Although we have 5 world title fights this weekend there is one that really stands out, a fight that has split opinion on who "will" win and who people "want" to win and that's the fight between loud mouth Adrien Broner (27-0, 22) and Argentina's always exciting Marcos Rene Maidana (34-3, 31). The bout, dubbed "Danger Zone" sees Broner's WBA Welterweight title up for grabs as he takes on easily his most dangerous for so far. Likewise however Miadana takes probably his most talented opponent to date.
For Broner this is a pivotal contest. He is defending his WBA title for the first time since claiming it, in controversial fashion, from Paulie Malignaggi. In that fight Broner looked awful. He posed, he got hit and he looked less like "The Problem" and more like a man "With Problems". It was an awful performance. Was it that he he over-looked Malignaggi, who many had written off? Was it that Welterweight wasn't good for his body? Was it that outside the ring issues had got to him? Whatever it was he really didn't perform.
If a fighter "doesn't perform" against Maidana they tend to feel his power. He's not the greatest of finishers by any stretch of the imagination but he is one of those thudding punchers who hurt you every time they land. If Broner takes half as many Maidana shots as he took Malinaggi shots then he'll be in a lot of trouble.
At his best Broner is a really talented fighter. He has a lovely variety of punches, amazing hand speed, fantastic natural athletic ability and real explosiveness. At his worst he's a fighter who looks to have never mastered the basics. His jab is often none existent, his foot work is awful and his defense is sloppy to say the least. He's one of many fighters who I tend to feel is more athlete than boxer, and this is often not a great trait, especially at the world level where opponents tend to be pretty good.
Whilst a loss for Broner wouldn't necessarily be the end I don't imagine he would ever be the same person if he had an "L" on his record.
In regards to Maidana he's the under-dog, he's not expected to win but he's also unwilling to accept a loss where he can. He's a fighter at heart and whilst he lacks the speed and reflexes and Broner he has the fighters mentality of refusing to quit, getting up when knocked down, biting on the gumshield and going for it.
It's not rare to see Maidana hurt, in fact he's been down numerous time, but we've never seen anyone keep Maidana down. His recuperative powers are genuinely fantastic, his mental toughness is unquestionable and although he'll never be Sugar Ray Robinson his skills do seem to be improving even now. He's still crude but much less saw than when he was fighting the likes of Victor Ortiz.
For this fight I have several questions. Will "the real" Broner turn up? If not he'll lose. Can they take each others power? If saw Maidana will really struggle. Will Maidana be able to turn this in to a war? If he can he has a fantastic chance just on the cumulative effect of his shots.
If Broner turns up and acts like a fighter I honesty believe he can stop Maidana. If he acts like a man who has already won the fight before the first punch is thrown however, he gets stopped.
Prediction-Broner TKO10
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Keith Thurman v Jesus Soto Karass
When it comes to hyped Americans we do tend to see a lot of them. Some, do tend to be the goods such as Andre Ward, others however vanish without a trace after facing a major test and being found out. Anyone remember Mike Jones?
This weekend sees Keith Thurman (21-0-0-1, 19) attempting to prove he's the real deal as he takes on the always game and often exciting Jesus Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18) in the first defence of Thurman's WBA "interim" Welterweight title.. On paper this should be a coming out bout for Thurman though Soto Karass has proven time and time again not to under-estimate him.
From the hype we've been reading about Thurman he's a destructive, 1 punch banger with the ability to take out anyone in the division if he lands "one time". Whilst his power is certainly there and it can be delivered to either the head or the body it doesn't seem quite as powerful as Showtime and Thurman himself would want us to believe.
Other than the power Thurman does have some nice traits. He certainly has personality, confidence, nice speed but nothing about his boxing makes me think he'll be a true superstar. He's more rounded than an Andre Berto but still doesn't look that great with some flaws coming through.
When it comes to Soto Karass he is a limited fighter but one who always comes to fight and one who has been improving markedly in recent fighters. Just a few years ago many had written off Karass who had lost in bouts to Alfonso Gomez, Mike Jones-twice and Gabriel Rosado going 0-4-0-1 over a 5 fight stretch. Since then however he has gone 4-1 with notable victories over Berto and Selcuk Aydin. Yeah they are both a level below Thurman's expected level but both are genuine top 15 fighters in the 147 division.
The key for this bout will be whether or not Thurman's power is going to prevent Soro Karass from making this his type of fight. If the Mexican can turn this bout in a fight then it's easy to at least think about the upset. Of course Thurman has the power, skills and speed to make Soto Karass look stupid but on the other hand can he apply them rightly? Will his power carry up and hurt Soto Karass?
It seems unlikely that Thurman's power won't grind Soto Karass down eventually but I do expect the American to be given an uncomfortably tough contest here before eventually stopping Thurman in the second half of the fight.
Prediction-Thurman TKO8
This weekend sees Keith Thurman (21-0-0-1, 19) attempting to prove he's the real deal as he takes on the always game and often exciting Jesus Soto Karass (28-8-3, 18) in the first defence of Thurman's WBA "interim" Welterweight title.. On paper this should be a coming out bout for Thurman though Soto Karass has proven time and time again not to under-estimate him.
From the hype we've been reading about Thurman he's a destructive, 1 punch banger with the ability to take out anyone in the division if he lands "one time". Whilst his power is certainly there and it can be delivered to either the head or the body it doesn't seem quite as powerful as Showtime and Thurman himself would want us to believe.
Other than the power Thurman does have some nice traits. He certainly has personality, confidence, nice speed but nothing about his boxing makes me think he'll be a true superstar. He's more rounded than an Andre Berto but still doesn't look that great with some flaws coming through.
When it comes to Soto Karass he is a limited fighter but one who always comes to fight and one who has been improving markedly in recent fighters. Just a few years ago many had written off Karass who had lost in bouts to Alfonso Gomez, Mike Jones-twice and Gabriel Rosado going 0-4-0-1 over a 5 fight stretch. Since then however he has gone 4-1 with notable victories over Berto and Selcuk Aydin. Yeah they are both a level below Thurman's expected level but both are genuine top 15 fighters in the 147 division.
The key for this bout will be whether or not Thurman's power is going to prevent Soro Karass from making this his type of fight. If the Mexican can turn this bout in a fight then it's easy to at least think about the upset. Of course Thurman has the power, skills and speed to make Soto Karass look stupid but on the other hand can he apply them rightly? Will his power carry up and hurt Soto Karass?
It seems unlikely that Thurman's power won't grind Soto Karass down eventually but I do expect the American to be given an uncomfortably tough contest here before eventually stopping Thurman in the second half of the fight.
Prediction-Thurman TKO8
Juergen Braehmer v Marcus Oliveira
Former WBO Light Heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer (41-2, 31) gets a chance to once again call himself a world champion this weekend as he takes on unbeaten American Marcus Oliveira (25-0-1, 20) for the now vacant WBA Light Heavyweight title.
Due to the stupid political situation of boxing at times this is a title fight that even I'm finding it hard to be excited by. The true WBA champion, Beibut Shumenov, has been inactive for 18 months, he returns this Saturday in a total mismatch against Tamas Kovacs. Rather than forcing Shumenov into an interesting battle with Braehmer the WBA have instead allowed Shumenov his mismatch and also put Braehmer into a bout that I feel is another equally one sided bout.
Braehmer, for years, has been one of the top 10 or so Light Heavyweights on the planet. He's certainly been beatable but he's never been easy to beat as he's combined solid boxing fundamentals, experience, power and toughness into a very solid all-rounder. Little really stands out about him, but like wise there are many flaws. He's not the hardest working, or the biggest hitter but he's dangerous and does enough more often than not to win rounds.
Although aged 35 Braehmer is a relatively young 35 and has had several breaks from the ring to various issues, including legal matters which have kept him "young" in terms of boxing. He's certainly slowed due to natural aging but he's not taken the excess punishment that he perhaps could have done had he been active these past few years.
Despite Braehmer's age it's worth noting that Oliveira himself is 34 years old and more worryingly this is his first real taste of world class. With 26 bouts behind and a professional career that dates back over 7 years this is a massive step up and it speaks volumes when you consider that Oliveira's best opponent to date was Ryan Coyne, who lets be honest was not great himself.
Oliveira is having the best run of his career with victories over Coyne, Ricky Torrez and Antwun Echols in his last 3. Despite those wins there is nothing that makes me think he will be able to test the talented, if frustrating, German.
Prediction-Braehmer TKO11
Due to the stupid political situation of boxing at times this is a title fight that even I'm finding it hard to be excited by. The true WBA champion, Beibut Shumenov, has been inactive for 18 months, he returns this Saturday in a total mismatch against Tamas Kovacs. Rather than forcing Shumenov into an interesting battle with Braehmer the WBA have instead allowed Shumenov his mismatch and also put Braehmer into a bout that I feel is another equally one sided bout.
Braehmer, for years, has been one of the top 10 or so Light Heavyweights on the planet. He's certainly been beatable but he's never been easy to beat as he's combined solid boxing fundamentals, experience, power and toughness into a very solid all-rounder. Little really stands out about him, but like wise there are many flaws. He's not the hardest working, or the biggest hitter but he's dangerous and does enough more often than not to win rounds.
Although aged 35 Braehmer is a relatively young 35 and has had several breaks from the ring to various issues, including legal matters which have kept him "young" in terms of boxing. He's certainly slowed due to natural aging but he's not taken the excess punishment that he perhaps could have done had he been active these past few years.
Despite Braehmer's age it's worth noting that Oliveira himself is 34 years old and more worryingly this is his first real taste of world class. With 26 bouts behind and a professional career that dates back over 7 years this is a massive step up and it speaks volumes when you consider that Oliveira's best opponent to date was Ryan Coyne, who lets be honest was not great himself.
Oliveira is having the best run of his career with victories over Coyne, Ricky Torrez and Antwun Echols in his last 3. Despite those wins there is nothing that makes me think he will be able to test the talented, if frustrating, German.
Prediction-Braehmer TKO11
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Sakio Bika v Anthony Dirrell
The Super Middleweight division is one that features big names, big fighters and a complete cross section of styles. You have the pure boxing of Andre Ward, the warriors of Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler, the explosiveness of Georgre Groves and the crude toughness of Sakio Bika (32-5-2, 21).
Bike, the current WBC champion may not be everyone's cup of tea but he is a fighter who will give everyone a hard night. Tough as old boots, crude, unpredictable and generally rough Bika is throw back fighter to when the fight game was really the fight game. Boxing wise he's horrible, but with a fighters mentality, and head, he is type of caveman who can make life oddly difficult.
Watching Bika would lead one to believe that he was easy to out box. He does almost everything wrong. He walks in straight lines, he throws round house punches on a regular basis and even his jab, when he uses it, seems seems to go the long way round to the target. Yet for some reason he's been able to make even the best boxers in the world, such as Ward, struggle with him as he bores in swings wildly and gives people headaches.
It may be the way Bika uses his head as a third weapon, it may be his unrefined style but he's genuinely a pain in the ass to share a ring with.
The next man to find out just how frustrating Bika is will be the unbeaten Anthony Dirrell (26-0, 22) The brother of one time contender Andre Dirrell, Anthony is a man who was tipped for success though flattered to deceive so far into his career.
With speed, good skills and solid amateur fundamentals Dirrell does, at times, look the real deal. Unfortunately at others he looks a cheap imitation of a good fighter. His record would indicate a deadly puncher but in reality his KO rate has been blown up by fighting a lot of poor foes and his most notable victory has come against Renan St Juste, who injured his arm.
The limitations of Dirrell were clearly on show just 2 fights back when he struggled to a decision over Don Mouton. Mouton took the best that Dirrell had to offer but kept coming forward and genuinely gave Dirrell hell for 8 rounds. If Mouton can do that then there is no doubting that Bika can do the same.
With the trouble Mouton gave Dirrell I can see Bika doing just as well in what will turn out to be a very messy and rough bout
Prediction-Bika SD12
Bike, the current WBC champion may not be everyone's cup of tea but he is a fighter who will give everyone a hard night. Tough as old boots, crude, unpredictable and generally rough Bika is throw back fighter to when the fight game was really the fight game. Boxing wise he's horrible, but with a fighters mentality, and head, he is type of caveman who can make life oddly difficult.
Watching Bika would lead one to believe that he was easy to out box. He does almost everything wrong. He walks in straight lines, he throws round house punches on a regular basis and even his jab, when he uses it, seems seems to go the long way round to the target. Yet for some reason he's been able to make even the best boxers in the world, such as Ward, struggle with him as he bores in swings wildly and gives people headaches.
It may be the way Bika uses his head as a third weapon, it may be his unrefined style but he's genuinely a pain in the ass to share a ring with.
The next man to find out just how frustrating Bika is will be the unbeaten Anthony Dirrell (26-0, 22) The brother of one time contender Andre Dirrell, Anthony is a man who was tipped for success though flattered to deceive so far into his career.
With speed, good skills and solid amateur fundamentals Dirrell does, at times, look the real deal. Unfortunately at others he looks a cheap imitation of a good fighter. His record would indicate a deadly puncher but in reality his KO rate has been blown up by fighting a lot of poor foes and his most notable victory has come against Renan St Juste, who injured his arm.
The limitations of Dirrell were clearly on show just 2 fights back when he struggled to a decision over Don Mouton. Mouton took the best that Dirrell had to offer but kept coming forward and genuinely gave Dirrell hell for 8 rounds. If Mouton can do that then there is no doubting that Bika can do the same.
With the trouble Mouton gave Dirrell I can see Bika doing just as well in what will turn out to be a very messy and rough bout
Prediction-Bika SD12
Devon Alexander v Shawn Porter
For some the Welterweight division is the division when it comes to boxing right now. For me though the division, aside from 3 or 4 names, is actually quite uninteresting. That's not to say it's boring but it lacks fighters that generally whet my appetite. Sure there is the likes of Timothy Bradley and even Manny Pacquiao fighting, at least some of their fights, at 147 but on the other hand you also have fighters like Devon Alexander (25-1, 14).
Alexander, the IBF Welterweight champion, is without a doubt a talented young man, in fact the 26 year old is almost certainly in the top 25 pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. However he is also incredibly tiresome to watch. At his best he can look great but all too often he exemplifies the negativity that turns people away from boxing. He seems to lack personality out of the ring and lacks the style in the ring to make up for it.
A former Don King fighter Alexander started his career with a lot of promise and won his first 21 fights including victories over Junior Witter, Juan Urango and Andriy Kotelnik. Unfortunately the victory over Kotelnik was controversial and then followed by a poor performance against Timothy. From then on Alexander seemed to go from promising youngster to unexciting boredom.
Sure Alexander has the talent to to be a world champion, heck he currently is, but he'll never be a fighter who has a huge fan base. His style, which is that of a boxer, just lacks the class or the power to be a star. He'll be one of those fighters who will flirt with being a top tied talent but will never that good.
Another fighter who once looked exceptional though has failed to live up to expectation is Shawn Porter (22-0-1, 14). Porter turned pro with a reputation of being an aggressive hard hitting inside fighter made for the professional ranks. Unfortunately his power's been found to not be great and whilst he is aggressively minded he's far from exciting.
Having been a professional since 2008 Porter's most notable victories have come against Alfonso Gomez and Julio Diaz. No offense to those two individuals but the fact Porter struggled with both men sums up why I'm so unexcited by this fight and by Porter. He's a man who, like Andre Berto, promises a lot but delivers little in terms substance.
The lack of substance in Porter will cost him here as he puts his head down, attacks blindly but gets picked off, tied up and fails to get through the defenses of Alexander as we end up with a dull but clear decision in favour of the champion.
Prediction-A sleep inducing UD for Alexander.
Alexander, the IBF Welterweight champion, is without a doubt a talented young man, in fact the 26 year old is almost certainly in the top 25 pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. However he is also incredibly tiresome to watch. At his best he can look great but all too often he exemplifies the negativity that turns people away from boxing. He seems to lack personality out of the ring and lacks the style in the ring to make up for it.
A former Don King fighter Alexander started his career with a lot of promise and won his first 21 fights including victories over Junior Witter, Juan Urango and Andriy Kotelnik. Unfortunately the victory over Kotelnik was controversial and then followed by a poor performance against Timothy. From then on Alexander seemed to go from promising youngster to unexciting boredom.
Sure Alexander has the talent to to be a world champion, heck he currently is, but he'll never be a fighter who has a huge fan base. His style, which is that of a boxer, just lacks the class or the power to be a star. He'll be one of those fighters who will flirt with being a top tied talent but will never that good.
Another fighter who once looked exceptional though has failed to live up to expectation is Shawn Porter (22-0-1, 14). Porter turned pro with a reputation of being an aggressive hard hitting inside fighter made for the professional ranks. Unfortunately his power's been found to not be great and whilst he is aggressively minded he's far from exciting.
Having been a professional since 2008 Porter's most notable victories have come against Alfonso Gomez and Julio Diaz. No offense to those two individuals but the fact Porter struggled with both men sums up why I'm so unexcited by this fight and by Porter. He's a man who, like Andre Berto, promises a lot but delivers little in terms substance.
The lack of substance in Porter will cost him here as he puts his head down, attacks blindly but gets picked off, tied up and fails to get through the defenses of Alexander as we end up with a dull but clear decision in favour of the champion.
Prediction-A sleep inducing UD for Alexander.
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Erislandy Lara v Austin Trout
The Light Middleweight division is rather odd. At the top we have a part-time Light Middleweight in Floyd Mayweather Jr, somewhere below him we have Saul Alvarez and Miguel Cotto, two of the biggest draws in the sport. Then comes a lot of fighters looking to make a name for themselves. This includes fighters like Carlos Molina, Bryan Rose, Demetrius Andrade, Vanes Martirosyan, Akinori Watanabe and two men who fight each other this Saturday.
Those two men are Austin Trout (26-1, 14), a former WBA Light Middleweight champion, and Cuban Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12), the current WBA interim Light Middleweight champion. Unsurprisingly, having read they have both have links the WBA title, it should come as no shock that this bout will be for the vacant WBA title, allowing Lara the chance to upgrade his title and allowing Trout to regain his old belt.
This is, on paper, one of those true 50-50 match ups. This is reflected in the odds which narrowly favour Trout at this time of writing., though it genuinely nip and tuck ion the odds.
In terms of the fighters they are both very talented boxers, who can counter excellently, neither is amazing on the front foot but bother are great pure-boxers.
Lara is probably the better all-rounder and the better man on the front foot. He's very dangerous southpaw who has questionable durability having twice been down against Alfredo Angulo though did show a fighters heart to come back in that fight and eventually stop Angulo really messing up his eye in the process. In terms of what he has over Trout he definitely seems to hit harder and also probably has the edge in terms of speed and over-all experience having previously had a very long amateur record.
Staying on Lara for a second, many feel he should have won the only fight he lost, a controversial decision against Paul Williams, but then again many felt he was beaten by Carlos Molina. Factoring both of them in his record should probably stand at 19-1-1.
Trout on the other hand suffered his only loss last time out dropping a decision to Saul Alvarez. Although the judges had that fight all but decided after 8 rounds Trout was certainly not dominated and gave Canelo one of his toughest bouts. What Trout has proven capable of is controlling the distance with his jab and movement, and although he doesn't tend to score many stoppages he does seem to get opponents respect when he connects.
Unfortunately for Trout he's giving away several inches in reach here and with both men having capable speed this will see his jab neutralised by that of Lara. If the jab of Trout's can't help him establish distance and his power can't earn him the respect of Lara then this will be a very hard to win. I think Trout will try hard and try several game plans but at the end of it he'll be a clear loser at the end of the day. His effort however will see him given another shot somewhere down the line and he'll remain relevant despite a loss.
Prediction-Lara UD12
Those two men are Austin Trout (26-1, 14), a former WBA Light Middleweight champion, and Cuban Erislandy Lara (18-1-2, 12), the current WBA interim Light Middleweight champion. Unsurprisingly, having read they have both have links the WBA title, it should come as no shock that this bout will be for the vacant WBA title, allowing Lara the chance to upgrade his title and allowing Trout to regain his old belt.
This is, on paper, one of those true 50-50 match ups. This is reflected in the odds which narrowly favour Trout at this time of writing., though it genuinely nip and tuck ion the odds.
In terms of the fighters they are both very talented boxers, who can counter excellently, neither is amazing on the front foot but bother are great pure-boxers.
Lara is probably the better all-rounder and the better man on the front foot. He's very dangerous southpaw who has questionable durability having twice been down against Alfredo Angulo though did show a fighters heart to come back in that fight and eventually stop Angulo really messing up his eye in the process. In terms of what he has over Trout he definitely seems to hit harder and also probably has the edge in terms of speed and over-all experience having previously had a very long amateur record.
Staying on Lara for a second, many feel he should have won the only fight he lost, a controversial decision against Paul Williams, but then again many felt he was beaten by Carlos Molina. Factoring both of them in his record should probably stand at 19-1-1.
Trout on the other hand suffered his only loss last time out dropping a decision to Saul Alvarez. Although the judges had that fight all but decided after 8 rounds Trout was certainly not dominated and gave Canelo one of his toughest bouts. What Trout has proven capable of is controlling the distance with his jab and movement, and although he doesn't tend to score many stoppages he does seem to get opponents respect when he connects.
Unfortunately for Trout he's giving away several inches in reach here and with both men having capable speed this will see his jab neutralised by that of Lara. If the jab of Trout's can't help him establish distance and his power can't earn him the respect of Lara then this will be a very hard to win. I think Trout will try hard and try several game plans but at the end of it he'll be a clear loser at the end of the day. His effort however will see him given another shot somewhere down the line and he'll remain relevant despite a loss.
Prediction-Lara UD12
Friday, 29 November 2013
Paul Spadafora v Johan Perez
American Paul Spadafora (48-0-1, 19) has one of the longest unbeaten runs in the sport of boxing. Despite his long unbeaten streak, that dates back to 1995, Spadafora has been one of the most frustrating fighters to follow. What should have been an excellent career in the 90's and early 00's became little more than a waste of time, despite a 4 year reign as the IBF Lightweight champion.
Unfortunately Spadafora, who is known to many as "the guy that beat Floyd Mayweather up in Sparring", has been a man who has combined his talented with some seriously bad choices and extra-curricular activities which has seen him serving time in prison and really wasting a number of his prime years.
Spadafora looks to get back to the top this weekend when he fights for the WBA interim Light Welterweight title. The unbeaten man, who goes by the moniker of "The Pittsburgh Kid" despite being 38 years old, will not be in a "gimme" fight however as he takes on Johan Perez (17-1-1, 12).
Although Perez, of Venezuela, is much less well known than the American he is himself a certified world level fighter having been a former holder of this very title. Unfortunately however Perez is best known to many as a man who lost to Pablo Cesar Cano last year, despite having put on a boxing clinic against Japan's Yoshihiro Kamegai earlier this year.
At his best Spadafora was a very good fighter. He never had the talent to be a "special" fighter but was good. That was however a good decade ago and he's now heading to 40 years old and is with out a notable victory in over a decade. He's not the fighter he was and he's unlikely to ever be another genuine name on the world stage.
Perez, although unsuccessful against Cano, is an excellent boxer and has great movement and intelligent skills. He's not a big puncher but he's a clever enough fighter to make the most of his strengths and is likely to do so here.
Sadly for Perez he is going to West Virginia for this contest and fighting in the same venue that Spadafora has fought his last 3 contests in. I personally think Perez will be the more impressive man in the ring though unfortunately Spadafora will some how manage to get the win with many fans wondering what they had just seen.
Prediction-Spadafora SD12 (VERY controversially)
Unfortunately Spadafora, who is known to many as "the guy that beat Floyd Mayweather up in Sparring", has been a man who has combined his talented with some seriously bad choices and extra-curricular activities which has seen him serving time in prison and really wasting a number of his prime years.
Spadafora looks to get back to the top this weekend when he fights for the WBA interim Light Welterweight title. The unbeaten man, who goes by the moniker of "The Pittsburgh Kid" despite being 38 years old, will not be in a "gimme" fight however as he takes on Johan Perez (17-1-1, 12).
Although Perez, of Venezuela, is much less well known than the American he is himself a certified world level fighter having been a former holder of this very title. Unfortunately however Perez is best known to many as a man who lost to Pablo Cesar Cano last year, despite having put on a boxing clinic against Japan's Yoshihiro Kamegai earlier this year.
At his best Spadafora was a very good fighter. He never had the talent to be a "special" fighter but was good. That was however a good decade ago and he's now heading to 40 years old and is with out a notable victory in over a decade. He's not the fighter he was and he's unlikely to ever be another genuine name on the world stage.
Perez, although unsuccessful against Cano, is an excellent boxer and has great movement and intelligent skills. He's not a big puncher but he's a clever enough fighter to make the most of his strengths and is likely to do so here.
Sadly for Perez he is going to West Virginia for this contest and fighting in the same venue that Spadafora has fought his last 3 contests in. I personally think Perez will be the more impressive man in the ring though unfortunately Spadafora will some how manage to get the win with many fans wondering what they had just seen.
Prediction-Spadafora SD12 (VERY controversially)
Friday, 15 November 2013
Andre Ward v Edwin Rodriguez
Although Floyd Mayweather Jr is widely regarded as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet many feel that his apparent heir to the throne is Andre Ward (26-0, 14). Ward, the #1 guy at Super Middleweight and the current WBA "super" champion, will look to show why he is so highly regarded this weekend as he returns from a very long lay off caused by injury.
Ward, defending the WBA title for the sixth time since taking it from Mikkel Kessler, will be fellow unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez (24-0, 16) a man who will be fighting in his first world title fight and his first fight against a world class fighter.
Although he has been inactive Ward is widely regarded as one of the world's most complete fighters. He has skills, defense, speed, better power than his record would indicate and the ability the really do it all. He can box with the best of them, he can trade inside when he needs to and although he's not a bang he hits cleanly enough to keep everyone honest. He really is, like him or not, a very complete boxer.
Whilst Ward is a complete fighter Rodriguez has his flaws, though on his flip-side he does his extra strengths. The key advantage Rodriguez has is that he's explosive puncher when he lets his hands go. That's not to say he's a monster puncher but his stoppage last time out over Denis Grachev was thoroughly impressive taking less than a round to take out the Russian.
At his best Rodriguez could be a nightmare for many contenders. His power, speed and offensive style will pose headaches to fighters. At his worst however he's frustrating and his fight with Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna showed as much as the two men had a very ugly and unmemorable contest.
What Rodriguez really has in his favour here is that Ward has been out of the ring for more than a year. Questions regarding how much ring-rust and how it will effect Ward are certainly there to be answered. If Ward is just a smidge slower than usual then Rodriguez may be able to jump on Ward. Problem is if Ward isn't feeling the effects of the ring rust then this really could be a master-class of a defense from a man willing re-introduce himself to the boxing community in a big way.
Prediction-Ward UD12
Ward, defending the WBA title for the sixth time since taking it from Mikkel Kessler, will be fellow unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez (24-0, 16) a man who will be fighting in his first world title fight and his first fight against a world class fighter.
Although he has been inactive Ward is widely regarded as one of the world's most complete fighters. He has skills, defense, speed, better power than his record would indicate and the ability the really do it all. He can box with the best of them, he can trade inside when he needs to and although he's not a bang he hits cleanly enough to keep everyone honest. He really is, like him or not, a very complete boxer.
Whilst Ward is a complete fighter Rodriguez has his flaws, though on his flip-side he does his extra strengths. The key advantage Rodriguez has is that he's explosive puncher when he lets his hands go. That's not to say he's a monster puncher but his stoppage last time out over Denis Grachev was thoroughly impressive taking less than a round to take out the Russian.
At his best Rodriguez could be a nightmare for many contenders. His power, speed and offensive style will pose headaches to fighters. At his worst however he's frustrating and his fight with Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna showed as much as the two men had a very ugly and unmemorable contest.
What Rodriguez really has in his favour here is that Ward has been out of the ring for more than a year. Questions regarding how much ring-rust and how it will effect Ward are certainly there to be answered. If Ward is just a smidge slower than usual then Rodriguez may be able to jump on Ward. Problem is if Ward isn't feeling the effects of the ring rust then this really could be a master-class of a defense from a man willing re-introduce himself to the boxing community in a big way.
Prediction-Ward UD12
Friday, 8 November 2013
Roman Martinez v Mikey Garcia
It's become somewhat popular in recent years to talk about how poor American boxing is. The top fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr, Bernard Hopkins and Andre Ward are known as being somewhat boring despite their talent and for many the excitement is being sapped slowly out of American fighting.
One man who has been able to buck that trend is Mexican-American Mikey Garcia (32-0, 27), a man many are proclaiming as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet despite the fact he is just 25 years old.
What Garcia has done so well this far in his career is combine explosive power with fantastic counter punching and perfect judgement of distance. Garcia doesn't give opponents many opportunities but when he gets even a whiff of a chance to land his potent right hand he makes sure to connect. No one seems to like taking Garcia's lethal power more than once or twice and it's little wonder that he has stopped so many opponents.
This weekend we see Garcia stepping up from the Featherweight division to start his campaign at Super Featherweight. A move up caused by Garcia's inability to make the 126lb Featherweight division comfortably, something that saw him stripped of his WBO title last time out when he defeated Juan Manuel Lopez.
In a somewhat symbolic move Garcia leaves the Featherweight division by defeating a Puerto Rican and begins his journey in the Super Featherweight by facing on a Puerto Rican as he battles WBO Super Featherweight champion Roman Martinez (27-1-2, 16), a man who many feel has been living on borrowed time in recent contests.
Whilst Garcia is a wonderful boxer-puncher it's far to say that Martinez is more of a fighter. The Puerto Rican is flawed though tough, hard working and determined to win. He's not pretty by any stretch of the imagination but he's proven to be very happy to take one to land one. Unfortunately however for Martinez he's now looking somewhat like a "done" fighter and was very fortunate in his last 3 contests as he scored controversial victories over Miguel Beltran Jr and Diego Magdaleno as well a very suspect draw with Juan Carlos Burgos.
Although Martinez has been fortunate in his recent bouts he has been fighting busy fighters. Against Garcia it's fair to say that Martinez is facing a much more measured opponent. Of course Garcia is a more complete boxer than Beltran, Burgos and Magdaleno but if Martinez can take his power this could be a long night for the American youngster.
On the flipside however Martinez has been taking more and more shots. His last 3 bouts in particular were all very hard and those wars do age a fighter, especially when Martinez himself was never a great defensive boxer. If Martinez cannot cut the space off quickly then he will merely be charging on to the hard and heavy shots of Garcia, shots that have explosive and concussive power. If this happens I wouldn't be shocked to see Martinez suffer his first stoppage loss and for Garcia to become a 2-weight world champion.
Prediction-Garcia TKO7
One man who has been able to buck that trend is Mexican-American Mikey Garcia (32-0, 27), a man many are proclaiming as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet despite the fact he is just 25 years old.
What Garcia has done so well this far in his career is combine explosive power with fantastic counter punching and perfect judgement of distance. Garcia doesn't give opponents many opportunities but when he gets even a whiff of a chance to land his potent right hand he makes sure to connect. No one seems to like taking Garcia's lethal power more than once or twice and it's little wonder that he has stopped so many opponents.
This weekend we see Garcia stepping up from the Featherweight division to start his campaign at Super Featherweight. A move up caused by Garcia's inability to make the 126lb Featherweight division comfortably, something that saw him stripped of his WBO title last time out when he defeated Juan Manuel Lopez.
In a somewhat symbolic move Garcia leaves the Featherweight division by defeating a Puerto Rican and begins his journey in the Super Featherweight by facing on a Puerto Rican as he battles WBO Super Featherweight champion Roman Martinez (27-1-2, 16), a man who many feel has been living on borrowed time in recent contests.
Whilst Garcia is a wonderful boxer-puncher it's far to say that Martinez is more of a fighter. The Puerto Rican is flawed though tough, hard working and determined to win. He's not pretty by any stretch of the imagination but he's proven to be very happy to take one to land one. Unfortunately however for Martinez he's now looking somewhat like a "done" fighter and was very fortunate in his last 3 contests as he scored controversial victories over Miguel Beltran Jr and Diego Magdaleno as well a very suspect draw with Juan Carlos Burgos.
Although Martinez has been fortunate in his recent bouts he has been fighting busy fighters. Against Garcia it's fair to say that Martinez is facing a much more measured opponent. Of course Garcia is a more complete boxer than Beltran, Burgos and Magdaleno but if Martinez can take his power this could be a long night for the American youngster.
On the flipside however Martinez has been taking more and more shots. His last 3 bouts in particular were all very hard and those wars do age a fighter, especially when Martinez himself was never a great defensive boxer. If Martinez cannot cut the space off quickly then he will merely be charging on to the hard and heavy shots of Garcia, shots that have explosive and concussive power. If this happens I wouldn't be shocked to see Martinez suffer his first stoppage loss and for Garcia to become a 2-weight world champion.
Prediction-Garcia TKO7
Demetrius Andrade v Vanes Martirosyan
If there is a division that promises a lot right now and seems to only partly deliver it's the Light Middleweight division. In some regards it's one of the best division's in the sport with the name value of Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and the excitement value of James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo .
In other respects however the division is a cesspit. It's given up some of the weakest champions in recent memory, including Cornelius Bundrage and Ishe Smith, some of biggest mismatches such as Canelo v Matthew Hatton, Canelo v Alfonso Gomez and Canelo v Kermit Cintron and some of the biggest disappointments in terms of what we have gotten with the talent available.
Thankfully this weekend we do get a genuinely interesting contest in the division as unbeaten men collide, both of whom have been US Olympians and both of whom have yet to get close to fulfilling the promise they showed early in their career.
In one corner is 2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade (19-0, 13), a former World Amateur champion who has promises a lot though been slow in moving through the ranks. Through his first 19 fights his most notable opponents have been Saul Duran, Grady Brewer and Freddy Hernandez, hardly the resume of a man who was expected to be fast tracked up the rankings.
In the opposite corner is 2004 Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (33-0-1, 21) a man who has been a professional for well over 8 years yet has only faced a handful of opponents of note. Most notably Erislandy Lara, who was unfortunate to only receive a draw with Martirosyan and Kassim Ouma who was on the wrong side of a very hotly debated decision.
It's fair to say that both men have been slow to get to this point, their first world title fight.
In the case if Andrade it is somewhat defensible. The 6'1" southpaw is now just 25, he's taken a bit of time to get to this point but he's young enough to take his time, even if his activity has been poor. At 27 years old however Martirosyan hasn't gotten the same time. His activity has been fine with 34 bouts in a little over 8 years but many of those bouts seemed to be stalling bouts as opposed to progressive contests in his career.
Of the two men Martirosyan is the slightly more proven as a professional. Although he is fortunate to be unbeaten he has scared semi notable victories over Saul Roman, Billy Lyell and Joe Greene. Not murderer's row but certainly no worse than the opponents Andrade has faced. Of the two men however it's Andrade who appears to have the more natural skill-set and the more complete game.
Fast, with long range and a southpaw stance Andrade has the potential to be a nightmare for anyone in the division. He skills still need polishing off somewhat but the potential is there. Martirosyan on the other hand is a fighter who's struck me as nothing better than average. Nothing sticks out about him other than the fact he is possibly not as durable as one would think. He has been dropped by both Saul Roman and Kassim Ouma and whilst they were both solid contender types neither would be classed as a world level puncher (despite Roman's record of 31 KO's in 37 victories).
If anything the fact Andrade has been down before is the biggest worry here. If Andrade goes out to make a statement I honestly don't see Vanes living with him. If Andrade boxes with in himself then a clear decision is on the cards for the man known as "Boo Boo".
Prediction-Andrade TKO8
In other respects however the division is a cesspit. It's given up some of the weakest champions in recent memory, including Cornelius Bundrage and Ishe Smith, some of biggest mismatches such as Canelo v Matthew Hatton, Canelo v Alfonso Gomez and Canelo v Kermit Cintron and some of the biggest disappointments in terms of what we have gotten with the talent available.
Thankfully this weekend we do get a genuinely interesting contest in the division as unbeaten men collide, both of whom have been US Olympians and both of whom have yet to get close to fulfilling the promise they showed early in their career.
In one corner is 2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade (19-0, 13), a former World Amateur champion who has promises a lot though been slow in moving through the ranks. Through his first 19 fights his most notable opponents have been Saul Duran, Grady Brewer and Freddy Hernandez, hardly the resume of a man who was expected to be fast tracked up the rankings.
In the opposite corner is 2004 Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (33-0-1, 21) a man who has been a professional for well over 8 years yet has only faced a handful of opponents of note. Most notably Erislandy Lara, who was unfortunate to only receive a draw with Martirosyan and Kassim Ouma who was on the wrong side of a very hotly debated decision.
It's fair to say that both men have been slow to get to this point, their first world title fight.
In the case if Andrade it is somewhat defensible. The 6'1" southpaw is now just 25, he's taken a bit of time to get to this point but he's young enough to take his time, even if his activity has been poor. At 27 years old however Martirosyan hasn't gotten the same time. His activity has been fine with 34 bouts in a little over 8 years but many of those bouts seemed to be stalling bouts as opposed to progressive contests in his career.
Of the two men Martirosyan is the slightly more proven as a professional. Although he is fortunate to be unbeaten he has scared semi notable victories over Saul Roman, Billy Lyell and Joe Greene. Not murderer's row but certainly no worse than the opponents Andrade has faced. Of the two men however it's Andrade who appears to have the more natural skill-set and the more complete game.
Fast, with long range and a southpaw stance Andrade has the potential to be a nightmare for anyone in the division. He skills still need polishing off somewhat but the potential is there. Martirosyan on the other hand is a fighter who's struck me as nothing better than average. Nothing sticks out about him other than the fact he is possibly not as durable as one would think. He has been dropped by both Saul Roman and Kassim Ouma and whilst they were both solid contender types neither would be classed as a world level puncher (despite Roman's record of 31 KO's in 37 victories).
If anything the fact Andrade has been down before is the biggest worry here. If Andrade goes out to make a statement I honestly don't see Vanes living with him. If Andrade boxes with in himself then a clear decision is on the cards for the man known as "Boo Boo".
Prediction-Andrade TKO8
Friday, 1 November 2013
Gennady Golovkin v Curtis Stevens
Just a week after Peter Quillin defended his WBO Middleweight title against Gabriel Rosado we again see title action in the 160lb division. This week however we have a fight that has "shoot out" written all over it as the hard hitting Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24), the WBA champion, takes on challenger Curtis Stevens (25-3, 18).
I'll admit, I expected the Quillin/Rosado fight to be somewhat fun to watch. Rosado always gives his all and Quillin is a big time puncher. That fight however lacked sustained action and a fitting ending. In fact that fight was hugely anti-climatic with only a few moments of any real excitement.
Thankfully this weeks is almost certainly going to be all about the excitement.
Golovkin, the defending champion, is a smart, calculating fighter. He doesn't make many mistakes as he measures his opponents with perfect judgement of distance, applies constant stalking pressure with tremendously deliberate footwork and then unleashes with dynamite power to the head or body. He really does look like the complete fighter with power, skills, timing, control and toughness. He doesn't have the greatest work-rate but he doesn't need to as he breaks down his opponents with clean effective shots.
Whilst Golovkin is measured and deliberate it's fair to say that Stevens doesn't share those traits. The American challenger is a hard hitter with out doubt with explosive power, though he's also a more reckless and wild fighter. He's a man who starts fast with the intention of getting in and getting out in as little time as possible. This has left him with a some highlight reel KO's and a growing fan base though also many questioning his credentials. Has Stevens got the bout due to his style and fan friendly nature, or has he earned it?
The Way Golovkin has been mowing his way through B/C grade opponents, such as Grzegorz Proksa, Nobuhiro Ishida and Matthew Macklin has been nothing short of impressive. Sure they aren't the "A list" of challengers but they are all capable fighters. Stevens, like the three men I've just mentioned, is a capable fighter, nothing great but very much a capable fighter. Unfortunately it's going to take a lot more than just a capable fighter to test Golovkin.
I imagine Stevens will come out cautious. It'd be stupid to take a risk early. Though I think by the end of the first round he will look like a beaten man and be stopped soon afterwards, maybe managing to see the start of round 4 if he's lucky.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO2
I'll admit, I expected the Quillin/Rosado fight to be somewhat fun to watch. Rosado always gives his all and Quillin is a big time puncher. That fight however lacked sustained action and a fitting ending. In fact that fight was hugely anti-climatic with only a few moments of any real excitement.
Thankfully this weeks is almost certainly going to be all about the excitement.
Golovkin, the defending champion, is a smart, calculating fighter. He doesn't make many mistakes as he measures his opponents with perfect judgement of distance, applies constant stalking pressure with tremendously deliberate footwork and then unleashes with dynamite power to the head or body. He really does look like the complete fighter with power, skills, timing, control and toughness. He doesn't have the greatest work-rate but he doesn't need to as he breaks down his opponents with clean effective shots.
Whilst Golovkin is measured and deliberate it's fair to say that Stevens doesn't share those traits. The American challenger is a hard hitter with out doubt with explosive power, though he's also a more reckless and wild fighter. He's a man who starts fast with the intention of getting in and getting out in as little time as possible. This has left him with a some highlight reel KO's and a growing fan base though also many questioning his credentials. Has Stevens got the bout due to his style and fan friendly nature, or has he earned it?
The Way Golovkin has been mowing his way through B/C grade opponents, such as Grzegorz Proksa, Nobuhiro Ishida and Matthew Macklin has been nothing short of impressive. Sure they aren't the "A list" of challengers but they are all capable fighters. Stevens, like the three men I've just mentioned, is a capable fighter, nothing great but very much a capable fighter. Unfortunately it's going to take a lot more than just a capable fighter to test Golovkin.
I imagine Stevens will come out cautious. It'd be stupid to take a risk early. Though I think by the end of the first round he will look like a beaten man and be stopped soon afterwards, maybe managing to see the start of round 4 if he's lucky.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO2
Friday, 25 October 2013
Peter Quillin v Gabriel Rosado
The Middleweight division is one of boxing's weirdest ones. It has a lot of good fighters in it, a lot of fantastic possibilities and a lot of potential excitement. Unfortunately for all the good things about it we also have politics really preventing the match ups fans want and instead we've been getting second tier fighters dressed up as world title contenders.
Unfortunately we get one of those again this weekend as WBO world champion Peter Quillin (29-0, 21) takes on the always game but limited Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13), a man who's limitations at world level have been shown more than once.
Rosado is a decent fighter. Key word "decent", he's a proverbial gate keeper and will defeat some contenders but with losses to Fernando Guerrero, Alfredo Angulo, Derek Ennis and Gennady Golovkin in the last 4 and a bit years he does seem to be getting more than his share of chances. Of course the fact Rosado isn't linked to either of the two big promoters and is easy to deal with does work in his favour though when you figure his best wins are over Kassim Ouma, Jesus Soto Karass and Sechew Powell you do struggle to think of him as a world level fighter.
Despite his limitations Rosado is tough, brings excitement with his pressure, and refuses to back down from a fight. He's the sort of guy who will make fans almost every time he gets in the ring, win or lose. As Golovkin described him, rather affectionately, he's a "good boy", a nice hard working fighter who is genuinely hard to root against, despite his lack of world level qualifications.
The hard hitting Quillin, who claimed his world title by defeating Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam, will be making the second defense of his title. His first came in a very easy victory over Fernando Guerrero, a man who in all honesty had done nothing to deserve a world title fight. The class and power difference between the Quillin and Guerrero was obvious from the opening bell and Quillin just cruised past his challenger.
Quillin, whilst not the most technically gifted is skilled, determined, heavy handed and he sort of fighter who hurts you every time he lands. Sometimes he can be made to look lazy if a fighter uses their feet against him but in the end he knows that his pressure will pay off and he'll get to land his shots. Oddly in that respect he's a bit like Arthur Abraham, though a lot more athletically gifted and a lot less rigid in what he does.
With Guerrero having beaten Rosado but been squashed by Quillin I think this shows the level the two men are on. Quillin losing would be a major upset. Despite that there is something interesting about this bout. Can Quillin stop Rosado quicker than Golovkin? That's pretty much it.
With fans wanting Quillin v Golovkin this bout may add pressure to that happening. Unfortunately politics between HBO and Showtime will stand in the way, at least for now, though it's a bout that could well linger if both men are happy to face fringe contenders the next few years and pick up relatively easy victories waiting for the networks and promoters to actually put their differences behind them for the sake of the sport.
Prediction-Quillin TKO6 (beating Golovkin by a round)
Unfortunately we get one of those again this weekend as WBO world champion Peter Quillin (29-0, 21) takes on the always game but limited Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13), a man who's limitations at world level have been shown more than once.
Rosado is a decent fighter. Key word "decent", he's a proverbial gate keeper and will defeat some contenders but with losses to Fernando Guerrero, Alfredo Angulo, Derek Ennis and Gennady Golovkin in the last 4 and a bit years he does seem to be getting more than his share of chances. Of course the fact Rosado isn't linked to either of the two big promoters and is easy to deal with does work in his favour though when you figure his best wins are over Kassim Ouma, Jesus Soto Karass and Sechew Powell you do struggle to think of him as a world level fighter.
Despite his limitations Rosado is tough, brings excitement with his pressure, and refuses to back down from a fight. He's the sort of guy who will make fans almost every time he gets in the ring, win or lose. As Golovkin described him, rather affectionately, he's a "good boy", a nice hard working fighter who is genuinely hard to root against, despite his lack of world level qualifications.
The hard hitting Quillin, who claimed his world title by defeating Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam, will be making the second defense of his title. His first came in a very easy victory over Fernando Guerrero, a man who in all honesty had done nothing to deserve a world title fight. The class and power difference between the Quillin and Guerrero was obvious from the opening bell and Quillin just cruised past his challenger.
Quillin, whilst not the most technically gifted is skilled, determined, heavy handed and he sort of fighter who hurts you every time he lands. Sometimes he can be made to look lazy if a fighter uses their feet against him but in the end he knows that his pressure will pay off and he'll get to land his shots. Oddly in that respect he's a bit like Arthur Abraham, though a lot more athletically gifted and a lot less rigid in what he does.
With Guerrero having beaten Rosado but been squashed by Quillin I think this shows the level the two men are on. Quillin losing would be a major upset. Despite that there is something interesting about this bout. Can Quillin stop Rosado quicker than Golovkin? That's pretty much it.
With fans wanting Quillin v Golovkin this bout may add pressure to that happening. Unfortunately politics between HBO and Showtime will stand in the way, at least for now, though it's a bout that could well linger if both men are happy to face fringe contenders the next few years and pick up relatively easy victories waiting for the networks and promoters to actually put their differences behind them for the sake of the sport.
Prediction-Quillin TKO6 (beating Golovkin by a round)
Bernard Hopkins v Karo Murat
Over the last 12 months or so the Light Heavyweight division appears to have suddenly come alive with hard hitting fighters who have a serious aura of devastation about them. The most notable of those fighters are current world champions Adonis Stevenson (WBC) and Sergey Kovalev (WBO) , though Russian prospect Artur Beterbiev also seems to posses the same dynamite in his punchers.
Amazingly, despite the rise of those big punching champions, one man keeps proving that old school skills can be just as effective in defeating and even ruining opponents. That man is "The Executioner", sorry I mean "The Alien", Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2-2, 32) the current IBF champion who defends his belt for the first time this weekend.
The 48 year old Hopkins, who has seemingly given himself a new nickname in the lead up to this fight, will be facing the Iraq born German-Armenian Karo Murat (25-1-1, 15) a highly regarded European challenger who the IBF have have demanded is a mandatory challenger to Hopkins's title.
As the oldest ever world champion Hopkins is a man of history. In fact Hopkins is arguably a man with more historic significance than any other active fighter. He's set records, broken records, reset records and been the only man to unify all 4 major world titles. As they say however father time beats everyone and with his 49th birthday fast approaching it really does seem like Hopkins is living on borrowed time, however he's making the most of it and has shown an uncanny ability to beat younger men by just using exceptional skills and some nifty old school tricks.
Sure watching Hopkins at work isn't the most exciting thing in the world. He'll never be a Ruslan Provodnikov type fan favourite however he'll often find a way to control a fight, it's pace, range and his opponent. In fact in his most recent bout he made the usually busy Tavoris Cloud look like an old man, limiting his work and making him look much like a B rate fighter.
In Karo Murat we again see Hopkins facing a younger and supposedly fresher fighter who will be making his world title debut. Whilst this is Murat's first world title fight, it's not the first time he has been in with a supposedly "world level" fighter. In fact Murat's record is actually pretty impressive with victories over Gabriel Campillo, Cristian Sanavia and recent world title challenger Tommy Karpency. He has also fought to a draw with Campillo and suffered his sole career loss to Nathan Cleverly.
Whilst Hopkins is an expert in controlling the tempo of the fight Murat himself is a fighter who will take advantage of the fact Hopkins is aging. He has a solid work rate which whilst not extreme does tend to get stronger as the fight goes on, he'll often lose a number of the early rounds as his engine begins to get going but by the middle and late rounds he'll be coming forward trying to grind his opponents down. It's not often pretty but it's usually effective and usually pretty in your face.
If Murat can instill his will on Hopkins this could be an extremely competitive contest and give us the momentum swings that make a great fight. If, however, Hopkins can reach in to his bag of tricks once again he should be able to make Murat look slow, clumsy and a second rate challenger, even though he's a genuinely solid challenger.
My money will be on Hopkins doing it again, though I can understand why others may feel that father time will finally catch up with the greying "Alien".
Prediction-Hopkins UD12
Amazingly, despite the rise of those big punching champions, one man keeps proving that old school skills can be just as effective in defeating and even ruining opponents. That man is "
The 48 year old Hopkins, who has seemingly given himself a new nickname in the lead up to this fight, will be facing the Iraq born German-Armenian Karo Murat (25-1-1, 15) a highly regarded European challenger who the IBF have have demanded is a mandatory challenger to Hopkins's title.
As the oldest ever world champion Hopkins is a man of history. In fact Hopkins is arguably a man with more historic significance than any other active fighter. He's set records, broken records, reset records and been the only man to unify all 4 major world titles. As they say however father time beats everyone and with his 49th birthday fast approaching it really does seem like Hopkins is living on borrowed time, however he's making the most of it and has shown an uncanny ability to beat younger men by just using exceptional skills and some nifty old school tricks.
Sure watching Hopkins at work isn't the most exciting thing in the world. He'll never be a Ruslan Provodnikov type fan favourite however he'll often find a way to control a fight, it's pace, range and his opponent. In fact in his most recent bout he made the usually busy Tavoris Cloud look like an old man, limiting his work and making him look much like a B rate fighter.
In Karo Murat we again see Hopkins facing a younger and supposedly fresher fighter who will be making his world title debut. Whilst this is Murat's first world title fight, it's not the first time he has been in with a supposedly "world level" fighter. In fact Murat's record is actually pretty impressive with victories over Gabriel Campillo, Cristian Sanavia and recent world title challenger Tommy Karpency. He has also fought to a draw with Campillo and suffered his sole career loss to Nathan Cleverly.
Whilst Hopkins is an expert in controlling the tempo of the fight Murat himself is a fighter who will take advantage of the fact Hopkins is aging. He has a solid work rate which whilst not extreme does tend to get stronger as the fight goes on, he'll often lose a number of the early rounds as his engine begins to get going but by the middle and late rounds he'll be coming forward trying to grind his opponents down. It's not often pretty but it's usually effective and usually pretty in your face.
If Murat can instill his will on Hopkins this could be an extremely competitive contest and give us the momentum swings that make a great fight. If, however, Hopkins can reach in to his bag of tricks once again he should be able to make Murat look slow, clumsy and a second rate challenger, even though he's a genuinely solid challenger.
My money will be on Hopkins doing it again, though I can understand why others may feel that father time will finally catch up with the greying "Alien".
Prediction-Hopkins UD12
Friday, 18 October 2013
Mike Alvarado v Ruslan Provodnikov
Not every fight we see scheduled gets the pulses racing in anticipation of a war. I know I'm not looking forward to Andre Ward v Edwin Rodriguez for example, however one fight that screams "blood, guts and violence" is the upcoming WBO interim Light Welterweight contest between Mike Alvarado (34-1, 23) and Russian slugger Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15), a fight that makes me remember just why I love this great sport of ours.
It's not often that we get true warriors matched together, but that's what we have here with two fighters who actually look like they were made for each other. Both are TV friendly, fan friendly and better yet they are sharing a ring together, what more can we want?
As the defending champion the pressure is on Alvarado who impressed many by avenging his sole defeat earlier this year. Having lost to Brandon Rios in a tear up last year Alvarado took on Rios for a second time and showed his ability to box as well as fight as he mixed things up and out pointed Rios in a barnstormer. He'll have to show his boxing ability again here, though it's a relief for the American that has it in his locker.
Although Alvarado is "only" 33 he's a fighter who has many more miles on the clock than a normal 33 year old. His history of out-manning opponents will have taken it's toll on his long term health, his career and his ability to go to the well again. That's not to say he's only got 1 more good fight in him, but it is to say that his style is going to catch up with him sooner or later. It might be this bout, it might the next one, or it might be 10 fights away, but it will happen.
Whilst Alvarado has shown an ability to go to plan B we've never seen that from Provodnikov a man who has single game plan and one that is usually effective. To fight. You'll never get anything unpredictable from Provodnikov, there's no traps or clever countering, there's little in the way of imagination though what you get is a strong, tough, hard hitting Russian on a seek and destroy mission from round 1 to round 12.
Provodnikov can be made to look second rate by someone who boxes on the move, though he'll take advantage of any lapses in concentration and landing thudding shots with either hand. It takes not just a tough opponent to beat him, but one with either boundless energy or one the ability to discourage him, something we've yet to see.
If Alvarado employees his usual "fighting" style then this is a FOTY candidate with every round being a mini war. If, instead, Alvarado elects to box the American may find that he looks a level or two better than Provodnikov who could look 1-dimensional. Problem for Alvarado though if he does choose to box is that Provodbikov won't back off and only needs to land one punch to shake him, as hard as Alvarado tries to box there will always be that tense feeling that Provodnikov is only 1 shot away from turning the bout around.
I think Alvarado will manage to box for most of the fight, he'll certainly have a scare and may be dropped, though will show his smarts and just do enough to take a very tight decision in a memorable FOTY contender. I can certainly see Provodnikov hurting the American, but for some reason I think that Alvarado will see out the storm in a fight that sees fans and the media calling for an immediate rematch, just as much for the action as anything else.
Prediction-Alvarado SD12
It's not often that we get true warriors matched together, but that's what we have here with two fighters who actually look like they were made for each other. Both are TV friendly, fan friendly and better yet they are sharing a ring together, what more can we want?
As the defending champion the pressure is on Alvarado who impressed many by avenging his sole defeat earlier this year. Having lost to Brandon Rios in a tear up last year Alvarado took on Rios for a second time and showed his ability to box as well as fight as he mixed things up and out pointed Rios in a barnstormer. He'll have to show his boxing ability again here, though it's a relief for the American that has it in his locker.
Although Alvarado is "only" 33 he's a fighter who has many more miles on the clock than a normal 33 year old. His history of out-manning opponents will have taken it's toll on his long term health, his career and his ability to go to the well again. That's not to say he's only got 1 more good fight in him, but it is to say that his style is going to catch up with him sooner or later. It might be this bout, it might the next one, or it might be 10 fights away, but it will happen.
Whilst Alvarado has shown an ability to go to plan B we've never seen that from Provodnikov a man who has single game plan and one that is usually effective. To fight. You'll never get anything unpredictable from Provodnikov, there's no traps or clever countering, there's little in the way of imagination though what you get is a strong, tough, hard hitting Russian on a seek and destroy mission from round 1 to round 12.
Provodnikov can be made to look second rate by someone who boxes on the move, though he'll take advantage of any lapses in concentration and landing thudding shots with either hand. It takes not just a tough opponent to beat him, but one with either boundless energy or one the ability to discourage him, something we've yet to see.
If Alvarado employees his usual "fighting" style then this is a FOTY candidate with every round being a mini war. If, instead, Alvarado elects to box the American may find that he looks a level or two better than Provodnikov who could look 1-dimensional. Problem for Alvarado though if he does choose to box is that Provodbikov won't back off and only needs to land one punch to shake him, as hard as Alvarado tries to box there will always be that tense feeling that Provodnikov is only 1 shot away from turning the bout around.
I think Alvarado will manage to box for most of the fight, he'll certainly have a scare and may be dropped, though will show his smarts and just do enough to take a very tight decision in a memorable FOTY contender. I can certainly see Provodnikov hurting the American, but for some reason I think that Alvarado will see out the storm in a fight that sees fans and the media calling for an immediate rematch, just as much for the action as anything else.
Prediction-Alvarado SD12
Friday, 11 October 2013
Timothy Bradley v Juan Manuel Marquez
This weekend's stand out bout, by far, takes place in the US as future Hall of Famer Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6-1, 40) looks to claim another world title. In Marquez's way is unbeaten American Timothy Bradley (30-0-0-1, 12) the reigning and defending WBO Welterweight champion and a man with a point to prove after 2 successive bouts in which he was "fortunate"to win.
For Bradley, a talented all rounder, this is a big chance to answer some serious questions. With out a doubt he was given the benefit of the doubt against Manny Pacquiao and he was also lucky to survive, never mind get the victory over Ruslan Provodnikov last time out. Whilst he showed great heart in both of those fights he also took a lot of damage and may never be the same fighter either physically or mentally.
Prior to those two fights Bradley was on or around the fringes of the "pound-for-pound" lists. It wasn't that he had any great qualities in terms of speed, or power though his will to win and never say die attitude was second to none. He had a great heart and amazing conditioning and it was often this that helped him see out some really bad issues.
Whilst that all sounds incredibly negative the flipside was that Bradley also didn't have any clear weaknesses. It was difficult to to have Bradley rating less than 7/10 on anything, other than perhaps power. His speed isn't amazing, but it is good, his skills are good, his power makes fighters respect him, his movement is solid, his combinations are solid.
Whilst Bradley was lucky to beat Pacquiao many feel that Mexican Marquez is unfortunate not to have 4 wins over the Filipino superstar. Saying that however Marquez did finally get a definitive victory over "The Pacman" last time out when he left Pacquiao unconscious in after an eye catching KO.
Like Bradley, Marquez is viewed in, or around, the pound-for-pound list. Unlike Bradley however Marquez has had a bit more of a hard luck career. He lost on his debut back in 1993 after being disqualified, having been forced to wait 3 years for his debut, he would later lose, albeit controversially to Freddie Norwood, Chris John, Manny Pacquiao twice-both time controversially, and Floyd Mayweather Jr with only the Mayweather loss being a clear one.
Marquez is one of the sports true technicians. He's now 40 years old but has perfected the art of being an offensive counter puncher who, like Bradley, refuses to just lose. He's tough, throws beautiful combinations, has hurtful power which can be concussive when he lands clean and has unexpectedly good hand speed.
Whilst Marquez is a great technical boxer he does have his weaknesses. He's not the fastest of starters, he's not the most active in the ring and he's also a long way from being a natural Welterweight, though he did fill out to an impressive 143lbs for his most recent bout.
At their respective primes it'd be next to impossible to back Bradley against Marquez. Aged 40 however Marquez is no longer the clear favourite, though I do tend to favour him slightly. Bradley refuses to be stopped and although he's solid in every category I can't hep but feel that Marquez will manage to do whats needed to just take a very, very hard fought decision.
Prediction-Marquez SD12
For Bradley, a talented all rounder, this is a big chance to answer some serious questions. With out a doubt he was given the benefit of the doubt against Manny Pacquiao and he was also lucky to survive, never mind get the victory over Ruslan Provodnikov last time out. Whilst he showed great heart in both of those fights he also took a lot of damage and may never be the same fighter either physically or mentally.
Prior to those two fights Bradley was on or around the fringes of the "pound-for-pound" lists. It wasn't that he had any great qualities in terms of speed, or power though his will to win and never say die attitude was second to none. He had a great heart and amazing conditioning and it was often this that helped him see out some really bad issues.
Whilst that all sounds incredibly negative the flipside was that Bradley also didn't have any clear weaknesses. It was difficult to to have Bradley rating less than 7/10 on anything, other than perhaps power. His speed isn't amazing, but it is good, his skills are good, his power makes fighters respect him, his movement is solid, his combinations are solid.
Whilst Bradley was lucky to beat Pacquiao many feel that Mexican Marquez is unfortunate not to have 4 wins over the Filipino superstar. Saying that however Marquez did finally get a definitive victory over "The Pacman" last time out when he left Pacquiao unconscious in after an eye catching KO.
Like Bradley, Marquez is viewed in, or around, the pound-for-pound list. Unlike Bradley however Marquez has had a bit more of a hard luck career. He lost on his debut back in 1993 after being disqualified, having been forced to wait 3 years for his debut, he would later lose, albeit controversially to Freddie Norwood, Chris John, Manny Pacquiao twice-both time controversially, and Floyd Mayweather Jr with only the Mayweather loss being a clear one.
Marquez is one of the sports true technicians. He's now 40 years old but has perfected the art of being an offensive counter puncher who, like Bradley, refuses to just lose. He's tough, throws beautiful combinations, has hurtful power which can be concussive when he lands clean and has unexpectedly good hand speed.
Whilst Marquez is a great technical boxer he does have his weaknesses. He's not the fastest of starters, he's not the most active in the ring and he's also a long way from being a natural Welterweight, though he did fill out to an impressive 143lbs for his most recent bout.
At their respective primes it'd be next to impossible to back Bradley against Marquez. Aged 40 however Marquez is no longer the clear favourite, though I do tend to favour him slightly. Bradley refuses to be stopped and although he's solid in every category I can't hep but feel that Marquez will manage to do whats needed to just take a very, very hard fought decision.
Prediction-Marquez SD12
Saturday, 28 September 2013
Adonis Stevenson v Tavoris Cloud
"Explosive" is a word we love to hear in boxing. "Explosive fight" or "explosive puncher" are two of the greatest terms to a boxing fans ears. This Saturday night in Quebec, Canada we have a fight that promises to be "explosive" with one big time explosive puncher against a tough fighter who himself contains a bit of TNT in his gloves.
Haitian born Canadian Adonis "Superman" Stevenson (21-1, 18) lived up to his "Superman" moniker earlier this year when he upset, in spectacular fashion, Chad Dawson to claim the WBC Light Heavyweight title. Entering that bout as the under-dog Stevenson needed just 76 seconds to stop Dawson and claim the title in an impressive performance that put him on the boxing map.
Whilst Stevenson scored his highest profile victory in his most recent contest, his opponent here, Tavoris Cloud (24-1, 19) suffered his first loss, being out pointed by Bernard Hopkins. Going into his bout with Hopkins, Cloud was the IBF champion and was actually defending that belt for the fifth time before being given a bit of a schooling by Hopkins.
For Cloud this is a bout that gives him a chance at rebuilding his reputation. In all honesty he should have lost his last two bouts, though both of those came against "boxers". Cloud isn't made to beat boxers. He's a guy with a high work rate and hard punches though very slow feet that need to be set before he punches. He wants an opponent to trade with him and if he's forced to box with an opponent on their toes he's always going to struggle due to his feet and style.
In Stevenson, Cloud has an stylistically opponent made for him. Stevenson isn't going to run from a fight and will instead try to prove that he's more of a man than the guy he's sharing the ring with. This can cost him, as it did in his sole loss to Darnell, though it tends to favour Stevenson who's punch is thunderous.
Sadly for Cloud, Stevenson's punch is destructive. If Cloud wants to trade with him there is every chance that Stevenson will connect with his murderous straight left which could see the usually tough Cloud buzzed, big time. If Cloud is buzzed at any point expect Stevenson to jump on him and unload.
Whilst Cloud could win if it's a close brawl he cannot afford to let Stevenson have full extension on his straight punches. If he does then he'll be, well, in the clouds.
Another problem for Cloud however is the fact Stevenson can actually box a bit. He's not master boxer like Hopkins or Campillo but he can boxing, use his reach and move. If he does that in the early rounds and lets Cloud chase him we could end up being fooled into thinking that Stevenson has become a boxer. Cloud would make Stevenson look a better boxer than he is, though it would allow Stevenson a chance to pick a hole and find a place for his left. Just because he bombed out Dawson with a perfect counter doesn't mean he'll be looking to do the same here, this time the pressure is on him, whilst last time he was the under-dog.
Yes Cloud "could" win, but personally I just don't see it.
Prediction-Stevenson TKO6
Haitian born Canadian Adonis "Superman" Stevenson (21-1, 18) lived up to his "Superman" moniker earlier this year when he upset, in spectacular fashion, Chad Dawson to claim the WBC Light Heavyweight title. Entering that bout as the under-dog Stevenson needed just 76 seconds to stop Dawson and claim the title in an impressive performance that put him on the boxing map.
Whilst Stevenson scored his highest profile victory in his most recent contest, his opponent here, Tavoris Cloud (24-1, 19) suffered his first loss, being out pointed by Bernard Hopkins. Going into his bout with Hopkins, Cloud was the IBF champion and was actually defending that belt for the fifth time before being given a bit of a schooling by Hopkins.
For Cloud this is a bout that gives him a chance at rebuilding his reputation. In all honesty he should have lost his last two bouts, though both of those came against "boxers". Cloud isn't made to beat boxers. He's a guy with a high work rate and hard punches though very slow feet that need to be set before he punches. He wants an opponent to trade with him and if he's forced to box with an opponent on their toes he's always going to struggle due to his feet and style.
In Stevenson, Cloud has an stylistically opponent made for him. Stevenson isn't going to run from a fight and will instead try to prove that he's more of a man than the guy he's sharing the ring with. This can cost him, as it did in his sole loss to Darnell, though it tends to favour Stevenson who's punch is thunderous.
Sadly for Cloud, Stevenson's punch is destructive. If Cloud wants to trade with him there is every chance that Stevenson will connect with his murderous straight left which could see the usually tough Cloud buzzed, big time. If Cloud is buzzed at any point expect Stevenson to jump on him and unload.
Whilst Cloud could win if it's a close brawl he cannot afford to let Stevenson have full extension on his straight punches. If he does then he'll be, well, in the clouds.
Another problem for Cloud however is the fact Stevenson can actually box a bit. He's not master boxer like Hopkins or Campillo but he can boxing, use his reach and move. If he does that in the early rounds and lets Cloud chase him we could end up being fooled into thinking that Stevenson has become a boxer. Cloud would make Stevenson look a better boxer than he is, though it would allow Stevenson a chance to pick a hole and find a place for his left. Just because he bombed out Dawson with a perfect counter doesn't mean he'll be looking to do the same here, this time the pressure is on him, whilst last time he was the under-dog.
Yes Cloud "could" win, but personally I just don't see it.
Prediction-Stevenson TKO6
Friday, 13 September 2013
Floyd Mayweather Jr v Saul Alvarez
In boxing some fights seem bigger than the actual sport, fights like Louis v Schmelling II, Johnson v Jeffries and even Ali v Fraizer I. Whilst no one will describe this weekend's bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr (44-0, 26) and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-0-1, 30) as being that big, it's undeniably one of the biggest possible fights in the sport today (I'd argue a Klitschko v Klitschko fight would be bigger, though has about 0% chance of ever happening).
With the WBA "Super" and WBC "Regular" titles both on the line the bout is something special. Easily the biggest fight of the year, and maybe the biggest fight, in terms of revenue, ever. It's a fight that has surpassed the boxing media and even the sports media as it's climbed into the mainstream and given boxing a real shot in the arm.
Whilst it's a massive fight, don't get me wrong on that, is it really a fight that will live up to the hype or will it, like many Mayweather fights, become a case of a highly talented boxer totally out fighting an under-skilled and limited fighter who has as many dimensions to his game as a piece of paper?
Mayweather, at his best, combines the elusiveness of Nicolino Locche with the hand speed of Sugar Ray Leonard, the stamina of Pete Sanstol and the boxing brains of, well, a genius. The guy might be an unlikable, arrogant loud mouth outside of the squared circle but between those ropes the guy really is the modern version of "Nonpariel" and in fact you would need to find a time machine to find him an equal match.
Dream fights with Mayweather would of course feature the Fab 4, Sandy Saddler, Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong. The fact it's those men, the greatest fighters of all time, who are matched in mythical fights with Mayweather really should tell you something. This man is a special, once in a generation talent.
Sadly for Canelo he's not. Despite the Mexican's love for their ginger haired icon he's really moving up 3 levels here. He's no longer facing decent fighters, he's facing a elite talent. There is a huge leap from the likes of "Magic" Matthew Hatton, Josesito Lopez, Alfonso Gomez and Shane Mosley to Floyd Mayweather Jr. In fact the leap from Hatton, Lopez and Mosley to Austin Trout, the best win on Alvarez's record, is only a fraction of the leap up from Trout to Mayweather.
Unfortunately for "Canelo" not only is he taking a big step up in class but he'll be fighting in a very different environment to what he usually has. In his last fight he was the clear crowd favourite as he took on Austin Trout in Texas, with a crowd that was on his side from the start of the show. The crowd that night certainly helped him with the judges. This time however he's entering Mayweather's proverbial boxing home in the MGM Grand, the venue where "Money" has fought his past 7 bouts.
In the build up Mayweather may have received some boos from the Mexican's turning up for public appearances but at the MGM he'll not have the same negativity thrust his way.
Canelo is, for me, the hype that disgusts true boxing fans. Canelo is, at this moment ranked #3 pound-for-pound by Boxrec.com and #9 by Ring Magazine. What he did to achieve these accolades is frankly ridiculous and is insulting to fighters like Roman Gonzalez, Kazuto Ioka, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Mickey Garcia who are all more proven and have better fundamentals than Alvarez.
The worst limitations for Alvarez are things that Mayweather will know about all too well. For example Alvarez appears to have the stamina of 60 year old man, the boxing intelligence of a domestic level fighter and the inability to really think about both offense and defense at the same time. Asking Alvarez to show off his defense is fine, asking him to show off his offense is also fine but asking him to counter a fighter appears to be like asking a child to do calculus.
Against a fighter like Mayweather you need to be able to transition flawless between defense and offense to have any chance. You need to have an intelligent boxing brain and the ability to jab between Mayweather's own work.
Many reading this will be screaming at their screen saying "but Canelo is bigger!" Whilst this is true he's also slower, clumsier, and less skilled. A weight advantage won't really help when you're eating right hands like candy and with out trying to be to harsh Canelo will be punished for his boxing knowledge much like a red headed step child with his hand caught in the cookie jar.
Prediction-Mayweather UD12
With the WBA "Super" and WBC "Regular" titles both on the line the bout is something special. Easily the biggest fight of the year, and maybe the biggest fight, in terms of revenue, ever. It's a fight that has surpassed the boxing media and even the sports media as it's climbed into the mainstream and given boxing a real shot in the arm.
Whilst it's a massive fight, don't get me wrong on that, is it really a fight that will live up to the hype or will it, like many Mayweather fights, become a case of a highly talented boxer totally out fighting an under-skilled and limited fighter who has as many dimensions to his game as a piece of paper?
Mayweather, at his best, combines the elusiveness of Nicolino Locche with the hand speed of Sugar Ray Leonard, the stamina of Pete Sanstol and the boxing brains of, well, a genius. The guy might be an unlikable, arrogant loud mouth outside of the squared circle but between those ropes the guy really is the modern version of "Nonpariel" and in fact you would need to find a time machine to find him an equal match.
Dream fights with Mayweather would of course feature the Fab 4, Sandy Saddler, Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong. The fact it's those men, the greatest fighters of all time, who are matched in mythical fights with Mayweather really should tell you something. This man is a special, once in a generation talent.
Sadly for Canelo he's not. Despite the Mexican's love for their ginger haired icon he's really moving up 3 levels here. He's no longer facing decent fighters, he's facing a elite talent. There is a huge leap from the likes of "Magic" Matthew Hatton, Josesito Lopez, Alfonso Gomez and Shane Mosley to Floyd Mayweather Jr. In fact the leap from Hatton, Lopez and Mosley to Austin Trout, the best win on Alvarez's record, is only a fraction of the leap up from Trout to Mayweather.
Unfortunately for "Canelo" not only is he taking a big step up in class but he'll be fighting in a very different environment to what he usually has. In his last fight he was the clear crowd favourite as he took on Austin Trout in Texas, with a crowd that was on his side from the start of the show. The crowd that night certainly helped him with the judges. This time however he's entering Mayweather's proverbial boxing home in the MGM Grand, the venue where "Money" has fought his past 7 bouts.
In the build up Mayweather may have received some boos from the Mexican's turning up for public appearances but at the MGM he'll not have the same negativity thrust his way.
Canelo is, for me, the hype that disgusts true boxing fans. Canelo is, at this moment ranked #3 pound-for-pound by Boxrec.com and #9 by Ring Magazine. What he did to achieve these accolades is frankly ridiculous and is insulting to fighters like Roman Gonzalez, Kazuto Ioka, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Mickey Garcia who are all more proven and have better fundamentals than Alvarez.
The worst limitations for Alvarez are things that Mayweather will know about all too well. For example Alvarez appears to have the stamina of 60 year old man, the boxing intelligence of a domestic level fighter and the inability to really think about both offense and defense at the same time. Asking Alvarez to show off his defense is fine, asking him to show off his offense is also fine but asking him to counter a fighter appears to be like asking a child to do calculus.
Against a fighter like Mayweather you need to be able to transition flawless between defense and offense to have any chance. You need to have an intelligent boxing brain and the ability to jab between Mayweather's own work.
Many reading this will be screaming at their screen saying "but Canelo is bigger!" Whilst this is true he's also slower, clumsier, and less skilled. A weight advantage won't really help when you're eating right hands like candy and with out trying to be to harsh Canelo will be punished for his boxing knowledge much like a red headed step child with his hand caught in the cookie jar.
Prediction-Mayweather UD12
Danny Garcia v Lucas Martin Matthysse
It's not often that the perceived "B" fight on a card looks more interesting than the "A" fight but this weekend's "B" side on "The One" card looks significantly better than the main fight as the unbeaten Danny Garcia (26-0, 16) defends his WBC and WBA world title against the destructive Lucas Martin Matthysse (34-2, 32).
Although Garcia enters the bout as an unbeaten double champion he also enters as the under-dog and in the eyes of many he is merely a lamb to the slaughter. Despite the general view of Garcia heading to the slaughter he's actually a fighter who appears to be getting very over-looked. He's proven to be tough, skilled, and despite being rather predictable, he has looked like he's got very solid basic skills. His left hook, especially as a counter, is a devastating punch, he's confident and is riding a high that many though his career would have.
Garcia of course isn't an under-dog for the first time in his career and he's repeatedly proven that th under-dog tag doesn't really offend him. In fact against Amir Khan, Garcia was so over-looked that many seemed to think Khan was going to ease past Garcia before becoming Floyd Mayweather's next opponent. One thing that Garcia actually seems to like is being the under-dog, it takes the pressure off his shoulders and allows him to fight his natural fight which is that of an intelligent counter puncher.
Sadly for Garcia he was made to look very predictable last time out. Sure he beat Zab Judah, though for the final 4 rounds he really struggled to look anything more than 1 paced and very easy to read. The lack of a plan B is likely to fall straight in to Matthysse's hands with the Argentinian only really needing to be aware of the champion's hook.
Matthysse is generally viewed as not only the favourite but also "the man" of the Light Welterweight division. His two losses have both been highly controversial with many viewing both losses as complete robberies and in fact if anything those losses seem to have made the hard hitting Argentinian even more determined to leave his opponents void of their senses.
The "new Matthysse" was seen in full flow last time out as he destroyed the generally tough Lamont Peterson. The destruction of Peterson may have been "expected" but it showed that Matthysse was no longer willing to just box world level opponents, instead he was willing to destroy them from the opening bell. Had he used the same mentality against Zab Judah and Devon Alexander it's fair to say he'd have stopped both.
Although not the most technically skilled or the the fastest Matthysse is an intelligent fighter. He may just be seen as a destructive puncher but he's also a clever fighter. He knows when to go downstairs and break opponents in the midsection, he knows how to bang upstairs and most worryingly of all every shot he throws is hurtful and spiteful.
Sadly whilst Garcia is tough it's unlikely that anyone at 140lbs is tough enough to see out the distance with Matthysse. If Garcia's left hook cannot shake Matthysse then this could well end up being a genuine beat down. Sadly for Garcia his toughness could end up being more of a curse than a blessing and Matthysse, whilst not likely to put him to sleep with a single shot, will beat the fight out of him.
We've seen Olusegun Ajose fighting once since Matthysse beat him, in Ajose's bout, a loss to Hank Lundy, he looked like a fighter who was pretty much done, I imagine Garcia could end up looking the same way following this one.
Prediction-Matthyse TKO8
Although Garcia enters the bout as an unbeaten double champion he also enters as the under-dog and in the eyes of many he is merely a lamb to the slaughter. Despite the general view of Garcia heading to the slaughter he's actually a fighter who appears to be getting very over-looked. He's proven to be tough, skilled, and despite being rather predictable, he has looked like he's got very solid basic skills. His left hook, especially as a counter, is a devastating punch, he's confident and is riding a high that many though his career would have.
Garcia of course isn't an under-dog for the first time in his career and he's repeatedly proven that th under-dog tag doesn't really offend him. In fact against Amir Khan, Garcia was so over-looked that many seemed to think Khan was going to ease past Garcia before becoming Floyd Mayweather's next opponent. One thing that Garcia actually seems to like is being the under-dog, it takes the pressure off his shoulders and allows him to fight his natural fight which is that of an intelligent counter puncher.
Sadly for Garcia he was made to look very predictable last time out. Sure he beat Zab Judah, though for the final 4 rounds he really struggled to look anything more than 1 paced and very easy to read. The lack of a plan B is likely to fall straight in to Matthysse's hands with the Argentinian only really needing to be aware of the champion's hook.
Matthysse is generally viewed as not only the favourite but also "the man" of the Light Welterweight division. His two losses have both been highly controversial with many viewing both losses as complete robberies and in fact if anything those losses seem to have made the hard hitting Argentinian even more determined to leave his opponents void of their senses.
The "new Matthysse" was seen in full flow last time out as he destroyed the generally tough Lamont Peterson. The destruction of Peterson may have been "expected" but it showed that Matthysse was no longer willing to just box world level opponents, instead he was willing to destroy them from the opening bell. Had he used the same mentality against Zab Judah and Devon Alexander it's fair to say he'd have stopped both.
Although not the most technically skilled or the the fastest Matthysse is an intelligent fighter. He may just be seen as a destructive puncher but he's also a clever fighter. He knows when to go downstairs and break opponents in the midsection, he knows how to bang upstairs and most worryingly of all every shot he throws is hurtful and spiteful.
Sadly whilst Garcia is tough it's unlikely that anyone at 140lbs is tough enough to see out the distance with Matthysse. If Garcia's left hook cannot shake Matthysse then this could well end up being a genuine beat down. Sadly for Garcia his toughness could end up being more of a curse than a blessing and Matthysse, whilst not likely to put him to sleep with a single shot, will beat the fight out of him.
We've seen Olusegun Ajose fighting once since Matthysse beat him, in Ajose's bout, a loss to Hank Lundy, he looked like a fighter who was pretty much done, I imagine Garcia could end up looking the same way following this one.
Prediction-Matthyse TKO8
Ishe Smith v Carlos Molina
It's not too often that a world title fight looks like it will cure insomnia but this weekend's IBF Light Middleweight title fight between defending champion Ishe Smith (25-5, 11) and Carlos Molina (21-5-2, 6) may well be as close as boxing can come to sending a crowd to sleep.
Although that sounds like a major slight on both men it's not actually supposed to be. The problem is that both men are incredible skilled, especially defensively, and have had a knack of neutralising their opponents. When you have two men who are fantastic at neutralising fighters then it's unlikely that a fight between the two will be particularly exciting, though for the purists it's likely to be a genuinely interesting contest that pits two intelligent fighters against each other.
Smith won the title last time out when he defeated Cornelius "K9" Bundrage via a majority decision in a rather scrappy fight, at his best however Smith is an excellent defensive fighter who would make life difficult for most opponents. He blunts attacks, looks to counter, and recent bouts seems to have shown a bit more of an offensive game plan. He'll never be an all out offensive fighter but he's certainly throwing more than he did a few years ago.
As well as the victory over Bundrage, Smith holds wins over David Estrada, Randall Bailey, Ahmad Kaddour and Powell Wolak and has also been in with the likes of Daniel Jacobs, Fernando Guerrero, Sergio Mora and Joel Julio.
Since linking up with Floyd Mayweather Jr, Smith has seen his career effectively turn around and he has gone from being a talented but uncertain fighter into being a confident fighter, almost feeling the Mayweather confidence rubbing off on him. Unfortunately whilst he may be more confident he hasn't suddenly become Mayweather and he's not got his handspeed, or natural ability. He's good, but nowhere near that good.
Of course it takes two to tango and Carlos Molina is, like Smith, a very defensively sound fighter. At his best Molina is capable of giving any fighter a hard time with his smart movement, intelligent defense and excellent shot selection, at his worst however he looks an octopus holding on to opponents, spoiling fighters and using incredibly negative tactics to see out rounds.
Although Molina has failed to win against many of his highest profile opponents, including a loss and a draw to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, a draw with Erislandy Lara and losses to both James Kirkland and Mike Alvarado he has never really been out classed. In fact not only has he held his own but many of his losses have come with a real cloud of controversy with many feeling he was jobbed in a number of his notable bouts.
As well as Molina's losses he has also won against several noteworthy opponents including Kermit Cintron and Cory Spinks.
When fighting at his best Molina is a nightmare. He is light on feet, has quick hands and although he lacks power he is very accurate able to land clean and precise shots. Unfortunately his lack of power rarely stops an opponent in their tracks but he has shown an ability to slip shots and smother opponents when he needs to. This has made him incredibly tricky to land clean on and next to impossible to really grind down, though it did look like Kirkland was beginning to grind him down in their controversial bout from last year.
With both men knowing how to hit with out getting hit this is bout to be ugly. On a card that also features Floyd Mayweather Jr v Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Danny Garcia v Lucas Matthysse, this bout certainly won't be the one people are tuning in for, though on the other hand it's probably the most evenly matched contest on the card.
With the even nature of the contest I've got to favour Smith. I don't think Either fighter will be hugely effective or massively offensive but with Smith having his links to Mayweather, it's possible that he'll manage to get the slight edge in the close rounds and as a result do just enough to claim the victory.
Prediction-Smith MD12
Although that sounds like a major slight on both men it's not actually supposed to be. The problem is that both men are incredible skilled, especially defensively, and have had a knack of neutralising their opponents. When you have two men who are fantastic at neutralising fighters then it's unlikely that a fight between the two will be particularly exciting, though for the purists it's likely to be a genuinely interesting contest that pits two intelligent fighters against each other.
Smith won the title last time out when he defeated Cornelius "K9" Bundrage via a majority decision in a rather scrappy fight, at his best however Smith is an excellent defensive fighter who would make life difficult for most opponents. He blunts attacks, looks to counter, and recent bouts seems to have shown a bit more of an offensive game plan. He'll never be an all out offensive fighter but he's certainly throwing more than he did a few years ago.
As well as the victory over Bundrage, Smith holds wins over David Estrada, Randall Bailey, Ahmad Kaddour and Powell Wolak and has also been in with the likes of Daniel Jacobs, Fernando Guerrero, Sergio Mora and Joel Julio.
Since linking up with Floyd Mayweather Jr, Smith has seen his career effectively turn around and he has gone from being a talented but uncertain fighter into being a confident fighter, almost feeling the Mayweather confidence rubbing off on him. Unfortunately whilst he may be more confident he hasn't suddenly become Mayweather and he's not got his handspeed, or natural ability. He's good, but nowhere near that good.
Of course it takes two to tango and Carlos Molina is, like Smith, a very defensively sound fighter. At his best Molina is capable of giving any fighter a hard time with his smart movement, intelligent defense and excellent shot selection, at his worst however he looks an octopus holding on to opponents, spoiling fighters and using incredibly negative tactics to see out rounds.
Although Molina has failed to win against many of his highest profile opponents, including a loss and a draw to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, a draw with Erislandy Lara and losses to both James Kirkland and Mike Alvarado he has never really been out classed. In fact not only has he held his own but many of his losses have come with a real cloud of controversy with many feeling he was jobbed in a number of his notable bouts.
As well as Molina's losses he has also won against several noteworthy opponents including Kermit Cintron and Cory Spinks.
When fighting at his best Molina is a nightmare. He is light on feet, has quick hands and although he lacks power he is very accurate able to land clean and precise shots. Unfortunately his lack of power rarely stops an opponent in their tracks but he has shown an ability to slip shots and smother opponents when he needs to. This has made him incredibly tricky to land clean on and next to impossible to really grind down, though it did look like Kirkland was beginning to grind him down in their controversial bout from last year.
With both men knowing how to hit with out getting hit this is bout to be ugly. On a card that also features Floyd Mayweather Jr v Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Danny Garcia v Lucas Matthysse, this bout certainly won't be the one people are tuning in for, though on the other hand it's probably the most evenly matched contest on the card.
With the even nature of the contest I've got to favour Smith. I don't think Either fighter will be hugely effective or massively offensive but with Smith having his links to Mayweather, it's possible that he'll manage to get the slight edge in the close rounds and as a result do just enough to claim the victory.
Prediction-Smith MD12
Friday, 26 July 2013
Omar Figueroa v Nihito Arakawa
Arguably the most over-looked bout of this coming weekend sees unbeaten power puncher Omar Figueroa (21-0-1, 17) taking on Japan's Nihito Arakawa (24-2-1, 16) in a bout for the WBC Lightweight title.
In the US Figueroa has been making a name for himself in recent bouts with his explosive and exciting style that combines determined offense with fast and powerful hands. Although yet to score a genuine world level victory he did look genuinely amazing last time out as he took out the previously unbeaten Abner Cotto in just 2 minutes 57 seconds.
Other than the victory over Cotto it's fair to say that Figueroa hasn't really beaten anyone else of note with his second best victory coming over Michael Perez.
Whilst Figueroa has yet to really prove himself against steady competition what everyone knows about him is that he's a very quick starter and will jump on an opponent almost form the off. The hot starts of Figueroa has seen him scoring 15 victories in the opening 2 rounds of his contests. On paper that is admittedly tremendous though having only been beyond 6 rounds twice in his career there are question marks about what he does when forced to go to plan B, what's his stamina like, what's he like mentally when he can't just bully a fighter with aggression?
With Figueroa having already appeared on American TV and having looked relatively sensational in all honesty many are backing him without really knowing anything about his opponent. This could well be a mistake as the Japanese fighter is one of the most durable men in the Lightweight division and combines his toughness with an under-rated defense and an intelligent, if somewhat lazy attack.
In his 27 fights to date southpaw Arakawa has yet to be stopped. He had been in with big punches punchers before such as Randy Suico, Mitsuya Omura, Jay Solmiano and Ryuji Migaki and only Solmiano has ever really seemed to have him hurt, sending Arakawa down to the canvas in the second round of their bout almost 2 years ago.
Although a mystery to those in the west Arakawa is a former OPBF and Japanese Lighweight champion who is actually unfortunate not to be the current holder of the WBC Silver Lightweight title after being controversially defeated, by technical decision by Daniel Estrada. In his bout with Estrada the Mexican was forced to retire due to an injury that was ruled to have come from an accidental foul though many felt it was a punch.
Although Arakawa has mixed in the better company and has more experience, especially over the distance, he is viewed as a clear under-dog. Many in the US have effectively written his death warrant already though I can't help but think that if he rides out the initial storm from Figueroa he has a very, very solid chance of the upset. He hits hard enough to test the chin of the unbeaten youngster and has the ability to drag the contest into the later rounds where he may find a tiring Figueroa looking somewhat out of energy and ideas.
Prediction-Arakawa TKO9
In the US Figueroa has been making a name for himself in recent bouts with his explosive and exciting style that combines determined offense with fast and powerful hands. Although yet to score a genuine world level victory he did look genuinely amazing last time out as he took out the previously unbeaten Abner Cotto in just 2 minutes 57 seconds.
Other than the victory over Cotto it's fair to say that Figueroa hasn't really beaten anyone else of note with his second best victory coming over Michael Perez.
Whilst Figueroa has yet to really prove himself against steady competition what everyone knows about him is that he's a very quick starter and will jump on an opponent almost form the off. The hot starts of Figueroa has seen him scoring 15 victories in the opening 2 rounds of his contests. On paper that is admittedly tremendous though having only been beyond 6 rounds twice in his career there are question marks about what he does when forced to go to plan B, what's his stamina like, what's he like mentally when he can't just bully a fighter with aggression?
With Figueroa having already appeared on American TV and having looked relatively sensational in all honesty many are backing him without really knowing anything about his opponent. This could well be a mistake as the Japanese fighter is one of the most durable men in the Lightweight division and combines his toughness with an under-rated defense and an intelligent, if somewhat lazy attack.
In his 27 fights to date southpaw Arakawa has yet to be stopped. He had been in with big punches punchers before such as Randy Suico, Mitsuya Omura, Jay Solmiano and Ryuji Migaki and only Solmiano has ever really seemed to have him hurt, sending Arakawa down to the canvas in the second round of their bout almost 2 years ago.
Although a mystery to those in the west Arakawa is a former OPBF and Japanese Lighweight champion who is actually unfortunate not to be the current holder of the WBC Silver Lightweight title after being controversially defeated, by technical decision by Daniel Estrada. In his bout with Estrada the Mexican was forced to retire due to an injury that was ruled to have come from an accidental foul though many felt it was a punch.
Although Arakawa has mixed in the better company and has more experience, especially over the distance, he is viewed as a clear under-dog. Many in the US have effectively written his death warrant already though I can't help but think that if he rides out the initial storm from Figueroa he has a very, very solid chance of the upset. He hits hard enough to test the chin of the unbeaten youngster and has the ability to drag the contest into the later rounds where he may find a tiring Figueroa looking somewhat out of energy and ideas.
Prediction-Arakawa TKO9
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