This should be a fun fight between two come forward fighters who like to let it all go in the ring. Lejarraga is an action fighter who can at any moment stop his opponent or be stopped himself. Jack Flatley is an underrated boxer-puncher who is taking a massive step up in this fight but has the boxing ability to handle himself in the ring.
Kerman Lejarraga is a two weight European champion and is currently on a solid run at European level since he moved up to super welterweight. Similarly to a lot of big punchers he doesn’t have the best chin and is liable to hit the deck in a fight before fighting back and getting the stoppage himself. He’s got power and works to the body well which slows his opponents down as the fights wear on. I think hes both a fighter that looks vulnerable but is also fairly hard to beat in the ring because you either have to clip him early or be prepared to endure twelve rounds looking down the barrel of Kerman “Revolver” Lejarrago as he walks you down.
Jack Flatley has good technical boxing skills and is a bigger puncher than his record suggests. He’s not as big of a puncher as Lejarraga but if he gets the timing on a punch right he should still be able to put Lejarraga down. He’s consistent with his left hook to the body and throws a good amount per round. Something I was particularly impressed with was his jab and how much he uses it. It’s the most basic punch in boxing but also one that can be used in so many different ways and often a neglected punch. I think his defence is decent enough in that Lejarraga will have to work to hit him but he’s also not a slick fighter who preferences defence over offence. Flatley has been dropped before but there’s no shame in getting dropped by Troy Williamson who just showed how much power he has by stopping Ted Cheeseman for the British title. The biggest difficulty for Flatley in this fight is the massive jump in class from the English title level to a European championship in the champions hometown. Some fighters can handle the jump well, Jez Smith is a good example, while others seem out of place and unprepared.
I think Lejarraga’s experience and power will end up being to much for Jack Flatley who is taking a massive step up and has only had six rounds in the last two years. Flatley is a good fighter and will have some success early but if he can’t discourage Lejarraga and Blizt him out early then I think he’ll get broken down and stopped in the second half of the fight. The interesting part of this fight is if Flatley can take Lejarraga’s punches due to being the bigger man who has at times weighed in at 170 pounds. If he can do that then I could see him boxing his way to a decision victory though whether he would get the decision out in Spain is another matter entirely.
Boxing Fulcrum 