The stand out amateur started well, but the experience of Avanesyan figured to make the difference and Adam Booth made the right decision to throw the towel in for his young fighter. I have no doubt that Josh Kelly can come again, much like David Haye did following an early loss in his career, but Kelly will have to deal with all of the criticism he is likely going to face in the coming weeks and months.
Rebuilding isn't easy, but at 26 years old I think there is time on Kelly's side although he won't be involved in the kind of fights he was expecting to in 2021. As long as he wants it, Josh Kelly can get back on the right road and I think he will, even if he has to begin with more learning fights.
After a couple of solid weekends of Boxing, this one is perhaps a little quieter now that the long awaited Herring-Frampton fight has been postponed around five weeks.
Canelo Alvarez may be the pound for pound superstar of Boxing, but this has to be the quietest build up to any fight he has taken part in for a number of years. It hasn't been that long since we last saw Canelo taking the Super Middleweight Title from Callum Smith and he has made it clear he wants to fight a number of times in 2021, but the mandatory defence against Avni Yildirim is expected to be nothing more than a slight hindrance for Canelo.
We are expecting to hear news that Canelo will be next facing Billy Joe Saunders in May and that could be announced as soon as the final bell is rung on Saturday night in Miami.
Before that we have a card in Italy on Friday evening and then a derby bout in New Zealand and my Picks for the Boxing this weekend can be read below.
Daniele Scardina vs Cesar Nunez
The Super Middleweight Division has produced some massive names over the last forty years and it is usually filled with tough fighters at the very top of the Division.
At the moment it is headed up by pound for pound star Canelo Alvarez, but for the likes of Daniele Scardina and Cesar Nunez this Friday is all about positioning themselves somewhere in the World Rankings where they could push for a World Title fight.
It won't be easy with Canelo making it clear he is targeting the other Champions in the Division in a bid to Unify and by the middle of May three of the four belts are going to be under control of one man. The winner of the expected Canelo vs Billy Joe Saunders fight will then push on to try and Unify against Caleb Plant later in the year so a World Title shot for either Scardina or Nunez will not come before the end of 2021.
Positioning is key though with the vacant European Super Middleweight Title on the line on Friday in Milan and you would think the winner can push towards the top of the Division. At some point belts will become loose as mandatory defences and voluntary decisions will see a short time Unified Champion have to drop some of the trinkets they will be carrying.
Daniele Scardina is unbeaten in eighteen fights and fourteen have ended inside the scheduled Rounds. The Italian has looked a little one paced at times as he steps up, but he is facing a veteran in Cesar Nunez who has lost twice when moving up the levels and both in stoppage defeats.
Those defeats have come at a higher level than this one, but even the European standard may be too much for Cesar Nunez and much will depend on how much he is willing to ship in this fight. Daniele Scardina has been able to hit hard enough to put opponents down, but we don't really know whether he is going to have the power to deal with the very best in this Division.
However this is not an opponent of World level and I do think Daniele Scardina will be looking to at least match the two other Boxers who have stopped Nunez. Vincent Feigenbutz went on and lost to Caleb Plant in a World Title bid after beating Cesar Nunez, while Edgar Berlanga continues to wipe out every opponent he has faced in a single Round with the Spaniard being no different.
Edgar Berlanga's power looks to be at World level, but I am not sure Daniele Scardina has the same. I do think the Italian has enough accumulative effect to at least wear down Cesar Nunez in this European Super Middleweight Title bout and I think Daniele Scardina will find a way to match the two other Boxers who have beaten the Spaniard by earning a win inside the scheduled Twelve Rounds scheduled.
Joseph Parker vs Junior Fa
Two Heavyweights from New Zealand have taken note of the global pandemic and, rather than waiting for bigger opportunities against opponents from outside of the country, they have decided to end a long-standing rivalry.
The bigger name is Joseph Parker who has been a World Champion and faced two of the top Heavyweights from the United Kingdom in Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He came up short in both, but Parker has a close win over Andy Ruiz Jr under his belt and there are some major opportunities that will open up for him in the coming months.
Most have spoken about potentially fighting Dereck Chisora back in the UK, but Parker cannot afford to overlook his unbeaten compatriot who has split four amateur bouts against the more recognisable name. Junior Fa might be 19-0, but this is a huge step up from his previous level of opponent, although those opportunities open to Parker will certainly fall to Fa if he is able to upset the odds.
We are only a fight removed since Junior Fa was about one punch away from being Knocked Out by a 44 year old Dominick Guinn and a Decision win over Devin Vargas won't have anyone worrying about this Heavyweight. Of course one punch can change the course of a career, just ask Andy Ruiz Jr, but Junior Fa will do well to withstand the punching power of Joseph Parker who has been more keen to let his hands go as he bids to return to the World level.
Three stoppage wins in a row since the narrow loss to Dillian Whyte have come against limited opposition, but I don't think this represents any kind of step up for Joseph Parker. I expect him to underline his status as the Number 1 Heavyweight in New Zealand with a dominating win and I expect Joseph Parker to have the punch power to put Junior Fa away over the scheduled Twelve Rounds.
Bigger fights will await for Parker and I think he is focused to end this rivalry which may just bring out the 'mongrel' that people have longed to see.
Zhilei Zhang vs Jerry Forrest
At 37 years old Zhilei Zhang is being put in the fast lane and I think he is a genuine option for either Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua if they are not able to sign a contract to face each other next.
Zhilei Zhang has spoken about holding a major World Title fight in China where they would be able to fill a big Stadium and offer a huge site fee and I can see Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum looking at him as a potential Challenger to their big name Heavyweights.
You can see the appeal- he is a big man and unbeaten, while the Chinese are sure to get behind Zhang and so this is a big chance for the Boxer to underline that marketability on the Canelo Alvarez undercard in Miami.
Personally I think Zhang can look a little one-paced and I am not sure he offers much of a threat to either Fury or Joshua, but he has a chance to make something of a statement by becoming the second Boxer to halt Jerry Forrest inside the distance. The American doesn't have the deepest resume, but he has taken the likes of Michael Hunter, Jermaine Franklin and Carlos Takam to the cards, although the 32 year old has been on the wrong end of the cards each time.
The one stoppage defeat came against Gerald Washington and there is no one of note that Jerry Forrest has beaten so it feels like it should be a comfortable win for Zhilei Zhang.
Only one question should need to be answered and that is whether Ten Rounds are enough for Zhang to win this one with another stoppage. Seventeen of the twenty-two wins earned by Zhilei Zhang has been inside the distance, but it isn't that long ago that a veteran Andriy Rudenko was able to last to hear the final bell.
Some inside DAZN are speaking about the need for Zhang to really look impressive if he is going to get a crack at a truly big fight, but I am not sure that is the case. I think he just needs to keep winning and the money that could be generated in facing an unbeaten Chinese Heavyweight in his home country will not be lost on the promoters of the two Heavyweight Champions from the United Kingdom if they can't ink a deal to face one another.
Jerry Forrest looks to be slick enough to avoid being put down for good, but I think he may just struggle to cope with the size of Zhilei Zhang and my feeling is that it will be a relatively comfortable night on the cards for the favourite.
Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim
No one will be surprised by the confidence coming out of the Avni Yildirim team as their man gets the shot of his life to take on pound for pound and Super Middleweight King Canelo Alvarez in Miami.
This is a mandatory defence for Canelo as he looks to maintain the momentum and keep hold of the belts he won when dominating Callum Smith in December. Bigger fights are in the pipeline for Canelo, but he wants to Unify the Super Middleweight Division and that means he could not avoid taking this mandatory.
Most are expecting an announcement for the big May date that has become synonymous with Boxing and the feeling is that Eddie Hearn will bring in Billy Joe Saunders into the ring at the final bell as the next opponent in line for Canelo. That will see three of the four Super Middleweight belts on the line, but the Mexican will not take anything for granted as he looks to continue to build his legacy in the sport.
Canelo Alvarez is someone who works hard all the time so I expect to see the best of him and I simply don't believe 'Mr Robot' can have improved enough to take on an opponent of this level.
Avni Yildirim narrowly lost to Anthony Dirrell when fighting for the WBC Title in February 2019 and the feeling was the early Technical Decision went against the Turkish fighter when he looked to be on top of the fight. It meant the WBC put him down as the Number 1 contender for their famous green belt, but Yildirim has sat on the that spot ever since and I do think he is going to be undercooked for a fight of this magnitude.
There is only so much improvement that can be made in the gym to prepare for a challenge of the size that Canelo brings into the ring, while many in the UK won't have forgotten the blow out loss Avni Yildirim suffered against Chris Eubank Jr.
If he comes out aggressively you can only see Canelo ending this fight early and any other tactic will likely end in a comfortable defeat anyway. The feeling is that Yildirim's best chance is to try and catch Canelo early and see whether he can become the latest to be able to scream he 'shook up the world' in Miami a little over fifty-six years to the day when Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) was able to beat Sonny Liston in the same city.
Unfortunately I can't see that happening with Canelo's sharpshooting capable of ending this fight very early and without any hindrance to the upcoming Unification fight with Billy Joe Saunders.
As he has stepped up his competition, Canelo Alvarez has been used to outpointing opponents on the cards more than forcing stoppages. This is simply not an opponent of the kind of level we have been used to seeing Canelo take on, and the feeling is that it will be more in line with his win over Rocky Fielding than Callum Smith and that is an early stoppage in favour of the pound for pound superstar.
The only way this goes differently in my opinion is if Avni Yildirim quickly decides he can't win and goes into survival mode which may see the fight go a little longer. Ultimately I think the Turkish fighter has one real game plan and that should open the body for Canelo Alvarez who can end this within the first Four Rounds.
MY PICKS: Daniele Scardina to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.05 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Joseph Parker to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.72 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Zhilei Zhang to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.30 Bet365 (2 Units)
Canelo Alvarez to Win Between 1-4 @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Boxing 2021: 3-7, - 4 Units (19 Units Staked, - 21.05% Yield)
No comments:
Post a Comment