I credit both Tyson and Jones Jr for wanting to still get out there and display their skills for charity, but real Boxing fans have to be much more excited about the bout in London between Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce which may be setting up the next big challenger in the Division.
The loser of that fight between two unbeaten Boxers can come back, but the winner may be on the brink of challenging for a World Title in 2021 as the Number 2 Ranked fighter in the WBO Rankings, the one title that is most likely to be vacated by Anthony Joshua assuming he can make a deal with Tyson Fury for a Unification.
We also have a decent looking Matchroom USA card on Friday and Tony Yoka, another big Heavyweight prospect, is in action before looking to move onto bigger and better things in 2021.
I give a lot of credit to the Boxers and promoters that are still putting together some brilliant bouts during a difficult time and it looks a very strong end to the calendar year as well as the Ryan Garcia vs Luke Campbell bout scheduled for the first weekend in January.
We are being spoiled so enjoy it.
Tony Yoka vs Christian Hammer
Boxing is as much about making a statement on the way up the World Rankings as it is about winning and that is why so many veterans do get these opportunities to become 'gate-keepers' to any Division.
Christian Hammer would probably not be too impressed if he was ever to read himself described that way, but he has long looked like a Boxer who is very good to a point but who has struggled to push past the best fighters he has been in the ring with. Tyson Fury stopped him in the Eighth Round, but he has gone the distance in losing comfortable Decisions to Alexander Povetkin and Luis Ortiz.
A then unbeaten Marius Wach stopped him in Six Rounds and if someone asked me what is the best win on the Hammer resume I would likely say either Erkan Teper or David Price.
Those are decent enough wins, but Olympic Gold Medal Winner Tony Yoka will feel he can go further than both Teper and Price.
The Frenchman destroyed compatriot Johann Duhaupas in a single Round in September and that is an impressive win considering the kind of company Duhaupas has kept in the past. However it is clear his better days are behind him and early wins over Alexander Dimitrenko and Michael Wallisch are decent enough from Tony Yoka although neither of those wins will have put a lot of fear through others in the Division.
Stopping Christian Hammer will at least get people to take some notice and I do think Tony Yoka will be able to do that even if the underdog decides he is going to try and get to the final bell.
I think Yoka may hit harder than Ortiz and Povetkin and his size will mean it will be difficult for Christian Hammer to keep him off him throughout the Ten Rounds. Christian Hammer has shown toughness though so I would be surprised if this is an early night for Tony Yoka like his recent fights have been and instead he may have to grind down Hammer like he did to David Allen.
Only two of the eight professional fights Tony Yoka has had have ended past the Fifth Round, but I think this is going to be another as he has to take his time and wear down a tough and game opponent. I do think Christian Hammer's best days are now behind him and he has had a single Round in over eighteen months which could mean he could get caught cold, but I think he holds himself together before being stopped in the Seventh or Eighth Round.
Daniyar Yeleussinov vs Julius Indongo
A lot of people are quite high on Daniyar Yeleussinov, including promoter Eddie Hearn, and he has a chance to continue increasing the stature of his name when placed as the main support bout on the Daniel Jacobs card in the United States.
Eddie Hearn has made it clear that to really start putting bums on seats you have to be more exciting and that has to happen early in the career before going in with the big names at 147 when Yeleussinov can display his Boxing skills against the better opponents he faces.
I do think this is something that has been taken on board by the Kazakhstan fighter and he has stopped his last two opponents having needed the cards in four of his first seven wins. Now he gets to try and showcase his power and skills in facing a former 140 pound Champion who is moving up to 147 for this bout.
Julius Indongo is well known to British fight fans for beating Ricky Burns on the cards in an upset in April 2017, but he has found the next level very, very difficult. In his next bout he was stopped by Terence Crawford in Three Rounds in a Unification and then was able to fight for the vacant WBC Light-Welterweight Title when the American moved up in weight.
Unfortunately for Indongo he was then stopped in Two Rounds by Regis Prograis and this will be the first time we see him in a ring since August 2019.
Daniyar Yeleussinov has fought twice since then and he is the naturally bigger man who will have a chance to make a statement by following Crawford and Prograis by putting Julius Indongo down in this one too. I do think he is going to stand in the pocket and look to trade with an opponent who has shown he is someone who may not be able to take the shot on the whiskers like he would want.
Being a little ring rusty may also see Julius Indongo struggle to keep his opponent off him and I think we will see a big performance from the favourite to show he is ready to go with anyone in the Division. There are some huge names in the Division, but fans will only clamour for Yeleussinov to be in with them if he does put a third stoppage in a row on his resume and against a former Champion with the easy comparison made to two big American names.
It is up to Daniyar Yeleussinov to show he should be amongst those big names and I expect a relatively early night for the Kazakh who has not been past Five Rounds in either of his last two fights.
Daniel Jacobs vs Gabriel Rosado
He may be suggesting that Gabriel Rosado has not earned a fight with him, but has talked himself into this one, but that doesn't mean anything for Daniel Jacobs unless he looks really good on Friday.
Better than expected efforts in losing to Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez has raised the Jacobs stock, but he is looking to get back into contention for a World Title shot as Jacobs has moved up and operating at the Super Middleweight level.
The win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr was controversial if only because the Mexican retired on his stool without really being troubled by Jacobs and the fans were quick to blame both Boxers on the night. A Split Decision against Sergey Derevyanchenko and Unanimous Decisions over Luis Arias and Maciej Sulecki have not really gotten the fans going and so it is up to Jacobs to put on a more entertaining performance here.
Some have suggested that Daniel Jacobs is not convinced about his own chin which means he won't take unnecessary risks to finish off opponents, but Gabriel Rosado looks made for a big win for the favourite.
That is not taking anything away from Rosado who is better than his record would indicate, but he has only won two of his last six bouts. You know you won't get a backward step from Gabriel Rosado, but he has hit the canvas many times in his career and there is a feeling that his skin is now a little cut vulnerable which makes this a tough fight for him.
As I said, I think he is made for a big win for Danny Jacobs and I do think he will be able to put enough shots together as long as this one lasts to eventually not need the cards.
It may mean a cut preventing Gabriel Rosado from really getting motoring and it may see the corner or the referee having to call it a day. Daniel Jacobs has to know another Decision win is not going to be something the fans will be looking for and he has to show there is a lot left in the tank by getting on the front foot and finishing off a fighter when he is on top.
I would not be surprised to see this one being competitive through the first half of the bout, but Daniel Jacobs should take control by then and force a stoppage in and around the Championship Rounds.
David Adeleye vs Danny Whitaker
The main event of the show might be a blockbuster Heavyweight bout, but David Adeleye will soon want to be headlining a card like this one himself.
The 3-0 Heavyweight has had a decent amateur background and has sparred with the likes of Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury and many are tipping up Adeleye as a future World Champion.
At 24 years old there is still some learning to do, but I think he can continue his devastating start to his pro career as he looks for a fourth win and a fourth stoppage. You can't ignore the fact that David Adeleye has needed One, Two and then Three Rounds to win his first three fights so this Six Rounder may go a little longer than the layers believe, although I tend to think the bookmakers have got it right with this undercard bout.
Danny Whitaker has scheduled this fight and then faces Kash Ali in mid-December and his defeat against a rebuilding Nick Webb might show the kind of limitations 'Big Dawg' will have in the professional ranks.
A 4-1 record is decent enough without delving into the level of opponents Danny Whitaker has faced and you do have to be worried about the fact he has not stopped any previous opponent. That suggests he won't have the power to worry David Adeleye who will be looking to showcase his talents to a wider audience and I do think he should be good enough to steamroll Whitaker who was down once and then stopped by Nick Webb in the First Round last December.
Not many have gotten Phil Williams out of there, but David Adeleye managed to stop him in the same Round as the rapidly improving Fabian Wardley and I do think the Londoner will be able to hurt Danny Whitaker quickly in this bout.
I would be very surprised if this one hears the bell for the Third Round.
Daniel Dubois vs Joe Joyce
When this fight was first spoken about I was a little sceptical that either fighter would really want to take it on.
My thinking was that Daniel Dubois was on a path up the World Rankings where this one doesn't really push him on as he may have wanted, while Joe Joyce has decided to turn professional very late and so would surely be positioned to try and get to the top in the shortest way possible.
While the two were unbeaten I did feel their paths would not cross despite being under the same promotional banner, but I have been pleasantly surprised that we have gotten to where we are on Saturday.
In my mind Daniel Dubois looks like he is destined to go very far as a professional and at 23 years old he is only going to improve. We have all heard the rumours about how he fared with Anthony Joshua in sparring, but Dubois has also shown his punching power in winning fifteen fights in a row and fourteen of them through stoppages.
The win over Nathan Gorman is the most impressive one Daniel Dubois has managed so far and it is going to be very interesting to see how Joe Joyce reacts when faced with this kind of hitting.
Daniel Dubois won't have to look too far to get a chance to have a crack at Joyce who was a decent amateur and controversially missed out on an Olympic Gold Medal. Joe Joyce is twelve years older than Dubois, but he has only had eleven professional fights and will instead look to use his vast amateur experience to upset the odds in this one.
As I have mentioned, Joe Joyce has been fast-tracked thanks to his late decision to turn professional and so it can be argued that he may have fewer pro fights than Daniel Dubois, but the competition has been much better. Joe Joyce has wins over Bermane Stiverne, a former World Champion, and Bryant Jennings, who challenge for World Titles a couple of times and the demolition of Alexander Ustinov also impressed.
A high work rate and punching output has made Joyce dangerous and able to wear down his opponents, although he has also shown he hits plenty hard enough to put them over. However I don't think Joyce is the fastest Heavyweight out there and his tactics do mean he takes more shots than he needs to.
So far that has not been an issue, but I do think there is Dynamite in the hands of Daniel Dubois and being where he expects you be is very dangerous for Joe Joyce. Daniel Dubois is also quite clever in setting up his shots behind the jab and we will find out all we need to about Joyce very early in this one.
I have to say I was really impressed with the way Joe Joyce looked on the scales and he was only slightly heavier than when he beat Jennings. He might be looking to match the speed of Daniel Dubois who can be explosive, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Joyce trying to put the pressure on and perhaps walking into something very, very big.
Most are of the belief that either Dubois wins early or Joe Joyce could drown him in deep waters late, but I do think Daniel Dubois wins at the end of the night. I do think Joyce is going to be there for Dubois to hit and no one has really been able to stand up to the power of the young man aside from a very durable Kevin Johnson.
Maybe Joe Joyce is as resilient as that, but I think his style is perhaps tailor-made for Daniel Dubois. A few weeks ago an early stoppage was a big price, but it has come in now although not far enough as far as I am concerned.
Badou Jack vs Blake McKernan
It has been over three years since Badou Jack last won a fight, but he remains amongst the top names in the Light Heavyweight Division even though this bout is taking place at a catchweight.
Losses to Marcus Browne and Jean Pascal in his last two suggests the 37 year old has seen his best days, but the latter was a Split Decision and he had Pascal down in the Twelfth Round.
I like Jack and I do think he is a decent Boxer who has made the most from his talent, while I expect he will be going into a rematch with Pascal in the first half of 2021. All of those plans won't mean anything if the Swede is beaten on the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr undercard in Los Angeles this Saturday.
On paper it looks a tough test against American Blake McKernan who is unbeaten in thirteen fights and who has been operating at a heavier weight class. However he is going to be at his lowest weight on Saturday and a quick look through the McKernan record shows he has yet to really step outside a very comfortable level.
The last three wins have been against fighters with winning records, but Blake McKernan has never come close to facing someone who has long operated at World level like Badou Jack. While the American is talking a good game, Badou Jack has only been able to laugh and smile at the suggestions this will be his toughest fight.
A new trainer means Badou Jack should be looking to make a statement and there are some serious level differences between these two. He has long been considered a slow starter, but I don't think it will take Jack as long to warm up to the task in this one and if he is going to be sitting down on his shots to try and steal the show then this could and perhaps should be a very early night for him.
The record shows Badou Jack has some serious power, but he has not stopped anyone inside Four Rounds in seven years. However I do think a look at the names he has fought in that time suggest it is down to the level of opponents he has taken on and this time Badou Jack looks to be in a more routine bout before pushing on for bigger and better things in 2021.
Blake McKernan is likely to be game as an unbeaten fighter who has some amateur experience, but this is a big step up and I am not sure he will be there for too long.
MY PICKS: Tony Yoka to Win Between 6-10 @ 2.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Daniyar Yeleussinov to Win Between 1-5 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Danny Jacobs to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.80 Paddy Power (2 Units)
David Adeleye to Win Between 1-2 @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Daniel Dubois to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.25 William Hill (2 Units)
Badou Jack to Win Between 1-4 @ 2.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)
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