Perhaps then we can have a relatively normal Christmas, even if we won't be able to see our full families, while the positive news about the potential vaccine continues to offer some light at the end of the tunnel.
At least for the sporting fans in the country there is something to keep the mind interested with The Masters, the ATP World Tour Finals, and a couple of big Boxing cards to keep us entertained during what is usually a really boring international break.
Britain's Kell Brook is looking to show there is still plenty in the tank when he takes on a pound for pound Champion in Terence Crawford in the early hours of the morning, but before that Eddie Hearn has put together a card to showcase Women's Boxing.
Personally I do think the competitors would love to see the authorities change the rules so the World Titles can be fought out over Twelve Rounds, while there has been talk of wanting to extend the minutes per Round from two to three minutes. I do think that would make Women's Boxing more appealing to the masses, while the sport is slowly putting some depth together.
The three bouts scheduled for Saturday night look decent enough, but it is the Crawford-Brook card which is most appealing considering the chief support they are offering. It should be another late night for us in the United Kingdom, but one that I am looking forward to.
Thomas Whittaker Hart vs Jermaine Springer
He should have just been fighting at the Tokyo Olympics this past summer, but things have changed for many including Thomas Whittaker Hart.
Instead of waiting for the postponed Olympics to get underway next year, Thomas Whittaker Hart has decided to go Professional under the tutelage of Tony Bellew. Those connections have led to a long-term promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing and Whittaker Hart has been given a chance on the undercard of this bill at Wembley Arena.
The lack of fans is going to be a new experience for Whittaker Hart who is fighting for the first time in a little under a year, and that is where Jermaine Springer feels he has an advantage.
However it is a considerable step up for Springer who has a couple of Decision wins to his name since his sole defeat. Both of those wins for Jermaine Springer have come during a time in which Thomas Whittaker Hart has been out of the ring so the underdog has to take advantage of any potential rustiness that the 'bigger' name may enter the ring with.
In the sole defeat, Jermaine Springer was knocked down in the First Round and stopped in the Second and I do think Thomas Whittaker Hart is going to want to make a statement. He has won two of his four previous fights inside the distance and I do think it won't be too difficult for Whittaker Hart to find Springer in this one.
It feels like it might be something like a firefight and one that Thomas Whittaker Hart should get the better of in this one. Backing an early ending to this Eight Rounder looks the play.
John Docherty vs Jack Cullen
These two fighters were both scheduled to be on this card, but the original plan was that John Docherty and Jack Cullen were going to be in separate bouts.
Things change quickly during these pandemic times though and that meant Eddie Hearn instead has decided to throw these two in together in what should be a very good, entertaining watch.
John Docherty is unsurprisingly the favourite as the unbeaten Knock Out specialist. He is also the naturally bigger man.
Both were on the cards during Fight Camp in Eddie Hearn's back garden in the summer and Docherty continued his winning ways while Jack Cullen was perhaps fortunate to earn a Draw with Zak Chelli. That is the first fight Jack Cullen has had when moving up a weight and he did look to tire down the stretch and I do think that is a concern for him even in this Ten Rounder.
At Middleweight Jack Cullen has been stopped twice before in his defeats and I do think John Docherty is going to have too much punching power for him.
He might have to wear down Cullen as the Rounds progress and it did take Felix Cash Eight Rounds to finish off this opponent. I think it may be the same kind of time for John Docherty and backing him to come through with a stoppage in the second half of the bout is where I think this bout leads.
Terri Harper vs Katherina Thanderz
Two unbeaten fighters will look to be heading home with two belts at the end of this one and this is the main support to Katie Taylor's latest World Title defence.
Terri Harper and Katherina Thanderz feel much more closely matched than the layers believe and I do think the underdog will show some bite.
The Norwegian did hold the interim WBC Title last year, but Thanderz had to drop it and it has since been picked up by Terri Harper who was last seen earning a controversial draw with Nathasha Jonas. A rematch was touted, but that has been put on the back burner for now and the winner of this one may end up facing the Liverpudlian early in 2021 instead.
Terri Harper is the full WBC Champion going into this bout, and she does look to have the deeper resume, but Katherina Thanderz does hold a win over Rachel Ball.
She will come forward and look to unload some bombs, and Katherina Thanderz also has the reach advantage in this one so should be able to at least pop off on Terri Harper even when the younger fighter looks to fight long.
That was a mistake she made in her bout with Natasha Jonas as Harper was dragged into a battle, but I do think she will be looking to box more in this one. Maybe the faster hands and slipping in and out of reach is going to lead to a comfortable win for Terri Harper, but I do think Katherina Thanderz makes this one a closer and competitive bout than the layers may believe.
It will be very hard to take a Decision on the cards against the home fighter, but a small interest on Katherina Thanderz being able to drag Terri Harper into her kind of bout may see her sneak to a success here.
Katie Taylor vs Miriam Gutierrez
The main event on Saturday night in London sees Katie Taylor return to get one of her mandatories out of the way when she takes on unbeaten Miriam Gutierrez.
The last time we saw Katie Taylor she was winning a Decision against Delfine Persoon in a rematch from their barnstormer at Madison Square Garden in June 2019. This time Taylor was a lot more comfortable, and she is looking to move on to bigger fights in 2021.
It would be a huge surprise if Taylor was not able to win this one and I think most will be looking for a shut out on the cards. In her sixteen previous wins, only six have ended inside the distance and there is a feeling that Taylor puts together a lot of punches but maybe lacks some of the finishing power to get opponents out of there.
I do think she is hindered by the two minute Rounds and think an accumulation of punches would build up with those extra minutes that the men get.
However in this one I feel Miriam Gutierrez is taking a big step upwards and I am not sure she will have enough to last the distance. The 37 year old Spaniard doesn't have a resume that will intimidate Katie Taylor who has been operating at a much higher level and there has to be some concern that the underdog was Knocked Down the last time she was in the ring a little under twelve months ago.
My feeling is that Taylor is quickly going to assert her dominance in this one and much is going to depend on how durable the Spaniard is. The shorter Rounds will help, but you would think the accumulation and gradually one-sided nature of the bout will eventually force someone to make a decision here.
I can see Katie Taylor slowly building through the gears and wearing down Miriam Gutierrez and a small backing of a second half stoppage looks the play here. The referee may be forced to end things for the older fighter, and Taylor can move on to take on bigger names in the months ahead and hopefully coinciding with the fans returning to the Arenas.
Joshua Franco vs Andrew Moloney
The fight that may steal the show on Saturday evening comes on the undercard of the Terence Crawford-Kell Brook bill and it is a rematch from a really good one that took place back in June.
On that day the underdog Joshua Franco ripped the title away from Andrew Moloney, but the Australian looked for an immediate rematch. This time it is Franco who is the favourite and I think Moloney has to make some serious adjustments to get the better of the high volume puncher.
There is so much on the line with some huge fights to be made in this Division, while a win for Moloney would surely set up the trilogy especially as I am expecting another really good battle between these two.
Joshua Franco has the mental edge for me and he really begun to wear down on Andrew Moloney in the second half of the first fight. He managed to knock down a rugged opponent and had him seriously hurt down the stretch, and this time Franco has spoken about making sure the judges are not going to be needed.
Things started off well enough for Andrew Moloney, but he felt a little one-paced and I am not sure the immediate rematch was the best thing for him. His twin brother was stopped by Naoya Inoue last week and it has been a tough few months for the Moloney boys who are tough, rugged and game, but perhaps lacking some of the nuances to really become elite level fighters.
One element they will always offer is that they will be willing to stand and trade where they can and that will always make them appealing to American audiences and promoters. The problem for Andrew Moloney is that Joshua Franco seems to have a deeper engine and that could see him get on top and this time force a few more punches to end the fight before the final bell.
I am really looking forward to this one which should be eye-pleasing for as long as it lasts.
At the end I fancy repeat over revenge and this time with a much clearer victory for Joshua Franco by forcing an end to the contest before the cards are read out.
Terence Crawford vs Kell Brook
There looks to be some frustration coming out from Terence Crawford who feels his promotional banner has prevented him from taking on some of the biggest names in the 147 pound Division.
With a contract coming to an end over the next twelve months, Crawford has been struggling to find opponents of the level that a promoter like Al Haymon could offer him. It would not be a surprise to see the American pound for pound star move on to pastures new, but in the meantime he is looking to keep his unbeaten record intact and earn another strong win.
This is the second British fighter Terence Crawford will be taking on in the last eighteen months having stopped Amir Khan back in April 2019, and once again Crawford is a big favourite.
It isn't that long ago that Kell Brook would have been seen as a live underdog, but the feeling is that the British fighter has had his best days behind him and this is the opportunity for a last big payday. Changes to the training regime and the team do become a big concern at this stage of Kell Brook's career and his three wins in a row since back to back losses to Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence Jr are not really going to be worrying anyone at the elite level.
Kell Brook has also come back down to 147 and, while he has looked really good at the weigh in, there is a feeling he is going to be drained and not the same fighter he once was.
In saying all that, I do think Kell Brook will give this a good go and early on he may tag Terence Crawford who can be a slow starter. Eventually the Champion does begin to work out what he is seeing and he can break down opponents gradually, but also quick enough to have won his last seven inside the distance.
Terence Crawford has spite in his punches and he is also a keen finisher and I do think that is something that we have seen happen to Kell Brook in both losses. He started well enough, but was broken down and had the spirit knocked out of him before the body gave up too and I think that is what we will see on Saturday evening.
Only two of the seven straight stoppages earned by Crawford have come in the first half of the fight which underlines his accumulative approach to breaking down opponents across the ring from him. That is the most likely way this latest defence of his WBO Welterweight Title goes and I will back the Nebraskan to find the punches to force a referee or corner to pull out Kell Brook at somewhere around the Championship Rounds.
MY PICKS: Thomas Whittaker Hart-Jermaine Springer Either Fighter to Win Between 1-4 @ 2.87 Sky Bet (2 Units)
John Docherty to Win Between 6-10 @ 2.37 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Katherina Thanderz to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 7.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Katie Taylor to Win Between 6-10 @ 5.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Joshua Franco to Win Between 7-12 @ 6.50 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Terence Crawford to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.25 Sky Bet (2 Units)
No comments:
Post a Comment