By Cliff Rold

One of two excellent matches made at 115 lbs. for the undercard of Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor II this Saturday in Las Vegas, the all-southpaw showdown between WBC titlist Cristian Mijares (33-3-2, 14 KO) of Mexico and 2000 U.S. Olympian Jose Navarro (26-3, 12 KO) of Los Angeles, California promises some high-level fistic chess of consequence.  For Navarro, 26, it marks his fourth title shot and his first such shot in his home country.  For Mijares, also 26, it marks the next logical progression for a fighter who turned pro at the age of fifteen, hasn’t lost since 2002, and now finds himself as a thinking man’s candidate for future pound-for-pound consideration.

Navarro’s three previous title opportunities at Jr. Bantamweight were all losing efforts but that was not for lack of trying and one case of mischievous judging.  In January 2005, Navarro traveled to Japan for a shot at then-lineal World champion Katsushige Kawashima and appeared to get the best of the action.  Boxing beautifully, he outlanded and outhustled the Asian power puncher towards what should have been a lopsided decision victory. 

What should be in boxing is not always so.  One judge had Navarro winning all twelve rounds of the fight and that may well have been the case.  The other two judges gave Kawashima the fight by narrow margins and that remains, even now, a hard case to make.  Navarro fell well short in his next shot, in February 2006 against Kawashima conqueror Masamori Tokuyama.  It was an excusable loss against the best Jr. Bantamweight of the 2000’s.  He fell just short last October in an IBF title shot against Dimitri Kirilov in Russia.  Navarro has shown himself to belong with the top of the division but he has yet to truly ascend there himself.

Mijares won’t make it easy.  In his last eleven bouts, Mijares has stopped veteran Gerson Guerrero, drawn with a then-undefeated Luis Maldonado, and twice bested Kawashima (by decision and stoppage for his WBC belt).  All of those bouts were precursors to his star making turn last April.

In a featured spot on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao-Jorge Solis, Mijares defended his claim to the title vacated by a retiring Tokuyama against the more famous, but less polished, former World Jr. Flyweight champion Jorge Arce.  The southpaw Mijares fought like a revelation to those in the U.S. market who hadn’t seen his similarly masterful fare against Kawashima, blunting Arce’s offense with a long jab, snapping left hand and well-timed uppercuts.

Both of these young men are well-schooled in their craft but whose schooling will prevail in the coming weekend exam?  Let’s go to the report card.

Speed: It’s hard to say who has the speed advantage in this bout.  Neither is slow nor is either likely to catch a chicken on the first pass.  Mijares throws the better shots from range; Navarro the better inside stuff.  Their reach is identical and their height almost so.  This will be a bout where timing will matter more than raw speed.  If Navarro can get his jab landing in front of Mijares’s, then he will have the chance to land short hooks, body shots and step out at angles to start again.  If he does not, then Mijares will be able to target his left hand and control Navarro’s offense.  It should be intriguing as each man is well seasoned and the momentum could go back and forth.  Pre-Fight Grades: Mijares B+; Navarro B+

Power: Is there an advantage here?  Both Navarro and Mijares hit hard enough to command respect but each also has a knockout percentage below 50%.  Combine that with the fact that each has shown a solid beard and, short of a cut, there will be 36 minutes of boxing from this one.  If there is to be a stoppage though, it is more likely to be from Mijares who showed against Guerrero and Kawashima that he can become so overwhelming in his offense that he can prevent a sturdy foe from seeing the finish line.  Pre-Fight Grades: Mijares C; Navarro C-

Defense: Part of the fact that neither Navarro nor Mijares has ever been stopped in that they have proven tough to hit clean repeatedly.  That doesn’t mean they can’t be hit.  Navarro fights with his arms tighter to his body, allowing him to block with his arms and elbows; Mijares can do the same but may be better at using his gloves to deflect shots.  Each also uses offensive steadiness to stem incoming fire.  This category is a strong indication of the sort of thinking man’s battle in store.  Pre-Fight Grades: Mijares B+; Navarro B+

Intangibles: It’s hard to say which man will have an edge in mental toughness.  Navarro’s loss to Kirilov was a case of a close fight that just got away and the loss against Tokuyama was a case of losing to a superior fighter.  He didn’t fold in either bout.  Like Olympic teammate Rocky Juarez, Navarro could be relegated to being a just-missed guy but for the Kawashima fight.  In that bout, he traveled to hostile territory and showed he could perform under pressure.  This fight presents the most pressure he has ever faced, the likely last chance he’ll have to cross over into the elite.  Mijares has shown that he has elite talent, with a selection of perfected punches that are hard to miss.  He has also shown that, under pressure against Kawashima and Arce, he can exceed expectations.  Pressure is the key word though; Mijares star-making turns have come against men who look for the knockout.  Saturday, we’ll find out if he can handle world class fare looking primarily to win on points.  This will be a fight decided on will and ring intellect and Mijares, who learned his trade almost entirely as a professional, should have a slight edge.  Pre-Fight Grades: Mijares A-; Navarro B

Overall Pre-Fight Report Card: Mijares B+; Navarro B

The winner of this fight finds themselves in the thick of a division once again as hot as any in the game.  With notable paychecks out there like Vic Darchinyan, the winner of Martin Castillo-Fernando Montiel, and perhaps even Flyweight Nonito Donaire down the road, the stakes couldn’t be higher for two men who couldn’t be much lower on the scale.  The chance that each man will force his opponent to adjust and readjust throughout the night could provide a counter-punching clinic that allows fans to learn as well as cheer.  On paper, Mijares appears to hold the hotter and more complete hand but Navarro will be certain to bring his A game.  This fight may be the toughest to pick of the night, but with a gun to the head the pick is Mijares by majority decision. 

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com