The Covid-19 issues have not disappeared, but for the last year the big crowds have begun to return and that has been a huge benefit to the Boxers as much as for those of us watching. I almost missed Sweet Caroline... Almost.
As with the likes of Tennis and Football, I felt it was a good time to step back from the Boxing Picks in the sanitised settings we had to experience. It led a whole host of upsets, while the last year has been a time to watch and appreciate the big names as they have begun to come together to make the big fights, although I was not convinced with making too many selections as fighters shook off the rust.
I have kept watching and some new stars have been made and we are set for a really good run of weekends with some high level events to come.
Boxing Picks have prove to be a positive for the most part, although I did have a tough 2019 before heading into the 2020 that no one expected.
And like with the other Picks on the site, I am streamlining and adjusting to try and put together winning selections.
This feels the right time to place my first Boxing Picks of 2022 here and the big events are going to come thick and fast right through to early June.
Unification fights, contenders coming together to stake their claim for future title bouts and both fresh and big name Boxers are all set to head into the ring- it feels like 2020 has just reminder the Boxers and Promoters as to how fragile long-term plans can be with the upsets that came about and that has gotten more and more together to make the fights we have all wanted to see as fans.
I am still hopeful that we will have Terence Crawford vs Errol Spence Jr to add to the quality fights that have either been scheduled or are set to be announced for 2022 and this feels like a year in which the fans are getting what they wanted.
The only expected disappointment for me? The news that Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 will likely be heading to Saudi Arabia this summer... What did I say about fans getting what they wanted?!
Gennady Golovkin vs Ryota Murata
Rumours are that Gennady Golovkin is one win away from securing a trilogy bout with Canelo Alvarez, but both need to secure wins over the next month to put that fight front and centre.
For many Gennady Golovkin has never lost a fight- his blemishes have both come in the two previous fights with Canelo.
I had both tight, but I actually thought they were split 1-1, although the trilogy should really have taken place some time ago.
By the time they are expected to clash, it will have been four years since the second Canelo-GGG bout and it is telling that the 40 year old Kazakhstani has only been involved in three fights since then. Inactivity can be a killer for someone who is some way past his prime and Gennady Golovkin has not looked the same fighter as the one that was avoided by other Middleweights as he was crushing all opposition.
He is ageing and I do think Canelo would have far too much for Golovkin these days, while a sixteen month absence from the ring is far from ideal. Could we see Triple G age overnight and fall over the other side? I think it is a possibility, but the carrot of potentially facing Canelo in September should mean we get one more huge effort from the fantastic fighter.
I think it might have felt a lot different if this Unification was against someone else, but Ryota Murata is a fighter that looks to be one that Gennady Golovkin will feel is made for him. The Japanese WBA Middleweight Champion is solid, if unspectacular, and has a habit of trying to fight fire with fire, surely a poor idea against someone who hits as hard as Golovkin does.
And while he is younger than the future Hall of Famer in the other corner, Ryota Murata is 36 years old and has also been out of the ring for a year longer than Golovkin.
Timing has to be messed up by that ring rust, but Murata benefits from being at home and wanting to perform for the fans. It has to be said that the Japanese fans are unlikely to make this a raucous atmosphere to intimidate Gennady Golovkin and I think the likelihood is that there is still enough in the tank to hit hard enough to force a stoppage at some point in the second half of this Twelve Round Unification.
Ryota Murata has to be given credit for his Olympic successes, but he has not really reached the heights as a pro as Gennady Golovkin. His best wins have not been against the top contenders and the longer lay off cannot help the cause of the home fighter.
It could be a fun fight and I don't think either is going to have to look too far to find the other- the superior hitting power and the better defence looks to be with Gennady Golovkin, although you have to have some doubts once a Boxer reaches a certain age as to how much is left.
Someone like Canelo is likely to expose that if the trilogy is put together for September, but I am not sure Ryota Murata is going to on Saturday and the pressure and power of Gennady Golovkin may wear him down and out in the second half of this Unification at Middleweight.
Undercard
This card is being broadcasted by DAZN and there are a couple of decent scraps on the undercard that could be worth some interest.
The chief support is offered by the unbeaten Junto Nakatani who made his United States debut last September before taking this fight back home.
There is much to like about the 24 year old and there is already talk that Junto Nakatani is going to be wanting to move up to Super-Fly very soon, a loaded Division. Big fights are ahead for a fan friendly fighter and I expect him to have too much for Ryota Yamauchi.
Ryota Yamauchi has bounced back from his sole loss to win four in a row and he has found the stoppage in seven of his eight wins, but he has not really faced someone as good as many believe Junto Nakatani is. I expect Yamauchi to believe in his power, but that may make things all the easier for Nakatani to begin to break down his overmatched opponent and I would not be surprised if this fight is ended somewhere in the middle of the scheduled Twelve Rounds.
It should be enough time for Junto Nakatani to just work out his opponent and begin to break him down as he looks to make a statement on a big card.
In the other bout of note, there may only be a year in age between Shuichiro Yoshino and Masayuki Ito, but the latter has been involved in many tougher bouts than his unbeaten opponent.
This feels like a chance for Yoshino to show that he is ready to take the next step up in his career as he faces a former World Champion, but I do think Ito may have seen his better days.
He is a tough fighter and I am not sure Shuichiro Yoshino is going to have enough to earn the stoppage, but I think he can demonstrate the importance of having less miles on the clock as he wins a Decision.
Ryan Garcia vs Emmanuel Tagoe
It has been fifteen months since we last saw Ryan Garcia and he proved he is more than just an social media fighter by getting off the canvas to beat Luke Campbell.
Injury and some other issues have kept him out of the ring since then- he has actually had a couple of bouts fall by the wayside in that time.
But now he is back and Ryan Garcia will find himself on the outside looking in with a number of his rivals in big fights. That isn't the worst thing in the world and this is a good chance for Garcia to shake off any ring rust and be much more ready to compete when those said rivals have cleared up their schedules.
On paper this looks a tough test on his return- Emmanuel Tagoe has won thirty-two fights in a row since his debut defeat, but the 33 year old has been out of the ring for longer than Ryan Garcia and his level of opponents have never reached the one that Garcia has in his young career.
I don't think Emmanuel Tagoe will be hard to find and this feels like a fight in which Ryan Garcia will be allowed to re-announce himself to the public. Bigger tests will be ahead, but I think Ryan Garcia will have too much accuracy and power and he is likely to put a showcase together after perhaps a feeling out First Round.
There is a toughness from fighters coming out of Ghana and Emmanuel Tagoe has to be respected, but I think he is going to have plenty of ring rust of his own and that can see Ryan Garcia get him out of there relatively quickly.
Undercard
The main fight on the undercard that is worthy of a second look is the crossroads bout between a couple of tough veterans.
Gabriel Rosado is coming off a defeat to Jaime Mungaia, but he continues to show his toughness in the ring and I think he may still have a bit more about him than Shane Moseey Jr.
It has been almost a year since Shane Mosley Jr saw his latest run of wins ended by Jason Quigley and I do think he has struggled whenever he has stepped up his competition. Toughness is not to be discounted, but Gabriel Rosado has plenty of that too and I think has just shown he can still offer something at a high gatekeeper level against any opponent.
Both will put a solid undercard fight together, but Gabriel Rosado may be able to just nick this one on the scorecards and perhaps line himself up for another big crack at a top name in the months ahead.
Shane Mosley Jr has shown he has plenty of heart like his father, but the skillset is not the same and I expect him to come up short again.
MY PICKS: Gennady Golovkin Win Between 7-12 @ 2.87 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Junto Nakatani Win Between 5-8 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Shuichiro Yoshino to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.25 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Ryan Garcia to Win Between 1-4 @ 2.05 Bet365 (2 Units)
Gabriel Rosado to Win Between Decision/Technical Decision @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)
No comments:
Post a Comment