An Independence Day Belt Worth Winning
Right then, here’s a lovely little wrinkle. On the Mason vs Bell undercard tonight in Cleveland, Carrington makes the first defence of his WBC featherweight title against unbeaten Mexican Palacios — and because it’s July 4, the WBC has put up its one-off Freedom Belt for the winner. Silly gimmick or brilliant bit of theatre? I’m calling it brilliant. A proper title on the line and a shiny keepsake on top of it.
Carrington: Brooklyn Class
Make no mistake, Carrington is one of the slickest young featherweights going. Seventeen wins, no losses, ten stoppages, and he took this belt off Carlos Castro back in January to announce himself as a genuine player at 126. The Brooklyn man is quick, sharp and he sees things a beat before everyone else — that’s the mark of a fighter who’s levels above domestic level and knows it.
First defences can be banana skins, mind. Complacency is the killer. But everything I’ve seen of Carrington says he treats every night like an audition for the pound-for-pound conversation.
Palacios: The Live Underdog
Don’t write off Palacios. The Mexican is 19-0-1 with ten knockouts, a southpaw — the nickname Zurdo gives that away — and he’s the type who comes to spoil the party. He got his U.S. debut win over Sulaiman Segawa in January and he genuinely believes he’s being overlooked again. Fighters with that chip and that awkward left-handed style are exactly how unbeaten records get blemished.
The Key To It
Southpaw versus orthodox always comes down to who controls the lead foot and the jab. If Carrington keeps his shape, controls range and picks Palacios off as he comes in, this is a comfortable points night. If he gets drawn into a scrap and lets the Mexican make it rough on the inside, it gets a lot more interesting than the odds suggest.
My Prediction
No fence-sitting from me. Palacios is game and he’ll nick a couple of rounds by making it ugly, but Carrington is simply the better boxer with the better engine and the sharper mind. I’ve got the champion winning clearly on the cards — a wide unanimous decision, and don’t rule out a late stoppage if Palacios tires chasing. Carrington keeps the belt and adds the Freedom Belt to the mantelpiece.