Showtime 2015! Bermane Stiverne vs Deontay Wilder Preview

By Peter Wells: 

Big time boxing is back, big time Heavyweight boxing is back. Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder are not quite at the pinnacle of the boxing world. But their explosive tendencies and Deontay's country of origin make this the most talked about Heavyweight title fight in years.

What will come after January 17th however will be even bigger, a potential unification fight to determine a true Heavyweight champion of the world. More than anything a chance for Wladimir Klitschko to claim supremacy in his era as Heavyweight champ. 

For Wilder 32-0(32) this seems to have been a long while coming. One never envisioned the charismatic Tuscaloosa, Alabama puncher taking the mandatory route to a world title When all 6’7” of the Bronze Bomber leaves “Bomb Squad!!” reverberating around your living room then it takes very little to get Wilder onto the big stage. 

The naysayers may argue that Wilder has jumped the gun on this one, that he is undeserving of this opportunity. But should Wilder win then I’ll stick to my analogy that if you can win the fight then you deserved the fight. However win or lose, no one has had the fans talking about a Heavyweight as much as Wilder has in many moons. Wilder is the source of much criticism but also much praise. Not only would victory on Saturday night lift him along side Wladimir at the top of the tree and earn him millions of bucks, it will also elevate his credentials as a legit star of the Heavyweight division and not the pretender that is yet to prove himself in a “real fight”. As contrary to what some may say, being appreciated in the sport of boxing is a championship belt of its own.

Now my apologies to the WBC Heavyweight champion of the world Bermane Stiverne 24-1-1(21) – I told you that Wilder has people talking! 

Stiverne is the man here, the fighter that has not made the headlines like Wilder, but the fighter that has engaged with some of the top contenders at Heavyweight. 

After a knockout defeat to Demetrice King early in his career and then a draw with Charles Davies, Stiverne was never really on anyone’s radar. Victory in 2 rounds over Kertson Manswell batted some eyelids, but a tough night against Ray Austin – in a 10 round TKO win – didn’t help in raising awareness for B. Ware. 

But in April 2013 Stiverne made a splash, cutting up, dropping and defeating Chris Arreola over 12 rounds. Over a year later and the feat was repeated, this time however it was for the WBC Heavyweight championship. Stiverne was rattled himself before dropping and stopping Arreola in a barnburner live on ESPN. 

This time it’s Showtime at the MGM Grand, the bright lights on Stiverne like never before. This is an opportunity to not only end the unbeaten streak of one of boxing’s hottest prospects, but also a chance to take his popularity to a new level. Stiverne, like Wilder, exudes excitement, and this would be unlikely to be his final big payday on Showtime. He will have HBO and Showtime toughing it out to earn the rights to show a Heavyweight unification clash with Klitschko, while other contenders including Tyson Fury and Bryant Jennings would be hot on his heels.

The contest seems unlikely to be decided on the judges scorecards, with only Stiverne ever completing the full 12 rounds – once. 

Wilder’s tactics will see him attempt to box from the outside, where his power and timing are most effective. On the inside his uppercut can be deadly, but it is not for one second where he will want to find himself against the shorter Stiverne.

Stiverne will tuck up to avoid being scorched by a right hand or long left hook while coming in, keeping that head bobbing to negate the Wilder jab. 

The sooner Stiverne can apply the pressure the better, and head-hunting would be wisely saved till the second half of the fight, or if and when he has Wilder in trouble? Body shots against the long torso of Wilder could be effective, considering Wilder is yet to see beyond the 4th round. 

Questions will remain until Stiverne lands a first big shot on the chin of Wilder, as to how the American can take one on the whiskers. 

It could come down to how many he takes though, if Stiverne is able to find himself at a good range and begins landing with hard crisp combinations, then no matter how solid the foundations, the cracks will appear.

The expectation is that Stiverne will test Wilder like never before, possibly even rocking the American early on. But the pick is for Wilder to adjust after a far from clever start to the contest, moving his feet more, and picking his shots. The jab will become more effective as the contest wears on, and the bobbing and weaving from Stiverne may start to decrease. 

With ice running through his veins, Wilder will grow in confidence enough to look for the stoppage, this can come at any time with a puncher like Wilder but the preference would be between rounds 6-9. 

Tyson Cave robbed of clear victory!

By Peter Wells:

Scott Quigg’s WBA ‘regular’ Super Bantamweight title will be next on the radar for Oscar Escandon who won possibly the worst decision of the year when he somehow took a split decision after he was dominated over 12 rounds by Tyson Cave. 

Not only was it by far the worst decision of the year, but one would be hard pressed to find a worse decision in the last 20+ years.

Escandon, while the aggressor, and that term is used very lightly, was inactive throughout the contest, and outside a handful of right crosses that landed on the chin of Cave while he was wheeling away, it was a poor performance from the fighter considered the puncher.

Cave does display a far from pleasing style for most boxing observants, but that provides no excuse for the terrible scoring of a contest, that was fought on the outside throughout. Cave snapped out punches from all sorts of angles. On he other end Escandon remained confused as how to slow the Canadian down, and he never found a way on the inside on a consistent basis.

Escandon won maybe 2 or 3 rounds at the very most yet somehow two judges found the Colombian as the victor, 115-113 and 117-111, while the other judge only gave Cave the contest 115-113. 

If boxing has any justice then it will be Tyson Cave and not Escandon that will be stepping in the ring to challenge Quigg for his world crown next year. But as tonight showed, justice is very hard to find in this sport.  

Road Block: Erislandy Lara and Ishe Smith clash in their route back to the top

By Peter Wells:

It can be a strange transition for any Cuban boxer. Not only must they adapt to life in a new environment that brings along a whole host of temptations, they must also become accustomed to being shunned in some boxing fans views as elite fighters. Erislandy Lara couldn't have proved himself as a world class fighter any more than in his two previous outings, but despite utterly dominating Austin Trout and being edged out contentiously by Canelo Alvarez, the “American Dream” finds himself on a Friday night Showtime card, acting as a prelude to Amir Khan vs Devon Alexander tomorrow night.

Erislandy is not the only Cuban to be struggling to create the same buzz that his talents deserve. Guillermo Rigondeaux’s consistency as an utter boxing genius has led him to find it a difficult challenge securing television network interest. However, unlike Rigondeaux, Lara has been unable to find the consistency to make him a major player on the pound-for-pound scene.

Sadly Ishe Smith is unlikely to bring the excitement fans crave in an Erislandy Lara match. This contest has similar ingredients to that against Vanes Martirosyan, when Lara fought to a technical draw. Smith owns a similar technical style that can sometimes be set alight given the correct opponent. 

Smith 26-6(12) will see this as a final chance to contend for the world title that he lost so un-inspiringly last September against Carlos Molina. That IBF Light Middleweight belt now belongs to Cornelius Bundrage, and while this shall be for the WBA ‘regular’ Light Middleweight title, the winner may look at a Bundrage fight as a big possibility, even though the WBA 'Super' champion is Floyd Mayweather Jr., which will leave many to consider the winner tonight as the legit WBA titleholder, with Floyd now full commited at Welterweight. 

All while the WBA continue to alienate boxing fans, it's unlikely that Lara 19-2-2(12) will be paying too much attention to the silverware up for grabs. In his first contest since his defeat to Alvarez, a fight Lara insists he won, Lara will be looking at the bigger picture. 

2015 has the potential to be a huge year for the Cuban, but he must not look past the awkward Smith. Should Lara slump into a slow pace then he gives the Las Vegas fighter every chance of causing the upset tonight in Texas.

The pick is for Lara to use similar tactics to the one’s he applied against Trout, firing often and accurately from longe range, while using his superior movement to frustrate his 36 year old opponent. At 31 Lara doesn't have any time to waste, and while he won't make short work of Smith, I have an inclination that he can become the first man to stop Smith, although that all depends on how much Lara wishes to step it up in the latter stages.

Khan-Alexander, Andrade-Charlo on December 13th

By Peter Wells:

The final third of the year on the boxing scene is beginning to take shape as several fights have been announced in recent days and weeks.

December 13th will be a particularly busy night as HBO air Timothy Bradley vs Diego Chaves, with Mauricio Herrera facing Top Rank prospect Jose Benavidez in the co-feature.

That same night will see Keith Thurman face a yet to be confirmed opponent - Leonard Bundu has been rumoured to be in the fray. The tripleheader will also feature two excellent match-ups as WBO Light Middleweight ruler Demetrius Andrade defends against fellow unbeaten Jermell Charlo. The headliner will be a Welterweight contest between Amir Khan and Devon Alexander. 

The card is set to take place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, live on Showtime.

With the two shows on rival stations in America, UK fans will be hoping Sky Sports & BoxNation pick up a show each. 

The main event between Khan and Alexander has long been muted, and the winner will be making a resounding case to face Floyd Mayweather next May or September. 

Both have built their successes around speed and keeping things at long range. Alexander has been prone to mistakes in the past, but has proven his knowledge in the ring, keeping it long against Marcos Maidana, Lucas Matthysse and Jesus Soto Karass last time out. While Amir has struggled at times to stick to the game plan.

Alexander has also proven to possess a solid chin, although his occassionally wild attacks have left him open to be caught off balance.

Just as intruiging is the co-feature between Andrade and Charlo. 

Jermell, considersd to be the better boxer of the Charlo twins, is up against it in his toughest contest to date. Andrade, an equally slick boxer with a good dig, has a style that Charlo has yet to come across. 

With a long, long reach Andrade will prove extremely hard to outbox. Charlo will likely have to make his way inside, forcing Andrade to lead before countering at mid-range.

Paul Butler's world title bid pushed back

By Peter Wells: 

With his 2nd world title fight looming in a 2nd weight class, Paul Butler has had to put his plans of becoming a 2-weight world champion in the same year on hold as IBF Super Flyweight titleholder Zolani Tete has withdrawn with an injury.

Tete was set to travel from South Africa to Liverpool for their October 25th clash, but a broken hand sustained in training leaves him out of action. 

Tete has broken the 2nd metacarpel in his left hand and a new date will be announced shortly.

However Butler will still be present on the 25th as Frank Warren looks for an opponent to step in at relatively short notice. 

That shouldnt take away from what is a great card at the Echo Arena. Liam Smith is in action while Derry Matthews and Adam Dingsdale square off. Tom Stalker takes on fellow unbeaten Jack Catterall and Kevin Satchell takes aim at the European Flyweight title. Also Ovill McKenzie should provide more thrills against Matty Askin. Chris Eubank Jr stars against Jez Wilson.

Hassan N'Dam lands 2nd world title shot, dominates Curtis Stevens

By Peter Wells:

The winner of next week's IBF Middleweight title fight between Sam Soliman and Jermain Taylor, will have no easy task keeping hold of their crown when they face mandatory challenger Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam.

The awkward, gangly Cameroonian living in France, dominated Curtis Stevens in a near shut-out victory last night in California on ESPN - BT Sport in the UK.

N'Dam boxed on the move throughout the 12 rounds, picking up a unanimous decision victory - 116-111 (twice) and 119-108 which reflected the fight far better. 

Stevens had no answer for the movement of N'Dam, growing in frustration as he was unable to let his hands go, and cause any damage with his potent left hook. The only knockdown of the fight came in the 8th when a counter right from N'Dam left the American on the seat of his pants. 

The 8th and 12th rounds provided some anxious moments for N'Dam - who was otherwise comfortable behind a snapping jab at long range. Stevens landed a hard left near the finish of the 8th while he chased hard in the final round, seeking a late stoppage. 

With Sylvester Stallone in attendance, Stevens couldn't find a Hollywood ending.

N'Dam has certainly shown once again he belongs at world level, and would be fancied to take the IBF title off the winner of next Wednesday's clash.

Taylor, far from his prime, has many wondering what he has done to earn the title tilt, while Soliman's - the champion - record is littered by 11 defeats and is 40 years old. 

Let loose: Andrew 'D'Animal' Robinson one step away from defining night

By Peter Wells:



Andrew 'D'Animal' Robinson

On October 24th Birmingham's Andrew Robinson will be stepping into the ring to jump over his final hurdle before a huge test against one of Frank Warren's top prospects, Frank Buglioni.

At the Civic Hall Robinson is set to entertain once again before he faces Buglioni on November 29th at the Excel Arena - a show headlined by Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora.

Andrew let his friends and family know last week on Facebook how quickly he snapped up the opportunity, not even giving the fight a second thought.

And why not, at 12-0(3) Robinson is at his physical peak, turning 30 next Monday. 



Frank Buglioni

An appearance against the underated Dan Blackwell on BoxNation last time out provided excitement and brutality, as Robinson's left ear swole grotesquely. 

A fantastic chin, but Robinson's defence needs improvement, often leaving himself open on the outside, something Buglioni will quickly look to exploit. But on the inside 'D'Animal' is a different animal. 

Buglioni will prove a huge step up in opposition for Robinson, but like the popular Brummie, he too has shown vulnerabilties, no more so than in a stoppage defeat to Sergey Khomitsky. 

So long as Buglioni tightens his defence, his greater pedigree and undoubted power may be the deciding factor against Robinson, albeit Robinson's incredible resilience and heart can see him through to the final bell in a very competitive and entertaining affair.

An upset however is on the cards. I for one would not be surprised.