Oscar Defends The Lot In Oceanside
Right then — over to California, where one of the most underrated champions in the sport goes back to work. Collazo vs Canoy headlines a Golden Boy show at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside on Saturday, June 20, live on DAZN. Oscar Collazo puts his unified strawweight world titles on the line against the battle-hardened Filipino Joey Canoy. If you sleep on the little men, you are missing some of the best fighting on the planet.
Let's not beat around the bush: Collazo (14-0) is the real deal. A top-ten pound-for-pound operator, he is making yet another defence of the WBO crown he ripped off Melvin Jerusalem, and he has looked levels above the division every time out. Collazo vs Canoy is, on paper, a champion taking care of business — but Canoy is no tomato can.
Why Collazo Is The Class Of 105lbs
Make no mistake, Oscar Collazo is a brilliant little fighter. The Puerto Rican southpaw punches harder than a 105-pounder has any right to, he is technically gorgeous, and he finishes when he hurts you. He has blown away good fighters and made it look routine. At his best, he is one of the most complete champions in the whole sport regardless of weight.
The motivation is there too. Collazo wants the undisputed crown at strawweight and the only way to it is to keep cleaning out mandatories and contenders like Canoy. Get this one done in style and the path to a unification showdown opens right up.
What Canoy Brings
Here's where Collazo vs Canoy earns its keep: Joey Canoy is a proper veteran. The 32-year-old southpaw has been a pro since 2012, he is riding a long unbeaten streak, and like Collazo he owns a win over Jerusalem. He has waited his whole career for a world title shot and he is not coming to Oceanside for the scenery. Awkward, durable and dangerous — exactly the kind of opponent who can drag a champion into the trenches.
The Worry For Canoy
It is levels, plain and simple. Canoy has earned this shot but he has not shared a ring with anyone as gifted as Collazo. The southpaw-versus-southpaw puzzle is tricky, but Collazo is the smarter, sharper and harder hitter, and that gap usually tells against a fighter stepping up this late in his career.
My Prediction
I'm not sitting on the fence. Canoy has the heart and the know-how to make Collazo work for a few rounds, but I think Oscar's class and power are simply too much. Collazo by stoppage in the second half — somewhere around rounds eight to ten — once Canoy has emptied his best work and the champion turns the screw. Bank on Collazo, and make a point of watching the little man while he's this good.