"Chris Henry is a modern day Bob Satterfield in terms of punching power and I hope they have a good referee in Romania come April 19th to keep an eye on Adrian Diaconu once Chris has him in trouble, and that will probably be very early on in the fight. Chris has ended the careers of several tough guys that suffered brain damage as a result of Chris putting them on ice and this kid Diaconu is so wide open, I fear his health may be in jeopardy here." Those were the words of boxing analyst and former San Antonio amateur boxing champion Rey Martinez after I asked him for a prediction on the upcoming clash between Chris Henry and Adrian Diaconu on April 19th in Bucharest, Romania for the interim WBC light heavyweight championship. "Adrian is going to suffer a lot of pain and anguish here and, in my opinion, may be hurt quite badly," concluded Martinez.
"Power and aggressiveness are the core products of Chris Henry's offense and this fight will resemble two Mack trucks colliding in an alley," said Houston-based Rock Solid Boxing promoter Cameron Park. "We wouldn't have taken the fight if we didn't think Chris would knock him out and Chris jumped so high, he almost hit the ceiling when we told him he would be fighting Adrian Diaconu as his style is tailor made for a bomber like Chris," Park continued. "I have followed Diaconu ever since he lost in the Olympics and Chris has studied hours and hours of his fights. Diaconu is not going to be in the ring versus an ex-con that learned how to box in the joint, like in his last fight. He is going to be in the ring with an undefeated, law-abiding and clean-living American professional boxing champion and he's going to be in big trouble!" With 17 victories in 21 fights coming by way of knockout, almost everyone who's seen the undefeated light heavyweight from Orange, Texas in action agrees with Park; at least those here in the Bayou City.
Last Thursday, Henry and gifted super middleweight prospect Marcus Johnson went three heated rounds at the Houston proving ground of pain and suffrage, the Savannah Boxing Club and Youth Association on the city's southwest side. The two were as graceful and trim as a couple of Thomson's gazelles and they struck with the suddenness and decisiveness of a coiled coral snake. The shots were punishing, crisp and on target to the head and torso. There was little to choose between the two gladiators after the intense fighting concluded.
Don Mouton was up next for Henry and showed tremendous courage, soaking up the punishment that the aggressive Orange, Texas native put on him in the ring. Henry sent waves of misery through Mouton's body with thudding, cudgel-like punches, but the game Mouton earned his pay as he stubbornly hung in there in spite of the velocity of the incoming artillery he was absorbing. After finishing up work the speed bag, I asked Henry how he thought the fight would pan out. "Diaconu won't have to look for me, that's for sure. I am fighting my fight, coming out and taking care of business. I'm the Boss with the Hot Sauce in there and there's nothing keeping me from winning that championship as I'm coming right at him! Diaconu is an obstacle that I am going to clear and after the fight, he is going to be a casualty; a casualty of War!"
The bout promises to be spectacular and will be televised throughout Europe and Canada. For those lucky enough to have a great satellite package, don't miss out on this one as it promises to deliver in the den of violence that is professional boxing.
