-A very interesting heavyweight fight this weekend between two legit top 10 guys. The winner of this will set themselves up for a major fight. Each guy has one loss and it is to the same guy, Anthony Joshua. The way they lost though and how they fought him were very different.
In my opinion on any given night Whyte can beat anyone in the heavyweight division. He is an aggressive come forward big puncher who has a lot of heart and looks to mix it up. Even though it was Parker who held a piece of the heavyweight title I believe that Whyte has fought and beat the higher level of competition. His loss to Joshua was more impressive as well. While Parker fought a safety first fight where he never really took a chance and seemed content to lose a decision, it was Whyte who gave Joshua his toughest fight outside of Wladimir Klitschko. Whyte hurt Joshua badly and gave him all he could handle until he got stopped in the mid rounds. He has also fought an all out war against Derek Chisora which proved he can fight at a fast pace for 12 rounds if he can not hurt you and get you out of there.
As for Parker, he is a very good fundamental fighter with a good jab, a good chin and decent power. As his level of competition has risen his knockout percentage has gone down. He also has faded badly in some fights in the later rounds, most notably against Carlos Takam. I give him a lot of credit for jumping right back in with a top heavyweight in his first fight back after fighting Anthony Joshua.
Prediction- I am going with Whyte by decision or a late rounds KO. I think Parker will start the fight well, jabbing and boxing and probably going ahead after 4. But Whyte’s pressure and tenaciousness will gradually begin to wear Parker down. Im not sure how easily Whyte will be able to hurt him because Parker has shown toughness and a good chin. A good heavyweight scrap and a minor upset if you go by the odds that Iv seen although Im pretty high on Whyte so in my eyes he is the better more accomplished fighter with a bigger upside.
Robert Easter- Mikey Garcia Saturday night Showtime
-Another interesting fight for a lightweight belt involving an undefeated champion and one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world. Stylewise it can shape up to be an exciting one as well because if you watched Easter’s title winning effort against Comney and his last win against Fortuna they were both excellent fights. As for Garcia, he is always looking to be offensive and score a KO if possible.
-Easter is a young undefeated champ who will be taking a significant step up in competition. He has beaten good fighters, his best win was probably his last one against Fortuna but Garcia is another level. And the win against Fortuna was very close and many thought that Easter lost that fight. Easter’s action style is interesting because he is very tall at 5-11 at this weight class and seemingly could box on the outside with a good jab and not get in and mix it up as he did with Comney and Fortuna. He showed vulnerability in those fights but he also showed heart and a desire to win. His power is good but not great, He won the title in a split decision and has defended it 3 times, all those wins coming by decision.
-Mikey Garcia is one of the best if not the best pound for pound fighters in the world. In this fight he will be coming back down to his normal weight class at 135 after his very nice win at 147 pounds against Adrien Broner. A well schooled technically sound boxer with major power in both hands which makes him very dangerous. Garcia probably has the best jab-right hand combination in boxing but I have also seen him drop guys with a counter left hook. He’s been tested in some tough fights including being dropped but has always gotten up and fought like a champion. His power makes him dangerous at all times and can get him out of some tough spots. I think back to his title winning effort against Sergey Lippinets. Garcia was ahead in the middle rounds but it was competitive and Lippinets had won a couple rounds in a row. He then caught Garcia with a couple hard shots, started to back him up and it looked like the tide may be turning. Right at that moment Lippiinets loaded up an uppercut from the outside, which is a no no and Garcia made him pay, dropping him with a beautiful counter left hook. It totally stopped Lippinets momentum and Garcia went on to win a decision. Great fighters find ways to get themselves out of tough spots.
Prediction
-Garcia by Knockout. There is a chance that Easter could go the distance. He has been in tough fights and has always shown heart but he has also proven to be hittable and Garcia is the biggest puncher that Easter has ever fought. Easter also doesn’t seem to have that fight changing power that could hurt Garcia. So unless he decides to use his height and jab and box which he has not done in any of the fights i have watched expect a good solid title fight with some good exchanges and Garcia to come out on top by KO.
Christopher Diaz- Masayuki Ito ESPN+ Saturday night
-This is a fight for the vacant WBO 130 pound title. Ito has fought exclusively in Japan his whole career so while he has a good record it is really hard to tell what exactly he has. I am going to guess that he can fight, mostly because Japan has had a resurgence in the last couple years with several world champs and several others have come to the US and fought very tough fights against good fighters. I believe Ito will do the same but it will not be enough. Diaz is a very good fighter, better than more popular Puerto Rican fighters like Verdejo and Jose Pedraza in my opinion. He has great skills including head movement, counterpunching and one punch KO power. I think he will become a very good champion and will be in some high profile fights in the near future.
Prediction
-Diaz by decision. I think there is a chance that he will stop him but all the Japanese fighters recently who came to the US have shown very good chins and toughness so I think Ito will have the same. Watch and enjoy Diaz though, he can really fight. Remember, this fight is on the ESPN App ESPN+, not regular ESPN.
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