Karim Mayfield vs Thomas Dulorme & Sergey Kovalev vs Cedric Agnew Previews

By Peter Wells:

Karim Mayfield putting in the work before his crucial contest

While it may not be the main event and neither fighter yet holds the public recognition like one of the fighters in the main attraction, but Karim Mayfield and Thomas Dulorme matched against one another makes for a tasty match-up.

The winner will add his name to a long list of world title hopefuls at Light Welterweight, with the obvious ambition to move up to 147lbs in the future. Dulorme and Mayfield will already be envisioning themselves feasting on the fruits of their labour, but the term 'so close but so far' will be well implemented for the loser of this contest.

One has to believe that Dulorme 20-1(14) has slightly less to lose, at just 24 a 2nd defeat of his career would not be devastating - depending on the manner of the loss - while Mayfield at 33 knows how tough returning from his first defeat could be, having turned pro at 25. Only 1 contest since October 2012 has not helped the Californian's progress and a slip up here could be very damaging.

Mayfield 18-0-1(11) has built himself up against respectable opposition, showing his boxing skills as well as the power that brought about his nickname 'Hard Hitta'. Steve Forbes (TKO 10) and Raymond Serrano (TKO 5) are both notable victories, while his points win over Mauricio Herrera (UD 10) now looks even more noteworthy following the controversial loss Herrera suffered in Puerto Rico against Danny Garcia 2 weeks ago.



Thomas Dulorme (left) comes unstuck against Abregu

Dulorme's activity has been on the rise since an October 2012 loss to Luis Carlos Abregu (TKO 7). In the contest Dulorme was dropped twice, clearly not ready for the sudden rise in competition. In 2013 Dulorme fought and won 4 times, giving him plenty of confidence coming into a crucial fight in Atlantic City.

Dulorme is a smooth upright boxer, while Mayfield comes forward with a high guard, slinging hard punches around the gloves of his opponents, whipping hurtful uppercuts and body shots to crack open their guards. On the outside Mayfield is a smart boxer, but he does the majority of his work up close, which is where he'll need to work on Saturday against the slicker Dulorme.

Dulorme can snatch the early rounds without doing much work, keeping at range while Mayfield looks to see a way inside. Mayfield will keep the double jab going throughout the early proceedings before working hard on the inside, making Dulorme's job harder as the rounds tick by. While Mayfield gains momentum, it will be Dulorme who slips off the boil as his work rate drops and an inside fight begins to take place. This is where Mayfield must take advantage and he can, as he forces Dulorme down before the referee intervenes with Mayfield behind on the scorecards around the 7th.

In the main event Sergey Kovalev 23-0-1(21) will be looking to end the unbeaten run of Cedric Agnew 26-0(13), but it may not be such an easy task.



America's Cedric Agnew (left) & Russian Sergey Kovalev (right)

Agnew is a capable boxer, who while not carrying a worrying dig, he does work in spurts and can often catch the judges' eyes. But Agnew's weaknesses come on the outside, where he often relies on his high guard to take the sting out of his opponents punches.

Agnew has decent wins over Daniel Judah (KO 6), Otis Griffin (UD 12) and Yusuf Mack (UD 12), but none can prepare him for the power that the WBO Light Heavyweight champion brings.

Kovalev may not have it all his own way as he did last time out against Ismayl Sillah (KO 2), and Agnew's style may bring him a lot of plaudits and maybe even a few rounds. But at some point Agnew will leave himself exposed and Kovalev can take advantage, flooring Agnew a few times before the contest is halted around the 9th session.