3rd man in the ring from Kyle

Some random thoughts about boxing and Saturdays fights.:

-Referees need to start realizing that a low blow is below the belly button. In the Diaz-Rusell and Jack Stevenson fights Saturday the refs repeatedly warned the fighters about low blows when they were landing on the belt line. Even if they never take a point this is a problem because for some guys going to the body early is an integral part of their gameplan and several early BS warnings will take them out of that. It is like an umpire warning a pitcher early in the game for pitching inside. Once you take that part of the plate away it changes everything. Some refs feel a need to get involved when all they need to do is sit back and watch the fight..

-Another complaint about referees. Start warning guys for excessive holding. Nothing ruins a fight more than someone who grabs every time they get inside. On Saturday night Adonis Stevenson should’ve had a point taken away for the non stop holding in the second half of the fight. This woud’ve given Jack the win which I feel he deserved although it was not a horrible decision.

-If you missed the Lee Selby-Josh Warrington 126 pound title fight this past Saturday find it on youtube. Excellent back and forth fight where both guys fought tough. Everything a world title fight should be.

-Iv heard a lot of talk about how people think Danny Jacobs is the best middle in the world and how GGG is slipping and he hasn’t fought anyone. Their fight was close, I thought GGG won because he out jabbed him, pushed him back the whole fight and dropped him. Jacobs fought tough so I don’t want to get in an argument about that fight. But, look at Jacobs resume outside of that fight. Probably the weakest competition of any world champion in boxing. Who has he fought and beat?.Knocked out by Pirog, two wins against Sergio Mora (he got dropped in one),Quillin win was good but he was coming off a draw against Andy Lee  and his last two wins were against solid fighters but blown up 154 pounders who are not legit top 10. I think Jacobs is a very good fighter and a good guy but its time he beats a legit guy or starts blowing out guys who are not in the top 10. Until then none has the right to knock GGG while praising Jacobs.

-Lomachenko’s win against Linares cemented his claim as the best pound for pound fighter in the world. And no, him getting dropped doesn’t hurt that status. If anything it helps. If you keep moving up in weight and fight top guys you will eventually get cracked. But, like any great fighter he rose from that knockdown and fought back and knocked Linares out. How many times did Ali get dropped and came back?..Mayweather got rocked by Mosley and he came back and fought better. The list goes on and on. If you’re going to knock Loma for getting dropped and ignore how he came back against a much bigger world class fighter and closed the show then you are biased.

Alex's picks for 5/19/2018

Badou Jack vs Adonis Stevenson- A big fight in the light heavyweight division with Stevenson the #1 ranked fighter making a legitimate defense for the first time in who knows how long. Stevenson’s reign as the top fighter at light heavyweight has been the subject of a lot of justifiable criticism. To keep it simple he hasn’t really fought anyone who is a top graded fighter, with the exception of a win over Tony Bellew (arguably a career best win), since becoming champion after KOing Chad Dawson in the 1st round 5 years ago. He has kept a moderate schedule that has included not fighting Sergey Kovalev or his mandatory challenger Eleider Alvarez. Adonis is  always interesting to watch due to his vulnerability and punching power. He has been knocked out in his lone loss to Darnell Boone and he has been dropped and hurt in fights since then so his chin is a little suspect. This being said he possess tremendous knock out power in his left hand and he only needs to land one shot to change a fight. With the exception of Kovalev he might be the biggest puncher in the division and he always seems to find a way to land that punch. On the other side of the ring stands Badou Jack moving up to the 175lb division after making a lot of waves at 168. Badou was not considered to be much of a prospect on his way up he was a staple on the shobox next generation cards and it seemed that his career might be in serious trouble after a 1st round knock out loss to Derek Edwards back in 2014. Instead Jack turned around his career and came back on a tear beating George Groves, Anthony Dirrell, and getting a debatable draw with James DeGale. While Stevenson has been making easy defenses Jack has been fighting his way to the top. Jack is a well rounded, technical fighter who throws excellent combinations to the head and the body. I actually think that Jack is underrated as a body puncher. He is the kind of fighter that goes  out and gets it done he has been showing up stronger and stronger since his knockout loss and I think that he is currently in his prime. Stevenson however at age 40 and not having had a tough test in a few years may look very old in the ring this Saturday. Power is always the last thing to go for a fighter and everyone knows that Stevenson will be the bigger puncher in this fight but will that alone be enough to win. I don’t think this fight is going to go well for Adonis I think that Jack is at his best right now and will be too technically sound for Adonis to beat. This is going to be a big night for Badou and I think it will put him on a collision course with the winner of the Kovalev-Alvarez fight later this year.

Pick-Badou Jack by late stoppage or UD

Gary Russell Jr vs Joseph Diaz- A very good pairing with Jack vs Stevenson, this fight is another great matchup in the red hot featherweight division. The top fighters currently in this mix include Leo Santa Cruz, Carl Frampton, Abner Mares, and Oscar Valdez this is a very talented weight class right now. Gary Russell Jr has only lost to Lomachenko and that has been the only fight that he has really looked bad in to date. Favorable matching for most of his career coupled with blazing hand speed and sound fundamentals have allowed him to be built up as one of the best fighters in the division. His inactivity in the ring over the last few years has really cooled down any hype surrounding him. He is averaging at this point about a fight a year going back to 2016. Joseph Diaz on the other hand has been a very busy fighter since turning pro following the 2012 London Olympics. He has become one of the better pros to emerge on the scene from that US boxing team and he is only 25 still. A busy combination puncher with low power, Diaz is comfortable fighting at any distance but he is at his best when he gets inside and works. This is another fight where one guy may be past his best and the other guy is just really coming into his own or is currently in his prime. While Russell will have a big speed advantage here I think that it will be offset by how fresh and hungry Diaz is. Joseph has been fighting very regularly and is coming in undefeated and determined. Its not that Russell Jr doesn’t want to win I just think Diaz wants it more. Expect fireworks in this fight it should be fun.

Pick-Diaz by close UD

Kyle's Picks for 5/19/2018

There is a very solid doubleheader this Saturday at 10 pm ET on Showtime. Two good champions fighting challengers who are hungry and are coming to win.

Adonis Stevenson vs Badou Jack- This is a very good competitive light heavyweight world title fight. Stevenson has been a champion for a while now but has not reached superstar status due to inactivity and a reluctance to fight the best. What he does possess is world class power in his left hand and even though he is not special in other ways that has been enough to hold on to his title and have some good wins along the way. He is almost 40 though and I think Saturday is the night that his inactivity and his deficiencies in the ring catch up to him. Badou Jack has improved tremendously since his lone loss several years back. Some very good wins and a disputed draw against James Degale along with his light heavy debut where he stopped former world champ Nathan Cleverly have got him on a roll. Im going with Jack in a mild upset. 

Pick-Jack by late stoppage or close decision win. 

Gary Russell Jr vs JoJo Diaz

Another solid fight between one of the most skilled fighters in boxing in Russell and former Olympian and undefeated pro Diaz. Russell’s only loss was by decision to Lomachenko which now does not hurt his reputation at all. He actually won some rounds against Loma and overall fought tough even though he lost. His inactivity has been an issue and he did look a little vulnerable in a recent fight against Oscar Escandon. Diaz is a southpaw who has steadily improved in the pro ranks and has looked very good in some recent wins. His lack of punching power might betray him here because I don’t see him outboxing Russell. Expect a good solid fight but Russell to come through. 

Pick-Russell by Unanimous Decision

Kyle's Boxing Picks 5/12/2018

Saturday ESPN-Lomachenko vs Linares
This is a great fight, the kind that boxing needs. Linares is a 3 weight world champ who has been on a very good winning streak. He throws some of the most beautiful combinations you will ever see and has some decent power as well. There are not many guys at 135 pounds and under who I would pick to beat him. But Lomachenko is one of them. In my eyes he is the best pound for pound fighter in the world and he is moving up in weight to try and win a title in his third weight class as well. I don’t expect Linares to quit like Loma’s last couple opponents. He may even win a round or two but it’s not going to be enough.
Pick:Lomachenko by Unanimous Decision.

Saturday HBO- Saddam Ali vs Jamie Mungia
Mungia is a late replacement for Liam Smith, usually that does not bode well for the replacement. Smith was a known guy who had fought bigger names and Mungia has a glossy record but against guys no one has ever heard of but something tells me that this may be the rare case where the replacement is tougher than the original. Ali is a very skilled fighter but has shown some vulnerability in the past. I expect him to win but have some rough patches along the way, maybe even have to get up from a knockdown to win.
Pick: Ali by Decision in a competitive fight.