Prospect Spotlight: Sadam Ali
Few knew Sadam Ali’s name prior to Saturday’s fight with Luis Carlos Abregu. They certainly weren’t aware of his amateur background, the fact that he was the first Arab-American to represent the United States in the Olympics, and definitely weren’t aware that he was budding star in the sport. Sadam Ali entered Saturday’s fight in a strange position. He didn’t have to fight a guy like Abregu. He could’ve been matched against easier opponents like the rest of the young Golden Boy welterweights had been and spent year scoring easy knockouts.
Ali isn’t that kind of guy. Instead he took on one of the best welterweights out there who didn’t have a recognizable name. How he won was exactly the way you want to see a prospect win. It was a boxing passage of rites. He shed the prospect tag and now stands amongst the welterweight contenders after stopping Abregu. The manner of the stoppage answered plenty of questions about Ali’s future. Can he outbox a cagey opponent with an indiscernible rhythm? Yes. Can he land clean counters when his opponent chooses to open up? Yes. Does he have the power in both hands? Absolutely.
One crucial factor to Ali’s win was his struggle. He didn’t look perfect and it’s better that he didn’t. We got a chance to learn about Abregu and see him learn in real-time. He didn’t create fantasies like you see with guys like Golovkin who knock everything out by breathing on opponents. No, Ali had some lapses and Abregu mostly made him pay a few times. It was nice to see Ali adjust and pull out a victory in spite of certain areas in his game that need refinement.
If Bernard Hopkins is to be believed about what he said in his post-fight interview, we can expect to see Ali take an even bigger step with his next opponent. Golden Boy seems set on matching their fighters against the best opponents available and Ali will be the first real chance we get to see if they’re serious about it. Ali, in my assessment, is ready for the Guerrero’s and Khan’s of the world. He may not win, but he may also surprise us. Few picked him to beat Abregu and he rose to the occasion. As a budding star in the sport, this may be his calling card. The overlooked kid who just continues to win.
