The Bantam Menace

Some of the toughest SOBs on the planet are no larger than your osteoporosis-ridden grandmother. Take, for instance, Jorge “Babyface” Lacierva, a super bantamweight fighter from Mexico. If the 112-pound, five-foot-four-inch Hobbit-like man hit on your girlfriend in a bar, you’d probably feel pretty confident you could pound him. You, of course, would receive a very rude awakening (or more appropriately, a rude sleeping, since you’d be unconscious). Though the term bantam derives from a species of diminutive chickens, Lacierva and his contemporaries are anything but. This Friday, Babyface (34-7) takes on Colombian Feider Viloria (21-3) for the WBC Latino Super Bantamweight title at Miccosukee Resort & Gaming (500 SW 177th Ave., Miami).

The puny-pugilist party includes six undercard bouts prior to Lacierva-Viloria, ranging from welterweight to super featherweight. So head toward the swamp and get a lesson on how size doesn’t matter.
Fri., Oct. 17, 2008