Pero vs Thompson Predictions: ‘El Justiciero’ is a hard heavyweight landing for Brit

Rio 2016 Olympian Lenier Pero returns this Saturday, November 1, against Britain’s Jordan Thompson. The bout takes place at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. The heavyweight 10-rounder headlines the card, which will be broadcast live on DAZN.

Here are my Pero vs Thompson predictions.

Pero vs Thompson Odds

Pero is priced at 1/5 while Thompson is your 4/1 underdog. The draw is marketed at 18/1.

Pero vs Thompson Fight Preview

Manchester’s Thompson has been out of the ring for two years. On the occasion, he shot for the stars against IBF, The Ring and lineal cruiserweight kingpin Jai Opetaia. As has happened to every one of the Aussie’s challengers except Mairis Briedis, Thompson was knocked out. The champion finished ‘Troublesome’ in four punishing rounds.

Thompson cited a desire to move up to heavyweight in the aftermath. After all, once you’ve fought the best fighter in your division, there is nowhere left to go but up. The Manc has always had the frame for it, standing at 6’6. But little has been heard from Thompson in two years.

In the intervening period, other British cruiserweights have walked Thompson’s intended path. Former WBO champion Lawrence Okolie stopped off in the daft 224-pound bridgerweight division to win the ignored WBC title by first-round knockout over Lukasz Rozanski. He has won two official heavyweight contests since, though by any sensible measure the Rozanski fight counts as one too. 

Richard Riakporhe has also abandoned 200lbs for pastures new. Like Okolie, his time at cruiser ended in defeat to Chris Billam-Smith. The 35-year-old broke down trialhorse Kevin Espindola in four rounds back in May.

A blueprint, perhaps, for Thompson. Okolie and Riakporhe are both 6’5, an inch shorter than the rangy 32-year-old. But in contrast to the warm bodies Okolie and Riakporhe were fed on their heavyweight debuts, Jordan takes his bow against an unbeaten fighter favoured to beat him.

Pero is one of a long line of Cuban amateur stars to leave the country and test their superb skills in the pro ranks. Fighters from the nation were finally legally allowed to turn pro in 2022, but that came too late for Pero’s ambitions. The southpaw sought asylum, initially in Argentina, before settling in Germany to get his pro start.

Twelve wins with eight knockouts have followed, with Pero fighting in Germany, Argentina and Colombia before making the USA his home. This is a home fight for ‘El Justiciero’, who lives in Miami.

Cuba has never had a heavyweight champion of the world. Luis Ortiz, who has been a huge help to Pero behind the scenes, held the WBA interim crown a decade ago. But ‘King Kong’ was stopped in two wars with then-WBC kingpin Deontay Wilder. Odlanier Solis was expected to go all the way, but his career never recovered after an ankle injury ended his own WBC title challenge against Vitali Klitschko in round one back in 2011. 

Pero is ranked third by the WBA. The world rankings only have one other Cuban heavyweight at present, but it is a fighter Pero knows very well. Joining him in the WBA rankings is his brother, Dainier Pero, who is the organisation’s ninth-ranked contender.

For Pero, Saturday night is about standing out in a crowded room. Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has four belts but no human can satisfy four sanctioning bodies for long. Eventually the belts will start being stripped because the Ukrainian, as incredible as he is, cannot be in two, three or even four places at once. A win over Thompson gives Pero a chance to benefit if that WBA belt comes loose.

Thompson has a lot of emotional skin in the game, here, too. He could have taken a journeyman here to get his heavyweight legs under him. But instead, Thompson goes from a fight with the best cruiserweight on the planet to an away day against an unbeaten heavyweight contender. A win would put Thompson’s name up in lights. A defeat relegates him to opponent status at the age of 32. This is an immense challenge to take on. Will it pay off for the Brit abroad?

Pero vs Thompson Full Card

Lenier Pero vs Jordan Thompson

Yoelvis Gomez vs Antraveous Ingram

Pat Brown vs Felix Valera

Omari Jones vs Yusuph Metu

Nishant Dev vs Juan Carlos Campos Medina

Carlos Jamil De Leon Castro vs Wilner Soto

Ryan Santiago vs Mario Hernandez Betancourt

Pero vs Thompson Prediction

Pero plants his feet and his footwork is predictable, but he has fast hands and decent power. The latter strengths have negated the former weaknesses so far. 

The Cuban’s defensive application has improved too. Footage from his early fights shows a boxer with his arms by his sides, waiting for his reluctant foe to do something, anything, to trouble him. But as the opposition has improved, so has Pero. He always had a good guard, you could see that in the amateurs. Now he has started using it in the pro ranks.

Unsurprisingly given his size, Thompson is an accomplished disciple of the jab. His lead left has kept many men distant and frustrated. But Opetaia timed it and countered it. Pero is well-schooled and should have the weapons in his holster to make Thompson work.

The concern here is that Thompson is hittable, has been vulnerable to speed and was getting hurt by cruiserweights. Beyond Opetaia, Vasil Ducar had the Brit rocking and rolling in the dying seconds of their 10-rounder and one wonders how Thompson would have survived if it was a championship 12. 

I think Pero has too many advantages here. Thompson is a good fighter and someone who never shirks a challenge. But the Cuban is all wrong for him. Pero to win at 1/5.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.