No Fury-Chisora, but stacked undercard saves the day

By Peter Wells:


Fury will have been flipping more tables when Chisora pulled out with injury

It's not very often in boxing that you can take away the main event and still sit their satisfied with the line-up. And while the loss of Tyson Fury's rematch with Dereck Chisora is a huge blow for this Frank Warren show, it's not the end of the world, all thanks to a stacked undercard.

Chisora's replacement, Alexander Ustinov, is as good a 1 week notice substitute as you can get, and the upgraded main attraction between unbeatens Billy Joe Saunders and Emanuele Blandamura is a high quality fight in itself.

The undercard is boosted by two British title fights, where Liam Smith defends his Light Middleweight version of the Lonsdale Belt against former Frankie Gavin victim and aggressive boxer, Jason Welborn. Black Country boxing fans will also have a chance to see Martin Gethin attempt to reclaim his British Lightweight crown against unbeaten Terry Flanagan. Also on the bill two prospects face off for the Central Area Light Welterweight title in Nathan Brough and Jack Catterall and Liam Williams takes on Ronnie Heffron in a final eliminator for the Light Middleweight British title.

Appearances for Chris Eubank Jr, Liam Walsh, Bradley Saunders, Eddie Chambers and many more completes a 15 fight card.

A true mouth watering spectacle for British boxing fans that enjoy tough-to-call contests.

In the main event, Saunders 19-0(10) will face his toughest test to date against Blandamura 22-0(5) for the vacant European Middleweight belt.

Blandamura won the European Union version of the European title last time out in January, where he shone on BoxNation from Germany as he boxed brilliantly to outscore the favoured Marcos Nader. The split decision did not do justice to the Italians' performance as he countered the aggression of Nader. Albeit Nader's performance was far from what was expected.



Billy Joe Saunders (right) will now be the main attraction

Blandamura showed a solid chin and decent power of his own that is not reflected by just 5 knockout wins, but the 34 year old seems to be getting better with age. But outside of Nader, his resume hasn't been exceptional.

Saunders will prove much tougher to hit than the crude Nader, but Saunders has been out of action since September last year. That night he was forced to dig very deep against underrated John Ryder, taking a unanimous decision by the skin of his teeth. Not a big puncher either, Saunders is a magnificent boxer, whose fast hands and technical noose have seen him dominate his domestic rivals.

While Blandamura will be awkward, one sees the speed and accuracy of Saunders being the difference. Blandamura may need to rough Saunders up if he is to pull off an upset. After avoiding punishment early, Blandamura will begin to eat more shots between rounds 5-9, before Saunders boxes to a comfortable decision win, although a late push for a stoppage could make a big statement.



Terry Flanagan will hope to add the British title to his Prizefighter trophy

In the best of the British title fights, Flanagan 24-0(8) will finally get his chance to prove himself on the big domestic stage against former champion Martin Gethin 24-5-1(11).

After a rough patch in 2008/09 Gethin has sprung his career into life with wins over Carl Johanneson and Ben Murphy - TKO 11 and TKO 9. In the latter he won the British title that he went on to lose in a split decision loss to Derry Matthews - who has now vacated the title. Prior to the Matthews encounter, Gethin found his level against fringe world class Panamanian Ammeth Diaz (KO 7).

Flanagan's best run of form came in 2012 where he dominated the aggressive Troy James (UD 10) before being crowned Prizefighter champion, beating Patrick Walsh, Derry Matthews and Gary Sykes all on points over 3 rounds. Since then his most notable opponents have been faded Nate Campbell (RTD 4) and Michael Grant (TKO 2) in a fight where both hit the canvas.

That stutter in his development will have only made the well schooled Flanagan more determined to prove a point on Saturday night, and he will feel that Gethin, who slowly but surely bulls his way into his fights, will be the perfect opponent.



Jason Welborn (left) & Martin Gethin (right) fight in separate bouts

Flanagan can start fast, outworking Gethin to claim an early advantage. If Gethin can kick into gear before the halfway mark of the contest then after taking most of Flanagan's fast punches on the gloves he can begin to wear the home fighter down. Gethin may need to force a stoppage late to take back the British title, but the pick is for the Walsall man to take a very close decision win.

Liam Smith 16-0-1(6) will make the 2nd defence of his British crown against former British Welterweight challenger, Jason Welborn 15-2(6).

The aggressive Welborn has found better form at 154lbs, after he lost in 7 to Frankie Gavin. His 8th round stoppage win over Terry Carruthers last year highlighted his limitations with Carruthers up on the scorecards before cuts halted his Midlands Area title reign. Carruthers is better than his record suggests but he is still not on Smith's level when it comes to boxing, and it could prove to be a very tough night for the entertaining Welborn.

Smith is a quality boxer who can dig as he showed when stopping Mark Thompson in 4 last time out.


Liam Smith (left) winning British crown against Erick Ochieng

Welborn will come forward all night as he did against Gavin last year, but his attacks will often be met by crisp combinations. Smith, well ahead on the scorecards, can possibly force a late stoppage.

Tyson Fury 22-0(16) can take his frustrations out on Ustinov 29-1(21) scoring a stoppage inside 6. But Peter Fury must ensure Tyson is 100% focused on the game plan, knowing full well that Ustinov will be looking for one big shot to cause an unlikely upset.

While Liam Williams 9-0-1(4) seems to be on the rise, Heffron 15-1(5) will use his experience to earn a tight unanimous decision win, although it is unlikely to be as controversial as his last decision win over John Thain.

Catterall 8-0(4) vs Brough 11-0(2) can provide plenty of entertainment, with Catterall forcing a stoppage late in the contest.

Walsh 15-0(10) may need the full 10 to beat Kevin Hooper 15-2(3) while Eubank Jr 16-0(11) can destroy Ivan Jukic 19-2(12) inside 4 rounds. Eddie Chambers 39-4(21) can also get the job done inside 4 against Marcelo Luiz Nascimento 17-6(15).

Commey outpoints Buckland for Commonwealth title

By Peter Wells:

For the first time in his career, Richard Commey heard the sound of the final bell in his 18th professional contest. Gary Buckland became the first man to take the Ghanaian the distance, but that is not to say the power has been a hoax, far from it. The power is still there as it took a step up in opposition, but the chin and resilience combined in Buckland's armoury made sure that the heavy handed fighter would not make him victim number 18.

Instead Commey 18-0(17) took a wide points victory in a fight that's story is not fully told on the scorecards. Commey did just enough to win almost all of the rounds, but Buckland 28-5(9) ensured each round was tough and close.

Buckland felt Commey's power enough throughout the 12 rounds, and also dished out his own brand of hurtful punches, highlighting Commey's solid chin to go with his two-fisted powerful attacks.

Buckland got straight to work in the opening round, landing several right hands over the top, but Commey, not fazed, took to sending a high output in the direction of Buckland to steady those assaults. Buckland was far from reckless but he could have done with being a little more pro-active, as he was often found throwing that one looping right without anything backing it up.

What I jotted down in the 2nd round was something I wrote down for several other rounds too, for every hard right Buckland lands, Commey responds with a combination.

Buckland was tagged hard and felt the power of Commey in the 3rd, and not for the last time in the fight, as he backed up for the first time. When Buckland responded, Commey's ability to avoid punches on the ropes was fantastic as he took minimal damage. Commey was also able to get his punches off first before relying on his reflexes to avoid the lunging counters from the Welshman.

Buckland's relentless pressure was a homage to the way he brings his all to the table every time he steps inside the ring. He was taking plenty of jabs and right hands for his troubles but continued to plod forward.

Buckland worked the body well, before firing upstairs with the right hand, but Commey's chiselled frame took it well. Round 6 was probably Buckland's best round of the fight at that point.

Commey responded in the 7th, firing away recklessly as Buckland called him on. Now the left hook was added to the right cross for Buckland who was beginning to find a lot more success as Commey was in need of just re-gaining his composure.

Commey stuck together good single shots in the 9th to accommodate the combinations that Buckland was beginning to time. A good burst from Buckland ensured he kept the round tight.

The pace had dropped, understandably, and Buckland continued to find short successes, who was now firing straight back and landing.

A point deduction for a punch to the back of the head for Buckland saw him up the aggression as he managed to make it a 9-9 11th round.

Commey was happy to hear the final bell in the last round, having tired slightly, but he was a comfortable winning, hearing scorecards of 117-111 (twice) and 118-110. I scored the contest 117-110 Commey.

In the two headline feature bouts, Freddie Turner 11-0 thoroughly dominated Kris Agyie-Dua 7-3-2(2) before the contest was stopped at the beginning of the 8th after a head clash opened a cut over the right eye of Turner.

Turner was aggressive from the off and forced the usually offensive Agyie-Dua into a fight he was not predicting. Turner worked well from distance before pouring it on inside, forcing Agyie-Dua onto the ropes.

The referee scored the bout 80-73 to Turner, perfectly in line with my own scorecard.

In the other contest Miles Shinkwin 9-0(3) edged out Joel McIntyre 11-1(1) in a back and forth contest. Shinkwin was the much better boxer, but could not sustain his outside work for long enough periods as McIntyre made it an extremely uncomfortable night.

The fight was scored 97-95 Shinkwin, I scored it 95-95.

Errol Spence is 'The Truth' in Vegas; Wade comes through tough Brinson

By Peter Wells:

Errol Spence (right) lands his foolproof punch of the fight on Cruz (left)

In the main event of Friday night’s ShoBox card, Errol Spence Jr continued his impressive switch from a successful amateur career to the pro’s as he dismantled experience world level fighter Ronald Cruz in his 13^th fight.


Spence won every round on the way to a 10 round points victory in Las Vegas.

Spence displayed a good variety from his southpaw stance but in truth needed little more than the solid left hand that kept Cruz on the back foot all fight. Cruz was gallant throughout but offered little to test the rising boxing star as he suffered damage to both eyes while taking a pounding that gradually got more one-sided as the fight wore on.

The first minute saw nothing more than a few parried jabs from both fighters before Spence drove in two left crosses, both blocked by the high guard of Cruz. Ronald Cruz lunged for a right downstairs but came up short. Spence found his way through with a right, left to the body, another two lefts landed to the body of Cruz before Spence landed twice upstairs with long left hands to the side of Cruz’s face.

Both pawed with their jabs again in the 2^nd, Cruz looking to turn his jab into a left hook. A left to the body was followed up by a smart right to the head from Spence before the two once again tangled up. A left uppercut swept through Cruz’s guard before Spence tapped Cruz with three successive jabs.

Spence unloaded with a three punch combination but Cruz managed to cover up well. A right hand over the top grazed the cheek of Spence. A hard right landed to the temple of Cruz as Spence looked to up the intensity as he pounded away at a Cruz that looked content behind a high guard that was beginning to get breached.

Cruz slightly more aggressive drove a right hand through the guard of Spence who in turn found Cruz’s chin with a left uppercut. Having never been previously stopped it would take something special from Spence even though he was dominating, he was not hurting Cruz with any of his variety of shots. Cruz coming forward went downstairs with a right hand and was then tagged on the chin by a looping left.

Swivelling to the right Spence slammed home another three punch salvo. Holding onto the back of Spence’s head Cruz landed two right uppercuts in close before Spence forced Cruz back to the ropes where he went to work. Spence popped another left straight down the pipe as Cruz failed to react. A solid double jab was followed by a swooping left from Spence.

Cruz stuck in cruise control took another four punch combination before Spence landed a straight left for good measure. Spence’s movement also added to Cruz’s frustrations as he swung wildly with a left hook. Spence caught Cruz off balance with a right hook as he stumbled forward.

Cruz found his way through with a more urgent right hand to open the 7^th before they held on, arms clinched as they moved across the ring. A left uppercut landed on the eyebrow of Cruz. A sneaky left hand connected from Cruz prior to Spence digging into the body.

Cuts over both eyes didn’t help matters for Cruz who continued to take punishment from Spence who was in full control.

Cruz’s early aggression in the 8^th was once again taken away from him as Spence landed his best punch of the fight as a left hook clubbed into his right cheek. Looking for an impressive stoppage Spence poured forward landing more hurtful punches on the chin of a brave Cruz.

Back to the ropes Cruz continued to take punishment in the final two rounds from a rampant Errol Spence. Punches that weren’t landing for Spence were hitting the gloves of Cruz, rather than hitting thin air. A solid left cross slashed across the chin of Cruz to end the 9^th. The Puerto Rican born fighter continued to show what a solid chin he possessed if nothing else as Spence managed to find the target with multiple more left hands.

Cruz was extremely brave but Spence was sensational and that quality is what saw him take a shutout points victory 100-90 – on all three scorecards - as he moves to 13-0(10) while Cruz drops to 20-4(15).

 

In the co-feature bout, Dominic Wade continued his unbeaten run with an entertaining victory over Nick Brinson. Both fighters were wobbled in a fun contest, where Wade’s bright start led to him tiring in the later stages as Brinson pushed hard to turn the tide. Wade once again displayed a solid jab that won him any close rounds whereas Brinson worked exclusively in spurts that only really came into effect later in the contest.

Both fighters met in the centre of the ring but soon enough Wade was forcing Brinson back. Behind a hard jab Wade backed Brinson up with a straight right hand to the body and the head.

A left hook almost landed for Brinson before Wade stuck out a solid jab, pushing Brinson towards the rope with a one-two. Wade’s jab was a potent weapon for the undefeated fighter, Brinson looking to use his speed to quickly fire in the right off of a decoy jab. A right hand clipped Wade as he looked to fire in another jab or a long left hook. 

A solid left hook staggered Wade to open the 3^rd round, Wade held as they got involved in a neutral corner. Wade’s quick recovery saw him regain control of the fight, snapping a right hand that didn’t land clean as Brinson dipped down along the ropes. Brinson began to look for more long hooks which all were wild and wide of the target. In a clinch near the ropes Brinson pounded away with his free right hand to the body of Wade. Dominic Wade ended the round on top as he caught Brinson with a hard left hook followed by several damaging one-twos down the pipe. Brinson fought fire-with-fire as he launched a left of his own that momentarily stunned Wade at the bell.


Wade went downstairs with a right before firing in three solid jabs leading into another two jabs which caught Brinson on the side of his head. Brinson fired away but Wade had his guard up in position to repel that attack. Brinson began to target the body, two left hooks and a right were notable punches he landed in the final minute of the round.

Wade (left) lands a grazing blow on Brinson (right)



The two exchanged again in the 5^th; wide swings from Brinson were countered by the straighter shots of Wade. It was now Wade thoroughly on the back foot, Brinson again taking it to him on the ropes. Brinson pounded the body of Wade in an off round for Wade in the early going. The last 30 seconds saw Wade stick the jab in the face of Brinson who missed wildly with his own shots.

Brinson was able to find a way through with a straight right cross. A left hook to the head was followed by the same shot to the body from Brinson before he was tagged by a right hand. A right hand landed for Brinson, Wade walking his opponent down with more hard jabs. Wade clubbed Brinson with three punches down the middle before Brinson returned fire to the body.

Brinson caught Wade with a counter right over an unusually lazy jab, Wade slammed Brinson with a right of his own. A jab from Wade was well blocked by Brinson but Wade then found his way through with a right uppercut before landing several bombs while Brinson leaned on the ropes. Another right uppercut connected with Brinson’s chin.

Wild shots came in from Brinson, but Wade was not working nearly enough as Brinson was able to find his way inside too easily, even though Wade tucked up well. While taking the round, Brinson wasn’t able to take full advantage of Wade’s inactivity as his attacks proved too crude.

The 9^th carried a similar pattern to the 8^th as the pace dropped, especially from Wade. A snapping left hand caught a weary looking Wade, a right hand then landed from Brinson as Wade slid off the ropes.

A wild left landed high on the temple of Wade while the rest of Brinson’s combination was off target. A solid one-two caught Brinson as he piled forward looking to turn the tide at the 11^th hour. The two exchanged before Brinson caught Wade with a snapshot of a right hand as Wade left himself open.

I had the contest 97-94 to Wade while the judges saw it similarly at 96-94 and 97-93 (twice) to Dominic Wade who improved to 16-0(11) while Brinson dropped to 16-2-2(6).

Burns stunned by Zlaticanin; Limond shows his class; Simmons leaves it late

By Peter Wells:

Ricky Burns (left) & Dejan Zlaticanin (right)

Last night was supposed to go swimmingly for Ricky Burns, it was set up to be Burns' night, a chance to regain the fine form he had lost in recent outings, and a chance to put himself back in the title picture. Instead the recently dethroned WBO Lightweight champion was hit by a further sucker punch as he was beaten by unknown Dejan Zlaticanin.

The Montenegrin remained undefeated, topping his previous low key victories with the win of his career thus far. There was little doubt that Zlaticanin had potential, bouncing up the WBC rankings with good wins that included a unanimous one over Boxcino Tournament winner Petr Petrov.

But unfortunately for Burns, no one will be heralding Zlaticanin as the next big thing, his style is unconventional to say the least, swinging left overhand haymakers from the hip. While these shots did seem wild, they had accuracy and timing attached to them, and that is what caught Burns out, as the Scotsman was unable to avoid the bombs.

Burns was dropped and shaken several times, and while coming on strong in the second half of the fight, it wasn't enough as he lost a split decision.

Burns was levelled by a left over his own right hand inside 20 seconds of the 1st round. Burns rose but was under heavy pressure for the rest of the session.

Burns was not working enough and it was a theme of every round that Dejan would land one overhand left flush to the chin. An elusive target, Zlaticanin moved forward without a jab, the biggest disappointment in Ricky's performance being that he did not take full advantage of his jab. Instead Ricky fired the occasional volley of shots that usually resulted in Dejan tagging the home favourite with a hard left from the southpaw stance.

Not doing enough was allowing for the one-bombs to steal the rounds for Dejan, who would then pound Ricky on the ropes to further stamp his name on the rounds as they passed by.

Ricky Burns taking a count in the opening round

It wasn't only Ricky Burns who had a fault in his work as Sky Sports coverage went down for rounds 6-9. Reports suggest that while Dejan still landed enough with the overhand left, Burns was moving more and edging his way back into the contest. When Sky picked it back up again in the 10th that was exactly how the fight was panning out, Ricky now looking in control of the action. A huge left hand tagged Burns just before the bell in the final round.

A terrific performance from Dejan was rewarded by scorecards of 115-113 (twice) to Zlaticanin and 115-113 to Burns.

Burns dropped to 36-4-1(11) and he will need to think hard about his next step in the boxing ring as his run of bad form continues. Domestic rivals such as Anthony Crolla will surely be chomping at the bit to get it on with the former two-weight world champion. Zlaticanin moves to 19-0(13) as he goes in search of a title fight with WBC champion Omar Figueroa.

The co-feature provided drama and entertainment as Willie Limond 38-4(10) retained his Commonwealth Light Welterweight title while claiming the British title off Curtis Woodhouse 22-7(13).

Woodhouse was dropped twice by the Scottish fighter in a fight where the quality of Limond shone through against the raw determination of Woodhouse.

Woodhouse started the opener behind a strong jab, Limond throwing very little in response. Woodhouse may still have nicked the round but Limond made a case for himself when a right hand landed around the ear of Woodhouse which momentarily backed him up to the ropes, a warning of the underrated power that Limond carries.

The pair jostled for position in the centre of the ring, Woodhouse fell short with a right and was countered well by a left-right by Limond who ended the round well again.

Woodhouse became more assertive in his work in the 3rd, two right hands backing Limond up, but it was Woodhouse who ended the round with disappointment etched across his features as he was dropped by a perfect left uppercut set up by a right cross.



Curtis Woodhouse (left) on the ropes against Willie Limond (right)

Limond started the 4th strongly, Woodhouse still shaken by the left at the very end of the last session. Limond backed Woodhouse onto the ropes but Curtis quickly regained his composure, digging hurtful left hooks downstairs.

Woodhouse dug to the body again, a place he would target for much of the contest. Woodhouse began to stick combinations together, but Limond covered up well taking nothing flush. After another good opening to the round from Woodhouse it was Limond who ended it on top, a trick picked up over 42 nights in the ring.

The 6th was one of Woodhouse's best rounds as he seemed to be in control for the whole 3 minutes. That's not to say it wasn't a close round, but Limond did not take over in the final 1:40 like he had in the previous 5 sessions.

Woodhouse was slowly upping the ante, and Limond wasn't all too content on going up with him. Instead Limond worked in his own spurts, once again showing his veteran noose.

Woodhouse was forcing Limond to work hard, but Limond had plenty of energy left in the tank, and he was expending it with confidence in the 8th round. Woodhouse while not quite in desperation mode, was beginning to walk onto punches that were handing the round to Limond.

It was a nip-and-tuck affair, neither really in command of any exchanges, but Limond was now moving more, jabbing and moving with Woodhouse growing in frustration. A three punch combination and a right downstairs from Woodhouse was responded by a stubborn jab and a right cross from Limond.

Woodhouse looked in control of the 11th as he was pushing for a knockout that he likely needed. But then came another sucker punch as he walked onto a right uppercut that sent the former football player to the canvas for a second time. Limond ended the round on top as Woodhouse was backed up heavily against the ropes.

For the opening two minutes of the final round Woodhouse's attack was ineffective but he ended the round with a champions finish. Hard body shots were followed by two hard left hooks and a big right over the top, but Limond was never in danger as he saw out the final 20 seconds to claim a majority decision win.

The scores read 113-113 and 116-111, 117-109 for Limond.

The opening bout of the televised card was an up-and-down encounter as bitter rivals Stephen Simmons10-0(5) stopped Wadi Camacho 12-3(8) in the 10th and final round.

The two Cruiserweights had come close to trading blows at the weigh in the day before and it was the much calmer Camacho that seemed in charge early. An intelligent jab and left crosses down the middle were able to tame the wild attacks from Simmons.

Then in the 3rd the jab of Wadi became a tentative weapon as Simmons was able to reach with the right hand without paying the price even when he came up short.



Wadi Camacho (left) backed up by Stephen Simmons (right)

There was now little conviction to Wadi's work as Simmons took over, big right hands were met by roars from his home crowd.

The momentum changed again in the 5th as Camacho began to find his groove once again, Simmons sat back in his own corner as Camacho wailed away.

Simmons darted in with one punch attacks that were easy enough to time for the Londoner. Camacho a little jaded himself couldn't take full advantage of the wild attacks from Simmons.

The 8th round saw both have big success, the right hand of Simmons met head on by the left of Camacho. Another right landed flush for Simmons in the 9th as he was clawing his way back into control of the contest.

Camacho ahead on the scorecards was caught by another hard right in the final round and finally his resistance was broken as he stumbled forward and onto the canvas. Wadi was never allowed out of the danger zone as Simmons zoned in for the stoppage, which came within moments of the referee waving them back into action.

The two embraced at the end showing great sportsmanship after the unpleasantness before the contest.

Terence Crawford vs Yuriokis Gamboa Preview

By Peter Wells:

Terence Crawford (left) & Yuriokis Gamboa (right)

Identical records, but the similarities are halted there between Terence Crawford and Yuriokis Gamboa. Both stand at 23-0(16), but their paths to boxing and world titles have been far from identical.

Yuriokis Gamboa fled Cuba to realise his professional dream in Germany, having set out to Colombia before heading to Germany to apply for a visa to enter the USA. The precious Gold Medal he won at Athens 2004 was sold to support his family, who had to stay in Cuba, prior to him defecting. After an impressive start to his professional career in Europe he headed to Miami, Florida where he gradually rose through the rankings before capturing the WBA Featherweight title from Whyber Garcia (TKO 4).

Gamboa's form has been sporadic, but the exciting Cuban has won every time, quickly becoming a fan favourite due to his offensive brilliance and defensive lapses. Gamboa has not seen action for 12 months, and many have been questioning the Cuban talents' motivation, something that has often lacked with Cuban fighters after switching to the paid ranks.

The quality is there, and he'll need every bit of it against hot prospect Crawford. The Nebraska native has gone about his business at Lightweight the conventional route before dispatching Ricky Burns (W UD 12) to capture the WBO Lightweight title last time out. At 26, Crawford is still on the rise while Gamboa at 32 must take this opportunity to fulfil the potential his amateur pedigree predicted. His moment in the sun should have come 3 years ago when he looked set to face rival Juan Manuel Lopez, but the Puerto Rican was shocked in 8 rounds by Orlando Salido, and the super fight that boxing was craving has never been mentioned again.


Gamboa with Promoter 50 Cent

Crawford, a polished boxer, enjoys fighting at range, mixing it from head to body, lacking the power but speed is something that comes in abundance. His accuracy is something Gamboa has often lacked, but the Cubans power and explosiveness have helped him hugely along the way. The question will be whether Gamboa's power will still be as present at Lightweight, and a hard to hit Crawford will make it harder for the Cuban to experiment.

At 5ft 5in, Gamboa can be an elusive target himself, but he often squares up when in range and his hands down approach could see him as an easy target for Crawford.

Crawford cannot afford to settle into a slow pace as he will be in danger of being outworked. At 5ft 8in Crawford can use his height and reach advantages to frustrate Gamboa - who can be very easily rattled.

The pick is for Crawford to disrupt Gamboa's rhythm enough with a sharp jab followed by a right cross, which should land with enough regularity to rack up the points. Gamboa should be slightly ahead by the halfway stage, his work rate enough to sway the judges, even if the cleaner work is coming from the American. As the fight enters the final stretch Crawford will grow stronger, Gamboa upping his urgency will see him caught on the way in, although he will likely get through with enough hooks and overhand rights to keep the rounds fairly tight.


Crawford celebrates winning his first world title in Scotland

While it will not be a case of home-cooking, Crawford can take a close, maybe split, decision victory in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

Unfortunately the undercard does not live up to the main event on paper, the pick being a match-up of unbeaten Middleweights as Matt Korobov 23-0(14) takes on Jose Uzcategui 22-0(18).

Former Olympian Korobov seems to have been on the prospect ladder for a long time now, meaning the time to step up is soon approaching. Uzcategui's best win came last time out when he stopped former world title challenger David Alonso Lopez (KO 6). Korobov can take a clear victory on the scorecards in this 10 rounder.

Sergio Martinez vs Miguel Cotto Preview

By Peter Wells:

Miguel Cotto (left) & Sergio Martinez (right)

With the sunset nearing on two sensational careers, Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez will engage for possibly the final time in a super-fight. Following Saturday night these two adored fighters will have a combined total of 99 professional fights.

Cotto 38-4(31) will make the bold move to Middleweight, having fought at Welterweight just 4 1/2 years ago. That risk is then levelled out by Martinez's recent injury troubles, his exceptionally preserved body is letting Martinez 51-2-2(28) down when he needs it most.

Martinez comes into the contest off the back of the brightest spell of his career - which at 39 is remarkable as he has improved with age. Since a controversial loss to Paul Williams (MD 12), 'Maravilla' has found a new level that puts him up their as one of the best fighters on the planet. Kelly Pavlik (UD 12) was left a bloody mess, Paul Williams (KO 2) was at the wrong end of one of the most spectacular one punch knockouts in recent memory in their rematch and Sergey Dzinziruk (TKO 8), Darren Barker (KO 11) and Matthew Macklin (RTD 11) were all tough but were found wanting as Martinez drew nearer to greatness.

Then in September 2012 he went on to silence Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (UD 12) with an excellent boxing display that he almost let slip as Chavez came close to pulling off a miraculous stoppage in the final round. After retaining the WBC Middleweight title that was so wrongly taken away from him, the cracks began to show as his body betrayed him in his homecoming in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Martinez was lucky to escape with a decision win against Martin Murray (UD 12). But injuries sustained in that fight have left the Argentinian on the side-lines for over 12 months.

One has to imagine that if Martinez's body is not where it should be, if any of those past injuries are still lingering, then Saturday night may spell the end of his amazing career. Martinez has promised that he feels 100%, but then again what kind of a fighter would admit to not being at his best before such a huge event.

Martinez dominates Chavez Jr before the infamous 12th round

Madison Square Garden in New York, where this contest will be held, has been a haven for Miguel Cotto and his beloved Puerto Rican fans. But his unbeaten streak there was ended in December 2012 by Austin Trout (UD 12), in a defeat that had many questioning how much Cotto had left. From the 7th round onwards Trout elevated himself to dominate Cotto, seeming close to stopping the boxing legend much like Manny Pacquiao (TKO 12) and Antonio Margarito (TKO 11) had done earlier in his career.

Cotto has already shown his bounce back ability in the past, rising from defeats to the aforementioned Margarito and Pacquiao to reign as world champion, but this time could be different. A 3rd round stoppage of Delvin Rodriguez was impressive but the opponent was tailor-made, and the step up in weight is a concern for a fighter that has many miles on the tank.

If Martinez has fully recovered from those harassing injuries then it seems likely that the bigger man can thwart Cotto's early aggression before the culmination of punches finally breaks him down.

However Martinez's style does not resemble that of Margarito or Pacquiao, although he hits harder than his knockout percentage suggests.

With all things taken into equation, one does believe that while the injuries will not be so apparent after so long out the ring for Martinez, they will have some lasting damage on the champion's qualities in the ring. His movement may not be up to the same standard we are so used to seeing, and that could be crucial against a Cotto that is so adept at making the ring feel like a phone box.

Cotto destroys Rodriguez last time out

Some have questioned Martinez's chin, especially Cotto's trainer Freddie Roach, but many of the knockdowns he has suffered in his career were flash knockdowns with the blame lying on his balance rather than his chin. Then in the case of the Chavez fight, the Mexican was around a stone heavier than Martinez come fight night, something Cotto will not be.

While not really having the physique of a Middleweight, Cotto should cope well with the move up in weight, but if he expends too much energy early on looking to take Martinez out of there, then he could be made to pay in the later rounds.

The pick is for Cotto to jump on top of Martinez early, giving the champion little room to manoeuvre. Sergio will struggle to find a rhythm but he will have opportunities to land his own heavy artillery as Cotto stalks. Cotto may send Martinez to the canvas in the opening five rounds, but Martinez's jab will then become more of a factor as he ekes out a bit of distance between the pair. This separation may be short lived however as Cotto closes in once again, Martinez unable to find an answer as Cotto goes in search of a late stoppage. The tempo and intensity will drop in the championship rounds as Cotto takes a unanimous decision win to become world champion in a 4th weight class.

But as this uncertain prediction shows, there are so many questions left to be answered, many of the answers will define how this fight will pan out.

A decent looking undercard sees Wilfredo Vazquez Jr 23-3-1(19) take on Marvin Sonsona 18-1-1(15). Last time these two met in 2010, Vazquez Jr won in 4 rounds but things have not gone quite to plan since for the Puerto Rican. In an explosive fight the tentative pick is for Vazquez to revive himself as a title challenger at Featherweight with a 6th round stoppage.

Elsewhere Andy Lee 32-2(22) should have too much for John Jackson 18-1(15) - son of Julian Jackson - over 10, while Jorge Melendez 28-3-1(26) will hit far too hard for late replacement Javier Francisco Maciel as he can win within 5 rounds.

Also watch out for the rising star Felix Veredjo 12-0(9) as he takes on Engelberto Valenzuela 8-1(3) in what could be another explosive performance.

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.