Carl Froch vs George Groves 2 Preview

By Peter Wells:

Carl Froch (left) & George Groves (right)

Tomorrow fight fans across the world will see the 2nd instalment of the biggest British rivalry since Nigel Benn faced Chris Eubank. Carl Froch will hang his WBA and IBF Super Middleweight titles on the line for the 2nd time against his tormentor, George Groves in front of a packed house at Wembley Stadium, and millions more watching on Sky Sports Pay-Per-View and around the world.

Froch, 10 years Groves' senior, took a dislike for Groves from the moment the Hammersmith fighter opened his mouth ahead of their first meeting last November. Froch seeing himself as the alpha lion, saw Groves as a young, arrogant, and cocky boxer, who should have shown his reputation more respect. Instead Groves treated Froch as just another opponent, a simple trick that has rattled Froch ever since.

That first encounter won't have helped Froch's pride either, as Groves won the appreciation of the crowd, a crowd that once only roared for Froch. Groves was rightly or wrongly pulled out of the fight in the 9th round after a dominant display, in which he took the fight to Carl, flooring the champion in the opening round, before Froch roared back. The outcome was controversial - although there was a slight overreaction as to how bad the early stoppage was in the immediate aftermath - but Froch had found his range, and many have pointed out that Groves was there for the taking and the stoppage was inevitable.

The rematch was required more for the competitiveness of the fight rather than the controversy surrounding the stoppage. Groves could no longer be dismissed as not belonging at world level, while Froch had more to prove than ever before in his 32-2(23) career.

Groves 19-1(15) will need to fight relatively the same in the rematch, aggression mixed in with smart boxing. The boxing skills and speed were expected, but it was the power and ability to force Froch backwards that surprised many, including Froch.

If Froch did look past Groves' ability at world class level last time, he will not make the same mistake this time around, which makes one believe that it will be Groves that will need to up his game. Unless Froch did age over night before their November brawl, then you can be sure to see a more engaged Carl Froch.

Froch is an accomplished boxer, but he cannot match Groves in that department and the speed of the Groves right cross will always beat Froch's backhand in a boxing match. Froch's defensive inefficiency will also be unlikely to change, meaning Groves will get the same opportunities to hurt Froch, but expect Froch to force the action more at an earlier stage in the fight.

One can see Froch looking to counter Groves early, while Groves may prove a little more patient than last time around, hoping to conserve enough energy for the later rounds. The action that had fans on their feet at the Phones 4U arena will be present again as the two look to take command in the early rounds, Groves getting the better of the exchanges as his speed and ability to judge range will give him an early edge.

With the fight entering the second half, Froch will be down on the scorecards, but he can begin to force Groves onto the back foot. Groves will try to find room, but every time he sticks out a solid jab, a right cross will be heading his way. Groves will still have his moments in the later rounds, but with both fighters slowing down ever so slightly, it will be the aggression of Froch that will catch the judges eyes. With that surge in the final 5 rounds, Froch can take a close but fair unanimous decision win, winning back some of the admiration he seems to have lost in the last 7 months.

After a disappointing undercard for Froch-Groves 1, this undercard represents what boxing fans want to see.

Kevin Mitchell 37-2(27) takes on an interesting unbeaten opponent in Ghislain Maduma 16-0(1

Ghislain Maduma (left) & Kevin Mitchell (right)

0). The calibre of this fight will depend on how well Maduma can perform at a level he is yet to step up to.

Maduma is a compact and strong boxer, he throws a hard left hook from an orthodox stance, showing his power when knocking out John Carlo Aparicio in 3.

However Mitchell is a different proposition as he will likely force Maduma to walk onto hard right hands and quick counters. Mitchell though has struggled in previous fights on the back foot against big punchers, Michael Katsidis (L TKO 3) and Ricky Burns (L TKO 4) both caught Mitchell early, which would seem Maduma's best chance of a win.

But Mitchell has also showed how well he can handle pressure, in the case of John Murray (W TKO 8), as he took the best that Murray could offer, wearing his British rival down at the same time for a stoppage when Murray was tired out.

Brandon Gonzales (left) & James DeGale (right)

Maduma will require patient aggression, but one can see the Canadian, born in Congo, being too patient as he is picked off by the accurate Mitchell.

If Maduma's ability to take a punch is as good as his ability to deliver one, then he can last the distance, loosing convincingly on points. Otherwise Mitchell can force a stoppage between rounds 6-9.

On paper, the best fight of the undercard sees James DeGale 18-1(12) and Brandon Gonzales 18-0-1(10) battle for a chance to face the winner of the main event.

Southpaw DeGale has been waiting for his opportunity to mix with the best at 168lbs and he will get his wish, but only if he can get past the equally ambitious Gonzales.

Many have questioned Gonzales' stamina, as his stamina cost him an easy win over Thomas Oosthuizen (D 10) last June, even though he was still unlucky not to win the contest.

Gonzales is otherwise a solid boxer, who can box on both the back foot and front foot, his recent win over unbeaten Jonathan Nelson was a better indication that Gonzales' fitness has improved.

He will need that fitness against DeGale who will make Gonzales work for 12 rounds. DeGale himself can box on both the retreat and on the offensive and he may need to mix it up to keep Gonzales guessing. 

Jamie McDonnell (left) & Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat (right)

If DeGale can control the tempo of the fight, forcing Gonzales to follow his tune, then he can be too fast and slick for Gonzales, who will likely resort to dragging DeGale into a fire fight. But should DeGale fall into his usual pattern of sticking to the ropes, then he will allow Gonzales to find a groove that sees him dominate his opponents. Gonzales can control a contest behind his jab, bringing in hard right crosses.

Ultimately the southpaw stance of DeGale along with his speed and movement will create trouble for Gonzales, who will slip behind quickly, losing clearly on the scorecards.

Elsewhere Jamie McDonnell 23-2-1(10) takes on the experienced but untested Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat 52-2(34) in a bid to claim the WBA 'regular' Bantamweight title.

Rachawat could be an unknown talent, and tomorrow night will be his chance to shine, but he will find it tough against the former IBF Bantamweight champion.

Matt Legg (left) & Anthony Joshua (right)

McDonnell can box his way to a unanimous decision victory, the much shorter Rachawat struggling to find a rhythm to disrupt McDonnell's jab.

Rachawat may find his moments, as he gets inside, but he will not be allowed to apply enough consistent pressure to shock the favourite, as McDonnell should have more than enough to control the pace of the fight throughout.

Finally to rap up the card, Anthony Joshua 5-0(5), Martin Joseph Ward 9-0(4) and Gamal Yafai 1-0(1) are all set to feature.

Star Maker: Boxcino 2014 Review

By Peter Wells:

Brandon Adams (left) vs Willie Monroe Jr (right)

Over the last few months the real purpose of the Boxcino tournament has shone through. Over two tournaments there have been two winners, two stars born, one career resurrected and several lessons learned.

At Middleweight, potential future world champions made the world of boxing open its eyes as Willie Monroe Jr and Brandon Adams showcased their hidden talents. Monroe Jr – son of the man who handed Marvin Hagler his second professional defeat – rejuvenated his career after an early defeat to journeyman Darnell Boone – the same man that stunned now WBC Light Heavyweight king Adonis Stevenson – with three well-disciplined points victories. While Brandon Adams came out of nowhere to show his power and intellect on the big stage to reach the final, before succumbing to the more experienced Monroe.

In the Lightweight tournament, Petr Petrov – most well-known for a loss against Marcos Maidana – may well have earned himself an upcoming world title fight with three impressive victories. All three were ruthless as he handed out boxing lessons all the way to the Boxcino Belt.

On the way to the final Petrov dominated one of the tournament favourites in Fedor Papazov, winning a clear 6 round points decision. That was followed up by a brutal 4^th round stoppage of the tall but inexperienced Chris Rudd. Then in the final Fernando Carcamo was saved by the referee in the 8^th round of a one-sided beat down. The heavy handed Carcamo was on his heels for the whole fight, receiving punishment from a Petrov who was 100% on his game.

Throughout Petrov displayed the intelligence he had gained in his 35-4-2(17) career. His use of angles and setting up punches while taking away from his opponents best weapons was excellent to watch. Now at Lightweight, Petrov looks comfortable and a world title shot looks to be on the brink for the Russian.

Fernando Carcamo (left) vs Petr Petrov (right)

As for the two young Middleweights, neither were favoured to take the eventual winners belt. Brandon Adams was expected to find it tough with the experience of Daniel Edouard, but instead he used his speed, power and footwork to floor Edouard before he retired after 4 rounds.

In the 2^nd round, Raymond Gatica was coming off the back of a devastating performance, but he was out boxed for 8 rounds, eating big punches from the power fists of the compact Adams. The result was a split decision, despite Adams’ dominance in an entertaining fight.

Monroe was seen as the firm favourite in the opening round, and despite the un-wilting aggression of Donatas Bondorovas he took a clear points win.

In the semi’s Monroe was the clear underdog, as the tournament favourite Vitaliy Kopylenko was expected to walk through the fast punches of Monroe. Despite not having the power, his movement and activity was all Monroe needed to utterly dominate Kopylenko, who bar a few solid uppercuts was outclassed and frustrated throughout.

In the final it was hard to split the two beforehand, but it was the amateur pedigree and long reach of Monroe that prevailed. Adams struggled to find his way inside, and when he did Monroe was more than willing to fight fire with fire. A clever performance from Monroe showed what the 18-1(6) fighter is capable of. After the contest, Monroe hinted at a move down to Light Middleweight, where he will be more than a problem for many of the top contenders and champions.

As for Adams, he will have learnt a lot from his defeat to Monroe, but his size could well be a problem with the champions at 160lbs. Still Adams has a lot of boxing fans talking, and he proved maturity beyond his years, especially for a fighter with just 6 amateur fights.

At 14-1(9) Adams will need a couple more fights to build up his resume and to gain more valuable experience – Adams’ team admitted that Gatica was the first southpaw they had fought.

Fernando Carcamo and Vitaliy Kopylenko are two fighters that will have learnt a lot from their respective experiences, which further highlights just how important tournaments like Boxcino are for boxing. 2014 has without a doubt been a success and you can expect plenty more over the coming years.

Amir Khan vs Luis Collazo Preview + rest of Mayweather-Maidana Undercard

By Peter Wells:

Amir Khan (left) & Luis Collazo (right)

While he may not like to tempt fate, there seems no other reason as to why Amir Khan has been slotted as the co-feature to the 'Floyd Mayweather show'. The fact that he will contest for the WBC and WBA's meaningless 'Silver' and 'International' titles will also guide the winner of Khan-Luis Collazo to be the mandatory challenger for the winner of the main event. Basically Khan is one win away from his dream fight, one win away from the pinnacle of boxing.

While many will argue the validity of Khan's challenge of the pound-for-pound king, you only need look at the names on his resume, which includes a win over the man facing Floyd on Saturday night. In support of Khan 28-3(19), one can then point to the fact that the Bolton fighter has come over to America and called out some of the biggest names at Light Welterweight and succeeded in becoming the WBA and IBF Light Welterweight champion of the world. Yes there are fighters such as Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley, Erislandy Lara and Danny Garcia - to name a few - that merit the shot at the 'King' more than Khan, but those aforementioned names are also more worthy than Marcos Maidana, especially when you consider Maidana's style that many, including myself, would label as tailor-made for Mayweather.

That discussion though can wait just a while longer, because at hand first is Khan's Welterweight debut, and if Khan is reading the script in the same way I have written this preview then the ending will look very different.

Luis Collazo 35-5(18) is a valiant world title challenger, who would no doubt be a key player in any other division, but with the depth at 147lbs, the popular Brooklynite has seen himself on the outside looking in for much of his career. Defeats to Ricky Hatton (L UD 12), Shane Mosley (L UD 12), Andre Berto (L UD 12) and Freddy Hernandez (L UD 10) have given Collazo the recognition as a fighter that can't win the big ones.

Successive wins prior to his 2006 defeat to Hatton over Jose Antonio Riviera (W SD 12) and Miguel Angel Gonzalez (W RTD 7) are the two biggest wins of his career, and the voodoo hanging above him seemed to be vanquished in January when he stopped Victor Ortiz inside 2 rounds, but his props for that win will never be fully awarded to him due to the ever-present question marks over Ortiz's mental toughness in the ring - while caught with a flush shot, Ortiz stayed on the canvas for the 10 count despite being on all fours and looking straight ahead as if he was OK to continue.

While Collazo does carry a decent punch, he isn't a knockout artist, at least not at the level Khan is at. Khan's defensive lapses though must be eradicated to some extent if he is to see past this challenge.

Criticism of Khan's chin over the years has been over the top, rather than blaming his chin, the blame should lie on his inability to defend himself at all times. Would we all be calling Khan chinny had he kept his hands up and stayed out of range against Breidis Prescott and Danny Garcia? Instead we would have been referencing from the haymakers he stood up to against Marcos Maidana (W UD 12).

Khan's heart on the other hand has never been called into question, and he will likely need that incredible will-power at some stage in this contest too. He will also need to keep his hands high when in range, while using his speed to frustrate Collazo.

Collazo will be collected throughout the fight, but he will struggle with the movement of Khan, and will be at the end of an intelligent jab for much of the contest. While Khan may never entirely change his reckless style he can adapt to use his jab more as a defensive barrier rather than just an offensive weapon that often leaves him so open.

Adrien Broner (left) & Carlos Molina (right)

Collazo may worry Khan and his supporters at a few stages in the fight, it will be relatively a one-sided affair, Collazo will take some rounds for the more noteworthy shots, but Khan's tempo and flashy combinations will outweigh whatever Collazo can do. Khan won't cruise to a unanimous decision win, but he will get there, and his Mayweather showdown will be just 4 months away. 

After a humbling defeat last time out Adrien Broner 27-1(22) makes a wise move as he steps down to Light Welterweight after his failed attempt to jump from Lightweight to Welterweight.

Broner should have paid the price against Paulie Malignaggi (W SD 12), but was hit with a nasty fine when he was outscored by the explosive Marcos Maidana (L UD 12). Broner's attitude left him getting little credit that he deserved for wins over Jason Litzau (TKO 1), Eloy Perez (TKO 4) and Antonio DeMarco (TKO 8), and his bravery against Maidana also went without credit.

Broner is still a world class fighter, but just how far he can go was put into perspective last year, a possible change in style may be needed if he is to advance beyond the level he is currently at.

J'Leon Love (right) & Marco Antonio Periban (left)

Carlos Molina 17-1-1(7) should be the perfect opponent for Broner to shine against. The Californian - not to be confused with the Light Middleweight Carlos Molina - has not fought since a December 2012 defeat to Amir Khan (L RTD 10). Molina was outclassed throughout and he will be in the same situation come Saturday night. Broner can punish Molina before it is halted by the referee inside 7 rounds.

In another 10 rounder, J'Leon Love 17-0(10) will take on former Super Middleweight world title challenger Marco Antonio Periban 20-1-1(13).

Mexican Periban experienced a bit of everything last year as he beat Samuel Miller (KO 2), lost in a WBC world title bid against Sakio Bika (L MD 12) and then drew with another Mayweather Promotions product Badou Jack (MD 10). 


L-R: Andrew Tabiti, Ronald Gavril, Ladarius Miller, Lanell Bellows,
Ashley Theophane, Anthony Ogogo

With both Badou Jack and Mickey Bey slipping up the Mayweather stable will be hoping that Love can make it across this hurdle. A decent prospect, Love struggled to cope with Gabriel Rosado (ND 10) - originally ruled a Love win, but after testing positive for a banned diuretic the result was changed to a No Decision - but two stoppage wins since at a higher weight class - 168lbs - he may have found his right track to a world title.

Love will want to impress against the tough and dangerous but equally limited Periban, but one can see Love having much the same problems he had with Rosado. At the end of 10 tough rounds, Love will claim a tight but fair points victory.

Elsewhere on the undercard, Anthony Ogogo 5-0(2), Ronald Gavril 8-0(6), Ashley Theophane 34-6-1(10), Andrew Tabiti 5-0(5), Lanell Bellows 6-1-1(5) and Ladarius Miller 1-0 all feature.

ESPN TNF Results: Williams Jr rips Ornelas in 3; Martinez turns back on Lopez

By Peter Wells:



Bringing the heat: Williams Jr (right) punishes Ornelas (left) to the body

After involvement in an early contender for round of the year, Thomas Williams Jr, showed fans more of the potential he possesses last night as he blew away veteran Enrique Ornelas in 3 rounds.

At 26 years of age, Williams Jr - now 17-0(12) - is moving along nicely at Light Heavyweight, building himself a healthy reputation, as a solid puncher and quality boxer. He highlighted his intelligence when admitting before this fight that he had looked for significant improvements in his defence after his back-and-forth one rounder with Cornelius White in January. Williams Jr could well have implemented the same go-for-broke tactics in this fight, relying on his heavy hands to bring victory, while juggling with the chances of defeat. Instead he boxed behind stiff punches, banging to the body and slowly but surely breaking down the 33 year old former world title challenger.

With the knockout victory Williams Jr became the first man since 2004 to stop Ornelas, despite him being in the ring with world champions like Bernard Hopkins, Robert Stieglitz and Marco Antonio Rubio.

Williams Jr remained on the front foot, but came forward cautiously, landing heavy bombs around Ornelas's guard, before digging shots in down low. Putting combinations together, Williams Jr never allowed the experienced Ornelas a moments rest, and the pressure paid off in the 2nd when a left hook to the side of the head sent Ornelas to the canvas, a flash knockdown.

Williams Jr remained composed, and that same approach was rewarded again in the 3rd when a heavy volley of punches - it was hard to tell which punch caused the most damage - left Ornelas on his back. Ornelas lifted himself onto his knees, composed himself, but as he tried to rise to his feet he fell backwards, leaving the referee to stop the fight.

With the loss Ornelas drops to 34-9(22) and he may now want to seriously consider his next step in the boxing ring. As for Williams Jr, he asked afterwards in the ring that viewers give him his just dues for this win, and he truly earned them with a fine display of how to bring upon father time on a fighter who has enjoyed a long career - Ornelas turned pro in 1999. Having only been past round 5 twice - albeit Williams Jr handled himself very well in 8 and 10 round points victories over Otis Griffin and Yusaf Mack respectively - more rounds against similar opposition will do him the world of good, before taking that extra leap onto the world scene.

The main event of the evening on ESPN Thursday Night Fight ended bizarrely as Aaron Martinez turned his back on opponent Josesito Lopez midway through the 5th round. Experienced official Jack Reiss stepped in to wave off the contest, believing Martinez had simply abandoned the fight.


Overwhelmed: Lopez (left) taking it to Martinez (right) on the ropes

Martinez argued the call, but ultimately by turning his back on the action under the rules he was in no position to defend himself and was signalling he wanted to stop the fight. Whether or not that was really going through Martinez's mind, no one except the fighter could no for certain, but none of that will concern the now 32-7(19) Lopez.

Lopez was in command of proceedings before the ending, seeming too big for Martinez who could not deter the forward-thinking Lopez. Martinez was never in any trouble himself and he kept things interesting, especially in the 3rd. But as he implored Lopez to come forward for most of the 4th, it was obvious that the Mexican was running low on ideas.

Lopez trapped Martinez on the ropes in the 5th, stinging him with a left hand, before Martinez turned his back on the action, seemingly to just avoid more shots as he was locked in the corner, but it was a reckless decision that resulted in the first stoppage loss of his 19-3-1(4) career.

While the 'Riverside Rocky' may never reach the heights of his 2012 shock win over Victor Ortiz, he can certainly be an interesting player in a rock solid Welterweight division.

Elsewhere Immanuwel Aleem improved to 8-0(4) with a comfortable 2nd round knockout of overmatched and out of shape Mike Noriega 4-3(4). The 20 year old Super Middleweight can expect tougher challenges on his way up, but last night at the Agua Caliente Casino in California he did what he had to do, winning in fine style.

Timothy Bradley vs Manny Pacquiao II Preview

By Peter Wells:

Manny Pacquiao (left) & Timothy Bradley (right)

While most would disagree, I believe that being awarded a split decision victory over global superstar Manny Pacquiao has done more good than bad for Timothy Bradley's boxing career. With the highly controversial win, Bradley instantly became a well-sought name. His anger at the abuse and death threats he and his family received after the fight, spurred him to go toe-to-toe with Ruslan Provodnikov for 12 rounds, in the fight of the year in 2013. Then the rejuvenated Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez offered Bradley another defining night in which Bradley shone, producing by far the best performance of his career thus far.

Now one would point to the backlash he received from the "boxing" world - I put boxing in speech marks as anyone who sends death threats to a fighter clearly has no respect for the sport itself - and had he come away that night with the first defeat of his career, he would have avoided the disgraceful acts of those individuals. But then again Bradley would not have become a household name, the biggest night of his career would have been sorely forgotten - in much the same way that no one reminisces about Pacquiao's one-sided affair with Joshua Clottey. Added to that is the fact that even if Bradley had still gone on to fight the fearsome Provodnikov, he would have likely boxed cautiously, taking a clear decision. Then it is highly unlikely that a Marquez coming off the biggest victory of his career would have risked it all against Bradley who had lost to the man Marquez had just vanquished. Career defining fight out the window, and most importantly a rematch with Pacquiao would have been as unlikely as Floyd Mayweather working with Bob Arum again.

We do not know where Bradley would be right now if he had not been handed the victory over Pacquiao on 9th June 2012. While he would still have been recognised as a world class fighter, one does not feel he'd have been given the chance yet to prove he is one of the best pound-for-pound, something he did when convincingly beating Marquez. It seems that fate may have disguised itself once again in the murkiest of waters, offering a silver lining when it seemed Bradley's career would be seriously hampered.

Tonight Bradley 31-0(12) will get a second chance to prove himself the better fighter when he steps in the ring with Pacquiao 55-5-2(38) in thus far the biggest fight of the year. Both have so much to prove and despite the two already sharing the ring the general consensus is even closer than ahead of their first encounter when Pacquiao was the overwhelming favourite with the boxing media. So despite the large majority seeing Pacquiao clearly winning their first bout, many more are tipping Bradley to cause the upset once again.

Pacquiao's cautious approach against Rios last time out earned him the label as a fighter who had lost his killer instinct, but one can point to the fact that he was more wary of avoiding a similar fate to the one he met against Marquez in their 4th encounter. Rios though offered nothing to suggest whether or not the "old" Manny is back.



Bradley & Pacquiao after their first encounter

On the other hand Bradley showed fans his sturdy chin and tremendous heart against Provodnikov - the win over the Russian became even more notable when Provo broke down and stopped Mike Alvarado later last year. Then he demonstrated further improvements when boxing perfectly to the game plan against Mexican idol Juan Manuel Marquez.

That performance against Marquez, where Bradley boxed a disciplined fight off the back foot, while engaging in short fire-fights when he wanted to engage, commanding the contest against the veteran throughout, is what has many including myself believing that Bradley has what it takes to take the victory in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao will be bouncing in and out, while Bradley waits patiently, snapping the jab with good timing. Pacquiao can wow the crowd and judges when he swarms Bradley, but Bradley will not be fazed as he works far better on the outside, upping the intensity as each round draws to a close. Bradley will continue to counter Pacquiao, possibly stunning the Filipino as he jumps in on a few occasions. The initial pick was for Pacquiao to be awarded the decision in a close fight, but as the fight has drawn nearer the more I have leaned towards a Bradley upset win. Ultimately the victor may go to the man that works more in quiet spells of the fight, and following his win over Marquez, I give Bradley the slight advantage to steal enough close rounds and take a split but fair decision.

To accompany the fascinating main event is an action packed undercard, including three 50/50 fights. Arash Usmanee steps in as a late replacement for Rocky Martinez to challenge Raymundo Beltran in a 12 round Lightweight bout.



Raymundo Beltran (left) & Arash Usmanee (right)

Usmanee 20-1-1(10) has made his name through two controversial fights at Super Featherweight against two of the top 130lb fighters. Arash's aggressive approach gave fits to Rances Barthelemy last January, but Usmanee was unlucky to come out of the contest with a unanimous decision loss. Usmanee was then the fortunate fighter earning a draw against IBF Super Featherweight champion Argenis Mendez. While the contest was close, it seemed that Mendez's slick boxing should have earned him the win, albeit he kept his belt with the draw.

Beltran 28-6-1(17) may have a different opponent but Usmanee's style bodes similarities to the aggressive style of Martinez, only Usmanee pays far less attention to defence than Martinez does.

Beltran's career was revived last September when he was unlucky to only draw with former WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns - who has since been dethroned by Terrance Crawford. But defeats since 2008 to Ammeth Diaz (TKO 4), Sharif Bogere (UD 10) and Luis Ramos Jr (UD 10) - all good world title contenders but none world beaters - highlights that Beltran can have as many off days as on days.

The change of opponent could be a trigger for an off day but his power and ability to time Usmanee should be too much for his cruder foe. Beltran can take a clear unanimous decision in an entertaining 12 round bout.

Elsewhere Super Featherweight Jose Felix Jr takes a step up in competition when he faces former world title challenger Bryan Vasquez.

Vasquez 32-1(17) suffered his only defeat as a professional against the outstanding Takashi Uchiyama (TKO 8) in 2012, but has rebounded well with 3 wins including against Rene Gonzalez (TD 5) last time out.



Bryan Vazquez (left) & Jose Felix Jr (right)

Vasquez likes to box at a high tempo off the back foot, firing in quick combinations, while Felix Jr 26-0-1(21) is a tall banger, who throws wide, but powerful punches in bunches. His victory over Luis Cruz (UD 10) highlighted his defensive vulnerabilities when he was dropped in the 4th, but a 3rd round stoppage of Santos Benavides last time out was a grave signal of his power.

Vasquez may struggle to find a rhythm on the outside and his tendency to drop his hands when moving backwards could be hazardous. Vasquez may be ahead on the cards at the time, but the pick is for the raw Felix Jr to score a stoppage inside 9 rounds.

In arguably the most intriguing contest on the undercard, Joan Guzman vanquisher Khabib Allakhverdiev 19-0(9) hopes to continue his sudden rise against hot prospect Jessie Vargas 23-0(9).

Vargas' biggest win came in 2011 when he had to slug it out with Josesito Lopez (SD 10). An active puncher, Vargas does struggle when under huge pressure which is what Lopez put him under throughout the fight.



Khabib Allakhverdiev (left) & Jessie Vargas (right)

That all-pressure style is what Allakhverdiev implied to beat Guzman (TD 8) in a sensational battle that ended unfortunately when Guzman badly injured his left knee. Victories over Kazier Mabuza (TKO 4) and Souleymane M'baye (TKO 11) have proven he is not a one-trick pony.

Vargas will look to keep Allakhverdiev at bay with the jab, and if he can move enough to force Khabib to chase him then he can come out with a victory. But it will be hard to sustain movement under the pressure Allakhverdiev applies. Despite only 9 knockouts, Khabib is a big hitter and the pick is for Allakhverdiev to force a stoppage of the brave but tired Vargas in the final third of the contest. Do note that this could be one of the fights of the year.

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.

Danny Garcia-Mauricio Herrera Preview + Wilder-Scott & Lopez-De Leon

By Peter Wells:

Danny Garcia (left) & Mauricio Herrera (right)

For any big star in whatever profession they delve themselves in, their roots run deep. For boxer Danny Garcia, thanks to a breakout year in 2012 he is no longer just known as a prospect from the tough streets of Philly. Now he is relishing in his heritage of the Puerto Rican blood running through his veins. And he steps foot into a Puerto Rican ring for the first time as a professional this Saturday at the Coliseu Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon.

It was then no coincidence that his opponent is a Mexican-American, igniting Garcia as a huge home favourite as he fights not only for his own WBA and WBC Light Welterweight titles but for the pride of Puerto Rico.

Mauricio Herrera, born in California, can boast a victory against the feared Ruslan Provodnikov, but one must not get carried away with such a feat. Provodnikov was rather blue at just 17-0(11) at the time, and has evolved into a different animal - the one we have witnessed in his last 2 encounters. That leaves only wins over Mike Dallas Jr (MD 10) and a faded Ji-Hoon Kim (UD 10) that hold much significance on his 20-3(7) record.

With all due respect, Herrera is a rather light touch for Garcia, his first defeat came against Mike Anchondo (SD 8) - who lost his next fight to Freddy Hernandez in 4 - before successive defeats in 2012 at the hands of Mike Alvarado (UD 10) and Karim Mayfield (UD 10). While there was no shame in those 2 defeats, it does make one wonder how he'll cope with the number 1 Light Welterweight in the world, a man arguably in the midst of his prime.

Garcia 27-0(16) can bang and box efficiently, but he has let his guard down when there are expectations of a great performance as well as the win. His points victory over Zab Judah last April was blemished by his late flump, as Judah drove himself back into a contest that Garcia was dominating, turning a one-sided contest into a rather close one. Then if you look back further, Britain's Ashley Theophane pushed him to a split decision.

Despite those slight dips in performance, one cannot imagine the same happening in front of a pumped Puerto Rican crowd. Garcia can box his way into a rhythm early, as Herrera looks to counter where he can. Seeing the fight slipping away, Herrera will have to take more risks which should open doors for Garcia's left hook. At some point around the 7th, Herrera will be found wanting and Garcia's sharp counter-punching will send him to the deck. Garcia can then finish the job, halting the brave but thoroughly outgunned Herrera inside 8.

In the most anticipated fight of the night, two American Heavyweight hopefuls square off in a clash of styles over 12 rounds. Patient one-punch KO artist Deontay Wilder 30-0(30) takes on by a long shot his toughest opponent to date in polished-boxer Malik Scott 36-1-1(13).



Deontay Wilder (far left) & Malik Scott (far right)

Wilder has no doubt made waves across the boxing world, some positive and some negative, but finally he has boxing fans talking about an American Heavyweight.

The victor will likely be in line to face the winner of the Chris Arreola-Bermane Stiverne rematch for the vacant WBC Heavyweight title.

Wilder may be an explosive puncher, but he is also an extremely patient boxer. He often wastes little energy, waiting for the right time to submit his opponents with his crippling right cross. At 6ft 7inches, Wilder snaps out a volley of jabs before unleashing hell, which often results in early finishes - Wilder is yet to go beyond round 4.

On the other hand Scott has seen plenty of rounds, but showed a meaner side when stopping well-overmatched Grover Young in 2 in January. That was following 2 controversial fights, the first being when he was unlucky to only draw against Vyacheslav Glazkov - who faces Tomasz Adamek on the same night - before being controversially counted out by referee Phil Edwards against Dereck Chisora. Chisora floored Scott in the 6th round and as Scott rose at 9, Edwards waved off the fight, much to the disbelief of Scott and his team.

Still the punch itself may have shown a slight blip in Scott's armour, one that Wilder will no doubt look to exploit at some point.

Wilder will be wiser than to waste energy early, and he will likely be ready to go into the second half of the contest to get the job done. Scott will be happy with that, but if Wilder doesn't burn too much energy early then it could spell trouble for Scott down the stretch.

To win, Scott will need to work himself in the early rounds, not allowing the taller Wilder to dominate behind his jab. Fast feet and head movement will be key behind a double jab and good body work. As the contest progresses then Scott will need to lead Wilder onto counter-punches which could see him come out victorious.

But the pick is for Wilder to do enough in the early stanza's behind his jab, not allowing Scott to offer an early chin check. While the action may not be to everyone's taste, it will be an intriguing contest right until the end of the fight. That end can come in the final 5 rounds of the fight as Wilder ups his work rate, tagging Scott hard before finishing the job soon after. A good 8 or so rounds under his belt will no doubt give American fight fans more of an idea as to how far this bright prospect can go.


Juan Manuel Lopez (left) & Daniel Ponce De Leon (right)

To conclude the triple-header is a rematch no one would have anticipated happening nearly 6 years ago when Juan Manuel Lopez annihilated Daniel Ponce De Leon in just 1 round. Through strange and unlikely circumstances they meet again in a 10 round bout that has guaranteed excitement written all over it.

'JuanMa' 33-3(30) found his path to greatness halted when Orlando Salido came along, two stoppages in 8 and 10 rounds respectively have not yet left the memory of the Puerto Rican star. A 4th round loss last time out to Mikey Garcia seemed to signal an end to Lopez's world title aspirations.

But as fate goes he has another chance to redeem his career against old Mexican foe, De Leon 45-5(35). De Leon himself is recovering from the 2nd stoppage defeat of his career, when he was halted in 9 by Abner Mares.

One can envision the winner facing WBC Featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez, whom De Leon beat (TD 8) prior to his failed bid for the same title vs Mares.



Daniel Jacobs (centre) with prospects Marcus Browne (left)
& Eddie Gomez (right)

One feels that Lopez's best chance is to stun De Leon early again, but the expectation is for De Leon to grind Lopez down after a cagey start between the pair of fighters. De Leon, the slightly more confident and fresher of the two, will start to find his range first as Lopez forces his punches too much. If the fight was scheduled for 12 then I could have seen De Leon forcing a late stoppage but with it set for 10 I see De Leon ending the contest with a flourish to claim a clear unanimous decision win.

Also on the undercard, the 'Miracle Man' Daniel Jacobs 26-1(23) continues his inspiring comeback since defeating cancer. Milton Nunez 26-9-1(24) has a punchers chance but Jacobs can record a 5th stoppage win in a row since his return, inside 5.