Preview: Dusty Hernandez-Harrison vs Eddie Soto This Saturday At UDC

Photos by Gautham Nagesh for StiffJab.com

by Gautham Nagesh

If you read this blog at all, you know we’re extremely upbeat about the both the present and future of DMV boxing. The current kingpins of D.C. will be on display in Atlantic City this weekend, but the next generation of stars will be honing their craft this Saturday at a more local (and appropriate) venue: the University of the District of Columbia Sports Complex.

Stiff Jab 2012 Prospect of the Year Dusty Hernandez-Harrison will continue his journey at welterweight with a step up against Eddie Soto of Pawtucket, R.I. Soto started his career with 12 straight wins before losing his last six, four by stoppage. As an opponent, Soto fits with Team Dusty’s plan to keep the risk low while exposing Dusty to various styles and skill levels. Harrison is also fighting at home for the first time this year after two bouts in Delaware and one in Mississippi.

“I’m happy to be home. Everybody missed me, they keep asking me when I’m coming home, so I’m glad to finally be back,” Dusty said at Monday’s media workout. “It should be the biggest fight yet that I’ve had.”[[MORE]]

The fight should also serve as an early birthday celebration for Dusty, who turns 19 on May 21st. It’s hard to believe he will have 15 professional fights under his belt at such a tender age, but Dusty is hardly your typical teenager. He already handles the media and attention like an old pro, moving from national boxing writers to local reporters with ease. Yet he never comes off as someone in search of the spotlight.

“Pressure makes diamonds. If I can’t handle it, it’s not meant to be. Which is why I’m going to college,” Harrison said.

Dusty described Soto as a shorter fighter that likes to look for the big punch by jumping in with the overhand right or left hook. Dusty will look to avoiding those lunging shots and counter to the body, which is apparently Soto’s weakness. The fight will be Dusty’s second scheduled eight-rounder; the first ended with him stopping Nalo Leal in the third round last November.

“I’m prepared for it to go the distance, but I’m hoping it doesn’t,” Dusty said. “It’s a step up because he’s beat the type of fighters that I’ve beaten.  Just when he tried to step it up, it didn’t work too well for him. So it’s a test for me. I think it’s the perfect type of step-up fight.”

Dusty is predicting a big and raucous crowd at UDC thanks to the slew of local prospects on the card, and the fact the various camps all back each other. Promoter Jeff Fried indicated he’s expecting a sellout; that would be a coup, since capacity at UDC is roughly 3,000. Fans are also expected to pack the Friday weigh-in at 6:00pm at the UDC auditorium.

The home atmosphere should only be enhanced by the fact Dusty recently enrolled at UDC and will start classes there this summer. He demurred when asked for a prediction, but then budged and gave us some indication of his expectations.

“I think the body shots will be bothering him in the middle rounds. That’s all I’ll say,” Harrison said.

The undercard is stacked with local talent, thanks mostly to the efforts of newly minted matchmaker and former boxing scribe Mike Walters. Walters told me he has high hopes fo the co-feature between local heavyweight Phil Brown and Natu Visinia of Lakewood, Cali. Brown hasn’t fought since suffering his only loss by majority decision in 2007. Walters told me Visinia is a big Samoan that can punch. So we’re expecting a knockout, possibly of the spectacular variety.

Stiff Jab favorite Jerry Odom (above) steps in the ring for the fourth time as a professional against Andrew Morias from my neck of the woods in Monroe, Mich. Odom could be the most promising prospect in the region, a decorated amateur and super middleweight with one-punch knockout power at just 20 years of age. After three wins, all by knockout, he remains independent and managed by his uncle, but that should change as more people get a taste of “The King’s Son.” We’ve been working on a story about Jerry for a while, but first we need to think of a new nickname for him.

Stiff Jab 2011 Amateur Boxer of the Year Michael Reed (top left) will fight for the third time as a professional against Christian Daniel, a debutante from that boxing hotbed of Wilson, N.C. Reed is fighting at 140 but plans to move down to lightweight, or even 130 lbs., at some point in the future. He’s a squat southpaw with excellent skills and fantastic pedigree, but remains managed and trained by his father Coach Buck at the moment. No matter; Reed is for real, and he fights out of Dream Team boxing, home of pros like Seth Mitchell and Terron Grant. So he definitely knows what it takes to make a living in the fight game.

The card will also feature light heavyweight Greg Newby of Lime Lite boxing, which is just around the corner in Columbia Heights, D.C. Newby will be looking for his eighth win as a pro and fifth knockout against William Prieto of Lorain, Ohio. We last saw Prieto getting stopped in the first round by Phil Jackson-Benson in November, and expect a similar result here.

Another promising young phenom, Kevin Rivers Jr., will go for his sixth straight knockout and seventh win overall against the tough Jason Rorie of Winston-Salem, N.C. Despite his subpar record, Rorie has been an excellent measuring stick for featherweight prospects like Rivers in the past; he went four rounds with NoVa implant Jerren Cochran just two fights ago. But Rorie has fought less frequently of late, and Rivers is a sparkling talent. We don’t see it lasting more than three rounds.

The card will also feature a pair of bouts matching fighters making their pro debuts: Patrick Coye vs Charles Parker at light heavyweight, and Blair Cobbs vs Dion Richardson at 140. Coye is from Alexandria, Va. and fought amateur locally, though I haven’t seen him fight personally. Parker is from Wilson, N.C., where getting beaten up is apparently one of the only available forms of work for certain young men. Coye should win. We know nothing about Cobbs or Richardson, but Mike tells us it should be a good scrap. Finally, welterweight Charles Natal (1-0-1, 1 KO) of Cleveland takes on Gabriel Morris (4-21-2, 5 KOs) of Toledo.

Card will be at the UDC Sports Complex at 4200 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. Tickets range from $20 for general admissions to $150 for VIP ringside; you can buy them here. Doors open at 6pm, first bell at 7pm. We’ll be ringside, hope to see you there.