Middleweight prospect Joey Spencer and junior featherweight contender Ra’eese Aleem both scored victories in prelims for tonight’s Ruiz vs. Ortiz undercard, setting the action in Los Angeles in high gear.
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Spencer (16-0, 10 KOs), 22, made a decision over Kevin Salgado (14-1-1, 9 KOs) in a fight that never really developed much from where it started, sticking to the same middle ground. pace from the first lap.
The scores were . Bad Left Hook had it 98-92 for Spencer.
Spencer, looking like a good prospect but with a pretty hefty push from PBC and FOX, seemed like he had added some nice wrinkles to his game, particularly defensively, but there will still be non-promotional group questions about his upside and how he it will go well when the competition really gets tougher.
But it’s a good win. Salgado (14-1-1, 9 KOs) really could and maybe should have tried to pick up the pace a little bit more, as Spencer looked comfortable throughout, which, coupled with a solid jab, was probably the biggest positive. of the Michigan native’s performance.
Since Salgado didn’t pick up the pace or make Spencer uncomfortable, it turned into a boring fight that took up some time on FOX and allowed them to try to sell PPV at the last minute.
Ra’eese Aleem UD-10 Mike Plania
Aleem, who is a legitimate contender at 122 pounds and beat Plania by scores of 100-89 across the board, with a dubious second-round takedown call accounting for the extra point of Plania’s totals.
Bad Left Hook also had it 100-89, and it’s really the only score you could have. Plania (26-2, 13 KO) never came close to winning a round, let alone this fight, as Aleem (20-0, 12 KO) was too good for him. The FOX commentary kept trying desperately to say this was “competitive,” but it wasn’t; Plania was outclassed by Aleem, from start to finish.
The loss snaps an 11-fight win streak for the 25-year-old Plania, and the peak of that streak came early in the Top Rank on ESPN “bubble” era, when he beat Joshua Greer Jr. It was a solid win, but “Magic” Mike didn’t get a chance to develop it either; in more than two years, his only other fights were wins over Emmanuel Mogawa and Ricardo Nunez, a club fighter and veteran B-side.
This was his chance to legitimize himself as a contender, and it didn’t happen, but he’s still young enough to bounce back and he’s a tough guy who can fight. However, Aleem is a real contender in a division that badly needs them right now. At 32, Aleem is as polished a product as he will ever be, and if he can fight champions Stephen Fulton Jr or Murodjon Akhmadaliev, it’s about time he did, and I’m sure he’s okay with that. .
