Unbeaten Poll to Face Espinoza in Las Vegas

Upon arriving in North Hollywood to train at the Ten Goose Boxing Club, Venezuelan Jesus Poll was described by trainer Joe Goossen as the type of fighter who could dominate his division.

Reasonable assessment or hyperbole?

An answer could be forthcoming tonight in Las Vegas when Poll puts his unbeaten record (16-0-2, four knockouts) on the line in a 12-round North American Boxing Federation super bantamweight title fight against champion Louie Espinoza (29-2, 23 knockouts).

Poll has hardly looked dominant in winning his first two fights under the Ten Goose banner as he labored to take a pair of 10-round decisions.

And he will have to be at his best to beat Espinoza, a former World Boxing Assn. featherweight champion out of Phoenix who is looking beyond Poll to another world title fight.

The Espinoza-Poll bout, the main event on tonight’s card at the Caesars Palace Sports Pavilion, will be televised nationally by the ESPN cable network.

Unbeaten San Fernando heavyweight Alex Garcia (7-0, four knockouts) had to drop out of his scheduled fight earlier this month against Oscar Holman because of a rib injury suffered in a sparring session.

But if he thinks he had problems in that session, what chance do his tender ribs have tonight when Garcia fights an eight-round bout against Rodney Stockton of Los Angeles at the Aviation Center in Redondo Beach?

After all, Stockton, nicknamed The Monster, has been known to put on a show by entering the ring in chains.

Not to worry, though. Many of his opponents haven’t: Stockton’s record is just 3-4 with three knockouts.

Maybe he would do better if they’d just let him take off those chains.