Jadier Herrera vs. Ricardo Nunez Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Jadier Herrera has been a nightmarish sight for anyone standing in his way.

The undefeated Cuban knockout artist will look to impose his will against veteran Ricardo Nunez at Rudolf Weber Arena in Oberhausen, German, and live on DAZN, on Saturday when they battle for the WBC interim lightweight title. The bout will be part of the main card headlined by WBC interim heavyweight titleholder Agit Kabayel and challenger Damian Knyba.

Herrera (17-0, 15 KOs) has registered knockout victories in 11 consecutive bouts including his seventh-round stoppage of Jose Rodolfo Macias Enriquez last March. Meanwhile, Nunez (26-7, 22 KOs) was enjoying a three-fight winning streak before a disqualification loss snapped it. That occurred in June when he punched Jon Fernandez following a referee’s ordered stop and the latter couldn’t continue.

Will Herrera extend his knockout streak to a dozen fights on this world stage? Or will Nunez devise a way to hand the Cuban his first loss? DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for both fighters.

Jadier Herrera’s Keys to Victory

Find range, generate pressure in bursts

Watch Jadier Herrera operate and the Cuban does an excellent job of finding his range and then generating pressure in bursts.

These bursts could start with a potshot and escalate dramatically to where ‘One Billion’ is knocking his opponents out with heavy-handed power shots.

He must start against a crafty Ricardo Nunez by finding his range first.

Beat Nunez to the punch, crank up the volume gradually

At his best, Herrera is steadily driving up his punch count round after round, using his aforementioned spacing to pick his spots and strike with clean punches.

Possessing the quicker hands, Herrera should look to beat Nunez to the punch early and often.

Do not get erratic

If there is a knock against Herrera, it might be that he gets a bit erratic at times, swinging in the pocket.

A wide miss could give a savvy veteran like Nunez the chance to time a sharp counter the opposite way.

Therefore, while it is vital that Herrera brings the pressure and fights his style, he cannot afford to swing wildly and whiff air because it will cost him.

Ricardo Nunez’ Keys to Victory

Stand up to Herrera’s pressure early

If Ricardo Nunez can stand up to Jadier Herrera’s pressure — and better yet, force the Cuban on the back foot — he will improve his chances for the upset. Especially if it is done early.

Nunez is capable of creating pressure and fighting forward himself. Whether his stalking can force the undefeated Herrera to take a back step remains to be seen. But he must at least try.

Counter Herrera with timing

With the fervent way Herrera puts together punches in bursts, Nunez has a chance to catch the Cuban in traffic if he could time the unbeaten rising star.

Downloading intel in real time will be crucial toward Nunez’ upset chances as him sensing Herrera getting overzealous with his punch attempts and using that time to detonate a sharp counter will spell major keys.

Let hands go

Nunez cannot afford to get drowned out by Herrera’s volume of punches. The Panamanian veteran must fight fire with fire in some sequences to at least ensure he is making an impression on judges’ scorecards, especially if this bout goes into deep waters.

That said, he must let his hands go, aiming for the cleaner punches to combat Herrera’s ferocity and power.