By Francisco Salazar
Steven Nelson has built his success as a pro at 175 pounds, but a move down to the super middleweight division could be the best move he could make to fight for a world title belt.
Nelson will face gatekeeper Derrick Findley Sunday afternoon at the Century Link Parking Lot in Nelson’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. The 10-round bout will headline a B & B Boxing Promotions card.
The 31-year-old Nelson (14-0, 11 knockouts) was victorious in his last bout on May 25 in Kissimmee, Florida, stopping Victor Darocha of Brazil in round seven. Nelson has now stopped seven of his last nine opponents.
Nelson has benefitted from working with trainer Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre and training alongside former undisputed junior welterweight champion and current WBO welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford. Based on what Nelson has done thus far as a pro and the improvements he has made in the gym, McIntyre believes the unbeaten fighter can compete against the best fighters at 168 pounds.
“Nelson (will be) making a statement in the super middleweight division,” McIntyre told BoxingScene on Thursday.
Sunday will be a solid test for Nelson as he faces a fighter in Findley who has faced world titleholders, contenders and unbeaten prospects. The 35-year-old Findley has been fighting as a pro since October of 2005.
Findley (32-26-1, 22 KOs), who is originally from Chicago and now resides in Merrillville, Indiana, lost by unanimous decision to prospect Triantafyllos Mavidis of Greece on June 13. Prior to the loss to Mavidis, Findley had won four of his previous five bouts.
In the co-feature, bantamweight prospect Lawrence Newton will square off against Daniel Lozano in an eight-round bout.
Newton (12-0, 7 KOs), who is originally from Boynton Beach, Florida and now lives and trains in Omaha, defeated Jonathan Garza by unanimous decision in his last bout on Apr. 20. Newton has faced stiffer opposition over his last four bouts, but Lozano will be the best fighter he has faced on paper.
According to McIntyre, the 23-year-old Nelson has a lot of upside and could noise at 118 pounds.
“I’m looking for Newton to continue to rack up wins and to climb up the bantamweight division,” McIntyre told Boxingscene.
Lozano (15-7, 11 KOs), who is of Puerto Rican descent and now lives in Bowling Green, Florida, has been a staple of ‘Boxeo Telemundo’ telecast over the last several months.
The 29-year-old Lozano also fought on the same fight card Nelson saw action on May 25, losing by unanimous decision to former world junior bantamweight titleholder Carlos Cuadras of Mexico. He has lost six of his last eight bouts.
Junior featherweight Abel Soriano (9-0, 6 KOs) of nearby Bellevue, Nebraska will face Atlanta’s Rondarius Hunter (4-5-1, 3 KOs) in a six-round bout.
Welterweight Jose Jacobo (6-0, 1 KO) will square off against North Dakota’s Justin Likeness (1-1-2) in a six-round bout.
Treven Coleman (6-2, 3 KOs) will take on unbeaten Ronnell Burnett (3-0, 1 KO) of Kansas City, Missouri in a six-round lightweight bout.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
