Alex's Fight Picks for 4/28/2018

Magdaleno vs Dogboe- This is a phenomenal match up that I feel is flying a little bit under the radar this weekend. These are two undefeated in their prime fighters meeting at the best point of their careers arguably. Simply put this doesn't happen very often and when it does take advantage and watch because it usually makes for a great fight. Magdaleno has been a very well regarded prospect who came out with a big win over Nonito Donaire back in 2016 that put him at the top and gave him the WBO super bantam weight title. He has only fought once since that win and it was almost a year to the day to this up coming fight so he has not been an active title holder. Dogboe is coming off of a big stoppage win of Cesar Juarez who went to war with Nonito Donaire 3 years ago and went the distance in a fight of the year contender. This is a huge win and one that may not be recognized for being as good as it was. Dogboe has 7 less professional fights than Magdaleno so he is at a disadvantage in ring experience but he does seem to have the power advantage. He is a banger and has a great left hook. Magdaleno has power too but I think Dogboe is the better puncher of the two. I think this will be a tough back and forth that Dogboe will eventually win by breaking Magdaleno down late in the fight I believe this will be a big coming out for him.

Pick- Dogboe by TKO 10 or later.

Joey Dawejko- Bryant Jennings-Interesting match up of Philly heavyweight fighters in a somewhat of a must win for both guys. Jennings is looking to stay afloat and Dawejko is looking to break through into the hot heavyweight division. Jennings has lost to Klitschko and he was stopped by Luis Ortiz while Dawejko lost a decision to Amir Mansour was stopped by Charles Martin and got a draw with Jarrell Miller. Both guys have been in with good fighter so my pick is less based on class of fighters than it is so much physical advantages. Dawejko is not a big heavyweight and he has shown issues when fighting bigger fighters that move and have a good jab which Jennings is in possession of both. I know some of his poor performances were based on poor management and training but I still think Jennings will be able to put together a win here by out boxing him. It will be a close fight Dawejko won't be blown out but I see Jennings winning on points.

Pick- Jennings by UD.


Danny Jacobs -Maciej Sulecki- Danny Jacobs keeps fighting and looking to get another big fight with GGG. His latest opponent is unbeaten Maciej Sulecki who is moving up in weight after knocking out recent Charlo victim Hugo Centento. Sulecki is also starting to rack up the knockouts as most of his KO wins have come in his recent fights. Jacobs is coming off a win of the over matched Luis Arias back in November of last year. I am sometimes confused by the fights that he signs on for he goes from being matched against top guys to fighting guys that are unknowns. Sulecki is definitely a step up from his last fight but Jacobs should be fighting guys that are in the mix at 160 and Sulecki is not one of them this is his first fight at full middleweight and he is going against a big strong banger in Jacobs. I don't see Sulecki being able to handle Jacobs for longer than 6 rounds but it will be fun while it lasts.

Pick-Jacobs by KO <6

Kyle’s Fight Picks for 4/28/2018

-Jesse Magdaleno-Isaac Dogboe ESPN Saturday Night
This is for the WBO Super Bantamweight Title and televised live on ESPN from Philly. Dogboe is undefeated at 18-0 and seems to be a good puncher. A solid knockout win over Cesar Juarez opened some eyes but other than that he has faced less than stellar competition. Magdaleno is a fast southpaw with power as well. He also has a quality win over Nonito Donaire. This is an interesting fight but I only see one way for Dogboe to win and that is to catch Magdaleno with a big shot. As for Magdaleno I think he can possibly stop Dogboe or use his impressive speed and skills to outpoint him. 
Pick- Magdaleno Unanimous Decision

-Joey Dawejko- Bryant Jennings ESPN Saturday Night
This is a very interesting heavyweight fight that pits two Philly fighters against each other. Dawejko was a solid amateur who had some early setbacks in his pro career due to bad management and training habits but has turned it around and now trains with Freddie Roach. He is a slick boxer for a heavyweight with good skills and some pop in his punches as well. Jennings has had a better pro career so far, having challenged and Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title several years back and losing a decision. A stoppage loss to Luis Ortiz set him back and after a layoff is coming off three straight wins. On paper Jennings should be the pick but I sense a small upset. Dawejko has better skills and he has seemed to put together a great camp and I think his conditioning will be where it needs to be to pull it off. 
Pick- Dawejko by Split Decision

Danny Jacobs -Maciej Sulecki HBO Saturday Night
Danny Jacobs is one of the two or three best middleweights in the world. A stoppage win over Peter Quillin and a close decision loss to GGG has proven that. Great amateur with very good skills and big punching power has moved him to an elite level. Some questions abound about his chin but while it is not granite it is pretty solid. Sulecki is an undefeated Polish fighter with solid wins over Hugo Centeno, Greg Proksa and Jack Culcay. He is definitely a world class fighter who will be coming to fight. Problem is Jacobs is a very big middleweight and Sulecki has spent part of his career at 154. While I expect this to be fairly competitive and exciting I don’t think Sulecki has quite enough firepower to pull off the upset. 
Pick- Jacobs by TKO in 8 in a good fight

Jarell Miller-Johann Duhaupas HBO Saturday night
Very interesting heavyweight fight. Miller is a guy who is starting to get mentioned as a possible heavyweight title challenger in the near future. A big guy with good athleticism and some power. Duhaupas is probably Miller’s biggest test to date. He faced Deontay Wilder for the title a couple years back in Wilders first title defense. He took some heavy shots, showed a great chin and landed some of his own shots in the process before getting stopped late. Also has quality wins over Robert Helenius and Manuel Charr. I expect a good heavyweight fight here and a test for Miller. 
Pick- Miller by Decision

Josesito Lopez-Miguel Cruz Fox Saturday Night
Lopez is always in fun fights, his wars with Canelo, Victor Ortiz and others have made him one of the most exciting fighters in boxing today. His last big fight was a stoppage loss to Andre Berto and since then he has won two straight. Unfortunately I feel all those wars are beginning to catch up with him and his best days are behind him. Miguel Cruz is undefeated and mostly unknown. At 27 he is beginning to come into his prime but while he has beaten several decent fighters his level of competition compared to Lopez has been weak. This is his first big test as a pro. I expect a good fight, Lopez usually never fails to entertain. It is a tough call because Cruz is mostly unknown but I will go with the younger fresher fighter in a good fight. 
Pick-Cruz by split Decision. 

Kyle Provenzano

Kyle’s fight picks 4/21/2018

Nonito Donaire-Carl Frampton
-Donaire is past his best but he still has been competitive in losses to good fighters and still has power in that big left hook. It will be tough for him to win a close decision in Northern Ireland and I expect this to be a close fight. Frampton peaked in the first Santa Cruz fight and has not looked that good since. And Im not sure he ever will. Fight will be televised live on youtube. 
Pick- Frampton by Majority Decision

Amir Khan-Phil LoGreco
- Khan is coming off a bad knockout loss to Canelo and this is his first fight back in almost 2 years. All things that could spell problems for a guy who has had problems with his chin in the past. LoGreco is a tough sturdy guy who has a good chin and comes to fight but the skill level and difference in hand speed here will be a huge difference. Khan may have trouble stopping him but I think he probably dominates him with his skills unless he is totally shot. Televised live at 530 on ESPN+.
Pick- Khan by unanimous decision

Charlo -Centeno
- This is the most one sided fight of the weekend. Charlie is a special talent who is continuing to improve and has looked very impressive lately. Centeno has been stopped before and has done nothing to make me think he will be competitive here.
Pick-Charlo by KO

Gervonta Davis-Jesus Cuellar
-Cuellar is a strong , rugged southpaw. A former world champ who lost a close decision to Abner Mares in his last fight. Davis is a super talent who at times fights to the level of his competition. I think he brings his A game here with a possible super fight against Lomachenko in the near future. I expect Davis to have an easy time landing his big shots and his speed and angles will give Cuellar issues Cuellar will hang in because he’s tough but it will not be enough.
Pick -Davis late TKO

Adrien Broner-Jessie Vargas
-This should be a good competitive fight. The odds are close to even and Vegas is usually right. This is at a catch weight of 144 and any time Broner has fought over 140 he has not been the same fighter. Vargas is a tough rugged pressure fighter who will be looking to press Broner and wear him out. Broner’s mental state is always in question as well and Im not sure he has the ability at this point in his career to beat a good solid welterweight.
Pick-Vargas by close Decision. 

Kyle Provenzano

Fight picks for 4/21/2018

Big action packed Saturday of fights in England and the U.S. A really packed day of interesting fights     we have a comeback, title fights and Adrian Broner! It might be cold outside but the action in the ring should be hot hot hot.

Donaire vs Frampton- Arguably a must win for both fighters to stay relevant in the hot stove that is the 126 lb division. Neither are at their best at this weight and they are both coming off distance wins after losing the pieces of the title they had to Leo Santa Cruz (Frampton) and Jesse Magdaleno (Donaire). Donaire has had a better career in the ring and has beaten the better fighters. That being said he was beaten fairly handily by Guillmero Rigondeaux, knocked out brutally by Nicholas Walters, and had to go through a war with Cesar Juarez. He has some wear and tear on him and he might not have enough to beat a guy who in the past he would have run through. Frampton is a good fighter but he has never been a dominating force, he has great wins over Scott Quigg and Leo Santa Cruz but not much beyond that. After handing Santa Cruz his first loss in 2016 he turned right around and lost the title he took from him in the rematch. Still I think the fact that he is a younger, fresher fighter will be the difference here. I wouldn't be surprised if Donarie won but if it happens it will be by KO.

Pick- Frampton by close MD

Khan vs Lo Greco- Khan is coming back from a 2 year hiatus since being knocked out cold by Canelo Alvarez in a fight that saw him move up to 155. Lo Greco is a get well opponent for Khan, he is a solid fighter but he hasn't been able to make the step up in class. I think the big question here is does Khan still represent that class? In the past this would be a no doubter and on paper it still is, Khan has fought and beat opponents at a much higher level then Lo Greco and has a lot more natural ability than he does but is he the same fighter as pre Canelo Khan? 2 years is a long time out of the ring and he has always had a shaky chin. Could there be an upset in this fight, could we see Lo Greco get that career making win? Maybe but my heart says Khan is still too good for Lo Greco and he will come in here looking to prove to everyone that he is still relevant.

Pick- Khan by late stoppage.

Centeno vs Charlo- This is a huge mismatch no offense to Centeno but Charlo is a monster and I think he will make fairly quick work of Centeno. This could be a brief firefight or Centeno may lay back and try to survive the pressure from Charlo until he is finally caught. Either way I think that Charlo is going to stop Centeno he is just over matched in this fight and he won't be able to take the power shots of Charlo for a long time. Hopefully this fight is the set up for a fall clash between Charlo and current 154 king Hurd.

Pick- Charlo by KO early

Cuellar vs Davis- This is a fairly interesting matchup between the slugger Cuellar and the boxer-puncher Davis. Cuellar hasn't fought since a loss to Mares almost 2 years ago while Davis has been fighting and knocking people out at a busy rate. The factor that makes it interesting is Cuellars power and if it will have an effect on Davis if he is able to land any meaningful shots. Davis is a slick power punching southpaw who seems to be the next Floyd Mayweather in the making. He has a crowd pleasing style and is aggressive in the ring. He has been plagued by issues of not making weight and poor training discipline at the gym but that seems to be in the past. This should be a fun fight while it lasts but I think we will see Davis take Cuellar apart and stop him late.

Pick- Davis by late TKO

Vargas vs Broner- This was originally slated to be Broner vs Figueroa until Figueroa dropped out due to injury. Vargas stepped up and took the fight and that is how we have arrived to this main event. Broner is a fighter who has so many natural abilities it is frustrating that he has been less than the sum of his parts so far in the ring. Broner has never been able to get up to the next level of boxing that A grade of fighters. He has lost to all of the top fighters that he has faced and I believe that while Vargas is may not be a top level fighter he has enough talent here to shock Broner. Vargas has also lost to both top level fighter that he has faced but he showed more in those losses than Broner did in his. Vargas is motivated and seems to have found power in his right hand that has been previously lacking. He is hungry and I think he will show up and take this fight , it will be a war but I think he wants it more than Broner does. I'm going way out here but I think he will beat Broner.

Pick-Vargas by UD

Very interesting fight tonight on ESPN2. Francisco Vargas-Rod Salka. This is supposed to be a comeback showcase for Vargas, who is coming off several high profile wins and a loss in brutally tough TV fights. The kinds of fights that can make a young fighter get old quick. Salka is a very underrated fighter who has good wins on his resume and only took a bad loss when he moved up two weight divisions to fight Danny Garcia. He is back at his normal weight now and I expect an upset.

Pick-Salka by Decision...

Hurd beats Lara to unify, DeGale gets his belt back and Williams dominates Gallimore

In another solid triple header from Showtime we got 3 tough fights and the night culminated with the arrival of a top fighter at 154.

For the opener we had Julian Williams vs Nathaniel Gallimore for a shot at a title in the 154lb division. I had thought that Gallimore may have been able to over power Williams and stop him later in the fight. Williams had other ideas for this fight, after starting out working s strong jab and boxing well from the outside he changed tactics and went toe to toe with Gallimore for the rest of the fight. Williams did excellent work to the head and body of  Gallimore and really had him in trouble for the last two rounds of the fight. I did not think that Williams would fight on the inside like this with Gallimore and put himself in range for the bigger power shots of Gallimore. The inside work he did though really made it a one sided fight from the 4th round on. Gallimore had his moments where he landed a clean shot but it wasn't enough of a sustained assault at any point to turn the tide of the fight. With this win Williams looks to be the likely next opponent for either Hurd or Charlo.

Lara vs Hurd matchup and picks

Lara vs Hurd- We finally get to see Lara back in the ring with a quality fighter. This is a great matchup between a pure boxer and a pressure puncher. Lara has the style and skill to give anyone trouble especially when he has his jab and left working. He is a defensive minded fighter and this has led to some frankly lackluster showings against over matched opponents that he hasn't put away when  he could have. His last couple of opponents have been not great to put it lightly and it was confusing as to how they got a shot at him in the first place.

Hurd on the other hand is a slightly unconventional pressure fighter with power who has fought his way to get to the top and he definitely deserves this fight. His last win was an impressive stoppage of the always game former champion Austin Trout who had gone the distance in losses to Lara and Jermall Charlo. Before this Hurd had stopped Tony Harrison, Oscar Molina, and Frank Galarza. The win over Galarza was an upset that put him on the map and led to him being a force at super welterweight.

I think this is a pick em fight a real 50-50 both guys have a style that counters the other almost perfectly. If Lara can control the pace and distance of the fight I think he will cruise to a wide win on points. However if Hurd can walk down Lara and get inside to work I think he will stop Lara late. This is the kind of fight where the chin will be a major factor too, who can take the better shot and who is willing to take some punches to land their own. I'm picking Hurd for this reason I think he's the better puncher and he's got a rough style that I think will break Lara down.

Pick-Hurd by KO after 8

Truax vs DeGale2- A rematch of a huge upset from last year which saw Caleb Truax go to England and take the super middleweight belt from James DeGale. Caleb fought the fight of his life that night and really busted up DeGale beating him convincingly. DeGale came out of this fight looking like a fighter that may be on his way out after finally getting handed a loss after a series of tough outings notably against Badou Jack and Rogelio Medina. DeGale is determined to prove that this was just an off night for him and show the boxing world that he is still a relevant force at super middleweight. Truax is here to show that he is the real deal and it was no fluke that he won the first time. I am going to make a bold prediction here and say that Truax will pickup exactly where he left off with DeGale in their first fight only he will finish the fight early this time. DeGale has taken a lot of damage over his title reign and done worse each fight he has had. I think this maybe the fight that breaks him.

Pick-Truax by very late KO round 10 or later.

Gallimore vs Williams- This is the sleeper fight on the card, two hungry guys both looking to get involved in the red hot 154 lb division. Julian Williams has won a few tune up fights since his knockout loss to Jermall Charlo. Nathaniel Gallimore is a big step up from his recent competition, Gallimore is one fight removed from a pair of semi upsets in back to back stoppages of Justin Deloach and Jeison Rosario. This is a similar stylistic matchup to the main event-Lara vs Hurd, you have a slick boxer in Williams and a puncher in Gallimore. I think there's a lot of potential for fireworks and a showstopper of a fight. I like Gallimore for this fight I think the power will be the difference and he will knockout Williams mid way through the fight. I'm not saying Williams can't win the fight I just don't think he has the best chin and he does get hit. If he can avoid a firefight he could outbox Gallimore probably rather easily in fact but I don't think he can resist trading with him.

Pick-Gallimore KO in 6.

Pick for Angulo vs Mora split draw

Joshua beats Parker and Unifies the heavyweight titles

Well I was half right in my pick for this fight, Joshua won, albeit not by KO as I had predicted. For the first time as a professional Anthony Joshua went the full 12 round championship distance and saw his knock out streak halted at 20. Joseph Parker suffered his first loss as a professional but he now holds the distinction of being the only man to survive the distance with Joshua so far. The fight played out as more of a chess match then I thought it would be especially in the first half. Parker moved around the ring on his back foot and kept Joshua from mounting anything of a meaningful offense by utilizing a quick and accurate jab that interrupted Joshua whenever he tried to establish a rhythm. The action picked up in the 2nd half as both fighters let their hands go a bit more but it never really got going into a war. Part of this was based on both fighters being conservative in the chances that they took and part of it was due to the referee being increasingly involved with the fight for no reason. This ref did not let them fight on the inside at all even when they each had a hand free or were working their way out. It was bizarre how fast he got involved every time they got with in clinching distance. So with all of those ingredients it made for a very flat fight and one that was difficult to score. I thought a fair score would have been 7-5 to Joshua I thought he did more effective work in the 2nd half of the fight and was able to win it by taking over the last 6 rounds but man was it tough to score. There were just so few exchanges in this fight that had any real meaning it was a battle of jabs. I would say that Parker despite being a smaller heavyweight may have the best jab in the division right now especially as a counter shot. He really made it a difficult fight for AJ and was able to dictate the pace of the fight for most of the night.

Joshua now holds all but the WBC belt that is held by Wilder and he expressed his desire to be the undisputed champion of the division in the near future. Wilder for his part also seems like he wants this fight and with some luck we could possibly see it later this year. A fight of that magnitude would be a huge push for boxing's popularity and relevance which has been increasing steadily over the last few years. The heavyweight title has always been once of the most prestigious awards in the sporting world and either Wilder or Joshua would be an excellent representative of the sport as the undisputed heavyweight champion. We will see what the future holds for now we have more fights to look forward to this coming weekend so check back to the blog for our upcoming picks!