Although there are a number of world title fights this week, as we head towards the new year, I'd argue, from a personal view, that the most important is the IBF Bantamweight title fight between Britain's Stuart Hall (15-2-1, 7) and South African Vusi Malinga (21-4-1, 12). The fight, for the vacant controversially stripped from Jamie McDonnell, may not be one that has the casual fans frothing at the mouth but it is a fight that could well set the tone for 2014's Bantamweight division.
On the international stage it's Malinga who is best known having fought on foreign soil 3 times. His world journey has seen him fighting in Thailand where he defeated the great Veeraphol Sahaprom, In Japan where he was stopped inside a round by the hugely under-rated Hozumi Hasegawa and in the US where he took Leo Santa Cruz 12 rounds.
As well as those 3 bouts on the road against world level opponents Malinga also holds a win over Alberto Rossel, the Peruvian man who currently holds the WBA interim Light Flyweight title.
Unfortunately for Malinga his record is mainly against fellow South African fighters or visitors to South Africa. Many of those fighters, at best, were limited. These include fighters like Filipino veteran Michael Domingo and Jerope Mercado, with the Mercado bout ending in a hugely controversial draw.
Malinga is tough though not the most skilled. He's not a fighter to get into a war with but he can be out-warred as he was against Santa Cruz and against Hasegawa who hurt him early and jumped on him. The best way to beat him though seems to be to out box him. In terms of his boxing ability he's nothing special, slightly better than your typical "teak tough" African but far from being special.
Talking about being nothing special the same could also be said for Hall who is again far from being a special fighter. That's not meant as an insult but when compared with Shinsuke Yamanaka or Anselmo Moreno there is a gulf of difference between them.
Hall's key strength is his tenacity. He'll always work hard even if he lacks the power, speed or skill to beat the genuinely top fighters. His limitations, like those of Malinga, have been shown up at the world level with Hall losing to Jamie McDonnell, who went on to claim a world title, and Lee Haskins who won the European title against Hall though lost in his first defence to Stephane Jamoye.
Hall, at 30 years old, is the younger man by several years though that advantage may be neutralised by the fact Malinga is more experienced, has a higher level of experience and is naturally bigger with a 2" height advantage and a 5" reach advantage. If he can make the most of those advantages then we expect Malinga to take a decision. Hall however has promised a war and that will see him trying to get inside the reach of Malinga and working up close. If he can do that then he may be able to wear down Malinga late. Odds however do favour Malinga and we'd go with them.
Prediction-Malinga TKO10
Showing posts with label British. Show all posts
Showing posts with label British. Show all posts
Friday, 20 December 2013
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Darren Barker v Felix Sturm
If you ask me I'd say one of the luckiest men to win a world title this year has been Britain's "Dazzling" Darren Barker (26-1, 16) who took a very debatable decision over Daniel Geale to claim the IBF title a few months back. The obvious move after that was an immediate rematch between the two though unfortunately that never happened and instead Barker's first defense will come against Germany's Felix Sturm (38-3-2-1, 17).
For years Sturm was criticised for taking easy defenses, claiming controversial victories and generally derided by the boxing public. Over the past two years however he has suffered a loss to Daniel Geale and a loss (later over-turned to a no contest) against Sam Soliman. This suggests that even the German fans are bored of him and the judges are no longer "in his pocket" as some have suggest.
At his beat Sturm was a jabbing machine. He was never be a big puncher, he'd never knock fighters clean out but he did have the uncanny ability to land his exceptional jab at will almost dismantling opponents with the crisp clean jab. It was this jab that helped him hold the WBA Middleweight hostage in Germany for years though unfortunately for him he ran into a determined and busy Geale who did enough to force the judges to give him the win.
Sturm is no longer able to keep up the busy jab like he did in his prime. It's still an excellent jab but his work rate has dropped off and a busy fighter like Geale has been able to make him look awful. In fact Geale, Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray have all made Sturm look second rate.
With that in mind I need to favour Barker to retain his title here. The Englishman might be going over the Germany but he's a younger fighter who can dig deep, has shown an improved ability to go 12 rounds and looks to be fighting at his best. Sure I felt he came second to Geale but that was genuinely close, this however won't be.
In terms of the jabbing game Barker will be able to hold his own with Sturm who turns 35 next month, in terms of the inside game I favour Barker and whilst he certainly won't dominate the fight he'll do enough to take a clear but competitive decision by around 8 rounds to 4.
Although a rematch in the UK has been signed in to the contract I'd imagine if Barker wins here we won't be seeing the rematch here, instead the Geale rematch is more likely and certainly makes for a more competitive bout than a do-over of this one.
Prediction-Barker UD12
For years Sturm was criticised for taking easy defenses, claiming controversial victories and generally derided by the boxing public. Over the past two years however he has suffered a loss to Daniel Geale and a loss (later over-turned to a no contest) against Sam Soliman. This suggests that even the German fans are bored of him and the judges are no longer "in his pocket" as some have suggest.
At his beat Sturm was a jabbing machine. He was never be a big puncher, he'd never knock fighters clean out but he did have the uncanny ability to land his exceptional jab at will almost dismantling opponents with the crisp clean jab. It was this jab that helped him hold the WBA Middleweight hostage in Germany for years though unfortunately for him he ran into a determined and busy Geale who did enough to force the judges to give him the win.
Sturm is no longer able to keep up the busy jab like he did in his prime. It's still an excellent jab but his work rate has dropped off and a busy fighter like Geale has been able to make him look awful. In fact Geale, Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray have all made Sturm look second rate.
With that in mind I need to favour Barker to retain his title here. The Englishman might be going over the Germany but he's a younger fighter who can dig deep, has shown an improved ability to go 12 rounds and looks to be fighting at his best. Sure I felt he came second to Geale but that was genuinely close, this however won't be.
In terms of the jabbing game Barker will be able to hold his own with Sturm who turns 35 next month, in terms of the inside game I favour Barker and whilst he certainly won't dominate the fight he'll do enough to take a clear but competitive decision by around 8 rounds to 4.
Although a rematch in the UK has been signed in to the contract I'd imagine if Barker wins here we won't be seeing the rematch here, instead the Geale rematch is more likely and certainly makes for a more competitive bout than a do-over of this one.
Prediction-Barker UD12
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Adonis Stevenson v Tony Bellew
Right now British boxing is clearly under a dark cloud due to the controversial ending to the recent Carl Froch/George Groves bout that ended with one of the worst stoppages of the year. It's unlikely that British boxing will immediately recover but one man attempting to re-affirm how good it can be is Scouser Tony Bellew (20-1-1, 12) who this week travels to Canada and battles Canadian based Haitian Adonis Stevenson (22-1, 19) for the WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight titles.
Bellew, who was once regarded as a big puncher himself, will be fighting in his second world title fight after fighting to a majority decision loss to Welshman Nathan Cleverly a little over 2 years ago. Since that loss Bellew has been a man who has been fighting for a second world title opportunity and has been through Danny McIntosh, Edison Miranda, Roberto Feliciano Bolonti and Isaac Chilemba, who he has also drawn against.
In his first first 15 fights Bellew had scored 10 stoppages and seemed to have belief in his power. Once suggesting that if he connects on anyone in the division he'd destroy them. Since then however he has managed 2 stoppages in 7 fights proving that his belief in his own power is very much over-stated and in all honesty his nickname of "Bomber" seems less apt after ever fight.
As well as the over-rated power Bellew also appears to have a some what shaky chin having been down against the likes of Bob Ajisafe and Ovill McKenzie. Of course those fights were 3 years ago but it still needs to be a worry to the Brit, especially when you consider who he is facing.
Those flaws of Bellew has forced him to use his boxing skills and although he's no longer taking people out he is showing some great in-ring traits such as using his jab properly, controlling the distance well with his fantastic reach and showing a lot more maturity from the man who had a large mouth early in his career. Unfortunately however that mature head can blow and he can do some very stupid things, as he did several times in the first bout with Chilemba. When he keeps his cool he's a threat to anybody but when frustrated he's only a threat to himself.
Unfortunately for Bellew he's up against one of the most destructive men in world boxing. Adonis "Superman" Stevenson is one of those rare fighters blesesd with fight changing power in both hands, a jab feels like a straight and a straight feels like a ramrod. What's makes things worse for his opponents is that he's added more and more boxing to his game.
As shown in Stevenson's victory over Tavoris Cloud he can box as well as bang and his movement, shot selection and over-all gameplan is very much that of a world level fighter. When you have Stevenson's power it can be easy to ignore the basics but thankfully for Stevenson he was built up by the late Manny Steward and those boxing fundamentals have started to be utilised to their best.
Going in to this fight we can actually have two things. We could have a boxing contest, which would give Bellew a slight chance as long as he starts faster than Stevenson, or we could have a tear up. I'd imagine the fight will start with a bit of boxing, both men trying to establish their jabs. The one who can't get the jab going will be the first to change their plan and this will likely determine the next 2 or 3 rounds. Unfortunately however it's only a matter of time before Stevenson connects with a straight that sends Bellew crumpling to the canvas.
I imagine the heart of Bellew will help him to his feet but he'll only get tagged again until the referee has seen enough. The stoppage will be legit but yet Bellew will try to make out that he was fine and rather than taking the defeat graciously I think we may see the immaturity come out in the end and further the dark cloud over British boxing after putting up a brave effort.
Prediction-Stevenson TKO6
Bellew, who was once regarded as a big puncher himself, will be fighting in his second world title fight after fighting to a majority decision loss to Welshman Nathan Cleverly a little over 2 years ago. Since that loss Bellew has been a man who has been fighting for a second world title opportunity and has been through Danny McIntosh, Edison Miranda, Roberto Feliciano Bolonti and Isaac Chilemba, who he has also drawn against.
In his first first 15 fights Bellew had scored 10 stoppages and seemed to have belief in his power. Once suggesting that if he connects on anyone in the division he'd destroy them. Since then however he has managed 2 stoppages in 7 fights proving that his belief in his own power is very much over-stated and in all honesty his nickname of "Bomber" seems less apt after ever fight.
As well as the over-rated power Bellew also appears to have a some what shaky chin having been down against the likes of Bob Ajisafe and Ovill McKenzie. Of course those fights were 3 years ago but it still needs to be a worry to the Brit, especially when you consider who he is facing.
Those flaws of Bellew has forced him to use his boxing skills and although he's no longer taking people out he is showing some great in-ring traits such as using his jab properly, controlling the distance well with his fantastic reach and showing a lot more maturity from the man who had a large mouth early in his career. Unfortunately however that mature head can blow and he can do some very stupid things, as he did several times in the first bout with Chilemba. When he keeps his cool he's a threat to anybody but when frustrated he's only a threat to himself.
Unfortunately for Bellew he's up against one of the most destructive men in world boxing. Adonis "Superman" Stevenson is one of those rare fighters blesesd with fight changing power in both hands, a jab feels like a straight and a straight feels like a ramrod. What's makes things worse for his opponents is that he's added more and more boxing to his game.
As shown in Stevenson's victory over Tavoris Cloud he can box as well as bang and his movement, shot selection and over-all gameplan is very much that of a world level fighter. When you have Stevenson's power it can be easy to ignore the basics but thankfully for Stevenson he was built up by the late Manny Steward and those boxing fundamentals have started to be utilised to their best.
Going in to this fight we can actually have two things. We could have a boxing contest, which would give Bellew a slight chance as long as he starts faster than Stevenson, or we could have a tear up. I'd imagine the fight will start with a bit of boxing, both men trying to establish their jabs. The one who can't get the jab going will be the first to change their plan and this will likely determine the next 2 or 3 rounds. Unfortunately however it's only a matter of time before Stevenson connects with a straight that sends Bellew crumpling to the canvas.
I imagine the heart of Bellew will help him to his feet but he'll only get tagged again until the referee has seen enough. The stoppage will be legit but yet Bellew will try to make out that he was fine and rather than taking the defeat graciously I think we may see the immaturity come out in the end and further the dark cloud over British boxing after putting up a brave effort.
Prediction-Stevenson TKO6
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Scott Quigg v Diego Oscar Silva
Some world title fights can look good on paper though be awful in the ring. This weekend looks almost certain to have one such fight as WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (26-0-2, 19) defends his title against Argentinian Diego Oscar Silva (29-2-4, 15). On paper it looks fine, in reality however I expect this to be the equivalent of a massacre.
Quigg, although less than impressive last time out when he scored a draw with Cuban Yoandris Salinas, is a fighter with genuine potential. He hit hard, he has an excellent engine and is developing into one of the sports best body punchers. Sure he can be made to look somewhat limited technically and he can be hurt but he's solid enough all round to be a world level fighter.
In Silva however we have a C rate challenger and one who was proven to be a poor challenger at Bantamweight, never mind Super Bantamweight.
Silva's career, which began way back in 2004, has been like many "decent" South Americans. He has been able to pile up numerous victories on the domestic scheme with several coming against the same fighters such as Carlos Gustavo Palacios and Diego Miguel Ramirez. In fact Silva's only fight against a "known" quality came in 2009 when he was stopped by Fernando Montiel.
Whilst it's fair to say that Quigg has never beaten someone of Montiel's class it's also fair to say that Quigg is better than anyone else that Silva has faced. That will be shown up here as the Brit stops Silva around the mid-way point.
Prediction-Quigg TKO 5
Quigg, although less than impressive last time out when he scored a draw with Cuban Yoandris Salinas, is a fighter with genuine potential. He hit hard, he has an excellent engine and is developing into one of the sports best body punchers. Sure he can be made to look somewhat limited technically and he can be hurt but he's solid enough all round to be a world level fighter.
In Silva however we have a C rate challenger and one who was proven to be a poor challenger at Bantamweight, never mind Super Bantamweight.
Silva's career, which began way back in 2004, has been like many "decent" South Americans. He has been able to pile up numerous victories on the domestic scheme with several coming against the same fighters such as Carlos Gustavo Palacios and Diego Miguel Ramirez. In fact Silva's only fight against a "known" quality came in 2009 when he was stopped by Fernando Montiel.
Whilst it's fair to say that Quigg has never beaten someone of Montiel's class it's also fair to say that Quigg is better than anyone else that Silva has faced. That will be shown up here as the Brit stops Silva around the mid-way point.
Prediction-Quigg TKO 5
Friday, 4 October 2013
Scott Quigg v Yoandris Salinas
Whilst much of the boxing world will be turned to Russia this weekend I've got to admit that the bout I'm nost looking forward to this weekend is the upcoming WBA Super Bantamweight title clash between Britain's Scott Quigg (26-0-1, 19) and Cuban Yoandris Salinas (20-0-1, 13).
Despite the "lower" billing than many other bouts this weekend and relatively unhyped nature of the bout I've got to admit that this, at least on paper, looks like it could, potentially, be a very interesting contest between two men looking to make the move to genuine world level having been flirting around the fringes for a while.
Of the two Quigg is the better known fighter. He's a former WBA "interim" Super Bantamweight champion and is a fighter who has been on British numerous times, it's also fair to say that he will have the home crowd behind him. Saying that however Salinas has never had a problem with the crowd being against him, in fact the Miami based Cuban has gone in to the lions den fight after fight and in recent years he has traveled to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Peru.
Quigg isn't just the better known of the two men but is also the clear favourite. He holds the most notable wins of the two men, including a stoppages over Rendall Munroe, Jamie Arthur and Jason Booth, though, with out being rude his most notable victories have been on the British domestic scene and he's never really had a step up from British level to anything like genuine world class.
Interestingly whilst Quigg has scored the more notable victories it's Salinas who has faced the toughest opponent, scoring a draw with Nehomar Cermeno in Cermeno's adoptive Panama, in a bout that many feel Salinas deserved to win. It's fair to say that had Salinas gotten that decision in his favour he'd have had the most outstanding victory between these two.
Style wise his looks like it could be a very interesting bout of boxing.
Quigg is a strong, but basic boxer. He's adapted well after starting his combat sport career in kick boxing and has shown very good development fight after fight. His punches are hurtful, he's tough and more impressively he's shown excellent shot selection especially in in his second bout against Munroe.
Although Salinas isn't as strong or as powerful as Quigg he is an excellent boxer. Cuban's usually are of course though when you look at Salinas's amateur pedigree you realise just how good he is. He was a multi-time Cuban amateur champion, won international medals in competitions such as the Central American & Caribbean Games and Pan Am games and has a reported 300 amateur bouts. This a guy who knows his way around the ring.
With this in mind I expect us to see a fair bit of boxing early in and in fact I actually think Quigg could be frustrated by Salinas's boxing early on. The Cuban is confident, very sound defensively, fast with both hands and goes to the body very well. If he can take the power of Quigg then we are in for something that could become very memorable.
Unfortunately with boxing judging the way it is right now I can't go against Quigg. I think edge in power will just see him over the line in a bout that could be very close on the cards.
Prediction-Quigg SD12
Despite the "lower" billing than many other bouts this weekend and relatively unhyped nature of the bout I've got to admit that this, at least on paper, looks like it could, potentially, be a very interesting contest between two men looking to make the move to genuine world level having been flirting around the fringes for a while.
Of the two Quigg is the better known fighter. He's a former WBA "interim" Super Bantamweight champion and is a fighter who has been on British numerous times, it's also fair to say that he will have the home crowd behind him. Saying that however Salinas has never had a problem with the crowd being against him, in fact the Miami based Cuban has gone in to the lions den fight after fight and in recent years he has traveled to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Peru.
Quigg isn't just the better known of the two men but is also the clear favourite. He holds the most notable wins of the two men, including a stoppages over Rendall Munroe, Jamie Arthur and Jason Booth, though, with out being rude his most notable victories have been on the British domestic scene and he's never really had a step up from British level to anything like genuine world class.
Interestingly whilst Quigg has scored the more notable victories it's Salinas who has faced the toughest opponent, scoring a draw with Nehomar Cermeno in Cermeno's adoptive Panama, in a bout that many feel Salinas deserved to win. It's fair to say that had Salinas gotten that decision in his favour he'd have had the most outstanding victory between these two.
Style wise his looks like it could be a very interesting bout of boxing.
Quigg is a strong, but basic boxer. He's adapted well after starting his combat sport career in kick boxing and has shown very good development fight after fight. His punches are hurtful, he's tough and more impressively he's shown excellent shot selection especially in in his second bout against Munroe.
Although Salinas isn't as strong or as powerful as Quigg he is an excellent boxer. Cuban's usually are of course though when you look at Salinas's amateur pedigree you realise just how good he is. He was a multi-time Cuban amateur champion, won international medals in competitions such as the Central American & Caribbean Games and Pan Am games and has a reported 300 amateur bouts. This a guy who knows his way around the ring.
With this in mind I expect us to see a fair bit of boxing early in and in fact I actually think Quigg could be frustrated by Salinas's boxing early on. The Cuban is confident, very sound defensively, fast with both hands and goes to the body very well. If he can take the power of Quigg then we are in for something that could become very memorable.
Unfortunately with boxing judging the way it is right now I can't go against Quigg. I think edge in power will just see him over the line in a bout that could be very close on the cards.
Prediction-Quigg SD12
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Nathan Cleverly v Sergey Kovalev
Although the Light Heavyweight division has lacked exciting fights in recent years one man seems to have come under a lot more criticism than perhaps he should have.
Welshman Nathan Cleverly (26-0, 12), the current WBO Light Heavyweight champion, seems to have been under-attack from every direction. British fans have tired of Frank Warren talking a good game about Cleverly whilst completely failing to deliver, international fans have grown bored of Warren talking about Cleverly fighting top international fighters and even top fighters seem to have gotten sick of their names just being linked to Cleverly.
Thankfully fans, who have been calling for Cleverly to fight a real challenger, have finally gotten their own way as he takes on unbeaten Russian puncher Sergey Kovalev (21-0-1, 19). A challenger who seems to be wake of destruction behind him fight after fight after fight.
Although Cleverly has never looked in any danger of being stopped in his 26 contests so far his chin is still a bit of a question to me. Many around the sport will tell you he's been thoroughly chin checked though in all honesty the biggest puncher he has faced to date has been Tony Bellew, a fighter who's power is genuinely unproven, especially at the world level.
The only world level facets Cleverly has proven to have is a world level work rate. The guy, when he's in a rhythm simply doesn't stop throwing. In all honesty his engine is probably the best seen in and around the Light Heavyweight division since former training mate Joe Calzaghe, though unlike Calzaghe he's not got the proven skills to combine with his engine. That's not to say Cleverly is unskilled, just not as highly skilled as Calzaghe.
Having been a world champion for over 2 years Cleverly's opponents have been poor, there is no way of defending that, though the division of course hasn't been awash with talent, like, for example the current Flyweight division, it hasn't been as bad as Cleverly has been making it look. Unfortunately he's missed on defining wins over the likes of Gabriel Campillo to instead fight the likes of, uh, Shawn Hawk.
On man who did score a defining, and highly impressive victory over Campillo was Kovalev who earlier this year dismantled the talented Spanish fighter in 3, one sided rounds in a performance that really put him on the boxing map.
With the HBO hype machine well behind Kovalev his raise through the ranks has been quick. Just 2 years ago he was a relative unknown fighting Grover Young, now however he's one of the most highly rated Light Heavyweights on the planet. In fact, some people already rank Kovalev as a better fighter than Cleverly despite Cleverly's status as a world champion.
The rise from prospect to highly ranked contender took Kovalev just 18 rounds as he defeated Roman Simakov, Darnell Boone, Lionell Thompson, Campillo and most recently Cornelius White, all 5 victories coming by T/KO.
Kovalev, like both Lucas Matthysse and Gennady Golovkin has not fight changing power but fighter changing power. The power in the fists of Kovalev isn't just concussive, but is confidence destroying. He lands and a fighter who thought he could win when the first bell went suddenly realises they are in with no chance. A typically skilled boxer feels their legs turn to jelly, a brawler becomes a runner and a hunter becomes the hunter.
With Cleverly often showing a propensity to brawl he's in for trouble. He lacks the power needed to keep a world class fighter honest and Kovalev is a world class fighter with elite class power. The supposedly tough chin of Cleverly isn't just going to be checked here, but is likely going to be destroyed. The first few rounds might not see it happen but sooner or later Cleverly is going to be in a world of trouble that he simply cannot escape from.
Prediction-Kovalev TKO7
Welshman Nathan Cleverly (26-0, 12), the current WBO Light Heavyweight champion, seems to have been under-attack from every direction. British fans have tired of Frank Warren talking a good game about Cleverly whilst completely failing to deliver, international fans have grown bored of Warren talking about Cleverly fighting top international fighters and even top fighters seem to have gotten sick of their names just being linked to Cleverly.
Thankfully fans, who have been calling for Cleverly to fight a real challenger, have finally gotten their own way as he takes on unbeaten Russian puncher Sergey Kovalev (21-0-1, 19). A challenger who seems to be wake of destruction behind him fight after fight after fight.
Although Cleverly has never looked in any danger of being stopped in his 26 contests so far his chin is still a bit of a question to me. Many around the sport will tell you he's been thoroughly chin checked though in all honesty the biggest puncher he has faced to date has been Tony Bellew, a fighter who's power is genuinely unproven, especially at the world level.
The only world level facets Cleverly has proven to have is a world level work rate. The guy, when he's in a rhythm simply doesn't stop throwing. In all honesty his engine is probably the best seen in and around the Light Heavyweight division since former training mate Joe Calzaghe, though unlike Calzaghe he's not got the proven skills to combine with his engine. That's not to say Cleverly is unskilled, just not as highly skilled as Calzaghe.
Having been a world champion for over 2 years Cleverly's opponents have been poor, there is no way of defending that, though the division of course hasn't been awash with talent, like, for example the current Flyweight division, it hasn't been as bad as Cleverly has been making it look. Unfortunately he's missed on defining wins over the likes of Gabriel Campillo to instead fight the likes of, uh, Shawn Hawk.
On man who did score a defining, and highly impressive victory over Campillo was Kovalev who earlier this year dismantled the talented Spanish fighter in 3, one sided rounds in a performance that really put him on the boxing map.
With the HBO hype machine well behind Kovalev his raise through the ranks has been quick. Just 2 years ago he was a relative unknown fighting Grover Young, now however he's one of the most highly rated Light Heavyweights on the planet. In fact, some people already rank Kovalev as a better fighter than Cleverly despite Cleverly's status as a world champion.
The rise from prospect to highly ranked contender took Kovalev just 18 rounds as he defeated Roman Simakov, Darnell Boone, Lionell Thompson, Campillo and most recently Cornelius White, all 5 victories coming by T/KO.
Kovalev, like both Lucas Matthysse and Gennady Golovkin has not fight changing power but fighter changing power. The power in the fists of Kovalev isn't just concussive, but is confidence destroying. He lands and a fighter who thought he could win when the first bell went suddenly realises they are in with no chance. A typically skilled boxer feels their legs turn to jelly, a brawler becomes a runner and a hunter becomes the hunter.
With Cleverly often showing a propensity to brawl he's in for trouble. He lacks the power needed to keep a world class fighter honest and Kovalev is a world class fighter with elite class power. The supposedly tough chin of Cleverly isn't just going to be checked here, but is likely going to be destroyed. The first few rounds might not see it happen but sooner or later Cleverly is going to be in a world of trouble that he simply cannot escape from.
Prediction-Kovalev TKO7
Daniel Geale v Darren Barker
The Middleweight division in recent months has really managed to grab people's attention. Of course when a division has some serious punchers that's what happens and with Gennady Golovkin, Peter Quillin and Curtis Stevens the division has a trio of big punchers.
Outside from the 3 big bangers however the division has pretty much everything else you can ask for in a division. It has boxers, swarmers, pressure fighters and plenty of exciting match ups, including this Saturday's IBF Middleweight title fight between the defending champion Daniel Geale (29-1, 15) and challenger Darren Barker (25-1, 16).
Australian champion Geale is one of the sports nice guys. A humble, hard working fighter who wasn't blessed with power, speed, reflexes or any other special quality other than dedication to become better. This dedication has seen him develop one of the sports bests engines and a true fighters mentality not afraid to fight on the road or against good fighters.
"Real Deal" Geale may well have fought 28 of his previous 30 contests in his native Australia but has twice traveled to, and won in, Germany taking on fighters with a reputation of getting favourable decisions their way in the shape of Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester. Against both of the German based fighters Geale traveled away and worked relentlessly to take decision over hometown fighters in impressive performances.
Like the champion "Dazzling" Darren Barker is a genuine and honest professional. He was born with more natural talent than Geale and often looks incredibly classy in the ring against the lower tier fighters which make up many of his 25 victories, though when he's stepped up he has generally been able to move up a gear.
Although Barker is best known for his "dull" performance en route to a loss to Sergio Martinez he has taken that loss on board and developed as a result. His usually reserved technical boxing skills are still there though he's added some killer instinct to his fighting and has scored stoppage victories over both Kerry Hope, a former European champion, and Simone Rotolo. Although Rotolo officially retired with an injured hand it was obvious that Barker was going to stop him sooner or later with the offensive mindset he had.
As mentioned already Barker is the better technical fighter. His career has been plagued by injuries to various body parts but his talent is clearly there. When fighting Geale however you need more than just technical skills. Geale is a faster moving fighter who throws in bunches, in fact he can throw in bunches of bunches. If you try to out box him with singles, as both Sylvester and Sturm did, you'll simply be outworked by quite a margin.
To beat Geale you don't necessarily need to match his amazing work rate but you do need to either be busy or have the power to blast him out, which nobody has been able to do this far, and maybe only Golovkin could actually do it. As a result Barker will need to be busier than usual, he'll need to show the aggressive streak which has been evident in his last few fights and hope that his tank holds up for 12 rounds, something that has been a question mark over Barker since he struggled over the line against Affif Belghecham.
I can see Geale getting to set the pace of the bout and after it's incredibly hard to see him losing just because of his work rate. Barker will have his moments and rounds due to his very classy work but the busy action of Geale will see him over the line safely.
Prediction-Geale UD12
Outside from the 3 big bangers however the division has pretty much everything else you can ask for in a division. It has boxers, swarmers, pressure fighters and plenty of exciting match ups, including this Saturday's IBF Middleweight title fight between the defending champion Daniel Geale (29-1, 15) and challenger Darren Barker (25-1, 16).
Australian champion Geale is one of the sports nice guys. A humble, hard working fighter who wasn't blessed with power, speed, reflexes or any other special quality other than dedication to become better. This dedication has seen him develop one of the sports bests engines and a true fighters mentality not afraid to fight on the road or against good fighters.
"Real Deal" Geale may well have fought 28 of his previous 30 contests in his native Australia but has twice traveled to, and won in, Germany taking on fighters with a reputation of getting favourable decisions their way in the shape of Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester. Against both of the German based fighters Geale traveled away and worked relentlessly to take decision over hometown fighters in impressive performances.
Like the champion "Dazzling" Darren Barker is a genuine and honest professional. He was born with more natural talent than Geale and often looks incredibly classy in the ring against the lower tier fighters which make up many of his 25 victories, though when he's stepped up he has generally been able to move up a gear.
Although Barker is best known for his "dull" performance en route to a loss to Sergio Martinez he has taken that loss on board and developed as a result. His usually reserved technical boxing skills are still there though he's added some killer instinct to his fighting and has scored stoppage victories over both Kerry Hope, a former European champion, and Simone Rotolo. Although Rotolo officially retired with an injured hand it was obvious that Barker was going to stop him sooner or later with the offensive mindset he had.
As mentioned already Barker is the better technical fighter. His career has been plagued by injuries to various body parts but his talent is clearly there. When fighting Geale however you need more than just technical skills. Geale is a faster moving fighter who throws in bunches, in fact he can throw in bunches of bunches. If you try to out box him with singles, as both Sylvester and Sturm did, you'll simply be outworked by quite a margin.
To beat Geale you don't necessarily need to match his amazing work rate but you do need to either be busy or have the power to blast him out, which nobody has been able to do this far, and maybe only Golovkin could actually do it. As a result Barker will need to be busier than usual, he'll need to show the aggressive streak which has been evident in his last few fights and hope that his tank holds up for 12 rounds, something that has been a question mark over Barker since he struggled over the line against Affif Belghecham.
I can see Geale getting to set the pace of the bout and after it's incredibly hard to see him losing just because of his work rate. Barker will have his moments and rounds due to his very classy work but the busy action of Geale will see him over the line safely.
Prediction-Geale UD12
Friday, 28 June 2013
Gennady Golovkin v Matthew Macklin
The most important fight in boxing this coming weekend seems to be an obvious contest as WBA Middleweight champion-the rising star Gennady Golovkin (26-0, 23) takes on former 2-time title challenger Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20). The bout, on HBO, is not only a major title bout but will also help define the very exciting Middleweight division, a division going through a lot of changes.
The hard hitting and thoroughly fun to watch Golovkin has been a hidden favourite of hardcore boxing since pretty much fighting as an amateur though it wasn't until much more recently that he's managed to really make an impact with the casuals. The impact he's made has coincided with a deal with American broadcaster HBO who have shown 2 of his last 3 bouts and helped give him the exposure he's deserved.
Golovkin combines explosive-"KTFO" power with skills, a deep understanding of the ring and very good basics. He's not the quickest or the most defensively but he's tough and more than capable of taking a shot or two as he cuts off the ring and tries to smash you in half with his venomous shots to both head and body. It's his power that has helped him become one of the sports most talked about fighters but the ability to deliver it is second to none in the sport right now.
With a long amateur background it's fair to say that Golovkin is technically well schooled. So far he's not had to show his technical boxing too much, but it's certainly there, just for our enjoyment we should feel relieved that he likes to seek and destroy rather than box and moved. When he does box however his jab is a dominant factor and has the power of a a top fights straight.
In the challenger Matthew Macklin we have a very credibly and versatile fighter who can either brawl at a relentless pace, as he did against Felix Sturm in a bout that he was controversially defeated in in or can box at a very credible standard as he did in a losing effort with Sergio Gabriel Martinez. He has hurtful power that kept Sturm in his shell, dropped Martinez and stopped both Joachim Alcine and Amin Asikainen inside a round.
Macklin, at his most exciting is a power and hard hitting brawler. Sometimes he's made to pay for this, as he was against Jamie Moore, but it's certainly something he can do to keep fans interested win-lose-or draw.
Problem for Macklin here is that's "only" a credible fighter in whatever he does. He hits hard-but doesn't have monster power, he boxes well but not amazingly he can brawl at a high level but not the truly elite level. And whilst sometimes being very good is good enough against Golovkin it probably isn't quite good enough and whatever style Macklin decides to bring to the fight likely be issue to Golovkin who will adapt if and when needed whilst breaking down Macklin.
I expect Macklin to try and box early on but figure that Golovkin can do the same. After a few rounds of getting tagged with jabs and counters I expect he'll throw caution to the win and make a fight of things. If he does this he'll speed up his demise but certainly put one something memorable for the fans.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO6
The hard hitting and thoroughly fun to watch Golovkin has been a hidden favourite of hardcore boxing since pretty much fighting as an amateur though it wasn't until much more recently that he's managed to really make an impact with the casuals. The impact he's made has coincided with a deal with American broadcaster HBO who have shown 2 of his last 3 bouts and helped give him the exposure he's deserved.
Golovkin combines explosive-"KTFO" power with skills, a deep understanding of the ring and very good basics. He's not the quickest or the most defensively but he's tough and more than capable of taking a shot or two as he cuts off the ring and tries to smash you in half with his venomous shots to both head and body. It's his power that has helped him become one of the sports most talked about fighters but the ability to deliver it is second to none in the sport right now.
With a long amateur background it's fair to say that Golovkin is technically well schooled. So far he's not had to show his technical boxing too much, but it's certainly there, just for our enjoyment we should feel relieved that he likes to seek and destroy rather than box and moved. When he does box however his jab is a dominant factor and has the power of a a top fights straight.
In the challenger Matthew Macklin we have a very credibly and versatile fighter who can either brawl at a relentless pace, as he did against Felix Sturm in a bout that he was controversially defeated in in or can box at a very credible standard as he did in a losing effort with Sergio Gabriel Martinez. He has hurtful power that kept Sturm in his shell, dropped Martinez and stopped both Joachim Alcine and Amin Asikainen inside a round.
Macklin, at his most exciting is a power and hard hitting brawler. Sometimes he's made to pay for this, as he was against Jamie Moore, but it's certainly something he can do to keep fans interested win-lose-or draw.
Problem for Macklin here is that's "only" a credible fighter in whatever he does. He hits hard-but doesn't have monster power, he boxes well but not amazingly he can brawl at a high level but not the truly elite level. And whilst sometimes being very good is good enough against Golovkin it probably isn't quite good enough and whatever style Macklin decides to bring to the fight likely be issue to Golovkin who will adapt if and when needed whilst breaking down Macklin.
I expect Macklin to try and box early on but figure that Golovkin can do the same. After a few rounds of getting tagged with jabs and counters I expect he'll throw caution to the win and make a fight of things. If he does this he'll speed up his demise but certainly put one something memorable for the fans.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO6
Thursday, 9 May 2013
Jamie McDonnell v Julio Ceja
In what is arguably the most interesting bout of this coming weekend the vacant IBF Bantamweight title is on the line as Englishman Jame McDonnell (20-2-1, 9) faces Mexican hard hitter Julio Ceja (24-0, 22). The bout, which came about thanks to Leo Santa Cruz moving up to Super Bantamweight really does look like an explosive but that is unlikely to be anything but brilliant.
Although both men will be challengers for the belt, the home advantage sits with McDonnell who will feel the home crowd roaring him on. In fact the "home advantage" is more than just having his crowd there as it's also Ceja's first fight outside of his native Mexico.
Aged 27 McDonnell is the older man and is a fighter in his physical prime. He's certainly a "man" in there and having been a professional since 2005 he's developed from being a boy to a man in the ring. The development hasn't been easy with back to back losses to Chris Edwards and Lee Haskins way back in his career, though it's certainly served him well with his recent rise.
The rise of McDonnell has been exceptional and seen him scoring wins over Ian Napa, Jerome Arnould, Stephane Jamoye and Stuart Hall. He has claimed the British, Commonwealth and European titles and become of the most under-rated fighters in Europe.
With action based style McDonnell has become a must watch fighter. He's proven to be tough, hard working and whilst not a monster puncher he's a real grinder who wears opponents down with relentless work rate. Despite his work rate however McDonnell can be a slow starter and often takes 3 or 4 rounds to get in to his groove, during this time he very ordinary though of course when he gets going he looks brilliant.
With McDonnell being a pressure based action fighter his style should meld really well with his opponent. The 20 year old Ceja, although much younger than McDonnell has got himself a real reputation as a hard hitting monster. Since turning professional back in 2009, aged just 16 Ceja has always been a fighter with a punchers reputation, in fact 5 of his first 9 opponents failed to make it through the opening round.
Although Ceja is a bit unknown to British fans he has been my radar for a while (thanks to various prospect based websites I write for) and his victories over the likes of Ronald Barrera, Cruz Carbajal, Genaro Garcia have put him on the boxing map and on the world rankings.
Whilst Ceja has never been the 12 round distance before (he's actually only been 10 rounds once) he's never really had to struggle through the distance. His concussive power has been a deadly weapon from the opening bell and amazingly 22 of his professional wins have been inside the first 6 rounds. This sort of fast starting has been devastating.
This bout really is a 50-50 contest. If Ceja can jump on McDonnell from the off, before the Englishman is in his rhythm there is real danger that Mexican will blast him out early doors. If McDonnell can survive the early storm he should be able to over-turn the scorecard and possibly stop a tiring Ceja late. Ceja, having never done the 12 rounds before and fighting away from home is certainly the man "taking a step up" though he has the power to genuinely wipe fighters out and if he connects on MCDonnell he may well manage to upset the home fighter.
I've been a huge fan of Ceja for a few years, though feel McDonnell's experience of 12 rounds and home advantage should be just enough to secure him the victory.
Prediction-McDonnell TKO11
Although both men will be challengers for the belt, the home advantage sits with McDonnell who will feel the home crowd roaring him on. In fact the "home advantage" is more than just having his crowd there as it's also Ceja's first fight outside of his native Mexico.
Aged 27 McDonnell is the older man and is a fighter in his physical prime. He's certainly a "man" in there and having been a professional since 2005 he's developed from being a boy to a man in the ring. The development hasn't been easy with back to back losses to Chris Edwards and Lee Haskins way back in his career, though it's certainly served him well with his recent rise.
The rise of McDonnell has been exceptional and seen him scoring wins over Ian Napa, Jerome Arnould, Stephane Jamoye and Stuart Hall. He has claimed the British, Commonwealth and European titles and become of the most under-rated fighters in Europe.
With action based style McDonnell has become a must watch fighter. He's proven to be tough, hard working and whilst not a monster puncher he's a real grinder who wears opponents down with relentless work rate. Despite his work rate however McDonnell can be a slow starter and often takes 3 or 4 rounds to get in to his groove, during this time he very ordinary though of course when he gets going he looks brilliant.
With McDonnell being a pressure based action fighter his style should meld really well with his opponent. The 20 year old Ceja, although much younger than McDonnell has got himself a real reputation as a hard hitting monster. Since turning professional back in 2009, aged just 16 Ceja has always been a fighter with a punchers reputation, in fact 5 of his first 9 opponents failed to make it through the opening round.
Although Ceja is a bit unknown to British fans he has been my radar for a while (thanks to various prospect based websites I write for) and his victories over the likes of Ronald Barrera, Cruz Carbajal, Genaro Garcia have put him on the boxing map and on the world rankings.
Whilst Ceja has never been the 12 round distance before (he's actually only been 10 rounds once) he's never really had to struggle through the distance. His concussive power has been a deadly weapon from the opening bell and amazingly 22 of his professional wins have been inside the first 6 rounds. This sort of fast starting has been devastating.
This bout really is a 50-50 contest. If Ceja can jump on McDonnell from the off, before the Englishman is in his rhythm there is real danger that Mexican will blast him out early doors. If McDonnell can survive the early storm he should be able to over-turn the scorecard and possibly stop a tiring Ceja late. Ceja, having never done the 12 rounds before and fighting away from home is certainly the man "taking a step up" though he has the power to genuinely wipe fighters out and if he connects on MCDonnell he may well manage to upset the home fighter.
I've been a huge fan of Ceja for a few years, though feel McDonnell's experience of 12 rounds and home advantage should be just enough to secure him the victory.
Prediction-McDonnell TKO11
Friday, 23 November 2012
Martin Murray v Jorge Navarro
With Ricky Hatton's big comeback fight against Vyacheslav Senchenko it'd be fair to assume that Hatton Promotions would have done things on the cheap, instead however they have 2 "world" titles. The most one sided of those, at least on paper, sees the talented Martin Murray (24-0-1, 10) facing Venezuelan Jorge Navarro (12-0, 10) for the WBA "interim" Middleweight title.
Sadly this fight looks a bit like a mismatch because not much is really known about Navarro, who, to say the least, is unknown. Despite his perfect record he hasn't really faced anyone of note, in fact his best opponent so far is Costa Rican Jaime Barboza, this makes it hard to gauge just how good he is. Worryingly however we do know that he was dropped by hard hitting journeyman Jhonatan Ricar. Whilst Ricar can hit hard he is limited and shouldn't have the type of skill to connect on a world class fighter.
As worrying as his competition, Navarro hasn't a great deal of experience. In fact he's only got 31 rounds of professional experience with 11 of those coming against Barboza and only 3 of his 12 fights have gone 3 or more rounds. As well as his inexperience as a fighter, he is also inexperienced at fighting abroad and so far has never fought outside of Latin America (with 10 fights in Panama and 2 in his native Venezuela).
Whilst Navarro is a bit of a mystery man, Englishman Martin Murray is generally considered to be one of the top 10 or so Middleweights in the world with rankings from Ring Magazine (#8) and Boxrec (#10) to back this up. Whilst Murray himself hasn't scored any massive wins, he was unlucky last year, in his most notable bout so far to only draw with German Felix Sturm.
As well as the result against Sturm, Murray holds notable victories over the likes of Carlos Nascimento, Shalva Jomardashvili and Siarhei Khomitski. All much more proven, and higher quality opponents than anyone Navarro has faced so far. With this in mind it's hard to see anything but a victory for Murray.
Although Murray's record doesn't show it, he's a hard working fighter who throws a solid amount of leather with a hurtful dig. His shots aren't concussive but they are nasty, especially to the body which I expect will be the key here as he looks to attack Navarro's body early on and drag the visitor in to the middle rounds before forcing a stoppage.
Prediction-Murray TKO7
Sadly this fight looks a bit like a mismatch because not much is really known about Navarro, who, to say the least, is unknown. Despite his perfect record he hasn't really faced anyone of note, in fact his best opponent so far is Costa Rican Jaime Barboza, this makes it hard to gauge just how good he is. Worryingly however we do know that he was dropped by hard hitting journeyman Jhonatan Ricar. Whilst Ricar can hit hard he is limited and shouldn't have the type of skill to connect on a world class fighter.
As worrying as his competition, Navarro hasn't a great deal of experience. In fact he's only got 31 rounds of professional experience with 11 of those coming against Barboza and only 3 of his 12 fights have gone 3 or more rounds. As well as his inexperience as a fighter, he is also inexperienced at fighting abroad and so far has never fought outside of Latin America (with 10 fights in Panama and 2 in his native Venezuela).
Whilst Navarro is a bit of a mystery man, Englishman Martin Murray is generally considered to be one of the top 10 or so Middleweights in the world with rankings from Ring Magazine (#8) and Boxrec (#10) to back this up. Whilst Murray himself hasn't scored any massive wins, he was unlucky last year, in his most notable bout so far to only draw with German Felix Sturm.
As well as the result against Sturm, Murray holds notable victories over the likes of Carlos Nascimento, Shalva Jomardashvili and Siarhei Khomitski. All much more proven, and higher quality opponents than anyone Navarro has faced so far. With this in mind it's hard to see anything but a victory for Murray.
Although Murray's record doesn't show it, he's a hard working fighter who throws a solid amount of leather with a hurtful dig. His shots aren't concussive but they are nasty, especially to the body which I expect will be the key here as he looks to attack Navarro's body early on and drag the visitor in to the middle rounds before forcing a stoppage.
Prediction-Murray TKO7
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Ricky Burns v Kevin Mitchell
Arguably the highlight of this coming weekend is the all British WBO Lightweight title bout between champion Ricky Burns (34-2, 9) and highly regarded challenger Kevin Mitchell (33-1, 24). Not only is it an all British affair but it's also got the added spice of being Scotland v England adding further to what is arguably the most anticipated all British fight of the year.
Scotland's Ricky Burns lacked the hype early in his career that many others got and as a result he wasn't matched in a way that many other top fighters are. In fact for the first few years of his career his was given really very little in terms of developmental fights before being thrown in with then then British Lightweight champion Graham Earl, who he unexpectedly defeated back in 2005 (when Earl was 22-0, whilst Burns was just 9-0).
Despite scoring the upset victory over Earl he was still not acknowledged as a genuinely promising young fighter and was instead thrown to the wolves against Alex Arthur just a few bouts later. At that time Arthur was the European, British and Commonwealth champion at Super Featherweight with a record of 21-1, his experienced told and he showed up the inexperienced Burns by taking a wide decision.
Burns would suffer his second loss just a year later as the hard hitting Carl Johanneson defeated him in a British Super Featherweight title clash. This seemed to be the turning point and Burns would almost re-start his career. Burns began facing journeymen once again before rebuilding his confidence and swiftly moving on to claim his first professional title, the Commonwealth Super Featherweight title. He would defend this title 3 times before moved on to his first world title fight.
In 2010 Burns announced himself to the boxing world by out pointing the highly regarded Puerto Rican Roman Martinez for the WBO Super Featherweight title. He would defend this title 3 times before moving up to Lightweight where he would quickly claim the WBO "interim" Lightweight title with an upset over the hard hitting Australian Michael Katsidis. The interim title quickly got upgraded to the full version of the title and Burns has since managed a solitary defense by out pointing Paulus Moses last time out.
Stood at 5'10" it's a wonder that Burns ever managed to fight at Super Featherweight, he looks huge at Lightweight and must have been really taking a lot out of himself at 130. Despite looking huge at 135lbs he's not actually a big puncher, instead he's a classic boxer who uses his jab and movement to control range, whilst also being able to mix it off the ropes. Whilst I doubt few will agree, Burns is amongst the best pure boxers in the sport and if he relies on his boxing ability I can only see 1 man at Lightweight beating him (Miguel Vazquez).
If Ricky Burns is seen as British boxing's "over-achiever" of modern times then Kevin Mitchell is almost certainly British boxing's under-achiever. When he turned professional back in 2003 it was expected that Mitchell would swiftly rise through the ranks. He had looked sensational in claiming an ABA title and was seen almost as a certainty to be fast tracked towards a world title. Sadly however he has yet to realise his professional boxing dream of being a world champion.
Mitchell's early years as a professional were not only very highly hyped but he was also developed properly. In his 17th fight Mitchell claimed his first professional title by winning the IBF Inter-Continental Super Featherweight title and less than a year later Mitchell added the Commonwealth title to his collection. It was seen that he was being allowed to develop and move forward at a comfortable speed rather than being rushed into bouts against opponents that he stood little to no chance to defeat.
Despite having claimed the IBF Inter-continental and Commonwealth titles Mitchell's career started to stall somewhat. His good match making had taken him to a solid level but he just seemed to be stuck on a plateau of sorts with no moving upwards and onwards. He held the IBF Super Feather Inter-Continental title for almost 2 years and yet never moved onto a world title bout as the IBF world title was passed around various weak champions such as Gairy St Clair and Cassius Baloyi.
After wasting over 3 years treading water at Super Featherweight Mitchell moved to Lightweight and swiftly made an impact by thoroughly out boxing the hard hitting Colombian Breidis Prescott. Mitchell followed up the excellent performance over Prescott by stopping Ignacio Mendoza in eye catching fashion before getting his first world title fight against Michael Katsidis.
Mitchell was given the big build up to face Katsidis, not only was the bout at the home of Mitchell's beloved West Ham United, but he also had the "Cockney Rejects" singing his entrance music. Sadly however Mitchell got caught by a hard Katsidis shot in round 3 and was soon stopped as the Australian started to let his hands go.
Following the loss to Katsidis, it quickly emerged that Mitchell hadn't trained particularly hard for the fight as various problems outside the ring distracted him. Sadly this appeared to be a case of a losing fighter making excuses for a poor performances rather than just admitting he was beaten by the better man.
Since his loss to Katsidis, Mitchell has bounced back well with victories over John Murray (TKO8) and Felix Lora (Pts10) and now appears determined to finally reach his potential as world champion. He appears to be in a good mindset and seems to have been training well for this bout knowing that it's his big chance at redemption. Mitchell will know perfectly well that fans will not put up with excuses this time and that he needs to deliver.
In terms of his style Mitchell is a very talented fighter who can really do pretty much anything. He has heavy powerful hands that can hurt pretty much anyone, he's got fast hands that can throw beautiful counters and combinations and has very solid footwork which can be used both defensively and offensively. In fact in terms of talent Mitchell may well be one of the very best fighters out there at the moment to have never claimed a world title.
Whilst Mitchell is hugely talented I can't help but think stylistically he's going to really struggle here. Burns may only be slightly bigger but he uses his size so well, his jab is excellent at controlling range and his movement is exceptional. If Mitchell cannot get inside of Burns' jab and straight right hand he'll not have a chance and will easily be out boxed by a fighter who may not have real power but does have snap on his punches. If Mitchell can get inside Burns he can do damage, and could force a stoppage if he can do it often enough, though I think his successes will be limited.
Prediction-Ricky Burns by UD12
Scotland's Ricky Burns lacked the hype early in his career that many others got and as a result he wasn't matched in a way that many other top fighters are. In fact for the first few years of his career his was given really very little in terms of developmental fights before being thrown in with then then British Lightweight champion Graham Earl, who he unexpectedly defeated back in 2005 (when Earl was 22-0, whilst Burns was just 9-0).
Despite scoring the upset victory over Earl he was still not acknowledged as a genuinely promising young fighter and was instead thrown to the wolves against Alex Arthur just a few bouts later. At that time Arthur was the European, British and Commonwealth champion at Super Featherweight with a record of 21-1, his experienced told and he showed up the inexperienced Burns by taking a wide decision.
Burns would suffer his second loss just a year later as the hard hitting Carl Johanneson defeated him in a British Super Featherweight title clash. This seemed to be the turning point and Burns would almost re-start his career. Burns began facing journeymen once again before rebuilding his confidence and swiftly moving on to claim his first professional title, the Commonwealth Super Featherweight title. He would defend this title 3 times before moved on to his first world title fight.
In 2010 Burns announced himself to the boxing world by out pointing the highly regarded Puerto Rican Roman Martinez for the WBO Super Featherweight title. He would defend this title 3 times before moving up to Lightweight where he would quickly claim the WBO "interim" Lightweight title with an upset over the hard hitting Australian Michael Katsidis. The interim title quickly got upgraded to the full version of the title and Burns has since managed a solitary defense by out pointing Paulus Moses last time out.
Stood at 5'10" it's a wonder that Burns ever managed to fight at Super Featherweight, he looks huge at Lightweight and must have been really taking a lot out of himself at 130. Despite looking huge at 135lbs he's not actually a big puncher, instead he's a classic boxer who uses his jab and movement to control range, whilst also being able to mix it off the ropes. Whilst I doubt few will agree, Burns is amongst the best pure boxers in the sport and if he relies on his boxing ability I can only see 1 man at Lightweight beating him (Miguel Vazquez).
If Ricky Burns is seen as British boxing's "over-achiever" of modern times then Kevin Mitchell is almost certainly British boxing's under-achiever. When he turned professional back in 2003 it was expected that Mitchell would swiftly rise through the ranks. He had looked sensational in claiming an ABA title and was seen almost as a certainty to be fast tracked towards a world title. Sadly however he has yet to realise his professional boxing dream of being a world champion.
Mitchell's early years as a professional were not only very highly hyped but he was also developed properly. In his 17th fight Mitchell claimed his first professional title by winning the IBF Inter-Continental Super Featherweight title and less than a year later Mitchell added the Commonwealth title to his collection. It was seen that he was being allowed to develop and move forward at a comfortable speed rather than being rushed into bouts against opponents that he stood little to no chance to defeat.
Despite having claimed the IBF Inter-continental and Commonwealth titles Mitchell's career started to stall somewhat. His good match making had taken him to a solid level but he just seemed to be stuck on a plateau of sorts with no moving upwards and onwards. He held the IBF Super Feather Inter-Continental title for almost 2 years and yet never moved onto a world title bout as the IBF world title was passed around various weak champions such as Gairy St Clair and Cassius Baloyi.
After wasting over 3 years treading water at Super Featherweight Mitchell moved to Lightweight and swiftly made an impact by thoroughly out boxing the hard hitting Colombian Breidis Prescott. Mitchell followed up the excellent performance over Prescott by stopping Ignacio Mendoza in eye catching fashion before getting his first world title fight against Michael Katsidis.
Mitchell was given the big build up to face Katsidis, not only was the bout at the home of Mitchell's beloved West Ham United, but he also had the "Cockney Rejects" singing his entrance music. Sadly however Mitchell got caught by a hard Katsidis shot in round 3 and was soon stopped as the Australian started to let his hands go.
Following the loss to Katsidis, it quickly emerged that Mitchell hadn't trained particularly hard for the fight as various problems outside the ring distracted him. Sadly this appeared to be a case of a losing fighter making excuses for a poor performances rather than just admitting he was beaten by the better man.
Since his loss to Katsidis, Mitchell has bounced back well with victories over John Murray (TKO8) and Felix Lora (Pts10) and now appears determined to finally reach his potential as world champion. He appears to be in a good mindset and seems to have been training well for this bout knowing that it's his big chance at redemption. Mitchell will know perfectly well that fans will not put up with excuses this time and that he needs to deliver.
In terms of his style Mitchell is a very talented fighter who can really do pretty much anything. He has heavy powerful hands that can hurt pretty much anyone, he's got fast hands that can throw beautiful counters and combinations and has very solid footwork which can be used both defensively and offensively. In fact in terms of talent Mitchell may well be one of the very best fighters out there at the moment to have never claimed a world title.
Whilst Mitchell is hugely talented I can't help but think stylistically he's going to really struggle here. Burns may only be slightly bigger but he uses his size so well, his jab is excellent at controlling range and his movement is exceptional. If Mitchell cannot get inside of Burns' jab and straight right hand he'll not have a chance and will easily be out boxed by a fighter who may not have real power but does have snap on his punches. If Mitchell can get inside Burns he can do damage, and could force a stoppage if he can do it often enough, though I think his successes will be limited.
Prediction-Ricky Burns by UD12
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