog, but a very live underdog. If I was a betting man I would pick Campbell. Casamayor has shown at times that he can take a pretty decent punch and can be somewhat elusive.