By Jake Donovan
The public perception is that Dominic Breazeale is facing his toughest test to date in Fred Kassi. That mindset suits the 2012 U.S. Olympian-turned heavyweight prospect just fine, as long as with that viewpoint comes the proper credit once he passes the test.
“Just remember what you said before the fight, and make sure it applies to when I win,” Breazeale (15-0, 14KOs) said of the fight, which airs live on NBC from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama (Premier Boxing Champions, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. local time).
The bout serves as the televised co-main event to ‘Bama’s own Deontay Wilder in a heavyweight title defense versus Johann Duhaupas. In all there are four heavyweight fights that figure to gain airtime between NBC and NBC Sports Network over the course of the evening.
“A lot of competition, and I’m setting the bar high for myself. It’s NBC, you have to bring your best,” said Breazeale, whose most recent performance—a 3rd round knockout of Yasmany Consuerga in June— also played on the free-to-air network.
Breazeale has only been extended the distance just once, an eight-round decision over Nagy Aguilara last April. All 14 career knockouts have come in four rounds or less, an interesting statistic considering his reputation for being a slow starter.
It’s a flaw he has worked on in training camp and promises to have corrected by opening bell. Motivation to come out quick stems from his viewing his opponent’s last fight, when Kassi surprisingly fought to a 10-round draw with an unmotivated Chris Arreola in July.
“I watched that fight and told Al (Haymon, Breazeale’s adviser) that he got lucky Chris let him off the hook like that,” insists the unbeaten heavyweight, a former starting quarterback at University of Northern Colorado who took up boxing shortly after graduating in 2008. “Put that version in with me, and he won’t last three rounds.”
Kassi is a no-nonsense fighter who believes the same game plan could very well work tonight. It was enough to prevent Arreola from actually appearing in tonight’s main event versus Wilder.
“Man, I wish I had that same setting because I’m chasing that green (WBC) belt, too,” Breazeale reflects on that fight. “I got my shot now to make something happen, and I’m well-prepared. I’m treating this like my heavyweight title fight, ready to impress the NBC viewers at home.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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