Wladimir Klitschko vs David Haye Preview

For boxing junkies the heavyweight division's recent decline has been just a minor setback with the increase in talent at the lower weight classes (namely welterweight, jr. welterweight, lightweight etc.). However, for the mainstream media the question always remained: "When is the heavyweight division in boxing coming back?"

Well, ladies and gentlemen here is your big heavyweight fight. Reigning WBO, IBF and IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs) takes on current WBA champion England'sDavid Haye (25-1, 23 KOs).

Interestingly the Klitschko brothers seemed very unhappy yesterday at the weigh-in when they were subjected to boos by Haye supporters. There were loud chants of "Your just a sh*t Ivan Drago" heard from the crowd as well.

While the 200+ Haye supporters have spoken clearly, it's hard for to see David Haye's disdain for his current opponent as genuine. Haye's verbal jabs have been strategic, his goal was to get under Wladimir's skin to try to force him to slug it out come fight night.

However, I think with Emanuel Steward in the corner, there will be little strategic change. Wladimir is the bigger man (Klitschko weighed 242 pounds, 29½ pounds more than the 212½-pound Haye), with the better jab and should be able to maintain distance correctly.

Klitschko also is taller (6-foot-6½) would have a significant height advantage over Haye (6-3) not to mention the reach. Haye's advantage is with speed. Haye will be able to jump in and out around Klitschko's jab and attack with his hooks.

The most intriguing part of this fight? Two highly skilled heavyweights with questionable chins. This is what America wants, heavyweights that will hurt each other. It is almost promised that it will happen in this fight.

It isn't likely that Haye is going to win a decision because of his fighting style also they are fighting in Cologne, Germany. Just ask Mathew Macklin whether winning a decision there is possible.

Weekend Preview - 6/24

The year has been littered with great weekends of fights so far and this weekend will be no different.

As usual it get kicked off with a good main even in the Friday Night Fights card, then a 3 fight HBO card, and a free streaming EPIX middleweight championship fight. I will be previewing these fights below.

Plus, for us boxing junkies, Telefutura has Brian Vera and James Kirkland on the same card, Telemundo has prospect Jesus Pabon in a sure action fight and FSN is broadcasting Mike Jones likely knockout of professional “opponent” Raul Munoz. Get your DVR’s ready to roll!

HBO Card
On Saturday on HBO's Boxing after dark 9:45ET/PT, there will be triple header headlined by Devon Alexander and Lucas Matthyse.

Devon Alexander vs. Lucas Matthyse
Many may remember Matthysse (28-1, 26 KOs) from his recent loss on HBO to Zab Judah in a close fight that Judah was lucky to squeeze out a SD victory. He doesn’t have great boxing skill but has great power. He is coming off of a KO win against, now stepping stone, DeMarcus Corley back in January. He is the brother of Walter Mattyse and has Carlos Baldomir in his corner. He owns a KO victory against Vivian Harris and is slowly building his resume to become a 140pd contender.

Boxing fans may still have a bad taste in their mouths from Alexander’s last performance on HBO against Timothy Bradley. It was hyped as great fight to kick off the year and turned out to be a dud. Both fighters promised action and fireworks while the fight contained more posturing than anything. Bradley controlled Alexander with good distance control as well as outworking (relatively) the St. Louis native until a head butt ultimately sent the fight to the scorecards. This is a crossroads fight for a Alexander who many thought was at the top of the division with his KO victory against Juan Urango last year.

This is a tough fight to handicap, but because of Matthyse’s issues with good boxers (see Zab Judah) I expect Devon to carefully pick him apart. My pick is Alexander in another so so performance. Alexander UD12

Tavoris Cloud vs. Yusaf Mack

The second fight on the televised undercard is Tavoris Cloud vs. Yusaf Mack for Cloud's IBF light heavyweight title in what should be a bang bang fight. Cloud does not know how to not come forward and Mack is no laydown opponent. Cloud has shown good boxing skills, a great right hand and stamina to maintain his pressure over 12 rounds (see Glen Johnson fight)

For Canadian - Haitian Yusaf his last two losses have came against good competition (Glen Johnson and Librado Andrade) and has good boxing skill. Many feel he has a suspect chin and doesn't do well against pressure (once again see his Glen Johnson fight). Sidenote: See why I love Glen Johnson? Win or lose, he exposes fighters for who they are. This is the sign of a real veteran.

Mack should give Cloud a test, but with Cloud’s crowd and judge appealing aggressive pressure Tavoris should come out with a KO victory in the later rounds. What makes this fight even more exciting is the fact that Mack likes to fight when attacked, which will undoubtedly will be the case Saturday night.

If Cloud can get past Mack there are huge fights on the horizon. Dawson, Pascal, and Hopkins loom at the top of the list. Cloud KO10

Bermane Stiverne vs. Ray Austin

Also televised will be upcoming heavyweight Bermane Stiverne vs. Ray Austin in an WBC heavyweight eliminator. Stiverne (20-1, 19KOs) has very good power and a good skill set. His only loss came in spectacular fashion against Demetrice King back in 2007 and he is (8-0-1 since then).

Ray Austin, 40 years old, will keep fighting as long as he gets a paycheck as a stepping stone. It’s too bad good fighters like him will sacrifice his body in this horrendous heavyweight era. With the competition so weak, he will continue to get fights and make “prospects” beat him.

Unfortunately, the Cornelious K9 Bundrage rematch with Sechel Powell for Bundrage's IBF junior middleweight title will not be televised. Fight junkies will remember their first punch double knockdown fight last time they met. (VIDEO AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST HERE IF YOU MISSED IT). If K9 can win this fight he should be in line for a good payday in an unification matchup.

Felix Sturm vs. Mathew Macklin – EPIXHD.COM, EPIX
Sturm (35-2-1, 15 KOs) will be defending his WBA middleweight belt for the 10th time against Irishman Mathew Macklin (28-2, 19 KOs). Both fighters have been criticized for weak competition, but both have plodded away with their careers in workmanlike fashion to rise to the this stage. It’s a very close fight but Sturm should have too boxing skill and will use his good jab to beat Macklin. Also, because of the fact that Sturm is the defending champion and fighting in his home country, Macklin has to win convincingly in order to take this belt away. Sturm UD12.
There is also no reason to miss this fight. It will be shown on Epixhd for a free trial if you sign up. HD streaming boxing? What can be bad about that?

Friday Night Fights
John Molina vs. Robert Frankel
John Molina (22-1, 18 KOs), who is never in a dull fight because of his lack of boxing prowess but incredible power will be facing off with Frankel (28-10-1, 5 KOs). Frankel will likely give Molina a tough fight, but will be eventually overmatched by the sheer talent and power of John Molina. You have no excuse to miss this one as it is once again streaming on ESPN 3.

HBO Weekend Preview 6/18/11

Saul Alvarez V Ryan Rhodes

HBO – B.A.D. – Boxing After Dark – 6/18/11

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will be defending his newly minted 154 pound belt for the first time against his mandatory challenger Ryan Rhodes.

Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KOs) has been an exciting prospect to watch. He has a entertaining style, a good story, and interesting demeanor. His left hook and right hand are as good as any in the division and he has big fights looming on the horizon. The last time we saw him he fought another UK fighter in Mathew Hatton. Hatton, Ricky’s younger brother, was able to go the distance with Alvarez despite taking huge shots throughout the fight. Because of Hatton’s lack of punching power, Alvarez was able to maintain a large amount of pressure throughout the fight.

Ryan Rhodes (45-4, 31 KOs) is a well traveled a 34-year-old southpaw who tendency to switch to orthodox throughout his fights. Rhodes, a former European junior middleweight champion, has been fighting in the middleweight weight class for most of his career. This is his third shot at a world title, he lost to Otis Grant in 1997 much earlier in his career and an interim middleweight shot in which he was stopped by Jason Matthews in the 2^nd round. His last four fights have been TKO victories and is currently on a 10 fight win streak. He is best remembered probably for his 2009 bout with Jamie Moore (when he won his first European title) in a slug fest. (See below for the full fight, it’s a damn good one)

Both fighters have good jabs and use it to set up their hooks with the same hand. Both fighters like to wear down their opponents (albeit in slightly different manners). Rhodes will be the bigger man in the ring and probably has a foot speed advantage. The fight storyline will likely whether the stalker and can more effective or the stalkee can effectively stay away. It’s hard to see Rhodes coming out with a victory here, it is his first fight outside of the UK and is up against a rising superstar. However, while many in the boxing community is seeing this as the first fight that Alvarez has a chance of losing.

While I expect Alvarez to have a tough fight against Rhodes counter punching southpaw style, I also expect Alvarez to wear Rhodes down with raw power and talent and eventually stopping him.

Jason Litzau V Adrien Broner

Broner (20-0, 16 KOs) is coming off of a disappointing performance against Daniel Ponce De Leon in his last fight on HBO. Broner will have the motivation to put that fight behind him against someone who is tailor made for his flicker stance style. Jason Litzau is coming of a career reviving win against Celestino Caballero last November on HBO. If Broner doesn’t show up and work, Litzau with his aggressive high punch output style, may make it a tough night. I expect Adrien Broner to cruise here.

Interesting note on the telecast. Howard Lederman is going to be commentating as an analyst for the televised undercard match. Roy Jones Jr. has to sit out because he promotes Jason Litzau, Max and Larry were both unavailable. Interesting to hear Mr. Lederman speak more than 30 seconds at a time.

Now sit back and enjoy the what many consider to be Fight of the Year of 2009.

Bernard Hopkins VS Jean Pascal II Preview

So many times in rematch situations the fighter who correctly adapts from the first fight realizes that they shouldn’t have adapted at all. This may be the situation on Saturday when Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 Kos), steps into the ring with Jean Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs), the 28-year-old Haitian - Canadian.

The first fight ended in a controversial draw. I am one who agrees with Jean Pascal that the draw was a good decision. While Bernard clearly dominated the later rounds, there were some tossup rounds that I scored for Pascal. Also, Bernard is ALWAYS in controversial fights. His style doesn't allow for any other way.

Pascal has never been a very technically sound fighter. He uses his superior speed and awkwardness to jump in and out of range and put his opponents in tough positions. This strategy clearly worked in his fight with Chad Dawson. Bernard Hopkins, being one of the smartest fighters in boxing, saw that Pascal was a champion that he could have a very good chance against and made the match happen with promise of money and the ability to add a champion on your resume, reminiscent of the Kelly Pavlik matchup.

Jean Pascal has always been a fighter who fades in the later rounds (see fight against first fight against Hopkins, Froch and Dawson)
The storylines include Bernard Hopkins trying to unseat George Foreman as the oldest man to win a major world title and whether Jean Pascal will be remembered as the fighter who never should have had the title. Also the looming matchup for the winner of this match with the clear #3 man in the division Chad Dawson.

Here is the weigh-in


Chad Dawson should also have a very entertaining match on the undercard. He MUST win this match to face the winner of Hopkins V Pascal for his belt back.

Also don't forget about other old American fighters going to other younger fighter's hometowns to fight big matches. Antonio Tarver in Australia against Danny Green. Roy Jones Jr. just lost in Russia fighting (should be undefeated) Lebedev. Sad night for him. He was knocked out badly and should conclude his career.



Who am I picking? This is as much of a 50/50 fight as we have covered here.

Breaking News: Marquez Agrees to 3rd Fight With Pacquiao

Yesterday, Bob Arum told ESPN.com that he came to an agreement with Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) to fight Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) for a third time. Arum says that the fight will be at a welterweight catch weight of 144 pounds.

Juan Manuel Marquez has been pushing for a third fight against Pacman, currently ranked #1 Fight Knights P4P, since his razor thin decision loss in 2008.

The main questions surrounding Marquez will be: What does JMM have left in the tank (He is 37)? And how will the weight gain effect him? It would be hard to see Juan Manuel Marquez hurting Pacquiao in any fashion considering he was already considered light puncher at his current lower weight. Will his boxing skills still have the answer for Pacquiao?

Some other interesting storylines that are arising from this is the never ending Golden Boy versus Top Rank rift. Bob Arum is saying that he will be cross promoting the fight with Marquez’s own promotional company. Apparently, Golden Boy had an opportunity to match the Top Rank offer (essentially finding another opponent that paid the same amount): $5 million in guaranteed money, a cut of pay-per-view profits and a guaranteed $10 million plus a cut of pay-per-view if he Marquez wins. Hard to see that type of money coming from fighting anyone not named Floyd Mayweather (already fought in 2009) or Manny Pacquiao.

Another storyline is one that in an even broader spectrum, the sport of boxing. Alas, many of the people who aren't in the sport day in and day out simply wait for the next Pacquiao fight to go to nowadays. After the last Pacquiao fight, many were critical of the performance of the main event, calling boxing boring and a letdown. Will this fight be of the same pace? Doesn't the Floyd Mayweather V Marquez fight seem like something that could happen again?

Other fights also recently announced:

Less heralded fights were also announced recently for us boxing junkies.

Paul Williams (39-2, 27 KOs) will return to the ring July 9 on HBO against Nobuhiro Ishida (23-6-2, 8 KOs). The Punisher has been inactive since his devastating KO loss against Fight Knight P4p #3 Sergio Martinez. Ishida is of course coming off his amazing upset of James Kirkland last April. It’s nice for Ishida to get a payday after his, frankly speaking, fluke win over Kirkland. This fight shouldn’t last long and Williams hasn’t fought this low skill competition since Santos Pakau.

Lucian Bute (28-0, 23 KOs) signed to fight in front of his home crowd in Montreal for the first time since 2003. He will be defending his IBF super middleweight belt against unbeated Jean-Paul Mendy (29-0-1, 16 KOs). Bute has been on an tear with 5 KO victories since he went the distance with Librado Andrade in that controversial fight late 2008. This fight will continue him on his collision course with Super Six favorite Andre Ward.

Kermit Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KOs) is returning against Carlos Molina (18-4-2, 6 Kos). Should be an good one. Cintron is returning from his strange loss to Paul Williams after falling out of the ring. Many questioned his heart and there were whispers of the four letter q word… Quit. Molina is coming off an impressive TKO victory over Allen Conyers. This will likely be the co feature on the Brandon Rios V Urbano Antillon card July 9th at the Home Depot Center.

Cornelius “K9” Bundrage (30-4, 18 KOs) of Contender fame is reached an agreement to defend his IBF Light Middleweight Title (which he won last fight against Cory Spinks) against Sechew Powell June 25th. This is a rematch of a very entertaining little fight. See the video here.

Ward V Abraham headlines a Boxing filled weekend.

A great weekend of boxing is ahead of us kicking off with three televised cards (Telefutura, ESPN2, SHO) on Friday and finishing off with the first of the Super Six Tournament semifinal matches.

Kendall Holt V Julio Diaz – ESPN2 - Friday

Kendall Holt (26-4 14 Kos) has always earned a bit of soft spot in my heart dating back to his debacle in Columbia against Ricardo Torres. He doesn’t have a very crowd pleasing style but is a good fighter that will be a tough test for any up and coming junior welterweight. He takes on Julio Diaz (38-6 27Kos) in the main event of Friday Night Fights. Julio has decent power but has lost most every time he steps up in class. Both are former belt holders and are trying to figure out who will continue. They are both reaching an age and a point in their careers where they need a few more big fights, or to retire. I expect a good scrap. I think the question isn’t whether Holt is the better boxer, he is, the question is Holt will be able to stay away against Diaz in the later rounds.

As always this fight will be on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com available for streaming. I will say this over and over again, streaming boxing fights on ESPN3 is a godsend.

Sharif Bogere vs. Raymundo Beltran - SHO - Friday

The Friday Showtime card features up and coming Sharif Bogere (19-0, 12 KOs). Sharif has looked like a beast in the early part of his career. The storyline in this fight here is a familiar one. A young up and comer takes on a scrapper who has had a tough career and will force the young guy to fight. Ray (Raymundo) Beltran (24-4, 16 KOs) is a come forward Mexican fighter who will make the fight intesting. Beltran’s claim to fame is his occupation as Manny Pacquiao sparring partner. Some experts see the first tough fight for Sharif in this matchup. I see Sharif Bogere winning an easy unanimous decision. Note: Look out for Sharif's lion head for his ring entrance.. scary..

Arthur Abraham vs. Andre Ward – SHO - Saturday


In Carson, California the Super Six semifinal round begins. While many will criticize the Super Six tournament for its injuries, withdrawals, and conflicts, boxing fans cannot deny that the tournament has already produced some stellar fights. Andre Ward (23-0 13 KOs) may be the best in the division, currently ranked #5 FK P4P, and shows no signs of slowing down. He hasn’t had a tough fight since his early pro days. However, if you followed his early career there still may be some questions about his chin. Those questions were supposed to be answered by wins over Edison Miranda and Allan Green, but not one of them landed a solid shot against him.

Standing in front of him is Arthur Abraham (32-2 26 KOs) who is coming off the worst year of his career. Coming into the tournament Abraham was undefeated and some felt was the favorite to win. Then, after a grand entrance by putting Jermain Taylor into retirement, he lays two eggs against Andre Dirrell and Carl Froch. He did the right thing after those two losses and took a tuneup on his home turf. Now he comes back into enemy territory and fights perhaps the best in the division.

I see a good fight with Andre Ward using his out boxing skills to pecker Arthur with shots and then avoid and hug when Abraham uses his lunging body shots. Barring a shot that Andre doesn’t see hitting him, he should cruise to an easy decision.

The winner of this match meets the winner of what should be another entertaining scrap, Carl Froch V Glen Johnson in the finals.

Erik Morales VS Marcos Maidana 4/9/11 Card Breakdown/Preview

ERIK MORALES V MARCOS MAIDANA

At first sight when I saw the Morales vs Maidana matchup made I was, like the rest of the media, unhappy. Erik Morales has been a favorite to any fight fan because of his participation in some of the historical action fights. His famous trilogies with Manny Pacqiaou and Marco Antonio Barrera will always be seared in the memories of fight fans anywhere. The trilogy between him and Barrera may rank amount the greatest of fight trilogies of all time. However, because of his long layoff and punishment he has received over the last years of his career is worrisome. From 2005-2007 he lost 4 straight (5 of 6) all coming to a dramatic end against David Diaz, a clear step below Morales usual caliber. After taking a few years off he has come back to win 3 in a row against pedestrian competition and eventually signed up to fight Maidana.

However, Golden Boy, and everyone else knows, that El Terrible sells. He sells well with the Mexican community and this fight will do very good PPV numbers. Even with the betting odds stacked against Morales (Maidana is a -650 and Morales is a +425 the same odds as Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham currently stand) he will be the crowd favorite. Whether that can propel him to victory is a different story. I think someone who is as hungry and dangerous as Maidana, who BARELY, lost to Amir Khan, is a scary predicament for Morales. I expect a 9^th round stoppage with El Terrible eventually wiltering under the unorthodox pressure that Maidana applies.

ROBERT GUERRERO VS MICHEAL KATSIDIS

What really gets my boxing juices going is the undercard is also stacked with good action fights. The main fight undercard will be Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (28-1 18Kos) against Micheal Katsidis (27-3 22 Kos) for the interim WBA and WBO lightweight belt. This fight is sure to have fireworks as both men love to come forward and throw. Guerrero is coming off of a good win against a tough opponent in Vincente Escobedo. While Escobedo has good technical boxing skills, you can see from the fight that Guerrero just had him outskilled in too many categories. He was a better boxer, put more pressure, cleaner and harder shots. Micheal Katsidis is trying to return from a loss in a war between him and Juan Manuel Marquez (little tidbit later on). He looked good early, pressuring in his usual style, and even knocking JMM down but eventually succumbing to Marquez clean counterpunching. This may be a dark horse candidate for fight of the year.

JAMES KIRKLAND V NOBUHIRA ISHIDA

Also, I also going to enjoy watching James Kirkland (27-0 24kos) fight as he frantically tries to kickstart his career after his recent incarceration. He fights Japanese fighter Nobuhiro Ishida (22 – 6 7 Kos) who is coming off of a close split decision loss for a interim belt. He is aging but has never been stopped in his career. It looks like James Kirkland’s handlers are going to keep him very busy (he already fought twice in March). While I expect a win from James Kirkland, a big KO victory would really propel his name into the Junior Middleweight and Middleweight upper echelon again. I expect big fights in the future for an entertaining fighter.

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI VS JOSE MIGUEL COTTO

We have a treat watching Paulie Malignaggi (28-4 6Kos)square off against Jose Miguel Cotto (32-2-1 24kos-). Paulie has just racked up his 6^th KO of his career against journeyman Michael Lozada (although it was a referee stoppage), his first fight since breaking off from Lou DiBella. I didn’t like the things that he said after he “retired” then signed with Golden Boy, but I see another payday in his future. He should be able to outbox Cotto easily and win a 12 round decision.

DANNY GARCIA VS NATE CAMPBELL

Finally recently added to the card is Danny Garcia (20-0, 14 KOs) fighting Nate “Galaxy Warrior” Campbell (33-7-1, 25 KOs) . Danny Garcia is clearly one of Golden Boy’s top prospects and they are banking on the fact that Nate Campbell is shot and is coming out of retirement only for the money. However, it has been shown in the past that the Galaxy Warrior can beat anyone at anytime (and the ability to lose to anyone at anytime). This is a big step up for Danny Garcia and will be a very interesting test.

All in all a very interesting fight card. I am glad that Golden Boy decided to stack the undercard with good fights knowing that non Mexican fight fans would need a bit more than Erik Morales to plop down the PPV fee.

Other thoughts

Ivan Calderon tries to regain his title against Giovanni Segura on Saturday. Segura is an all pressure fighter that wore out “Iron” Calderon eventually stopping him in the 8^th round the last time they met. Will he be able to do the same? Should be a damn good fight

Juan Manuel Marquez and Zab Judah in talks? This could get interesting. Seems like a fight I would definitely be excited about.

MMA note: Jon Fitch has pulled out of his BJ Penn match with an injury (UFC 132). Who will be his replacement? Carlos Condit is an obvious choice but, how about Nick Diaz now that Strikeforce has been bought?

Opening day in baseball has come and gone. I love baseball. But once again I remembered why I love fights so much more. Losing in baseball (or almost every other sport) doesn’t compare to losing in fighting. That’s what makes fight sports great. Losing sucks. Losing a fight? Fucking hurts AND sucks…

SW

Andre Berto versus Victor Ortiz Preview

I am eagerly awaiting the Andre Berto (27-0 21KOs) versus Victor Ortiz (28-2 22KOs) matchup coming up on April 16th. It has promise to be a good action fight and two prime fighters going head to head. They both have great hand speed, like to come forward, good power for their weight, young and hungry.

Victor Ortiz

Is Victor Ortiz really back? After two good wins against Nate Campbell and Vivian Harris he puts in a horrible performance against Lamont Peterson where he looked like he didn’t know how to close a fighter. Against Peterson he withstood a few good hooks and right hands, it would be unwise to stand and take those against Berto. He needs to beat Berto to the punch while sitting in the pocket. It will be very interesting to see if he can do so.

One interesting note is from a promotional strategy point of view. Many will wonder why Golden Boy is taking this fight for Victor Ortiz? He still isn’t very far from the most devastating fight (egosticly more than physically) of his career with Marcos Maidana and only with two knockdowns avoided a loss with a Majority Draw in his last fight with Lamont Peterson. Now they are deciding not only to move up in weight, but to fight the 3^rd best welterweight in the world?

I think I just hear a slot machine whirring in Richard Schaefer head. It’s gamble time for Ortiz. They are either going to get an instant headliner with Victor Ortiz or he falls completely by the wayside.

Perhaps that’s the same reason why Victor’s camp probably took the fight as well. If Victor Ortiz gets brutally destroyed, remember those words he uttered after the Maidana fight, he might be done with boxing. But if he wins, all we will be talking about is his “vicious” right hook and “vicious” left uppercut.

Andre Berto

On the Andre Berto and Lou Dibella side this also good chance for them. They have been heavily criticized in recent years are also looking to ratchet up Berto’s opponent skill level. While others will continue to criticize Berto I applaud him and Dibella for taking this fight. While this is no giant step up, as I am sure that Andre Berto will tout, it is a good test to see if Berto can handle someone with the hand speed and power (albeit Jr. Welterweight power) like Ortiz.

However, don’t see this as an easy fight for Berto at all. Remember Callazo, who is also a southpaw, pushed Berto to the limit. He also seems to get lulled into other fighter’s style. In this fight I see he has a distinct advantage in the lateral movement, to see if he uses it is yet to be seen.

Prediction:

I really don’t know how to pick. My brain says Berto. My gut says Ortiz. Foolishly, I am going with Berto KO10.

SW

Weekend Fights Preview Friday Night Fights 03/18/11 UFC 128 03/19/11

Some good action this weekend in the octagon as well as the square ring.

In the MMA world that now begins and ends with Zuffa, UFC 128 is the only event that you need to see.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua takes on Jon Jones in the main event that should not be missed. While some may not like Shogun, no one can say that he doesn't entertain. This will be an entertaining fight and will be hotly contested. Bones is essentially undefeated (besides his DQ) and doesn't seem to enjoy decisions as he has only gone the distance twice in his career. Great job on the UFC's part finding a good action fight when Rashard Evans went down with the injury.

In other action the co feature is Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland.

The other fight I will be interested in is Crocop VS Shaub (who I still think looks like a gigantic version of my brother's friend).




Boxing starts off tonight with Friday Night Fights.

Brad Solomon (16-0, 7 KOs) takes on the toughest test of his career when he steps into the ring with Demetrius Hopkins (30-1-1, 11 KOs). This is a really interesting fight that really could go both ways. While Hopkins has the better jab, Solomon is pretty imposing. I think this is a close decision win for Hopkins.

This Saturday we have the return of Lucian Bute on Showtime along with prospect Vanes Martirosyan.

Bute (27-0, 22 KOs) should handle his opponent Irishman Brian Magee (34-3-1, 24 KOs) pretty easily with superior boxing skills in every category. This fight will likely not go the distance. Hopefully we can see Lucian take on tougher opponents before his eventual mega showdown with p4pder Andre Ward.

Finally also on Saturday we have the beginning of what Epix hopes is a new era in boxing for them. They are trying to become a premium channel, much like Showtime and HBO, and are using their same business model of using Boxing to get into our living rooms. This fight will also be streaming on Epixhd.com Vitali Kiltshko V Odlainer Solis. This will be a major step up in class for Odlainer (17-0, 12 KOs) beat Ray Austin via DQ in his last fight. I expect a wipeout here.

Random thoughts:

Lou Dibella has long been one of my favorite promoters in the sport. While many point to Dana White and his cursing during press conferences and interviews, few can beat Lou when it comes to candor. When asked if he would match up Sergio Martinez with Dmitry Pirog (WBO belt holder) he had this to say.

"Fuck Dmitry Pirog. We're never fighting Dmitriy Pirog, that was our belt that [the WBO] stole from him and we're not fighting Dmitry Pirog, who has never done anything but beat Daniel Jacobs to deserve a big fight. Fuck Dmitry Pirog."

Now that's a quote.

Sergio Martinez looked great against a guy nobody looks good against. Another impressive win.

Has anyone seen Floyd Mayweather?

Really UFC? The co feature is a TUF coach eliminator? This is getting a bit ridiculous don't you think?

Sigh, Donaire moves to Golden Boy and looks as though there is going to be a legal battle over the legality of it. Sound familiar? Yes, Pacman was in the same situation a few years ago. Can't we just all get along?

SW

Donaire V Montiel

Who isn't excited for this matchup this weekend. Both fighters are coming off of big win streaks. Both fighters are in everyone's p4p list.

Yes, most average fans know little of the bantamweight division, but we are looking at the top two fighters by any comparison. They also have a lot in common. They both were brought into the boxing game from their fathers. Both are boxer punchers. Both have never been stopped. Both have stopped 9 of their last 11.

Donaire won the IBF belt by knocking out Vic Darchinyan in 2007. He is the clear #2 to Pacman in the islands and will be looking to step out of the superstar's shadow this weekend. He is 28, young and hungry. His speed and explosiveness have aided him and masked the small weakness he has in the defensive game. His jab will be a large question mark in the fight. Lately he has used it amazingly, it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up with a pressure action power puncher like Montiel.

A 31 year old Mexican fighter in Montiel will be using all of his power shots in this fight. He will be a little weight drained (he has said he will move up after this fight). However, he has the clear edge in power especially in his left hand. He is looking to be the first Mexican to win titles in 4 weight divisions. This future hall of famer is also trying to step out of the shadows of his countries greatest fighters.


While the oddsmakers has it a 2-1 fight in the favor of the Filipino, I think it will be a LOT closer than that. Donaire will be tested a few times, and Montiel is not going to quit even when out sped in hand and feet departments. If Donaire wants to win it will have to be from out boxing Montiel.

Donaire W12 in a very very entertaining fight!

Devon Alexander V Timothy Bradley Preview

Which real boxing fan isn't excited for Alexander v Bradley? It's not often in boxing do 50/50 matches happen. It's even less often when those 50/50 matches include two fighters with 0's on their record. It's on HBO tonight at 10PMET/7PMPT.




The St. Louis Kid, Devon Alexander is coming off a subpar performance against Andriy Kotelnik a fight in Alexander won, but barely on my cards. To many it made Amir Khan's wipeout of Kotelnik look even more impressive. I think the contrary, I think it makes Devon look a lot weaker than expected. Perhaps he was overlooking Kotelnik because of Bradley lurking, but in boxing you are only as good as your last fight, and that last fight wasn't good.

Timothy Bradley. * What do you need to say about the guy? He's a professional, a good interview, and he's good. He has a nasty body game, quick, and seems to have a good chin. His last fight was against a game Luis Carlos Agregu. This Argentinean had one game plan going into the fight, knockout. He looked for it all night, giving up round after round. He came close a few times, because Bradley isn't content on winning rounds, he comes forward and will give you openings.

Unfortunately, in the end one guy has to lose. I am picking Alexander here against my better judgment. While I think if Bradley keeps his movement up, his superior boxing skill will beat Alexander. Frankly I think if Devon can't hurt Bradley, then Bradley should cruise to an easy decision. However, I just have a feeling Bradley will attack Devon's body in the early rounds and get caught by a counter left uppercut.

Alexander KO7

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Friday Night Fights 1/7/11 Preview

Preview and predictions of Friday Night Fights on January 7th


As always, I am excited for the first ESPN fight card of the year on January 7th. Ruslan Provodnikov (17-0 11KO) is fighting Maricuo Herrera (15-1 7 KO). Ruslan is coming off of a win in his home country of Russia, but we last saw him stateside May of last year when he fought fan favorite Emanuel Augustus. While the record will show that he knocked Augustus down 3 times and eventually ended him in the 9th, Augustus took the fight on short notice (4 days) and still managed to win a few of the early rounds.
Herrera is coming off two wins since that controversial split decision to Mike Achondo in December of ’09. I had them at least at a draw. It will be interesting because Achondo was Herrera’s first real step up in class and he felt he got screwed. If Provodnikov starts slow again, watch out, Herrera just might pull this one out. Remember, it’s not like the Russian has had too much stiff competition either. Of course I love pressure fighters, but upset special with some good action here. Herrera D12

I’m also excited about watching Demetrius Andrade (11-0 8KO) fight as always. Easily one of the best American prospects (Paul Williams part duex). He fights another family member, Alberto Herrera (7-1-1 5KO) as the other fight on the televised card. They have an common opponent in Chris Chatman, who knocked out Herrera in the 4th of his only loss. Chatman also lost a lopsided decision against Andrade in his hometown of Rhode Island. Herrera is coming off of a loss and has likely never seen skill on the same level as Demetrius. I expect a boxing demolition with ultimately Andrade stopping him.
Andrade KO6

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