Wednesday 24 April 2013

Peter Quillin v Fernando Guerrero

In what promises to be an exciting contest hard hitting WBO Middleweight champion Peter Quillin (28-0, 20) takes on the once beaten Fernando Guerrero (25-1, 19) in what will be Quillin's first defense of the title since winning it last October against Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam.

This bout, on paper at least, looks like it's a pretty even match up between an unbeaten fighter and a fighter with just a solitary loss on his record (and even that was almost 2 years ago) though at least for me it's not actually as even as it looks. In fact I can only see one winner, Quillin.

Whilst Guerrero, as mentioned has only suffered a single loss in 26 bouts dating back to 2007 the Dominican Republic born, US based fighter doesn't have anything that really makes me feel he can beat Quillin. From watching him he's a decent fighter don't get me wrong, he has solid power, nice speed and nice skills but the bigger thing with him has been the hype he has received.

After having had an impressive amateur career with around 140 bouts a lot was expected for Guerrero who started his professional career with a fantastic series of KO early on. After scoring 9 straight T/KO victories including some very eye catching ones the hype machine really started to grow on Guerrero though it wasn't until October 2009 that he actually faced a test of note. In his first test Guerrero seriously struggled with limited veteran Ossie Duran who pushed him all the way.

After struggling with Duran, Guerrero's handlers seemed to slow down his climb giving him 2 easy bouts before he was against tested by current IBF Light Middleweight champion Ishe Smith. Smith, like Duran showed that Guerrero wasn't anything special and although Guerrero won he was again pushed close and dropped by the sneaky Smith.

It appeared to only be a matter of time before Guerrero would suffer a defeat and it came just a few fights later as veteran Grady Brewer managed to stop him on a televised bout. This should have ended the hype for Guerrero but instead it was excused as Guerrero making Light Middleweight for the first time, which whilst possibly valid was a decision he had made.

Since the loss Guerrero has scored 4 victories over C level opponents with 3 of those by T/KO as he's tried to resurrect his career. Sadly the level of those wins suggest that his management are taking a real leap of faith here.

Going in to this bout Quillin is not only the champion (albeit it a bit of a paper one) but also an unbeaten fighter fighting in his home of Brooklyn with a large support.

Whilst I'm not a fan of how Quillin got his title, beating Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam who had been given a belt that belonged to Dmitry Pirog, Quillin is a genuine top 10 fighter in one of the toughest divisions in the sport. His unbeaten run dating back to 2005 has seen him scoring several notable wins since 2008 when he announced himself as a top contender with lights out power and under-rated boxing ability.

With wins over Antwun Echols, Dionisio Miranda, Fernando Zuniga, Jesse Brinkley, Craig McEwan and Ronald "Winky" Wright on his way up it's fair to say that even in none title bouts Quillin has 6 better Middleweight wins than Guerrero (who's best win, over Smith came against a natural Light Middleweight) and that's with out mentioning the win over N'Dam N'Jikam.

With thunderous power in his shots, a patient style and an ability to either box from a distance with single shots, close the gap or open up in a burst. With Guerrero having been down against Duran, Smith and Brewer I really cannot see anyway in which he can stand up to the power of Quillin who may not have finished off N'Dam N'jikam last time out but he did drop him 6 times.

Guerrero might be a pretty decent fighter but his record is poor, his skills are over-rated and his chin is a major question mark, a question mark you don't want when facing a puncher like Quillin.

Prediction-Quillin by KO7

Danny Garcia v Zab Judah

In a promising Light Welterweight bout this coming weekend we will see WBA "Super" and WBC champion Danny Garcia (25-0, 16) take on former multi-time world champion Zab Judah (42-7-0-2, 29) in what could be Judah's last big fight.

Judah, a bonafide veteran of the sport with more than 50 bouts spread over almost almost 17 years was one viewed as being amongst the premier pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Sadly for Judah however issues with his temperament often over-shadowed his skill and the swift and talented southpaw suffered a fall from graces of huge proportions.

At his best Judah is a very sharp puncher with a powerful left, excellent movement and the athletic ability to make many fighters look stupid. Although at 35 years old he is certainly slowing but he's still a fast fighter and with his years of experience he's a dangerous fighter for those just below genuine world class. The master class against Vernon Paris and even his victory over Kaizer Mabuza as well as the controversial win over Lucas Martin Matthysse showed that Judah can still defeat notable opponents.

Although a gifted fighter Judah has never been able to show the mentality of a fighter and when the going gets tough he can be made to mentally fold. This was shown originally in his infamous post-fight antics against Kostya Tszyu, in which Judah threw a chair across the ring and almost had a fight with Jay Nady. His mental issues were also shown against Carlos Manuel Baldomir with Judah not training properly for the bout and they have been shown time and time again since.

As a quick starter Judah is very dangerous in the first 4 rounds, after then however he slows and starts to mentally crumble. If he can't get Garcia out early doors then we will likely see the same old Judah break mentally as per usual. Though if Judah is on his A-game there is every chance of an upset.

Whilst Danny Garcia is much maligned in the boxing presses he has started to genuinely impress some. His record on paper doesn't make him look like much of a puncher but stoppages over both Amir Khan and Erik Morales in his past 2 bouts were both evidence of the fact he has some genuine pop. The truth to Garcia's "power" lies in the fact that he's a very clean hitter who lands crisp counters often on fighters coming forward, so his shots have a double effect.

Garcia isn't a fast fighter, he's not a particularly busy fighter but technically he's a very solid one who defends well, sets his feet well and has a lovely hook that he detonates with fantastic effect. Although, watching him, he appears to be easy to out box due to his slow foot speed and low work rate though he has proven to be a fighter who warms to the task and may start slowly but will end faster on a tiring opponent.

Talented and mild mannered, Garcia sees his father often stealing the pre-fight limelight due to his loud mouth. This may reflect badly on Danny though it also seems to take the pressure off his shoulders whilst also irritating his opponent. This has proven to be an effective strategy for the fighter and his trainer and with a hot head like Judah it may well work again here with Judah visibly annoyed by what has been said by Garcia's father has said in the past.

With Judah's temperament and Garcia's cool as ice persona I can't help but feel that a good start by Judah will be thrown away as Garcia refuses to go away. As Judah begins to slow I imagine Garcia will start to have real success and score a late stoppage. Hopefully this bout will see the winner taking on the winner of the up coming bout between Lamont Peterson and Lucas Matthysse in a bout to decide the division's true #1 fighter.

Prediction-Garcia TKO9

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Sergio Gabriel Martinez v Martin Murray

WBC Middleweight champion Sergio Gabriel Martinez (50-2-2, 28) has been out of the ring since suffering various injuries in his bout with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last September. He returns to the ring this week as he goes back to Argentina for his first fight there in over a decade, his opponent, the unbeaten Brit Martin Murray (25-0-1, 11) will be looking to score his biggest victory and arguably the biggest upset of the year.

At 38 years old Martinez is certainly a fighter coming to the end of his career. Sure he completely out boxed and outsped Chavez last time out but after suffering a nasty injury to his knee there is every chance he'll have slowed. In all honesty if Martinez loses his wheels he'll be a much more limited fighter than the one we are used to.

At his best Martinez is a skilled fighter who combines very quick reactions with a great engine, a fantastic jab and the ability either counter an opponent or beat them with work-rate from a distance, especially his straight shots.

Fighting from a Southpaw stance and with a 73" wingspan Martinez is an incredibly tricky fighter. Whilst his biggest fault might be that he isn't a huge puncher (despite a memorable KO over Paul Williams) he has more than respectable power and can hurt fighters, though admittedly it's rare that he hurts a guy with a single shot, instead of an accumulation of sharp punches. It's those accumulated shots that Martinez can break fighters down with mentally and physically, though if his opponents leaves themselves open he will counter with power.

Going in to this bout it's fair to say that Murray is a big under-dog and it's with good reason. Not only is the bout a big step up for the 30 year old from St Helens but it's also away from home (only his second bout outside of the UK). Despite being the under-dog however Murray will feel he has more than just half a chance. Not only is he unbeaten but he is also a fighter coming in to his peak years physically.

Although Murray has really been a British level fighter for much of his career he has already fought on the world stage notably drawing in Germany to Felix Sturm in a WBA title bout. The draw with Sturm announced Murray as a fighter to keep an eye on though in all honesty the result was hugely unexpected as Murray hadn't been fighting opponents that were even nearing fringe world level.

Since the draw with Sturm, Murray has scored 2 victories with the most recent of those coming in November when he stopped Jorge Navarro for the WBA "interim" Middleweight title.

Murray is over-all solid, he's not the type to over-whelms fighters or to take them out with a single head shot but his body work is very good, and although he has been stopping fighters with shots to the midsection I get the feeling that his shots there are more about placement than power. It's with the body shots that he arguably stand his best chance of beating Martinez though it's more through grinding Martinez down with them than taking him out with a single shot.

Although Murray can pull off the upset,I don't see it happening if truth be told. Martinez's might not be the fighter he was but I still see him being too good and too fast.

Prediction-Martinez TKO10

Friday 19 April 2013

Kompayak Porpramook v Jean Piero Perez

Our first title fight this week sees former WBC Light Flyweight champion Kompayak Porpramook (49-4, 34) attempting to add the WBA "interim" Flyweight title to his collection of belts as he takes on the unheralded Jean Piero Perez (20-5-1, 14) of Venezuela who himself has actually held the WBA "interim" Flyweight title.

This bout, being fought on Friday in Khon Kaen, Thailand will allow the winner a big chance to make their name in one of boxing's most entertaining, though over-looked divisions.

Going in to the bout it's fair to say that the 32 year Perez is the under-dog. No fighters ever enjoy going to Thailand to fight as the bouts held in the country are usually fought outdoors in the middle of the day with blistering heat and uncomfortable humidity, giving the away fighters a notable disadvantage.

Despite being the away fighter Perez is used to fighting on hostile territory having fought only once in Venezuela. In fact so far in his career date Perez has fought in Panama, Mexico, Argentina, the Philippines and Costa Rica as well as his homeland. In fact it was only 7 months ago that he almost scored the biggest win of his career losing a majority decision to the highly touted Milan Melindo.

In a 9 year long career Perez has been stopped just twice with the most notable of those coming against talented Argentinian Juan Carlos Reveco who connected with a sickening body shot whilst the other came in a shoot out with Rafael Concepcion. Those losses,and the defeat to Melindo, are of course the most notable men that Perez has faced, though he does hold victories over several fringe names such as Ronald Ramos, Jhon Alberto Molina and Jesus Jimenez.

Perez is a fighter with a record that indicates he has a solid punch on him though he hasn't stopped anyone in or around the world level before and his power, whilst likely respectable, isn't going to starch out people with a single shot. In fact his bout with Reveco seemed to suggest his power was vastly over-rated by his record.

Whilst Perez is highly unknown outside of his bouts with Reveco and Melindo it's fair to say that Porpramook is more well known. He was not only involved in 2011 FOTY contender with Adrian Hernandez for the WBC Light Flyweight but also fought a memorable (though less exciting) rematch with Hernandez as well as a bout Australian Hussein Hussein and a controversial victory over Jonathan Taconing.

Although the Thai is stepping up a weight for this title bout the 30 year old is a fighter who had probably been struggling to make the 108lb Light Flyweight division. He'd won the interim PABA Light Flyweight title way back in 2003 and seems to have finally allowed his powerful, yet short (5'0) body to fill out properly. This could prove to be an issue at the higher weight where fighters tend to hit harder and take a shot better, though it could well be an advantage for Porpramook who may feel more comfortable with out needing to drain down.

The stockily built fighter who has amassed a staggering 53 professional bouts since 2000 is a highly impressive 49-2 (34) in his homeland. This has seen Porpramook unbeaten at home since losing to Allan Ranada way back in 2002 an impressive run that has only been interrupted by losses in Mexico and Australia.

With a bucket load of heart and an aggressive mindset Porpramook is a fighter who is destined to be in fun to watch bouts as long as he and his opponents can last, as a result this promise to be an all action battle for at least a few rounds. Sadly I can't help but feel that the conditions will play a major part in the bout and favour the home man.

Prediction-Porpramook TKO8

Thursday 18 April 2013

Austin Trout v Saul Alvarez

The biggest fight of this weekend, by a notable margin sees the much maligned Light Middleweight division thrust into the boxing spotlight as unbeaten fighters collide in a genuinely exciting unification bout. In one corner you have the often over-looked Austin "No Doubt" Trout (26-0, 14) who currently holds the WBA Light Middleweight title in the other corner you have the WBC champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (41-0-1, 30). On the line are both the WBC title and the WBA "super" title and of course bragging rights, the Ring title and the consensus #1 ranking at 154lbs. The stakes could hardly be bigger.

Of the two men the pressure is certainly more on flame haired Mexican Alvarez. The 22 year from Jalisco is seen by many as "the next superstar of boxing" with a huge female fan base, a unique look, a fun to watch style and a genuine charisma about him as well the Golden Boy hype machine which has pushed him in to the limelight in the US in the hope of making him a superstar.

So far in his 42 fight career things have been good for Alvarez who has only been troubled a handful of times a career that dates back to October 2010. In fact the closest Alvarez has come to losing was a split decision victory over Miguel Vazquez (yes, the current IBF Lightweight champion) and a draw to little known Jorge Juarez, though he was rocked in his first high profile US bout by Jose Miguel Cotto (in what was Canelo's 3rd US fight).

The stocky Mexican fighter is certainly a born fighter having been impressive since he was 15 and fighting obscure opponents in Mexico. Though many do doubt his actual creditability in the Light Middleweight division where some have ranked him #1. So far his wins in world title bouts have been against very limited opponents including the brave but outclassed Matthew Hatton, the much smaller Alfonso Gomez and Josesito Lopez, the old Shane Mosley and Ryan Rhodes and the mentally weak Kermit Cintron.

With the other fighters in the division, including Trout, Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather, Javier Maciel, Erislandy Lara, Ishe Smith, James Kirkland and Alfredo Anguloit's fair to say that Alvarez's competition has been beyond poor since becoming a world champion.

Whilst "Canelo" has been fighting poor opponents he's been receiving the media acclaim of a fighter who is a pound-for-pound fighter. Whilst I don't mean to take away from his skills he doesn't look as rounded as the media have portrayed him. In fact defensively Alvarez has looked porous, offensively he's looked surprisingly quick though not as heavy handed as his record would indicate and whilst his shots are crisp he can be made to look lazy at times and his feet certainly aren't the swiftest.




As the under-dog it's fair to say there is less pressure on Trout who although unbeaten was pretty unknown by the wider boxing public just a few fights back, in fact until he beat Miguel Cotto (in what was considered a betting upset) it's fair to say that Trout was a completely overlooked fighter in the 154lb mix. This was despite notable wins in both Panama and Mexico over Nilson Julio Tapia, Rigoberto Alvarez ("Canelo's" brother) and David Lopez as well as a solid victory on Showtime against Delvin Rodriguez.

Like Alvarez, Trout is unbeaten since his debut in 2005 (a month before "Canelo") and although he's not had the hype and the promotional backing of Alvarez he's certainly proven his character fighting on the road on a regular basis. Be it in Panama, Mexico, Canada or Miguel Cotto's "adoptive home" of New York, Trout has had to prove his ability on the road and win decisions when he wasn't expected to.

In terms of his style, Trout has often been called a spoiler and whilst he can spoil fights, the southpaw isn't really that negative just very controlling in a fight. He's very highly skilled, he lacks explosive power but he certainly can hit hard enough to make fighters think twice, he has great movement and whilst not the most active at times he's a fighter who seems capable of putting his foot on the gas if and when needed. Like Canelo it's his hand speed more than anything that really stands out, though he certainly has a foot speed edge over Canelo and probably also a technical edge despite not having the power of the Mexican.


Going in to the bout Trout will know that he will need to clearly win the bout to get a decision. The Golden Boy backing that Alvarez has had won't  be written off easily though "The Golden Boy Curse" could of course strike again here as it did Jorge Linares (against Juan Carlos Salgado) and Victor Ortiz (against Marcos Maidana).

With all the variables and intangibles going into this bout it's hardnot to get excited about it. Of course the bout has the potential to be a bit of let down considering whats on the the line especially when we remember back to the last unification bout in the US between unbeaten champions (Timothy Bradley v Devon Alexander) however I'm personally expecting an electric atmosphere and a bout to remember.

Sadly as much as I'm looking forward to this I can't help but feel that the actual result will be less than the fighters deserve. The gut feeling is that Canelo wins a very controversial decision due to his popularity though part of me also sees Trout turning it on very late and making sure the judges can't screw him. If Trout can't stop Alvarez he may end up getting a draw when he deserves a victory.

Prediction- Draw.

Nathan Cleverly v Robin Krasniqi

In the biggest fight on British soil this coming weekend unbeaten Welshman Nathan Cleverly (25-0, 12) defends his WBO Light Heavyweight title against mandatory contender Robin Krasniqi (39-2, 15). The bout, the headline fight at Wembley appears to be a good one on paper though with promoter Frank Warren attempting to prove he's still a big force in British boxing this may not have been the match up he'd have wanted Cleverly to be in, though it does look rather interesting, on paper at least.

With Krasniqi, a 26 year old German having almost 40 wins to his name it's fair to say he's not the worst fighter on the planet, though it's hard to really understand how the WBO have come to the idea that he's the #1 contender (then again with the WBO lets just say nothing shocks us any more). Despite his rather odd ranking he's certainly been on an excellent run since January 2006 winning 38 straight fights and claiming the very lightly regarded WBO European Light Heavyweight title (I guess that explains the ranking!).

Whilst Krasniqi's winning run has, at least in terms of raw numbers, been very impressive when you actually dig a little deeper you'll notice the type of guys he's been facing. Fighters like Alexander Sipos (a former European Middleweight title challenger) and Max Heyman who really aren't very good. In fact there is not a single opponent on Krasniqi's record that would be recognised as the type of fighter that would prepare someone for a world title fight.

Going in to this bout Krasniqi is not only on a winning run but also a 4 fight stoppage streak. Though it's these stoppages that probably tell us more about Krasniqi than most would imagine. In a number of his fights where he feels he can stop an opponent he becomes very right hand happy and throws wild, looking rights that look they were thrown from a whole different town. Against a low level opponent Krasniqi has been able to get away with this though when he's facing a talented fighter like Cleverly he's going to be countered and hit cleanly as he opens up (if he actually gets a chance).

Whilst Krasniqi is rather unknown the champion, Cleverly is really well known in boxing circles, at least in Britain. He first came on to the professional scene as part of the Calzaghe camp though has since become a bit of a local star in his own right after the retirement of "The Welsh Dragon". Despite moving from the Calzaghe camp to being trained by his own father Cleverly still shows traits of the Enzo Calzaghe school of boxing which includes having a fantastic engine, great work rate and fast hands.

Although Cleverly isn't known as much of a puncher he does actually have respectable power when he sits on his shots and his body shots are very much an under-rated part of his game. If an opponent refuses to respect his power he can hurt them with either a single shot or a long series of unanswered shots. Rather interestingly though is the fact that Cleverly does seem capable of taking a decent shot, admittedly we've never seen him in with a world class puncher but he's taken shots from respectable punchers with out ever looking hurt.

Cleverly does of course have his critics, mostly those who criticise his loyalty to Frank Warren (who keeps serving up pish poor defenses whilst promising bigger fights) and of course the poor match ups he;s involved in, though this cannot take away from the fact he is a very decent fighter in his own right. Sure he may have once been Joe Calzaghe's under-study but right now the 26 year old from     Cefn Fforest is arguably the 4th best Light Heavyweight on the planet. I think he'll manage to show the huge gulf in class between himself and Krasniqi here with the German not belonging anywhere near the top 10.

Prediction-Cleverly TKO8

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Victor Terrazas v Cristian Mijares

In what is arguably the most over-looked bout of the weekend, Mexican skillster Cristian Mijares (36-2-1, 21) faces the criminally under-rated Victor Terrazas (47-6-2, 22) in a bout for the vacant WBC Super Bantamweight title. Sure we all know quite clearly right now that Guillermo Rigondeaux is the premier Bantamweight in the world thanks to his performance last week out boxing Nonito Donaire for the WBO and WBA "super" titles, but this is still a hugely promising bout between two Mexicans.

For Mijares, one of the most sound "boxers" Mexico has ever produced it's a chance to become a 3-time, 2 weight world champion after having had 2 title runs at Super Flyweight. It was of course at 115lbs that Mijares made his name as he first claimed the WBC "interim" belt, defeating Katsushige Kawashima in Japan (twice), before thoroughly out boxing the always fun to watch Jorge Arce in a thoroughly one sided domination.

Mijares's WBC title reign would see him defeating Jose Navarro, Alexander Munoz and Chatchai Sasakul. Although several of his fights were close on the cards it was a mystery as to how judges were scoring them close and really the judges in some cases should have been forced to explain their scorecards. Sadly however for Mijares his reign finally came to an end after 7 defenses of the WBC title and one of the WBA he had claimed from Munoz as Vic Darchinyan walked through him before scoring a stoppage in round 9 in eye catching fashion.

Following the loss to Darchinyan, Mijares would suffer back to back decision losses to Nehomar Cermeno in bouts for the WBA Bantamweight title as fans started to write off Mijares as a fighter who was done. Since those losses Cermeno back in 2009 however Mijares has totally rebuilt his career with 11 straight wins which saw him gaining the IBF Super Flyweight title (which he has since given up). This run of 11 wins has seen him defeating Francisco Arce, Juan Alberto Rosas and most notably Rafael Marquez.

As a pure boxer Mijares is a real joy. He can move and box with the best of them and unlike a typical Mexican he seems happier to avoid a battle of machismo than to get dragged in to one, though this is in part due to his less then average power which as seen his stoppage rate standing at a perfect 40%. Whilst this has seen him running up 401 professional rounds since his debut back in 1997 he hasn't taken 401 rounds of damage due to his defensive abilities which have, the Darchinyan fight aside, seen him remain on his feet at the final bell of every bout.

Although co-challenger Victor Terrazas is much less well known by the American boxing fans he's a figure who is pretty well known by the hardcore fans and even British fans oddly enough. The 30 year old, from Jalisco has been a professional since 2003 and although he lost bis debut (KO2 to     Adrian Tellez) he has carved out an excellent career of his own.

Following his debut loss, Terrazas won 26 of his next 27 fights before fighting outside of Mexico for the first time in his career as he traveled to Britain to face Rendall Munroe in a WBC Bantamweight eliminator. Sadly for Terrazas the body of Munroe wore him down after a good start and in round 9 Terrazas was stopped following a terrific shot by Munroe (who went on to lose Nishioka in the eventual world title fight).

Since his loss to Munroe, Terrazas has been excellent  adding 10 straight victories to his record including victories over Nehomar Cermeno (the man who twice beat Mijares) and Fernando Montiel as he's forced his way back into title contention.

Going in to this is genuinely an intriguing bout. Terrazas, as he showed against Montiel, is a fantastic pressure fighter who can be in your grill and grind you down (he dropped Montiel in that one left him bloodied), but on the opposite side Mijares is a genuine master boxer. If we go on the Darchinyan fight then it's hard to see Mijares winning, though Terrazas isn't Darchinyan, he's not as dynamite fisted or as conventional as the Armenian.

I'm a huge fan of Mijares though I just think with the styles involved here, Terrazas eventually grinds him down, though of course I'd not be shocked by Mijares putting on a master class of boxing and claiming a decision over his fellow Mexican. A really, really good match up.

Prediction-Terrazas TKO10

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Javier Fortuna v Miguel Zamudio

The first world title fight of this week sees unbeaten Dominican Javier Fortuna (21-0-0-1, 15) make the first defense of his WBA "interim" Featherweight title as he takes on little known Mexican Miguel Zamudio (25-1-1, 13) on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Going in to the bout the champion is a clear favourite. Although Fortuna was disappointing last time out when he defeated Patrick Hyland in an unexpectedly tough test he is a very talented fighter who not only has an excellent amateur pedigree but also some fantastic natural attributes include lightning speed and brilliant athleticism. In fact as an athlete Fortuna is genuinely special with both his hands, feet and reactions being incredible.

Sadly for Fortuna despite his attributes he does seem to, at times, switch off and leave the boxing behind whilst deciding to use his legs more than his hands. This can make for an awful fight when he decides to almost run from an exchange rather than box and move. Sadly when Fortuna realised he wasn't going to budge Hyland he decided to run and this is probably the lingering imaage some fight fans have of him.

At his best Fortuna is an explosive fun to watch fighter who can drop an opponent with an instant as he did when he faced Cristobal Cruz and if we see that version of Fortuna here he could easily put the memory of the Hyland stinker behind him. If he's however "showing off" his negativity we could be in for a long boring night.

The challenger is much less well known than the champion and in fact it's fair to say only a handful of boxing fans will have seen much, if anything of Miguel Zamudio and that probably should tell you a lot about him in all honesty. The Mexican, who has been a professional for a little over 4 years has a very, very scratchy record which has seen him only fighting in Mexico so far and often against very limited opponents.

The most well known opponent of Zamudio is probably 20 year old Mexican Adrian Young who himself is merely a prospect (currently 17-0, 15). Young isn't only the most known fighter Zamubio has faced but he is also the man who defeated Zamudio via 2nd round TKO back in December 2009. This loss probably says more about Zamudio than any of his wins and would suggest that if Fortuna can connect he can finish this off very quickly.

Whilst on paper this looks like a good bout I sort of feel this is set up to let Fortuna score an eye catching stoppage and help make fans forget about the Hyland bout. I really can't see the talented Fortuna doing anything but blasting Zamudio out of there within 4 rounds.

Prediction-Fortuna TKO4

Please note-
After this preview went online Fortuna failed to make weight. He has been stripped of the title and will be unable to reclaim it.

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Nonito Donaire v Guillermo Rigondeaux

In this weekends stand out fight we see Filipino born American based pound-for-pound fighter Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20) face off against against former Cuban amateur legend Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8) in a unification of the WBO and WBA titles and a bout to decide who truly is the top dog at Super Bantamweight.

Going in to the bout Rigondeaux is the betting under-dog despite having an amazing career as both an amateur and a professional. In fact as an amateur Rigondeaux's will go down as one of the all time greats. He fought around 400 amateur fights and was rumoured to have won 388 of them, which included numerous bouts in Olympics and World Amateur champions, in fact Rigondeaux claimed 2 Olympic gold medals and two World Amateur titles as he dominated the Bantamweight division in the unpaid ranks.

As a professional Rigondeaux has been fast tracked, partly due to his amateur credentials but also partly due to the fact he made his professional debut when he was 28 years old. The speed of Rigondeaux's rise to the top was amazing and within just 18 months of his debut he had already claimed the interim WBA Super Bantamweight title. After a solitary defense of the interim belt Rigondeaux claimed the "regular" title thanks to a victory over Rico Ramos and he has since defended his title twice.

Despite his stellar record and amazing skills Rigondeaux has numerous question marks over his durability as a professional. Although he has only been down once as a professional (thanks to Ricardo Cordoba) he has been rattled several times including in his last fight against the limited     Robert Marroquin. It's fair to say that Donaire hit's as hard, if not harder, than both Cordoba and Marroquin but he's also not the sort of fighter who will let a hurt opponent recover with out applying some serious pressure.

Sure Rigondeaux can hurt fighters, especially with his body shots which are amongst the best in the sport right now but the big questions regarding his chin specifically are the big worries.

With Donaire we have an exceptional fighter. Sure the 30 year old lacks the amateur pedigree of Rigondeaux but his professional achievements speak for themselves. Not only is record excellent at 31-1 but he's also unbeaten in 30 bouts (losing only his second professional contest) spread over 12 years which have seen him claiming world titles at Flyweight, Super Flyweight, Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight. He has also been given accolades including "Fighter of the Year" as he's proven to be one of the sports premier fighters.

Over the past 6 years Donaire's record has spoke for it's self with victories over a real who's who of the sport including Vic Darchinyan, Moruti Mthalane, Hernan Marquez, Fernando Montiel, Omar Andres Narvaez, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka and Jorge Arce. It's little wonder that the "Filipino Flash" is so highly ranked, especially when you consider the manner of many of his victories which he has made look very easy.

Despite the fact that Donaire has scored some exceptional victories over top contenders other opponents have made Donaire look bad. For example Narvaez, Mthalane and Vazquez all frustrated Donaire despite losing. These men have shown that Donaire isn't a perfect fighter and where an opponent uses an intelligent defense they can annoy Donaire who appears to be a flat out counter puncher and struggles to force the action, this could certainly come in to play against Rigondeaux.

If Rigondeaux can frustrate Donaire with refusal to engage and his own counter punching and speed he does have a genuine chance of the upset here though he'll need to make sure Donaire can't tag him clean.

For me personally the key to this bout concerns who can be the most patient. I don't imagine this will be a classic but it should be a high speed chess match with both men looking for a gap for their sharp, technically beautiful shots. Neither man will be looking to open up too much but both will be looking to land. Whilst I think Rigondeaux will cope better with the boos that I expect we'll hear I just can't see him avoiding Donaire's power right through the bout and when he's hurt Donaire won't let im off the hook.

Prediction-Donaire TKO7

Sunday 7 April 2013

Chris John v Satoshi Hosono

Unbeaten Indonesian Chris John (48-0-2, 22) may well have the longest unbeaten run of any active fighter but the WBA "Super" champion at Featherweight is still a fighter that many boxing fans have either ignored or simply don't know much about. This weekend those same fans who have given up on John's career will again be ignoring him as he defends his title against the relatively unknown Japanese challenger Satoshi Hosono (23-2, 17) in what could actually be a tougher than expected defense.

Although Hosono is pretty unknown in the west the 29 year old dubbed "Bazooka" is actually a 2-time world title challenger and a former OPBF and Japanese title holder. In fact Hosono's only losses to date have come against genuine world level fighters in Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym and Celestino Caballero, both of those losses coming by decision.

Although Hosono has fought at the world level twice in his 7 and a half year career this will be his first bout outside of his native Japan which could put him at a notable disadvantage (despite how close Indonesia and Japan are geographically) especially considering the history between the two countries. Despite fighting on foreign soil for the first time Hosono's biggest issue will actually be with his opponent who hasn't remained unbeaten in 50 fights for no reason. Hosono has the power to hurt anyone in the division though the big question with him is whether or not he has the skills to land on a fighter like John, if he can this bout will be interesting.

For John there is little to really say that hasn't been said numerous times before. In his homeland he's a boxing god. He's been a world champion for a staggering 9 years, he's unbeaten since he turned professional way back in 1998 and he's shown not only genuine toughness but also very solid boxing ability. He's been able to find a way to beat numerous fighters including Ratanachai Sor Vorapin, Derrick Gainer, Juan Manuel Marquez, Hiroyuki Enoki, Rocky Juarez and Daud Cino Yordan.

Sadly for John he's a victim of his own success. Had he not been such a huge fan favourite in Indonesia on television channel RCTI we may well have seen him leaving his homeland more often, to date however John has fought abroad just 9 times with 5 of those fights taking place in the East (and a further 2 in Australia).

For John, now 33 years old his age may be his downfall though it's also amazing that he's managed to remain at Featherweight for pretty much his whole career. Whilst it's impressive that he's made the same weight for 15 years it's also amazing that he still appears to have plenty of miles left on the clock despite fighting for a jaw dropping 407 professional rounds, though this is in part due to his lack of power and it's over 5 years since he last stopped an opponent.

If Hosono goes in there with the idea that John can't hurt him he'll be making a mistake, John isn't a powerful puncher but he puts his shots together excellently and can shake people up with his fantastic flurries. If he can either time John and land a counter right or trap him and unload with the right he has a chance. If John however is able to box at his own pace this probably will be win #49 for the legendary Indonesian who probably doesn't have long left in the sport.

I know some fans can't be bothered to give John a chance though I'd hope that every boxing fan will get to see John at least once as he's a future hall of famer whether fans like to admit it or not.

Prediction-John by UD

Shinsuke Yamanaka v Malcolm Tunacao

In arguably the most interesting bout on the wonderful Tokyo title trio is the WBC Bantamweight title defense of Shinsuka Yamanaka (17-0-2, 12) who faces Filipino veteran and former WBC Flyweight champion Malcolm Tunacao (32-2-3, 20).

Going in to this bout the 35 year old Tunacao will know that this will be the last major chance he will get in his career. In fact at 35 years old he is ancient for a Bantamweight and is possibly living on borrowed time as it is. Saying that however he's a fighter who knows that he's getting a chance he has been owed for a few years now.

Having been a professional since 1998 Tuncao has had several ups and downs in his career with the most notable up being an upset victory in 2000 over Medgoen Singsurat which saw Tunacao claiming the WBC Flyweight title. Sadly his reign back then was short lived and Pongsaklek Wonjongkam destroyed the young Tuncao inside a round in just his second defense.

Since losing to Wonjongkam in 2001 Tuncao has been the forgotten man of Filipino boxing despite claiming various titles including the OPBF Bantamweight title and the WBC International Super Flyweight titles. In fact since losing Wonjongkam we've seen Tunacao go 21-1-2 in his career over the last 13 years as he has fought hard against unrewarding opponents such as Kohei Oba (who Tunacao has beaten and drawn with), Rolly Matsushita (the only man to beat Tunacao in the last decade) and Christian Esquivel. In fact it was the win over Esquivel that opened up the door for Tunacao to get his first world title bout since his loss to Wonjongkam.

Interestingly Esquivel actually links the two men with a victory by Yamanaka over Esquivel being the fight that put Yamanaka on the world stage and saw him winning the WBC Bantamweight title. Prior the to bout with Esquivel Yamanaka was almost unknown in the West despite having been the Japanese champion (and despite having been in an excellent bout with Ryosuke Iwasa).

Aged 30 himself, Yamanaka is no spring chicken though having only turned professional in 2006 he's a fighter who is notably younger than Tunacao in both age and ring years.

Yamanaka is a much improved fighter to the one who drew 2 of his first 7 bouts (and could well have started his career 3-4) in fact he's now arguably one of the most under-rated champions in the sport and yet also one of the most feared. In the last 2 years or saw he not only battled the highly regarded Iwasa to a stand still but stopped the aforementioned Esquivel, out pointed Vic Darchinyan and stopped Tomas Rojas in eye catching fashion.

With his own power Yamanaka is a dangerous fighter, though we've also seen him hurt. Not only did Iwasa manage to rattle him at times but Esquivel managed to drop him in their encounter before Yamanaka stopped Esquivel in the 11th round showing his power carries through late. Interestingly however Tunacao had a much easier job with Esquivel than Yamanaka, though admittedly Yamanaka did take something out of Esquivel in their battle.

Going in to this bout we know both men can be hurt and we know both men are hard hitters. Sadly for Tunacao I can't help but feel he's facing a man who is just that bit fresher and a bit less battle scarred in Yamanaka. With this in mind I'm going to have to go with Yamanaka to score the victory and although I imagine Tunacao will put his all in to it I think he'll get stopped late.

Prediction-Yamanaka TKO10

Toshiyuki Igarashi v Akira Yaegashi

After yesterday's upset with Juan Francisco Estrada defeating Brian Viloria for the WBO and WBA "super" titles at Flyweight we now see WBC champion Toshiyuki Igarashi (17-1-1, 10) attempt to avoid a similar fate when he faces former WBA Minimumweight champion Akira Yaegashi (16-3, 9) in an enticing all Japanese dust up.

Going in to the bout Igarashi is not only the WBC champion but also the Linear champion and the bigger man being a natural at Flyweight. He's not only the naturally heavier man but he also has height and reach advantages over Yaegashi as well as a being a year younger and a southpaw. Despite this however there are plenty of question marks over Igarashi who has defended his belt once.

The champion has been a professional since 2006 and has rebuilt his career well since suffering his lone defeat, a decision loss in 2008 to Tomonobu Shimizu. He has claimed both the Japanese and WBC titles at Flyweight over the past 2 and a bit years and scored notable wins over Wilbert Uicab and Sonny Boy Jaro as well as a title defense over Argentinian Nestor Daniel Narvaes (the younger brother of Omar Andres Narvaez).

Igarashi is a good boxer, he uses he feet well and can box from a distance with his sharp long shots that he bounced of Jaro's head last year. Sadly up close Igarashi can be dragged in to a war and notably in his last 4 bouts he has struggled over the finishing line as his lack of power has failed to keep opponents at bay, in fact opponents have been giving him a real nightmare time and time again. That's not to say Igarashi has no power, but it's certainly not world level power and his last stoppage came 2 years ago against Takayasu Kobayashi who had been stopped 3 times previously.

Igarashi goes into this bout as a small favourite though that's more down to the fact he's a natural Flyweight. Yaegashi, jumping up from Minimumweight however is worthy of a small bet if you can find anyone with odds available on the bout.

Like Igarashi he's a tough fighter, in fact Yaegashi may well be one of the toughest men in the sport. He's never been stopped in a career that dates back to 2005 and has featured memorable bouts against Pornsawan Porpramook and Kazuto Ioka (both FOTY candidates for their respective years). Unlike Igarashi however I feel Yaegashi prefers a war to a boxing contest and if he can cut the distance on any opponent he will give them a real nightmare with his toughness and relentless work rate which is designed to break fighters down (as he did against Porpramook).

If a fighter can keep Yaegashi at range I think they could beat him relatively easily, but keeping him at range is much easier said than done, in fact at the moment I don't think any fighter could keep Yaegashi at range.

For me I can't see Igarashi keeping Yaegashi off him and I think up close it's a no contest, Yaegashi's work rate will simply swamp the more technically skilled fighter. Igarashi may have some success but I think Yaegashi will put on a performance similar to that of Katsunari Takayama recently with his work rate just being too much for his opponent.

Prediction-Yaegashi UD12

Gamaliel Diaz v Takashi Miura

Mexican Super Featherweight Gamaliel Diaz (37-9-2, 17)) looks to make the first defense of his WBC title when he faces the highly rated Japanese challenger Takashi Miura (24-2-2, 18) in Mirua's homeland of Japan.

Although Diaz is on the road for this fight he'll have fond memories of Japan where he is 3-0 as a professional and had his crowning glory last year defeating Takahiro Ao by unanimous decision for his world title. In fact the 32 year old may well feel that Japan is where he has performed the best over his 14 year career with victories not only against Ao but also Naoto Fujiwara and Makoto Uehara (oddly following those victories with a notable defeat of Robert Guerrero).

Although Diaz's record looks like that of a journeyman he actually picked up more than half of his losses in his first 8 bouts as he started his career 3-5  suffering 2 stoppage losses including 1 to Martin Honorio. Since then Diaz has compiled a very respectable 34-4-2 record with losses to Robert Guerrero (who he had already beaten), Humberto Soto, Jorge Linares and Zolani Marali with the last of those coming 4 years ago to Marali. Against those losses Diaz has beaten not only Guerrero and Ao but also Elio Rojas, Cesar Soto and John Carlo Aparicio.

Diaz isn't anything special but on the flip of that he's a fighter who, if he fights to his best can upset special fighters. Sadly for Diaz though he is a fighter who can blow hot and cold and when he's not on form he can make life very difficult for himself and as we've seen several times he can be hurt when tagged hard, in fact of his last 4 losses 3 have come by stoppage with his chin not holding up at world level. Against Miura this could be an issue as the Japanese fighter is a real puncher, though Diaz has got the experience edge and should know how to get around Miura's biggest shots.

Whilst Diaz is well known around boxing circles his Japanese rival is lesser known in the west. Despite his relative obscurity to Western boxing fans Miura is well known to fans of the East thanks in part to his performance against Takashi Uchiyama which saw Uchiyama decked in round 3 before Miura was retired.

At 28 years old Miura is the younger fighter by 4 years in terms of age but is also younger in terms of "boxing years" having had fewer high profile bouts. Despite this Miura is well tested having fought in 7 Japanese title fights (going 5-1-1 in those bouts) and his bout with Uchiyama. Amongst those he has beaten are Yoshimitsu Yashiro, Seiichi Okada and most recently Ryuji Migaki (who was blasted out in 97 seconds). Whilst his only loss, other than the Uchiyama defeat, coming to former WBA Lightweight champion Yusuke Kobori in Miura's first title bout.

Miura is a genuine hard man despite his loss to Uchiyama (arguably the hard puncher in Super Featherweight division) and with his own fire power is a real danger man in the division. Whilst he has thunderous power he can often seem a bit predictable in trying to set up left hand and he seems to lack any sort of attack from his lead hand at times allowing a smart fighter to out boxing him. He can also get frustrated by a fighter who moves away from his left. It's fair to say however you've got to be pretty stupid to move into his straight left.

Due to the power of Miura with his straight left I've got to go with the Japanese catching Diaz at some point and putting him down. I have a feeling that Diaz may get up from a single knock down but be get stopped sooner afterwards.

Prediction-Mirua TKO5

Saturday 6 April 2013

Koki Kameda v Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym

WBA "regular" Bantamweight champion Koki Kameda (29-1, 17) will be looking for win #30 on Sunday as he defends his belt against little known Thai Panomroonglek Kaiyanghadaogym (36-1, 19) who is moving up from Super Flyweight for this bout.

The defending Japanese fighter, 26 is a 3-weight world champion having started his career at Light Flyweight (where he won the WBA title in 2006) and also having claimed the WBC Flyweight title (which he lost in 2010 to the legendary Pongsaklek Wonjongkam) before claiming his current status at Bantamweight. He has proven himself at world level repeatedly over the past 6 years though has often left fans with serious questions marks, especially in his current reign as a Bantamweight champion.

In terms of his style Kameda is a fast punching southpaw who like to fight in bursts and assert himself. When he can't force himself in to the bout Kameda has been shown to struggle and at Bantamweight this has become a regular occurrence with David De La Mora and Hugo Ruiz both arguably being robbed by him and the judges. In fact both of those two showed that Kameda isn't anything special at Bantamweight.

Despite his relative limitations Kameda is a huge draw in his native Japan and this has helped make a him a bit of a star on TV. It's this that has likely help extend his reign as champion especially in his debatable bouts which have seen the crowd making noise and probably helping him over the finishing line.

When it comes to the Thai challenger we really know very little. Like Kameda he's a southpaw though at 29 he's a bit older than the champion. Thankfully if we go through his record we do see some recognisable names including Rocky Fuentes (who Kaiyanghadaogym defeated on debut), Richard Garcia, Dondon Jimnea, Marvin Tampus and Ricky Manufoe. Of course bar Fuentes they are better known as journeymen in Asia.

Like Kameda, Kaiyanghadaogym has also suffered a single loss. Whilst Kameda's came to a top level fighter in Wonjongkam, Kaiyanghadaogym's came to former world title contender Hiroyuki Hisataka who oddly enough Kaiyanghadaogym had already beaten. Worryingly for Kaiyanghadaogym he was actually stopped by Histaka who only has "respectable" power despite his toughness.

Whilst I don't think much of Kameda as a Bantamweight (he's too small and lacks any genuine power at the weight) I feel it would be difficult to pick Kaiyanghadaogym here. Sure Kaiyanghadaogym may put up a spirited effort but with Kameda's recent "success" in close fights it's always going to be a case of a fighter needing to stop him to be sure of a victory and sadly Kaiyanghadaogym doesn't have that sort of power.

Prediction-Kameda UD

Thursday 4 April 2013

Roman Martinez v Diego Magdaleno

Puerto Rican Roman "Rocky" Martinez (26-1-2, 16) may well be one of the luckiest champions in boxing right now having claimed the WBO Super Featherweight in controversial fashion against Miguel Beltran Jr and then retained it in even more controversy against Juan Carlos Burgos. He will now look to extend his reign as champion as he comes up against unbeaten American Diego Magdaleno (23-0, 9) who is stepping up notably for this bout.



Although the 30 year old Martinez has been fortunate in his most recent bouts he is a proven world class fighter who is now having his second reign as a world champion. He's scored notable wins over Francisco Lorenzo, Walter Estrada, Nicky Cook, Daniel Attah and the controversial one over Beltran. The only blotches on his record have come to Jose Leonardo Cruz-who he drew with early in his career, Ricky Burns-who beat Martinez in 2010 and Burgos-who seemed to be denied a clear victory by the judges.

At his best Martinez is a hurtful puncher who can detonate his powerful straight right in impressive fashion whilst also taking heavy punishment himself. At his worst however he's a stiff boxer who can be made to look slow and clumsy and as Burgos showed he can also be worn down with a strong body attack (though admittedly few would have withstood Burgos' body attack that night). He's slow and clumsy but at long range he's very effective and uses his long arms to great effect.

Whilst Martinez is proven at the world level there is a lot of  questions marks over him going in to this bout thanks to his lesser than stellar showings against Beltran Jr and Burgos, two opponents who arguably beat Martinez. In fact when you consider the loss to Burns you could make a strong case for Martinez being 1-3 in his last 4 bouts (with only the stoppage over Attah going in his favour).

For unbeaten American Magdaleno this is a massive step up. So far in his career he's been spoken about as a fighter with major potential though he's rarely needed to really prove how good he actually is. In fact the best victories that Magdaleno has scored have come against smaller fighters such as Fernando Beltran and Emmanuel Lucero neither of which will help prepare him for a world title fight with a genuine world level fighter.

Magadaleno's a very talented boxer with quick hands though has appeared to lack power in many of his fights. Although a stoppage of Beltran may convince some that he hits much harder than his record indicates I'm more of the opinion that Beltran's natural size disadvantage helped make Magdaleno's shots seem more powerful than they really were. I'd be shocked if his power had the same sort of effect on a true Super Featherweight like Martinez.

Going in to this bout I'd expect Magdaleno to use his speed and skills to try and over-come the power of Martinez. If he can use feet and stop Martinez from getting off with his power shots he could honestly make this bout look very easily. Sadly for Magdaleno the fact that Alejandro Perez managed to drop him doesn't bode well here and Martinez is a much bigger puncher than Perez.

For some this is the big match up of the weekend and an evenly balance bounced, for me however I can't help but think the step up is simply too much for Magdaleno. Not only is he stepping up in terms of opponent but he's also stepping up to the 12 round distance for the first time and over 12 rounds I'd be shocked if Martinez can't tag him.

Prediction-Martinez TKO8

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Brian Viloria v Juan Francisco Estrada

In what is for me the fight of the weekend WBA "super" and WBO Flyweight champion Brian Viloria (32-3-0-2,19) defends his titles against teak tough Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada (22-2, 18). This fight might be seen as a mismatch by many though it's a fight I think all will agree will be fun as long as it lasts with a lot of action and some fantastic exchanges.

Viloria may not be seen by Ring Magazine as the best Flyweight on the planet though generally fans and the wider boxing media seem to have acknowledged his achievements and placed him on an official #1 place at 112lbs. He has proven his ability time and time again and in recent years has been on one of the best runs in the sport with victories against a genuine who's who.

Since turning professional in 2001 the 32 year old Viloria has had a genuine up and down career that now seems to be up (and staying up). He has claimed the WBC and IBF Light Flyweight titles as well as his current WBO and WBA "super" titles at Flyweight but he has also suffered defeats at the hands of Omar Nino Romero, Edgar Sosa and Carlos Tamara.

At his best Viloria is a boxer-puncher who can do both excellently. He can out box most and he can out punch most though he's had issues with his identity in the ring and has often tried fighting as a puncher and as a boxer which has often been when he has struggled. When he's stuck to one style of fighting however Viloria has proven to be excellent with power, skills, movement and a real toughness to him. It's these attributes that have have seen him defeating the likes Alberto Rossel, Gilberto Keb Baas, Eric Ortiz, Jose Antonio Aguirre, Ulises Solis, Julio Cesar Miranda, Giovani Segura, Omar Nino Romero and Hernan Marquez.

At the top level Viloria's ability is well known though his opponent, the 22 year old Estrada, is much less well known despite being in a Fight of the Year contender in 2012 against Roman Gonzalez. Estrada proved against Gonzalez that he can take a punch (my God did he prove that) and had the fighters heart to come back with his own shots in a some what typical Mexican warrior fashion. Not only did he take the best of Gonzalez (who I rate highly) but he also ran Gonzalez very close in a thoroughly engaging and competitive bout.

As well as his loss to Gonzalez, Estrada has also been beaten by Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr, also by decision. Although Estrada and Gonzalez fought at 108lbs Estrada is going up to Flyweight for this bout, the same weight that he fought Sanchez Jr at and we wonder if he'll actually be the smaller man in the ring with Viloria who himself made his name at Light Flyweight. In fact I wouldn't be shocked if Estrada looked the bigger man having fought as high as 118lbs before.

In the ring Estrada is a tough and hard working fighter who can be out boxed by a clever fighter but he doesn't seem to ever get discouraged and his recuperative abilities are amazing. You can rock him, you can hurt him but you can't make him fold, and you'll have to make sure he doesn't get to unload too many on you in return because he has genuinely hurtful power of his own.Admittedly however, Estrada's best wins are against C level fighters like Ardin Diale though he certainly has proved himself in both of his losses, both to current world champions.

It's easy to say that "Viloria will destroy Estrada" but for me this bout isn't that simple and in fact I see Viloria being pushed hard by Estrada who may manage to make this in to a bit of a battle of attrition. If Estrada can take Viloria's power (and that is admittedly a huge if) he could well score an upset late against a tiring Viloria, though if Viloria, who is a very clean puncher, can land his shots and have an effect on Estrada early it may be a case of the referee saving a very brave Mexican challenger.

With the Viloria win being the "obvious one" I'll actually go against the tide and go with Estrada.

Prediction-Estrada TKO11 in a FOTY candidate.