OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Light heavyweight Billy Bailey has been in this role before. In fact, he has made it a habit to find himself starring across the ring at an undefeated prospect, or a tough contender, in a situation where he is not the guy expected to win. It has not always gone his way, but sometimes it does. Two things are for sure however. That prospect will be tested, perhaps like never before, and Billy Bailey will have given the ticket buyer ringside their money’s worth when the fight is over. Tonight on the Andre Ward-Allan Green undercard at the Oracle Arena, Bailey takes on emerging light heavyweight prospect Mark Tucker.
Bailey (10-7, 4 KOs) of Bakersfield, California comes into this fight with the bitter taste of a controversial eight-round majority decision loss to Danny Santiago less than one month ago. The fight took place in Santiago’s home state of Florida. “I kind of learned to pick and choose the places that have the reputation of having a good commission, and a fair and straight-up commission,” said Bailey, who has fought in six different states or provinces in his last six fights. “Florida is one of those places, they have a good reputation. You try to do that, but sometimes it doesn’t turn out that way. That wasn’t fairness at all.”
After eight-rounds that Santiago helped make look ugly, Bailey was denied victory by two points on one card, and a head-scratching four points on another. “The ref called the guy at least twenty times for holding and there was never a point deduction, which I believe would have changed the whole course of the fight. That is all the guy did, run and hold, and I don’t know how you can win a fight that way.”
Putting the Santiago fight quickly in the rearview mirror, Bailey makes a long overdue return to California tonight against Tucker. “It is nice to fight in my home state, so much so that I realize when I see the Commission they recognize me, but so much time has gone by, there is no real recent conversation,” said Bailey Friday. “It is great to fight California. It has just been so long since I have done they hit me with the sixty dollar licensing fee. It has been so long since I have paid it.”
In Mark Tucker, Bailey will be fighting a bit of an unknown to him. “I haven’t seen too much film of him,” admitted Bailey. “There has been a few brief clips, but I think they pulled most of what there was on him off [of the internet]. He’s had some close decisions and there was some decent wins against guys kind of on their way down. I guess we will find out tomorrow night, but I feel pretty good about the fight.”
If his quote from a recent press release is accurate, Tucker watched some tape on Bailey. “Billy comes to win and has pulled off upsets in the past, so I had a terrific camp to properly prepare,” said the taller Tucker (13-0, 7 KOs) of Eldersburg, Maryland. The fight is for the vacant WBO NABO Youth Light Heavyweight title, which is an indication to Bailey that he may have not been their first choice for the fight. “It means that I am just the guy to fill the card on that slot basically,” said Bailey, 32-years-old. “You know they weren’t thinking about me. This guy just signed with DiBella, so it is all about him.” Age and experience could play a factor in the fight, and Bailey feels both favor him. “California, regardless of what anybody says, has a lot tougher circuit than most places, regardless of where you go. I think he is used to the guys out there, and I believe this is a different story, but we will find out tomorrow night.”
Over the course of his career, Bailey has earned a reputation for seeking tough fights and giving tough fights to good fighters. Tomorrow should prove no different. “When I see a guy that has the same experience level as I do, I am not intimidated about that,” states Bailey. “I don’t think so much about my reputation, I think more about wanting to go in and do my best and train hard and win the fight. And wherever that takes me I believe that is up to God.”
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
