St Paul middleweight Matt Vanda (37-5 with 21 kayos) is striking an upbeat and enthusiastic tone in a very positive press release that was picked up by Doghouse Boxing. Vanda is quoted saying, “I’ve never felt better, I’m punching harder every time I step in the gym and I’m ready to smash (Sebastian) Demers and bring a title back to the East Side. You are going to see the best out of ‘The Predator’ this Saturday night.” (http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Chee/Cheepress0331a08.htm).
Vanda is known for hyping himself, and there’s been a tendency among the Minnesota boxing public to dismiss Vanda since he has lost against the other three of Minnesota’s best middleweights, Anthony Bonsante, Kenny Kost, and Andy Kolle. But keep in mind that those three are no slouches.
After compiling a very pedestrian 3-3 record in his last six bouts (including losses to those three), Vanda has a nice chance to change the course of his career against Saturday’s opponent Demers. This is a title match, with Demers’ IBF International middleweight belt at stake. Vanda is still young (29), and he’s one of the few Minnesota boxers vying to make his living exclusively as a boxer.
The Predator told Doghouse Boxing that he’s been working on improving his power for the last year, and points to his knockdown of Andy Kolle in the 7th of 8 rounds as proof, though it will not be lost on knowledgeable fight fans that Fergus Falls native Kolle won that fight by decision in Vanda’s home territory.
As always, time will tell whether Vanda is the real thing – but his time is coming up on Saturday night.
Stay tuned…results will be published by the Fistic Mystic on Saturday night as they become available.
The Fistic Mystic 