Boxing Picks 2018- Errol Spence Jr vs Lamont Peterson (January 20th)

There was a time in recent years when being a boxing fan meant having to defend the sport from those who had begun to like other forms of combat sports.

The best were simply not fighting the best and so those stars who could be recognised outside of the sport were perhaps lacking compared with years gone by.

Without a doubt the sport has been moving with a positive trend over the last couple of years and it feels like 2018 will be another really strong year in the ring.

We are getting more unification fights, some big grudge fights and also seeing boxers prepared to take the risks with their careers to further their legacy rather than there to protect an unbeaten record. It is great news for the fans and already in 2018 we have some huge fights lined up before we hit the halfway mark of 2018.

The World Boxing Super Series has been a success so far as the fans have really fallen in love with the tournament bracket style and seeing the best fight the fight. The Cruiserweight Semi Finals come up first and who is going to back off from watching those and then we will get to see the Super-Middleweight Semi Finals including the one that everyone in the United Kingdom should be looking forward to when George Groves meets Chris Eubank Jr in Manchester in the middle of February.

The Finals of both events take place in May and there should be at least six very good fights to look forward to in the next five months.

Add in the increasing interest in the Heavyweight Division where both Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder continue to be on a path that will lead to one of the biggest fights that can be made in 2018. Both have decent looking fights in March as Joshua takes on Joseph Parker in a unification fight just three weeks after Wilder has taken on the dangerous Cuban Luis Ortiz.

Tyson Fury is also set to return having put his UKAD issues behind him and set to be given a new license by the British Board of Control to resume his unbeaten career. Dillian Whyte, Lucas Browne and Alexander Povetkin will be hoping to line up to meet Joshua at some point this year too and we also get to the see the grudge rematch between David Haye and Tony Bellew which is scheduled for early May.

That is set to occur on the same day as the Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin rematch with Billy Joe Saunders and Danny Jacobs hoping to fight the winner in September.

New stars are being made and there could be some epic fights between the likes of Mikey Garcia, Vasyl Lomachenko, Jorge Linares and perhaps Terence Crawford.

And last, but not least, there is the increasing hope that this is the year we will see Kell Brook and Amir Khan finally settle their differences in the ring.

It's easy to forget we are only in January and yet another strong year of Boxing looks to be on the cards, one where I hope there is a little less controversy attached to the very big fights.


On Saturday it is the first big event of the boxing year when pound for pound king Errol Spence Jr continues trying to blaze a path through to a unification with Keith Thurman. So far Thurman has not wanted to know at all, but Spence Jr is someone who looks capable of clearing out the Division and forcing Thurman to have no where left to move.

Chief support on the card comes from Robert Easter Jr who is an unbeaten fighter at Lightweight who is avoided by the majority of fighters in his Division. He will be looking to make sure he continues to give the other Champions no where to go too and both Easter Jr and Spence Jr come in as big favourites despite facing a couple of hardy professionals.

Robert Easter Jr vs Javier Fortuna

The fight is going to happen on the undercard of the Errol Spence Jr and Lamont Peterson card and that is despite Javier Fortuna missing the weight limit.

It is a strange situation to see Fortuna miss weight considering he had never fought higher than 135 before, while his suggestion it was something to do with the cold weather in New York is... just plain weird.

Putting that aside, Fortuna has to be respected having won thirty-three of his thirty-five previous fights. He is on a four fight winning run having rebuilt following his loss to Jason Sosa, but this is a significant step up in class compared to what Fortuna has been dealing with in that four fight winning run.

Not many people will be lining up to face Robert Easter Jr who makes weight comfortably but has some very tough physical attributes to deal with. He is a tall fighter at almost 6 foot despite being in the Lightweight Division and it is no surprise that none of the other Champions really speak about Easter Jr as someone they would like to face sooner rather than later.

The resume has a couple of decent enough names on it, but Easter Jr is trying to make it hard for the other Champions to continue to avoid him. His win over Denis Shafikov last time out is the best win for Easter Jr and I think he is going to use his size in this one to jab and keep Fortuna at arm's length.

Will Easter Jr perhaps take a few risks as the fight wears on to earn the stoppage? I am not too sure about. I actually think he would be happy to keep this fight at the tempo he likes and try and frustrate Fortuna behind a long jab and the 8 inch arm length advantage has to be one that Easter Jr will look to make full use of.

Fortuna is a decent fighter and the southpaw stance can cause problems, while he was winning his fight with Jason Sosa on the cards before being stopped. However Easter Jr doesn't lose too many Rounds and I can see him take control in the second half of the fight with my biggest issue perhaps being a corner pulling out Fortuna if the fight is beyond him at that point.

I think the first half of the fight will be close enough to mean Fortuna is allowed to push for a win until the end of the 12 scheduled Rounds. I can see Easter Jr keeping Fortuna at the end of the jab to put a few more Rounds in the bank though and I am expecting the American to be given the Decision in this one.

Errol Spence Jr vs Lamont Peterson

You don't always need trash talk between fighters to recognise a good bout, and it is no surprise that two friends like Errol Spence Jr and Lamont Peterson have refrained from going down that path to sell this fight.

There should be plenty of eyes on Spence Jr these days with many considering him the pound for pound king alongside Terence Crawford since Andre Ward retired. Spence Jr himself is very willing to prove himself, but has struggled to entice some of the bigger names in the Welterweight Division into proving that he is the man to beat at this weight.

The win over Kell Brook on the road cannot be underestimated and Spence Jr makes his return to the ring for the first time as he begins to chase down Keith Thurman for a huge unification fight between two unbeaten fighters.

Spence Jr is not someone who overlooks opponents though and he seems a calm character who will take it step by step until he gives Thurman no where left to turn. That fight is likely to be made in 2019, but Spence Jr has to keep winning and getting the fans pushing for him to entice Thurman into what could be the stand out fight next year.

For now Spence Jr will concentrate on Lamont Peterson who is a tough opponent, but one expected to be a level below what the younger man can bring to the ring. Peterson has proven to be a durable opponent with only one stoppage on his resume in three career defeats.

No one will be critical of losses to the likes of Timothy Bradley, Lucas Matthysse or Danny Garcia, especially when you think how close he came to taking away Garcia's unbeaten record. Peterson has also beaten Amir Khan in a controversial Decision and this is a man with plenty of confidence in his own ability, even if I think ultimately Peterson has come up short at the very top level where Spence Jr resides.

Peterson had to give up the WBA World Welterweight Title so he had a chance to take this fight and he won that the last time he was in the ring in February last year. That is some lay off for Peterson and I think this is going to be a step above the level that Peterson can produce.

Spence Jr has spoken about tough this fight could be and I certainly think it will be very competitive early on as he works out what Peterson is trying to do. They do know each other well so it might be a little quicker for Spence Jr to figure it out, but I think he will have to break Peterson down and I am not expecting him to rush through this opponent like Matthysse did.

Instead I can this fight developing like the Kell Brook fight with Spence Jr did- that is namely that Spence Jr will perhaps have a few issues early on, but will make the adjustments and by the mid-Rounds he will begin to exert his control. I will look for Spence Jr to break Peterson down in the second half and eventually have his punching power tell as either the referee or the corner pull out the older fighter.

The last nine Spence Jr fights have ended with a stoppage and I think the accuracy and power will be telling again as he becomes only the second person to prevent Peterson hearing the final bell. There is no doubt that Spence Jr has the power to end this fight early, but I think the most likely time is around Round 8 or 9 as he wears Peterson down so I will back a second half stoppage here.

MY PICKS: Robert Easter Jr  to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Errol Spence Jr to Win Between 7-12 @ 2.40 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Boxing Picks 2017- Kell Brook vs Errol Spence Jr (May 27th)

2017 has been a wonderful year for Boxing with the big names getting together to produce the big fights in every Division.

There are still more to come with the Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin fight the highlight of the second half of the year, but don't sleep on the likes of Anthony Dirrell vs Callum Smith and a likely rematch between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko after the fireworks they produced at Wembley Stadium at the end of April.

Out of all the fights that had been signed in the first half of the year, this one between Kell Brook and Errol Spence Jr may have been the best of the bunch for the hardcore Boxing fraternity. Other fights might have captured the imagination of the casual fans and even those who have previously shown little interest in the sport, but this one feels like it is coming between two of the very best in a loaded Welterweight division and with a world title and huge unification events for the winner to take part in.

The undercard isn't a bad one at Bramall Lane either and I have three picks overall from the overall card which you can see below.

David Allen vs Lenroy Thomas

If World Titles were given to people with charisma and character, David Allen would be close to the front of the queue and he has built up a cult following with his antics in press conferences and the willingness to fight whoever has been put up in front of him.

Do I think this is a World Champion in the making? Probably not, but we have seen the likes of Charles Martin pick up a portion of the title when mandatories and bigger opportunities are presented to the real leaders of the Division and opens up World Title shots to those who perhaps don't deserve it.

However, David Allen is being built up under the watch of Eddie Hearn and he is definitely on a path that will either make him a viable contender to fight Anthony Joshua at some point or perhaps have a World Title fight against another opponent who is of a similar ilk.

That can only continue if he sees off Lenroy Thomas when they meet for the Commonwealth Heavyweight Title on Saturday and I fully expect Allen to do the job. He is a bit crude, but Allen can punch a bit and he would have learned plenty from his losses to Dillian Whyte and Luis Ortiz.

Those two fights alone are much more daunting than anyone Thomas has fought, even though Thomas has been in the ring with Dominic Breazeale, and I don't really believe Thomas has come here with a lot of belief. It is his first fight outside the United States and he has lost three of his last seven with all of those coming by stoppage in the first half of the fight.

I think Allen is likely to want to get the jump on Thomas early as possible in this one and he has the punching power to force his opponent to really think about whether he 'wants' this as much as the 'White Rhino'. I am not sure Thomas has the best whiskers and I can see Allen taking him out fairly early in this one and will back him to win this in the within the first six Rounds on Saturday.

George Groves vs Fedor Chudinov

There are some who will like the way George Groves carried himself before his two fights with Carl Froch and others who may never like him, but no one can say he doesn't deserve the chance to become a World Champion. He has been beaten in three World Title fights, but two of those were fairly controversial and Groves is looking to prove he belongs in the elite which will open up the opportunities for some huge fights ahead.

The most immediate thought will turn to the rematch with James DeGale, although Groves can't overlook Fedor Chudinov in this main supporting fight to the main event at Bramall Lane on Saturday.

However it has been over a year since Chudinov was last seen being outpointed in a Split Decision loss to Felix Sturm whose best days look long behind him. Simply put, Chudinov has not been in the ring with anything like the quality George Groves has and I think that is going to be highlighted when you see these two in the ring with one another on Saturday.

Groves has rebuilt his career with four successive wins after the Split Decision loss to Badou Jack in a fight he recovered really well after being put on the floor in the First Round. I actually thought he might have done enough that day to overturn the Knock Down, but he has since tried to shown an improved stamina in his last few fights.

One of the big knocks on Groves was he seemed to lose some energy in the Championship Rounds in the past, but I think he is trying to put together his boxing in a way to make sure there are reserves in the tank. That means I don't think Groves will push for a stoppage in this one and instead is going to coast towards a fairly comfortable win on the scorecards and I will back him to win by a points call.

Kell Brook vs Errol Spence Jr

The first thing I want to say is I don't mind being wrong in this prediction one bit if it means Kell Brook is still the World Champion come Sunday morning.

However, history of Boxing suggests it is almost impossible to move up and down the weight classes in the manner Brook has and even having the ten months between fights may not be enough to really feel comfortable at the Welterweight limit.

Brook didn't move up one Division to face the power punching Gennady Golovkin, but he moved up two Divisions and we have seen throughout history that fighters almost always come unstuck when moving back down that kind of weight.

Take nothing away from 'The Special One', he looks in fantastic shape and is saying all of the right things- I do think Brook truly believes he is going to win this fight, but the acid test is how the body will react to the sharp shooting skills of Errol Spence Jr and how much will be in the tank if this goes into the latter stages of the fight.

I fully expect Spence to target the body early and often to sap the energy and Brook is the kind of warrior who will be willing to go out on his shield if he is going to give up his prized possession of the IBF Welterweight Title.

He clearly is proud of being a World Champion- most advised Brook to skip this mandatory and move up in weight or simply to 'duck' Spence, but the reason I have a lot of time for the Sheffield star is because that is the furthest thing from his mind.

This is a dangerous unbeaten American prospect coming to town and I call Spence a prospect because he is stepping up to the World level for the first time. His wins over Chris Algieri and Leonard Bundu have to be respected as Spence became the first man to stop either (Algeiri had lost on points to Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan, while Bundu had lost on points to Thurman).

Neither is on the level of Kell Brook though who will bring his 'chocolate brownie' to the party and so there are some questions about Spence, who also looks big at this weight, and whether Spence is ready to take this step. He is saying all the right things and I don't think he is another Jeff Lacy and I can understand why the American is the favourite.

Regardless of whether Spence feels truly comfortable at the weight is less of an issue when he hasn't made the same decision as Kell Brook to move up to Middleweight before coming back down for this fight. Spence's body should be much more accustomed to being boiled down to the Welterweight limit and I really think that will end up making the difference in the fight.

Spence has power in both hands and I think he is going to be able to take Brook into the second half of the fight and then take over with some sharp shooting. The fact Brook is willing to go to the very limits in this one makes him very dangerous, but I think the weight drop will be an issue at the end of this one and I can see Brook walking into something big late in the fight.

Like I said at the opening, I would love to be wrong and Brook pulls this out of the fire.

But putting my heart aside and what I want, the head is saying, and has been saying since the fight was announced, that Spence will force the stoppage late in a barnstormer.

MY PICKS: David Allen Win Between 1-6 @ 2.25 Bet Fred (2 Units)

George Groves by Decision or Technical Decision @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Errol Spence Jr Win Between 7-12 @ 4.33 Paddy Power (1 Unit)