On the last Friday night in the month of August, as far as the world of combat sports is concerned, you don’t have too many options to choose from. Even though the cupboard is lighter than normal this coming weekend, your choices are still pretty good.
With no UFC and not much in the way of MMA overall this week, boxing takes center stage in Atlanta. OTE Arena serves as the host venue for another night of The Sweet Science this Friday night. Overtime Boxing returns to live action with OTX 10: Cold Summa. Live coverage of OTX 10 begins at 7:30 pm ET/ 4:30 pm PT on DAZN and its associated YouTube channel.
Absent of any postponed fights on the card, the final bout order features six contests. Aside from both Super-Welterweight Tournament bouts, the main event of the evening has a rescheduled bout from June 28 at super-bantamweight.
Pierce Fights Sanmartin in OTX 10 Main Event Friday Night
Elijah Pierce (19-2, 16 KOs) returns to the squared circle to fight Jose Sanmartin (35-8, 21 KOs) in the OTX 10 main event. As per the terms of the contract, this one is an advertised 10 rounds at three minutes per round.
Should there be a draw on the scorecards on this or any other fight taking place during OTX 10 on Friday night, the contest then progresses to an overtime round to break the deadlock. The winner of this round will score the victory for the fight as a whole.
The OTX Tournament super welterweight semi-finals are on 🔥 with two 10-round matchups on @DAZNBoxing
👊 @adreaskatz🇬🇷 (#30 🌎 WBC) vs Robert Terry🇺🇸
👊 @BAtheCannon🇺🇸 (#16 🌎 WBC) vs Francisco Veron🇦🇷 (#33 🌎 WBC) pic.twitter.com/nAoVyEC4N8— Tony Palmieri (@ttonez4) August 7, 2024
OTX 10 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the OTX 10 main event on Friday night, Elijah Pierce stands as the taller man at 5-foot-8, compared to the 5-foot-7 frame Jose Sanmartin. The latter owns a 66.9-inch reach, with no such information accessible for the former.
Currently, the oddsmakers have yet to release money lines for OTX 10 on Friday night. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend in combat sports, please wager responsibly.
Elijah Pierce Ready for Action After Having to Withdraw From Originally-Scheduled Contest
Elijah Pierce enters the OTX 10 main event this Friday having posted a mark of 5-0 in his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a 10-fight winning streak dating back to March 27, 2021.
Last time out, he scored a fourth-round knockout of Arthur Villanueva (35-6-1, 20 KOs) on March 29 in OTX 5 from Atlanta. As previously stated, Pierce and Sanmartin were supposed to have fought on June 28 during OTX 8, but the fight was scrubbed from its original date after he missed the weigh-ins the day before because of illness.
“Unfortunately, I’ll be fighting later TBA, due to personal illness,” he shared online. “We’ll be back real soon #TheHuntContinues.”
God don’t make mistakes.. I’ll be back pic.twitter.com/N5BgrufOSS
— 𝕰𝖑𝖎𝖏𝖆𝖍 𝕻𝖎𝖊𝖗𝖈𝖊 (@wxxxlfie) June 27, 2024
With a clean bill of health, can Elijah Piece make it 11 wins in a row as the summer draws to a close? Tune into the OTX 10 main event on Friday night and find out the answer.
August 30th can’t come fast enough.. one step closer to the title .. #TheHuntContinues 🐺
— 𝕰𝖑𝖎𝖏𝖆𝖍 𝕻𝖎𝖊𝖗𝖈𝖊 (@wxxxlfie) August 16, 2024
Jose Sanmartin Eager to Stop Streak
In the other corner, Jose Sanmartin has gone 2-3 in his last five fights. Last time out, he saw his two-fight losing streak end thanks to a unanimous decision over Mauricio Martinez (15-28-2, 5 KOs) on Feb. 5 in Santa Maria, Colombia after eight rounds of action.
Unlike his opponent, Sanmartin hasn’t had a sustained winning streak of his own since he reeled off seven victories in a row from December of 2018 to July of 2022. With him coming into this fight off of a victory back in the wintertime, could it be a spark to start off another winning streak against a talented opponent?
Only time will tell.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
The OTX 10 main event looks like it’ll be another example of a strength-versus-strength matchup on Friday night. Who takes home the win?
Pierce Can Battle Back
Even though Elijah Pierce has had a long winning streak, it hasn’t always been an easy road for him. If the chips happen to be down for him on Friday, he has the skills needed to flip the script.
Such skills were on display in his last fight vs. Arthur Villanueva. While Pierce was knocked down by Villanueva in the second round of a scheduled eight, he returned fire in round three with combinations and a right hook, causing his opponent’s eye to swell.
During the fourth round of the contest, he landed punches in bunches to worsen the swelling, followed by another right hook. Late in the round, Pierce connected on a left-hand to knock Villanueva to the canvas. Another flurry of punches in the period’s last few seconds forced the referee to intervene.
Elijah Pierce is a man who can turn the tables. Will he have to do it again here?
Sanmartin Has to Counter Effectively
In the other corner, Jose Sanmartin will need to land counterpunches on Friday night in the OTX 7 main event. During the second round of his 2023 fight vs. Kevin Gonzales on YouTube, while Gonzales had the upper hand, Sanmartin landed a crisp combo to keep his opponent honest.
For a brief moment, it looked like Sanmartin would seize control of the fight, but Gonzales varied his strikes so that he was kept guessing.
Elijah Pierce may prove to be a tough guy to beat in the OTX 10 main event If Jose Sanmartin lands a nice counterpunch against him on Friday, he may be the one to turn the tide.
Final Thoughts
One final piece of advice before we say good-bye: Get your popcorn ready early for the OTX 10 main event. This should be a good one.
Prediction: Elijah Pierce by Fourth-Round Knockout.
