Fight Junkie

Year End Team & Individual Units Tally
By Boxeo

Well, 2009 has finally come to an end and I for one am not sad to see it go! As far as betting on the fight game goes, this (last) year was one of the tougher experiences for the fightjunkie team. Although 4 out of the 5 of the teams experts were able to still muster up a profit this year, each and every unit earned was truly an all out battle.

Every year you have fluke outcomes, bad decisions and outright corruption, but in 2009 those incidents seemed to occur more and more frequently.

Just off the top of my head outcomes like Timothy Bradley V Nate Campbell, Ali Funkea V Joan Guzman, Paulie Malignaggi V Juan Diaz (first fight), Nikolay Valuev V David Haye, and Nikolay Valuev V Evander Holyfield and many, many more come to mind.

It seemed every time we turned around there was another blown call or bad decision being rendered. This funky year was not just regulated to the boxing scene, even MMA fans are now starting to get a dose of bad decisions over and over again.

I shake my head every time I hear the MMA fans complain about the ten point must system used in MMA, or the inept/corrupt judging that seems to now be rearing it’s ugly head in their sport.

If they only knew what they were in for they would cut their losses now and start watching golf!

Boxing fans know exactly what I am talking about. Corrupt judging (can we really call it anything else at this point?) has ruined our once beloved sport. It is now compared to such highly respected sports as professional wrestling (the WWE type).

If your profession has anything at all to do with the fight business you would be wise to omit such a fact when speaking with the average Joe on the street unless you love hear “boxing is fixed” over and over again.

When a “judge” (I use that term very loosely) like Pierre Benoist scores a brutal war between Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams 119-110 in favor of the favorite Williams, one has to seriously question the powers that be that control this sport.

The very sad part of all of this is each year hardcore (there are still a few of us out there) whine and cry and shout at the top of our lungs about this corruption yet the state commissions refuse to take action on these rats that have destroyed our sport.

Everyone involved in the game knows exactly what will happen if an obviously corrupt score/decision/call is handed down…NOTHING!

Time and time again you have the same shady characters involved in questionable results with no action from anyone “governing” the sport.

If you or I were to consistently turn in poor performances at our jobs I guarantee you we would be fired on the spot. Not so in the world of the fight game. You can outright lie, cheat, and steal and nothing is ever done about it.

So, another year of fistic action is in the books with the few hardcore fight fans that are still left out there hoping that 2010 will bring better accountability for those that seek to gain off the blood, sweat, and tears of young and old fighters alike.

Thanks a bunch for checking out the site and we hope to produce even better numbers for the 2010-2011 betting year.

HBO Predictions
By Krakrabbit

Saturday night showcases Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, (35-2, 17KO’s) quest to regain his place among the elite boxers in sport when he squares off against slick boxer Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi, (26-3, 5KO’s) live from the UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois.

Diaz was quickly installed as almost a 2-1 favorite in the fight but the public rapidly jumped on the underdog Malignaggi and tanked Diaz down to a –135 mark. If you were late to the Malignaggi party you will now be forced to take only +110 for a Magic Man upset. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -500 and the under at +400.

Diaz by KO comes in at +399, while Diaz by decision will get you +150. Malignaggi by KO hits the mark at whopping +869, and Malignaggi by decision lands at +178.

This will be the second time Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi face off inside the ring. Their first contest resulted in Juan Diaz pulling out a close, and disputed, decision victory over the Magic Man in Diaz’s backyard of Houston, Texas.

In the first fight, Diaz fought as usual and charged forward with his unrelenting pressure, while Malignaggi boxed and moved around Diaz.

Nearly each and every round was a close one, but at the end of the night the Baby Bull’s hand was raised and Paulie had another defeat marked onto his record.

The fight was close without question with both men having their moments in the fight, but what caused the controversy in the contest was mostly due to the 118-110 scorecard turned in by Gale Van Hoy in favor of Diaz.

The other two judges had the fight scored as a respectable 115-113, and 116-114. Now, whether or not you thought the right man won in the Toyota Center that night, it is impossible not to raise questions about that obscene 118-110 scorecard.

Because of the controversy surrounding the fight, Diaz and Malignaggi have decided to get it on once more to decide (hopefully without bias) who the better fighter between the two.

Juan Diaz is a very come-forward, in-your-face brawler who applies constant pressure without slowing down. The only men who have been able to slow the Baby Bull down and hand him defeats in his professional career have been the Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez and Nate Campbell.

Diaz is like the Energizer bunny when he steps into the ring and in every one of Diaz’s fights you can expect to see him throwing punches for three minutes of every round.

Despite a strong offense though, Juan is not without his flaws. Diaz often stands right in front of his opponent with little to no head movement and is always more then willing to take five punches to deliver his one.

Fortunately for the Baby Bull, he has the beard to back him up when absorbing blows. Of his 37-fight professional career, Diaz has only been stopped once by Juan Manuel Marquez in a barnburner of a fight. He has taken shots from Nate Campbell, Michael Katsidis (although Katsidis landed little in their fight!), and Acelino Freitas without even being dropped by any of the hard punchers.

In addition to his defensive lapses, Diaz also has a tendency to get cut when fighting. Juan was cut against Campbell, Marquez, and more recently, Malignaggi.

Paulie Malignaggi on the other hand is a polar opposite fighter from Juan Diaz. The Magic Man is a slick boxer who relies on his defensive skills and boxing ability to get the job done, most of the times on the scorecards.

After Malignaggi’s fight with Ricky Hatton, I had a feeling that Paulie may well have been on the decline in his career. I also had questions as to whether or not Malignaggi still had the legs to easily box for twelve full rounds.

When Malignaggi stepped into the ring with Diaz though (this time without possibly cursed trainer Buddy McGirt!), it looked like Paulie had gotten back on track.

Despite losing the fight, Malignaggi gave a strong effort and was able to box as well as he could for twelve straight rounds.

However, I do believe Malignaggi has lost a little something in his relatively short, but tough boxing career. Whereas Paulie is usually a very slick fighter who rarely gets hit cleanly, the Baby Bull was able to land quite flush a number of times throughout their first bout.

The Magic Man was able to evade some of the shots, but Diaz landed more then a prime Malignaggi would have let him land, and I also believe Paulie was stunned a couple times by the light-hitting Diaz.

Paulie also suffers from what many would call “pillow-hand syndrome”. Despite laying into his opponents and landing everything he has and more, Malignaggi has little power in his gloves.

With only five knockouts in twenty-six victories and the absence of a KO since 2003, it is easy to see that Paulie Malignaggi lacks the power to punch his way out of a wet bag.

As well as that, Malignaggi also has paper skin and often cuts when he gets hit. In their first fight, like Diaz, Paulie had sustained a cut during the fight. While it was worked on very well in between the rounds and never caused any trouble in the fight, the Magic Man was indeed cut in another one of his fights.

It would not shock me in the least bit to see either (or both) men bleed on Saturday night.

I feel this fight will play out in a similar fashion to the first contest. Juan Diaz was able to pressure Malignaggi pretty well during their first fight, while Paulie also had his moments in the contest as he could land at will on Diaz.

Both men were successful throughout the fight, and it was indeed a close fight that I feel could have gone either way. While I personally feel Diaz won their first contest, the 118-110 scorecard cannot help but suggest there was little chance Malignaggi would have won by decision, even if he had beaten Diaz convincingly in Texas.

This match up will take place in Chicago, and given Gale Van Hoy does not appear at ringside (the officials are supposed to be Mauro Di Fiore, Tom Miller, and Michael Pernick), I feel Malignaggi has a very good shot at pulling out the victory this time around.

As I have mentioned, their first fight was close and many in the boxing community actually believed Paulie Malignaggi to have won the first time around against Juan Diaz.

Given the controversy about the scorecard and the possibility of the Magic Man being robbed, I believe all eyes will be on the judges on Saturday and whether or not they will give Paulie a fair shake on the cards.

Because of the demands of the public to score the fight perfectly this time, I feel there is a strong chance the judges at ringside will feel obligated, or pressured, to give Paulie any close rounds in the fight.

I think there is a good chance that if Malignaggi can keep the fight close until the final bell, he will get the nod on the cards.

There is also a slight possibility that Paulie is able to open up a cut on Diaz and perhaps cause the fight to be stopped. If ruled by a punch, that would result in Malignaggi getting a TKO victory!

A win for Malignaggi may also be profitable to some in the boxing business, as Paulie winning the second fight obviously calls for a rubber match of the two.

As in the first fight, I expect this one to be close and I feel that this time around, there are more advantages on the side of the Magic Man to win this fight. I have a feeling if Paulie doesn’t get knocked out; he wins this one in Chicago and gets his revenge. Be prepared for Juan Diaz V Paulie Malignaggi III.

Krakrabbit: 1.50 Units On Malignaggi {+150}
Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Malignaggi {+150}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Malignaggi {+150}
Doody: .50 Units On Malignaggi {+150}
D3: .50 Units On Malignaggi {+150}

HBO Predictions
By Krakrabbit

Saturday on HBO, fight fans will be treated to a 160-pound showdown between Paul Williams, (37-1, 27KO’s) and the experienced southpaw Sergio Gabriel Martinez, (44-1-2, 24KO’s) live from the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Williams was installed as the betting favorite in the fight, and the public quickly jumped on him, knocking his number all the way up to –575 at some sportsbooks. Those backing Martinez to score the upset win can get +375 for every hundred bet.

The over/under for the Williams/Martinez bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the over costing you -170, while the under comes in at +150. Williams by KO hits the mark at +145, while Williams by decision will get you +125. Martinez by KO is a mighty +1200, and Martinez by decision lands at +600. The odds of the fight being declared a draw rest at +3500.

Paul Williams is fresh off a very one-sided victory over former titleholder Ronald “Winky” Wright in which Williams was able to pull out a unanimous decision over the very skilled boxer.

Williams was able to control the pace (as usual) with his massive punch output, cutting, swelling and battering Wright around the ring for 12 rounds. It was an easy fight for Williams, and at times it looked at though Wright was going to receive the first stoppage loss in his long career.

Paul “The Punisher” Williams once again used his pace to beat Winky, and Williams can easily be described as a non-stop punching machine inside the ring.

Paul often manages to throw upwards of a hundred punches per round, working at a continuous rate for three minutes of each and every round.

In addition to his obscene punch output, Williams also throws at amazingly odd angles throughout the fight, sometimes throwing punches around his own arms (as he did in the Wright fight). Williams is a tough man to deal with when he is on the offensive, and all except one of The Punisher’s opponents failed to find a way to counteract such a high work rate.

However, despite having such a tough style to deal with, Williams is not without his own set of flaws inside the ring.

The biggest problem that faces Williams is his inability to defend himself. Paul has little defense and it is an understatement to say he is only an offensive force. Williams can be hit at will, and leaves his head wide open for a smacking.

I did notice that Williams attempted to adopt somewhat of a defense in his last bout with Wright which mostly consisted of rolling his shoulders and head trying to move with the punches instead of standing in front of his opposition with no head movement. While Paul did have some solid success with it and wasn’t hit as much as he usually is, I am not so sure how his “defense” will fare against a quicker or more precise opponent then Winky.

Related to Williams’ lack of defense is his weakness to being outboxed. Paul Williams does indeed have a single defeat on his record to Carlos Quintana all the way back in early of 2008.

In that fight Quintana put on the performance of his life, moving in and out, countering and outboxing Williams over the course of the fight. Williams was unable to find his range and could not land consistently throughout the bout. Because he was so “off” during the fight, his punch output suffered and he received the first loss of his career.

Paul was very off on that night, and four months later Williams and Quintana squared off again in a rematch. In their second fight, Williams came out quickly and landed a solid left hand midway through the first round and soon after finished Quintana with a quick flurry of punches.

Although the rematch was once again fought at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, I still can’t help but wonder if the loss to Quintana could have been due to making the 147-pound weight limit. Williams likes to claim he will fight anywhere between 147 and 160, but he has not campaigned below 153-pounds in his last three fights.

It is still a question as to why Williams couldn’t do anything against Quintana the first time around, but it still helped show that he can be outboxed and does indeed have flaws.

The man facing off with Williams, Sergio Martinez is also coming off a win over a solid name opponent, but the difference being Martinez’s win is not on his record!

Ten months ago, Martinez faced off with hit-or-miss Puerto Rican, Kermit Cintron. In his fight with Cintron, Martinez was the much better fighter in the ring and was able to easily outbox Kermit for nearly every round in the contest.

In the seventh round, Martinez connected with a flush left hand late in the round, forcing Cintron to back up and take a knee. The ref counted Cintron out, but Kermit insisted it was a headbutt that knocked him out.

After continuous complaining from Cintron and his corner, the fight was inexplicably called back on! Apparently the ref (Frank Santore Jr.) had now decided that Cintron did in fact beat the count of ten and would be allowed to continue.

It was obvious to anyone and everyone that watched the seventh round of that contest that Kermit Cintron was knocked out with a single left hand shot from Sergio Martinez.

To make matters worse, five rounds later two of the three ringside judges would puzzlingly score the fight 113-113, thus robbing Martinez of a well deserved decision victory!

So in one single fight Martinez was not only robbed of a stoppage victory in the seventh round, but also what should have been a one-sided unanimous decision victory after Cintron was given a reprieve from being knocked.

A quick glance at Martinez’s resume will not show a ton of big names. Martinez has certainly not been fighting the cream of the crop in his 47-fight career, but he has faced off with men such as Sharmba Mitchell, Alex Bunema, Antonio Margarito (who gave Martinez the only loss of his career), and of course Kermit Cintron.

Although Cintron is not a world-beater, and could in any way be in Paul Williams’ class, Martinez put on a brilliant performance that night and showed that he has some serious skills.

Nothing great there in the opposition he has faced, but don’t let it fool you. Sergio can box!

Sergio Martinez is a very skilled boxer, with quick hands, some slick defense and good foot movement.

Sergio also has an imperfection or two of his own as well, though. Martinez tends to keep his hands exceedingly low, and he will also head into this contest fighting at the highest contracted weight of his career, 160 pounds.

I feel Martinez’s overconfidence in keeping his hands low may let Williams get in plenty of shots during his long combinations. I am not quite sure how the weight will affect Martinez either. I don’t see Paul having any trouble adapting to 160 pounds (although I expect he will weigh-in at around the 157-pound mark, as he is quite lanky and does not put on a lot of muscle) but how Martinez will take having to fight at such a high weight for him is an open question.

I personally don’t expect too many problems to occur for Martinez because of the weight, as he is a rather large light middleweight himself at 5’11 with a semi-bulky frame, and he has fought as high as 159-pounds before.

When Martinez and Williams face off on Saturday, I have an inkling feeling that this fight with the “late replacement” (Williams was originally scheduled to fight Kelly Pavlik, who pulled out with a staph infection) could give Paul more trouble then he expects.

Both Williams and Martinez have their flaws, but its how the two fighter’s styles match up is what has me intrigued about the fight.

Paul has shown a slight weakness to being outboxed, and being that Carlos Quintana could pull off the upset by boxing, what is there to suggest Martinez cannot do the same?

Sergio Martinez will need to use the right gameplan (hitting and running) to beat Williams, and conversely Williams may only need to fight like Paul The Punisher Williams to beat Martinez.

Williams isn’t an unpredictable fighter, and excluding the Quintana fights usually always fights the same way; punch, punch, and punch some more for three minutes until the bell sounds.

Coupled with his defensive limitations, I can see Martinez landing some clean, sharp counterpunches throughout the course of the fight to Paul.

For The Punisher to pull out the victory, I feel he needs to stick to what he knows and that is simply punching. Martinez has never been in with such an active, relentless fighter. The only man Martinez has faced with a somewhat similar, non-stop style is Antonio Margarito, and Margarito stopped Sergio in seven rounds (I’m not going to say anything about the possibility of Margarito having loaded gloves or not...)

Excluding the brick-for-hands possibility, if Martinez had trouble with Margarito, why wouldn’t he have trouble with Williams? In my opinion, Paul is a much better pressure, non-stop fighter then Margarito, and Williams showed it when he beat Margarito in 2007.

There is one other thing I would like to add into the analysis of the fight though, and that is what happens when and if the fight hits the judges scorecards.

I feel there is a very strong possibility that, should Martinez actually beat Williams, he does not get the decision a la his last fight with Cintron.

It is common knowledge that Paul Williams has a ton of potential fights on the horizon with stars like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, and Kelly Pavlik (if Pavlik doesn’t continue to get infected everytime he is supposed to fight Williams...) among others.

Sergio Martinez on the other hand...well, lets just say he can’t attract the kind of crowd Paul Williams can when he steps into the ring. My most definitive evidence of a possible Martinez robbery (should he win) brings us back again to his bout with Cintron.

If “they” would not give Sergio Martinez a KO or the decision, both of which he deserved, against Kermit Cintron, I have a tough time believing they would give Martinez a decision over the popular Paul Williams.

Some may point to Quintana’s ability to win on the cards versus Williams, but back when he faced off with Carlos for the first time, Williams was not nearly as well-known as he is now and had only one significant win in his career over Antonio Margarito.

I feel Sergio has a decent shot at pulling out the upset over Williams if he can box one of the best fights of his career, but I personally believe there are too many factors going against him for me to back him, although I would not argue with those dropping a little coin on him by decision for the value.

As for Paul, I cannot bring myself to go huge on him either. Williams is too defensively lacking and his less-then-stellar boxing ability may give him problems in this fight.

One thing I am quite certain of: this fight is not going to be ending early. Neither Williams nor Martinez have shown to have weak chins in their career and neither man has raw punching power.

The only way I see this fight being stopped is if Paul cuts and the fight is stopped on that, but personally I do not see it happening.

While I feel both men have a solid shot at taking this fight, if I had a gun pointed at my head I would have to side with Williams to win on the cards. I believe Williams’s punch output and high activity style will cause trouble for even the slick boxer Martinez, netting him a somewhat close decision win.

Krakrabbit: 6.00 Units On Williams By Decision {+166} & 1.00 Units On Martinez By Decision {+600}
Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Martinez By Decision {+600} & 1.00 Units On Williams By Decision {+166}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Williams By Decision {+166}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Martinez By Decision {+600} & 1.00 Units On Williams By Decision {+166}
D3: 1.70 Units On Over 9.5 Rounds {-170}

Versus Predictions
By Krakrabbit

On Saturday night Australian star Danny “Green Machine” Green will put his IBO cruiserweight title on the line against future hall of famer Roy Jones Jr., (54-5, 40KO’s) in a 180-pound catchweight affair, live from the Acer Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Jones opened as the clear betting favorite in the bout and currently sits at –300. Green supporters can snatch the plus money +250. The over/under for the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the over costing you –190, while the under comes in at +165.

Jones by KO comes in at +380, while Jones by decision will run you -105. Green by KO hits the mark at +475, and Green by decision lands at +650. The odds the fight will be declared a draw land at +2200.

This will be Jones’ first attempt at a title in the cruiserweight division, and as a matter of fact, this will be Roy’s first fight at “cruiserweight” in his long 59-fight career.

For some odds reason it seems the trend of late is to fight for a title belt of one division (in this case cruiser) but actually compete at a different weight then the rules would imply.

We saw this very thing happen with the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto bout a few weeks ago, and this time it is Jones and Green who will fight for the IBO cruiserweight title but both weighed-in under a 180 pounds! (179.5 for Jones and 179.2 for Green)

Roy Jones Jr. has in the past jumped around quite a bit in weight, winning titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, but for six years has settled at the 175-pound light heavyweight division (excluding his catchweight fight with Felix Trinidad).

I am a bit interested to see how Roy will take the increase in weight, but since he only hit the scales at 179.5 pounds, I feel he will retain most, if not all of his speed and ability.

Danny Green on the other hand started his career at super middleweight but has too found a home at light heavyweight for some time now.

Despite sharing a weight class, stylistically these two fighters could not be any more different from each other.

As I am sure you know, Roy Jones Jr. is a quick, flashy, sharp counter puncher who uses his speed and amazing reflexes to beat down his opponents, even at the ripe old age of 40.

Jones possesses incredible speed and has always had unbelievable reaction time to incoming punches. It is easy to see Jones as still being one of the fastest fighters in boxing north of the welterweight division, and it is not a huge stretch to think of Roy Jones Jr. as being the fastest fighter at light heavyweight.

Of course, age does have its drawbacks, as over time RJJ has visibly slowed in nearly every way possible, apart from his hand speed.

Throughout most of Jones’ career, most everyone had the feeling Roy was nearly unbeatable, and had amassed forty-one straight wins since beginning his career in 1989 (not counting the disqualification loss to Montell Griffin, which he avenged by knocking Griffin out four months later).

The first signs of Jones’ decline came when he faced off against Antonio Tarver (the first time). Despite pulling out a majority decision, it was evident that Jones was starting to show signs of being human.

After the first Tarver win, Jones rematched the Magic Man and was eventually brutally knocked out in the second round with a single left hand.

Bouncing back from the Tarver defeat, Jones faced off with Glen Johnson and to make a long story short was again knocked out with a single punch (a right hand this time), in the ninth round.

After the Johnson loss, Roy opted to fight Tarver a third time and managed to make it to the cards, but lost a one-sided unanimous decision.

Still, despite slowing down a bit in the reflex department Jones is still an amazingly quick fighter. However, another side effect of Jones’ advanced age has come in the form of lowered punch output.

Whereas RJJ punched whenever he wanted back in his hay day, nowadays he is resorted to fighting in spurts over the course of the round. Roy often lays on the ropes, letting his opponent’s pity pats hit his arms and then firing back with a rapid combination before repeating the process until the bell signals the end of the round.

Jones’ legs have also weakened over time, and that is the main reason you will see Roy play rope-a-dope instead of straight up boxing like he used to.

Nonetheless, Jones still does have a ton of natural, God-given talent and ability as well as enough in the gas tank to keep him going at 40.

Since those devastating losses, albeit at the hands of great fighters, Jones has not been doing too shabby for himself. Most recently, RJJ has been able to reel off wins over both Jeff Lacy and Omar Sheika, stopping both of his opponents.

Speaking of Roy’s opposition, there is no doubt he will have the much stronger resume coming into this fight with Danny Green. Roy Jones Jr. has been in with men such as Bernard Hopkins, Thomas Tate, James Toney, Vinny Pazienza, Montell Griffin, Virgil Hill, Reggie Johnson, John Ruiz, Glen Johnson, Antonio Tarver and Felix Trinidad, and has beaten all of the fighters listed except Johnson!

Danny Green on the other hand has a completely contrasting style compared to Roy Jones Jr. and is a slugger with little else besides his punch.

The first thing you have to know about Green is that he is slow. Very, very slow. Especially when compared to RJJ, Green is like a Volvo attempting to race a Corvette.

There is no question that Green will have a massive speed disadvantage going into this fight with Jones, and there simply isn’t anything Green can do about it.

However, despite his lacking in the speed department, the Green Machine can punch. If Green can hit you, there is a good chance he puts your lights out.

Danny has the semi-rare ability to knock somebody out with a single punch, should he catch his opponent at the right angle at the right time.

However, despite having solid one-punch power, Green is not without his fair share of flaws.

First off, Danny isn’t exactly a great finisher. I have found that even if he has his opponent wobbling around the ring, he only barely picks up the pace and often lets his opposition hold him. Green doesn’t make a real effort to close the show and usually likes to come forward at around the same pace, looking for another couple of shots to finish the deal.

Next off, and this is a pretty obvious one, Danny Green has little head movement or defense. Now, I’m not trying to compare him to Floyd Mayweather defensively, but Green really has no defense. He comes forward with his hands down low and his head begging to be hit, and simply loves to eat whatever his opponents throw at him.

I feel whenever Roy throws, he will be landing. If the rest of Green’s opponents, more recently Julio Cesar Dominguez, were able to land at will, I fully expect Jones to be able to have a very accurate night with Green.

The biggest one of Green’s flaws though, is his total lack of boxing ability. I feel this is related to his slow speed and plodding, defenseless style, as it is difficult to box if you are as slow as a turtle with a defense like Ricky Hatton.

One of Green’s biggest assets to his style is his tough chin. The Green Machine does have a very good chin, and while he has not been hit with nuclear punches in his career as of yet, I don’t believe he will be in much danger against Jones.

Danny Green is also a warrior inside the ring. It is evident by his fights that he will not quit despite facing defeat or a possible beating at the hands of his opponent, and I would be shocked if he even thought about quitting during the course of the fight.

One of the key factors I look at in this fight is Green being soundly outboxed by Anthony Mundine, who won the fight by impersonating Jones’ style. Mundine was quicker then Green, landed at will with his right hand and jab and Danny had little answer to the speed.

I feel Jones is faster, and a much better fighter then Anthony Mundine will ever be. The only excuse Green could possibly have for his poor performance against Mundine is the weight, as Green did have to cut more weight then usual.

Nonetheless, what lost Green the fight was his inability to handle the speed of Mundine, and when he faces off against Jones he may well be in a world of trouble.

One of the things that benefit Green in this fight is Jones’s incapability to throw punches consistently.

Since Green is a come-forward, pressure fighter, there is a chance he can score points or do damage while Jones is resting on the ropes, getting ready for his next flurry. However, I find Green’s lack of hand speed as a huge disadvantage to him if he intends to even hit RJJ.

I expect, even at 40 years old, Roy will be able to either evade most of Green’s wide punches, or simply take them on the arms without sustaining too much damage from Green.

It is obvious that Roy Jones Jr. and Danny Green are not in the same class when it comes to pure skill, and I would not be the least bit surprised to see Jones putting on a very accurate boxing display when he goes head to head with Green.

Adding to that, even if Danny Green was able to put on the performance of his life, putting together a Glen Johnson-like fight against Jones, I am not so sure the judges would be willing to give Green the decision in the fight.

It is common knowledge that Roy Jones Jr. has an already inked deal to face off with Bernard Hopkins for a second time, provided both Jones and Hopkins get past their “warm-up” fights (Hopkins will be fighting Enrique Ornelas on the Main event on Versus network).

Would RJJ and Hopkins let the Australian puncher win a decision, even in his homeland? I do not believe so. Even in the unlikely event Green doesn’t stop RJJ but still wins, I think Jones and Hopkins both have enough experience and money to slide the fight in favor of Jones should this contest hit the cards.

I feel Danny Green’s only shot at winning, rigged cards or not, is by stopping the living legend. I don’t think Green has the ability to outbox Jones, and I doubt he has the skill to fight the kind of fight Glen Johnson fought.

Roy on the other hand is a little trickier to determine how, if, he wins this fight. Despite Green’s rock-solid chin, I do feel there is a very slight possibility Jones is able to make it three stoppage wins in a row by ending the fight early.

Now, I don’t think Jones has the raw power it takes to stun Green, but if lays a bad enough beating I believe there is a shot Danny’s corner or the ref may stop the fight.

The one thing I feel will keep this from happening though, is not only Green’s whiskers but also the durability of his face. Danny Green has not shown to have thin skin, and despite getting hit cleanly several times in the majority of his fights Green’s face rarely swells or cuts.

I think the much more likely Jones outcome in this fight is a Roy Jones Jr. win on the cards, obtained by using his vastly quicker hands, defensive prowess, and Green’s lack of real skill.

Krakrabbit: 2.10 Units On Jones By Decision {-105}
Boxeo: 2.75 Units On Jones By KO {+380} & .60 Units On Green By KO {+475}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+165}
Doody: .50 Units On Jones By KO {+380}
D3: .50 Units On Jones By KO {+380}

HBO Predictions
By Krakrabbit

Saturday night on HBO, fight fans will be treated to a world championship bout for the 135-pound IBF strap when Joan Guzman, (29-0, 17KOs) and Ali Funeka, (30-2, 25KOs) square off live from the Pepsi Coliseum, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

Joan Guzman opened as the favorite in the bout and his number has quickly risen, knocking his number up to -310. Funeka supporters will get +230. The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +170 and the over at -200.

Guzman by KO comes in at +254, while the Guzman by decision will net you +102. Funeka by KO hits the mark at +500, and Funeka by decision lands at +428. The odds of the bout being declared a draw land at +2750.

The favorite Guzman is coming off an easy unanimous decision victory over Panama’s own Ameth Diaz.

In his bout with Diaz, Guzman was able to dominate the fight with his hand speed and better countering and boxing. Diaz had no shot against Guzman and you would seldom find more then a few moments in the entire fight where Diaz was able to get anything together.

Guzman showed once again in that fight that he possesses serious skills as well as quick hands and sound boxing ability.

However, the contest with Ameth Diaz was eleven months ago, and prior to his fight with Diaz, Guzman’s last bout was again eleven months ago. It is easy to see that Guzman has trouble staying active in his career, and at the age of 33 has not done nearly as much as he could with his abilities.

Some months after the Diaz fight, Joan Guzman did have a fight setup with Nate Campbell, but the fight ended up being cancelled on the day the two fighters weighed in because of Guzman coming down with a sickness.

Joan missed weight, and it was reported that he was seriously ill. Team Guzman ultimately decided to call the fight off, and while Campbell did fight after the fight fell through, Guzman did not.

When Guzman is able to get into the ring, he often displays very slick technique and has not been defeated yet in his 29-fight career. In fact, Guzman is rarely even challenged inside the ring and whether he knocks his opponents out or wins a one-sided decision, it is rare to see Guzman struggle.

Joan Guzman has very solid boxing ability and a great deal of talent, but his most impressive gift is his defensive and counter punching proficiency.

Guzman also loves to set up his rapid-fire combinations using his probing jab from the outside, and I feel that despite Funeka’s significant height advantage he will be able to land his jab.

Defensively, Guzman employs a style that is not unlike the same used by Floyd Mayweather Jr. Now, while Guzman is not as good at doing the Mayweather as Floyd himself, Guzman does manage to pull off a great defense that has few flaws when applied.

Guzman has the speed to duck and dodge incoming punches, but one thing I do not like about Guzman’s defensive tactics is his low left hand.

As I said, Guzman is a quick sucker and most of the time he is able to evade attacks, but Funeka isn’t exactly Humberto Soto in terms of speed and I feel Guzman is exposed to the right hand of a somewhat speedy fighter.

Nonetheless, Guzman’s swift hands and equally fast feet will undoubtedly cause problems for anyone looking to beat Joan in a boxing match.

Guzman has also been facing off with some pretty solid competition such as Antonio Davis, Humberto Soto, Jorge Rodrigo Barrios and Fernando Beltran Jr. Of all the names listed though, Guzman was unable to stop any of them.

While that isn’t necessarily embarrassing (most of his higher-tier opponents have solid chins), Guzman has not carried his power up with him as he moves up in weight. Originally starting his career at Super Bantamweight in 1997, Guzman has since made his way to the Lightweight division.

Guzman is still new to the 135-pound weight class though, as this fight with Funeka will only be his second fight at Lightweight since moving up to the division in late 2007.

In fact, Guzman has not had a knockout since his fight with Agapito Sanchez back in February of 2004 in the Super Bantamweight division. Joan has been unable to score any stoppages in either the Featherweight, Super Featherweight or Lightweight divisions.

Ali Funeka himself is coming off a close and somewhat controversial decision loss to Nate Campbell nine months ago.

The controversy in the fight started earlier then expected when “The Galaxxy Warrior” missed the 135-pound weight limit and lost his belts on the scales.

Come fight night, Campbell and Funeka went to war making for a great barnburner. The early portion of the fight was closely contested, but Campbell did manage to drop Funeka with a hard right hand in the second round.

By the middle rounds it was easy to see Campbell slowing down and his weight issues were beginning to show. Nevertheless, the fight was still close with Campbell’s wide right hand landing at will.

Late in the fight Campbell had been slowed to a crawl and the fight became very close as Funeka tried to put something together to win rounds. In the eleventh, Campbell dropped Funeka again by landing his right hand. Funeka managed to survive and fought valiantly to the end, but ended up losing a close Majority Decision.

Despite being a relative unknown at the time and having faced few name opponents, Funeka proved that he is more then just a tall, tomato can conquering fighter.

As I mentioned, going into the fight with Campbell, Funeka had faced very few significant opponents and had never fought outside of his home country of South Africa.

Little has changed since the fight with Campbell (it was his last fight after all!). Funeka’s best opponent on his record is none other then Nate Campbell, and his one fight outside of South Africa was against Campbell.

Aside from his incredible height (6’1) and ability to still make 135, stylistically Funeka is also a bit unique.

His tall size allows him to have a considerable height advantage over nearly everyone in the Lightweight division, and Ali often likes to use his long jab as a means to score points or set up a straight right hand.

Adding to that, Funeka does not box or pressure his opponents heavily. He usually tends to back up just a bit when being pressured, but at the same time fires off punches. If Funeka is able to get his foe going backwards, he will press the action and look to put some hurt on his opponent.

Funeka is a very technically sound fighter and you rarely see him unleashing wide or looping shots at his opponents. He also rarely leaves himself overly exposed to most punches, although (as evidenced by the Campbell fight) he is wide open to right hands.

One of the biggest questions surrounding Ali Funeka is the strength of his chin. We already touched on Campbell making him taste the canvas, but lesser punchers then Nate have also made Funeka fall.

Throughout Funeka’s career, he has been put down several times by no-name opposition such as Gabriel Phakula (although he did end up getting his revenge in the form of a KO a year later) and Mzwanele Sam.

However, both mentioned no-name fighters encountered Funeka very early in Ali’s career, and to be perfectly honest I don’t think Funeka has a terrible chin.

Nate Campbell has underrated power, and it often does little to think too heavily into early career knockdowns (even Muhammad Ali was dropped a few times early in his career!).

I would be stunned, with Funeka’s undervalued chin and Guzman’s lack of power at Lightweight, if Funeka was knocked out. I would even be a little surprised to see Funeka seriously hurt in the fight.

Speaking of power, despite having twenty-five stoppages in thirty wins, I do not feel Funeka is a power puncher.

Ali does throw nice, straight punches and while they do have some sting on them, Funeka does not have a massive high work rate and rarely goes into fights looking for the KO. In fact, many of Funeka’s KOs have been from simple one-punch thunder punches where he was able to seriously hurt his outmatched opponent and finish them off quickly.

In addition, Funeka has not been up against great competition (as aforementioned) and most of Funeka’s KOs victories have been against no-hopers with shaky chins.

Guzman’s whiskers have proven to be solid, and I do not think Funeka will be able to stop Guzman. If Funeka wins, it will be on the cards, as is the case with Guzman.

Joan Guzman and Ali Funeka are both skilled fighters and even though Guzman, in my opinion, has a bit more God-given ability, I wouldn’t write Funeka off in this one.

Guzman’s layoff could well have an effect on his performance on Saturday night, and should he be off his game too much Funeka will have no hesitation to seize the opportunity and take the fight.

I see this as being a very close fight, much closer then the odds make it out to be. If Guzman is not ready and able to deal with Funeka’s size and deceiving amount of skill, there is no doubt in my mind he will lose this fight.

I am nowhere near confident enough in Guzman’s returning performance to make a bet on him at such inflated odds, and I would not argue for a second with anyone siding with the lanky South African.

Because I cannot grasp a strong feel for this fight as far as who will be the victor, I am simply going to be on the over 11.5 rounds. I would be very surprised to see either man put away Saturday night in Quebec, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Funeka turn out an upset as well.

Krakrabbit: 6.50 Units On Over 11.5 Rounds {-130}
Boxeo: 6.50 Units On Over 11.5 Rounds {-130} & 1.00 Units On Funeka By Decision {+428}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Funeka {+230}
Doody: 2.60 Units On Over 11.5 Rounds {-130}
D3: 1.30 Units On Over 11.5 Rounds {-130}

HBO Predictions
By Krakrabbit

Saturday night on HBO Lucian Bute, (24-0, 19KO’s) will look to make the fifth successful defense of his IBF super middleweight title and take care of unfinished business against Librado Andrade, (28-2, 21KO’s). The Bute/Andrade bout will take place live from the Pepsi Coliseum, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada and will be televised by HBO at 10:00pm Eastern and Pacific.

Bute opened as the clear betting favorite in the bout and currently sits at –360. Andrade supporters can snatch the plus money +300. The over/under for the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the over costing you -220, while the under comes in at +180.

Bute by KO comes in at +309, while Bute by decision will run you -135. Andrade by KO hits the mark at +464, and Andrade by decision lands at +657. The odds the fight will be declared a draw land at +3000.

This will be the second time Librado Andrade and Lucian Bute will meet face to face inside the ring after Bute won a unanimous decision in a controversial fight the first time out.

In their first bout, the Romanian born but Canada based Lucian Bute controlled the fight with his boxing ability and was able to both land at will and avoid getting tagged by Andrade.

Bute looked to be cruising to an easy win on points until the last round of the fight. In the closing seconds of the 12th and final round, Andrade was able to put a series of punches together and had a severely fatigued Bute on Queer Street. In the last ten seconds of the fight, Bute went down hard with a vicious right hand from Andrade.

Bute was able to beat the ten-count, but that is not where the controversy lies in this fight. After the knockdown, the referee (Canada’s own Marlon Wright) took plenty of time to tell Andrade to get back into his corner as well as taking even more time after shouting at Andrade before he even attempted to pick up the count for Bute.

Even though Bute did get up from the knockdown before the ten-count (he got up at around the eight second mark) Lucian was completely out of it and the bout could have easily been stopped right then and there giving Librado Andrade the 12th round TKO victory and the IBF strap.

Now, Bute has decided to give Andrade another shot at his belt and attempt to put his last fight with Librado behind him.

Since their fights against each other, both men have gone on to fight once in warm-up bouts leading up to the rematch.

Lucian Bute faced off against power-punching Colombian Fulgencio Zuniga in home sweet home Canada.

In his fight with Zuniga, Bute was the significantly faster man inside the ring and was able to use his superior skill to score against Zuniga.

In the fourth round, Bute put Zuniga down with a sharp body shot and finish Fulgencio off in the corner soon after.

The performance from Bute was impressive, but it was against a lower-tier no-hoper who didn’t stand much of a chance but Bute did once again show that his odd style could cause a lot of problems for anyone who faces off with him.

Lucian Bute has a rather unique style as well as great, God-given abilities. However, “Le Tombeur’s” greatest asset is his boxing ability, and he knows how to use his skills to the fullest.

Bute possesses very quick hands as well as great foot movement and there are not many super middleweight fighters who will be able to outbox or out speed the Canadian southpaw.

In addition to his speed, Bute also has solid power in both hands. Lucian can seriously punch, and has much more power then people think he does. While I do not think he will be able to hurt Andrade (he wasn’t able to the first time), he will undoubtedly be turning Andrade’s head with every shot he lands.

While Bute has not been in with the best the division has to offer, he has only had 24 professional bouts. Nonetheless, Lucian has been able to rack up wins over William Joppy, Alejandro Berrio, Sakio Bika, and of course Fulgencio Zuniga and Librado Andrade.

Also, while Bute does not have a terrible chin, it has already been shown that he will have trouble with Andrade’s power should he get his chin checked (again) in the rematch.

Librado Andrade is himself coming off a victory in his stay-active fight against southpaw Vitali Tsypko.

In his contest with Tsypko, Andrade was able to floor the Ukrainian several times throughout the fight, but was unable to stop him. Andrade was able to control the action and as usual was the aggressor, but as is another common action for him, Tsypko hit him with multiple flush shots.

Andrade has a face first style that allows his opponents to tee off on him but at the same time he also applies heavy pressure and a consistent flow of punches. I like to compare Librado with Antonio Margarito, who fights in a very similar fashion.

Andrade is not a great boxer, and lacks the hand speed and defense to ever become one. Librado is undoubtedly a come forward slugger who looks to wear his opponents down over the course of the fight or land one of his haymakers at some point during his flurries.

Andrade can sometimes get extremely wild and put everything he has in his punches. As I touched on though, he is quite slow and rarely do those massive punches land. More often then not, Andrade wears down his opponents with his pressure, stopping them later in the fight.

He also lacks any head movement whatsoever and loves to eat whatever his opponents throw at him. The only thing that has kept Librado Andrade from getting knocked out every time he steps into the ring is his amazing chin.

He has taken the hardest combinations Mikkel Kessler could throw, as well as everything Vitali Tsypko and Tito Mendoza could bounce off his skull. Not to mention the hellacious shots Lucian Bute was landing in their first fight.

Librado Andrade seems to have a style that is tailor-made for Bute, but it may well only take a single punch to change the fight entirely. Whether or not Andrade is being easily outboxed, he will not stop coming forward and looking for that shot to put another “W” on his record.

Lucian Bute is a great boxer, and I have no doubt that he will be able to put on a clinic as long as he doesn’t get drilled like he did in his first fight with Librado. The biggest question for me is whether or not that huge left field shot from Andrade will ever land.

I also have a strong feeling that both fighters will have learned from their mistakes in the first match up.

Andrade vows to start quicker then he did in the first fight and he has stated that he is looking for both a KO and revenge to go along with it.

I also believe Bute realizes what he did wrong in the first fight, which was fighting overconfidently, and as such will look to correct his faults this time around.

I expect Librado to start a bit faster then he did in the first fight, perhaps coming on a little stronger then he usually does. Conversely, I expect Bute to be boxing more cautiously and counting down the seconds to the final bell to end the fight.

The biggest concern for Bute backers has to be how his stamina will hold up to Andrade’s pressure this time. In the first fight, much of what did Bute in was his total lack of energy by the twelfth round.

Andrade has no stamina issues and is practically the Energizer bunny inside the ring, whereas Bute has had some issues in the past with his cardio late in the fight.

Usually Bute is able to either stop his opponent after they tire, or bank enough rounds in the early-to-middle portion of the fight to win a decision. However, Andrade will not give Bute a chance to relax and if Lucian fades as badly as he was in the 12th round of their first match, Le Tombeur may be in a world of trouble.

I believe this is a simple fight to predict and only has two possible outcomes.

Librado Andrade getting to Bute in the mid-to-late rounds, eventually knocking Lucian out is one of the two. There is no chance Andrade outboxes Bute, and even if he had such ability you would be hard pressed finding a way he could win in Canada, where Bute has had all but four of his professional fights.

Lucian Bute outboxing Andrade and ending the fight that way in a less controversial manor is the second, and most likely outcome. Andrade has shown to have a nearly unbreakable chin, and no matter how many shots bounced off Andrade’s head I would be shocked to see Librado stopped (excluding any funny business).

I envision a wide UD for Bute, and even though Andrade is going to be looking harder for the KO I see his chances at scoring that miraculous victory in enemy territory as slim to none unless Bute tires even worse then he did in their first bout.

I expect Bute to run and hold a bit more and to box a bit more carefully this time around, eventually scoring an uncontroversial win on the cards. However, Andrade’s strong punch is what makes this fight just a tad bit more uncertain, and as such I will be forced to hedge with Andrade by KO.

Krakrabbit: 4.05 Units On Bute By Decision {-135} & .88 Units On Andrade By KO {+464}
Boxeo: 4.05 Units On Bute By Decision {-135} & 1.00 Units On Andrade By KO {+464}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: 2.70 Units On Bute By Decision {-135} & .60 Units On Andrade By KO {+464}
D3: 1.35 Units On Bute By Decision {-135} & .30 Units On Andrade By KO {+464}

Showtime Predictions
By Krakrabbit

This Saturday night on Showtime the Super Six Super Middleweight tournament features Olympic gold medallist Andre “SOG” Ward, (20-0, 13KO’s) facing off against the experienced Mikkel “Viking Warrior” Kessler, (42-1, 32KO’s) live from the Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA.

Kessler comes into the contest as the clear favorite in the bout at -210. Ward gets the underdog cash at +175. The O/U for the fight has been set at 9.5 rounds, with the over at -220 and the under coming in at +180.

Kessler by KO comes in at +252, while Kessler by decision will reward you with +140. Ward by KO hits the mark at +394, and Ward by decision lands at +420. The odds the fight is declared a draw land at +3000.

Andre Ward is coming off a recent tune-up victory over no-hoper Shelby Pudwill in which he stopped the 34 year old stepping stone with ease in three rounds. Ward was able to control Pudwill and land at will until finally stopping him near the end of the third round.

It is an understatement to say Shelby Pudwill was Ward’s biggest win of his pro life, but to be honest Ward has not fought many names in his short career.

The best name opponent Ward has on his resume is Edison Miranda, whom he beat six-months ago. There is no question Miranda is a shell of his former self though and going into the bout with Ward, Miranda was 6-4 in his last ten fights. Other then that, Ward has no noteworthy opponents to mention.

Even though Ward has not fought the biggest names in boxing, he does have some skills.

Andre Ward possesses impressively quick hands as well as good boxing ability. Ward also carries some decent voltage into the ring with him. He is not as big a puncher as his record suggests, but he has been able to stop the majority of the cans he has faced thus far.

There is one thing Ward lacks though: a chin! Andre has tasted the canvas before and is not a stranger to being stunned in his fights. Ward may be able to outbox a lot of guys he faces, but when he gets hit there is a solid chance that he goes down.

Now, there is also another problem with this prospect and that is with Ward holding too much in his fights. He has an issue with employing the John Ruiz style a bit too much and while it does often help him in fights, in the case of his bout with Miranda it contributed to him being unable to stop Edison.

Bringing me to my next point, I don’t see Ward as a huge puncher or a great finisher. He was unable to stop the very far-gone Miranda despite seriously buzzing him several times in the fight.

In fact, out of Ward’s thirteen KOs, only two have come in under three rounds. Now, keep in mind Ward has also been fighting very low-level fighters for the majority of his career and I firmly believe Ward lacks one-punch power.

In addition, Ward doesn’t fight like a banger. Andre likes to box on the outside, using his jab upstairs to set something up. However, I don’t think Ward likes to fight inside at all, and when push comes to shove on the inside Ward either backs away and makes distance or hugs his opponent like an octopus.

Ward also tends to get a little wild when he is firing with his own punches. His right hand is often thrown extremely wide, and at times Andre simply looks sloppy. Ward also has a bad habit of throwing a massive shot and coming forward with the punch, chin in the air. While it hasn’t happened yet, if “SOG” gets countered by Kessler, he may get put down hard.

Also, while I believe Ward is a decent defensive fighter he is no Pernell Whitaker when it comes to getting hit. Ward has good speed and upper body movement, but he keeps his left hand way too low for my liking and he looks to be wide open for a Kessler right hand.

Kessler on the other hand is also coming off a warm-up victory over little-known Venezuelan Gusmyr Perdomo. In that fight, Kessler was able to stop Perdomo with ease midway through the fourth round.

Kessler will be coming into this fight as the vastly more experienced fighter and easily the toughest man Ward has faced off with.

With a very impressive record of 41-1, Kessler has been in with fighters such as Librado Andrade, Anthony Mundine and the now retired Joe Calzaghe. In fact, Mikkel holds win over everyone he has faced except for Calzaghe, but of course Joe retired undefeated so there is no shame in losing to the Pride of Wales.

Kessler has a somewhat unique style, but one that is also similar to the standard Eastern European boxing style that you may have seen used by men like the Klitschko brothers.

Mikkel Kessler is a standup fighter with little head or body movement but does have a very strong guard to shield him from attacks. While Kessler is not a defensive wizard, he does not take a ton of damage in his fights and I believe his tight defense when under fire has helped him stay away from slowing down despite having forty-two professional fights.

Kessler also possesses a quick, sharp jab that he often uses throughout his fights. He never ever abandons the jab, and his rangefinder is a vital part of Kessler’s style.

Kessler’s bread and butter though are his long, strong combinations that quickly take their toll on his opponents. Throughout every fight, Kessler will often throw fast combinations to the head and body that can span even five to six punches.

Kessler also carries a nice amount of power with him into the ring, and combined with his powerful combos he has taken down thirty-one of his opponents.

Even the foes Kessler has not stopped have felt Mikkel’s power. Kessler was able to tag Librado Andrade with great shots for the duration of their fight, and he also nailed Joe Calzaghe with some menacing blows in his only defeat.

I am confident that if, and this is a big if, Kessler is able to hit Ward, Mikkel has more then enough power to put Ward down if not stop the American.

Also, for employing the style that he does, Kessler has deceivingly quick hands. While I don’t think he is quite as fast as Ward, I don’t see Andre’s speed being a problem for Kessler.

The Viking Warrior also has a solid chin, and you will seldom see him hurt. He has not been in with massive punchers, but he has taken shots from Calzaghe, Andrade, Mundine and Manny Siaca. I would be shocked to see Ward stop Kessler when they face off, and I would even be a little surprised if Ward was able to hurt Kessler.

In addition, Mikkel Kessler has some very solid boxing ability. While most of the time he comes forward, he does have the ability to box well. Once again, his jab helps him in this department as well.

I am not so sure Kessler would be able to straight up outbox Andre Ward, but I do believe he has enough skills to keep from getting outboxed by Ward.

Now, for everything Kessler does well that’s not to say Mikkel is devoid of any flaws. At times when under attack, Kessler goes into a defensive shell that allows his opponent to land undamaging but scoring shots.

Also, Kessler does not do great under pressure. He has some ability to fight back strong, pressure fighters but overall it is easy to see that Mikkel prefers to fight at a slower pace.

However, I do not see Ward exploiting either of these flaws as he is not a nonstop workhorse (quite the opposite actually) and he does not apply heavy pressure.

There is another issue with the entire fight though, and that is the location and the very strong possibility of corruption in this contest.

It has been recently revealed that all the officials for this bout were going to be from California. The judges, the ref, the whole shebang, were already appointed and ready to go for this fight.

Team Kessler wisely disagreed with the decision to put all California based officials at the helm of the fight though, and if they were not going to be changed the WBA was not going to put Kessler’s belt on the line.

Rather quickly, the officials were changed and there will be new judges flying in on the day of the fight.

The referee will be Californian Jack Reiss, and one of the judges, Steve Marrow, will also be from California. The new judges being flown in will be Mikael Hook and Stanley Christodoulou.

However, despite the changing of the guard I still do not like the entire situation. The fight reeks of a robbery in the making. It is common knowledge that Andre Ward is the most hyped fighter in the Super Six tournament and being a young, undefeated American prospect going up against a little-known (inside the US) Denmark native doesn’t make the whole thing any better.

Under normal circumstances I would have been all over Kessler, most likely on points as I thought Ward’s running and holding would keep him safe for the distance of the fight. After this situation was brought up though, I cannot bring myself to back Kessler on points.

As much as I hate to say it, I have a bad feeling that if Ward does not get knocked out and keeps the fight in any way possible close, he will get the victory on the cards...well deserved or not. The fight could well play out in an Andre Dirrell/Carl Froch kind of way, where the visiting fighter needed a KO to win despite pulling out the victory in much of the boxing community’s eyes.

I do think Kessler has a good chance at getting the KO, but he will have to catch him first. Perhaps Team Kessler will feel a sense of desperation if they feel, as I do, that he may well need a stoppage to win.

I would not at all be surprised if Ward came into this fight looking to make it the distance by any means necessary. Kessler is a very talented fighter who I believe under most conditions would win this fight, but if the odds are stacked against Mikkel as much as I believe them to be Kessler can only win if he puts Ward’s lights out.

I don’t like the fight nearly as much betting-wise because of the shadiness, but I will be on Ward by decision with a cover on Kessler by KO.

Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Kessler By KO {+252} & 2.00 Units On Ward By Decision {+420}
Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Kessler By KO {+252} & 2.00 Units On Ward By Decision {+420}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Kessler By KO {+252} & 1.00 Units On Ward By Decision {+420}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Kessler By KO {+252} & 2.00 Units On Ward By Decision {+420}
D3: 1.00 Units On Kessler By KO {+252} & 2.00 Units On Ward By Decision {+420}

PPV Predictions
By Krakrabbit

The Saturday night HBO PPV main event features IBO Light-Welterweight champion of the world Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao, (49-3, 37KO’s) squaring off against WBO welterweight champion of the world Miguel Cotto, (34-1, 27KO’s) live from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV.

Pacquiao opened the contest as almost a two-to-one favorite, but since that line opened his number has been slowing rising. Currently he is resting as a –300 favorite over Cotto. Miguel Cotto gets the underdog cash at +275. The O/U for the fight has been set at 9.5 rounds, with the over landing at +115 and the under coming in at -140.

Pacquiao by KO comes in at -110, while Pacquiao by decision will get you +390. Cotto by KO hits the mark at +425, and Cotto by decision lands at +1018. As you can see from the above odds, it is expected that Pacquiao gets the stoppage in this one.

In November of 2008, Manny Pacquiao faced off against “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya. For that fight, Pacquiao had to fight at the highest weight of his career, coming into the bout weighing 142-pounds.

However, the weight did little to affect Pacquiao as he battered and beat down the aging former champion for eight rounds until finally forcing De La Hoya to quit in the corner before the start of the ninth round. Pacquiao became only the second person to stop The Golden Boy in his 45-fight career.

Going up against De La Hoya, Pacquiao put on a clinic and was able to control the fight and land his signature straight left hand for the duration of the fight.

Having weighed in for his first professional fight at 106-pounds and fighting De La Hoya at such a high weight, he was still able to retained his speed and punching accuracy, proving once again that Pacquiao is a freak of an athlete.

In Pacquiao’s most recent victory, he is coming off a brilliant 2nd round KO over former Light-Welterweight and Welterweight champion Ricky Hatton in which fight he laid a beating on the British star, eventually knocking him out cold in the 2nd round.

In that fight, Pacquiao was able to land his straight left and right hook at will throughout the first round, even dropping Hatton two times before the bell sounded to end the round.

In the second round, things only got worse for Hatton, as he ate a vicious straight left and was out before he hit the canvas.

Pacquiao is indeed a force to be reckoned with, his speed and power inside the ring has proven to be a difficult task for his opposition to handle throughout Pacquiao’s career. In fifty-four professional fights, Pacquiao has amassed a very impressive record and is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak, with seven of those wins coming inside the distance.

Manny has nearly 50 wins, and has beaten some of the best in boxing such as Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

Miguel Cotto on the other hand is also coming off a close decision victory over Joshua Clottey, just two fights removed from his devastating loss to Antonio Margarito.

When Cotto faced off against Margarito, he was unbeaten and heavily favored to beat the Mexican plodder. What unfolded that night was a surprise to most everyone though, as Margarito applied relentless pressure to Cotto, eventually stopping him in the 11th round.

However, before Margarito’s fight with Shane Mosley, Antonio was caught with “plaster-like” substance hidden within his gloves. After having the substance removed, Margarito went into the fight with Mosley only to be brutally knocked out in nine rounds.

That substance found in Margarito’s gloves before the Mosley fight were discovered to be plaster of Paris, a material that hardens into a brick-like form after it gets wet.

This shocking discovery throws every one of Margarito’s stoppage victories into question, including his upset over Cotto. Miguel took quite a beating when he faced off with brick-for-hands, and it has to be wondered how much that loss took out of Cotto. Is Cotto damaged goods?

It cannot be doubted that the loss to Margarito still lingers in Cotto’s mind, but I do feel that he has some sort of pressure taken off of him because he believes Margarito won using illegal measures.

Cotto has had two back-to-backs win since then though, one over little-known Brit Michael Jennings, and his latest over the granite chinned Joshua Clottey.

Cotto was in tough against the tough Ghanaian, but his speed, skill and heart had Cotto’s hand raised after 12 hard fought rounds.

The first few rounds were easy for Cotto, as he used his significant speed advantage to box and move successfully without letting Clottey get too much damage in.

However, in the third round an accidental clash of heads caused a massive cut to open above Cotto’s eye. The cut bled profusely for most of the fight, and multiple times the bout was nearly stopped because of it.

After the cut was sustained, Cotto still fought quite well despite having a constant stream of blood in his eye during the fight.

As is usually the case though, by the late rounds of the fight Cotto began to slow down. Ultimately being slowed to a crawl, Cotto was forced to either punch or move against Clottey, but he couldn’t do both at the same time.

After Cotto lost his energy, he was virtually helpless against a strong attack from Clottey. However, that possibly fight-winning assault never came from Clottey late in the bout, and I think that is what lost Joshua the fight.

Pacquiao is no Joshua Clottey and does not slow down at any point during the fight. When Cotto faces off against the energizer bunny that is Manny Pacquiao, I have a strong feeling that Pacquiao will not let Cotto fight at his own pace.

Cotto had banked enough rounds in the early-to-mid portion of the fight with Clottey to win a decision, but he could have easily lost it had Clottey thrown more punches instead of simply walking forward but throwing nothing.

Cotto looked great against Jennings, and I think he looked decently against Clottey as well. I do believe that Cotto may have lost a little something, but I think what he lost has more to do with his mental state then his physical. That may not be as bad a thing it seems though, as in his fight with Clottey, Cotto felt a duty to keep fighting even after he sustained the severe cut.

Now, what really makes this fight is how Cotto and Pacquiao’s style will mesh inside the ring.

Pacquiao has a rather odd, and simplistic style but it works for him. Pac-Man comes forward throwing a volley of punches, with little head movement and virtually no defense. But when he lands a punch it tends to send enough of a shock to keep his opponent from tagging him as he comes forward.

Pacquiao also possesses decent boxing skills, but they are nothing to rave about. His foot speed isn’t extraordinary and we already touched on him not being a defensive wizard.

While I do believe Pacquiao has improved quite a lot over the years, he really is still just a come-forward brawler with double shock power. For most of his opponents, his pressure and power are what do them in.

I think Pacquiao has enough power to stop Cotto, but only after Miguel gasses. I would be quite surprised to see an early blowout for Manny, but I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see Cotto get worn down and stopped late in the fight. Also, while I do not think Pacquiao will be able to outbox Cotto, the idea of Pac-Man winning on the cards is not out of the question.

A Manny victory from the judges would be partially warranted due to his pressure and awkward style, but more in part because of the possibility that Cotto gets little love on the cards.

This may well be Cotto’s last fight with Bob Arum, and the main reason Cotto is leaving his longtime promoter is because Arum has made a point of defending Antonio Margarito when speaking about the hand wrap situation. Obviously because Cotto thinks Margarito used the wraps against him in their fight, seeing Arum siding with Antonio has to be frustrating.

That is why I think Arum set this fight up. I believe Arum wants to send Cotto out of his house with a loss. I believe Cotto will need to fight a near perfect fight in order to have a shot at winning on the cards. I do think its somewhat possible Cotto gets his hand raised after 12, but I believe the odds are right about where they should be for a Cotto decision victory.

Miguel Cotto has evolved as a fighter over the years. He was originally a pure slugger that used his bodywork and speed to knock his opposition out, but for a while now he has been boxing more then brawling.

Cotto has very quick hands and has never been seriously out-sped by even his fastest opponents (Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Paulie Malignaggi, Randall Bailey...OK, just kidding on Bailey) and his boxing ability is great until he starts to slow down. Even then, he does a decent job of balancing punching and moving, since after he tires he loses the ability to do both at the same time.

I easily feel Cotto to be the much better boxer and counter-puncher in this match up, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least bit to see Cotto out boxing Pacquiao until his gas tank depletes.

In addition to his speed, Cotto also has underrated power in both hands and a great left hook. Pacquiao does not have a great chin, and has been hurt many times during his career against fighters such as Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez.

I believe Cotto has more then enough power to stop Pacquiao should he catch him with something clean when Pac-Man is coming in, and I also think Cotto has more then enough skill to outbox Manny early. Also, Pac-Man does not like getting hit to the body and against a great body puncher like Miguel Cotto that could cause some problems during the fight.

In fact, Pacquiao has brought in Jose Luis Castillo as a sparring partner for this training camp, and I feel Pacquiao’s trainer (Freddie Roach) and Manny did this to try to get used to body shots. As is the case with chins though, toughening up your body can be nearly impossible to do.

The big question for me in this fight is what this fight will look like when Cotto begins to fade down the stretch.

Cotto looked OK early in the fight against Clottey, but when he gassed he gassed very badly...as usual. Cotto often loses his stamina in his fights, and that is while fighting at Welterweight. This fight with Pacquiao is contracted for 145-pounds, and I think there is a great possibility that Cotto fades even quicker then he usually does.

Speaking of Cotto’s weight, from what I had seen of Miguel before today’s weigh-in, he looked rather gaunt. Cotto’s body looked oddly skinny and his face often looked sunken in.

However, when Cotto stepped on the scales today, he looked unexpectedly impressive! He did not appear as bad as I thought he would, and did not look very drained. Still, whether or not Cotto had to struggle to make weight, his stamina is not going to magically improve for this fight.

I feel Cotto would be best to come out of the corner, guns blazing looking to stop Pacquiao while he still has the energy to move his arms. If Cotto elects to box (which I expect him to), I believe he will win the early rounds relatively easily but find himself in a bad spot after he fades.

Despite looking fine on the scales, I would not be surprised to see Cotto fade quicker the he usually does with the pace Pacquiao forces his opponents to work at.

Unlike Cotto, Pacquiao does not share his stamina issues when the fight progresses and I firmly believe that his work rate and continuous pressure will eventually wear Cotto down. I don’t expect a Pacquiao KO to happen early, but I do think Pacquiao will get Cotto out of there around the mid-to-late portion of this contest, anywhere from round six to twelve.

I feel Cotto is the better overall skilled fighter in the match up but his stamina issues is what I expect to lose him this fight. Cotto is the better boxer, has the better chin and will be able to deal with Manny’s speed...until he fades. After that point, the fight will belong to Pac-Man and Manny will be able to control Cotto for as long as the fight lasts.

Krakrabbit: 19.00 Units On Pacquiao {-190}
Boxeo: 4.25 Units On Pacquiao Wins 7-12 {+213} & 1.00 Units On Pacquiao By Decision {+390}
Grass Hopper: 1.90 Units On Pacquiao {-190} & 1.00 Units On Over 9.5 {+125} & 1.00 Units On Pacquiao By Decision {+390}
Doody: 2.60 Units On Won’t Go 12 Full {-260}
D3: .50 Units On Cotto {+300}

HBO Predictions
By Krakrabbit

This Saturday night, WBC, IBF and IBO light heavyweight champion of the world Chad Dawson, (28-0, 17KO’s) faces off against “The Road Warrior” Glen Johnson, (49-12-2, 33KO’s) for the second time live on HBO from the XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut.

Once again Dawson opened the contest as the clear favorite in the bout and currently rests at –400. Johnson supporters can grab +340 for their money. The O/U for the fight has been set at 11.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -335 and the under landing at +255.

Dawson by KO will net you +580, while Dawson by decision will cost you -190. Johnson by KO hits the mark at +550, and Johnson by decision lands at +800.

This will be the second time Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson have gone head to head inside the ring after another controversial decision loss was added to Johnson’s record.

In their first bout, Dawson was heavily favored to conquer his much older opponent, but what unfolded that night was a shock to many. Johnson was able to control the action and looked to be giving “Bad” Chad more then he could handle.

Johnson’s effective pressure seemed to be winning him the rounds in Tampa, Florida that night and it looked all but certain that Dawson would have a loss on his unblemished professional record.

However, after the scorecards were read, Dawson’s hand was raised and a massive cloud of controversy surrounded the fight. The boxing community was split into two. Many thought Johnson’s constant pressure to have won him the fight, and conversely others believed Dawson’s boxing was enough to net him the victory.

Boxing fans around the world were in agreement in one thing though: it was a close fight! Dawson and Johnson made an entertaining fight, and the debate about whether or not Glen Johnson was robbed cried for a rematch to be made between the two as soon as possible.

Since the Johnson fight, Dawson has gone on to easily outbox Antonio Tarver twice. In both bouts with Tarver, Chad was able to keep Tarver away and score two less-then-exciting victories back-to-back over the Magic Man.

Johnson has also had two fights since doing battle with Dawson, knocking out journeyman Aaron Norwood and then effortlessly beating Daniel Judah back in March.

Despite twelve losses on his record, it is an understatement to say that several of Johnson’s losses are disputable. Glen has solid speed and good power as well, and his come-forward style has caused problems for many of his opponents.

Johnson also possesses a strong clubbing right hand (a punch that found its home on more then one occasion against Dawson).

However, I do feel that it will be difficult for Johnson to stop Dawson, especially if Chad is only looking to hear the final bell.

While I do feel Glen has more then enough power to stop Dawson, “Bad” Chad has quicker hands and feet then Johnson. If Dawson tries, he can probably keep Johnson at bay with his jab throughout the round and throw the occasional quick flurry to win the round.

I do feel that Dawson has learned from his mistakes, and whether or not he thinks he beat Glen the first time I am sure that he will make some adjustments for this showdown with The Road Warrior.

Johnson isn’t a stupid man himself and has gone on record to say that he thinks his only chance at handing Dawson his first professional loss is knocking him out, but as I mentioned before, he will have a tough time catching up to Dawson if Chad elects to wear his track shoes until the fight is over.

I do think this is the right mentality for Johnson to have. If the judges would not give him the fight in his home state of Florida, what is there to suggest that they would give him any love on the cards in Dawson’s backyard of Connecticut?

I think both men have their heads in the right place going into this fight. Dawson probably knows that he cannot knock Johnson out (he can’t) and Johnson thinks he cannot win a decision on the cards (which is very unlikely).

While I do believe Johnson is quite skilled and does have the power to end the night early, Dawson most likely knows what to do to win in this fight, and that is making a boring fight and edging out a win on the cards.

I can easily see Dawson moving and using his jab and short combinations to score, while Johnson tries to chase. Dawson isn’t exactly an exciting fighter anyway, and I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see Johnson trying desperately to hunt Dawson down for 12 rounds while Bad Chad keeps his distance and boxes his way to a boring, but unanimous decision; perhaps with scores similar to the first fight, but this time justified.

Also, in case any of our readers were wondering why the team’s “Dawson By Decision” play is at +440, that is because of a mistake made by an online sportsbook. Said sportsbook (not going to name names) released the “Dawson By Decision” prop at an unbelievable +440 for a short while, and the FJ team was able to get in bets before they changed the line.

Personally, I did also cover with Johnson By KO, just in case Johnson was able to hurt and finish Dawson off. Although it is unlikely, there is a small chance and covering this kind of freak bet is smart as we all know anything can happen in boxing.

Krakrabbit: 9.50 Units On Dawson By Decision {-190} & 1.75 Units On Johnson By KO {+550}
Boxeo: 3.80 Units On Dawson By Decision {-190} & 0.70 Units On Johnson By KO {+550}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Johnson {+340}
Doody: N/P
D3: 9.50 Units On Dawson By Decision {-190} & 1.75 Units On Johnson By KO {+550}

PPV Predictions
By Krakrabbit

On Saturday night, David “The Hayemaker” Haye, (22-1, 21KO’s) faces off against WBA champion Nikolay Valuev, (50-1, 34KOs) live from the Arena Nürnberger Versicherung, Nuremberg, Bayern, Germany.

Haye opened as the clear favorite in the bout but the public’s money has been slowing flowing in on Valuev as of late, bringing Haye down to –165. Valuev supporters can snatch the underdog money at +150. The O/U on the bout is set at 10.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +130 and the over at -170.

Haye by KO comes in at +285, while Haye by decision will net you +170. Valuev by KO hits the mark at +380, and Valuev decision lands at +335. The odds the fight will be declared a draw land at +2000.

This fight cannot be described as anything else other then a sideshow. Valuev, the 7’0 foot tall “Russian Giant”, who has never weighed less then 310 pounds going into a professional fight, is squaring off against the life-long Cruiserweight David Haye.

This will only be David Haye’s third fight in the Heavyweight division, with his other two HW ventures ending inside the distance.

However, Haye had not faced any notable Heavyweight names up until his most recent fight against the very worn Monte Barrett. In that fight Haye was able to stop Barrett in 5 short rounds in his hometown of London. While Barrett may have somewhat of a name, there is no question that Monte is far past his prime.

Looking at Haye’s history, you will see that Haye has not fought many big names in his career. His biggest fights being against Enzo Maccarinelli, Jean Marc Mormeck the severely overrated Giacobbe Fragomeni, and the shot-as-Swiss-cheese Monte Barrett.

Other then fighting those relatively small names, Haye really has no notable wins, losses, or fights for that matter against anyone in his class.

This will be Haye’s toughest challenge of his career, and it will be coming in the form of a hairy giant who holds an 8-inch reach and height advantage over Haye, and also has over 100-pounds on The Hayemaker.

As for Valuev, while his massive size may seem intimidating, The Russian Giant does lack one important thing: skill! Valuev does not excel in any one field of the sweet science, and it is understatement to say that Valuev is not nearly as good as his record suggests.

While Nikolay does in fact lack true skill, his size does often help offset this usually debilitating deficiency.

Not only is Valuev missing pure skill, but he isn’t the fastest gun in boxing either. Valuev is quite slow, even for a Heavyweight, and at first may have some problems catching the much speedier Haye. He even had trouble connecting in his last bout against former WBC, WBA and IBF Cruiserweight and Heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.

In his fight with Holyfield, it can easily be said that Valuev got a very disputable decision in Switzerland.

Even the 47-year old Holyfield was able to control the pace of the fight and in my opinion beat Valuev rather easily. However, as is (too) often the case Valuev’s hand was raised after the scorecards were read.

There may be a reason Valuev looked so terrible 11-months ago though. Rumors suggest that Valuev did not want to fight Holyfield in the first place, and that Nikolay was worried that if he was to hurt the ring legend his fans would turn against him for beating down on an old man.

It seems that it could be a possible explanation as to why Valuev looked a bit worse in the ring then he usually does, but that wasn’t the first time Valuev had gotten a very close decision.

It can be argued that Valuev also lost to John Ruiz (both times) and possibly even Larry Donald. Now, he can’t not have wanted to fight all of those men, and I am sure he wasn’t afraid of trying to knock Larry Donald out!

I do firmly believe that Valuev is simply not a very skilled fighter, but he does have something in his style or possibly where he fights that allows him to both bore his viewers into a coma, as well as edge out close rounds.

However, it is not impossible to beat The Russian Giant. Valuev only has one official loss on his record. That came to a much smaller man in the German-resident Ruslan Chagaev, who was able to outbox Nikolay and win a close, but deserved majority decision.

Chagaev showed that it is possible to beat Valuev on the cards, but it certainly isn’t easy. Chagaev was able to box wonderfully against Valuev, and he still only got a majority decision. I have a feeling that David Haye will need to fight a perfect fight if he wants to have his hand raised on Saturday.

While Valuev may or may not have been beaten multiple times, it is a rare sight to see Nikolay hurt inside the ring. Valuev has not been facing nuclear-punchers, but in the opposition that he has faced his chin has held up well.

He was able to take solid shots from Holyfield, Jameel McCline and Monte Barrett, the biggest punchers on Valuev’s resume for twelve, three, and eleven rounds, respectively.

I am confident that Valuev will be able to take Haye’s shots, as his chin has been holding up to the punches of Heavyweights. Haye is a power-puncher, but that is at Cruiserweight. There is no real way to tell how much power Haye will bring up with him to HW, but Valuev’s already solid jaw coupled with having to punch upwards at such a high angle won’t help him here.

Valuev’s chin isn’t the only one that needs to be questioned though. Haye is known to have a weak chin, being knocked out in his only loss (to the relatively light-hitting Carl Thompson) as well as being hurt numerous times in his career.

While Valuev is not a massive puncher, it must be noted that he simply cannot knockout most Heavyweights. Valuev often fights opponents with granite chins, who are also in the same weight class as he is. He won’t be seeing either in David Haye.

As I said, Haye has a glass chin and is often stunned in his fights at Cruiserweight. I have a feeling that Valuev’s power, while weak at HW, may be thunder against the much smaller Haye. Valuev’s sheer size will also help him in the power department, as he will have the ability to reach and attack Haye from outside, whereas Haye will have to try to work to get into attacking range.

Adding to the “size matters” idea of this fight, Haye may also gas quicker then he usually does. Haye has had stamina issues in the past at Cruiserweight and often has trouble keeping up his fast pace after only a few rounds.

In his fight with Valuev, he will have 300+ pound tower battling him, and Haye will also be carrying more weight then he is accustom to. It would not shock me to see him win the early rounds using his speed and athleticism, but quickly slowing to a crawl and letting Valuev back into the fight by the midway point of the contest.

David Haye has many factors stacked against him in this one. How Haye and his body will take the first truly important Heavyweight fight of his career is still a bit of a question, especially when facing such a freakishly large opponent like Nikolay Valuev.

Valuev may have the shorter hand in the speed and pure skill department, but I can easily envision his sturdy chin holding up to Haye’s punches, and possibly his shots even stunning Haye. Not to mention the enormous size advantage Valuev will have on fight night.

It would surprise me to see Haye cut The Russian Giant down and stop him, and I think he only wins this one on points. It will be a tall (get it?) task for him though, as being the significantly smaller man, moving up in weight, fighting in hostile territory won’t help him at all in this one.

I think Valuev can win either way. If his punches can hurt Haye early, it is very possible that Haye gets stopped late in the fight after gassing. If Valuev cannot hurt Haye, I still believe he will be in the fight, especially after David’s pace slows down. Valuev loves nothing more then a slow, boring fight where he can work his own pace and do what he pleases.

Personally, I don’t think too highly of David Haye and I don’t think he deserves to be as big a favorite as he is. Valuev isn’t a star himself, and should be considered the underdog but I do believe he can pull out the victory in Germany against his much smaller opponent. Valuev will never be a great fighter, but Haye is too chinny, small and has too shallow of a gas tank for me to back him here.

Krakrabbit: 3.00 Units On Valuev {+170}
Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Valuev {+170}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: .50 Units On Valuev {+170}
D3: 1.00 Units On Valuev {+170}

Poland Predictions
By Krakrabbit

Saturday night in the “Polish Fight Of The Century” Tomasz Adamek, (38-1, 26KO’s) will look to score his first victory as a Heavyweight against the unpredictable Andrew Golota, (41-7-1, 33KO’s). The bout will take place from the Lodz Arena, Lodz, Poland and will be televised on Polish television.

Adamek opened as the clear betting favorite in the bout and currently sits at -450. Golota supporters can snatch the plus money +360. The over/under for the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the over netting you +120, while the under comes in at -150.

Strangely enough, at the time of this article there have been no props posted on this fight!

Tomasz Adamek is fresh off an inevitable stoppage win over world title challenger Bobby Gunn, in which the doctor and the referee stopped the bout after the fourth round concluded.

Adamek was able to easily control the fight with his pressure and eventually get himself another win inside the distance, but by no means was that bout even meant to be a challenge to the Polish-born slugger.

Speaking of Adamek’s style, Tomasz Adamek’s style seems to be nothing more then the usual come forward, pressure style that is adopted by many fighters. However, Adamek uses his technique to the fullest and has amassed an impressive 38 victories.

Adamek likes to come forward in his fights and looks to pressure everyone he steps into the ring with. His style does give many fighters trouble, but I have noticed that he tends to struggle a bit with boxers and more complete fighters.

In February of 2007, Tomasz Adamek put his WBC Light Heavyweight title on the line against fellow undefeated Chad Dawson. In his bout against Dawson, Adamek struggled heavily with Dawson’s speed and boxing ability, and despite a late rally knocking Dawson down in the 10th, Adamek ended up losing his title by unanimous decision.

Coming off the loss to Dawson, Adamek faced off with Philadelphia resident Steve Cunningham. Cunningham had success throughout his bout with Adamek by boxing, but he also held his own brawling a bit with Tomasz, making their fight a non-stop brawl.

However, despite putting up a decent fight, Cunningham was dropped on three occasions. He did get back up, but without the knockdowns being scored against him, Cunningham would have won the fight.

Adamek did do more work in the fight, and came out the victor once more, but this was another fight that showed the vulnerability of Adamek.

Following his war with Cunningham, Adamek went toe-to-toe with then undefeated IBO Cruiserweight champion Johnathon Banks.

Despite being less skilled, Banks’ boxing gave Adamek many problems in that fight. In fact, going into the 8th round (when Banks was knocked out) Banks was only trailing by a single point on two of the judges scorecards, and behind by two points on the third.

It goes without saying that Adamek has trouble with people who don’t stand in front of him. A blueprint on beating Adamek has already been revealed, but only one man has been able to make it work, and even he got dropped!

As for Adamek’s opponent Andrew Golota, he has his own set of issues that he has to deal with whenever he steps into the ring.

Referred to as the “Foul-Pole” throughout the boxing community, Andrew Golota has had a very up and down professional career. While I do not feel it necessary to go into all of the details of Golota’s roller coaster ride of a career (most people already know all about it), there is one thing that has remained with Golota since his debut in 1992: his skills!

Andrew Golota has always been a very skilled fighter inside the ring, and there is little doubt in my mind that he is more skilled then Tomasz Adamek. As is usually the case though, Golota has a bad habit of giving away fights that he could win.

The hurdles outside the ring he has had to face have not helped him at all, but his questionable tactics and weak mental toughness tend to lead to Golota giving away fights inside the ring. It seems no matter if he is winning the fight or losing the fight those weaknesses have a tendency to rear their ugly heads during his bouts.

Golota himself, unlike Adamek, is coming off a stoppage loss at the hands of Ray Austin in which Golota was forced to quit in the corner after injuring his arm during the first round.

While he did have a reason this time, Golota quitting when the odds are stacked against him is no big surprise. Throughout his illustrious career, the “Foul-Pole” has shown to have a very weak heart.

He has shown multiple times that if he is trailing so far behind that he feels he cannot win, he will simply give up before hearing the final bell. Even though Golota has been stopped (technically) four times in his seven losses, I do feel that he has a much better chin then what appears on paper.

Golota has only been legitimately stopped twice in his career. By Lennox Lewis (one of the hardest punchers ever in the Heavyweight division) and Lamon Brewster (he certainly can punch his way out of a paper bag).

All of his other losses have come by him quitting or, in two cases, by disqualification.

I am confident that he will be able to stand up to Adamek’s bests shots, but should he start taking too much of a beating logic says he will probably quit at some point before hearing the scorecards go against him.

Adding to that thought, this will also be Tomasz Adamek’s first contest at Heavyweight. While nobody can be sure why he is moving up (word is he wants a shot at the Klitschko brothers) I do not feel this is the right move for Adamek to make.

Tomasz Adamek has spent the majority of his career at Cruiserweight and has never weighed in for a fight heavier then 201-pounds. Golota, on the other hand is quite large even for a Heavyweight and by contrast his heaviest weight for a fight has been 249-pounds.

That was until this fight. Golota came in at a hefty 256 pounds for his Polish showdown with Adamek (Tomasz was 214) a career best by seven pounds and fourteen more pounds then in his last fight one year ago against Ray Austin.

In addition to that massive advantage in weight that Golota holds, Adamek does not pack a massive punch even at the Cruiserweight level. Adamek is more of a TKO fighter then a one-punch KO man. Of course, that doesn’t mean Adamek does not get his opposition out of there in a rather timely matter. All of Adamek’s stoppage wins have been within eight rounds or less.

Many of his late wins inside the distance come after severe beatings or simply imposing his style on his opponent’s, which causes subtle wear down that obviously kicks in around the halfway point of his fights.

It is very important to note that all of his stoppage victories have come at a significantly lower weight class, and it is still a question whether or not Adamek will carry his power up to Heavyweight.

With Golota’s solid jaw and Adamek’s late-TKO power, I do not think Tomasz possesses the voltage to legitimately put Andrew’s lights out on Saturday night.

Andrew Golota is very vulnerable early in fights. He was dropped in the first few seconds from Austin (hurt his arm hitting the floor) and then of course quit after the round ended.

Adamek has not shown the ability to go out and blast out a quality opponent in the lower weight classes and I would be surprised if he was able to do it to Golota. Whether or not Golota quits is another question though, and the answer to that question should be seen a mile away mid-fight.

If Golota is taking a sustained beating, whether or not the shots are really breaking his jaw apart, I do think he would quit; probably around where Adamek usually scores his TKO wins. If Golota is getting beat from round one and it gets inside his mind that he has no shot to pull out the win, then you should be looking for Golota to say “no mas” at around the 7-10 round range.

However, I do not think Golota will get that far behind. I can see his style, significant advantage in weight and size giving Adamek some problems, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one be pretty close for as long as the fight lasts.

I have been on the fence about whether or not Golota will stop Adamek, and I have come to the conclusion that while he probably has the ability to stop him, I doubt if he will.

It is common knowledge that Adamek isn’t Pernell Whitaker in terms of defense, and his chin isn’t as solid as people believe it to be.

Adamek has been stunned before by Johnathon Banks and took some solid shots from Steve Cunningham, among others. Unfortunately for Adamek, Golota packs a serious punch, and that’s against Heavyweights! I cannot say for sure how “Goral” will take a solid shot from the “Foul-Pole”, but I have a strong feeling that should Golota land cleanly, Adamek will either be seriously buzzed or simply knocked out!

I do easily believe that Golota can stop Adamek should he land something of significance in their bout. I would not be surprised to see Adamek laid out or severely hurt with a single shot.

In addition to that, Golota will be holding a 41-pound weight advantage over the much smaller Adamek, who was never huge for a Cruiserweight anyway!

If, and this is a pretty big if, Golota brings his A-game and is ready to fight, I expect Adamek to put on a good show, but I believe his style is too crude to beat out a Golota with the right mindset inside the ring.

I wouldn’t exactly be shocked to see Adamek’s lights put out with a single blow at any time during the fight, but for as long as it lasts I anticipate a close fight. However, I think Golota’s experience, size advantage and unique style will prevail over Tomasz, handing him the second loss of his career and perhaps putting Golota’s career back on track.

Krakrabbit: .75 Units On Golota {+365}
Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Golota {+365}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Golota {+365}
Doody: N/P
D3: N/P

Showtime Predictions
By Krakrabbit

Saturday night during the first round of the Showtime Super Six Super Middleweight tournament, fight fans will be treated to 168-pound WBC title fight when super-middleweight champion of the world Carl “The Cobra” Froch, (25-0, 20KO’s) battles undefeated Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell, (18-0, 13KO’s.) from the Trent FM Arena, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom.

Froch opened the contest as the slight betting favorite and the line has remained pretty much stagnant with Froch resting at –180 and Dirrell sitting at +160.

The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the under coming in at -130, and the over at –110. Froch by KO comes in at +175, while Froch by decision will reward you with +280. Dirrell by KO hits the mark at +475, and Dirrell by decision lands at +330. The odds of the bout being declared a draw stand at +2000.

Carl Froch is coming off the biggest win of his career over former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor after dramatically stopping Taylor in the 12th round while trailing on two of the three scorecards.

In that bout, Froch was being beaten and was obviously overmatched against his much more skilled opponent. He had no answer for Taylor’s speed and boxing ability and was even put on the canvas for the first time in his career against “Bad Intentions”.

Trailing on the scorecards going into the final round, Froch pulled a rabbit out of his hat and was able to catch and stun his fatigued opponent. A quick flurry from “The Cobra” forced the referee to intervene and stop the fight, awarding Carl Froch the biggest victory of his career...and with only 14 seconds left to go in the round!

Andre Dirrell is also undefeated in his professional career and is coming off a one-sided win over Derrick Findley in which he forced Findley’s corner to stop the bout.

Dirrell had a very easy fight against Findley, and was able to control his much slower, shorter opponent through the entire night with ease. While Dirrell did score another win, there was nothing special about the beating he put on his overmatched foe.

That’s not to say Dirrell does not have his fare share of decent wins though. He currently holds wins over Victor Oganov, Mike Paschall and Anthony Hanshaw among other lower-tier opponents. While Paschall and Hanshaw are decently skilled, this will undoubtedly be Andre’s biggest step-up in his short career.

Dirrell’s style is not all that different from Jermain Taylor’s style, in which he effectively boxes without fighting overly aggressively unless he hurts his foe. Dirrell, unlike Taylor though, has shown to have impressive conditioning! Dirrell also possesses solid finishing skills and will go for the kill if he manages to stun his opponent.

Now, while Dirrell does have 13KOs in his 18 wins, he is not a massive power puncher. Most of his KOs, if he gets them, tends to come in the later rounds after a beating.

However, I do feel that there is a chance that he stops Carl Froch by simply outclassing him and landing at will. It is common knowledge that “The Cobra” lacks earth-shattering defensive skills. Dirrell should be able to land nearly every punch he throws, not unlike Taylor did when Taylor and Froch did battle.

The difference being though, that if Dirrell feels he has his man hurt he will pounce on Froch looking for the kill. When Dirrell smells blood, he unleashes upon his adversary with an unrelenting flurry of punches from all angles.

Andre has shown to be a very aggressive finisher if he hurts his opponent, though at times he can get a little reckless. This probably is mainly caused by his inexperience and having never been knocked out or defeated, but it may only take one punch from Froch in a frantic last-ditch effort to get Dirrell’s attention.

At first, I did not think Dirrell had the ability to stop Froch but after some thought I do believe it is possible that a pure beating on the tough Nottingham resident could force Froch to fold in the late rounds.

However, for as skilled as Dirrell is, he does have a suspect chin. Dirrell has been badly hurt before on more then one occasion against lesser punchers then Carl Froch.

I do not like the fact that he has been stunned and put on Queer Street before from no-name fighters such as Alfonso Rocha as well as the rather light-hitting Anthony Hanshaw in the first round of their bout (although it was not ruled a knockdown). I cannot help but wonder how he will take a flush shot from “The Cobra” (assuming Froch could hit him!)

While Dirrell does have some fine skills, his chin may be suspect and that is not something you want going into a fight with a hard-hitting fighter like Froch.

Carl Froch’s style, on the other hand, is rather awkward and he relies on his heavy hands to get him the win. He throws strong punches, but lacks handspeed and headmovment as well as boxing ability. He is best suited as a brawler, but has trouble with slick boxers (such as Jermain Taylor).

Froch is not the most skilled fighter competing in the Super Six tournament, but there is no doubt he can punch. I believe Froch has more then enough power to crack Dirrell’s suspect chin, but of course he does have to catch Dirrell first.

Taylor was able to box and evade Froch’s power for the entirety of their fight aside from 14 seconds, and I believe Dirrell has enough boxing ability to do the same.

In order for Dirrell to pull out the upset, he will need to be on his bike for 12 full rounds boxing and playing hard to get with Froch. I do not see him being able to trade blows with his much stronger opponent and if he does opt to exchange with Froch he could be in a world of trouble.

For Froch to secure another victory, I think Carl simply needs to fight a strong, aggressive fight as he usually does. Dirrell cannot trade with Froch, and on the same page Froch cannot outbox Dirrell.

Dirrell is by far the much more skilled fighter of the two, and if Andre can keep from getting hit with too many solid shots he has a great shot at pulling out the upset. I believe Froch is seriously overrated based off his win over Taylor, and it is easy to see that Froch is nothing special.

I see this as the classic match up of brawler vs. boxer. Froch is the come forward brawler looking for the KO, and Dirrell is the much slicker boxer who should be able to box Froch’s socks off.

I expect Dirrell to take this one on points with his vastly greater skill, but it wouldn’t exactly shock me if Froch was able to pull out another lucky win late in the fight or if Froch was put to bed after a severe beating. If Dirrell wins, it will be a one-sided decision or a possible late KO. If Froch wins, it will be another Taylor-like KO win late in the fight while trailing on the cards.

I can easily see this fight playing out very similarly to the Taylor/Froch fight, but unlike Taylor I do not see Dirrell badly tiring and getting stopped. Dirrell has at least a comparable chin, and much better conditioning and that should allow him to dominate Froch for as long as the fight lasts.

However, the reason I’m taking Dirrell straight in addition to “The Matrix” on points is because I do not know just how much power Dirrell has in his hands. Even if he has less then people think he does, there is still a chance he dictates this fight so well Froch gets stopped in the final five or so rounds of this fight.

One of the things that has kept me from betting a lot more then I have on Andre Dirrell is his questionable chin and how the judges in the UK will treat the visiting American. If he does indeed get a fare shake should this one hit the cards, I have no doubt that Dirrell will have his hand raised.

I do have one other concern though, and that is with Andre Dirrell’s weight. Dirrell recently weighed in .4 pounds over the 168-pound limit, and an hour later weighed in at 167.4.

I am a bit worried that if Dirrell feels drained at all, he may not have the ability to keep moving against Froch, and may be more inclined to brawl. However, from what I’ve seen of Andre he looks to be in fine shape. Even though the possibility of Dirrell having trouble making weight is a bit unnerving, I still expect a one-sided performance from “The Matrix”.

Krakrabbit: 2.00 Units On Dirrell {+160} & 1.00 Units On Dirrell By Decision {+330}
Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Dirrell {+160}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: 1.00 Units On Dirrell {+160}
D3: 1.00 Units On Dirrell {+160}

Showtime Predictions
By Krakrabbit

Saturday night during the first round of the Showtime Super Six Middleweight tournament, fight fans will be treated to 168-pound fight when former undisputed middleweight champion of the world Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor, (28-3-1, 17KO’s) faces undefeated power puncher “King” Arthur Abraham, (30-0, 24KO’s.) from the O2 World Arena, Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany.

Abraham opened the contest as the significant betting favorite and the line has remained pretty much stagnant with Abraham resting at –270 and Taylor sitting at +230 to score the upset.

The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the under coming in at -115, and the over at –105. Abraham by KO comes in at +160, while Abraham by decision will reward you with +165. Taylor by KO hits the mark at +353, and Taylor by decision lands at +622. The odds of the bout being declared a draw stand at +3000.

In September of 2007, the then undefeated Jermain Taylor was lined up to fight the unproven power puncher from Youngstown, Ohio; Kelly Pavlik. Going into that fight, he had a very impressive career going and held wins over Cory Spinks and Raul Marquez, as well as two close decision victories over Bernard Hopkins.

The fight with Pavlik was meant to be another notch on Taylor’s belt, but Pavlik’s power proved to be too much for Taylor and he suffered his first professional defeat when he was eventually brutally stopped in the 7th round by “The Ghost”.

Soon after, Taylor and Pavlik squared off in a rematch and Taylor was handed his 2nd defeat by unanimous decision. He was not stopped, but did not look good by any stretch of the imagination.

After bouncing back and conquering Jeff Lacy in a one-sided affair, Taylor went head-to-head with another undefeated KO-artist in Carl Froch.

In that fight, Taylor was eventually stopped in dramatic fashion in the 12th and final round while leading on two of the three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Taylor was able to easily outbox his overmatched foe throughout the fight, and even put Froch on the canvas for the first time in his career in the third round.

Taylor showed in that bout that he was not yet done in the sport of boxing and was on his way to handing Froch his first loss until he was caught in the 12th round. Even in the final round of their bout Taylor was still able to use his greater skills until he was caught and knocked down. After getting up, Froch unleashed a flurry on the dazed Taylor calling for the ref to stop the fight.

Taylor’s performance in general was impressive, albeit against an opponent that does not possess nearly as much skill as he does, but the final result shows as a reminder that Jermain Taylor’s chin and stamina issues are always going to be a problem.

Arthur Abraham is coming off a KO win in which he was able to force Mahir Oral’s corner to throw the towel in, signaling another stoppage win for the undefeated middleweight.

Abraham has had his hand raised in 30 fights, with 24 of his wins coming by way of knock out. It is an understatement to say that Arthur Abraham can punch his way out of a paper bag.

He holds wins over the likes of Khoren Gevor, Kingsley Ikeke and Raul Marquez (all wins by stoppage!) as well a UD and KO win over former WBO and IBF middleweight champion Edison Miranda.

While Abraham is undefeated though, I do not feel that he is unbeatable. Abraham is a very slow starter in his bouts, and tends to wait a few rounds before putting his foot on the gas, normally stopping his opponents later in the fight.

Even when he steps on the pedal though, Arthur is not by any means a volume puncher. He still waits a bit too long for his opportunity to strike, and has a tendency to let his foe’s chance of an upset linger far too long. Nevertheless, he has had success with his odd style in his professional career and knows how to use his that style to his fullest advantage.

As aforementioned, he does wait a bit too long to attack even when the coast is clear. Whether or not his opposition has power, no power, speed, no speed, chin, or no chin he stills picks his spots a bit too sparingly. I think that alone will hinder him in this fight against Bad Intentions.

As for Taylor, despite being knocked out in two of his three losses, Jermain Taylor is not to be taken lightly. He is a magnificently gifted boxer, and has a deadly combination of speed and power when he chooses to use it.

That’s not to say he doesn’t have his share of flaws such as a fragile chin and abysmal conditioning, but he does possess a load of skill. I would even go so far as to say that he is one of the more skilled fighters in the Super Six tournament.

With that said, I do feel that Taylor has some issues that keep him from being the best fighter he can be. Aside from his seeming inability to fight strongly after six or seven rounds, Taylor simply doesn’t fight all that smart.

Take the Froch fight for example. Had he simply taken a knee after the first knockdown, Taylor would have still beaten Froch on the cards assuming he could last another 14 seconds. Instead, Taylor opted to get up and run himself into a corner where he covered up and allowed Froch to swarm him. For as much talent as Jermain Taylor possesses, he does not use it nearly as well as he could.

Going into this fight, I believe there are a couple of questions that need to be asked about both men.

This will be Abraham’s first fight at super-middleweight, whereas Taylor fits perfectly into the super-middleweight division. The closest Abraham has come to fighting at 168 was in his rematch with Edison Miranda, in which he stopped Miranda in four rounds while weighing 166-pounds.

While he did look spectacular in that fight, that was a year and a half ago and he isn’t even a large middleweight. I have no doubt that Taylor will be the much bigger man in the ring.

I also have questions about how Taylor will take Abraham’s punches. Granted, Taylor has been getting knocked out by hellacious punchers like Froch and Pavlik, but although I do believe Abraham’s power to be a bit overrated, it can be said that “King” Arthur is also in their league.

If Taylor can take minimal damage by boxing well (very possible) or simply take Abraham’s blows (very unlikely) I feel this fight has an entirely different feel to it.

The chin questions should not only be asked about Taylor though. Jermain holds serious, underrated power in both hands and we have not seen Abraham’s chin seriously tested by anyone but Edison Miranda, who’s own power may well be overrated.

From what I have seen of the hard-hitting fighter though, it looks as though he can take a punch extremely well. We all know he has a lion’s heart by fighting through a broken jaw in his first brawl against Miranda, and I do not think even Jermain Taylor has the power to stop Abraham.

I feel the only way Taylor wins this one inside the distance is if he is able to get the fight stopped on a cut. But I don’t think the officials in Germany would exactly jump on the opportunity to stop Abraham (as evidenced by the first Miranda fight).

As I said before, Taylor is the more skilled fighter of the two. I have no doubt that he will be able to easily take the early rounds against Abraham while Arthur is taking his time, but the biggest doubts for Taylor backers will come when the bell sounds for the 7th and 8th round and beyond.

Taylor’s conditioning beyond the midway point of fights has been...less then magnificent throughout his career and I am worried that if Taylor fades extremely badly down the stretch (as he usually does) he will get stopped by Abraham very late in the fight.

Jermain has a very odd ability to fight amazingly for six or seven rounds, and then fade horribly when the later rounds come by. It is his stamina liability that cost him the Froch fight, and may also cost him the fight against Abraham.

When Taylor is just starting to fade, Abraham will most likely just be getting into his grove and looking to cause some severe damage. If Taylor fades, the late portion of the bout will be the most dangerous for him. If he can stay away from Abraham and box wisely, or simply not fade as badly as he usually does, I believe he stands a great chance at scoring the upset.

However, there is one last thing that worries me about this brawl: location! This fight will be held in Germany, where Abraham has had 28 of his 30 professional bouts. Taylor on the other hand has never fought outside of the United States.

It has been seen before that Germany tends to hold some of the most...suspicious decisions in boxing, and I cannot help but wonder if Taylor will be able to get any love on the judges scorecards (assuming he even made it the distance).

I would like to think that everything would be on the up-and-up, but crazier things have happened in boxing then giving the home fighter a not-so-well-deserved decision.

No matter the outcome, I do think this is going to be a very hard-fought fight for both men. I believe Taylor has more then enough pure skill and experience to easily outbox the slower, Abraham, but I am worried he gets stopped late. I would hope Taylor understands this is a make or break fight for him, but you just never know with Jermain.

In the end, I think Taylor’s superior skill will allow him to outbox Abraham in a one-sided fight until the mid-to-late rounds hit. Once we hit those mid-to-late rounds I believe the fight will become a bit closer, but I still think Taylor will have done enough work in the early and mid rounds to earn a decision.

Now, whether or not “they” give it to him is up in the air. That is the main reason I’m going small on Taylor, because anything can happen in boxing.

Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Taylor By Decision {+622}
Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Abraham By KO Rounds 7-12 {+305}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: 2.70 Units On Abraham {-270}
D3: 2.70 Units On Abraham {-270}

HBO Predictions
By Krakrabbit

Saturday afternoon we are treated to an HBO heavyweight title bout between heavy-handed knockout artist Vitali Klitschko, (37-2, 36KOs) and undefeated heavyweight Chris Arreola, (27-0, 24KOs) live from the Staples Center, Los Angeles, California.

Klitschko opened as the clear favorite in the fight and now sits at around -650. Currently, you can score a respectable +475 on the underdog Arreola.

The O/U on the bout is set at 7.5 rounds, with the under coming in at -220 and the over at +185. Klitschko by KO comes in at -325, while Klitschko by decision will reward you with +700. Arreola by KO hits the mark at +650, and Arreola by decision lands at +1600.

Vitali Klitschko is coming off a 9th round TKO victory over Cuban heavyweight Juan Carlos Gomez only six months ago. In that bout, Vitali easily controlled the action and midway through the 9th round Gomez turned his back in surrender.

That was Klitschko’s second fight after taking a massive four-year layoff due mostly to injuries. Since his comeback, Klitschko has not shown many signs of slowing down in anyway, even at the ripe age of 38.

Chris Arreola is himself coming off a huge win in his career, stopping the well-known Jameel McCline in four rounds. Arreola was also able to dominate the fight, but unlike Juan Carlos Gomez, McCline did have a moment or two during his short scrap with Arreola.

The rather light-hitting “Big Time” was able to stun Arreola more then once during their bout, and that no doubt will have to set off some warning signs about Chris Arreola’s chin.

Of course, that is not the first time Arreola has been hurt in a fight. In his match-up before McCline, he was put in with the “Freight Train” Travis Walker. Walker had not beaten anyone of name before his fight with Arreola and I would imagine he was brought in to be destroyed. However, in the opening seconds of their fight, Walker took Arreola out of his senses and nearly stopped the undefeated prospect in the very first round.

Arreola has shown multiple times that his chin is not exactly iron, and he has been buzzed badly by much lighter punchers then Vitali Klitschko. Although Arreola has never lost nor been stopped in his professional career, there is no doubt in my mind that Klitschko will truly test just how solid Arreola’s chin is.

Vitali Klitschko is the older brother of heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, but it can be argued that Vitali is the better rounded of the two. Throughout his career, Vitali has not been plagued with the same stamina and chin issues that his younger brother has.

While Vitali has technically been stopped before, in both of his TKO losses he has never been knocked out. In the first loss of his career, he ended up quitting in the corner against former WBO and IBF champion Chris Byrd. In his second loss to Lennox Lewis, the fight (which he was winning at the time of the conclusion) was stopped due to a gash over Klitschko’s eye.

Klitschko, unlike Arreola, has shown to have a tough chin to crack, even when facing down against strong punchers such as Lennox Lewis, Corrie Sanders and more recently Samuel Peter. I would be quite surprised if Arreola is even able to stun Klitschko, let alone stop him.

Not only does Klitschko have a solid jaw, but also he is arguably one of the more powerful fighters in the heavyweight division, and holds KO victories over 36 of his opponents.

For Arreola to win this fight, I only see one possible option...stopping Vitali Klitschko! Even though Klitschko has not shown to have a weak chin, there is no question that Arreola carries a serious punch with him into the ring.

There could be a possibility that Arreola manages to catch the significantly taller Klitschko and perhaps hurt him enough to net him a stoppage victory. I must admit though, under most circumstances I do not see Arreola landing the Sunday punch he may need to put another “W” on his record.

To be honest with you, I do not consider Arreola to be a fighter that is terribly skilled. Chris has many flaws, and I can easily see Klitschko exploiting them in front of the packed crowd at the Staples Center.

The biggest fault in “The Nightmare” is, very simply, his technique. When Chris comes out of the corner to begin the fight, he is predictable and seems to me to be nothing but a plodding, but powerful, fighter.

Arreola consistently charges forward with little head movement, putting everything he has in every shot he throws. However, I believe one of the biggest key factors in this fight is going to be Arreola’s lack of head movement. Chris is not hard to hit and everyone he has faced has been able to split his guard with ease using the jab.

Klitschko (both of them) is one of the best at setting up his punches with a strong, straight jab. When he throws the right hand behind it...that’s when he begins to wreck havoc on his opposition. I envision Klitschko causing plenty of damage using those two punches, and I am very intrigued to see how many right hands Arreola can take before crumbling?

As well as that, Arreola is not the fastest gun in the west either. His hand speed leaves much to be desired, and even when trying to rocket off quick combinations he cannot seem to move his arms at a decently rapid pace.

I easily believe that Klitschko is stronger, faster, stronger chinned fighter who also possesses more skill then his foe. I think Arreola is overmatched in this fight, and frankly, I just don’t see where Arreola has the upper hand in any area.

Klitschko should be able to easily dispatch Arreola within six and I would be utterly shocked to see Arreola make it long enough to see the over 7.5 rounds hit. The Nightmare has never been in with such a hellish puncher before in his career, and I cannot see him taking many flush shots before going down.

If Arreola makes it anywhere semi-deep into this brawl, it is simply because Klitschko is letting him go that far. Vitali will have Arreola in the palm of his hand and if he so chooses, he can end the fight anytime he wants.

Krakrabbit: 32.50 Units On Klitschko By KO {-325}
Boxeo: 32.50 Units On Klitschko By KO {-325}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: 26.00 Units On Klitschko By KO {-325}
D3: 29.25 Units Klitschko By KO {-325}

HBO PPV Predictions
By Krakrabbit

The Saturday night HBO PPV features a 144-pound affair between two ring legends, Floyd Mayweather Jr., (39-0, 25KO’s) and Juan Manuel Marquez, (50-4-1, 37KO’s) live from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Juan Manuel Marquez opened as the underdog in the bout, and the opening lines have remained the same for the most part. Currently he is a +370 underdog to defeat the unbeaten Mayweather. Mayweather supporters lay the chalk at -440. The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +135 and the over at -155.

Marquez by KO comes in at +1000, while Marquez by decision will net you +600. Mayweather by KO hits the mark at +190, and Mayweather by decision lands at +105. The odds the bout is declared a draw lands at +3000.

Juan Manuel Marquez is just coming off a brilliant performance against Juan Diaz just seven months ago in which he demolished the younger fighter over nine rounds, ultimately scoring the stoppage victory over the resilient Texan.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is himself coming off another win in his career over then-undefeated U.K. star Ricky Hatton. In that bout, he was able to pepper Hatton throughout the fight and eventually scored a highlight reel 10th round TKO victory.

That action packed fight against Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas was nearly two years ago though and after the bout Mayweather announced his retirement from the sport of Boxing.

However, Floyd “Money” Mayweather has returned once more, and even though he insists his return to the game is for “the love of the sport”, rumor has it that “Money” has run into some financial troubles during his time away from the ring and has been forced to return to pay off debts to the IRS. It is not a secret that Mayweather lives a lavish lifestyle, and these rumors may well be true?

Although the real reason(s) why Floyd has decided to return to the ring are disputed, it is fact that “money” (or no money depending on what you believe) Mayweather will have been out of the bright lights of fight night for 21-months!

Unfortunately, these kinds of situations can be difficult to judge, as you cannot be sure how something like this could affect Mayweather or possibly his desire to box.

If Mayweather is just coming back to collect another huge paycheck, he may not feel the same hunger to fight anymore and thus may affect his performance inside the ring. If, however, Mayweather simply took time off to “let his body heal” as he claims, then this layoff may have less of an affect on him then if he was forced to go to battle to pay off debts.

Whatever the case may be, Mayweather is going to be in tough against the very skilled Juan Manuel Marquez and this fight will not be a cakewalk for him.

Juan Manuel Marquez has fought some of the best in the business and his resume speaks for itself. Marquez has faced legends such as Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny Pacquiao and Joel Casamayor, and throughout Marquez’s long 55-fight career he has only tasted defeat four times.

Marquez is a very skilled technician and is one of the best in the sport at adjusting his gameplan mid-fight to score the victory. It is an understatement to say that Marquez has a very high ring IQ.

In addition to Marquez’s smarts inside the ring, “Dinamita” also possesses quick hands and strong power in both hands. His counterpunching style coupled with his speed and power make for a devastating combination that, even in defeat, gives trouble to everyone he faces off against.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is also a counterpunching technician, though he holds less power then Marquez and instead relies on his razor-sharp precision to score his victories inside the distance.

Mayweather has never tasted defeated in his 39-fight professional career, though he has been tested before against the likes of Jose Luis Castillo and Oscar De La Hoya, in bouts where he beat both men by controversial decisions.

Even though he has never been defeated and has only officially tasted the canvas once (the official knockdown came against Jesus Chavez when Mayweather hurt his hand hitting Chavez on the head and he dropped his glove to the canvas in pain), I do see tells when he fights that lead me to believe that, against the right opponent, he can be beaten.

De La Hoya had success in their fight and many believed The Golden Boy to have won the fight using his aggressive gameplan and ability to land on the usually elusive Mayweather. Hatton also had early success as well against FMJ until Mayweather was able to figure the come-forward brawler out.

I do believe that Juan Manuel Marquez’s style and his very smart gameplanning will lead him to victory against Mayweather, or at the very least will give “Money” all he can handle.

When Mayweather fights against aggressive opponents who can actually get to him, he tends to slow his punch output down and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. He seems to have the least success fighting off the ropes when his opponent is digging his body and using effective aggression.

What makes Mayweather so good though is his amazing hand speed and ability to dodge headshots quickly, launching his own counter punch his opponents rarely see coming. I did notice throughout his career though, that he tends to struggle a bit more against opposition that is able to utilize effective body punching and most importantly… the jab!

Mayweather does not react well to opponents who come in with a jab instead of just rushing in. However, to date nobody has been able to, or willing to use the jab on a constant basis to give Mayweather his first loss. Not yet anyway!

Now, one area that all of these Mayweather supporters are forgetting about is the possibility that everything that made Mayweather one of the greatest fighters on Earth before, may not still be around after his massive 21-month layoff. You can rarely tell how so much time off will affect a fighter, especially one so reliant on his speed and reflexes.

It has been seen throughout history that when reflex-based fighters lose their ability to throw at mach speeds or dodge even the fastest punches, they begin to stand their ground more and more and become more stationary targets. It’s usually soon after this decline in speed/reflexes occurs that these once unbeatable speed demons lose.

Fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr. and Meldrick Taylor have literally built their careers on their god given abilities to duck, dodge and counter punch anyone and everyone that steps in the ring with them.

Mayweather, like the fighters mentioned above, is not a natural brawler and doesn’t have double shock power. If his God-given abilities were to slow at all, especially against such a skilled fighter as Juan Manuel Marquez, he would have little else to fall back on.

How is the layoff affecting Mayweather? It is tough to tell right now, as I have been unable to see any sparring or actually fighting from Floyd. From what I have seen on the very limited HBO 24/7 coverage (mostly working the mitts) I have a very strong feeling that this long time away from the ring has indeed affected Floyd Mayweather Jr.

It seems to me that Mayweather is not able to perform at the speeds he once was able to. Based off the padwork I’ve seen, I truly do believe that Mayweather has slowed. Everything about his punching and reflexes seem slower.

As well as that, I cannot help but feel like perhaps Mayweather’s heart is not into it anymore. He seems less...determined, and it is an understatement to say that Mayweather is less flamboyant then he was before the layoff.

In my mind, there is no question that he has returned to the ring for one thing and one thing only…. money!

If he truly is in as much debt as the media is leading us to believe, win, lose, or draw against Juan Manuel Marquez, one fight is not going to cut it for Mayweather. I have an eerie feeling he is going to hang around the game long enough to start taking more and more punishment from his opponents.

As for Juan Manuel Marquez is concerned, there are questions that must be asked about him as well. This will be his first fight above 135-pounds and you must wonder how the added weight will affect Marquez in this bout?

Although he has never been stopped in his massive professional career, I wouldn’t suggest that Marquez has a great chin. He hits the canvas more times then Marquez fans would like, but up until this point he has always managed to make it back to his feet before the count of ten.

I will be interested to see how Marquez handles the power punches from Mayweather at such a high weight.

Marquez and his legendary trainer, Nacho Beristain, seem to be training for more speed and less power coming into this fight. Under most circumstances it would be foolish to try to match Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the speed department, but after the hiatus Mayweather has sustained, I do believe Marquez will be comparably as quick as his opponent.

From the training footage I have been able to find of Marquez, it appears the added weight does not seem to be too much of a factor for him. However, when so much weight is added to a fighter who has never fought above lightweight, you have to question if it will affect his speed, power or perhaps conditioning.

Marquez was never a tiny lightweight, but I am not fooling myself into believing he is practically a welterweight. I expect Marquez to come into this fight a few pounds below the 144-pound limit, and by doing so I think he will retain most of his speed, power and conditioning coming into this fight.

Of course, weight isn’t only an issue for Marquez. Mayweather has fought at lower weights then 144 before, but he has not been so low in four, nearly five years and rumor has it that during Mayweather’s time off, he was not the gym rat he usually is.

If he had any trouble getting into shape, there is a slim chance Mayweather could feel some kind of effect by having to make 144. Perhaps, if he did feel any weight drainage, it would come into effect late in the fight.

This fight will undoubtedly be tough for both fighters, and I expect Marquez to work a steady pace, pressing the action behind the jab while Mayweather looks to counter Marquez’s strikes as usual. I don’t expect anything more then usual from Floyd, but Juan Manuel will have to press the action with the jab (very important) in order to make this a fight he can win.

At some point, I also expect the fighters to be in close. Although it may not seem like it, Mayweather has the ability to brawl with a brawler if needed and we all know the Mexican warrior Marquez is more then happy to brawl as well as box.

This could be where cuts could play a factor. Marquez has paper for skin and often cuts in his fights. With his willingness to brawl, as well as Mayweather’s sharp precision counterpunching, Marquez could end up wearing a crimson mask at some point during the fight.

Now, I don’t expect the fight to be stopped on cuts as Marquez is a very solid defensive fighter and has never been stopped before, but anything could happen as we have seen time and time again. I am worried that if Mayweather is on his game Marquez's face will start ripping apart as the fight wears on.

I think in the end, Marquez has a great style that will give Mayweather problems one way or another. If Mayweather is 100% though, I have a feeling he will win a very hard-fought decision over Marquez. If, however, Mayweather is anything less then 100% (even 99% percent!) then I believe Marquez takes this one.

It is rather difficult to tell just how Marquez will score the victory if he does, hence the Marquez straight play, but I think even a slightly slowed Mayweather should have enough to make it the distance.

No matter the outcome though, I am very confident that on September 19th we are going to be treated to a very special night of boxing.

Same day weigh-in update:

Despite what I and most of the world previously believed about this bout’s weight, the word on the street is this fight did have a contract weight of 147-pounds. However, the contract included a penalty clause that heavily fined a fighter if they were to weigh-in over 144-pounds.

Obviously, Floyd was willing to lose a bit of his purse in order to give himself a bigger advantage in the fight and even though I do believe that is a shady action, it is a smart move for “Money”.

Mayweather already has an advantage in weight over Marquez at the time of the weigh-in, and he will have an even bigger advantage come fight night when the fighters gain more weight.

Unfortunately for Marquez, I expect Mayweather to gain as much as 6-7 pounds by the time the two get into the ring, but I do not anticipate Marquez to gain much more then 3-4 pounds, if that.

Even though the weight fiasco has me worried about Marquez and his chances, I am still going to side with him in this one, although, I will not be putting as much on him now as I would have before the weigh-in.

Krakrabbit: 1.50 Units On Marquez {+370}
Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+120}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+120}
Doody: 2.00 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+120}
D3: 3.50 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+120}

HBO PPV Predictions
By Krakrabbit

The Saturday night HBO PPV co-main event to Mayweather/Marquez, features veteran Chris John, (42-0-2, 22KO’s) defending his WBA featherweight title against the real life “Rocky”, Rocky Juarez, (28-4-1, 20KO’s) live from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada.

When the lines opened Chris John was installed as over a 3-1 favorite over Juarez and the lines have remained mostly steady since. Rocky Juarez currently sits at around a +290 underdog. The O/U for the fight has been set at 11.5 rounds, with the over at -350 and the under coming in at +290.

John by KO comes in at +558, while John by decision will cost you -175. Juarez by KO hits the mark at +464, and Juarez by decision lands at +552. The fight being declared a draw lands at +2200.

This will be the second clash between Chris John and Rocky Juarez. Their first bout ended in a controversial draw with all three judges scoring the battle 114-114.

The first fight was an action packed push-and-pull bout where it could easily be argued that either man deserved the decision.

Some believed John to have won the fight with his boxing skills, while others thought Juarez to have pulled out the win using his aggressiveness, stunning the undefeated Indonesian a couple times during the fight.

Chris John is still little known in the United States despite his impressive career. He has amassed forty-two wins in his career and holds victories over some decent names such as Derrick Gainer and Jose Rojas as well as a disputed decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez.

Despite not being well known, John is a very solid boxer with good handspeed and a chin that has held up to Rocky Juarez’s and Juan Manuel Marquez’s blows. He has tasted the canvas before, but always rose from the floor to pull out the win and has never been stopped in his long career.

However, Juarez is no stranger to accomplished fighters and has been in the ring with Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez and Humberto Soto. Juarez was competitive against Soto and nearly defeated the ring legend Barrera, but one thing always holds Juarez back: his unwillingness to punch!

By now, it is no secret that Juarez is a fighter who likes to come forward, but for some reason does not throw nearly as many punches as he should. I firmly believe he could have beaten Barrera both times they battled, as well as Soto, had he just moved his arms a bit more during their fights.

Juarez is a talented fighter and also possesses great power in both hands. He holds the ability to turn a fight around or even end it instantly with one punch. All he needs to do to knock somebody out is hit them, but that tends to be difficult when he throws so few punches per round.

Juarez always seems to be looking for that one perfect punch to put his opponent’s lights out. The problem with such a strategy is often rounds fly by at an alarming rate and before you know it the final bell has sounded and Juarez has done virtually nothing.

In addition to his punching power, Juarez also holds a lot of pure talent. He was giving John all he could handle in their first bout. He captured John’s attention with his compact power shots several times during their first encounter and did a great job of bringing the fight to John.

Rocky was doing great during their fight but he gave it away by taking the mid-rounds off and fighting like the Juarez of old and not punching as much as he should have. He ended up losing most of the middle rounds, but came back late in the fight to pull out enough rounds to draw with John.

To John’s credit, he was boxing as well as he could but I believe John has trouble with Juarez’s style. When fighting Juarez the first time around, John was unable to box as effectively as he usually does and he was slowed down a bit by Juarez’s bodywork.

I think for John to win this fight, he will need to box his way to a decision. Juarez has a granite chin and will not be stopped here, but he can be outboxed. John has enough skill and boxing ability to outbox the slower, plodding Juarez and I think he made the mistake of brawling a bit too much the first time around.

John has a solid jab and good footwork and he probably has the ability to outbox Juarez a bit better then he did in the first fight, as long as he doesn’t get dragged into the trenches. The thing is, John does not seem opposed to slugging it out a bit with Juarez.

That is part of what made the first fight so enjoyable. Both fighters were willing to trade with each other a bit. John was surprisingly adept when he was in close exchanging with Juarez, and Juarez threw more punches then expected in that bout.

I think a major reason Juarez amped up his punch numbers in the first fight was due to the drop in weight from 130 pounds back down to 126 pounds. In my opinion, fighting at 126 pounds gives Juarez the best opportunity to secure that elusive world title.

It’s no secret that both men are looking to improve their performances from last time. Juarez has promised to throw more punches (as he has been promising for a while now) and John says that he will knock Juarez out.

I think the idea of the light hitting Chris John knocking Rocky Juarez out is foolish, and should he want to win this fight it would be wise for him to box.

The first time around, John was not looking to get in a slugfest with Juarez; Rocky brought him there. If John is purposely looking to brawl with Juarez from the first bell, he may be in more trouble then he expects.

I believe Juarez is the better “fighter” while John is the better "boxer". It does not seem like a smart game plan for John to go into the rematch looking for a KO over the solid-jawed Juarez. I think if John elects to brawl against the better in-fighter, he will be worn down during the fight.

The only hope John has of scoring the stoppage win over Juarez is to open another gash over Rocky’s eyes. Juarez cuts very easily and it is not out of the question that Juarez ends up bleeding sometime in this fight.

For all the talk of John predicting a KO victory, I fully expect him to come out and try to outpoint Juarez. I anticipate John being able to hold his own for a while, but as the fight wears on I believe Juarez’s harder punches will take their toll on the undefeated champion.

I would not be surprised to see John stopped late in the contest if he elects to brawl with Juarez from the opening bell. At the same time, I wouldn’t be astonished to see John stunned at any point in the fight. Rocky already displayed in their first fight that he has more then enough power to rock John.

I do think Juarez will take the win in this fight, especially if John opts to go after Juarez, but we have not seen John’s heart tested yet because he has not been badly beaten before in his career. Because of that, I cannot pick how Juarez will win (if he does) as I think Rocky has the ability to win by decision or inside the distance.

Of course, a Juarez win all depends on whether or not he lets his hands go during the fight. If he fights like he usually does, he could lose this fight. If he does have any punch output though, I think he hands John his first defeat and takes the belt home.

Krakrabbit: 4.00 Units On Juarez {+290}
Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Juarez {+290} & 2.00 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+290}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+200} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 1.00 Units On Juarez {+290}
D3: 1.00 Units On Juarez {+290}

ESPN2 Predictions
By Boxeo

Friday night Juan Urango, (21-2-1, 16KO’s) will look to defend his IBF junior welterweight title against former WBO junior welterweight world champion Randall Bailey, (39-6, 35KO’s). The Urango /Bailey bout will take place live from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood Florida and will be televised by ESPN2 at 10:00pm ET/7:00PM PT.

Urango opened as the betting favorite in the bout and currently sits at -275. Bailey supporters can snatch the plus money + 220. The over/under for the bout is set at 8.5 rounds, with the over costing you -160, while the under comes in at +125.

Urango by KO comes in at -140, while Urango by decision will net you +506. Bailey by KO hits the mark at a whopping +797, and Bailey by decision lands at +341. The odds the fight will be declared a draw land at +3500.

On paper the Urango V Bailey fight is very intriguing. If you have never had the opportunity to see Urango, he is built like a Mack truck and has plenty of power to go along with it.

Although Urango has the build of a professional bodybuilder, all of those muscles upon muscles severely impact his speed. Simply put, he has molasses for hand speed and his foot speed could not be any slower if he was stuck in quick sand!

Even though Bailey is six years older then Urango, there is no doubt in my mind he will have the better foot work and the much faster hands when the two meet on Friday night.

Now, Urango is quite accustomed to facing off against fighters with quicker hands, but this time around he also squares off against a fighter with an equal, if not a bigger punch then what he brings to the dance.

While Urango has only been defeated twice in his professional career, and has never been stopped, after taking a quick peek at the previous opposition he has faced throughout his career, I believe it’s safe to say that Randall Bailey is by far the biggest puncher he has ever been in the ring with.

Although Urango has managed to stay on his feet in both of his losses, less punchers then Randall Bailey have rocked him. If Bailey lands with his powerful right hand (a southpaw killer) I fully expect Juan Urango to be in a world of trouble.

With that said, Randall Bailey must be extremely cautious of the power that Juan Urango is going to be launching at his face.

Bailey has been stopped two out of his six losses, and in his last fight he was dropped, and badly buzzed by Francisco Figueroa, (20-3, 13KO’s) before unleashing his infamous power right hand that almost put Figueroa through the ring canvas.

If Figueroa can do damage to the chin of Bailey, one must assume that Juan Urango will have no trouble sending him to sleep if he is able to land something meaningful on Bailey.

However, for Urango to get to Bailey he is going to have to walk through the fires of hell. With 35 of his 39 victories coming inside the distance, it’s no secret Randall Bailey can flat out crack!

Up until this point in his career Urango has shown a solid beard, but he is so slow and plodding I can’t help but envision Bailey landing huge bombs on his noggin’ as he trudges forward looking to land one of his slow (but powerful) haymakers that will put a end to Bailey’s night.

Urango does tend to keep a very high guard protecting his face/head, but by no means is he a defensive master and I have little doubt that at some point in the fight those powerful right hand bombs from Bailey are going to be able to spilt his guard.

I am a little perplexed that the over is this fight is actually favored. From the way the line currently sits, they (books) are expecting a stoppage victory after 9.5 rounds for Juan Urango.

However, if you look back at the two fighters history you will find that Randall Bailey has never scored a stoppage win past the ninth round of a contest, and Juan Urango has never stopped anyone past the sixth round.

If these two sluggers stay true to form I am expecting somebody to drop before the over hits. I think the victor of this fight really could come down to which fighter is able to land their money punch first.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Under 8.5 Rounds {+125} & .20 Units On Bailey By KO {+797}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Under 8.5 Rounds {+125} & .50 Units On Bailey By KO {+797}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Bailey {+250} (Vegas Odds) & .50 Units On Bailey By KO {+797} & 1.00 Units On Under 8.5 Rounds {+125}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Bailey {+250} (Vegas Odds)
D3: 1.00 Units On Urango By Decision {+506}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night showcases Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, (34-2, 17KO’s) quest to regain his place among the elite boxers in sport when he squares off against slick boxer Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi, (26-2, 5KO’s) live from the Toyota Center, Houston, Texas.

Diaz was quickly installed as the clear betting favorite in the fight and the line has pretty much stayed steady with Diaz circling around the –500 mark. Malignaggi supporters can grab the underdog money at +400. The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -250 and the under at +210.

Diaz by KO comes in at +254, while Diaz by decision will cost you -112. Malignaggi by KO hits the mark at whopping +2275, and Malignaggi by decision lands at +586.

Juan Diaz only knows one way to fight…in your face! He is simply a fighter that brings non-stop pressure to his opponents. It is easiest to describe Juan as a bigger Wayne McCullough, with more power. He will come right out after Malignaggi and look to make it a slugfest from the start.

Although Juan may have more power then McCullough, for his weight class, he is not considered a big puncher. He simply overwhelms his opponents with his feverish punch output.

His non-stop punching technique has carried him to numerous titles and a 34-2 record, but recently the “Baby Bull” has been on a bit of a downward spiral, losing two out of his last three fights.

In fact, Diaz was knocked out in his last fight by one of the pound-4-pound best in the sport, Juan Manuel Marquez.

Although Marquez blasted Diaz out in nine rounds, the “Baby Bull” showed great heart and determination in that fight and the contest was extremely close on the judge’s scorecards at the time of the stoppage.

With a monstrous five stoppages to his name, it’s no secret that Malignaggi’s game is to hit and not get hit. However, recently he has been less and less sound defensively. His recent showings against N’dou and Hatton are perfect examples of how he is taking more and more flush shots and being forced to dig down deep and come back from being hurt.

Although Malignaggi has shown a solid chin (he took an absolute beating against Cotto and went 12) his game has never been about taking punishment and fighting through adversity.

Although I did not get an opportunity to watch Malignaggi's last fight against unknown Chris Fernandez, (16-6-1, 10KO’s) there were rumblings going around that Malignaggi was seriously buzzed in that fight.

Malignaggi blames most of his sub-par performances on very brittle hands. It is not uncommon for him to hurt or break his hands when he steps inside the ring.

There is no question that Malignaggi should be commended for fighting through such pain and continuing to win, but you have to wonder how long he can keep winning against top-notch competition when he enters the ring with such huge liabilities.

The biggest problems I can envision for Diaz in this fight is the movement of Malignaggi and the possibility of another cut impacting his performance.

Diaz is simply a different fighter when he is forced to deal with a cut. He showed his inability to adjust to blood flowing down his face against Nate Campbell, and shortly after he was cut in the Juan Manuel Marquez fight he was brutally knocked out.

Although Malignaggi is not a big puncher, you do not need punching power to slice somebody’s face apart. One has to wonder if the scar tissue above Diaz’s eyes will play a role in this fight?

If Diaz can avoid any cuts in this fight then I feel the absolute worst-case scenario for him is a close decision loss. Fight fans and most judge’s love that aggressive posture that Diaz puts on, and the biggest Malignaggi fans on the planet are the folks that suffer from insomnia!

In all seriousness, I only see Malignaggi giving Diaz trouble on the outside. Although Malignaggi likes to think of himself as a defensive master, the truth of the matter is the kid gets hit a lot.

Malignaggi’s only hope to win this fight is to peck and move and try to get the nod on the judge’s cards.

Come to think of it, I am not even certain Malignaggi has the legs to keep Diaz on the end of his jab. In Malignaggi’s recent fights he has been looking more and more like a boxer that has lost a step or two.

Now, Malignaggi supporters can easily point to his level of competition as the rationale for why he has not looked spectacular (Juan Diaz fans could do the same) but I get the sense that Malignaggi has been going life and death with his foes because he can no longer implement the same style of fighting that he has in the past.

In my opinion, Diaz has been losing competitive fights against better fighters but he has still been able to fight his type of fight. I really have not witnessed a major decline in the skill set of Juan Diaz. The reason he has lost his last two out of three contests is simply because he was in with highly skilled opponents.

At this stage of the game I do not feel Malignaggi qualifies as a highly skilled opponent. He simply does not have the physical strength or punching power to discourage Diaz in an inside fight, and I have serious questions about his ability to move away from Diaz for twelve rounds.

If you follow my writings you know I absolutely hate leaving any fight in the hands of the three blind mice at ringside. If you are backing Malignaggi you are doing just that and should seriously look at taking him by decision if the odds permit it.

In my evaluation, I don’t see Malignaggi being able to keep Diaz off of him for the entire night. I fully expect the constant pressure from Diaz to slowly break Malignaggi down as the fight wears on.

With that said, I don’t think Malignaggi is just going to quit in the corner. If the fight is going to be stopped I think it will need to be in the form of a referee stoppage or maybe a corner/doctor stoppage.

The one wild card that Diaz knockout backers need to be aware of is the possibility of Diaz getting cut in this fight. To me, this is one of the major, if not the single most significant risk Diaz faces in this fight.

Because I am not certain how a potential cut could be ruled in this fight (I was burned badly in the Nate Campbell V Timothy Bradley fight on this very issue) I am just going to take “fight will not go 12 full” and look for something, anything, to end the fight before the final bell.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Won’t Go Distance {+200}
Krakrabbit: 2.00 Units On Diaz By KO {+250}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: 1.00 Units On Won’t Go Distance {+200}
D3: 2.00 Units On Won’t Go Distance {+200}

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night we have living legend Roy Jones Jr., (53-5, 39KO’s) squaring off against Jeff “Half Beard” Lacy, (25-2, 17KO’s) in a WBO, NABO light heavyweight title affair, live from the Gulf Coast Arena, Biloxi, Mississippi.

Jones opened the contest as the clear betting favorite, but as soon as the line was placed the public quickly jumped on him, knocking his number all the way up to -490. Currently he is hovering around a -420 favorite to defeat Jeff Lacy on Saturday night. Lacy supporters get the underdog cash at +335. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +165 and the over sitting at -190.

If you like Jones by stoppage you can get the former heavyweight champion of the world at +225, while a Jones decision nets you +105. You can get the powerful Lacy by stoppage at +485, and Lacy by decision will net you +1475. The odds the fight is declared a draw lands at +3500.

I will try and keep this preview of Jones V Lacy short and to the point…Jones wins!!

The reason I feel this fight is very cut and dry is simply because I believe at the tender age of 32 Jeff Lacy is a shot fighter.

Now, I imagine a ton of people out there shouting “Roy Jones Jr. is also a shot fighter.” While there is certainly no question in my mind Jones is not the fighter that he once was, I still feel even at the ripe old age of 40, Roy Jones Jr. stands head and shoulders above Jeff Lacy.

If this fight happens to take place in their primes, (did Lacy even have a prime?) there is no question that Jones would be a huge betting favorite and would toy with Lacy for as long as the fight lasted.

Granted, neither guy is in their prime, but in my opinion Jones still has more then enough talent left to best Jeff Lacy.

Even when Lacy was being touted as the next big thing in boxing, anyone with eyeballs could see his team was simply matching him up against sacrificial lambs that were there to make him look good.

His gaudy 21-0 (17) record did little for him when he finally decided to roll the dice and take on a real fighter named Joe Calzaghe.

Calzaghe hammered Lacy for twelve brutal rounds, knocking him down in the 12th and final round, enroute to a lopsided unanimous decision by the scores of 119-105, 119-107 and 119-107.

In all honestly, even though Lacy has gone on to a 4-1 record since the Calzaghe beating, I feel that fight was the end of Jeff Lacy’s career.

Ever since that brutal one-sided loss to Joe Calzaghe, Jeff Lacy has never looked “right” in the ring. He has failed to score a stoppage win since that fight, and even though he is still “winning”, it seems like every time he steps into the ring he is forced to go life and death with average opposition.

In fact, three of his four wins after the Joe Calzaghe fight have been close majority decisions. Now, we are not talking about world-class oppositions here. Names like Vitali Tsypko, Epifanio Mendoza, and Otis Griffin do not exactly litter the current pound-4-pound ratings.

Although Jones is no longer invincible, he still has incredible hand speed and is second to none when it comes to potshotting an opponent.

We all know the punch that you don’t see hurts you the most. I feel Jones brings enough speed and punching power to hurt and even drop Lacy, but finishing him off is an entirely different matter.

Even in his prime Jones was never considered a “killer” inside the ring. Most of his stoppages have come from long drawn out beatdowns that slowly broke down his overmatched opponents. As he has aged his lack of finishing skills have deteriorated even further.

With that said, Lacy is moving up to 175 pounds for this fight, a full seven pounds higher then he has ever fought as a pro. Also, Lacy tends to swell extremely bad around his eyes and I have a feeling Jones is going to be able to land his potshots on him at an incredibly high percentage rate.

Then there is the fatigue factor. Even at 168 pounds Lacy’s stamina was nothing special. He usually would get off to a fast start and then start to fade around the fifth round. I would not be surprised to see him fade even earlier at 175 pounds.

If Lacy starts to fade and just stands on the outside, Jones is going to pick his shots carefully until he starts to slice/dice/swell him up.

Although there is no doubting Lacy’s toughness inside the ring, I think his slow, plodding style is made to order for Jones. Lacy throws one bomb at a time and that will allow Jones to rest whenever he wants. When Jones goes on the attack it will be target practice.

If Jones really wants to, I think he has a legitimate chance of stopping Lacy (probably due to swelling) anytime after the fifth round.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Jones By KO {+225}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Jones By KO {+225}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Under 10 Full Rounds {+140} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: .50 Units On Lacy By KO {+485}
D3: 1.00 Units On Under 9.5 Rounds {+165}

Showtime Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night on Showtime we have Nate “Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell, (33-5-1, 25KO’s) making his debut at 140-pounds against current WBO/WBC champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley, (24-0, 11KO’s) live from the Aqua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, CA.

Bradley opened the fight as the odds on favorite at –245, but a flood of public bread came in on him skyrocketing his number all the way to -300. Campbell supporters can get the underdog payday at +250. The O/U for the fight has been set at 9.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -280 and the under coming in at +240.

Campbell by KO comes in at +334, while Campbell by decision will reward you with +778. Bradley by KO hits the mark at +370, and Bradley by decision lands at -128. The odds the fight is declared a draw land at +2200.

This will be Campbell’s first crack at the 140-pound division. The move to 140 pounds was forced upon Campbell by his thirty-seven year old body this past February. After struggling to shed down to the 135-pound limit for many years, he was finally unable to make the required 135-pound weight limit in his February title defense against Ali Funeka.

Although Campbell won the bout with Funeka via majority decision, the fight was not ruled as a successful title defense since he failed to make weight and “lost” the titles on the scale prior to the contest taking place.

I personally believe a lot of Nate’s weight issues in the Ali Funeka bout stem from his yearlong layoff. Most fighters balloon up in weight when not fighting and it is clear that Nate did the same during his year out of the ring.

Although Campbell is moving up 5 pounds for the Bradley fight, we all know what Nate brings to the table. He is a crafty vet that has been around for what seems like ages.

His recent victory over Juan Diaz was simply spectacular, and even his over-the-weight performance against the freakishly tall 6’1 Ali Funeka was notable.

In the Funkea bout Campbell was obviously not at his best and he still managed to drop his foe twice. In fact, he probably would have stopped Funeka in the eleventh round of the contest if not for his empty gas tank.

Even though Bradley currently remains undefeated and is the clear betting favorite in this fight, his coming out party really just occurred back in May of 2008 when he squared off with the extremely awkward Junior Witter in Witter’s own backyard.

In his bout against Witter, Bradley immediately took the fight to his opponent and controlled the action from start to finish. He was even able to drop Witter with a thudding right hand in the sixth round of the fight.

After twelve rounds were completed, Bradley was awarded the WBC light welterweight title by split decision victory.

Just four months later Bradley followed up his win over Witter with an impressive twelve round decision win over the very game Edner Cherry.

Bradley most inspiring victory came last April in a bout against Kendall Holt. In the Holt bout Bradley was forced to deal with adversity in the very first round when Holt put him on the seat of his pants with a wicked left hook shot.

Bradley somehow managed to make it to his feet and pretty much controlled the rest of the action in the contest until late in the fight when Holt once again landed a powershot that sent Bradley to the canvas for a second time in the fight.

Fortunately for Bradley there were only a few seconds left in the match and he was able to make it out of the round, overcoming the late rally from Holt to win the fight via unanimous decision.

Now Bradley takes an even bigger step up in class when he squares off with Nate Campbell.

For Bradley to beat a cunning veteran like Nate Campbell he is going to need to apply effective pressure from the get go or he will undoubtedly find himself down on the judges scorecards or looking up at the bright lights of the Agua Caliente Casino.

There is no question Nate Campbell can crack. Bradley has been down before and his aggressive come forward style reminds a bit of how Juan Diaz fought Nate Campbell.

Both Bradley and Diaz are not huge punchers and both guys love to march forward throwing punches. Campbell was able to pick his shots well against Diaz and everything he threw seemed to find its mark.

I have little doubt that if Campbell chooses to stay in the pocket and trade with Bradley he is going to have great success landing his powerful punches.

The styles of fighters like Diaz and Bradley almost guarantee that they will be hit as they march forward. However, Campbell took it a step further with Diaz and hit him not only as he came forward, but also when he got inside.

I think Campbell is going to have those same opportunities against Bradley that he had against Diaz. He can stand and fight with the “bigger” man because even though he is the boxer moving up in weight he is still going to be the much harder puncher.

If he decides he wants to make things even more difficult for the 5’6" Bradley, he can use his three-inch reach advantage and crack Bradley as he aggressively stalks him.

Even though Campbell is thirty-seven years old and facing off against a younger, undefeated fighter, I feel Campbell holds significant advantages in experience, boxing skill, and punching power over Bradley.

I just have a sneaky suspicion that Bradley, like Diaz, thinks his youth, punches in bunches, and aggressive nature are going to be enough to win him the fight on the scorecards.

Bradley supporters better hope he implements that game plan much better then Juan Diaz did or another undefeated fighter will be walking away with a “0” after squaring off with Nate Campbell.

I can tell you one thing; If Campbell elects to stand and fight, this WBO title bout will be an absolute barnburner.

With that said, win, lose, or draw I think the odds on Campbell are totally out of whack. We are talking about a world-class fighter here that is getting +250 betting odds!

Unless Nate comes into the ring with one arm, wearing an eye patch, and sporting a broken hand, I just don’t identify with the great confidence the betting public is placing in Timothy Bradley.

I personally believe the old vet will pull off the upset, but even if he comes up short you are going to get your monies worth when Nate Campbell steps into the ring.

Boxeo: 3.00 Units On Campbell {+250}
Krakrabbit: 4.00 Units On Campbell {+250}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Campbell {+250}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Campbell {+250}
D3: 3.00 Units On Campbell {+250}

ESPN Classic Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday afternoon we are treated to a heavyweight title bout between heavy-handed knockout artist Wladimir Klitschko, (52-3, 46KOs) and undefeated heavyweight Ruslan Chagaev, (25-0-1, 17KOs). Live from the Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

Klitschko opened as the clear favorite in the fight but as soon as the line was posted public money poured in on him, shooting the line from the –500 range all the way to –800. Currently, you can score a respectable +550 on the underdog Chagaev.

The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +115 and the over at -145. Klitschko by KO comes in at -130, while Klitschko by decision will reward you with +180. Chagaev by KO hits the mark at +800, and Chagaev by decision lands at +1394.

The Wladimir Klitschko V Ruslan Chagaev bout came together in a very strange way. Chagaev was scheduled to face off with heavyweight giant Nikolay Valuev in a rematch of their 2007 contest that saw Chagaev come away with the majority decision victory.

However, in the final hours before the rematch was to commence, the entire fight card was scratched when it was discovered that Ruslan Chagaev had tested positive for the Hepatitis B virus!

This set off a change of back and fourths between the two camps, with team Chagaev insisting that Chagaev is just “a healthy carrier of hepatitis antigen with constantly normal liver enzymes” however, the Valuev camp and his promoter Don King wanted no part of Ruslan Chagaev’s explanations for the positive test and immediately petitioned the WBA to strip Chagaev of his title belt and award it to Nikolay Valuev.

Just recently The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians recommended that the Klitschko V Chagaev bout be cancelled due to the medial issues surrounding Chagaev.

The AAPRP’s statement:

As it has been reported that Mr. Ruslan Chagaev has tested positive for the Hepatitis B Virus, the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (the “AAPRP”) is recommending that the proposed contest between Mr. Ruslan Chagaev and Mr. Vladimir Klitschko be postponed due to medical safety issues.

The AAPRP also recommends that this fight not take place and suggests that Mr. Chagaev not be permitted to fight (anyone) until, and unless, he can demonstrate a “negative hepatitis status.

In several recent media accounts, it has been stated that Mr. Chagaev has a “low hepatitis B viral load” and therefore poses “no risk” of transmitting this dangerous virus. The AAPRP disagrees with this assertion. Although the risk of transmission of the Hepatitis B Virus may be minimal, the risk is not zero. Additionally, given the fact that Hepatitis B is a very virulent virus and easily transmitted, it is even more important to be prudent in order to not only protect Mr. Chagaev’s opponent, but also the referee, judges, sanctioning body officials, cornermen, ringside physicians and ringside observers who may be at risk of contracting this dangerous virus.

As boxing is obviously considered a “blood sport”, it is very common for blood to splatter on the individuals immediately adjacent at ringside. The conjunctiva (eye) route of transfer for this virus is well documented….so any person seated at ringside, who is not immunized, may be at risk.

Furthermore, statistics suggest that if Mr. Chagaev were to share needles with another individual, the transmission rate of Hepatitis B could be as high as 30%. If blood from a cut on Mr. Chagaev were to come into direct contact with a cut on another fighter, the transmission rate could be as high as 10%. Should blood squirt from Mr. Chagaev and hit another individual in the eye (i.e. Judge, referee, cornerman or media) the transmission rate could be as high as 5%. Therefore, the risk is obviously greater than zero and could put others at ringside (beside his opponent) at risk for acquiring this virus.

Unless everyone at ringside (Judges, referees, ringside physicians, commission members, sanctioning body officials, trainers, cornermen, media reporters, ring girls, television technicians, spectators and of course the fighters opponent) has documented immunity to Hepatitis B (a three shot hepatitis immunity vaccination series given over a 6 month period with a subsequent documented blood test confirming immunity), protection against exposure to this dangerous virus cannot be guaranteed.

Finally, if bleeding does occur, the individuals responsible for cleaning the ring as well as those handling the gloves must also be immune to minimize the risk as well.

The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians considers safety our number one priority and will work with local and international commissions to insure that all precautions are taken to protect all individuals involved in professional boxing.

Of course, Universum sees this matter entirely differently and issued their own statement regarding Ruslan Chagaev’s medical issues (or lack of depending on whom you believe).

Universum Statement:

Repeatingly there is irritating and false information about WBA world champion Ruslan Chagaev in the media. Universum Box-Promotion once again wants to point out the following: Even the Statement of the Association of Professional Ringside Physicians is obviously based on incorrect information.

Universum-Physician Michael Ehnert:

“The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians states that there is a “low hepatitis B viral load” in the case of Ruslan Chagaev. The facts are there has never been a proof of viruses or HBV-DNA in high sensitive PCR-tests since 2003. After achieving Hepatitis B many years ago Ruslan Chagaev has never been sick due to hepatitis B. He is just a healthy carrier of hepatitis antigen with constantly normal liver enzymes. Infection doesn’t mean illness. According to international expert opinions Ruslan Chagaev is regarded as non-infectious.”

Dr. Heiner Wedemeyer, the Secretary General of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), involved in several activities of the German Liver Foundation and the German network of Excellence on Viral Hepatitis (Hep-Net), had contacted Universum independently and stated the following:

“Ruslan Chagaev is completely healthy according to the documents. I don’t follow the interpretation of my colleague from the Finnish lab. It was probably done more for legal protection rather than scientific facts. There is no infectivity and Ruslan Chagaev would have without a doubt boxed for the third time without danger. Mr. Chagaev has a completely normal liver function and is not considered to be ill, he is just a bearer of the hepatitis B antigen.”

Wedemeyer, further urged all athletes to exclude the risk of contracting hepatitis with vaccinations.

“We at the Liver Foundation say that every athlete should inoculate themselves against hepatitis and we have already carried out this initiative with the German Olympic team in 2008.”

For his part, Klitschko has always maintained that the bout between Chagaev and Valuev should have been allowed to continue and a simple Hepatitis B immunization by Valuev could have remedied this entire situation.

Klitschko put his money (in this case his health) where is mouth is when his original opponent David Haye was forced to pull out of their fight due to a back injury suffered during training.

The reason I have taken the time to rehash this soap opera is because Chagaev’s medical issues (perceived or real) could have a huge impact on how this fight plays out.

The mere sight of a spec of blood in this fight could send shivers down the backs of everyone involved and instantly be the cause of the bout being called to a halt.

Even if all of this Hepatitis B drama had never started, Chagaev would have had his work cut out for him anyway facing a fighter with such physical advantages over him like Wladimir Klitschko holds.

Klitschko is by far the bigger man standing 6’6 inches tall to Chagaev’s 6’1. Klitschko also brings an impressive 81-inch reach to the dance while Chagaev sports a meager 74-inch reach. Klitschko also outweighs Chagaev by fifteen-pounds.

Now I know all of the Chagaev fans out there are shouting at the top of their lungs “He already beat Nikolay Valuev and that dude stands 7 feet tall and weighs 319 pounds!” True, Nikolay Valuev is bigger and weighs more then Wladimir Klitschko, but to compare the two fighters is doing a severe injustice to Klitschko.

Valuev is slow in both hand and foot speed and his power is nowhere near that of a fighter like Wladimir Klitschko’s. Other then just being “bigger” I don’t see one area where Nikolay Valuev matches up well with Klitschko.

With that said, the one benefit I see that Chagaev holds over Klitschko is the fact that he is a southpaw.

I personally believe that Klitschko is not as comfortable facing southpaws as he is an orthodoxed boxer. Even if you disregard the two round destruction at the hands of Corrie Sanders, the fact remains; Klitschko goes rounds when he squares off with southpaws.

He was forced to go the distance with Chris Byrd when they first fought way back in 2000, and it took him seven rounds of beating on Byrd to get him out of there when they rematched six years later!

We all remember (some would like to forget) his lackluster twelve round snooze fest back in 2008 against Sultan Ibragimov.

Let’s not forget his mediocre performance against southpaw Tony Thompson where he allowed Thompson to remain in the fight all the way until the eleventh round before finally starching his foe.

I remember the fight vividly because I had Klitschko by knockout at –185 odds and I was extremely worried that he was going to let that fight see the scorecards.

Heck, it even took him seven rounds to get rid of the hopelessly faded (orthodox) Hasim Rahman.

The only thing that ever makes a Wladimir Klitschko fight exciting is the fact that he brings his own glaring weaknesses into every bout.

We all know about the constant stamina issue that has plagued Klitschko’s career. Regardless of how muscular and well-conditioned Klitschko appears to the naked eye, it seems whenever he gets into the middle rounds of a fight, he hits an invisible wall and his legs turn to jelly.

I am uncertain if Klitschko is sporting a child-sized pair of lungs, or if he is just so tense and tight that he expends a ton of energy during the early portion of the bout. Regardless of the reason, he has serious stamina issues that must always be taken into consideration when betting on a Wladimir Klitschko fight.

A lot of people point to the chin of Klitschko as his Achilles Heel, but I think it is a lack of stamina that leads to him flopping around the ring like a fish out of water. When you are dead tired any punch from a heavyweight fighter can easily send you flailing around the ring.

Even with all of the question marks that always seem to surround Klitschko when he fights, there is no doubt in my mind that to win this fight, maybe even see the cards, Chagaev is going to need to fight a perfect fight.

I personally believe he should use a similar strategy like the one he was able to execute against Valuev. Granted, we already pointed out that Klitschko is leaps and bounds above Valuev, but Klitschko tends to be overly cautious in his fights and if Chagaev can use the ring and force Klitschko to walk him down he stands a better chance of going rounds.

You see, the reason Ibragimov was able to avoid big shots from Klitschko for twelve rounds was because he had great footwork and fast hands. Klitschko would do the work of walking Ibragimov down but he refused to commit himself once he had Ibragimov trapped.

I can easily envision this fight playing out the same way as the Ibragimov bout, but this time with Chagaev actually throwing punches as Klitschko walks towards him without punching.

The huge question mark for me in this fight is Ruslan Chagaev’s health. I have concerns that he may not even have the legs or stamina to implement a strategy that calls for him to box and move. I know he looked less then stellar four months ago against Carl Drummond, and I think we can all agree that Carl Drummond is no Wladimir Klitschko.

As we touched on earlier, there is also the possibility of Chagaev getting cut in this fight. He was cut over his left eye from a headbutt in his last bout against Drummond. If something like that should occur again, I can’t imagine the ringside doctors are going to be thrilled about letting a fighter with Hepatitis B bleed all over the place with the world watching and waiting to critique their every move.

Quite honestly, blood is the biggest fear I have about this fight not going rounds. If Chagaev gets cut or starts bleeding out of the nose/mouth it is going to be a crapshoot on how everything is played out.

It is also important to note that Chagaev’s corner did a terrible job of stopping the cut and his bout with Drummond was stopped because of it.

With Wladimir Klitschko’s cautious approach to fighting, and Ruslan Chagaev’s boxing ability, I think these fighters match-up well to go some rounds. With that said, if Chagaev gets cut in the fight I have a feeling everyone who took the over or decision props are going to be ripping up their betting tickets.

Boxeo: .60 Units On Over 9.5 Rounds {-120}
Krakrabbit: .50 Units On Klitschko By Decision {+200}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Under 9.5 Rounds {+115}
Doody: .65 Units On Klitschko By KO {-130}
D3: .60 Units On Over 9.5 Rounds {-120}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

This Saturday night features Miguel Cotto, (33-1, 27KO’s) stepping into the ring against Joshua Clottey (35-2, 20KO’s) in his toughest test since the beating at the hands (literally) of Antonio Margarito. The Cotto V Clottey bout will be televised live on HBO from the Madison Square Garden, New York, New York.

Cotto opened the contest as the clear betting favorite in the bout and even though his number continues to climb, public money has continued to flow in on the Puerto Rican superstar. Currently he is resting as a -350 favorite to defeat Clottey on Saturday night. Clottey supporters can get +300 for backing the dog.

The O/U for the fight has been set at 9.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -270 and the under landing at +230. Cotto by KO will net you +250, while Cotto by decision lands at +100. Clottey by KO hits the mark at +550, and Clottey by decision lands at +900. The odds of the bout being declared a draw hit the mark at +2000.

The very first thing that should stand out to fight fans about the betting line in this fight is the straight odds on Clottey hovering around +300.

Clottey has only lost two fights in his entire career and one of those losses occurred by disqualification against Carlos Baldomir in a fight Clottey was winning at the time of the DQ stoppage.

Clottey’s other loss came by unanimous decision against Antonio “Hands Of Plaster” Margarito. The bout against Antonio Margarito was a fight he was easily controlling until he hurt both hands and was unable to throw powerful combinations as he had earlier in the fight.

The “loss” did not really hurt Clottey because it was so evident that he had the ability to compete with anyone at 147 pounds.

With that said, Clottey and his hand problems are not just going to vanish because he is fighting Miguel Cotto. There is no question he is going to bring into this bout two awfully brittle hands that could alter the course of the fight at any given time.

Even though Clottey does not appear to hit a “wall” as his bouts progress, he does tend to take large portions of the rounds off where he will go extremely defensive, allowing his opponents to outwork him.

One huge asset for Clottey in this bout will be his extremely durable beard. Although Cotto can crack with the best of them, I would be very surprised if he is able to put Clottey on the seat of his pants.

After the brutal beating at the hands of Antonio “H.O.P.” Margarito, there are bound to be some serious questions regarding the resiliency of Cotto inside the ring. Although Clottey is an extremely skillful fighter, he lands his punches with authority but is not a one-punch knockout artist.

I feel this fight will come down to how long Cotto is able to fend off the fade demon.

If Cotto is in real fighting shape (mentally & physically) and does not fade as the second half of the fight begins to play out, I think he has an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the many times where Clottey goes completely defensive.

The times where Clottey goes into his defensive shell are so numerous I honestly feel it could lose him the fight!

Although Bob Arum promotes both fighters, we cannot overlook the potential blockbuster fight between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquaio that can only happen if Cotto gets out of MSG with a victory.

I doubt “Pac Man” or his team is interested in a fight with Clottey. Not only is Clottey a dangerous foe to tangle with, but he also does not bring the name recognition ($$$) that a fighter like Miguel Cotto does.

It also benefits Cotto that the fight is taking place in Madison Square Garden where Cotto has a huge Puerto Rican following. Not to mention the bout takes place the day before the Puerto Rican Day Parade! These are factors one cannot dismiss when looking at this fight. Remember this is boxing we are talking about here!!

In my opinion Clottey’s best chance at pulling off the upset comes in the form of a knockout. I personally believe he starts his fights out too slow and takes too much time off during the rounds to beat Cotto on the cards. Even after the beating Cotto was taking in the second half of the fight against Margarito, the fight was still extremely close heading into the eleventh round of the bout.

For Clottey to score that upset knockout victory he is going to have to be much more consistent in his attack then he has been in previous bouts. As I pointed out earlier, Clottey is not a huge one-punch knockout artist. I feel he is going to need to supply an unrelenting pounding on Miguel Cotto to wear him down in hopes of stop him late in the fight.

I sense Cotto is smart enough inside that squared circle to understand that by fight time he will be facing a boxer that could easily weigh 160-170 pounds! I believe Cotto has enough hand speed and lateral movement that he will be able to outbox his slower opponent as long as his conditioning allows, in an attempt to win this thing via the three blind mice at ringside.

Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Cotto By Decision {+100}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Cotto By Decision {+100}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Clottey {+300}
Doody: 2.00 Units On Cotto By Decision {+100}
D3: .50 Units On Clottey {+300}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night Andre Berto, (24-0, 19KO’s) will look to make the second successful defense of his WBC welterweight title against IBF light welterweight world champion Juan Urango, (21-1-1, 16KO’s). The Berto /Urango bout will take place live from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood Florida and will be televised by HBO at 9:45pm ET/6:45PM PT.

Berto opened as the clear betting favorite in the bout and currently sits at -450. Urango supporters can snatch the plus money + 365. The over/under for the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the over netting you +100, while the under comes in at -120.

Berto by KO comes in at +300, while Berto by decision will run you -120. Urango by KO hits the mark at +400, and Urango by decision lands at +1200. The odds the fight will be declared a draw land at +2500.

On paper the Berto V Urango fight is very intriguing. If you have never had the opportunity to see Urango, he is built like a Mack truck and has plenty of power to go along with it.

However, he has fought most of his career at 140 pounds or lower, and has molasses for hand speed and his foot speed could not be any slower if he was stuck in quick sand.

Berto is the complete opposite of Urango. He is naturally the bigger man, having never fought below 145 pounds, has great foot movement, and has lightning hand speed.

The big question for both of these boxers comes in the form of how well they will be able to take a flush shot from their opponent.

Berto has been down before (Cosme Rivera) and was rocked in the first round by Luis Collazo. I just am not sold on the building materials of his chin. He has tremendous talent, but I get the sense that it won’t take a lot to put him on the canvas.

While Urango is stout and looks like a professional bodybuilder, he too has been rocked by his previous opponents shots (Nasser Athumani) and I feel this time around both guys are in with better fighters then they were in their past struggles.

Although Urango is the naturally smaller man, he is going to have no choice but to bullrush forward and try to get close to Berto. He is simply too slow to fight an outside fight with the much quicker Berto, and one of Berto’s biggest flaws is his inability to fight at close range.

For all of his boxing ability Berto fails miserably at fighting with his opponents on the inside. Almost immediately when his opponent gets into close punching range Berto employs the "John Ruiz School of Defense" and grabs his opponent in a bear hug.

His excessive holding even cost him a one-point deduction in his last fight against Luis Collazo.

Even when Berto is the one initiating the offensive assault, as soon as he is done punching he will routinely grab his opponent and wait for the referee to break them.

It can be extremely frustrating to watch such a talented fighter like Berto resort to holding his foe at every possible opportunity. I am not certain why Berto holds so much on the inside, but I have a feeling it has more to do with stamina concerns then a lack of inside fighting skills.

Regardless of the reason(s) why Berto refuses to engage in any type of inside warfare, one must expect that he will employ this same type of defensive maneuver when he fights Juan Urango on Saturday night.

In fact, if there ever were a time and place for Berto to hold his opponent when he got into close punching range it would be Saturday night against Urango.

The only way I can envision Urango winning this fight is by KO. Most unbiased observers had Berto far behind in points when his fight with Luis Collazo concluded, yet the three blind mice at ringside somehow found a way to give Berto a unanimous decision win on the scorecards.

For Urango to score the upset KO victory I think he is going to need to be inside of Berto’s comfortable punching range, cracking him to the body and head.

Although Berto has solid boxing skills, he can punch, and at times loves to get down and dirty, turning his bouts into street fights. Urango is going to need to feed off that aggressive nature of Berto and take advantage of those opportunities to land his big powerful bombs.

If Berto did not hold so much during his bouts I think this fight would be an easy case of somebody getting laid out cold. Urango is going to press forward and is so slow and easy to hit, Berto is going to have a field day smacking him in the face.

On the flip side, Berto loves to trade and that opens up the real possibility of him getting caught by a huge shot from Urango as they trade toe-to-toe. There is also the prospect of Urango getting inside the punching range of Berto and working him over until Berto is able to secure his Vulcan death grip on him and force the ref to intervene.

I think the deciding factor on how this fight plays out rests all on Andre Berto’s shoulders. We already know what Urango is going to try and do, and where he can be successful. Berto has more options in the fight and could choose to outbox Urango as he plods forward, much like how Andre Ward fought Edison Miranda a couple of weekends ago.

I still feel that even if Berto decided to box there will be opportunities for him to put some serious hurt on Urango as he walks forward, but as we saw with Ward, sometimes fighters are content with just doing enough to win the fight on the judges scorecards.

With that said, I sense a little bit more “fire” in the belly of Berto then Ward. He dug down deep in his bout with Collazo and showed when his back is pressed against the wall he will try and fight his way off.

If Berto displays his usual aggressive nature against Urango I think the odds of somebody getting clipped and knocked out is enormous. The only danger in this fight not ending before the final bell lies in Berto’s ability to easily outbox Urango without stepping into harms way.

As I pointed out above, even if Berto boxes he can still land at an incredible accuracy percentage. The question will then become what will he do when he begins to land at will? Will he do just enough to keep Urango at bay like Ward did with Miranda? Or will he sit down and take his overmatched foe out?

One key element in the fight could end up being the uppercut of Andre Berto. Berto loves to throw this punch throughout his fights and Urango loves to eat them throughout his fights.

Urango is very susceptible to the uppercut and I would not be surprised to see Berto nailing him with this punch anytime he chooses.

Conversely, Berto is not without his own defensive flaws. For as much talent as the kid has he sure does get hit a lot! I am not certain he can take the same amount of abuse against Urango that he has thus far in his career and still be standing at the end of the night.

Even though I would not be shocked at a Ward/Miranda type outcome, I am going to go out on a limb and predict that somebody’s clock gets cleaned before the final ding of the bell.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Berto By KO {+350} & 1.00 Units On Urango {+365}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Berto By KO {+350} & 1.00 Units On Urango {+365}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+100} & .50 Units On Berto By KO {+350}
Doody: .50 Units On Berto By KO {+350}
D3: .50 Units Urango {+365}

Showtime Predictions
By Boxeo

The Saturday night Showtime main event features Olympic gold medallist Andre “SOG” Ward, (18-0, 12KO’s) facing off against hard punching Edison “Pantera” Miranda, (32-3, 28KO’s) live from the Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA.

Although Miranda is undoubtedly the toughest foe Ward has faced in his young career, Ward still comes into the contest as the clear favorite in the bout at -310. Miranda gets the underdog cash at +260. The O/U for the fight has been set at 9.5 rounds, with the over at +110 and the under coming in at -130.

Ward by KO comes in at +106, while Ward by decision will reward you with +225. Miranda by KO hits the mark at +340, and Miranda by decision lands at +1400. The odds the fight is declared a draw land at +3000.

At this point in his young career Andre Ward has become accustom to being the odds on favorite heading into each of his bouts. The young undefeated Olympian possesses lightning quick hand speed and a boxing presence inside the ring that is very similar to former pound-4-pound king Roy Jones Jr.

What Ward does not possess is a solid set of whiskers. In only his second fight as a pro Ward was seriously wobbled by a left hook from little known Kenny Kost, and in his seventh pro fight unknown Darnell Boone dropped him on the seat of his pants. Already in his young career Ward has been wobbled and tasted the canvas.

It’s not so much the fact of Ward going down, or being hurt on a few occasions that trouble me the most, it is the quality of opposition, as well as the way he reacted to those shots that cause concern.

Ward was obviously being moved slowly in his pro career, but to be facing such adversity at such an early stage of his professional career does not say great things about his ability to take a flush shot to the chin. Granted, Ward has overcome said adversity, but it appears it is only a matter of time before somebody connects cleanly and Ward doesn’t get up!

So the question becomes can Miranda become the first fighter to put Ward down and keep him there?

In my opinion Miranda is by far the toughest fighter and the hardest puncher Ward has faced to date. Miranda has also faced the much better competition throughout his career, having squared off with the likes of Kelly Pavlik, Arthur Abraham (twice), Allan Green, and Howard Eastman.

Even though Miranda gives up a bit of height against ward (Miranda is 5’10 to Ward’s 6’1) he dwarfs Wards 73-inch reach with a tremendous 77.5-inches.

Although I don’t anticipate Miranda trying to outbox Ward, the reach benefit Miranda brings to the dance could allow him to hit Ward from the outside where “SOG” usually has the clear advantage over his opponents.

Because of the styles that each fighter brings into the ring, one must assume that Miranda is going to do all or most of his best work on the inside. Ward brings the much faster hands to the fight and he should be able to crack Miranda as he marches forward.

With that said, if Miranda is somehow able to do any type of quality work from the outside Andre Ward is going to be in for a rough night.

The problem for Ward in this fight is not being technically inferior to his opponent, but his chinny-chin-chin.

As we pointed out earlier, Ward has been hurt and down before in his fights against much lesser fighters/punchers then Edison Miranda.

I think most people look at Ward and classify him as a “boxer”, and at times he can box very well (see the Jones Jr. reference above) but I have noticed that when a fighter gets in his chest and marches forward with real authority, Ward tends to like to stand his ground and lay some serious heat on his opponents.

He launches his aggressive counter attack mainly with his right hand and he throws that thing with 100 percent full force. With the amount of pressure that Miranda is going to bring to him I can envision Ward trying to time Miranda as he bull rushes forward with those long right hand shots.

Normally I would not even considered the power of Ward to play into this fight. Even though he has 12 stoppage wins in 18 fights, the level of competition has been far removed from what Edison Miranda brings to the table.

However, there are a few question marks surrounding this version of Miranda that Ward will face on Saturday night. Miranda has been knocked out in two of his three losses (Pavlik and Abraham) and his most recent stoppage loss came in only four rounds in his rematch with Arthur Abraham.

In that second fight with Abraham, Miranda looked weak and his punch resistance was frightening. Every shot that Abraham bounced off his head had “Pantera” wobbling in his boots.

Granted, Pavlik and Abraham are two of the hardest punchers in the middleweight division, but Miranda is not hard to find and I question how long his chin is going to hold up under the consistent barrage of lightning quick punches that Ward is going to deliver.

Speaking of lightning quick punches, the speed difference in this fight is going to be alarming. Miranda looked painfully slow in his last fight against Joey Vegas, (11-4-1, 4KO’s) and stayed on the outside “boxing” a lot more then one would like from a fighter of Miranda’s skill level. It’s no secret he does not possess the skills or hand speed to outbox Ward, his only chance is to land a shot that sends Ward to the canvas for the ten count.

I actually thought Vegas stunned Miranda a few times in their fight with right hand shots. Miranda had most of his success when he rushed forward after Vegas, but as limited a boxer as Vegas is he was still able to make Miranda miss wide looping hooks and right hands. I think it’s safe to assume that if Vegas could make Miranda miss in spots, Ward will have a much easier time doing the same.

I think it will only take one sweet shot to end the reign of Ward but I have a strange feeling Ward’s team picked Miranda at absolutely the best time to score an impressive victory over a “name” guy in the division.

I believe Miranda’s punch resistance has been shattered by the beatings at the hands of Pavlik and Abraham. Throw in his lack of defense and now you have a recipe for a true disaster just waiting to happen.

I don’t feel Ward is the hardest puncher “Pantera” has faced, but when your body does not respond to punches like it use to it doesn’t take Hercules to wreck your world.

Miranda has one shot and one shot only…a one punch KO! He has to go for that homerun shot very early in the game before Ward finds his rhythm and starts to dent his own chin.

If Ward had even a little better beard this would be complete and utter domination by Andre Ward. Miranda gets hit at will with right hand shots and I think if Ward is able to stay away from getting hit on the chin that is going to be the shot that knocks out Miranda.

Because of the shaky chin of Ward I have no choice but to cover the possibility of Miranda landing a bomb before his head is taken off, but I am anticipating a clear-cut knockout victory for Andre Ward!

Boxeo: 4.00 Units On Ward By KO {+110} & .50 Units On Miranda By KO Rounds 1-3 {+1500} & .50 Units On Miranda By KO Rounds 4-6 {+1400}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Ward By KO {+110} & 1.20 Units On Under 10 Full Rounds {-1.20} (Vegas Odds)
Grass Hopper: 1.20 Units Under 10 Full Rounds {-1.20} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 2.40 Units Under 10 Full Rounds {-1.20} (Vegas Odds)
D3: 2.40 Units Under 10 Full Rounds {-1.20} (Vegas Odds)

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night showcases Ricky “Hitman” Hatton’s (45-1, 32KO’s) quest to regain his place among the elite boxers in the 140-pound division when he squares off against the number one pound-4-pound fighter in the world (at least until Floyd Mayweather Jr. officially comes out of retirement) Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao, (48-3-2, 36KO’s), live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV.

Pacquiao was quickly installed as the clear betting favorite in the fight and the line has done nothing but get higher with Pacquiao circling around the –280 mark. Hatton supporters can grab the underdog money at +230. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds with the over coming in at –145 and the under at +120.

Hatton by KO comes in at +375, while Hatton by decision will reward you with +918. Pacquiao by KO hits the mark at +150, and Pacquiao by decision lands at +265.

Saturday night is a gigantic opportunity for Ricky Hatton. Not many fighters are knocked out by the best pound-4-pound fighter in the sport (Floyd Mayweather Jr.) then just a little over one year later get another chance to face the consensus P4P king Manny Pacquiao.

Since his brutal knockout loss to Mayweather, Ricky Hatton has gone on a two-fight win streak with victories over Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi.

His first fight back after the Mayweather defeat was against Juan Lazcano and Hatton looked terrible. Lazcano was a shell of his former self in that bout, but whenever he decided to let his hands go he could not miss his target. In fact, many people feel Hatton needed some hometown cooking from the referee to save him from being knocked out by Lazcano!

Regardless if Hatton would have actually been stopped if not for the referee jumping in to stop the action and tie his shoe, the fact remains Hatton quickly realized that at this stage of his career he must implement some head movement to help avoid being hit so often.

After his poor showing against Juan Lazcano, Hatton went out and hired Floyd Mayweather Sr. to help employ some type of defensive technique to his arsenal. As we all know Hatton was never a defensive genius, but his lack of punch resistance against Lazcano was shocking.

There are few better defensive professors in the game then Floyd Mayweather Sr., and even though Mayweather and Hatton only had a very short time to work together in training camp before he squared off against Malignaggi, you could see straight away that Floyd Sr. added new dimensions to the game of Ricky Hatton.

Against Paulie, Hatton used his jab as he marched forward and did away with a lot of the grappling and holding that so many of the Ricky Hatton fans had become disgusted with.

Hatton worked well when he was able to get inside of the retreating Malignaggi and reduced the amount of times he wildly leapt forward after his foe.

With that said, Hatton still had major defensive liabilities as he attacked Malignaggi. For some reason Hatton has a terrible time moving his head and avoiding his opponents power shots.

When Malignaggi decided to stand and punch, he often found Hatton’s face with his jab and right hand. The saving grace for Ricky in his bout against Malignaggi was his lack of punching power.

Although Malignaggi was able to mark Hatton’s face up with the shots he landed, he simply was not strong enough to hurt Hatton.

As we all know by now, just hitting Hatton in the face is not enough to deter his tremendous non-stop pressure. If you want to keep Ricky Hatton off of you it is extremely important that you lay some serious hurt on him.

With only five stoppage wins in twenty-five fights, Malignaggi was unable to hurt Hatton as he rushed forward and this allowed Ricky to put the pedal to the metal and force an inside fight.

Malignaggi simply did not have the physical strength or punching power to discourage Hatton and after eleven rounds of punishment Malignaggi’s corner threw in the towel, marking Ricky Hatton as the first fighter to ever stop Paulie Malignaggi.

Now Hatton faces his stiffest test since Floyd Mayweather Jr. when he tackles the pride of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao.

It is simply amazing what Pacquiao has been able to accomplish in the sport with his non-stop scale climbing that he has fashioned throughout his career.

Now it is not uncommon for fighters to move up in weight as they get older or even for a super fight here and there, but Pacquiao is taking the term “moving up in weight” to a whole new level.

The kid originally started out his professional boxing career at 106 pounds! He slowly marched his way up the boxing weight classes until finally hitting his all time high of 142 pounds in his last bout against Oscar De La Hoya.

From the time he started his career until his last fight he has moved up thirty-six pounds. Granted, his body is in tremendous shape and he has loads of energy inside the ring, but at some point and time you have to wonder when he will hit the wall?

I personally thought that wall crashing was going to occur in his last fight with Oscar. On paper he was facing a fighter that was bigger, stronger, taller, had the better beard, and brought a six-inch reach advantage to the fight.

Obviously all of those “advantages” were negated when Oscar came into the ring on fight night a walking zombie, weighing close to what he did the day prior.

Although Manny is moving back down in weight for his fight against Hatton, I think his brutal destruction of De La Hoya is the main reason he is listed as a 2-1 favorite over the “Hitman”.

It’s hard for fight fans to get that image out of their heads of Pacquiao peppering Oscar’s face time and time again with left hands and right hooks. Nobody in De La Hoya’s entire career has ever dominated him like Pacquiao did.

Even though I think the win over De La Hoya was extraordinary, I did see a few things in that fight (numerous fights really) I feel Hatton will be able to exploit.

The first and probably the most important error Pacquiao makes are moving straight back when his opponents attack. Because Oscar put up such a pathetic offensive performance it is harder to observe Pacquiao making this fatal flaw, but trust me there were times in that fight when the old man pushed Pac straight back into the ring ropes.

Having his back to the ropes is not an area that Pacquiao will want to be in against Hatton. In fact, engaging an inside fight with Hatton against the ropes or in the center of the ring is not going to sit well with his trainer Freddie Roach at all.

Pacquiao’s team wants him to fire off his shots and then turn Hatton so Ricky is forced to reset his feet and start his advancement all over again. They understand that if Manny stands in front of Hatton, or allows him to bully him into the ropes, they are in for a very long night.

The most recent fighter to force Manny into the ropes and fight moving backwards was Erik Morales in their first fight. He bullied Pacquiao around the ring and instantly threw Pacquiao out of his rhythm.

I think to win this fight Hatton needs to be extremely forceful as he advances and compel Manny to either stand toe-to-toe or move straight back into the ropes in a defensive posture.

The other area I noticed that Hatton should be able to exploit is the extremely high guard Pacquiao uses as he moves straight backwards. When he is forced straight back he glues his gloves to the side of his face and leaves his body totally unprotected.

Hatton is a wicked body puncher (they don’t call him the Manchester Mexican for nothing) and Pacquiao has been stopped before with shots to the body.

Although I see some areas where Hatton may have the advantage that is not to suggest Hatton is not going to be hit and hit often. Pacquiao has faced the best of the best in the lower weight divisions and delivers his punches with incredible speed and power.

In fact, one area where Manny holds an edge over Hatton it will be in the speed department. Hatton is still pretty fast for his weight division, but from all of the training footage I have been able to see of Manny it still appears he will hold the slight edge in hand speed when the two meet in the ring.

Although I expect Pacquiao to have the hand speed advantage in the ring I think we all can agree that Manny has serious technical flaws. Truth be told, he has a severely limited offensive arsenal. It is no mystery that Manny’s best punch is his left hand. Most of his offense is derived from a simple one-two combination punch.

On paper it would seem like a very easy task to nullify Pacquiao’s incomplete offensive arsenal, but the guy hits so hard that it only takes a single grazing shot to send his opponents down and out for the count.

With that said, Pacquiao without a doubt has progressed as a fighter since long time trainer Freddie Roach first started working with him. Under the tutelage of Roach, the hard-hitting “Pac Man” has added a very respectable body attack to his repertoire (just ask Erik Morales) as well as a slowly improving lead right hook from the southpaw stance.

In the end, the left hand will always be Manny Pacquiao’s most dangerous weapon.

I anticipate wicked exchanges throughout this fight as both fighters try and impose their will on each other. Remember, throughout his long career “Pac Man” has been considered a puncher and even though Hatton is working with the defensive wizard Floyd Mayweather Sr., Hatton is still an aggressive, in your face brawler.

If the action starts fast and furious I would also not be surprised to see both fighters marked up in the face very early in the fight. In the past both guys have had trouble with cuts and Hatton’s face also swells awfully bad.

In my opinion, the biggest danger for Hatton is going to be as he attempts to close the distance and get inside on Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. already showed what happens when you catch Ricky Hatton rushing forward with a counterpunch, and Manny Pacquiao has tremendously fast hands and punching power to go with it. If Manny decides to box, Hatton is going to need head movement to avoid Pacquiao’s sharp counterpunching as he walks forward.

If Floyd Mayweather Sr. has been unable to implement a solid defensive gameplan for Hatton, I find it tremendously hard to believe he will be able to beat Pacquiao.

Hatton has struggled with southpaws in the past and on Saturday night he is facing the best southpaw, and second best fighter, he has ever been in the ring with. Defense is not something he can affordto neglect against Manny Pacquiao.

Hatton supporters point to the Paulie Malignaggi fight as proof of the new & improved Ricky Hatton, but Manny Pacquiao is an entirely different beast then Paulie Malignaggi. If Hatton has not improved his head movement and ability to defend counterpunches, there is a real chance on Saturday night that he suffers his second knockout defeat.

By the same token Ricky Hatton is not a tired, old, weak Oscar De La Hoya. Hatton is probably the quickest fighter in recent memory that Manny has been in the ring with.

If De La Hoya could push Pacquiao backwards I have no doubt in my mind that Ricky Hatton will be able to do the same.

I feel the early rounds will probably end up being the most action packed. I can envision this fight playing out in favor of both guys. Hatton getting Pacquiao to move straight back and crushing him to the head and body or Pacquiao nailing Hatton as he marches forward with little or no head movement and busting up his face as the rounds wear on.

Boxeo: 4.00 Units On Under 10.5 Rounds {+110} (Vegas Odds) & 3.00 Units On Pacquiao By KO {+200} (Vegas Odds)
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Pacquiao By KO {+200} (Vegas Odds)
Grass Hopper: 4.00 Units On Under 10.5 Rounds {+110} (Vegas Odds) & 3.00 Units On Pacquiao By KO {+200} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: .50 Units On Hatton {+230}
D3: .50 Units On Hatton {+230}

Showtime Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night fight fans will be treated to 168-pound WBC title fight when former undisputed middleweight champion of the world Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor, (28-2-1, 17KO’s) battles reigning WBC super middleweight champion Carl “Cobra” Froch, (24-0, 19KO’s.) live from the Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut.

Taylor opened the contest as the slight betting favorite and the line has remained pretty much stagnant with Taylor resting at –125 and Froch sitting at +105.

The O/U on the bout is set at 10.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +130, and the over at –170. Taylor by KO comes in at +355, while Taylor by decision will reward you with +215. Froch by KO hits the mark at +273, and Froch by decision lands at +315. The odds of the bout being declared a draw stand at +2500.

After the two very close decision wins against Hopkins, Taylor was thought of as the next big thing in middleweight boxing. His wins over Hopkins were considered the passing of the torch from one great middleweight champion of the world to a future great middleweight champion.

However, Taylor quickly started to lose his superstar label after being involved in back-to-back-to-back uninspiring performances against Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma, and Cory Spinks.

Many experts and fight fans believed he should have been 0-3 in that stretch of bouts instead of 2-0-1. In fact, if you throw in the two Bernard Hopkins bouts, you could make the case that Taylor could easily have been 0-5 from 2005-2007.

All five of those contests went the distance with Taylor being on the receiving end of very questionable decisions. Some folks even went as far as to suggest that regardless of the way the fight unfolded inside the ring, when it went to the scorecards, Taylor just could not seem to lose.

For some reason since the Hopkins fights, Taylor has appeared to regress as a fighter. He is not as aggressive as he once was, and even his highly touted jab does not get used with consistency.

In his first bout with Pavlik, Taylor started fast and went right after him, dropping the “Ghost” in round two. However, Taylor let him off the hook and paid dearly for it when he was knocked out five rounds later.

In the rematch with Pavlik, Taylor reverted back to the reluctant warrior and attempted to box his way to a decision win. He knew without a doubt Pavlik could not only hurt him, but stop him too. So this time around he decided to let the three blind mice at ringside decide his fate.

Although Taylor received nothing but love from the ringside judges when he was an undefeated, rising superstar, things did not turn out exactly how he planned when he was the one that ended up losing on the scorecards to Pavlik in the rematch.

The fact that Taylor regressed back to a boxing style that allowed his opponents to gain ground on him was not shocking at all. In fact, leading up to the Pavlik fight it had become commonplace for him to allow light-hitting boxers to easily bully him around the ring.

Taylor received a lot of heat from the media and fight fans about his lackluster performances and I think he entered the first fight with Pavlik seeking to show the critics that he still had that fire burning inside him.

After his first loss to Pavlik, Taylor fired legendary trainer Emmanuel Steward and replaced him with his former trainer Ozell Nelson.

I must assume it was Nelson that implemented the boxing/counter punching style in the Pavlik rematch in the hopes of either catching Pavlik as he came forward, or winning on the cards.

Obviously that tactic did not work, but I have a feeling on Saturday night he will try to get Taylor to fight a similar fight when he faces off against Carl Froch.

Quite honestly, when I watch Carl Froch box, I wonder how on earth Taylor can only be a slim favorite?

Froch stands right in front of his opponents with his hands down and his chin sticking out. His hand speed is non-existent, his reflexes are poor, and his footwork is robotic at best.

When I watch him in the ring he appears to be trying to emulate the great Roy Jones Jr., but the product Froch is able to turn out is nowhere near what Roy Jones Jr. (even the 40 year old version) brings to the dance.

Now that I have soiled almost every aspect of Carl Forch’s game, I do have to admit that throughout his career he has shown a solid beard and powerful punches. When he isn’t awkwardly moving around the ring and actually puts his punches together (although wide and sloppy) he throws in combinations most of the time.

It’s no secret that Saturday Froch is making his first trip to the United States and that his competition over in the UK has been less then spectacular. One of the biggest names on his resume came in his last fight when he won a twelve round decision over previously undefeated Jean Pascal.

Froch received a ton of praise for beating Pascal (another poor man’s version of Jones Jr.) and some Froch backers have even went as far as saying that Jean Pascal is a better fighter then Jermain Taylor.

It is simply ludicrous for anyone to compare Jean Pascal and Jermain Taylor. Taylor has been in with, and beaten, some of the best fighters in the sport of boxing while Pascal’s record is littered with faceless pugs.

Two of Pascal’s most well known opponents only came to in the last two years when he faced Kingsley Ikeke and Carl Froch. I think it’s safe to say that those names are far from the names listed on Jermain Taylor’s resume!

Although just like Froch, Taylor won his last bout via twelve round decision, Taylor did not receive as much praise for his dominating performance over former world champion Jeff Lacy as Froch did for his win over Pascal.

Even though Lacy had only one single loss heading into his fight with Taylor, most people that follow the sport considered “Left Hook” to be a worn fighter. Ever since the beating he absorbed at the hands of Joe Calzaghe, Jeff Lacy has never been able to regain that old form that had so many people proclaiming him as the next big thing to hit boxing.

When the two entered the ring that night it was clear that Taylor was the better fighter. He hammered Lacy with jabs and right hands that sent the powerhouse reeling around the ring.

It appeared that Taylor could have stopped Lacy if he would have sat down on his punches more and put in a real effort to do so, but as is often the case with Taylor, he was pleased with just battering Lacy around the ring for twelve rounds and wining on the judge’s scorecards.

Although I feel Taylor put on a solid performance against Lacy, boxing fans no longer give the former undisputed middleweight champion of the world slack for pedestrian performances like they did after his two wins over Bernard Hopkins.

Fight fans have been forced to sit through too many of his bouts (title defenses) where he would show flashes of brilliance only to take his foot off the gas pedal.

Speaking of gas pedals, this is one area, probably the only area of the fight that truly concerns me. Taylor is infamous for starting out of the blocks extremely fast and then fading down the stretch.

His lack of a full gas tank often contributes to him making “easy” fights that much harder. He will start out blistering his opponents with all of the tools that we know Jermain possesses in his arsenal, but then as the middle and late rounds approach the dreaded fatigue monster rears his ugly head and Taylor is regulated to jabbing and holding his opponent until the final bell sounds.

I think that fatigue demon that Taylor seems to battle every time he steps into the ring is Carl Froch’s best opportunity to defeat Jermain Taylor.

In my humble opinion, even though Froch brings an impressive knockout record into this fight, he simply does not possess the skills to conquer Jermain Taylor if Taylor does not help him out and fade down the stretch. Even if Taylor should fade as the rounds progress, there is no question in my mind that Taylor is going to test the highly touted beard of Froch.

Although Taylor has not stopped a foe since 2005, when he sits down on his punches he can crack. Froch brings such a terrible defense into the ring I cannot help but envision a ton of opportunities for Taylor to tee off on his opponent. If Taylor starts fast like he usually does, the early rounds could be pure hell for Froch!

With such a huge gap in pure boxing talent, as well as quality of opposition, I just cannot bring myself to back Carl Froch. I think he is a tough hombre, but talent does matter in this sport and Saturday night Froch will be facing the most skilled fighter he has ever been in the ring with.

Boxeo: 4.60 Units On Taylor {-115}
Krakrabbit: 2.30 Units On Taylor {-115}
Grass Hopper: 2.30 Units On Taylor {-115}
Doody: 1.15 Units On Taylor {-115}
D3: 1.15 Units On Taylor {-115}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday on HBO fight fans will be treated to 160-pound showdown between Paul Williams, (36-1, 27KO’s) and the always crafty veteran Ronald ‘Winky” Wright, (51-4-1, 25KO’s) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Las Vegas, NV.

Williams was quickly installed as the betting favorite in the fight, and the line has remained fairly stable with Williams resting as a –230 favorite to defeat Wright on Saturday night. Those brave soles out there backing Winky Wright to score the upset win can get +200 for every hundred bet.

The over/under for the Williams/Phillips bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the over costing you -300, while the under comes in at +250. Williams by KO hits the mark at +311, while Williams by decision will get you +120. Wright by KO is a mighty +875, and Wright by decision lands at a +292.

Although Wright is far and away the more accomplished fighter, the oddsmaker’s line is correct listing Williams as the favorite in this fight.

The major reason I believe that Williams should be listed as the favorite to win the bout Saturday night is because of the long layoff that Wright has recently endured.

When Wright enters the ring on Saturday to square off against Paul Williams it will be the first time he has fought in 21 months! We are talking about almost a two-year layoff since he last stepped into the ring for a professional prizefight.

Not only is Wright coming into this contest against Williams off the extended layoff, but also in his last fight against Bernard Hopkins he looked extremely sluggish and lost a lackluster twelve round decision to the future hall of famer.

Granted, I believe Wright looked so dreadful against Hopkins because he agreed to fight at a catch weight of 170 pounds. I knew the instant that fight was agreed upon at such a high weight Wright would have a very tough time winning.

For this fight with Williams, Winky once again moves to the 160-pound division where he is much better suited for warfare.

Although Wright is moving back to a more comfortable weight class, one cannot help but wonder how a 21 month layoff is going to influence his performance once he steps into the ring.

Even if Wright were not coming off the layoff Williams presents some problems for him.

First off there is the size discrepancy that is going to be very difficult for Wright to overcome. Even though Wright is listed as 5’10, he looks like the much smaller man standing next to Paul Williams. I think it’s safe to say that should Williams elect to box a bit, Wright will have no choice but to bully his way inside the long reach of Williams and try to make this fight a toe-to-toe war.

The major problem in this type of game plan for Wright is his lack of dynamite punching power. With only twenty-five wins by stoppage he is not a huge puncher. Even if Wright did have more power, there is nothing until this point in Williams’ career that suggests he has anything less then steel in his beard.

If Antonio “Hands Of Plaster” Margarito could not stop Paul Williams in their recent showdown, why would Wright be expected to?

If he cannot stop Williams his other option would be to outwork him. Again, trying to outwork a fighter like Williams who routinely throws sixty-to-seventy punches a round is going to be an extremely tough task for the inactive Wright.

That’s not to say it will be impossible for Wright to win on the cards by outworking or maybe just out landing Williams. In his lone defeat, Williams had a tremendously off night against Carlos Quintana and was out punched and out landed over the course of twelve one-sided rounds, eventually losing on the judge’s scorecards.

For whatever reason (many suggest weight issues at 147) Williams just could not get out of the way of Quintana’s punches and simply followed him around the ring getting pummeled in the face over and over.

Four months later the two boxers met again and Williams quickly showed that he did indeed just have an off night in that first fight, blasting Carlos out in one single round in the rematch.

So, Wright can try to stay on the outside and allow Williams to walk him down, throwing a million and one punches as he advances, or he can go straight ahead into the lions den and try to lure Williams into a slugfest.

Although Williams has scored twenty-seven stoppage wins in his career, he is not a big puncher. He gets his stoppage wins from an accumulation of shots. As I mentioned earlier, it is not unheard for Williams to throw upwards of seventy punches per round, EVERY single round.

His high work rate usually wears his opponents down as the rounds progress and the next thing you know Williams has notched another stoppage victory.

With that said, Wright is not an ordinary fighter when it comes to the art of not being hit. When Williams enters the ring on Saturday night he will be facing off with one of the best defensive fighters the game has to offer.

Even though Wright is undoubtedly the best defensive fighter Williams has faced, we must take note that recently Wright has been unable to block his opponents shots as well as he has in years past.

Back in the day Wright was the master of blocking his opponent’s punches with his high guard plastered to his face and then firing back his own jab-left hand combos as his foes attempted to rest. But most recently Wright has been allowing more and more of his opponent’s punches to penetrate his once impenetrable defense and his face has been showing the signs of his slip in defensive prowess.

Particularly important to me in this fight is the left eye of Wright. As he has aged his face has shown more and more damage from his ring wars and that left eye of his is extremely puffy even when he is not engaged in combat. In fact, he was cut awfully bad over his eye in his last fight against Hopkins.

With the amount of non-stop punching that Williams does inside the ring, combined with the way he launches his head downwards when he punches (especially when he throws the left hand) I would not be surprised at all if one or both fighters (Williams was cut in his last bout with Phillips over his right eye) come away with a gash to the face.

I honestly feel that if Wright were not coming off such a long layoff he would have a much better opportunity to score the upset win over Williams.

For all his advantages, Paul Williams is far from a defensive master. He relies on his chin as his “defense” and often takes what I deem as unnecessary punishment as he walks his opponents down.

No disrespect to Carlos Quintana, but if he can beat Williams, an in-shape, active Winky Wright would have just as much (if not more) likelihood of beating him.

However, we already touched on the fact that Wright will not be heading into this fight with a boatload of activity under his belt and I feel that factor alone will probably end up being the deciding dynamic in the bout.

I just cannot envision how Wright is going to keep up the pace with Williams over twelve rounds to eek this thing out on the cards. I think when Wright is able to counter he is going to find a very inviting target in Williams, but how long he will be able to keep his punch output up is anyone’s guess.

I anticipate Wright giving Williams fits for as long as he is able to stay active, but once he goes into his defensive shell I fully expect the work rate of Williams to carry the rounds.

Boxeo: 2.50 Units On Williams By Decision {+120} & 1.00 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+250} (Vegas Odds)
Krakrabbit: 2.50 Units On Williams By Decision {+120} & 1.00 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+250} (Vegas Odds)
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+250} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: .50 Units On Wright By Decision {+292}
D3: 1.00 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+250} (Vegas Odds)

Showtime Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night on Showtime fight fans will be treated to a WBO/WBC junior welterweight title bout when undefeated Timothy Bradley, (23-0, 11KO’s) battles twice beaten Kendall Holt, (25-2, 13KO’s) live from the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The undefeated Bradley opened the contest as the slight betting favorite and public money has continued to flow in on him, knocking his number to –175. Holt supports get the underdog cash at +155. The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +100 and the over at -120.

Bradley by KO comes in at +207, while Bradley by decision will reward you with +178. Holt by KO hits the mark at +343, and Holt by decision lands at +421. The odds of the fight being declared a draw sit at +1800.

Although they both have close to the same amount of professional fights, Holt has faced the much better competition throughout his career and is without a doubt the more recognized fighter in this match-up.

Even though Bradley currently remains undefeated, his coming out party really just occurred back in May of 2008 when he squared off with the extremely awkward Junior Witter in Witter’s own backyard.

In his bout against Witter, Bradley immediately took the fight to his opponent and controlled the action from start to finish. He was even able to drop Witter with a thudding right hand in the sixth round of the fight.

After twelve rounds were completed, Bradley was awarded the WBC light welterweight title by split decision victory.

Just four months later Bradley followed up his win over Witter with an impressive twelve round decision win over the very game Edner Cherry.

Now Bradley takes another step up in competition when he battles Kendall Holt.

Although Holt has been around the boxing game awhile, he is probably best known for his two bouts against Ricardo Torres.

His first fight with Torres had nothing but controversy surrounding it and Holt was actually leading on the judge’s scorecards when the bout was halted in the eleventh round.

Holt blames the poor ring conditions and referee Gino Rodriguez for his stoppage defeat at the hands of Torres in Barranquilla, Colombia.

He claims the fight fans in attendance were allowed to throw beer and trash into the ring causing unsafe conditions that did not allow him box as effectively as he would have liked. He also claims the referee’s decision to stop the bout in the eleventh round was a poor decision and he was more then willing and able to continue.

I can tell you after watching the film that I believe the referee’s decision to call a halt to the bout at that point at time was not the correct one.

Although Torres had already put Holt down earlier in the round with a wicked left hook, when he pinned Holt on the ropes in an attempt to finish him off he was never really able to connect flush with any of his power shots.

Holt’s biggest mistake when Torres was unleashing his flurry was bending over in an attempt to hold on. I think the referee felt Holt was slumping over from the power shots of Torres and jumped in and stopped the fight.

Ten months later Holt was able to reach an agreement with Torres to stage the rematch on U.S. soil and right from the second the bell sounded to start the fight the two fighters exploded with fireworks.

Torres jumped on Holt and knocked his foe down twice in the opening seconds of the very first round. After the second knockdown Holt began to backpedal and Torres bull rushed forward looking to end matters as quickly as possible.

As Torres bullied forward, Holt launched off the ring ropes and nailed Torres with a wicked headbutt followed by a perfectly timed right hand shot that put Ricardo down and out for the count!

The action packed thriller featured three knockdowns and lasted only sixty-one seconds.

Even with the original loss to Torres, Holt has only tasted defeat a total of two times in his career. However, both times he was stopped!

Even if you should choose to disregard the controversial stoppage in the eleventh round of his first bout with Torres, there is still no question in my mind he was seriously hurt from the first left hook that put him down earlier in the round.

In my view there are legitimate concerns regarding his ability to absorb solid shots and stay upright. Even though Bradley is not thought of as a knockout puncher, if he is able to find his jaw, I am certain Holt will be in a world of trouble.

They best opportunity for Bradley to put Holt in a world of trouble is going to come in the form of a right hand. Holt is susceptible to that punch anyway, and Bradley throws a quick, snapping right hand that will certainly have a great chance of dropping Holt if it lands cleanly.

For all of his imperfections in the chin department, Holt does indeed posses skills. He has fast hands and quick footwork, a combination that will always give stout fighters like Bradley fits inside the ring.

If Bradley is unable to apply effective pressure from the get go he will undoubtedly find himself down on the judges scorecards or looking up at the bright lights of Bell Centre.

That’s right, even though Holt only has thirteen stoppages in twenty-five wins; I believe he has enough pop to knockout Timothy Bradley!

Holt has very underrated punching power and even though Bradley sports the better beard of the two, he has been hurt before (Bradley was hurt by both Edner Cherry & Jamie Rangel).

If Holt elects to stand and fight, this fight will be an absolute barnburner. I am going to take the under 11.5 round prop and hope somebody’s chin fails.

Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+105}
Krakrabbit: .50 Units On Holt {+165}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+105} & 1.00 Units On Holt {+170} (Holt Play Added 6:00 PM Eastern Time)
Doody: .50 Units On Holt {+165}
D3: N/P

ESPN Predictions
By Boxeo

Friday night, heavyweight Samuel Peter, (30-2, 23KO’s) returns to the ring in an attempt to rebuild his once promising career by tackling “Fast” Eddie Chambers, (33-1, 18KO’s) live from the Nokia Theater, Los Angeles, California.

Peter opened the bout as the slight favorite in the fight, but the public jumped all over the underdog Chambers, knocking his number almost immediately to –105. Since that huge line movement (at one point Chambers was +140) money has continued to flow in on “Fast” Eddie and he currently sits as –135 favorite at most books. Peter is now the underdog at +110. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -240 and the under at +200.

Peter by KO comes in at +319, while Peter by decision will net you +294. Chambers by KO hits the mark at +489, and Chambers by decision lands at +147. The odds the fight will be declared a draw land at +1600.

This match-up is the classic boxer vs. Puncher. With 18 stoppages in thirty wins, it’s quite evident that Chambers is not a very hard hitter and should be thought of as the boxer in this bout. Peter on the other hand brings one punch knockout thunder with him every time he steps into the ring and should be considered the puncher in the fight.

Although Chambers has the slight height advantage over the stocky Peter, (Chambers is 6’1 to Peter’s 6’0) Peter actually has a two-inch reach advantage over Chambers.

That advantage in the reach department could be a huge benefit to Peter if he can stay just close enough to Chambers to allow him to catch Eddie as he pulls straight back.

I noticed Chambers likes to pull straight back and loves to go defensive along the ring ropes. In these two areas he must be very cautious because it only takes one looping shot from Peter to close the show.

The good news for Chambers fans is that usually he fights with his hands cuffed to the sides of his face.

With that said, Chambers must also be prepared for the eventual “rabbit punches” that Peter is infamous for. Even though Chambers does a solid job of protecting his chin, if Peter lands a lopping shot behind the head Chambers may very well hit the deck.

If the referee allows Peter to crack Chambers to the back of the head, the entire landscape of the fight will change and Chambers will be in for a very tough night. I have witnessed calls go each way for Peter and his “club”, so it is anyone’s guess on how the ref will let it play out on Friday night.

Although Peter has been on the main stage many more times then Chambers, the style of “Fast” Eddie Chambers will probably cause him severe trouble throughout the fight.

However, just because Chambers will likely give Peter fits throughout the fight, it does not necessarily indicate he is a solid bet in this bout.

As we already touched on earlier, Chambers is a very accomplished defensive fighter; he covers up and does not get hit cleanly with many shots. Nevertheless, sometimes he focuses a large extent of his time on defense and forgets to let his hands go.

A perfect example of Chambers’ offensive lapses was his bout with Calvin Brock. In his fight with Brock, Chambers controlled the action whenever he let his hands go. On the other hand, he went long stretches in the fight where he would just cover up and let Brock punch.

Because Chambers is so comfortable in his defensive posture, he often does not feel any urgency to let his offense take over. His lack of aggression in the Brock fight almost cost him the win on the judge’s cards.

Although I had Chambers easily beating Brock, the judges had the fight much closer, with two judges scoring the fight in favor of Chambers by scores of 115-113, and one blind ringside judge scoring the fight for Brock by the score of 115-113.

In fact, Chambers easily controlled the early action in Germany when he squared off against highly regarded Alexander Povetkin, but let the fight slip away from him when he simply quit throwing punches.

His lack of punch output against Povetkin ultimately lead to the first blemish of his professional boxing career.

Although the non-aggressive nature of Chambers is always going to be a concern when he fights, I think even if he takes his foot off the gas pedal against Peter he is still going to have a great opportunity to win the fight.

The reason Chambers can be economical with his punch output and still win the fight is because Peter is extremely lazy inside the ring. When Peter fails to put in the work at the gym it almost always shows itself on fight night.

After four or five rounds his punches will slow and he will be regulated to his looping “clubs” in the hopes of landing a haymaker to bail him out of the fight.

Even though the longer the fight goes the better it is for Chambers, I don’t expect him at any point and time to stand toe-to-toe with Peter. However, he must be an aggressive counter-puncher to have any shot of beating Peter.

He simply cannot cover-up, allowing the “Nigerian Nightmare” to march forward winging shots. It will not matter if Peter lands anything cleanly on Chambers the entire fight. If Peter is the aggressor and throws more shots while Chambers hides behind his gloves, there is little chance of Chambers winning the fight.

With that said, I have not been impressed with Peter in some time now. Since he came into this fight at a career high of 265 pounds, I feel Chambers has even less to worry about now and will only need to get by two or three rounds of real danger (excluding the club behind the head, that thing can land anytime!) before he can fully take over the fight.

Although the most likely scenario is Chambers schooling Peter enroute to a decision win, I have to admit I am really disappointed with Eddie Chambers coming in at 223. Chambers has not been this heavy in a professional bout since 2004, and 223 pounds is his second highest career weight.

He may still get the job done, but I think its safe to say fight fans expected more dedication in the gym from Chambers leading up to the biggest stage of his career.

Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Chambers {+130}
Krakrabbit: 2.00 Units On Chambers {+130}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Won’t Go 10 Full {+170} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: .50 Units On Chambers {+130}
D3: 1.00 Units On Chambers {+130}

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night we have living legend Roy Jones Jr., (52-5, 38KO’s) squaring off against Omar Sheika, (27-8, 18KO’s) in a light heavyweight affair live from the Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida.

Jones opened the contest as the clear betting favorite and currently is hovering around a –700 favorite to defeat Sheika on Saturday. Shieka gets the underdog cash at +500. The O/U on the bout is set at 10.5 rounds, with the under coming in at -110 and the over also sitting at -110.

If you like Jones by stoppage you will have to tango with a bit of juice at -105, while Jones by decision gets you +174. You can get Sheika by stoppage at +712, and Sheika by decision will net you +1264. The odds the fight is declared a draw lands at +3500.

Although Jones was bested over 12 rounds by the now retired Joe Calzaghe just four months ago, the Oddsmakers have decided to install Jones as a pretty hefty favorite over Sheika.

In most of his fights Jones brings the better resume to the dance, but even though Sheika has only had 35 professional fights compared to Jones’ 57, Sheika has faced a lot of quality fighters in his career.

Names like Simon Brown, Glen Johnson, Joe Calzaghe, Thomas Tate, Scott Pemberton, Jeff Lacy, and Markus Beyer litter the resume of Omar Sheika.

The major problem with Sheika is he loses more then he wins when he steps up in class. Out of the seven names listed above Shieka was only able to come away with two wins!

Now Sheika will take another step up in class when he squares off against former pound-for-pound king Roy Jones Jr.

With that said, one must not forget that Jones is far from the fighter of yesteryear. As his legs begin to show the signs of a long career, we find Roy Jones Jr. spending large portions of his fights with his back to the ring ropes.

Even though it’s true that a prime Jones had a tendency to lie against the ring ropes, inviting his opponents to hammer him to the head and body. In his younger days, his reflexes were so quick he would just toy with his foe until he spotted the tiniest of openings before blistering off highlight reel combinations that left the crowd, as well as his opponents in awe.

That Roy Jones only exists in microscopic spots during the course of his fights. Not only does Jones use his legs sparingly, his still wicked fast hands are also kept under lock and key for most of the three-minute rounds.

Another danger the current version of Roy Jones Jr. faces is his slowed reflexes. Once upon a time RJJ practically went his entire career without ever being touched by a single significant punch.

In fact, if I recall correctly, he often boasted about not being able to relate to the adversity that other fighters often have to go through when they are cut, hurt, or knocked down during a fight.

Of course, that all changed when he faced off with Antonio Tarver for the first time way back in 2003. Notice I point out the first fight as the significant point in Jones’ career where he was forced to realize he was less than superhuman.

Despite the fact that Jones was able to come away with a very close majority decision win against Tarver, it was the first time in his whole career he was forced to dig down deep and fight through adversity.

In all of his prior bouts he toyed with his opponents. Even in his fight against Lou De Valle, when he suffered the first knockdown of his career, I never got the sense that Jones was in danger of losing the fight.

A lot of people point to the first Griffin fight as the first signs that Jones was beginning to decline, but even in that fight I never thought the scrap was slipping away from him. In each of those fights, you could always see that he clearly understood his surroundings.

He was notorious for allowing his rivals limited success before quickly snatching it back. I think he was well on his way to doing that very thing to Montell before the late hit and subsequent disqualification.

However, the Tarver bout was something Jones had never experienced as a pro. He was forced to battle fatigue, facial swelling, and being hit flush numerous times over the course of the entire fight.

Another very subtle change took place in that bout for Jones…he was forced to fight! I am not talking about boxing and counterpunching; I am talking about standing your ground and making a stand. As Jones has aged, his body has mandated that he sit down on his punches and take risks.

Taking risks was never part of the original game plan for Jones. In fact, throughout his career he was criticized for always fighting the “safe” opponents and fighting a safety first style.

At this stage of the game, Jones is physically unable to throw rapid-fire combination shots for a full three minutes of every single round. He no longer possesses the ability to use his legs and move out of harms way as his adversary advances.

Those two factors have contributed to him adapting a more “crowd friendly” style. By crowd friendly I mean he gets hit more! In essence, he has become more of a stationary target as he has matured.

I think the inability to fight how he has for the better part of his entire career has forced Jones to either risk being knocked out cold, or go into a defensive shell.

A classic example of Jones going into a defensive shell was his ninth round knockout loss to Glenn Johnson. Not only did Jones get knocked out once again by a single punch (Jones was stopped in the second round in the Tarver rematch) he was losing the fight up until that point.

Johnson set the tone of the bout in the very first round of the fight. He jumped right on Jones, bullied him into the ring ropes and threw punches until the bell sounded to end the round.

For his part Jones could do nothing but cover up and potshot whenever he could muster up the energy and courage to let his hands go. Throughout the entire fight Jones’ punch output was non-existent, and when he did fire off a combination, Johnson would stand his ground and jump right back on him.

As the rounds wore on Jones went deeper and deeper into his defensive shell, until his reflexes betrayed him and he was caught with a jab-right hand shot that knocked him out cold for the second straight fight.

Although Jones is no longer invincible, he still has incredible hand speed and is second to none when it comes to potshotting an opponent.

We all know the punch that you don’t see hurts you the most. I feel Jones brings enough speed and punching power to hurt and even drop Sheika, but finishing him off is an entirely different matter.

Even in his prime Jones was never considered a “killer” inside the ring. Most of his stoppages have come from long drawn out beatdowns that slowly broke down his overmatched opponents.

As he has aged his lack of finishing skills have deteriorated even further. If you look back at his last four fights you will find a total of 48 rounds of boxing and three decision wins against the one decision loss to Calzaghe.

It is also important to point out that Jones was not facing the cream of the crop in those three fights he was able to win on the scorecards.

In his prime I am certain Badi Ajamu and Anthony Hanshaw would not have made it the distance with him. In fact, he was unable or unwilling to knockout Felix “Tito” Trinidad who came out of a two-year retirement and moved all the way up to 170-pound catch weight to face him.

Granted, he was able to have his way with all three fighters either hurting them or knocking them down, but he still could not pull the trigger enough to get them out of there.

He now faces another fighter in Omar Sheika that he has clear advantages over. His speed and accuracy is still head and shoulders above what Sheika brings to the table and Omar comes into this bout off a 17-month layoff!

Not only has Sheika currently been out of the ring for over a year and a half, since September of 2005 Sheika has laced up the gloves two times!

Even though Sheika claims to be in great shape and is fully prepared to face off with Jones, you have to wonder how his lack of activity inside the ring is going to hinder him should the bout go some rounds.

Throughout his career Sheika has also been known to swell and cut very easily. Up until the Calzaghe bout Jones was never considered a “bleeder” but after seeing how bad he was cut in that bout and what a poor job his corner did treating it, it’s not inconceivable that as he ages cuts could become more of a serious threat to him.

If being badly cut for the first time in his long career at the ripe old age of forty wasn’t enough for Jones to deal with, every time he steps into the ring he must also worry about protecting his suspect chin. With two of his five losses coming by knockout (one punch KO’s at that) I think it’s safe to say that Roy Jones Jr.'s chin is not made of granite.

It would stand to reason that Sheika would be well suited to jump on Jones from the opening bell and try to take him out before any potential ring rust sets in and his punch output begins to drop.

Although there is no doubting Sheika's toughness inside the ring, I have real doubts about what kind of performance he is going to be able to muster up on Saturday.

We touched on Sheika's long layoffs and tender skin, but he is also going right smack dab in the backyard of Jones for this fight.

It appears that his only shot to win this fight is going to be to knockout Roy Jones. One would assume that Jones would get the benefit of the doubt with the three blind mice at ringside in every single close round in the fight.

For Sheika to stop Jones he is going to have to get close to him and rough him up. The Shieka we all remember loved to fight aggressively, but I am not sure how long this version of Omar Sheika will be able to apply effective pressure on Roy.

If there ever were a time for Jones to break his seven-year knockout dry spell it is going to be against Omar Sheika. He has been off a very long time and Roy will have the huge benefit of fighting at home.

If Sheika starts to fade and just stands on the outside, Jones is going to pick his shots carefully until he starts to slice and dice him up. If any cut should occur (I am expecting Sheika to get busted up the longer the fight goes) the referee and doctor are going to play an important part in the fight.

As we saw last week in the Khan/Barrera fight, home field advantage can be the difference between a win and a loss (or in the case of Khan a no contest).

Boxeo: 2.20 Units On Under 10.5 Rounds {-110} {1.10 Additional Units Added 4:00AM Eastern 3/21/09}
Krakrabbit: .50 Units On Jones By Decision {+174} & 1.10 Units On Under 10.5 Rounds {-110} {Under Bet Added 4:00AM Eastern 3/21/09}
Grass Hopper: 2.20 Units On Under 10.5 Rounds {-110} {1.10 Additional Units Added 4:00AM Eastern 3/21/09}
Doody: N/P
D3: .55 Units On Under 10.5 Rounds {-110}

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday afternoon Amir Khan, (19-1, 15KO’s) takes a gigantic leap up in class when he squares off with future hall of famer Marco Antonio Barrera, (65-6, 43KO’s), in what very well could be a must win bout for both boxers. All of the action will be televised live on PPV from the M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, Lancashire, UK.

The contest opened just about dead even. Since the line first opened more cash has been flowing in on Khan, sending his number up to –145. Barrera supporters can grab the underdog money at +125. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +155 and the over at -175.

Khan by KO comes in at +265, while Khan by decision will reward you with +220. Barrera by KO hits the mark at +255, and Barrera by decision lands at +472. The odds the bout will be declared a draw land at +2500.

Although Barrera holds a massive experience edge over Khan, the reason the line is set at almost even money is because many people wonder just how much gas Barrera has left in the tank.

Let’s be honest here, on paper this looks like a huge mismatch that clearly favors Barrera. He has been in with the worlds best, and has over seventy professional fights!

Khan has never remotely come close to facing off with a fighter like Barrera, and throughout his short career has displayed tremendous defensive liabilities.

Regardless if he gets by the thirty-five year old Barrera on Saturday or not, one area that is always going to haunt Khan supporters is the fact the kid just can’t take a shot to the whiskers!

Fighters far from the caliber of a Marco Antonio Barrera have put Khan on the seat of his pants and he was knocked out two fights ago in 54 seconds of the very first round!

Barrera on the other hand has sort of been coasting through his fights, not really showing that world class “fire” that so many fans remember. It is that lack of determination that concerns me most about Barrera.

Even in his first fight with Rocky Juarez, Barrera showed signs of being unwilling or unable to stand toe-to-toe and get his respect. Instead, he was forced to fight in spurts and box his way to a questionable decision victory.

In the rematch with Juarez (which happened only four months later) he used his underrated jab and easily boxed the pants off Juarez in route to a lopsided decision win.

In March of 2007 he fought rough and tough with Juan Manuel Marquez for twelve exciting rounds, and that is the same type of aggressiveness he will need if he wishes to beat Amir Khan.

Playing the role of “boxer” won’t cut it for Barrera in this fight. Khan has too many physical advantages for Barrera to try and play it cute on the outside. He must revert back to the “Barrera of old” and press his attack from the first second the opening bell rings.

However, the Barrera that fought toe-to-toe with Juan Manuel Marquez certainly did not show up against his late replacement opponent Freudis Rojas.

In that Rojas bout, Barrera came in at 140-pounds and looked terribly slow and a shell of his former self. His punches were wide and even though he was facing a fighter with a 1-7 record, he still reverted back to boxing and moving on the outside.

Even though Barrera looked less then stellar against Freudis Rojas, he was able to come out of the ring a winner that night when Rojas was DQ’d for intentionally headbutting Barrera over his left eye.

The butt from Rojas caused a laceration over Barrera’s eye, and for a minute it appeared the Barrera/Khan fight would be called off.

Somehow the cut was deemed to not be severe enough to warrant a cancellation and Barrera and Khan will square off on Saturday.

I have a real problem with Barrera taking this fight when he was cut over his left eye such a short time ago. Not only is he heading into enemy territory for scoring purposes, but should that cut reopen in his fight against Khan there is no telling how the situation will unfold.

Another factor to consider is how was Barrera able to fully prepare for Khan with a gash above his eye? I am certain some precautions were taken in sparring to protect the cut, but anytime you go into a fight sporting a fresh wound you are giving your opponent a sizable advantage.

Although Barrera has only been stopped once, as his career winds down, he has not shown the ability to absorb the same type of punishment that he did when he was a bit younger.

For all of his flaws, Khan can crack. Not to mention this will only be Barrera’s third fight above 130 pounds.

With the circumstances the way they are, I feel Barrera’s best chance to knock out Amir Khan will probably come early in the fight. If Barrera is unable or unwilling to take Khan’s head off as soon as possible, I have a feeling that nasty cut Barrera suffered in his last fight is going to come into play.

Barrera looked out of shape and just plain old in his last fight. If he enters the ring in the same form against Khan as he did with Rojas, I expect the old warrior to get beaten down over the course of the fight and maybe stopped for the second time in his long career.

I think team Khan (Freddie Roach) is banking on Barrera being shopworn. He called it correctly when Oscar faced Manny, and leading up to this bout Roach has stated that if Amir Khan cannot beat Barrera he needs to look for another job.

As long as Barrera is standing he will have a punchers chance to turn Khan’s lights out (yes, his chin is that bad) but the longer it goes the harder it gets for Barrera.

Boxeo: 1.10 Units On Won’t Go 12 Full {-110} & .50 Units On Khan By KO {+265}
Krakrabbit: 1.10 Units On Won’t Go 12 Full {-110} & .50 Units On Khan By KO {+265}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Won’t Go 10.5 Rounds {+140}
Doody: N/P
D3: N/P

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

The Saturday night HBO main event features an IBO, WBO, and WBA lightweight title affair between two battle-tested warriors, Juan Diaz, (34-1, 17KO’s) and Juan Manuel Marquez, (49-4-1, 36KO’s) live from the Toyota Center, Houston, Texas.

Juan Diaz opened as the underdog in the bout, but since the line opened there has been nothing but Marquez money coming in. Currently he is a -160 favorite to defeat Diaz. Diaz supporters can grab the underdog money at +140. The O/U on the bout is set at 10.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +285 and the over at -345.

Marquez by KO comes in at +380, while Marquez by decision will net you +160. Diaz by KO hits the mark at +610, and Diaz by decision lands at +200. The odds the bout is declared a draw lands at +1800.

Marquez is coming off an impressive eleventh round stoppage of Joel Casamayor just five months ago in his lightweight debut.

Even though the fight was extremely close on the judge’s cards heading into that eleventh round, Marquez proved to any and all doubters that he has the power to compete with any 135-pounder out there.

The stoppage win over Casamayor was even more impressive since top-tier fighters such as Diego Corrales, Acelino Freitas, Michael Katsidis, Jose Luis Castillo, Nate Campbell and many others could not stop Casamayor.

Juan Manuel Marquez was not only able to become the first fighter to stop “El Cepillo” but he did it in his debut at 135-pounds!

Now, Juan Diaz supporters are suggesting that Marquez may be getting too much credit for his stoppage victory over Casamayor. They suggest Casamayor was on his last legs and stopping him was really no great feat.

Of course I strongly disagree with that sentiment and feel Marquez displayed all of the tools in that fight that have earned him inclusion into the top pound-4-pound list for many, many years now.

Marquez, for the second time in his career, will put his skills to test in the lightweight division when he squares off with the “Baby Bull” Juan Diaz.

Diaz is an in your face, pressure type of fighter. It is easiest to describe Juan as a bigger Wayne McCullough, with more power. He will come right out after Marquez and look to make it a slugfest from the start.

Although Juan may have more power then McCullough, for his weight class, he is not considered a big puncher. He simply overwhelms his opponents with non-stop punching from start to finish.

His non-stop punching technique has carried him to numerous titles and a 34-1 record, but the “Baby Bull” was only able to muster up a spilt decision victory in a so-so performance in his last fight against Michael Katsidis.

In my opinion, Diaz clearly won the bout but looked ordinary doing so because Katsidis was not there to fight. Before his contest with Diaz, Katsidis was also thought of as an in your face, aggressive brawler that loved to exchange leather.

Suddenly when he stepped in the ring with the “Baby Bull” he decided to try and switch up his style and become the next Muhammad Ali. Obviously, Katsidis does not have anywhere near the skills of a Muhammad Ali, and he failed miserably trying to outbox Diaz.

In fact, he really wasn’t even boxing, more like trying not to engage and slow the entire fight down to a crawl. For some reason the three blind mice at ringside found rounds to give to Katsidis, and Diaz was forced to hold his breath as the split decision was announced.

If Juan Diaz had not been going forward and trying to make a fight there is no question in my mind every audience member and fight fan watching on T.V. would have been sound asleep by the middle rounds of the fight.

Although Diaz is now facing a fighter in Marquez that many people consider to be a masterful counter puncher, at times he tends to become more aggressive than necessary, leaving himself open to countershots.

Even though Marquez has tremendous boxing abilities, when an opponent is able to break through his defense and nail him with a clean shot he refuses to “run”. Even after being hurt and dropped by Barrera, Marquez came out for the next round standing right in front of Marco and even began trading with him again.

He displayed that same warrior mentality against Manny Pacquiao in the first round of their fight when he was dropped three times. Never did he try to hold “Pac Man” or run away, he stayed right in front of him and threw his own shots.

It is a testament to his beard and his heart that he has never been stopped in his four losses; but recently he is taking more and more solid shots in his fights.

With that said, I don’t feel Diaz has the one-punch power necessary to lay Marquez out and end the night, but he does apply so much pressure that his opponents are forced to try and match him punch for punch or risk being pummeled along the ring ropes.

Diaz is a non-stop punching machine, and even though he has very little one-punch knockout power, he can score stoppages by battering and tiring out his opponents.

There is no question that Marquez has the greater skill set in this fight, but if he allows his machismo to get the better of him (he always does) and welcomes Diaz into the trenches, his conditioning is going to be severely tested.

Most of the time the Baby Bull’s rivals cannot match him in the workrate department and as the rounds go by they get deeper and deeper into a scoring deficiency. The combination of absorbing a million shots, and knowing you are losing badly on the scorecards tends to quickly wear a fighter down physically and mentally.

It’s no secret that Diaz loves close quarter combat. I am certain he is going to try and force Marquez into a war. While I feel Marquez can have great success with the uppercut on the inside, I think if he spends the entire fight standing in front of Diaz he is giving Juan the best possible opportunity to score the upset win.

Diaz is certainly far from a defensive wizard, but he does tend to block punches very well with his gloves when engaged in inside warfare.

Now, should Marquez elect to stay on the outside and counter Diaz as he rushes forward, I think he makes the fight much easier.

There is no doubt that regardless of how Marquez chooses to fight, Diaz is going to come forward and throw punches. However, If Marquez “boxes” he will be able to land many more clean punches on Diaz without allowing Juan to land as much of his own leather.

Even if Diaz is unable to hurt Marquez when he lands, as long as he continues to touch him over and over again, there is great probability that Diaz will be able to mark up the face of Marquez.

Marquez has battled severe cuts in the past and with the amount of leather that Diaz throws, combined with his aggressive style, I would not be shocked if Marquez was forced to deal with cuts or swelling.

We all know how his face looked during the “Pac Man” bouts, but most recently he was showcasing some nice swelling in his fight against Casamayor. Most of the time his swelling/bleeding is centered on his right eye and it is definitely a concern when he fights.

Even when Marquez is winning rounds he seems to always get busted up in the face. However, he has an uncanny ability to ensure his opponents come away sporting some facial damage as well.

He was able to cut Casamayor over his right eye during their fight and also opened a huge gash over the eye of Rocky Juarez when they faced off.

Even if Marquez cuts/swells more often then Diaz, that doesn’t mean the Baby Bull can just march forward recklessly! He has also experienced cuts and swelling in the past and most recently suffered a nasty gash from a headbutt in his fight against Nate Campbell.

Because of the style match-up, and the propensity of both fighters to bleed/swell, I think there is a very good chance that someone is spouting blood early in the fight.

If you cannot tell by now, I am seriously concerned about cuts playing a role in this fight!

I don’t believe Diaz can win this fight sitting on the outside while Marquez hits him with everything in his arsenal. The only chance he has is to get into close range and force Marquez to trade with him.

I would not be shocked if this fight quickly turned into a slugfest.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Won’t Go Distance {+190}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Marquez By Decision {+160}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Won’t Go Distance {+190}
Doody: .50 Units On Diaz {+140}
D3: 1.00 Units On Won’t Go Distance {+190}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

The Saturday night HBO co-main event features veteran Chris John, (42-0-1, 22KO’s) defending his WBA featherweight title against the real life “Rocky”, Rocky Juarez, (28-4, 20KO’s) live from the Toyota Center, Houston Texas.

When the lines first opened John was installed as almost 3-1 favorite over Juarez. However, Rocky Juarez money has continued to trickle in since the line was made and currently he sits around a +230 underdog. John remains the favorite at -280. The O/U for the fight has been set at 9.5 rounds, with the over at -450 and the under coming in at +340.

John by KO comes in at +440, while John by decision will cost you -140. Juarez by KO hits the mark at +472, and Juarez by decision lands at +462. The fight being declared a draw lands at +2200.

Although Juarez does not possess as many professional bouts as his opponent John, he does bring a load of ring experience for a guy with only thirty-two fights. He was a decorated amateur, and even managed to win a silver medal at the Olympics.

With his successes in the amateur ranks, Juarez had high expectations going into the early part of his pro career. Unfortunately, Juarez has not lived up to those expectations, and now tries to put together back-to-back wins after previously losing three out of five fights.

For Juarez to win two fights in a row and pick up the WBA world title in the process, he must defeat Chris John, a veteran of forty-three professional fights.

Although John brings tremendous experience to his clash with Juarez, Rocky knows what it’s like to battle an old vet inside those ring ropes. He clashed with former world champion Marco Antonio Barrera not once, but twice.

Their first meeting was one of the better performances from Juarez. He battered and bloodied Barrera whenever the ageing vet tried to stand toe-to-toe with his younger foe. However, being the veteran that he is, Barrera quickly realized that he could not fend off the young lion on the inside, and boxed his way to a disputed twelve round decision win.

With the fight being so close in many people’s eyes, Barrera and Juarez agreed to get it on one last time. This time Barrera never stood and traded with Juarez and easily out boxed him over the distance. The differences between the two performances are night and day.

In the first bout Juarez let his hands go whenever Barrera was in range. In the second fight Juarez elected to follow Barrera around the ring and never threw any punches. This is the biggest problem with Rocky Juarez; he is too patient of a fighter. He is always looking for that perfect shot and the next thing he knows the bell has sounded to end the fight and he has done little but follow his opponent around the ring.

After his disappointing losses to Barrera, Rocky waited just about one year before squaring off with Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBC featherweight championship of the world.

Before the boxers were even able to get into a fighting groove, Juarez was on the receiving end of an accidental clash of heads that opened a nasty gash over his left eye in the very first round of the fight.

Rocky claimed the butt caused his vision to blur and hindered his ability to force Marquez into a slugfest.

Regardless if the butt did alter the fight for Juarez or not, the fact of the matter is he is simply way too patient inside the ring. He allows his opponents to outwork him as he walks forward but does not cutoff the ring or punch as he advances.

It is extremely frustrating to watch a talented fighter that appears to have some type of disconnect in the mental department. Juarez has had four losses in his career and all but the first Barrera fight can be directly attributed to his lack of punch output.

Juarez fought within his same patient mode when he last squared off against Jorge Barrios. Through eleven grueling rounds, Juarez simply marched forward, throwing a minuscule amount of punches as Barrios picked his shots and moved around the ring.

Juarez did have some great moments during the fight and eventually wore Barrios down enough to stop him in the eleventh round of the contest, but there were times during that fight you could see Juarez noticeably hurt Barrios but he refused to follow it up with enough punches to do serious damage.

Heading into that eleventh round I had Rocky trailing on the scorecards and honestly believe he was able to score the late round stoppage in large part because Barrios came into the contest off a year and a half layoff.

You could visibly see Barrios fade as the rounds progressed (Rocky did do some nice bodywork here and there) and when he began to trade toe-to-toe with the much stronger Juarez it became evident it was only a matter of time before Barrios would fall victim to the power punching of Rocky.

Now, Juarez faces a fighter in Chris John that has fought one single time out of the Orient! That’s not a typo. In forty-three fights Chris John has fought as a professional one time out of Asia (that fight was in Australia).

Although John has really never left home, he has faced a handful of decent fighters in his career. In fact, he fought and beat Juan Manuel Marquez back in 2006.

Most people feel the three blind mice at ringside cheated Marquez (the fight was in Indonesia and Marquez was deducted two points for low blows) but the fact remains he was able to last the distance and get the decision win over a quality fighter like Juan Manuel Marquez.

In my opinion there is only one way for John to win this fight…box! Juarez is known as a plodder who walks forward without throwing many punches. If he does that against John it will allow him to tee off on him as he walks forward.

I don’t feel John can afford to trade punch for punch with Juarez at all. Juarez has an iron beard and it would be a huge mistake for John to turn this fight into a knockdown, drag out fight.

John has been on the seat of his pants in a few fights against much lesser punchers then Rocky Juarez. Truthfully, I am a bit shocked Marquez was unable to put him down.

I can tell you this, for all of Rocky Juarez’s shortcomings inside the squared circle, the kid can punch. If he connects cleanly on John I fully expect the Indonesian superstar to taste the canvas.

The move down in weight four pounds for Juarez may actually help him when he steps in the ring. The thought is Juarez will be in just a little better condition at 126 and maybe, just maybe, will let his hands fly a little more freely.

With that said, John has the boxing skills to cause Juarez all kinds of trouble, in large part because Juarez refuses to throw an adequate number of punches per round.

I highly doubt John is going to stand there and trade with Rocky. He didn’t want any part of a toe-to-toe slugfest against Marquez, so I assume he won’t want to stand there and throw down with Juarez.

On paper this would appear to be a case of Juarez needing a stoppage to score the upset, and John only being able to win on the scorecards.

However, rumors have been circling that John is having a terrible time with his weight. Apparently he was ill with a fever for a few days and that sickness caused him to miss some days of gym work.

Should the rumors turn out to be true and John is less then 100 percent, he will lose this fight! In fact, even if he is 100 percent he may still end up flying back home without his world title around his waist.

It is important to point out that this fight is taking place in Texas. Juarez is from Texas and one never knows how that may play out if the fight ends up in the hands of the three blind mice at ringside.

As I mentioned earlier, I had Juarez losing to Barrios up until the stoppage came; yet the three blind mice at ringside had him winning! I personally thought he was being out boxed and outworked, but the judges saw something completely different.

Barrios was also deducted a couple of points for low blows that were extremely questionable calls.

With the backwards movement of John, and the aggressive stance that Juarez usually takes (moving forward even if not throwing a lot of punches) I would not be shocked to see him get a close “hometown” decision if this thing makes it to the scorecards.

Of course, for any Juarez victory he must let his hands go. He has once again promised to be more active, but it’s hard to teach old dogs new tricks. While Juarez would be greatly served to punch as much as possible, I am not sure if his demeanor will allow it.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Juarez {+290}
Krakrabbit: .50 Units On Juarez {+290}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: N/P
D3: .50 Units On Juarez {+290}

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

This Saturday night features the return of Miguel Cotto, (32-1, 26KO’s) seven months removed from his frightful beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito. Cotto will now climb back into the ring against unknown Michael Jennings, (34-1, 16KO’s) live from the Madison Square Garden, New York, New York.

Cotto opened the contest as the enormous betting favorite in the bout and even though his numbers continue to climb, public money has continued to flow in on the Puerto Rican superstar. Currently he is a –1900 favorite to defeat Jennings on Saturday night. Jennings supporters can get a whopping +1300 for their money.

The O/U for the fight has been set at 5.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -130 and the under landing at +110. Cotto by KO will cost you -500, while Cotto by decision will net you +552. Jennings by KO hits the mark at +1650, and Jennings by decision lands at +2200.

It’s painfully obvious from the current betting lines that oddsmakers feel the result of Saturday nights fight is already a forgone conclusion. With such lopsided betting odds they seem to suggest all Cotto needs to do is simply show up to the ring and knockout his spoon fed tomato can.

One of the major reasons it’s so easy to come to such a conclusion is because of the lack of real talent that Jennings has faced. Although he sports an impressive 34-1 record, his career has been littered with a bunch of nobodies. In thirty-five fights he has not come remotely close to facing a fighter with the skill set of Miguel Cotto.

With such outlandish betting odds, the only real reason I decided to write anything on this fight at all was because the low over/under of 5.5 rounds sparked a bit of interest in me.

We know Cotto is coming off a brutal beating from Antonio Margarito seven months ago. In that fight Cotto took a terrible pounding as the rounds wore on until he was finally pounded into submission in the eleventh round.

With all of the recent controversy surrounding Antonio Margarito and his “plaster wraps” there is some doubt as to what really was going on in that fight. One thing is for certain though… Cotto took a thrashing!

Having never tasted defeat before is tough enough for some boxers to overcome, but the way Cotto was beaten down makes you wonder how he will look in his first fight back? You only need to look at fighters like David Reid and Fernando Vargas as proof that one fight can change the course of a boxer’s career.

I honestly feel this is one reason why Top Rank has chosen to put Cotto in with a light-hitting fighter like Jennings. Even if the Cotto of old does not show up on Saturday night, the odds of Jennings being able to punch hard enough to seriously injure Cotto is highly unlikely.

Even though everyone in the boxing community prays Cotto was not on the receiving end of any illegal activity in the Margarito fight, the possibility still exists that he was forced to absorb rounds upon rounds of punches from the “Tijuana Tornado” that quite possibly contained a foreign (plaster?) substance within them.

Nobody (including Cotto) knows just how seriously he was damaged mentally, as well as physically, in that Margarito fight.

With that said, I do feel Jennings is the safest possible opponent for Cotto at this stage of the game. He doesn’t punch very hard, has faced limited opposition, and is more of a boxer then a brawler. It doesn’t hurt this fight also just so happens to be for the vacant WBO welterweight championship of the world.

Even though Michael Jennings is being shipped into Madison Square Garden to make Cotto look good and allow Cotto to grab the WBO welterweight title in the process, I do think some people may be underestimating the loss to Margarito and Cotto’s troubles outside the ring.

First you have his massive weight gain after the Margarito fight. Now it’s no secret that Cotto has always had trouble making weight. He had trouble at 140 pounds, and he still has trouble at 147 pounds. That doesn’t mean he comes into his fights overweight, but he has to work extremely hard in training camp to ensure he will make the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.

Another potential problem area for Cotto in this fight is his right shoulder. Apparently Cotto was involved in a car accident way back in 2001 and injured his right shoulder. Reports are coming out of Cotto’s camp that his old shoulder injury has been affecting him during his training regimen for Jennings.

Since Cotto has moved to welterweight his earliest stoppage wins have been in round number five. Now granted on paper the guys Cotto blasted out in five (Carlos Quintana and Alfonso Gomez) are much better then Michael Jennings, but Cotto was not facing the same type of difficulties heading into those fights that he now faces.

With all of the questions surrounding Cotto I think it is a reasonable gamble to suggest that Jennings may just be able to use his height advantage and enough lateral movement to last 5.5 rounds.

Now I’m not suggesting Michael Jennings is going to waltz into NY and beat Miguel Cotto (he would need a knockout to get a draw on the judge’s scorecards) but all “over” backers need is for Cotto to start a little slower then he usually does and for Jennings to get on his bike for a few rounds and they will be sitting pretty.

Boxeo: 2.60 Units On Over 5.5 Rounds {-130}
Krakrabbit: 1.30 Units On Over 5.5 Rounds {-130} & .20 Units On Cotto By Decision {+552}
Grass Hopper: 2.60 Units On Over 5.5 Rounds {-130} & 1.00 Units On Over 9.5 Rounds {+320} (Vegas Odds) & .50 Units On Jennings {+1300}
Doody: .25 Units On Cotto By Decision {+552}
D3: 1.30 Units On Over 5.5 Rounds {-130} & .20 Units On Cotto By Decision {+552}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night on HBO we have Nate the “Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell, (32-5-1, 25KO’s) squaring off against South African Ali Funeka, (30-1-2, 25KO’s) live from the BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida.

Campbell opened over a –200 favorite, but a flood of public bread came in on Funeka, dropping the “Galaxxy Warriors” number to -160. Funeka currently rests as a +130 dog. The O/U for the fight has been set at 11.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -+120 and the under coming in at -140.

Campbell by KO comes in at +157, while Campbell by decision will reward you with +214. Funeka by KO hits the mark at +349, and Funeka by decision lands at +439. The odds the fight is declared a draw land at +3000.

The first thing you should know about this match-up is the fact that Campbell was unable to make the 135-pound weight limit. He initially weighed-in at 138-pounds and after being given two hours to make 135, he tried again only to come in at 137.5

This means Campbell loses his world title belts on the scales. Even if he wins this fight against Funeka he will no longer be IBF & WBO world champion, the belts will be vacant.

However, should Funeka win the contest against Campbell, he will be awarded both championship title belts for his effort of actually making the lightweight limit (he really came in lighter then the 135-pound limit at 133.5).

I personally believe a lot of Nate’s weight issues stem from his yearlong layoff. Most fighters balloon up in weight when not fighting and it is clear that Nate did the same during his year out of the ring.

For Campbell to miss the lightweight limit by three pounds is a major deal. Not only did he miss the mark the first time he hit the scales, but also could not come close to making weight two hours later after hitting the sauna.

The shocking revelation that Campbell would not make weight was not only a surprise to the general betting public, but I personally know of at least one major book that immediately took down all bets related to the Campbell bout the minute it was announced he was not going to make weight.

Now those odds were later put back up, but a funny little thing happened when Funeka’s numbers mysteriously returned lower then they were before they were removed!

I do not like the look of Campbell in all of the recent weigh-in photos I have been able to find (I guess the books didn’t either). I think he looks seriously drained and of course severely disappointed in not being able to defend his titles.

It’s also import to note that at the age of 36, Campbell is no spring chicken. Being forced to deal with these types of weight issues cannot be good for his ageing body. In fact, Campbell has already expressed the need to move up to 140 after his clash with Funeka.

It’s obvious that Campbell has put himself in a terrible position for Saturday nights fight. The question is can Ali Funeka take advantage of the situation?

Most people really only know Funeka from his four round destruction of Zahir Raheem seven months ago. In reality, that is Funeka’s best win and one of his most notable opponents on his record.

Even though Campbell has faced the much better competition, Funeka does have some tools that he can certainly put to use on Saturday.

One of his biggest strengths in this fight is his freakishly tall frame of 6’1 inches tall. I don’t recall Campbell ever facing such a tall opponent before. The height and reach of Funeka could cause serious problems for Campbell.

How on earth Funeka can make the 135-pound weight class limit I will never know.

Another area where Funeka could shine is in the power department. With 25KO’s in 30 wins there is no question Funeka has some pop in his gloves. If he can keep Campbell at the end of his long punches he could do some real damage on the outside.

We all know what Nate brings to the table. He is a crafty vet that has been around for what seems like ages. His recent victory over Juan Diaz was simply spectacular, but it is imperative to understand the Nate Campbell that fought Juan Diaz is not going to be in the ring Saturday night.

The weight issues for Campbell must throw a real monkey wrench into his plans on how to attack Funeka. If he truly is not in great shape how long can he battle toe-to-toe if he does not get Funeka out of there early? I feel his only hope is to go out there and try to take Ali out very early in the fight.

Any plans he may have had of wearing Funeka down by getting inside that long reach and working the body are now out the window. I cannot envision him having the strength or energy to go into the trenches with Funeka for 12 hard rounds.

Although Campbell will be the most accomplished fighter Funeka has faced, he is in a sweet spot to score an upset win. Had this sudden weight issue not come up I think Campbell would have had an excellent chance of not only beating Funeka, but stopping him sometime late in the fight.

However, if Nate comes into this fight in less then stellar condition, all Funeka will now need to do is weather Campbell’s last ditch hurrah (Funeka has been put down on the seat of his pants on multiple occasions) and then go to work on his overweight foe.

Early Saturday morning Campbell tipped the scales at 144 while Funeka came in at 141. That means Funeka has went up 7.5 pounds since the weigh-in and Campbell has went up 6.5 pounds since the weigh-in.

I still feel there is a slim chance for Campbell to win this fight but he has done himself a disservice by not making 135. Funeka does not throw a ton of punches in the ring and if Campbell is somehow able to muster up enough energy to force Funeka into an inside battle he can certainly be effective.

Because there are so many questions surrounding this fight I am just going to play the under and hope somebody, anybody, gets stopped before 11.5 rounds.

Boxeo: 2.20 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {-110}
Krakrabbit: 1.10 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {-110}
Grass Hopper: 2.20 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {-110} & 1.00 Units On Funeka {+175}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Funeka {+175}
D3: 1.10 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {-110}

Showtime Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night the Showtime main event features a twelve round super flyweight WBA, WBC, and IBF world title unification affair between current champion of the world Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan, (31-1-1, 25KO’s) and the widely entertaining Jorge “Travieso” Arce, (51-4-1, 39KO’s) live from the Pond in Anaheim California.

Darchinyan opened about a -350 favorite over Arce, but the public has slowly been dropping more and more coin on Darchinyan, knocking his number up to -450. Arce supporters get the underdog cash at +360. The O/U for the fight has been set at 8.5 rounds, with the over landing at +170 and the under coming in at -200.

Darchinyan by KO comes in at -201, while Darchinyan by decision will net you +532. Arce by KO hits the mark at +506, and Arce by decision lands at +1043. The odds the fight is declared a draw currently rests at +3500.

As you can plainly see by looking at the above lines, the oddsmakers are anticipating an easy stoppage win for Darchinyan.

There are a couple of reasons why this betting line is currently in favor of Vic Darchinyan. One of the biggest reasons the “Raging Bull” is listed as a 4-1 favorite over Jorge Arce is because he has looked absolutely fabulous in his last two fights.

Crushing victories over Dmitri Kirillov (KO 5) and former Arce conqueror Cristian Mijares (KO 9) have propelled Darchinyan to the top of the super flyweight division.

On the other hand, while Arce has indeed been winning, as of late he has not looked as impressive as Darchinyan. Adding in the fact the level of opposition Arce has been facing has not been of the same quality as Darchinyan, and you get the current 4-1 odds.

Even though Darchinyan may now be the king of the hill at 115, it wasn't too long ago that he suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of underdog Nonito Donaire.

Up until the brutal knockout loss to Donaire, Darchinyan was riding a twenty-eight fight win streak and had mowed through twenty-two of them by stoppage. He was (and still is) a trash talking, arrogant, unorthodox fighter that had little respect for anyone or anything around him.

Although it was painfully clear that Darchinyan was severely limited both offensively and defensively, the boxing public overlooked his flaws and glorified him as an unconventional slugger that always got the job done.

One might think after being put to sleep with a single left hook shot by Donaire, Darchinyan would reflect back on his egotistical behavior inside and outside the ring and make some serious changes.

However, immediately after his bout with Donaire it was glaringly obvious that Darchinyan is simply unable to comprehend his imperfections. He refused to give any props to Donaire for winning the fight, and even ludicrously suggested he could have continued (if you have not watched this brutal knockout yet you must check it out before you bet on this fight.)

Of course after the bout the “experts” came out of the woodworks proclaiming they knew all along it was only a matter of time before Darchinyan’s defensive mistakes were taken advantage of and he was defeated.

That same unorthodox style that so many people revered when he was undefeated and knocking heads together suddenly became his Achilles heel after his vicious stoppage loss.

Now the “Raging Bull” has rebounded with back-to-back spectacular wins over quality opponents and those cries about his defensive liabilities have slowly turned to whispers.

Earlier I mentioned that Darchinyan not only lacks defensive proficiency, but also is extremely inadequate in the offensive department. Now I know most of you out there reading this are scratching your head about this statement.

How on earth can a fighter with thirty-one wins, twenty-five by stoppage, be limited offensively? A quick glance at how Darchinyan sets-up all of those knockout wins will give you the clear-cut answer to the question.

Darchinyan basically has only one punch in his entire arsenal…a left hand! His right hand is almost entirely useless. Even when he does use his right hand to jab (he is a southpaw) it almost always is a lazy jab that is used more as a range finder to launch a wild left hand power shot.

In fact, I feel the perception of Darchinyan as a rough and tough, in your face brawler, is not entirely accurate. I do not for one minute believe Darchinyan is great inside fighter! He loves to fire from the outside, leaping in with wild power shots.

His love affair with leaping in is a major reason he was knocked out by Donaire. He simply loads up from the outside with bombs and runs forward throwing them from every possible angle until something lands or he is tied up.

Donaire was one of the very few fighters who were able to allow Darchinyan to rush forward, off balance, and then step back a few inches and counter him after his wild haymakers went sailing in the breeze.

When Darchinyan is not rushing in like a madman, he stays on the outside of his opponents reach (or so he thinks) with his hands incredibly low, down by his sides.

Donaire was able to take advantage of Darchinyan’s low hand position many times in the fight, cracking Vic from the outside with left hooks and right hands. The reason Darchinyan was getting hit by those outside shots from Donaire is because he was unable to time the shots and move away.

With his hands being so low he only has one option to avoid the shots heading his way…move his head! When he mistimed his opponent’s punches, he got hit squarely on the chin.

Speaking of chins, Darchinyan showed tremendous vulnerability to Nonito Donaire’s punches. Even before the knockout shot landed, Darchinyan had been on shaky legs earlier in the fight.

Now it’s clear that Jorge Arce is not Nonito Donaire. However, I still feel there are tools that Donaire used to defeat Darchinyan that Arce will be able to duplicate.

Arce and Donaire are listed exactly the same at 5’6 inches tall. Donaire sports a 68-inch reach while Arce brings a 69-inch reach to the dance. Vic stands 5.5 and carries a 64.5-inch reach.

As I pointed out earlier, the taller frame and longer arms of Donaire allowed him to hit Darchinyan from the outside when Vic thought he was out of range. I expect Arce to have that same type of success with his punches when the two are at range.

One area I feel Arce needs to be spot on with is his left hook. In fact, a double left hook is just what the doctor ordered for an Arce win.

We already touched on how low Vic keeps his hands positioned and because of those low hands he is wide open (in every sense of the word) for a wicked left hook to the head (just ask Donaire). Now even though Arce can and will land that left hook upstairs, he can make life dreadfully miserable for Darchinyan if he throws it to the body first, followed by the head.

Arce is a tremendous body puncher and the few times Donaire landed his straight right hand to the body of Darchinyan I noticed it bothered Vic. I feel Arce is a much more seasoned body snatcher then Donaire, and I guarantee you Vic will not stand up to an all-out body assault from Arce.

Although Arce can box a little (both guys can a bit) I don’t expect him to be able to counter as well from the outside as Donaire did. I feel his best opportunity to make Darchinyan miss and then pay is to keep his guard tight and allow Darchinyan to fall in (as he usually does) after he punches.

If Arce can negate that single left hand shot he will be in perfect position to take it to Darchinyan. Remember, I don’t anticipate Vic trying to slug it out toe-to-toe with Arce on the inside. He will try to box a bit and counter Arce as he comes forward, using his only available weapon… the left hand.

Arce can both slip the left hand shot (keep in mind Arce is far from a defensive wizard himself) and then pummel Darchinyan before he scatters away, or he can try to neutralize as much of the power from the left hand of Darchinyan as possible and then start his attack.

Obviously, Arce supporters would like to see him take as few flush left hands as possible in this fight. A good tactic for Arce to do just that would be to move to his left. This would help to take him out of punching range for Darchinyan’s potent left hand power punch.

Since Darchinyan has little more then that left hand punch, Arce would not have to worry about any right hook punches heading his way as he moves to his left. It would also put him in grand position to land those left hooks we talked about earlier.

Honestly, for me this fight comes down to Arce being able to negate or take the left hand power shot of Darchinyan. I feel Arce is the better offensive and defensive (did I just refer to Arce as being better defensively then someone!) fighter.

If Arce is able to move away from that left hand shot and never fully get hit by it, or take it flush without crumpling, this will end up being an “upset” victory for “Travieso”.

While one cannot doubt the knockout percentage of Darchinyan, I feel his power is more widely used to accumulatively breakdown his opponent’s instead of blasting them out with a single shot.

I believe Jorge Arce has the bigger one punch knockout firepower and also sports the better chin. Nonito Donaire showed it only takes one punch to put Darchinyan to sleep and I think Arce sends Darchinyan to the sandman via the left hook.

Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Arce By KO {+506}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Arce By KO {+506}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Over 8.5 Rounds {+180} (Vegas Odds) & 1.00 Units On Arce {+360}
Doody: .50 Units On Arce {+360}
D3: .50 Units On Over 8.5 Rounds {+180} (Vegas Odds)

ESPN Predictions
By Boxeo

ESPN “Friday Night Fights” returns to action with an exciting twelve round vacant IBF 140-pound title match-up featuring Juan “Iron Twin” Urango, (20-1-1, 16KO’s) and Herman “Black Panther” Ngoudjo, (17-2, 9KO’s) live from the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Ngoudjo opened about a -160 favorite over Urango but the public has slowly been dropping some coin on Urango, reducing Ngoudjo’s number to -140. Urango supporters can still get the underdog cash at +125. The O/U for the fight has been set at 11.5 rounds, with the over landing at -225 and the under coming in at +175.

Ngoudjo by KO comes in at +483, while Ngoudjo by decision will get you +130. Urango by KO hits the mark at +400, and Urango by decision lands at +368. The odds the fight is declared a draw currently rests at +2000.

The first thing that should stand out if you are looking at the above odds is the ridiculous line the oddsmakers are giving you on a Urango stoppage.

If you have never had the opportunity to see Urango, he is built like a Mack truck and has plenty of power to go along with it.

Granted, Ngoudjo has never been stopped, but his whiskers are very questionable. He has been hurt by far less punchers then Juan Urango. For “Iron Twin” to be a 4-1 underdog to stop Ngoudjo is absurd.

As soon as the betting public gets wind of this current line I expect his odds to win by KO will plummet very quickly.

In fact, I believe Urango’s best opportunity to walk out of Canada with the IBF belt around his waist is to blast Ngoudjo out.

It’s no secret Ngoudjo resides in Canada, and most of his fights have taken place there. I fully expect Ngoudjo to enjoy a huge home court advantage on Friday night.

Actually, Ngoudjo received some of those hometown advantages in his last bout against Souleymane M’Baye.

In the third round of that fight Ngoudjo’s left eye began to swell to gigantic proportions. Although the ringside physician examined the eye in the fifth round and deemed Ngoudjo fit to continue, it was clear from watching the fight that Ngoudjo had little, if any vision in that eye.

You could easily make a case that Ngoudjo was allowed to fight nine rounds with one eye!

However, Urango has already touched on the subject of the bouts location and he knows going in that he must try for the knockout from the very first round of the fight (he always does anyway!)

One of the biggest threats to Juan Urango winning this fight by stoppage (or at all for that matter) could end up being his inactivity. He only fought one single time in 2008 and has not been in the ring in nine months.

With that said, Ngoudjo has not been a windmill of activity himself, fighting only twice in 2008 and having last seen action seven months ago.

For Ngoudjo to win this fight I believe he must be in tremendous shape and use his better technical skills to keep Urango from getting inside and blasting away at his head and body.

The biggest problem for Ngoudjo lies in his style. He is not a “cutie” inside the ropes and actually prefers to go forward and throw powerful right hand shots.

If he chooses to stick to this same type of aggressive boxing as he has in the past, I could see this fight quickly turning into a slugfest.

While I can understand making Urango the slight dog in the match because of Ngoudjo’s superior quality of opposition and home field advantages, should the two decide to slug it out mano y mano, there is no question Juan “Iron Twin” Urango will have the power and chin advantages.

The question for both Urango and Ngoudjo supporters is will the “Black Panther” allow “Iron Twin” to impose a street fight upon him?

I personally believe Ngoudjo will not only allow Urango to slug it out, but will welcome such an encounter. His style dictates such an affair, and I would be extremely surprised if he was able to change it up and outbox Urango for the entire 12 round distance.

I believe at some point and time they will be forced to trade some serious leather. I have to take those +400 odds and look for Urango to land a powerful bomb in one of the exchanges that crumples Ngoudjo to the canvas!

Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Urango By KO {+400}
Krakrabbit: 1.50 Units Urango By KO {+400}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+175}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Urango By KO {+400}
D3: 1.00 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+175}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night the HBO main event features a twelve round 147 WBA world title affair between current champion Antonio "Tijuana Tornado” Margarito, (37-5, 27KO’s) and former pound-for-pound king “Sugar” Shane Mosley, (45-5, 38KO’s) live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles California.

Margarito opened about a 5-1 favorite over Mosley but the public has slowly been jumping on Mosley, dropping Margarito’s number to -460. Mosley supporters get the underdog cash at +365. The O/U for the fight has been set at 10.5 rounds, with the over landing at -140 and the under coming in at +120.

Margarito by KO comes in at +114, while Margarito by decision will get you +168. Mosley by KO hits the mark at +979, and Mosley by decision lands at +590. The odds the fight is declared a draw currently rest at +3000.

At first glance it may seem strange to see Shane Mosley as almost a 4-1 underdog. I think the major reason the line was set so high (too high in my opinion) is because of Margarito’s recent destruction of Miguel Cotto and Mosley’s less then spectacular showing against Ricardo Mayorga four months ago.

Heading into his bout against Cotto, Margarito was installed as a 2-1 underdog! Cotto had already defeated Mosley by close decision (personally I had Mosley winning that fight) and many so-called “experts” felt that Margarito was simply to slow to catch Cotto with his looping punches on a regular basis.

Obviously, the so-called “experts” were wrong and Margarito was able to slowly wear Cotto down, stopping him in the eleventh round of the fight.

On the other end of the spectrum is Mosley’s bout against Ricardo Mayorga. When the betting line originally dropped for that fight Mosley was around a 6-1 favorite to defeat “El Matador”. However, the public thought that opening line was extremely low and by fight night they had pounded the line all they way to –900.

On the night of the fight most Mosley backers were on the edge of their seat as “Sugar” and “El Matador” battled toe-to-toe for eleven evenly contested rounds. Only in the final round of the fight was Mosley finally able to impose his will on Mayorga and stop the game Nicaraguan as the bell sounded to end the contest.

When I say the bell sounded to end the fight, the official time of the stoppage was 2:59 seconds of round number twelve! Although Shane was officially ahead on two of the three judges scorecards at the time of the stoppage, he certainly did not take care of his business like one would expect a 9-1 favorite should.

As soon as there was talk of a Mosley/Margarito showdown many people began mourning the beating and eventual knockout loss that “Sugar” Shane Mosley was about to receive. I mean, after watching their last two fights how could one not predict an easy stoppage victory for the relentless Margarito?

Of course, I see things just a little differently. By now it should be common knowledge that Mosley is a completely different fighter at 147 then he is at 154. The kid still manages to get the job done at 154, but his speed, stamina, and punching power are all greater at 147 pounds.

The fact this bout is taking place at welterweight is a huge advantage to anyone backing Mosley.

Another important factor to remember is Margarito initially turned down a fight against Mosley. He was upset with the amount of money that was offered for the risk of fighting a great boxer like “Sugar” Shane. Even Margarito understands that Mosley is still a very capable and dangerous fighter.

The two sides eventually came to terms, but there has also been talk about Margarito ballooning up extremely high in weight after his fight against Cotto. Some are beginning to question if he has put enough work in the gym (how much weight did he really have to lose?) to defeat a fighter like Mosley.

It certainly would not shock me to find out Margarito has just been going through the motions in training camp, looking past Mosley to his eventual rematch with Miguel Cotto (which will happen even if Margarito loses).

With that said Margarito did come in under the 147 limit, hitting the scales at 145.8 pounds. Mosley was 147.2 and then went back to the scale five minutes later and hit 147 on the button.

Quite honestly I am not sure what to think about Margarito coming in so light. When I initially heard the weight for Margarito my first reaction was he was coming into the fight too light, but he does not look especially weight drained or “sickly”.

The last time Margarito weighed in at this light of a weight (145.75) was in his fight against Paul Williams. In that fight he started extremely slow and that slow start allowed Williams to build up a massive lead on the judge’s scorecards that Margarito was never able to overcome.

Although Margarito has come in way under the 147-pound limit, I would be shocked if he does not put on 10-15 pounds by fight night. That should mean he enters the ring ready to go to war weighing around 160 pounds.

Regardless of any potential weight struggles Margarito went through in the gym, there is no secret to the style that he will bring into the ring against Mosley. He will simply press forward and throw punches. His defense consists of taking everything his opponents can throw smack dab on the chin and smiling back at them.

Even if Margarito is in tiptop shape, Shane is a very rugged and powerful fighter. I don’t think it will be as easy as Margarito supporters think for him to get inside and just rough Mosley up without taking a huge toll on his own body.

Although Margarito has shown a solid chin throughout his career, I don’t believe the hype that he cannot be stopped. Early in his career he was put on the seat of his pants and in his bouts with Daniel Santos there were times where he was visibly hurt.

I have also noticed Margarito seems to be very susceptible to being hit by right hand shots. In fact, that knockdown he suffered earlier in his career came from a looping right hand bomb that dropped him like a ton of bricks!

We all know Shane Mosley loves to throw that very same looping right hand punch (he throws a pretty nice straight right too) and I would not be surprised to see Mosley have great success with that punch on fight night.

Another issue you must consider whenever Margarito fights is his propensity of getting cut. Although he has a solid chin, his face first style almost always guarantees some type of facial swelling, not to mention clashes of heads.

There is no doubt in my mind that Margarito’s chin will be put to the test once again on Saturday night. Although I believe Margarito has faced much bigger one-punch KO artist’s throughout his career, it is the hand/foot speed of Mosley that could cause him serious problems.

However, speed by itself is not enough to beat Antonio Margarito. He has already proven in the past that he can break down fighters with speed advantages, but I am not so sure he has ever faced off with a fighter as well rounded as Mosley.

While I don’t think the greatest strategy for Mosley to incorporate would be to stand and trade with Margarito, if he chooses his spots wisely, he can get some serious work done on the inside and then move back outside to catch Margarito as he marches forward.

An additional important tool in this fight for Mosley will be his bodywork. While Margarito is certainly highly regarded for his body punches, Mosley was at one-time one of the best body punchers in the game.

Since he has been jumping from weight class to weight class he has neglected his awesome body punching abilities, but should he decide to utilize them on Saturday night, Margarito better hope he did not have a tough time losing those extra pounds in training camp!

One area I feel that is being greatly underrated is Mosley’s ability to clinch on the inside. Although at times Miguel Cotto had great success cracking Margarito in the face, he was using up way too much energy trying to avoid any inside warfare.

Cotto was never a masterful boxer anyway, and he simply could not overcome the massive amount of pressure that Margarito was applying.

Shane Mosley will not try and run away from Antonio Margarito! Some may suggest his inability to move out of Margarito’s way is the main reason he will get blasted out of the ring, but I don’t expect him to stand and trade bombs over and over again.

What I do expect him to do is to use his greater hand speed to fire off a series of punches before Antonio has an opportunity to counter back. When Margarito is done eating Shane’s leather (let’s face it, his defense is not great) he will undoubtedly attempt to fire back and that is when “Sugar” should clinch.

This tactic will allow Mosley to get off his own punches and stifle the offensive output of Margarito. If the going gets tough on the inside, Mosley can always switch things up and take it back outside where he will have the advantage in hand/foot speed.

Although I believe Mosley possesses attributes that Margarito does not, I am by no means suggesting it is going to be a walk in the park for Shane Mosley to beat Antonio Margarito.

Margarito is an unrelenting beast that will walk through the fires of hell to get to his opponent.

However, if Margarito neglects the jab and does little more then follow Mosley around the ring, he will allow Mosley to fire off rapid combinations as he advances and then move out of the way of Margarito’s slow, wide punches.

I believe Shane Mosley is head and shoulders above Miguel Cotto in pure boxing ability. Heading into the eleventh round of the Margarito/Cotto clash “Tijuana Tornado” was only ahead on two of the three judges scorecards by two points! One judge had the fight dead even at that point.

If Margarito is going to break Shane Mosley and retain his title he will have to start quicker and be more effective in his attack then he was against Miguel Cotto.

Remember… there was a point and time in Shane Mosley’s career when he was considered one of the best, if not the best fighter in the world. He was lightning quick, possessed a wicked body attack, and punched with tremendous force.

Granted, he is much older now, but his decline in pure ability has been rather insignificant and at welterweight he has already proven he can compete with the best the division has to offer. I see no reason why that trend will not continue on Saturday night.

Will Mosley turn back the clock and prove the skeptics wrong one more time?

Boxeo: 3.00 Units On Mosley {+400} (Vegas Odds)
Krakrabbit: 2.50 Units On Over 10.5 Rounds {+100} & 1.00 Units On Margarito By Decision {+170}
Grass Hopper: 3.00 Units On Over 10.5 Rounds {+100} & 2.00 Units On Mosley {+400} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 1.00 Units On Mosley {+400} (Vegas Odds)
D3: 1.00 Units On Margarito By Dec {+170}

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night we have the “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya, (39-5, 30KO’s) returning home to PPV television for a welterweight super fight against pound-for-pound king Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao, (47-3-2, 35KO’s). The De La Hoya/Pacquiao bout will take place live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV.

The Golden Boy quickly opened as the favorite in the fight, but since the opening line was posted Pacquiao money has been steadily coming in. Even with the surge of Pacquiao cash flowing in, De La Hoya remains a –195 favorite. Pacquiao supporters can grab the underdog money at +185. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +155 and the over at –175.

De La Hoya by KO comes in at +155, while De La Hoya by decision will net you +263. Pacquiao by KO hits the mark at +450, and Pacquiao by decision lands at +373.

Although Pacquiao is widely considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the game (Mayweather is still officially retired) you cannot ignore the fact that he opened up as a 2-1 underdog in his fight against De La Hoya.

It is my belief the sole reason that Manny is installed as the underdog in this fight is because of his non-stop scale climbing that he has fashioned throughout his career.

Now it is not uncommon for fighters to move up in weight as they get older or even for a super fight here and there, but Pacquiao is taking the term “moving up in weight” to a whole new level.

The kid originally started out his professional boxing career at 106 pounds! He slowly marched his way up the boxing weight classes until finally hitting his all time high of 135 pounds in his last bout against David Diaz.

From the time he started his career until his last fight he has moved up almost thirty pounds. Granted, his body is in tremendous shape and he has loads of energy inside the ring, but at some point and time you have to wonder when he will hit the wall.

For those gamblers out there picking Oscar to put Pacquiao away that time is now! Not only did Manny move up to 135 in his last fight, but also will make the gigantic leap from 135 all the way up to 147 to meet the “Golden Boy” for a super payday.

That is forty-one pounds from 106 pounds to 147 pounds! One would assume at some point his tremendous punching power might not follow him as he increases in weight and faces bigger and stronger fighters.

It is also important to point out that during his rise in weight he has only encountered three defeats but two of those defeats were by stoppage!

For Oscar’s part he is actually moving down in weight from his last fight. Prior to this fight against Pacquiao, De La Hoya’s official weight of 150 pounds against Steve Forbes was his lowest since he squared off with Arturo Gatti over seven years ago.

Since the entire theme of this piece centers on weight, I would be doing a disservice to my millions of readers if I didn’t mention Oscar’s own weighty issues.

Although there are zero questions that Oscar is a certain hall of fame inductee, he has had his own fair share of troubles as he has moved higher and higher in weight. Actually, three out of his five losses have come at weights 154 and above! His lone knockout defeat at the hands of Bernard Hopkins came at 155 pounds!

Even when he has managed to officially get the win on the judge’s scorecards, he has looked less then stellar doing so at these higher weight classes (can anyone say Felix Sturm!)

Now the Golden Boy returns to the welterweight division where he compiled a 10-2 record with 7 stoppage wins.

Part of the reason that Oscar has been able to make the move back to 147 pounds at the advanced age of 35 is because recently he has fought to stay in shape in between fights.

Usually, like most of the prizefighters out there, Oscar would balloon up in weight in between fights and spend a large portion of his training camp trying to lose those excess pounds.

After weighing in at 150 for the Forbes fight Oscar stayed relatively trim during the down time, making the move down three pounds to the welterweight limit of 147 not as difficult as it would have been in years past.

In this match against Pacquiao I believe De La Hoya simply has too many physical advantages for Pacquiao to overcome.

Oscar is bigger, stronger, taller, has the better beard, and will bring a six-inch reach advantage to the dance. Those are not insignificant advantages that De La Hoya possesses over Manny Pacquiao!

Theoretically he should be able to stand toe-to-toe with Manny and get the better of the exchanges or box from the outside, popping the jab in his smaller foe’s face every time “Pac Man” tries to close the distance.

Now that is not to suggest he is not going to be hit and hit often. Pacquiao has faced the best of the best in the lower weight divisions and delivers his punches with incredible speed and power.

In fact, if there is any single area where Manny may hold an edge over Oscar it will be in the speed department. Oscar is still pretty fast for a welterweight, but from all of the training footage I have been able to see of Manny it still appears he will hold the edge in hand speed when the two meet in the ring.

Although I expect Pacquiao to have the hand speed advantage in the ring I think we all can agree that Manny has serious technical flaws. Truth be told, he has a severely limited offensive arsenal. It is no mystery that Manny’s best punch is his left hand. Most of his offense is derived from a simple one-two combination punch.

On paper it would seem like a very easy task too nullify Pacquiao’s incomplete offensive arsenal, but the guy hits so hard that it only takes a single grazing shot to send his opponents down and out for the count.

With that said, Pacquiao without a doubt has progressed as a fighter since long time trainer Freddie Roach first started working with him. Under the tutelage of Roach, the hard-hitting Pac Man has added a very respectable body attack to his repertoire (just ask Erik Morales) as well as a slowly improving lead right hook from the southpaw stance.

In the end, the left hand will always be Manny Pacquiao’s most dangerous weapon.

But the question remains, will that potent left hand that has dropped or stopped opponents in the lower weight classes have any effect whatsoever when it lands on De La Hoya? How will Pacquiao react if Oscar takes his money punch and continues to fire back?

I anticipate wicked exchanges throughout this fight as both fighters try and impose their will on each other. Remember, throughout his long career Pac Man has been considered a puncher and will have a severe height and reach disadvantage if he decides to stay on the outside.

If the action starts fast and furious I would also not be surprised to see both fighters marked up in the face very early in the fight. In the past both guys have had trouble with their right eyes.

Pacquiao has been severely cut over his right eye in previous fights and De La Hoya was marked up badly against the light hitting Steve Forbes, and most recently sported a very nice shiner under the right eye from sparring with Victor Ortiz.

I believe if he truly wishes to win this fight, at some point and time Pacquiao is going to be forced to march forward and attack De La Hoya. If he doesn’t attack and make this fight an inside affair, his technically superior opponent will pick him apart on the outside. Either way he goes at it Pacquiao is going to have to take tremendous amounts of leather to give it.

Although his face first style of fighting has worked well for him in the past, if Pac Man can be stopped at 110 & 113 pounds there is nothing that suggests he cannot be stopped at 147 pounds against a great like Oscar De La Hoya!

Boxeo: 3.00 Units On De La Hoya By KO {+160}
Krakrabbit: 2.00 Units On De La Hoya By Decision {+263}
Grass Hopper: 2.00 Units On Pacquiao {+185} & 1.00 Units On Pacquiao By Decision {+373}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Pacquiao {+185}
D3: 1.00 Units On Pacquiao {+185} & 1.00 Units On De La Hoya By Decision {+263}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Tonight on HBO, fight fans will be treated to an interim WBO 154-pound world title showdown between Paul Williams, (35-1, 26KO’s) and the always crafty veteran Verno Phillips, (42-10-1, 21KO’s) live from the Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California.

Williams was quickly installed as the large betting favorite in the fight, and the line has remained fairly stable with Williams resting as a –1100 favorite to defeat Phillips on Saturday night. Those brave soles out there backing Verno Phillips to score the upset win can get +700 for every hundred bet.

The over/under for the Williams/Phillips bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the over netting you +115, while the under comes in at -135. Williams by KO hits the mark at -170, while Williams by decision will get you +247. Phillips by KO is a mighty +1350, and Phillips by decision lands at a whopping +1784.

As the oddsmaker’s line suggests, this is Paul Williams’ fight to lose. Phillips is a decent fighter, but I think his style is completely inadequate to beat a fighter like Paul Williams.

First off there is a huge size discrepancy that is going to be very difficult for Phillips to overcome. With Williams standing a lofty 6’1 to Phillips’ 5’7, I think it’s safe to say that Phillips will have no choice but to bully his way inside the long reach of Williams and try to make this fight a toe-to-toe war.

The major problem in this type of game plan for Phillips is his lack of dynamite punching power. With only twenty-one wins by stoppage he is not a huge puncher. Even if Phillips did have more power, there is nothing until this point in Williams career that suggests he has anything less then steel in his beard.

If Antonio Margarito could not stop Paul Williams in their recent showdown, why would Phillips be expected to?

If he cannot stop Williams his other option would be to outwork him. Again, trying to outwork a fighter like Williams who routinely throws a hundred punches a round is going to be an extremely tough task for the thirty-nine year old Phillips.

That’s not to say it will be impossible for Phillips to win on the cards by outworking or maybe just out landing Williams. In his lone defeat, Williams had a tremendously off night against Carlos Quintana and was out punched and out landed over the course of twelve one-sided rounds, eventually losing on the judge’s scorecards.

For whatever reason (many suggest weight issues at 147) Williams just could not get out of the way of Quintana’s punches and simply followed him around the ring getting pummeled in the face over and over.

Four months later the two boxers met again and Williams quickly showed that he did indeed just have an off night in that first fight, blasting Carlos out in one single round in the rematch.

So, Phillips can try to stay on the outside and allow Williams to walk him down, throwing a million and one punches as he advances, or he can go straight ahead into the lions den and try to lure Williams into a slugfest.

If I were forced to pick between the two strategies I would vote for Phillips to get as close as possible to Williams and try to get inside his long reach. Margarito had his best success when he got right on the chest of Williams. However, if you don’t gauge the distance correctly against him you will end up eating leather all night long.

For his part, Phillips is coming off a hotly disputed split decision win over Corey Spinks eight months ago.

I had the opportunity to watch that fight and I thought Spinks clearly won the bout. With the fight taking place in Spink’s hometown I did not see any chance that Phillips was going to win the fight on the cards. I was surprised to hear the three blind mice at ringside score the fight in favor of Phillips.

In my opinion Spinks controlled the action over the course of the fight and Phillips simply did not do enough to win the bout.

Although Williams has scored twenty-six stoppage wins in his career, he is not a big puncher. He gets his stoppage wins from an accumulation of shots. As I mentioned earlier, it is not unheard of for Williams to throw 100 punches per round, EVERY single round.

While I highly doubt Phillips can win this fight, you cannot help but take note that he has not been stopped in twenty years! That is not a typo; Verno Phillips was last stopped back in 1988, in his fifth pro fight!

With that said, I have noticed that lately he struggles mightily with stamina issues in the later parts of his fights. He was almost stopped by Kassim Ouma late in that fight, and his punch output and overall effectiveness severely declines as the later rounds arrive.

With the amount of pressure that Williams should apply to the old timer I find it hard to believe that Phillips will be able to survive the entire twelve round distance.

I feel he is crafty enough to get through the first half of the contest, but by round seven I think this fight will be labeled a mismatch and Phillips will begin to take a massive amount of punishment. From there on it should only be a matter of time before we see a referee/doctor stoppage or maybe even a corner retirement that saves Phillips from anymore brutal abuse.

Boxeo: 1.70 Units On Williams By KO {-170}
Krakrabbit: .50 Units On Over 9.5 Rounds {+120} (Vegas Odds)
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Over 9.5 Rounds {+120} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 1.00 Units On Williams By Decision {+247}
D3: N/P

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night showcases Ricky “ Hitman” Hatton’s (44-1, 31KO’s) quest to regain his place among the elite boxers in the 140-pound division when he squares off against slick boxer Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi, (25-1, 5KO’s) live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV.

Hatton was quickly installed as the clear betting favorite in the fight and the line has pretty much stayed steady with Hatton hovering around the –250 mark. Malignaggi supporters can grab the underdog money at +210. The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -330 and the under at +270.

Hatton by KO comes in at +380, while Hatton by decision will cost you -105. Malignaggi by KO hits the mark at +1316, and Malignaggi by decision lands at +282.

Both fighters recently had less then spectacular outings in Manchester six months ago. Hatton squared off with veteran Juan Lazcano and Malignaggi traded leather with Lovemore N’dou for a second time.

Neither fighter looked the part that their betting numbers suggested (Hatton was a –1250 favorite and Malignaggi was a -925 favorite) and both betting favorites were hurt in their respective bouts and struggled many times throughout the course of their contests.

Obviously with Malignaggi fighting on the undercard of the Hatton showcase, the powers that be were setting the stage for the match-up that we will witness on Saturday night.

However, after the dismal performances put forth by both fighters back in Manchester, many experts and fight fans alike feel neither fighter will ever again be able to seriously compete with the elite boxers in the division.

After his poor showing against Lazcano, Hatton went out and hired Floyd Mayweather Sr. to help implement some type of defensive technique to his arsenal. As we all know, Hatton was never a defensive genius but his lack of punch resistance against Lazcano was shocking.

Lazcano was a shell of his former self in that bout, but whenever he decided to let his hands go he could not miss his target. In fact, many people feel Hatton needed some hometown cooking from the referee to save him from being knocked out by Lazcano.

Regardless if Hatton would have actually been stopped if not for the referee jumping in to stop the action and tie Ricky Hatton’s shoe, the fact remains Hatton realized that at this stage of his career he must implement some head movement to help avoid being hit so often.

There are few better defensive teachers in the game then Floyd Mayweather Sr., but it will be interesting to see just what kind of teachings he was able to provide to an aggressive pressure fighter like Hatton.

If Hatton could ever afford a lapse in defense it will be in this fight with Malignaggi. With only five stoppage wins in twenty-five victories, I think it’s safe to say Malignaggi does not carry a punch with him inside the ring.

Malignaggi’s game is to hit and not get hit; yet recently he has been less and less sound defensively. His recent showing against N’dou is a perfect example of how he is taking more and more flush shots and being forced to dig down deep and come back from being hurt.

Although Malignaggi has shown a solid chin (he took an absolute beating against Cotto and went 12) his game has never been about taking punishment and fighting through adversity.

Malignaggi blames most of his sub-par performances on very brittle hands. It is not uncommon for him to hurt or break his hands when he steps inside the ring.

There is no question that Malignaggi should be commended for fighting through such pain and continuing to win, but you have to wonder how long he can keep winning against top-notch competition when he enters the ring with such a huge liability.

The biggest problems I can envision for Hatton in this fight is the movement of Malignaggi and the conditioning of the "Hitman".

It’s no secret Hatton balloons way up in weight in between fights and this fight is no exception. In fact, in recent photos Hatton appears severely weight drained and all of the years of draining his body to make weight will undoubtedly catch up to him. The question is… will it be Saturday night?

I think Hatton’s saving grace in this fight may be the lack of punching power from Malignaggi. Sure, the “Magic Man” may outbox him for several rounds, but Hatton will not be absorbing thunderous shots that break his body down.

I think the absolute worst-case scenario for Hatton is a close decision loss. Fight fans and most judges love that aggressive posture that Hatton puts on. The biggest Malignaggi fans on the planet are the folks that suffer from insomnia!

In all seriousness, I only see Malignaggi giving Hatton trouble on the outside. Although Malignaggi likes to think of himself as a defensive master, the truth of the matter is the kid gets hit a lot.

It will not be a contest if Hatton is allowed to get close and maul him to death. Malignaggi simply does not have the physical strength or punching power to discourage Hatton in an inside fight.

Malignaggi’s only hope to win this fight is to peck and move and try to get the nod on the judge’s cards.

If you follow my writings you know I absolutely hate leaving any fight in the hands of the three blind mice at ringside. If you are backing Malignaggi you are doing just that and should seriously look at taking him by decision if the odds permit it.

In my opinion, I don’t see Malignaggi being able to keep Hatton off of him for the entire night. Now there is talk from Hatton about using his boxing skills and this and that, but if he chooses to try and outbox Malignaggi he deserves to lose. His aggressive, pressure style is just what the doctor ordered for this one.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Hatton By KO {+380}
Krakrabbit: 3.15 Units On Hatton By Decision {-105}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Malignaggi {+240} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 1.00 Units On Hatton By KO {+380}
D3: N/P

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night fight fans will be treated to 168-pound WBC title eliminator when former undisputed middleweight champion of the world Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor, (27-2-1, 17KO’s) and former IBF super middleweight champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy, (24-1, 17KO’s.) square off live from the Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, Tennessee.

Taylor opened the contest as the clear betting favorite, but public money poured in on him and his number is now all the way up to -600. Lacy supporters can grab the underdog line at +400.

The O/U on the bout is set at 10.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +135, and the over at -155. Taylor by KO comes in at +157, while Taylor by decision will reward you with +142. Lacy by KO hits the mark at +862, and Lacy by decision lands at +813.

After the two very close decision wins against Hopkins, Taylor was thought of as the next big thing in middleweight boxing. His wins over Hopkins were considered the passing of the torch from one great middleweight champion of the world to a future great middleweight champion.

However, Taylor quickly started to lose his superstar label after being involved in back-to-back-to-back uninspiring performances against Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma, and Cory Spinks.

Many experts and fight fans believed he should have been 0-3 in that stretch of bouts instead of 2-0-1. In fact, if you throw in the two Bernard Hopkins bouts, you could make the case that Taylor could easily have been 0-5 from 2005-2007.

All five of those contests went the distance with Taylor being on the receiving end of very questionable decisions. Some folks even went as far as to suggest that regardless of the way the fight unfolded inside the ring, when it went to the scorecards, Taylor just could not seem to lose.

For some reason since the Hopkins fights, Taylor has appeared to regress as a fighter. He is not as aggressive as he once was, and even his highly touted jab does not get used with consistency.

In his first bout with Pavlik, Taylor started fast and went right after him, dropping the “Ghost” in round two. However, Taylor let him off the hook and paid dearly for it when he was knocked out five rounds later.

In the rematch with Pavlik, Taylor reverted back to the reluctant warrior and attempted to box his way to a decision win. He knew without a doubt Pavlik could hurt/stop him so this time around he decided to let the three blind mice at ringside decide his fate.

Although Taylor received nothing but love from the ringside judges when he was an undefeated, rising superstar, things did not turn out exactly how he planned when he was the one that ended up losing on the scorecards to Pavlik in the rematch.

The fact that Taylor regressed back to a boxing style that allowed his opponents to gain ground on him was not shocking at all. In fact, leading up to the Pavlik fight it had become commonplace for him to allow light-hitting boxers to easily bully him around the ring.

Before his first fight with Pavlik, Taylor had been receiving a lot of heat from the media and fight fans about his lackluster performances. I think he entered the first fight with Pavlik seeking to show the critics that he still had that fire burning inside him.

After his first loss to Pavlik, Taylor fired legendary trainer Emmanuel Steward and replaced him with his former trainer Ozell Nelson.

I must assume it was Nelson that implemented the boxing/counter punching style in the Pavlik rematch in the hopes of either catching Pavlik as he came forward, or winning on the cards.

Obviously that tactic did not work, but I have a feeling on Saturday night he will try to get Taylor to fight a similar fight when he faces off against Jeff Lacy.

Just as Taylor was once hailed as the middleweight savior of boxing, Lacy was thought of as the Mike Tyson of the super middleweight division. His short compact frame, combined with his tremendous knockout power was an instant hit with fight fans across the country.

Lacy went 21-0 (1 no contest) with 17 stoppages and picked up the IBF and IBO super middleweight titles along the way before squaring off with Joe Calzaghe for all of the marbles back in 2006.

Although Calzaghe was also undefeated and Lacy was traveling across the pond to face him, “Left Hook” was still considered the odds-on favorite to win the fight.

When the two fighters finally got in the ring it was evident from the start that Lacy was in way over his head. Calzaghe dropped him, stunned him, and humiliated him for 12 grueling rounds.

The beating that Calzaghe administered to Lacy is the stuff that ends careers. Lacy had never been in such a battle before and the beating his mind and body absorbed in that fight was wicked.

Ever since his beating at the hands of Calzaghe back in 2006, Lacy has not looked to be the same fighter he once was.

Granted he is 3-0 since the Calzaghe beating, defeating Vitali Tsypko, Peter Manfredo, and Epifanio Mendoza. However, he struggled with each and every one of those fighters and was almost knocked out cold in his last fight against Epifanio Mendoza.

Lacy claims some of the lackluster wins inside the ring were a result of his torn rotator cuff, but admits in his last fight against Epifanio Mendoza his shoulder was 100%.

Even at this stage of the game Taylor is head and shoulders above Lacy’s recent competition. If you just look at their recent competition and how they have recently performed, this fight is a complete mismatch.

Lacy supporters may be pointing to the power of Lacy as his saving grace and while it’s true he does have an impressive knockout percentage, his last stoppage win came back in 2005 against the shopworn Scott Pemberton.

For me, the only question I have is will Taylor put his foot on the gas and get Lacy out of there? It’s no secret that Jeff Lacy and Jermain Taylor are good friends. Taylor and Spinks were also good friends and we know how that fight played out (can you say stinker.)

In my opinion Taylor will resort to his punch and hold style (did Hopkins teach him that?) in an attempt to stop the aggression of Lacy. Holding always causes fighters trouble, and I think Lacy will have difficulty being held every time he attempts to lay some leather on JT.

Even if Taylor needs to implement this type of technique to throw Lacy off of his game plan he only need execute it for five rounds. Lacy is a quick starter and usually gasses after five rounds. During the second half of the bout his speed diminishes and he starts to throw one haymaker at a time. Say what you will about Taylor, but he does bring the better boxing skills and movement to the dance.

So there you have it. I feel Lacy’s best opportunity for a victory must come in the first half of the fight. Should it go longer then that I suspect the tide will dramatically shift in favor of Taylor as Lacy looks for one homerun punch to pull him out of the deficit that he will be in on the judge’s scorecards.

Even if Taylor does not head into this fight looking for the stoppage (I think he is going to try and do just enough to get the win) there is a slight chance that Lacy still gets stopped due to swelling.

His face has not been holding up well lately and the jab alone could do serious damage to his eyes. If Lacy is taking a pounding and his face is beginning to swell and fall apart, maybe, just maybe, the ref jumps in and stops the fight.

With that said, I just don’t like that lack of killer instinct from Taylor. We already touched on Lacy going the distance in his last few fights, but Taylor has not been a knockout machine himself, scoring his last stoppage victory all the way back in 2005!

I think if Lacy’s face does not fall apart there is a good chance this one sees the judge’s scorecards.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Taylor By Decision {+142}
Krakrabbit: 2.00 Units On Taylor By Decision {+142}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Won’t Go 10.5 Rounds {+145} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 1.00 Units On Lacy {+400}
D3: 1.00 Units On Lacy {+400}

HBO PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night we have undefeated superstar Joe Calzaghe, (45-0, 32KO’s) squaring off against living legend Roy Jones Jr., (52-4, 38KO’s) in a light heavyweight title affair live from the Madison Square Garden in New York City.

When the line first dropped, Calzaghe was installed as the clear betting favorite, but every since Bernard Hopkins’ upset win over Kelly Pavlik, public money has slowly been coming in on Jones and his number is now down to +230 at most books. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +265 and the over at -325.

If you like Calzaghe by stoppage you will get +271, while Calzaghe by decision costs you -110 .You can snag Jones by stoppage at +672, and the former heavyweight champion by decision will net you +450. The odds the fight is declared a draw land at +2400.

As you can plainly see by the posted odds, Calzaghe is expected to beat Jones in a distance fight on the judge’s scorecards.

The southpaw light heavyweight champion has never lost a professional bout, and is currently riding a high after soundly defeating the highly respected Mikkel Kessler last year and most recently eeking out a close split decision win over future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins.

For his part, Jones comes into his fight against Calzaghe riding a three fight win streak over Prince Badi Ajamu, Anthony Hanshaw, and most recently a unanimous decision win over former world champion Felix “Tito” Trinidad.

It’s no secret that Roy Jones Jr. brings the better resume to the dance. A quick glance at the former pound-4-pound king’s record and you will find names like Bernard Hopkins, Thomas Tate, James Toney, Mike McCallum, Montell Griffin, Virgil Hill, Reggie Johnson, John Ruiz, Glen Johnson, Antonio Tarver, and Felix Trinidad.

After forty-five professional fights, the most familiar names on Joe Calzaghe’s resume are Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler and Bernard Hopkins.

With such a large gap in quality of opposition faced, one might be inclined to question the oddsmaker’s sanity in making Jones a 3-1 underdog in this fight.

However, setting a line has more to do with wins and losses, and I believe the oddsmaker’s see serious flaws in the game of Jones that they feel Calzaghe can exploit.

Although we outlined the fact that Roy Jones has clearly faced the better opposition throughout his hall of fame career, one must not forget that Jones is far from the fighter of yesteryear. As his legs begin to show the signs of a long career, we find Roy Jones Jr. spending large portions of his fights with his back to the ring ropes.

Even though it’s true that a prime Jones had a tendency to lie against the ring ropes, inviting his opponents to hammer him to the head and body. In his younger days, his reflexes were so quick he would just toy with his foe until he spotted the tiniest of openings before blistering off highlight reel combinations that left the crowd, as well as his opponents in awe.

That Roy Jones only exists in microscopic spots during the course of his fights. Not only does Jones use his legs sparingly, his still wicked fast hands are also kept under lock and key for most of the three-minute rounds.

In stark contrast Joe Calzaghe is a windmill inside the ring. He punches in bunches and forces his opponents to alter their offensive game plan in an attempt to defend the volley of punches heading their way.

Although Calzaghe can punch non-stop for an entire fight, he has widely been criticized for “slapping” with his shots. I say if “Slappy” Joe he has been able to score thirty-two stoppage wins by slapping his opponents to death, I pray for Jones sake he does not decide to close his glove and punch with authority!

I feel Jones’ tendency to retreat in a straight line, as he backs into the ring ropes, could be a huge advantage for Joe Calzaghe.

As I pointed out earlier, when his opponents attack him Jones has always had the habit of moving straight back into the ring ropes and putting his earmuffs on. This allows his opponents to pummel him from head to toe while he covers up and waits to counterpunch.

The problem with implementing this defensive technique against Calzaghe is the fact that Joe can stay right there on the ropes punching him in the head and body for the entire round! Unless Jones forces Calzaghe to back away, he simply will not stop punching until the bell rings to end the round or Jones is laid out cold on the mat.

Another danger the current version of Roy Jones Jr. faces is his slowed reflexes. Once upon a time RJJ practically went his entire career without ever being touched by a single significant punch.

In fact, if I recall correctly, he often boasted about not being able to relate to the adversity that other fighters often have to go through when they are cut, hurt, or knocked down during a fight.

Of course, that all changed when he faced off with Antonio Tarver for the first time way back in 2003. Notice I point out the first fight as the significant point in Jones’ career where he was forced to realize he was less than superhuman.

Despite the fact that Jones was able to come away with a very close majority decision win against Tarver, it was the first time in his whole career he was forced to dig down deep and fight through adversity.

In all of his prior bouts he toyed with his opponents. Even in his fight against Lou De Valle, when he suffered the first knockdown of his career, I never got the sense that Jones was in danger of losing the fight.

A lot of people point to the first Griffin fight as the first signs that Jones was beginning to decline, but even in that fight I never thought the scrap was slipping away from him. In each of those fights, you could always see that he clearly understood his surroundings.

He was notorious for allowing his rivals limited success before quickly snatching it back. I think he was well on his way to doing that very thing to Montell before the late hit and subsequent disqualification.

However, the Tarver bout was something Jones had never experienced as a pro. He was forced to battle fatigue, facial swelling, and being hit flush numerous times over the course of the entire fight.

Another very subtle change took place in that bout for Jones…he was forced to fight! I am not talking about boxing and counterpunching; I am talking about standing your ground and making a stand. As Jones has aged, his body has mandated that he sit down on his punches and take risks.

Taking risks was never part of the original game plan for Jones. In fact, throughout his career he was criticized for always fighting the “safe” opponents and fighting a safety first style.

At this stage of the game, Jones is physically unable to throw rapid-fire combination shots for a full three minutes of every single round. He no longer possesses the ability to use his legs and move out of harms way as his adversary advances.

Those two factors have contributed to him adapting a more “crowd friendly” style. By crowd friendly I mean he gets hit more! In essence, he has become more of a stationary target as he has matured.

I think the inability to fight how he has for the better part of his entire career, has forced Jones to either risk being knocked out cold, or go into a defensive shell.

A classic example of Jones going into a defensive shell was his ninth round knockout loss to Glenn Johnson. Not only did Jones get knocked out once again by a single punch (Jones was stopped in the second round in the Tarver rematch) he was losing the fight up until that point.

Johnson set the tone of the bout in the very first round of the fight. He jumped right on Jones, bullied him into the ring ropes and threw punches until the bell sounded to end the round.

For his part Jones could do nothing but cover up and potshot whenever he could muster up the energy and courage to let his hands go. Throughout the entire fight Jones’ punch output was non-existent, and when he did fire off a combination, Johnson would stand his ground and jump right back on him.

As the rounds wore on Jones went deeper and deeper into his defensive shell, until his reflexes betrayed him and he was caught with a jab-right hand shot that knocked him out cold for the second straight fight.

In the brief footage I have been able to view on Roy’s preparation for Calzaghe, it appears Jones is focusing more on conditioning his body for a faster pace inside the ring. This would be an extremely smart move on his part because we already know Calzaghe has great stamina and workrate.

Speaking of workrate, Calzaghe recently stated on the HBO behind the scenes series 24/7 that he needs to make his punches count more in this fight with Jones and cannot pity pat his way through the bout like he did against Hopkins.

I think lowering his punch output in the hopes of hurting or stopping Jones would be a grave mistake on the part of Calzaghe and could end up costing him his undefeated record.

His biggest assets throughout his career have been his above average hand speed and his tireless workrate. He will not possess the faster hands when he meets Jones Jr., but he can still bring the better workrate to the dance if he chooses.

If fight night comes and Joe Calzaghe honestly alters his offensive game plan against Jones in an attempt to land the harder, cleaner blows, I think he will lose the fight!

Although Jones is no longer invincible, he still has incredible hand speed and is second to none when it comes to potshotting an opponent.

Should Calzaghe decide to sit down on his punches more it will not only allow Jones to rest and counterpunch with great accuracy, but because Calzaghe is a southpaw fighter it will also allow Jones the opportunity to land one of the best punches in his arsenal… the lead right hand!

Jones throws this punch better then most fighters on the planet and Hopkins recently showed that Calzaghe can be touched with that punched on a regular basis and even dropped if the shot is timed right.

Hopkins was able to land the right hand on Calzaghe even though Joe was throwing a ton of punches every round. Imagine what the much quicker Roy Jones Jr. would be able to land on Calzaghe if Joe decides to pick his shot carefully before attacking.

We all know the punch that you don’t see hurts you the most. I feel Jones brings enough speed and punching power to hurt and even drop Calzaghe, but finishing him off is an entirely different matter.

Even in his prime Jones was never considered a “killer” inside the ring. Most of his stoppages have come from long drawn out beatdowns that slowly broke down his overmatched opponents.

As he has aged his lack of finishing skills have deteriorated even further. If you look back at his last three fights you will see a total of 36 rounds of boxing and three decision wins for the former pound-4-pound king.

It is also important to point out that Jones was not facing the cream of the crop in those fights. In his prime I am certain Badi Ajamu and Anthony Hanshaw would not have made it the distance with him. In fact, he was unable or unwilling to knockout Felix “Tito” Trinidad who came out of a two-year retirement and moved all the way up to 170-pound catch weight to face him.

Granted, he was able to have his way with all three fighters either hurting them or knocking them down, but he still could not pull the trigger enough to get them out of there.

I think Jones would need to throw a large amount of punches and land at an incredible accuracy rate to stop Calzaghe. Even though I can envision the accuracy numbers for Jones being high, I think it is his punch output that could hinder him a bit.

For his part Calzaghe carries solid power into the ring but when he has stepped up the competition he has not scored the stoppages that he did earlier in his career.

The three names we pointed out earlier that represent the most recognized fighters on his resume (Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler and Bernard Hopkins) were all distance fights with Joe getting the nod by unanimous decision twice and the close split decision win over Hopkins.

With two of his four losses coming by knockout (one punch KO’s at that) I think it’s safe to say that Roy Jones Jr. chin is not made of granite. With that said, I am still only mildly worried about Calzaghe landing enough power shots to really hurt Jones. After all, Calzaghe is thought of as a volume puncher, not a one-punch knockout artist.

Now, if Calzaghe stays true to form and throws punches in bunches I have a feeling the three blind mice at ringside will be forced to choose between the volume of punches from Calzaghe and the harder, more accurate shots from Jones.

If that is the case, I would not be surprised to hear both camps crying that they won the fight on Saturday. Team Calzaghe will point to the overwhelming punches thrown numbers, and team Jones will point to the punches landed numbers.

In the end I see Roy Jones Jr. scoring an “upset” split decision victory over Joe Calzaghe that sets up a rematch 6-8 months later in the heart of Wales!

Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Jones {+300} (Vegas Odds) & 6.00 Units On Jones Jr. By Decision {+450}
Krakrabbit: 2.00 Units On Jones By Decision {+450}
Grass Hopper: 4.00 Units On Jones {+300} (Vegas Odds) & 1.00 Units On Jones By KO {+750} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 2.00 Units On Jones {+300} (Vegas Odds)
D3: 1.00 Units On Jones {+300} (Vegas Odds)

HBO PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night fight fans will be treated to the return of WBC/WBO middleweight champion of the world Kelly Pavlik, (34-0, 30KOs) squaring off against future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins, (48-5-1, 32KOs) at a special 170-pound catch weight live from the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Pavlik opened as the clear betting favorite in the fight, but public money continued to flow in on him, knocking his number up to -440. Hopkins supporters can grab the underdog line at +350. The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +195 and the over at -235.

Pavlik by KO comes in at +273, while the middleweight champion by decision will cost you -110. Hopkins by KO hits the mark at +1186, and Hopkins by decision lands at +600.

Although there is a giant gap in the resume of the two boxers, it is widely believed that Hopkins is on his way out of the sport while Pavlik is just hitting his fighting stride.

Although Hopkins has faced and beaten Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright since losing his rematch to Jermain Taylor back in 2005, his overall record for his past five fights sits at a dismal 2-3 with zero stoppages.

In all of those five fights Hopkins showed flashes of being able to command the ring like the Bernard of old, but his inability to pull the trigger and throw more then one punch at a time is in large part the reason he has a losing record over the last three years.

Speaking of his last fight fights, those five bouts we touched on have all taken place in a span of three years!

Hopkins fought just twice in 2005, once in 2006, and one single time in 2007. His fight with Pavlik will make only his second fight of 2008.

I believe the oddsmakers opening a fighting legend like Bernard Hopkins as such a sizable underdog in this fight is a direct result of his inability to throw punches!

If you listen to the Hopkins supporters out there all you hear is how he has defined the odds and found the fountain of youth. They claim the forty-three year old boxes like an up and coming twenty-seven year old.

Even though it is certainly evident that Hopkins is fighting at a much higher level than any other forty-three year old, the claims of his dominance in the ring are a bit far fetched.

The very first thing you need to look at is his last two wins. Tarver, a former world champion, had to lose a ton of weight before their 2006 bout and fought a slow, lethargic fight that allowed Hopkins to throw whenever he wanted and rest whenever he felt the need.

Now, some people will simply shrug off my analysis of the Tarver bout as crying over spilled milk (I actually picked Hopkins for the upset) but I feel if you take a peek back at Tarver’s last two fights against Woods and Dawson you will see Tarver is a shell of his former self and has his own fair share of trouble pulling the trigger.

In Hopkins’ other win over Winky Wright, he was facing a fighter that moved up in weight (hey, isn’t Kelly Pavlik moving up in weight?) and had an extremely defensive style of fighting. Once again, the style of Wright allowed Hopkins to dictate the pace and throw when he wanted and rest whenever he felt the need.

Even his decision loss at the hands of Joe Calzaghe was against a 36-year old fighter who was making the leap up in weight from the super middleweight division to the light heavyweight limit of 175-pounds.

I believe Hopkins has been able to compete at a higher level than most anticipated because he has recently faced fighters (Wright & Tarver) with styles that complimented his own.

If you go back and look at the two Taylor fights and his recent loss to Calzaghe, you will find that both Taylor and Calzaghe were much more active than Hopkins and try as he might, the old lion could not muster up the energy to fight three minutes of every single round.

Although I don’t believe Pavlik is as active inside the ring as Calzaghe, he certainly can match the activity level of a Jermain Taylor. I believe Pavlik’s activity level combined with his punching power will be more then enough to take Hopkins out of his comfort zone.

In my opinion the only chance Hopkins has to win this fight is by knockout (providing the three blind mice at ringside are on the level.) His five punches thrown per round (ok, maybe I am exaggerating just a bit) would not appear to be active enough in this fight to get him the nod if the fight goes to the cards.

In fact, I venture to guess that even if Hopkins were to win by knockout it would need to be of the one-punch variety. The reason I think a single shot KO is more achievable for Hopkins is because even if he were able to hurt or drop Pavlik I am not sure he has enough juice in the tank to finish the job!

Pavlik showed against Taylor in their first fight that he has great recuperative powers and I find it extremely difficulty to envision Hopkins putting together combination shots regardless of his opponent’s condition.

The one area of this fight that does trouble me a bit is the weight. Pavlik is a beast at 160-pounds but looked mediocre when he fought Taylor in the rematch at a special catch weight of 166-pounds. Now he heads even further north to 170-pounds to face the crafty vet Hopkins.

Pavlik claims that he was unable to be as effective as he would have liked against Taylor in the second fight because Jermain fought a more defensive style of fighting. If he thought Taylor fought defensively wait until he faces Hopkins!

The truth is, even the die hard “Ghost” supporters have to wonder if he will carry that tremendous punching power with him all the way up to 170-pounds.

Even if Pavlik should somehow bring his thunder with him to 170, there is still a real and present danger for him in this fight. The danger zone for the undefeated fighter from Ohio lies in any type of inside warfare with the cagey old vet.

Hopkins has often been criticized for being a “dirty” fighter. He is not afraid to hit his opponents low, come in with his head, and hold and maul his foe whenever they get close.

This “style” of fighting makes for horribly ugly bouts, but Hopkins has found a way to master this rough and tough inside game.

At his advanced fighting age he needs every advantage he can get, and his holding and hitting on the inside not only gives him the advantage of busting up the face of his opponents (he often can cause cuts by being rough on the inside) it allows him to control the punch output of his opponents.

If Pavlik falls into this trap set by Hopkins, he will be in for a very long night.

I always hate fights where I have a strong feeling the bout might head to the scorecards. I don’t like when the three blind mice get involved, and would prefer a legit stoppage win to a decision win any day.

However, the “give” that Hopkins displayed in the late rounds against Joe Calzaghe makes me wonder if the old timer has finally reached his limits. The “low blow” that was called late in that fight gave Hopkins a ton of time to rest and appeared on the surface to be a life saver for Hopkins.

He was fading badly down the stretch and Calzaghe was continuing to windmill his punches non-stop. Hopkins clearly could not keep up with the pace and for a minute there, the possibility of Hopkins finally being stopped inside the distance crept into my mind.

If the sand in Hopkins’ hourglass has indeed finally run out, I can visualize a badly fatigued Hopkins being stopped in the very late stages of the fight.

While the above scenario is technically possible, I still feel Hopkins craftiness and the catch weight of 170-pounds could severely hinder Pavlik’s ability to become the first fighter to stop Bernard Hopkins.

Boxeo: 2.20 Units Pavlik By Decision {-110}
Krakrabbit: .25 Units On Pavlik By KO Rounds 7-9 {+1012} & .25 Units On Pavlik By KO Rounds 10-12 {+1029}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Won’t Go 11.5 {+200}
Doody: 1.10 Units On Pavlik By Decision {-110}
D3: 1.10 Units On Pavlik By Decision {-110}

Showtime Predictions
By Boxeo

This Saturday night the IBF & IBO light heavyweight titles will be on the line when Chad Dawson, (26-0, 17KO’s) faces off against veteran Antonio Tarver, (27-4, 19KO’s) live from the Palms Casino, Las Vegas, NV.

Dawson opened the contest as the clear favorite in the bout and currently rests at –260. Tarver supporters can grab +220 for their money. The O/U for the fight has been set at 11.5 rounds, with the over coming in at -220 and the under landing at +180.

Dawson by KO will net you +351, while Dawson by decision lands at +102. Tarver by KO hits the mark at +542, and Tarver by decision lands at +538. The odds the fight will be declared a draw are +2750.

It is clear from the opening line that oddsmakers are expecting a decision win for Dawson.

Dawson is the younger, faster, more skilled fighter in the match-up and will look to employ his quicker hand speed and better footwork to outwork Tarver over the course of the fight.

Although Tarver is coming off a lopsided decision win over Clinton Woods six months ago, I just don’t see anyway the thirty-nine year old Tarver will be able to keep up with his younger foe enough to win on the scorecards.

The “Magic Man’s” best opportunity to score the upset victory will lie in his two fists and the chin of Dawson.

Dawson has been put on the seat of his pants before, and Tarver has shown in the past he possesses enough dynamite in his gloves to get his opponents out of there.

The game plans are very simple in this fight. Tarver will need a knockout to win and Dawson has the ability to box the ears of off his ageing opponent. I would be surprised if the outcome ended up being anything other then Tarver by knockout or Dawson by decision.

Although Tarver is clearly the more established name in this match-up, recently he has appeared to be rapidly slowing down inside the ring.

Granted, he has faced the cream of the crop in Roy Jones jr., Glen Johnson, and Bernard Hopkins, but it is the lack of energy displayed inside the ring that have many experts calling the thirty-nine year old a shot fighter.

Even though Tarver supporters will likely point to the beating of Clinton Woods as proof that a motivated Antonio Tarver is still a dangerous light heavyweight fighter, I felt that performance was extremely lackluster.

On the night he squared off against Woods, he literally had a punching bag in front of him and still showed a tremendous lack of energy and appeared to be just going through the motions.

He was allowed to nail Woods with anything and everything he threw without ever worrying about any kind of an offensive assault from his foe. Yet, he still could only muster up enough energy to do so in short bursts.

It is important to remember that in his bout with Woods he was allowed to fight at his own pace. He punched when he wanted and rested when he wanted. Even when Tarver was considered to be the best in the division he was never a windmill when it came to punch output.

I can assure you that Dawson is going to set a pace inside that ring that Tarver will not be able to match.

Dawson will clearly have the advantage in work rate and if the bout goes to the scorecards one would expect if the fight were on the level (who knows what will happen when the three blind mice get involved) Dawson would have a clear advantage due to his higher punch output.

The only shot Tarver has to win this fight is to land his booming left hand (can anyone say Roy Jones Jr.) on the chin of Chad Dawson and put him to sleep.

With the way Dawson has reacted to punches in the past a one-punch knockout victory for Tarver is not out of the question. The thing that is in question is how long Tarver will possess enough energy to be able to land that shot and change the course of the fight.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Dawson By Decision {+120} (Vegas Odds)
Krakrabbit: 2.00 Units On Dawson By Decision {+120} (Vegas Odds)
Grass Hopper: 2.50 Units On Under 12 Full Rounds {+200} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 1.00 Units On Tarver {+220}
D3: 1.00 Units On Dawson By Decision {+120} (Vegas Odds)

Showtime Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night (tape delayed in the U.S.) fight fans will be treated to the return of Vitali “Iron Fist” Klitschko, (35-2, 34KO’s) after almost four years out of the ring when he tackles heavy-handed Samuel “Nigerian Nightmare” Peter, (30-1, 23KO’s) From the O2 World Arena, Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany.

The fight opened at almost dead even odds, but since then the line on Klitschko has steadily moved higher and higher, currently resting at the -180 mark. Peter supporters can grab the underdog cash at +155. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +175 and the over at -215.

Klitschko by KO comes in at +175, while Klitschko by decision will reward you with +329. Peter by KO hits the mark at +318, and Peter by decision lands at +823. The odds the fight is declared a draw land at +3000.

On Saturday Peter will have a second opportunity at defeating a Klitschko, something he failed to do back in 2005 when he faced Wladimir Klitschko.

Heading into the bout with Wladimir most experts predicted a stoppage win for the stout heavyweight. It is no secret that Wladimir has serious trouble in the chin and stamina departments, and with the heavy hands of Peter it appeared it would only be a matter of time before he landed something big to the chin of Wladimir and knocked him out.

Peter was able to land on the suspect chin of Klitschko and was even capable of knocking him down multiple times, but when he was not picking himself up off the canvas Wladimir controlled the fight from the outside, cracking peter with thunderous right hands as he marched forward.

In the end the boxing skills of Wladimir won out over the power punches of Peter and Klitschko went on to hand Peter his first professional defeat by unanimous decision.

Since that fight with Wladimir Klitschko, Peter has gone 6-0 with 2 knockout victories.

Although it is an understatement to say Peter has been more active (Vitali Klitschko has been retired from the sport for nearly four years!) it is important to note that he has not looked great in his last two fights.

First there was the unimpressive decision win over Jameel McCline, in a bout where he was put on the seat of his pants three separate times, and most recently a sixth round stoppage of Oleg “Dead Man Walking” Maskaev.

The three knockdowns suffered at the hands of the light hitting McCline raised serious questions about the perceived invincibility of Peter. Although he was on the losing end of a decision to Wladimir Klitschko, he did drop him three times over the course of the twelve round affair. Peter had no such luck against McCline, and was forced to outwork him over the twelve round distance.

Peter had a much easier time in his stoppage victory over Maskaev then in his bout against McCline, but the fact remains he still had rough patches against a limited boxer that was coming off a fifteen-month layoff.

Heading into Saturday’s showdown, there are no doubt a lot of questions surrounding both fighters. Not only has Klitschko been inactive for four years, but also his long history of suffering injuries inside and outside of the ring cannot be looked upon as a positive factor in the fight.

His four-year retirement was forced upon him by his body constantly breaking down during training camp, causing multiple postponements of bouts due to lower back and knee troubles.

In fact, one of his two losses came in a bout he was winning against Chris Byrd but had to retire in the corner due to a shoulder injury suffered during the fight.

His other defeat at the hands of Lennox Lewis came about due to a tremendous gash over his eye that forced the ringside physician to call a halt to the slugfest.

With that said, Peter is not without his own critics. The knock on Samuel is that he is a slow, defenseless, one punch slugger who tires after five rounds. A lot of his stamina issues are rumored to be because of his lack of dedication in the gym.

In fact, it is believed that Peter routinely comes into his training camp weighing close to 300 pounds! If that number is correct, he was able to drop forty-seven pounds in camp, weighing in at 253 pounds for this WBC title bout.

The argument for a Klitschko win is a simple one. If the soft punching McCline can drop Peter three times, the more powerful Klitschko can put him down and out.

You could also argue that Klitschko is the more mobile of the two and could conceivable outbox Peter and win on the scorecards.

I think Klitschko has a legit punchers chance to catch Peter and take him out. Of course, Peter will probably be looking to do the same and the first few rounds could end up being pure dynamite.

Although Klitschko has technically been stopped in both of his losses, I don’t feel he has a bad set of whiskers at all. His chin is certainly leaps and bounds above his brother Wladimir’s, and he was able to last the distance with Peter.

If anyone were to get stopped with one single shot I feel it would be Peter who hits the deck and stays there.

He did the drunken dance against Wladimir in the final round of their fight and did not recover well at all from the shots that McCline hit him with. In truth, if McCline had not gassed he probably would have stopped Peter.

Oleg “Dead Man Walking” was also able to shake him before Peter found his china chin and took him out.

Although Peter’s defense has always been very suspect, before his fight with Wladimir it was widely considered that Peter had an excellent chin. Maybe taking round after round of punishing hooks and right hands from Klitschko dented the beard of Peter more then we realized at the time?

Another important factor to look at in this fight is the pure size advantage that Klitschko holds over Peter. Klitschko stands roughly 6’7” tall and sports an impressive 80” reach. Peter on the other hand stands 6’0” tall and brings a 77” reach into the bout.

The size differential is important because Peter struggled with Wladimir (6’6”) and McCline (6’6”) both of whom are comparable in height and reach to Vitali.

After such a long layoff and numerous injuries there is simply no way to determine what Vitali Klitschko will bring to the ring on Saturday night.

Even though it has been rumored that during his four-year retirement from boxing Vitali never exceeded ten pounds over his fighting weight (he weighed-in at 247 for this fight) anyone backing Klitschko after such a long layoff is either doing so on blind faith or fading Peter.

I don’t bet blindly, so it’s evident my play on Klitschko is a fade against Sam Peter.

Boxeo: 5.00 Units On Klitschko By KO {+175}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Peter By KO {+318} & 1.00 Units On Klitschko By Decision {+329}
Grass Hopper: 5.00 Units On Under 9.5 Rounds {+175}
Doody: 1.50 Units On Klitschko {-150}
D3: 1.00 Units On Under 9.5 Rounds {+175}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night the HBO main event features a twelve round 154 pound battle between “Sugar” Shane Mosley, (44-5, 37KO’s) and Ricardo ‘El Matador” Mayorga, (29-6-1, 23KO’s) live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles California.

Mosley Opened about a 6-1 favorite over Mayorga but the public quickly jumped on that line, skyrocketing Mosley to a –900 favorite to defeat “El Matador” Saturday night. Mayorga gets the underdog cash at +600. The O/U for the fight has been set at 9.5 rounds, with the over landing at -135 and the under coming in at +155.

Mosley by KO comes in at -103, while Mosley by decision will get you +188. Mayorga by KO hits the mark at +983, and Mayorga by decision lands at +1457. The odds the fight is declared a draw currently rest at +4000.

Although both boxers have fought at 154 in the past, I do not feel it is the optimum weight for either fighter.

Mosley was simply a beast at the lower weights, and even after moving up to 147 pounds was still considered one of the best fighters in the world.

“Sugar” made the leap to 154 back in 2003, after losing back-to-back fights against Vernon Forrest at welterweight.

From 2002-2004 Shane Mosley went 1-4 with 1 no-contest. Not exactly a great way to launch your name back into the pound-for-pound limelight. Mosley was able to rebound from those disastrous two years, beating David Estrada, Jose Luis Cruz, Fernando Vargas, and Luis Collazo.

Up until his first victory over Vargas, Mosley was considered damaged goods. He was fighting at a weight (154) that did not suit his style, and he was looking average against mediocre competition. After he stopped Vargas in the tenth round due to a Rahman like swelling over Vargas’ eye, people sat up and started to take a closer look at “Sugar.”

However, since the bout was competitive on the scorecards leading up to the stoppage, Vargas and fight fans alike wanted to see a rematch between the two. Mosley quickly agreed and the two combatants raged war just five months later.

This time around it was all Shane Mosley. He battered Vargas for five rounds before starching the former champion with a single left hook in round number six.

After his destruction of Vargas there was talk of a Mayweather showdown, but for whatever reason (each side implies the other is ducking) the fight never came off. Instead of fighting Mayweather, Mosley wisely made the move back down to 147 and squared off with the tough Luis Collazo.

Collazo made a name for himself in a loss to Ricky Hatton. It was Hatton’s first attempt at the 147-pound weight class and Collazo gave him everything he could handle and more in their twelve round affair.

Although Collazo did not come away with the win, he was able to showcase his world-class speed and boxing skills to millions of people around the world. I guess Shane Mosley was one of those people watching because Collazo quickly got the call for Mosley’s return to welterweight.

Heading into his bout with Collazo many experts considered the fight to be a real test for the ageing former world champion. Mosley proved the critics wrong, putting on a masterful performance, dominating Collazo from start to finish.

After such a tremendous performance against a quality welterweight like Collazo people starting whispering that maybe Shane had turned back the clock and was once again going to be a force to reckon with at welterweight.

Mosley would waste no time in testing himself against of the best in the division, Miguel Cotto.

So in November of last year Mosley and Cotto waged war for twelve competitive rounds with Mosley coming out on the short end of a unanimous decision.

Although Mosley lost the fight on the judge’s scorecards (a lot of boxing fans had him winning) there is no doubt that he showed the world he could compete with the best the welterweight division had to offer.

Now, for some reason, he will take on Ricardo Mayorga at 154 pounds!

My only guess on why Shane would move back up to 154 after two magnificent performances at 147 is because Mayorga could not get back down to the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.

Mayorga’s most recent bout was his twelve round majority decision victory of Fernando Vargas back in November of 2007. For that fight Mayorga jumped all the way from 154 pounds to 166 pounds to challenge Vargas at a “special” catch weight.

The catch weight was a condition of Vargas if Mayorga wanted the fight. Even though Mayorga claimed he would weigh-in at 156 pounds for his bout with Vargas, when it was time to put down the turkey leg and hit the scales, Mayorga came in at 164 pounds, the exact same weight of Vargas!

The fact that Mayorga came into that bout weighing the exact same as Vargas had a bit of irony to it since Mayorga routinely called Vargas “fatty” during the promotion of the fight.

When the two fighters entered the ring it was nothing but a slow, plodding affair with both guys huffing and puffing for most of the fight. Mayorga came away with the close win on the cards, but the decision victory over the severely faded Fernando Vargas did little to enhance his reputation.

Although you can give Mayorga a pass for his average performance against Vargas at 166 pounds, there is no secret he did most of his quality work at 147 pounds. Since moving up to 154 and beyond, his power has drastically reduced inside the ring and he has taken his own fair share of beatings.

He was brutally knocked out in eight rounds by Felix Trinidad in Trinidad’s first fight back from a lofty two-year retirement, and Oscar De La Hoya flattened him in six rounds, knocking him down three times in the process.

While I certainly was not shocked that Trinidad was able to put Mayorga down and out, I was surprised at how easily Mayorga folded against Oscar De La Hoya. The brutal beat down at the hands of De La Hoya was undoubtedly an eye-opening event.

Oscar is certainly not known for his punching power at the higher weights, and when he hit Mayorga he dropped him like a rock. I honestly think the beating at the hands of “Tito” took something out of Mayorga and it wouldn’t be the first time Tito ruined a career (see David Reid and Fernando Vargas.)

With Mayorga’s wild style, there is a great possibility that Mosley will land at will as Mayorga plows forward. Even at 154 pounds, the speed advantage that Mosley will bring into the ring is incredible. He should easily be able to land three and four punch combinations and then get out of harms way.

Another significant tool at Mosley disposal is his wicked body punching. In his lighter days he was a vicious body puncher, but since he has bounced around in different weight classes he has not been as dedicated to the body as he was when he was younger.

The one spot Mayorga supporters may point to as a significant advantage that “El Matador” holds over Mosley is in the power department. Sadly, they would be mistaken if they feel Mayorga holds the edge in knockout power.

Since his recent move up to 154 and beyond, Mayorga has scored zero stoppages! You have to go way back to the year 2000 to find a fight where he weighed 154 or more and scored a stoppage win.

Shane is a very rugged and powerful fighter. I don’t believe it will be as easy as Mayorga supports think for him to get inside and just rough Mosley up without taking a huge toll on his own body.

While I don’t think the greatest strategy for Mosley to incorporate would be to stand and trade with Mayorga, if he chooses his spots wisely, he can get some serious work done on the inside and then move back outside to catch Mayorga as he marches forward.

Remember… there was a point and time in Shane Mosley’s career when he was considered one of the best, if not the best fighter in the world. He was lightning quick, possessed a wicked body attack, and punched with tremendous force.

I have a feeling Saturday night’s bout against Mayorga is going to be a brutal one-sided event with Mayorga succumbing to the speed and power of ‘Sugar” Shane before the final bell.

Boxeo Bets: 4.12 Units On Mosley By KO {-103}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Mosley By Decision {+188}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: 1.00 Units On Mosley By Decision {+188}
D3: 1.00 Units On Mayorga {+600}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night on the undercard of Shane Mosley vs. Ricardo Mayorga, undefeated Andre Berto, (22-0, 19KO’s) will look to make the first successful defense of his WBC welterweight title against former lightweight world champion Steve “2-pound” Forbes, (33-6, 9KO’s.) The Berto /Forbes bout will take place live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles California and will be televised by HBO at 10:30pm ET/7:30PM PT.

Berto opened as a sizable favorite in the bout and currently sits at -1000. Forbes supporters can snatch the plus money + 650. The over/under for the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the over costing you -210, while the under comes in at +175.

Berto by KO comes in at +169, while Berto by decision will run you -134. Forbes by KO hits the mark at +1734, and Forbes by decision lands at +1017. The odds the fight will be declared a draw land at +4500.

Obviously, with such enormous odds on Berto the oddsmakers are expecting an easy decision victory for the young prospect. On paper it would appear Forbes' best opportunity to pull out the upset would be by decision.

The reason this fight is expected to go into deep waters is because Berto is in a real solid test against Forbes. The former lightweight champion of the world may not be as marketable as Berto, but the kid can fight!

“2 Pound” can be extremely hard to hit, and has very fast hands. The problem for Forbes in the Berto fight (all of his fights really) is his lack of punching power. Even though I am not sold on the building materials of Berto’s chin, I do not believe that Forbes possesses the power to expose any weakness Berto may have in the jaw department.

Although we pointed out the quickness that Forbes brings to the table, there is no question in my mind on Saturday night he will not only be outgunned, but will also be the slower fighter in the ring.

The one area where Forbes does excel over Berto is in the chin department. Forbes has never tasted the canvas as an amateur or a pro! In fact, you would be hard pressed to point to a time and place in his pro career when he has even been hurt.

The only way Forbes wins this fight is by decision and even that is going to be difficult. Berto has a very aggressive, crowd-pleasing style that would suggest Forbes is facing a real uphill battle to win on Saturday night. He will not be able to hurt Berto, and the rapid pace and fast combinations should give Berto the edge in scoring.

Although Berto is the naturally bigger man, I feel the key ingredient for a Berto win is his tremendous speed. Forbes has been in with much larger fighters before and has been able to hold his own but he was usually the fighter bringing the speed advantage to the dance. This time around he faces a bigger, stronger, faster fighter and I think he is going to have difficulty keeping Berto at bay.

I just believe everything Forbes can do Berto does a little bit better. I like him to control the action inside the ring and possibly even stop Forbes late the fight.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+175}
Krakrabbit: 1.34 Units On Berto By Decision {-134}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+175}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Forbes By Decision {+1017}
D3: 1.00 Units On Under 11.5 Rounds {+175}

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

The Saturday night PPV main event features a lightweight contest between two battle-tested warriors, Joel Casamayor, (36-3-1, 22KO’s) and Juan Manuel Marquez, (48-4-1, 35KO’s) live from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV.

Joel Casamayor opened as the underdog in the bout, but since the lined opened there has been nothing but Marquez money coming in. Currently he is a – 390 favorite to defeat Casamayor. Casamayor supporters can grab the underdog money at +320. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +300 and the over at -360.

Marquez by KO comes in at +417, while Marquez by decision will cost you -155. Casamayor by KO hits the mark at +524, and Casamayor by decision lands at +801. The odds of the bout being declared a draw land at +2500.

After his terrible performance against Jose Armando Cruz it was fully understandable why the oddsmakers opened Casamayor as an underdog against his less experienced opponent Michael Katsidis.

However, since his fight with Cruz (he did get the win) he went on to war with Katsidis, eventually knocking out his younger foe in ten brutal rounds.

While there is no questioning the pedigree that Juan Manuel Marquez brings to the dance, I am utterly shocked that Casamayor has stayed in the +300 underdog role for most of the time the betting line has been up.

If bettors are disregarding Casamayor’s ability to score the ‘upset” win over Marquez based solely on his struggles against Katsidis, I think they are making a grave mistake.

It is very important to note that the Michael Katsidis that fought Juan Diaz was nowhere near as effective or aggressive as he was against Casamayor.

When he faced off with Joel, he actually came to win! He came right out after Casamayor and even after being dropped twice in the first round refused to back off his attack. In fact, the brutal knockdown in the tenth round that sealed the deal was a direct result of Katsidis attacking Casamayor with reckless abandonment.

Fast-forward to Katsidis’ fight with Juan Diaz and it looks like a completely different fighter. He came into his fight with Diaz trying to box like Ali and gave away the first half of the bout. Even on the rare occasion when he did turn up the heat, the passion and relentless will to win was not present.

Although Casamayor’s bout with Katsidis was not smooth sailing, Juan Manuel Marquez recently had his own fair share of trouble with Manny Pacquiao. Marquez is coming off a twelve round split decision loss to Manny Pacquiao back in March of this year where he was dropped in the third round of the fight and badly cut over his right eye.

Even with the knockdown deduction it still appeared to my eyes that Marquez did enough effective counterpunching throughout the fight to eek out a close decision win.

Nevertheless, while Marquez has never been stopped in his four losses; recently he is taking more and more solid shots in his fights.

He tends to become more aggressive than necessary in his bouts, leaving himself open to countershots. His lack of defense while on the attack almost cost him a victory in his fight with Barrera.

After stunning the baby-faced assassin, Marquez was severely hurt and dropped (although it was not ruled a knockdown) trying to finish off his wounded opponent. Luckily for Marquez this action took place towards the end of the round and he was able to recover and go on to win the decision. Although the scores in the bout were extremely lopsided, many experts felt the fight was much closer than the three ringside judges indicated.

The other important factor to note is the style of Marquez. Marquez is not a “runner.” Even after being hurt and dropped by Barrera, Marquez came out for the next round standing right in front of Marco and even began trading with him again.

He displayed that same warrior mentality against Manny Pacquiao in the first round of their fight when he was dropped three times. Never did he try to hold “Pac Man” or run away, he stayed right in front of him and threw his own shots.

Now Marquez will move up five pounds to the lightweight division and test his beard against Joel Casamayor.

The move up in weight is something we have to take into consideration. We have no idea how Marquez will look at 135 and if Casamayor will be able to “bully” Marquez around the ring.

Granted, Casamayor was at one time a 130-pound fighter, but he has not fought at the 130-pound weight limit in four years.

Another possible factor in the fight is the southpaw stance of Casamayor. Out of the four losses suffered by Marquez, two have been to southpaws (also a draw with Pacquiao.)

We all know that if Casamayor senses a weakness in the game of Marquez he will instantly go on the offensive. If he feels Marquez cannot handle his physical strength he will press his attack and force Marquez to stand and trade. Should he figure out that Marquez has trouble stopping the straight left hand you can expect a great deal of left hands thrown right down the pipe.

Casamayor makes no bones about doing whatever it takes inside the ring to win. He is often penalized points for his roughhouse tactics and cuts resulting from head clashes seem to follow him wherever he goes.

With Marquez being cut very badly in the past, I would not be shocked to see someone bleeding in this fight before the halfway mark.

With the current odds sitting at over 3-1 I don’t see how you cannot back Joel Casamayor here? Excluding the Cruz fight, when does Casamayor get totally dominated inside the ring? Two of his three losses have come by split decision and that was against Jose Luis Castillo (before he was faded) and Diego Corrales.

Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Casamayor {+320} & 1.00 Units On Won’t Go 12 Full {+220}
Krakrabbit: N/P
Grass Hopper: 2.00 Units On Casamayor {+320}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Won’t Go 12 Full {+220}
D3: 1.00 Units On Casamayor {+320}

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday on the undercard of Casamayor vs. Marquez, fight fans will be treated to a world championship rematch in the 154-pound weight class between Vernon Forrest, (40-3, 29KO’s) and Sergio Mora, (21-0-1, 5KO’s.) live from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV.

In the rematch the newly crowned champion Mora is still a slight underdog at +110, but the line is a far cry from his original +380 odds back in June. Forrest supporters (are there any still left out there?) are once again forced to lay the favorite line at -130. The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +245 and the over at -290.

Forrest by KO comes in at +331, while the former champion by decision will net you +267. Mora by KO hits the mark at +981, and Mora by decision lands at +126. The odds of the bout being declared a draw land at +1600.

Here is the original preview I wrote about the first fight back in June of 2008!

Although there has been some late money coming in on Mora, I feel there are a few good reasons why the “Latin Snake” will have a very tough task beating Vernon Forrest. Although this bout will take place at 154 pounds, Mora has not been at or below that weight since he fought Ishe Smith way back in 2004.

Even though Mora insists that he always had an easy time making 160, coming down in weight may have an adverse affect on his biggest weapon…his legs!

As we all know, Sergio Mora’s biggest asset is being a slick boxer with a style that could certainly cure insomnia. His hit and don’t get hit style, combined with zero punching power, usually make for a very boring night of action whenever he enters the ring.

Speaking of punching power, with only five stoppages in his twenty wins, I think it is fairly safe to say there is zero chance Mora heads into this contest seeking a stoppage win over Forrest.

However, he is also facing an uphill battle if he expects to step into the ring Saturday night and outbox Forrest over the twelve round distance.

At one point and time Forrest was considered one of the elite fighters in the sport, but back to back losses to wild man Ricardo Mayorga, and a plethora of shoulder injuries tainted his status as one of the best fighters in the sport.

Forrest recently had surgery to correct those nagging injuries and looked the best he has in years defeating Carlos Baldomir and most recently Michelle Piccirillo.

Obviously this fight is more about how Forrest will win, not if he will win. For Forrest to stop Mora would be a real feather in his cap. Although I feel Mora is in way over his head against Forrest, throughout his short career, Mora has shown a solid chin and for the time being remains undefeated.

Forrest is a great boxer/counter puncher but I can foresee him having a difficult time chasing Mora around the ring all night in search of the stoppage. There is little doubt in my mind that Forrest will win the fight Saturday, but he will need to land his potent right hand often to keep Mora on the canvas.

With that said, even if Forrest is unable to seriously hurt Mora with his power shots, there is always the chance that Mora’s face begins to fall apart. Mora has been cut inside the ring before and Forrest is a very accurate puncher. If Vernon is able to land consistently on Mora, the above combinations could easily score a TKO win for Forrest.

Obviously I was way off base in predicting Forrest would cruise to an easy win over Mora. I do have to admit, in the early going it did appear as if Forrest was going to be able to take care of business and retain his title against Mora.

In the first half of the fight Forrest was able to land his right hand on Mora with relative ease. He was punching more then his challenger and controlling the tempo of the fight.

The tight grip Forrest had on the fight suddenly released in the second half of the bout when he began breathing like an elderly man connected to an oxygen tank.

As soon as Forrest began to gas Mora seized control of the fight by simply outworking the aging champion. He beat Forrest to the punch at almost every stage of the later rounds and closed the show the much fresher of the two.

Although Forrest looked like a faded fighter during the last half of the fight, the early work he produced in the bout almost allowed him to retain his titles. The scoring read 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112 for Mora.

Had Forrest won one more single round on the 115-113 judges card (John McKaie) he would have walked out of the Mohegan Sun Casino with a draw and his WBC light middleweight title wrapped around his waist.

The scoring is very important to note. If you ask most people about the first fight they will tell you Forrest faded and Mora took him to school, but the scores reflect a much closer fight then we remember.

For his part Forrest acknowledges Mora as being the better man on that night and points to over training as the sole source of his fading in the second half of the fight.

The rematch should tell fight fans all they need to know about the ability of Forrest to compete at this level. If he did over train for the first fight but comes out and takes care of business in the rematch, the career of Vernon “The Viper” Forrest will continue.

However, if he stumbles once again with Mora, there is not a soul in the business who will not be calling for his immediate retirement.

Although there is a real chance that Forrest is done as an elite level fighter, I just cannot bring myself to back Mora. I don’t find him to be exceptionally skilled and he has zero punching power.

Mora also had a tough time making the agreed upon weight limit. He came into the weigh-in over the 154-pound weight limit by two pounds and after one hour of drying out made the super welterweight limit.

As I touched on in my original preview, coming down in weight may have an adverse affect on his biggest weapon…his legs!

Granted, Mora was able to get the job done in the first fight by the skin of his teeth, but if Forrest has anything left in the tank he should be able to win a few more rounds this time around with his harder, more effective punching.

Boxeo Bets: .50 Units On Forrest By Decision {+267}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Forrest By Decision {+267}
Grass Hopper: 1.50 Units On Forrest {+110} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 1.00 Units On Mora By Decision {+126}
D3: 1.00 Units On Under 11.5 {+250}

Showtime Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday night on Showtime, fight fans will be treated to a world championship bout in the 135-pound weight class between champion Nate Campbell, (32-5-1, 25KO's) and speedy challenger Joan Guzman, (28-0, 17KO's) live from the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi.

The newly crowned champion opened as the underdog in the bout and public money has continued to flow in on the challenger, knocking Nate Campbell’s number up to + 170. Guzman supporters will have to lay -200. The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +250 and the over at -300.

Guzman by KO comes in at +497, while the challenger by decision will cost you -107. Campbell by KO hits the mark at +508, and Campbell by decision lands at +389. The odds of the bout being declared a draw land at +2250.

As you can see by the betting line, these two fighters each pose serious danger to one another. Guzman is the slick boxer with the superhuman speed, and Campbell can be an aggressive, in your face fighter that will hit you anywhere and everywhere for as long as he can.

Both fighters bring quality skills to this affair and this is the main reason why many boxing “experts” are split on who gets the win Saturday night.

It would appear Guzman’s best chance of beating Campbell would be to stick to his hit and not get hit style. He is the much quicker fighter in the bout, and also possesses a great deal of quality footwork.

He has always had a natural talent for landing rapid-fire combinations on his opponents and then sneaking away, but his recent acquisition of Floyd Mayweather Sr. can only improve his overall effectiveness with this type of style.

For Campbell he can only win this fight one way…going forward! Campbell must use his physical size advantage and harder punches to wear Guzman down enough where he can start to land cleanly on him.

Although Campbell is the bigger fighter, I do not think he has any chance of trying to lure Guzman in, an attempt to counter him. Guzman is simply too fast for Campbell to do anything but march forward and bang away.

Even though Campbell knows what to do, it is very hard to hit Guzman cleanly with even a single shot. He has a natural ability to move just enough that his opponents punches sail over his head or fly past his face. Campbell must be focused and prepared to throw in combinations if he wishes to land enough punches to wear Guzman down.

Heading into this fight, one of the biggest assets for Campbell may have nothing to do with his overall skills. Guzman is moving up in weight again and has already shown a serious decline in punching power as he has marched up the weight class ladder.

You have to wonder how far Guzman can continue to move up before the overall strength and punching power of his opponents becomes too much for him to handle.

Both of these fighters know how to win and have competed at very high levels. However, Campbell is without a doubt best known for his knockout loss at the hands of Robbie Peden. It wasn’t so much that Campbell lost to Peden that shocked the boxing community, but the way it happened that is forever etched in the minds of boxing fans.

Campbell appeared to have the bout in hand when for some baffling reason he dropped his hands and stuck out his chin, inviting Peden to try his hand at knocking him out. Peden obliged, and did just that…stopping Campbell in one of the more memorable boxing moments.

I am certain a lot of people lost a great deal of money on Campbell’s inexplicable actions, and whenever you look back at the career of the “Galaxxy Warrior” that fight is certain to stand out.

If Campbell knows what’s good for him he will not try any high jinks against Guzman!

This fight is certainly a contrast in styles. The winner will be the fighter that was able to impose their style and dictate the pace. Guzman can do this by firing off combinations and then moving away. Campbell will need to be set to punch and will have to reset every time Guzman moves.

For Campbell to impose his will, he must force Guzman into exchanges and try to trap him along the ropes where he can fire his powerful shots on a more stationary target.

I think it is going to be a really tough task for Campbell to lure Guzman into his type of fight. I believe there may be occasions where Guzman stands and trades, but I don’t think Mayweather Sr. will allow him to do this on a regular basis. Even though the occasions may be far and few between, whenever he does stand and trade leather, Campbell must take advantage of the opportunity to hit Guzman flush.

I can easily see Guzman frustrating Campbell by hitting and not getting hit. His quick hands and equally quick feet should allow him to stay out of harms way for the most part. His biggest dangers are letting Campbell get too close and trying to bang with the naturally bigger man.

Boxeo: 3.21 Units On Guzman By Dec {-107} & 1.00 Units On Under 11.5 {+250}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Campbell {+170}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: 2.00 Units On Guzman {-200}
D3: 2.00 Units On Guzman {-200}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

The Saturday night HBO main event features a lightweight contest between Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, (33-1, 17KO’s) and knockout artist Michael Katsidis, (23-1, 20KO’s) live from the Toyota Center, Houston, Texas.

Although both are coming off their first professional losses, Diaz opened as the clear favorite in the bout and currently rests at – 400. Katsidis supporters can grab the underdog money at +310. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +125 and the over at -145.

Katsidis by KO comes in at +475, while Katsidis by decision will reward you with +839. Diaz by KO hits the mark at +131, and Diaz by decision lands at +350.

Although both fighters enter this contest after suffering devastating defeats, the truth is Katsidis has not looked great in his last two outings. Previous to his war with Joel Casamayor, Katsidis had an extremely difficult time against Czar Amonsot.

Katsidis struggled early against Amonsot, and showed a serious lack of defense throughout the entire bout. His lack of being able to move his face away from the leather hurling towards him has caused his face to swell and cut in numerous fights. The fight with Amonsot was no exception. From early on in the contest Katsidis was forced to fight with his eyes swollen and his face shredded.

Many ringside observers, as well as fight fans watching at home, could not believe their eyes when round after round Katsidis was allowed to continue fighting even though his face was a bloody mess.

Even though Katsidis came away from the bout with the victory, he certainly did not display the kind of attributes that I felt would be needed to beat Casamayor.

When Michael Katsidis opened up as the favorite over Joel Casamayor I knew I would be playing the underdog on that night.

On the night of the fight things could not have started any better for those bettors fading Katsidis. His face first style played right into the hands of the slick, counterpunching of Casamayor, and before you knew it Katsidis had hit the deck twice in the very first round of the fight!

However, Katsidis showed his true grit in his bout against Casamayor, refusing to let his opportunity for a victory fade away. He battled Casamayor toe-to-toe and even dropped the crafty veteran in the sixth round of the bout.

Going down the stretch the fight appeared to have been fought on even terms. Katsidis continued to press forward and Casamayor continued to try and land crisp counters as his foe marched ahead.

In the tenth round of the bout Casamayor caught Katsidis with a beautifully timed countershot that instantly crumpled the previously undefeated Katsidis to the canvas.

Although the brave Katsidis once again climbed to his feet, it was only a matter of seconds before the referee was jumping in to save him for anymore brutal punishment. He would go on to lose his first professional fight by stoppage at the hands of Joel Casamayor.

Now, just six months later he will try to get back to his winning ways against Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz.

Juan Diaz’s fighting style is not unlike Michael Katsidis’ fighting style. The mirror image these two display inside the ring is the major reason fight fans are so hyped about the battle between the once beaten fighters.

Diaz is an in your face, pressure type of fighter. It is easiest to describe Juan as a bigger Wayne McCullough, with more power. He will come right out after Katsidis and look to make it a slugfest from the start.

Although Juan may have more power then McCullough, for his weight class, he is not considered a big puncher. He simply overwhelms his opponents with non-stop punching from start to finish.

His non-stop punching technique carried him to numerous titles and an undefeated record, but the “Baby Bull” finally met his match last March when he stepped into the ring against Nate Campbell.

Diaz opened that fight as a ridiculous –800 favorite and it wasn’t long before a ton of Campbell money had rushed in, quickly dropping Diaz to –450.

With such crazy odds and the pure talent level of Campbell, it was pretty much a no brainer to put something on Campbell to score the upset win.

Right from the start of the contest Diaz and Campbell went into the trenches and began to war. Diaz did what he always does and threw punch after punch while Campbell picked his shots more carefully, dropping heavy thunder whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Diaz was cut over his left eye in the very first round of the contest from a headbutt and that eye began to increasingly swell shut as the rounds progressed.

The entire fight was fought at a tremendous pace and Campbell was able to implement a tremendous body attack that slowly began to wear the “Baby Bull” down.

Just as Katsidis was forced to dig down deep in his battle with Casamayor, Diaz also showed the heart of a warrior, refusing to stop trying to impose his will on Campbell.

Unlike Diaz’s previous opposition, Campbell refused to wilt under the intense pressure from Diaz and would go on to win a split decision victory.

There is little doubt in my mind that this fight will produce fireworks. Katsidis does not know how to take a backwards step and Diaz proved in his loss to Campbell that he is not lacking in either the chin or the heart department.

Although there is a slim chance Diaz may try to mix in a little boxing with his brawling, neither of these guys is the next Floyd Mayweather Jr. If either guy should try to mix in some movement and counterpunching techniques it won’t last very long. Their pure boxing skills are not adequate enough to keep their opponent at bay all night. The name of the game for these two fighters is unadulterated, aggressive pressure!

With that said, I feel the fight will undoubtedly be decided in the trenches. Juan applies so much pressure that his opponents are forced to try and match him punch for punch or risk being pummeled along the ring ropes. He is a non-stop punching machine, and even though he has very little one-punch knockout power, he can score stoppages by battering and tiring out his opponents.

Katsidis is one of the few opponents that Diaz will have faced that welcomes an opportunity for an all out toe-to-toe war every time he steps into the ring. Usually when Diaz is allowed to get into his pressure-fighting mode the conditioning of his opponents are severely tested.

Most of the time his rivals cannot match him in the workrate department and as the rounds go by they get deeper and deeper into a scoring deficiency. The combination of absorbing a million shots, and knowing you are losing badly on the scorecards tends to quickly wear a fighter down physically and mentality.

On Saturday night I am not so sure he is going to have that huge advantage over Katsidis. Katsidis likes to throw down just as much as Diaz but also brings explosive punching power to the dance.

However, we all know Katsidis has never met a punch he didn’t like. The problem with his type of fighting style is his face falls apart at the sight of a flush punch and his defense is non-existent.

While Diaz is certainly far from a defensive wizard, he does tend to block punches very well with his gloves. If Diaz is on his game (did the beatdown at the hands of Campbell take something out of him?), he should have many opportunities to land leather on Katsidis as they stand face to face.

While I certainly would be shocked to see the Baby Bull lay Katsidis out with a single shot, I do think his non-stop aggression can force Katsidis to fight at a faster pace then he is accustom to, amplifying his lack of defensive skills.

Even if Diaz is unable to hurt Katsidis when he lands, as long as he continues to touch him over and over again, there is great probability that Diaz will be able to slice and dice the face of Katsidis to shreds.

The one saving grace for Katsidis supporters is his power. Diaz will be there to be hit and Campbell showed that you could find the Baby Bull to both the head and body. I feel if Katsidis is going to rebound from his first professional loss it is going to have to be by knockout.

Because both guys like to duke it out Mano y Mano and will surely be moving forward, I would not be shocked to see blood and/or swelling from one or both fighters very early in the fight. It is for the reason I am going to play the under in this clash and hope the fireworks start early on Saturday night.

Boxeo: 2.00 Units On Under 9.5 Rounds {+160} (Vegas Odds)
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units Diaz By Decision {+350}
Grass Hopper: 2.00 Units On Under 9.5 Rounds {+160} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 1.00 Units On Under 9.5 Rounds {+160} (Vegas Odds)
D3: 1.00 Units On Under 9.5 Rounds {+160} (Vegas Odds)

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

The Saturday night HBO co-main event features veteran Jorge Barrios, (47-3-1, 34KO’s) facing off against the real life “Rocky”, Rocky Juarez, (27-4, 19KO’s) live from the Toyota Center, Houston Texas.

When the lines first opened Barrios was installed as almost a 2-1 favorite over Juarez. However, Rocky Juarez money continued to trickle in and a late rush of coin on Juarez knocked his odds down considerably to just even money (+100.) Barrios remains a very slight favorite at –120. The O/U for the fight has been set at 11.5 rounds, with the over at -300 and the under coming in at +250.

Barrios by KO comes in at +441, while Barrios by decision will net you +148. Juarez by KO hits the mark at +584, and Juarez by decision lands at +222. The fight being declared a draw lands at +1600.

Although Juarez does not possess as many professional bouts as his opponent Barrios, he does bring a lot of ring experience for a guy with only thirty-one fights. He was a decorated amateur, and even managed to win a silver medal at the Olympics.

With his successes in the amateur ranks, Juarez had high expectations going into the early part of his pro career. Unfortunately, Juarez has not lived up to those expectations, and now tries to get back to his winning ways after losing his last three out of five fights.

To have any chance at getting another world title opportunity Juarez must defeat Jorge “ La Hiena” Barrios, a veteran of fifty-two professional fights.

Although Barrios brings tremendous experience to his clash with Juarez, Rocky knows what it’s like to battle an old vet inside those ring ropes. He clashed with former world champion Marco Antonio Barrera not once, but twice.

Their first meeting was one of the better performances from Juarez. He battered and bloodied Barrera whenever the ageing vet tried to stand toe-to-toe with his younger foe. However, being the veteran that he is, Barrera quickly realized that he could not fend off the young lion on the inside, and boxed his way to a disputed twelve round decision win.

With the fight being so close in many people’s eyes, Barrera and Juarez agreed to get it on one last time. This time Barrera never stood and traded with Juarez and easily out boxed him over the distance. The differences between the two performances are night and day.

In the first bout Juarez let his hands go whenever Barrera was in range. In the second fight Juarez elected to follow Barrera around the ring and never threw any punches. This is the biggest problem with Rocky Juarez; he is too patient of a fighter. He is always looking for that perfect shot and the next thing he knows the bell has sounded to end the fight and he has done little but follow his opponent around the ring.

After his disappointing losses to Barrera, Rocky waited just about one year before squaring off with Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBC featherweight championship of the world.

Before the boxers were even able to get into a fighting groove, Juarez was on the receiving end of an accidental clash of heads that opened a nasty gash over his left eye in the very first round of the fight.

Rocky claimed the butt caused his vision to blur and hindered his ability to force Marquez into a slugfest.

Regardless if the butt did alter the fight for Juarez or not, the fact of the matter is he is simply way too patient inside the ring. He allows his opponents to outwork him as he walks forward but does not cutoff the ring or punch as he advances.

It is extremely frustrating to watch a talented fighter that appears to have some type of disconnect in the mental department. Juarez has had four losses in his career and all but the first Barrera fight can be directly attributed to his lack of punch output.

The movement that frustrated Juarez in his rematch with Barrera and in his last outing against Juan Manuel Marquez may be present when he battles Barrios on Saturday night.

A lot of people think of Barrios as just a straight-ahead, in your face, type of fighter. On the contrary, he will get on his toes and fight from the outside. Granted, he is nowhere near the level of boxer as Barrera or Marquez, but I would be surprised if Barrios came right out after Juarez looking to make a street fight.

I personally believe Barrios will look to box Juarez instead of coming right at him in a toe-to-toe slugfest. Barrios likes to throw wide looping punches and he can best achieve positive results from those types of punches on the outside.

As I mentioned earlier, Juarez is known as a plodder who walks forward without throwing any punches. If he does that against Barrios it will allow La Hiena to tee off on him with haymakers as he walks forward.

I don’t feel Barrios can afford to trade shot for shot with Juarez at all. The reason I think it would be a mistake for Barrios to turn this fight into a knockdown, drag out fight has nothing at all to do with pure punching power. We all know Barrios can crack, but I think he is sporting a weaker chin and also has a tendency to cut in his fights.

Barrios has been on the seat of his pants in a few fights and was stopped by Acelino Freitas in the twelfth and final round of their fight (after putting Freitas on the deck twice) but it may be his tender skin that becomes his undoing should he elect to stand and fight with Juarez.

For all of Rocky Juarez’s shortcomings inside the squared circle, the kid can punch. I would not be shocked to see Juarez slice the face of Barrios with ease if the two begin to trade powershots.

If that isn’t enough for Barrios to worry about, he also heads into this fight coming off a year and a half layoff. He was actually the one who was suppose to face Juan Manuel Marquez (Rocky Juarez stepped in) but the bout was cancelled when it was determined that Barrios had retina tears in both eyes!

The bad news doesn’t stop there for Jorge Barrios. On Friday he had trouble making the 130-pound limit and for a split second it appeared as if the fight would need to take place at 133-pound catch weight.

Somehow Barrios was able to suck it up and hit the scales right at the 130-pound weight limit. Even though he managed to get down to the contracted weight, you have to wonder how the ring rust and weight drain will affect his ability to compete as the rounds wear on.

Even though Barrios can also punch with massive force, Juarez has tasted defeat four times at the hands of Humberto Soto, Barrera (twice) and Juan Manuel Marquez. In all of those bouts he was able to walk right through everything that was thrown his way (and often landed) without really facing any danger of being stopped.

The closest he came to losing inside the distance was in his last fight with Marquez and that was essentially because his corner could not get his cut left eye under control.

The lack of solid cutwork in the corner of Juarez is a big sticking point for me regarding this fight. I thought the corner of Juarez did a horrible job with the cut and it was not uncommon to see the eye bleeding just as bad after the corner did their “work” as it was when the round ended.

Barrios can be at times a very rough (some might say dirty) fighter. Depending on how Barrios opts to fight, I would not be surprised if a headbutt happens sometime before the middle rounds of the contest.

Of course, for any Juarez victory he must let his hands go. He has once again promised to be more active, but it’s hard to teach old dogs new tricks. While Juarez would be greatly served to punch as much as possible, I am not sure if his demeanor will allow it.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Juarez By KO {+584} & 1.00 Units On Won't Go 12 Rounds {+250} (Vegas Odds)
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Barrios By Decision {+148}
Grass Hopper: 2.00 Units On Won't Go 12 Rounds {+250} (Vegas Odds)
Doody: 1.00 Units On Won't Go 12 Rounds {+250} (Vegas Odds)
D3: 1.00 Units On Juarez By Decision {+222}

Germany Predictions
By Boxeo

On Saturday night John Ruiz, (43-7-1, 29KO’s) returns to action in a rematch against former WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev, (48-1, 34KOs) live from the Max Schmeling Halle, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany.

Valuev opened as the clear favorite in the bout and money has continued to trickle in on the “Giant” knocking his number up to –360. Ruiz supporters can snatch the underdog money at + 300. The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at a whopping +410 and the over at -515.

Valuev by KO comes in at +364, while Valuev by decision will cost you -137. Ruiz by KO hits the mark at +1281, and Ruiz by decision lands at +400. The odds the fight will be declared a draw land at +2200.

While the style of Ruiz can only be described as atrocious, he has become a master at the one-two-hold method. It would appear Ruiz has stumbled onto a technique (can you call it that?) that can frustrate every fighter from journeymen status to world-class champions.

With the exception of the David Tua loss (KO 1) and the Roy Jones Jr. loss (L UD), most of his losses have come by split decision or Majority decision. There is no question Ruiz knows how to maximize the effectiveness of his hit and hold style.

Usually Ruiz will take a few rounds to get his hugging action into full swing. He is much more effective with his unpleasant system as the rounds wear on. I believe a lot of his effectiveness in the mid to late rounds has to do with the mauling and ugly infighting he delivers over the course of the first half of the fight.

It takes a tremendous amount of energy to try and keep Ruiz off of your chest for an entire fight, and try as they might, most of his opponents find themselves fading as the rounds wear on.

Because of his freakishly large frame, Nikolay Valuev has a tremendous height and reach advantage that most of Ruiz’s opponents do not possess. However, Ruiz was able to crowd the Giant in their last fight and was very successfully in taking Valuev out of his game plan. I can honestly say I doubt there are many fighters in the sport that can keep Ruiz at bay.

In fact, Ruiz was so productive with his “huggy” style that the 7’0 colossal Nikolay Valuev was forced to settle for a majority decision win even though he was fighting on his home court in Germany.

Ruiz insists that he is not the one doing the holding in his bouts but it is in fact his opponents who hold him! While there is no question Ruiz initiates most, if not all of the clinches in his fights, it is an effective style that has allowed him to compete with some of the biggest names in the sport.

Ruiz promises to forgo any holding in his rematch with Valuev and feels his only opportunity to walk out of Germany as the new WBA heavyweight champion of the world (the fight is for the vacant WBA belt) is to stop the Giant dead in his tracks.

I personally feel Ruiz should not change his “huggy” style one bit for this fight. It has worked well for him throughout his career and many people feel he did more then enough back in 2005 to defeat Valuev.

To decisively defeat the one-two-hold style of Ruiz, you need a fighter like Roy Jones Jr. who was able to use his speed and mobility to stay as far away from Ruiz as possible to neutralize “Huggy Bear.” Any heavyweight that stands in front of him will always be susceptible to being held.

I think it’s safe to say that Valuev should never be mentioned in the same breath as Roy Jones Jr. but he does enjoy a crucial advantage over Ruiz in this fight and that is the location of the bout!

Just as in the first fight, Valuev will once again be fighting in his backyard at the Max Schmeling stadium in Germany.

The location of this contest cannot be taken lightly for anyone backing Ruiz. Although Ruiz has stated he will be seeking a stoppage win, he is not a huge heavyweight and does not bring serious firepower into the ring.

It would appear for Ruiz to defeat Valuev he will need to get some love from the three blind mice at ringside. I think the location of the fight is the main reason why you see such high odds on Ruiz straight and also by decision. The oddsmakers understand that Ruiz is fighting an uphill battle if he cannot put the giant to sleep.

Boxeo: 1.37 Units On Valuev By Decision {-137}
Krakrabbit: 2.74 Units On Valuev By Decision {-137}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: 1.37 Units On Valuev By Decision {-137}
D3: 1.37 Units On Valuev By Decision {-137}

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

On Saturday night Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon, (31-0, 6KO’s) returns to action in a rematch against former WBO champion Hugo “El Increible” Cazares, (26-4-1, 19KOs) live from the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum, Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Calderon opened as the favorite in the bout and money has continued to flow on “Iron Boy” knocking his number up to –240. Cazares supporters can grab the underdog money at + 200. The O/U on the bout is set at 11.5 rounds, with the under coming in at +250 and the over at -300.

Calderon by KO comes in at +623, while Calderon by decision will cost you -138. Cazares by KO hits the mark at +429, and Cazares by decision lands at +623. The odds the fight will be declared a draw land at +1800.

Just as I touched upon in the Ruiz/Valuev bout, location plays a huge roll in this fight. Ironically both of these rematches (Ruiz/Valuev and Calderon/Cazares) are being held in the exact same arena as their original fight.

The biggest difference between the two underdogs (Ruiz & Cazares) is the fact that Cazares has the size advantage over his opponent and brings real one-punch stopping power to the contest.

It’s certainly no secret that Cazares has a terrible time making the 108-pound weight limit. He had trouble making the weight in their first fight and is having another difficult time trying to get down to the limit for the rematch.

Nevertheless, as he showed in the initial meeting with Calderon, when he steps inside the ring on fight night he looks as strong as ever and is able to put on stern pressure for twelve hard rounds.

There were many times in their first fight where it appeared Calderon was on his way out. Cazares has very heavy hands and once they stepped inside the ring the power and size difference between the two boxers was tremendous.

Calderon was able to survive those very rocky moments in the fight by doing his best John Ruiz impersonation (holding, holding, and more holding) but it was very evident that as the rounds progressed Calderon was having more and more difficulty fending off Cazares.

There were also a couple of very close “slips” throughout the fight that could have easily been ruled knockdowns. Once again questions were raised about the location of the fight and if Calderon was being given every benefit of the doubt possible.

Even with only one knockdown being “official” and fighting with his home court advantage, Calderon was still only able to muster up a close split decision victory over Cazares.

Even though I feel Cazares can knockout Calderon, It is going to be tough for him to get that clean shot on “Iron Boy” because there is no question Ivan Calderon is not afraid to hold or run if he feels things are getting out of hand inside the ring.

There are people out there who truly respect the style of Calderon, and while I certainly agree that Calderon has very nice boxing ability, I don’t like the fact that he often runs (backpedaling without punching) for very long stretches of his fights and holds whenever the opportunity presents itself.

It is not out of the question that Cazares could beat Calderon in Puerto Rico. He could simply knockout Calderon and take the result out of the judges hands, or he could put Calderon on the seat of his pants a few times (if they are actually counted as knockdowns this time) and force Calderon to retreat the entire fight and win on the cards.

What a minute… that scenario sounds a lot like how the first fight played out but it was Calderon who ended up winning on the cards!

Of course Cazares supporters are hoping his power comes through and he is able to finish the job this time around. Regardless of how it happens, I think Hugo “El Increible” Cazares takes back his WBO flyweight title that was stolen from him one year ago.

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Cazares By KO {+429}
Krakrabbit: 1.38 Units On Calderon By Decision {-138}
Grass Hopper: N/P
Doody: 1.38 Units On Calderon By Decision {-138}
D3: 1.38 Units On Calderon By Decision {-138}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

The Saturday night HBO main event showcases welterweights Zab “Super” Judah, (36-5, 25KO’s) and Joshua “Hitter” Clottey, (34-2, 20KO’s) squaring off for the vacant IBF welterweight championship of the world live from the Palms Casino, Las Vegas, NV.

Clottey opened the contest as a very slight favorite, but Clottey fans have continued to push the line higher and he currently rests at –250. Judah gets the underdog cash at +210. The O/U for the fight has been set at 11.5 rounds, with the over landing at -140 and the under coming in at +120.

Clottey by KO comes in at +175, while Clottey by decision will get you +179. Judah by KO hits the mark at +636, and Judah by decision lands at +400. As you can see from the posted odds, this bout is expected to go deep into the fight.

Although Judah should be considered the more skillful fighter in this welterweight match-up, there is no question he certainly is not the more consistent fighter.

Over the last seven fights Judah has gone a dismal 3-3 with one no contest. One of those three losses was a brutal beat down at the hands of Miguel Cotto that resulted in an eleventh round TKO loss for “Super” Judah.

Clottey on the other hand has gone 6-1, with his lone loss via unanimous decision at the hands of Antonio Margarito.

The bout against Antonio Margarito was a fight he was easily controlling until he hurt both hands and was unable to throw powerful combinations as he had earlier in the fight. The “loss” did not really hurt Clottey because it was so evident that he had the ability to compete with anyone at 147 pounds.

Zab Judah also has the skills to compete with anyone in the welterweight division, but he has only proven his ability to contend with the best for the first six rounds of the bout!

Time and time again Judah hits an invisible wall as the fifth and sixth rounds approach and suddenly his punch output, as well as his punch resistance, drop like a rock.

With the documented cases of Judah having extreme difficulty the longer the fight goes this may seem like a relatively easy fight to pick, but there are always two sides to every story.

Although I consider Clottey to be the more stable fighter in the ring, he is not without his own glaring deficiencies.

He will bring into his bout against Judah two awfully brittle hands that could alter the course of the fight at any given time.

Even though Clottey does not appear to hit a “wall” as the bout progresses, he does tend to take large portions of the rounds off where he will go extremely defensive, allowing his opponents to outwork him.

One huge asset for Clottey in this bout will be his extremely durable beard. Although Judah can crack with the best of them at 140 and 147 pounds, I would be very surprised if he was able to put Clottey on the seat of his pants.

With Judah coming in at 143 pounds, I feel that is a clear indicator that he will be looking to outbox his slower opponent and win on points.

Although there are serious questions regarding the chin of Judah, Clottey lands his punches with authority but is not a one-punch knockout artist.

I feel this fight will come down to how long Judah is able to fend off the fade demon.

If Judah is in real fighting shape (mentally & physically) and does not fatigue as the second half of the fight begins to play out, I think he has an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the many times where Clottey goes completely defensive.

The times where Clottey goes into his defensive shell are so numerous I honestly feel it could lose him the fight!

Judah is going to bring some serious speed and power into this fight and if his mind and body are “right”, he will be able to land flashy combination shots whenever Clottey goes into his guard.

You will notice that the entire game plan for Judah revolves around him being fit to fight. We all know physically he has the tools to get the job done, but whenever Zab Judah fights it is very important to take into consideration the questions marks surrounding him.

I think Judah knows if he is unable to defeat Joshua Clottey Saturday night it will probably be his last opportunity to dance on the big stage. If he ever needed motivation to get his butt in gear he should have it when he steps in the ring against Clottey for the vacant IBF championship of the world.

Now all Zab “Super” Judah needs to do is go out and showcase his world-class skills for more then six rounds of a fight. The question is…will he do it?

Boxeo: 1.00 Units On Judah By Decision {+400}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Judah By Decision {+400}
Grass Hopper: 1.00 Units On Judah By Decision {+400}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Clottey by Decision {+179}
D3: 1.00 Units On Under 11.5 {+130}

PPV Predictions
By Boxeo

The Saturday night HBO PPV main event features IBF welterweight champion of the world Antonio Margarito, (36-5, 26KO’s) squaring off against undefeated WBA welterweight champion of the world Miguel Cotto, (32-0, 26KO’s) live from the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV.

Cotto opened the contest as a very slight favorite, but the rabid Cotto fans have continued to push the line higher and he currently rests at –255. Margarito gets the underdog cash at +215. The O/U for the fight has been set at 9.5 rounds, with the over landing at -200 and the under coming in at +170.

Cotto by KO comes in at +243, while Cotto by decision will get you +134. Margarito by KO hits the mark at +378, and Margarito by decision lands at +800. As you can see from the posted odds, this bout is expected to go deep into the fight.

If you take a look at the above odds you will see just how closely the oddsmaker’s have set this line. Although Antonio Margarito has already been defeated five separate times and Miguel Cotto is currently undefeated at 32-0, 26KO’s, the bookmaker’s still only opened the Puerto Rican sensation as a very slight favorite in the fight.

At first glance the low opening odds on Cotto may seem strange. Cotto is undefeated, and only six boxers have managed to hear the final bell against him. His recent eleven victims include Randall Bailey, DeMarcus Corley, Mohamad Abdulaev, Ricardo Torres, Gianluca Branco, Paul Malignaggi, Carlos Quintana, Oktay Urkal, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley and Alfonso Gomez.

Out of all of the eleven recent bouts that Cotto has been involved in four really stand out. The first is the bout with Corley. Cotto struggled with Corley, he was seriously hurt in that fight, and for a brief second it appeared Corley was going to stop him. Cotto was able to withstand the attack from “Chop Chop” and went on to score a controversial stoppage in Puerto Rico.

He went life and death with Ricardo Torres, and was officially put on his bottom in that fight. He would once again gather himself and come back to score a highlight reel stoppage of the Columbian.

Two fights ago he stopped Zab Judah in the eleventh round of their contest, but was rocked on more then a few occasions, and had to walk through some heavy leather before finally taking “Super” Judah out.

After the Judah win Cotto remained undefeated eeking out a close unanimous decision win (115-113, 116-113, 115-113) over former pound for pound king Shane Mosley, in a bout many felt could have went “Sugar” Shane’s way.

There is no question Cotto has shown remarkable determination and courage in all of his bouts. Even if he is hurt, dropped, or cut he will continue to press after his opponent, looking to put an end to the fight. It is that determination that breaks down most fighters as the rounds wear on.

Now Cotto will test his resolve against Antonio Margarito Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

While Cotto was burning up the ring with his action packed thrillers, Margarito hit a major stumbling block back in July of 2007 when he ran into 6’1 welterweight Paul Williams.

Williams entered that bout sporting an impressive 32-0 record and took the fight to Margarito from the opening bell. For the first half of the fight it was a one sided affair with Williams simply outworking Margarito every step of the way. As the rounds wore on Margarito finally got into gear and his non-stop assault began to cause serious problems for Williams.

Unfortunately for Margarito his offensive assault came extremely late in the fight and in the end he came up short on the judge’s scorecards losing a unanimous decision.

The loss to Williams not only cost Margarito his championship title, it also effectively took Margarito out of the Cotto sweepstakes.

Although Margarito felt he did enough late in the fight to retain his title, he did acknowledge that he started exceptionally late in the fight with his full court press. He vowed that in future bouts fight fans would witness a “new” Antonio Margarito that would press the attack from the minute the bell sounded to start the bout.

Just four short months after the loss at the hands of Paul Williams, Margarito stayed true to his word about living up to his moniker the “Tijuana Tornado” and came out guns blazing against veteran Golden Johnson, stopping his overmatched foe in one single round.

Next up for Margarito was a rematch with Kermit Cintron. Margarito and Cintron waged war back in 2005 under the bright lights of Las Vegas with Margarito running right over Cintron in five brutal rounds.

Heading into that original fight many experts expected Cintron’s firepower to be the deciding factor in the fight. Margarito has never been mistaken for a defensive mastermind, and those picking Cintron felt Margarito’s inability to move out of the way of his opponent’s shots would ultimately be his undoing.

Of course we all know the experts got it wrong in that fight, but there is no mistaking the fact that Margarito’s defense is less then desirable.

In fact, in the rematch Cintron was able to connect flush with some serious thunder to the chin of Margarito but nothing he threw at Margarito could deter his fury. This time around Cintron would last a round longer, but the result would end up being the same with Cintron crumpled on the canvas and Margarito’s hands being raised in the air.

There is no secret to the style that Margarito brings into the ring. He simply presses forward and throws punches. His defense consists of taking everything his opponents can throw smack dab on the chin and smiling back at them.

Although Margarito has shown a solid chin throughout his career, I don’t believe the hype that he cannot be stopped. Early in his career he was put on the seat of his pants and in his bouts with Daniel Santos there were times where he was visible hurt.

Another major factor you must consider whenever Margarito fights is his propensity of getting cut. Although he has a solid chin, his face first style almost always guarantees some type of facial swelling, not to mention clashes of heads.

I have no doubt in my mind that Margarito’s chin will be put to the test once again on Saturday night. Although I believe Kermit Cintron is a much harder one punch power puncher then Miguel Cotto, it is the speed of Cotto that could cause serious problems for Margarito.

Miguel Cotto has tremendously underrated hand speed at welterweight. There is no question he will possess a huge edge in both hand and foot speed over Margarito. The biggest question heading into this fight is what kind of game plan has Cotto brought into this contest?

We all know that Cotto has some boxing ability but he appears to truly enjoy going into the lion’s den and fighting it out. Cotto has been a bit of a slow starter, and has been buzzed early in his bouts, but his body punching and effective aggression begin to pay dividends as the fight wears on.

In this super fight against Margarito, Cotto has more options should the going get tough. If he is unable to handle himself on the inside, he can switch it up and counterpunch from the outside, capitalizing on his hand and foot speed advantage.

Although Cotto possesses attributes that Margarito does not, I am by no means suggesting it is going to be a walk in the park for Miguel Cotto to beat Antonio Margarito.

I honestly feel that Cotto is going to come into this bout looking to counterpunch Margarito. Cotto knows that Margarito is going to press forward and look to turn this contest a street brawl.

A perfect example of how I think Cotto is going to approach this fight is in his last bout against Gomez. Gomez was a pressure fighter who came straight at Cotto. Even though Cotto had a huge power advantage over Gomez, he still chose to use his jab and hand/foot speed to counter Gomez as he advanced forward. Only when he had inflicted enough damage to render Gomez helpless did he finally go in for the kill.

Although Cotto will bring the quicker hands and feet to the dance, Margarito is four inches taller and has a six-inch reach advantage. The height and reach advantage of Margarito could end up throwing a wrench into Cotto’s plan of trying to outbox Margarito from the outside.

Most experts feel Cotto will be able to nail the slower Margarito at will and box his way with little trouble to a lopsided decision win. However, to think Cotto is just going to box circles around Margarito without difficulty is immensely short sided.

Even if Cotto is somehow able to effectively counterpunch his taller, longer armed foe, he is going to have to put enough dynamite in his shots to crumple Margarito to the canvas or attempt to box the entire night and win on the judge’s scorecards.

Should Cotto elect to box, I believe a major key for Margarito in this fight is going to be his jab. If Margarito presses the action, but does it behind his long left jab, I think he may take away the counterpunching ability of Cotto.

Six inches in reach would be tremendously difficult for Cotto to overcome on the outside. Margarito could simply pop that jab into the face of Cotto and force him to retreat or jump in and trade power shots.

However, if Margarito neglects the jab and does little more then follow Cotto around the ring, he will allow Cotto to fire off rapid combinations as he advances and then move out of the way of Margarito’s slow, wide punches.

Another important tool for Margarito will be his bodywork. While Cotto is certainly highly regarded for his body punches, Margarito is no slouch in the body department himself. I would not be surprised to see either fighter hurt in the midsection at any point in the fight.

If Margarito has pressed forward intelligently, I think the longer the fight goes the better the chances are for him to slowly wear Cotto down and stop him. In fact, I believe a stoppage victory is the only shot Margarito has at upsetting Miguel Cotto. Cotto is the superstar in this fight and I feel any close rounds will surely go his way.

With that said, even if Margarito is able to get his way and close the gap between himself and Cotto, he is going to pay a tremendous price for getting into an area where he can do serious work.

I can see this fight going either way. Cotto could box beautifully, slicing and dicing Margarito to shreds, or Margarito could walk through Cotto’s firepower with a smile on his face and slowly break Cotto down.

Although neither fighter has ever been stopped, I think somehow, someway, this thing ends before the final bell.

Boxeo: 3.00 Units On Won’t Go 12 Full {+115}
Krakrabbit: .50 On Margarito By KO {+400} (Vegas Odds)
Grass Hopper: 2.00 Units On Margarito By KO {+400} (Vegas Odds) & 1.00 Units On Margarito By Decision {+800}
Doody: 2.00 Units On Margarito {+215}
D3: 2.00 Units On Cotto By Dec {+150}

FSN Predictions
By Boxeo

This Wednesday night two former champions collide when James “Lights Out” Toney, (70-6-3, 43KO’s) tackles Hasim “The Rock” Rahman, (45-6-2, 36KO’s) in a twelve round heavyweight showdown, live from the Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California.

The line opened with Rahman almost a 2-1 favorite to defeat James Toney, but as soon as the line was placed the Toney money came rushing in. Instead of almost a 2-1 favorite over Toney, Rahman now sits at just a –135 favorite. Toney supporters can still grab the underdog cash at +115. The O/U for the fight has been set at 11.5 rounds, with the over coming in at –210 and the under landing at +175.

Rahman by KO comes in at +312, while Rahman by decision will get you +197. Toney by KO hits the mark at +500, and Toney by decision lands at +227. As you can see from the posted odds, this bout is expected to go deep into the fight.

This fight is actually a rematch of their twelve round heavyweight contest way back in 2006 that ended up being declared a draw. In the original bout I clearly remember scoring the fight for Rahman. I felt that he had outworked Toney over the distance and deserved to be declared the winner. However, the three blind mice at ringside thought otherwise and Rahman was forced to settle for a disputed draw.

Now, a little over two years later, the two flamboyant heavyweights get another chance to settle the score.

It still seems strange to me that we now call James Toney a heavyweight. While there is no question he certainly carries heavy weight into the ring, I think we all know James should not be fighting in the heavyweight division.

Since moving up to heavyweight back in 2003, James is 4-2-1, with one no contest. Of those four wins at heavyweight, Toney has only mustered up one single stoppage win. That stoppage victory came against future hall of famer Evander Holyfield in Toney’s first serious attempt at becoming a full-fledged heavyweight boxer.

Most recently Toney is coming off a close split decision victory over 25-4, Danny Batchelder. Toney came into that bout with a little less flab around the midsection then when he faced off with Sam Peter (he weighed in at 229) but still was carrying to much weight for his small frame. In the end Toney was able to do just enough to get the decision on the judges scorecards.

However, after the bout with Batchelder was in the books, both fighters failed their post fight drug test, testing positive for banned steroids. This was Toney’s second run in with a banned steroid (he failed his post fight drug test against John Ruiz back in 2005) and the California State Athletic Commission suspended him for one year. The California State Athletic Commission later reduced that suspension to six months.

Before his last fight with Batchelder, Toney squared off with Nigerian powerhouse Sam Peter, only to wind up going 0-2 with back-to-back decision losses in just a four-month time span.

The reason that Toney and Peter ended up having two fights in four months is because many people feel Toney was robbed in his first fight with Peter. Although he once again carried way too much weight into the ring, the former middleweight champion of the world somehow found a way to negate the offensive assault of the power punching Peter for most of the fight and appeared to have earned himself a decision victory.

In the end the three blind mice at ringside once again disagreed with public perception (how many times does this happen in boxing?) and went the other way, giving Peter a highly contested unanimous decision win.

So the rematch was set for a few months later and the two fighters decided to settle things inside the ring. This time around it was a dominant performance from Peter, as he easily battered his overweight opponent, even dropping James in the third round of the fight with a jab!

Although obviously beaten in the rematch, Toney refused to accept the defeat and claimed he actually did enough to win the fight and was robbed by the judges. Although I disagree with Toney about the scoring in the rematch, I must say there are very few middleweight boxers that could go a few rounds with a slugger like Peter, let alone twenty-four rounds without ever being knocked out.

Actually, I think a natural heavyweight fighter like Hasim Rahman would have a very difficult time lasting the distance against Sam Peter. In fact, after his last performance against the light hitting Zuri Lawrence, I would venture to guess Rahman would be lucky to make it half way through a bout with a puncher like Peter.

While Toney has without a doubt been battling his ever-increasing spare tire, Rahman has had his own fair share of troubles inside the ring.

Right after his disputed draw with Toney, he was lined up to defend his WBC heavyweight championship of the world against Oleg Maskaev. Rahman and Maskaev had met back in 1999 and Maskaev scored a dramatic eighth round stoppage victory when he literally knocked Rahman out of the ring.

This time around most people anticipated a successful defense for the champion, but even though Maskaev was coming off almost a one-year layoff, when the bell sounded Hasim Rahman was unable to seal the deal.

Maskaev looked like a dead man walking that night. He had a series of back injuries leading up to the fight that caused his movements inside the ring to be limited at best. In between rounds I actually wondered if he was going to collapse in the corner. Round after round Rahman did just enough to keep Maskaev at bay, but even though he had a corpse in front of him, he never really looked for that finishing blow.

Rahman’s inability to finish off his handicapped opponent in the early going would come back to bite him when he eventually tired and was knocked out in the twelfth and final round of the fight.

If there is one glaring weakness of Hasim Rahman it has to be his chin. Out of his six losses four of them have been by stoppage. One might not bother taking his china chin into consideration against the natural middleweight Toney, but I think that would be a grave mistake.

While Toney is certainly not a heavyweight puncher like Oleg Maskaev or Lennox Lewis, Zuri “No KO’s” Lawrence recently proved it doesn’t take much to rattle the former heavyweight champion of the world.

Lawrence entered his bout against Rahman sporting a 23-13 record with a whopping zero stoppages. That is not a typo; in his twenty-three wins Zuri Lawrence has never stopped a single opponent.

With no power (literally) what would be the chances of Lawrence even being able to hurt the former heavyweight champ? Well, if you watched the fight you know the answer to that one.

Without a single stoppage to his name, Lawrence was able to rattle Rahman on more then a few occasions and even ended up cutting him over both eyes. A fighter with a zero KO percentage stood toe to toe with Rahman and held his own for most of the fight. Even in the early going when Rahman was fresh, his punches appeared to have nothing on them and he looked incredibly slow.

After a back and fourth fight most of the way (Rock scored a knockdown in the sixth) Rahman was finally able to grind Lawrence down in the tenth and final round of the fight for the TKO victory. Up until the point of the stoppage one judge had Lawrence winning the bout 86-84, while the other two judges had it for the Rock by scores of 86-84 and an unrealistic 88-82.

Although both fighters appeared to struggle a bit in their last fight, Rahman looked so atrocious against Lawrence I don’t see how anyone can bet on him as a favorite?

I think we can all agree that Toney is one of the premium skilled fighters in the game. He has an uncanny ability to move just a hair out of range of his opponent’s punches and even at the ripe old age of forty, is still able to fire off crisp, pinpoint accurate shots that demand respect from even the biggest heavyweight punchers.

Although Toney’s defensive timing has been a bit off lately, I honestly believe it has more to do with his expanding waist line then a serious decline in his fighting skills. Even when he does mis-time a shoulder roll here or there, he possesses a chin of granite that has allowed him to move up from middleweight to light heavyweight to cruiserweight and finally heavyweight, without ever being knocked out!

Hasim Rahman on the other hand has always been very unpredictable. He very well may be winning a fight only to get hit flush with one single shot and suddenly its “Lights Out.”

Another area where Rock fails is in the stamina department. In his fight against Lawrence there were several rounds where it looked as if he was going to hack up a lung. He gets extremely tired and when that fatigue sets in his arms drop and his fragile chin is exposed.

This is exactly what happened in his failed title defense against Maskaev. Rahman could not get his decrepit foe out of the match in the early rounds and ended up fading as the rounds wore on.

Now I already know what you’re thinking and I wholeheartedly agree with you that Toney is not a punching machine either. He will take extremely long periods of time in each round and just defend without firing anything back.

The difference between the two fighters fatigue is James does not get sloppy with his hands or his defense. Even when he drops his hands right in front of his opponents he is so sound defensively, most of the time he is never really in harms way.

Rahman has very little defense when he is fresh and ready to fight, what little defense he does have disappears as soon as he gets tired.

I think it’s safe to say that even an out of shape James Toney has a real shot at beating Hasim Rahman. If James “Light’s Out” Toney is able to get his big butt in real fighting shape for this fight (he came in at 226 pounds) don’t be surprised if he crumbles the Rock!

Boxeo: 10.00 Units On Toney {+145} & 1.00 Units On Toney By KO {+500}
Krakrabbit: 1.00 Units On Toney {+145}
Grass Hopper: 2.00 Units On Toney By Decision {+227} & 1.00 Units On Toney By KO {+500}
Doody: 1.00 Units On Rahman By Decision {+197}
D3: 2.00 Units On Rahman By Decision {+197}

HBO Predictions
By Boxeo

Saturday afternoon we are treated to a heavyweight title bout between heavy-handed knockout artist Wladimir Klitschko, (50-3, 44KOs) and once beaten American heavyweight Tony Thompson, (31-1, 19KOs.) live from the Color Line Arena, Altona, Hamburg, Germany.

Klitschko opened as the clear favorite in the fight but public money has still been flowing in on him increasing his number to -700. Currently, you can score a respectable +500 on the underdog Thompson.

The O/U on the bout is set at 9.5 rounds, with the under coming in at -175 and the over at +155. Klitschko by KO comes in at -180, while Klitschko by decision will reward you with +333. Thompson by KO hits the mark at +698, and Thompson by decision lands at +1600.

After an extremely lackluster performance against his much smaller foe Sultan Ibragimov, (The team did very well on the over in that fight) Klitschko now has another opportunity to convince his critics that he is the best heavyweight in the world.

Standing in Klitschko’s way is 6’5 southpaw Tony Thompson. Although Thompson is a mandatory fight for Klitschko and enters the contest having only lost one single bout, I think the “Steel Hammer” will have a much easier time with Thompson’s style then he did against Ibragimov.

There is no question Thompson is a big dude. At 6’5 inches he will stand almost even with Klitschko, but his lack of hand speed is going to present a serious problem for him in this fight.

Another major flaw I see in the game of Thompson is his inability to move. When he fights it appears as if his feet are stuck in cement. He also has a very bad habit of just covering up when his opponent throws punches. If he allows Klitschko to tee off on him without worrying about anything coming back, he may very well be in for a long night of punishment (or short night if Klitschko connects.)

You see, the reason Ibragimov was able to avoid big shots from Klitschko for twelve rounds was because he had great footwork and fast hands. Thompson has neither of those attributes and I am certain Klitschko will be able to take advantage of these glaring weaknesses.

The only thing t