Kyle’s boxing picks 12/1/2019

Oleksander Gvodzyk vs Adonis Stevenson

Showtime Saturday 745 ET

Light Heavyweight Title

-This title fight will be shown on Showtime from Canada before the pay per view starts from California at 9 for Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder. If you do not want to pay for that then you will at least get a good title fight for free. And I think this will be a very good fight. Stevenson has been champ for a while and while he has had some close calls, most notably against Fonfara in their first fight and against Badou Jack in his last title defense, he always has found a way to hold on and keep the title. I think that streak will end Saturday night. Gvodzyk is another Ukranian with a long amateur background, very solid skills and good power who has beat some very good fighters in his short 15 fight pro career. Stevenson is a one trick pony, big power in his straight left hand. To his credit it has worked for him. Gvodzyk is too good and too young and fresh to get beat by that. I think Stevenson will get some shots in and he is always dangerous, if he has anything it is big power and a big heart. But he also has a shaky chin and has faded in fights previously. I think he will get stopped Saturday night and his long title reign will be over and being in his late 30’s I think his time at the top will end also. 

Prediction

Gvodzyk by KO in later rounds

Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder

Pay Per View

Saturday Night

- This is one of the best heavyweight fights that could be made in boxing. It seems Anthony Joshua is content to stay in England and fight anyone other than Wilder so it makes sense that Fury and Wilder get it on to show who is the man who will eventually challenge Joshua in a huge fight if he decides to do it which I think he will. There are many different possibilities in this fight and it is a tough one to call in my opinion. 

Wilder is not a very skilled boxer. His balance is suspect, he throws wild punches and drops his hands in exchanges. He does have a good jab though and his biggest weapon which is his huge one punching power, especially with the right hand. If he hits anyone in the world with his best shot chances are the fight is over. The question here is will he be able to land that shot on a 6 foot 9 inch heavyweight with a good jab, good movement and unorthodox upper body movement which helps him avoid big punches. The good news for Wilder is that he has a huge heart and is the type of fighter that will go for the win and the knockout even when things are not going his way. He proved that against Luis Ortiz in his last fight which was one of the better heavyweight title fights of the past couple years. 

Fury is the lineal heavyweight champion, the man who beat the man who beat the man. He lost the title after beating Klitschko for it after failing a drug test and taking several years off where he ballooned up in weight and seemed on the verge of a mental breakdown. He overcame all that, lost a ton of weight and has since won two fights in his comeback. The problem  here is only having two fights against mediocre competition after a long layoff is not the best preparation to get ready for Wilder. I would have liked to have him get 1 or 2 more against a little better competition, that way we could have a better sense of where he is at. There is no denying his skills though. He is very unorthodox and it does not always look pretty but for a 6 foot 9 inch 260 pound heavyweight he moves very well with a solid jab and tricky head movement. He completely nullified Klitschko’s offense with his style and that is very hard to do. 

I can see either man winning this fight. I think it is a 50/50 fight. But having to make a pick I will go with Wilder. I think Fury will frustrate him early and probably be ahead going into the second half of the fight. But Wilder will not stop throwing his bombs and I think Fury will tire in the later rounds. Two comeback fights against safe opponents will not prepare him to box 12 hard rounds against a guy like Wilder and I think at some point late in the fight Wilder will get to him.

Prediction

Wilder TKO 10

Also Friday night on ESPN+ from Australia Jeff Horn will be fighting Anthony Mundine. This is a big fight in Australia with both guys being former World Champions and it has turned into a rivalry. I have not seen much of Mundine over the years but he is older and past his best. I think Horn will be too active and will win a decision over Mundine. 

Kyle’s boxing picks 11/24/2018

Dmitry Bivol vs Jean Pascal

Light Heavyweights HBO Saturday Night

-This is a fight between a young top contender (Bivol) versus an older former champion in Pascal. Pascal’s best days are behind him and he has been in some very tough fights including two with Bernard Hopkins and two with Sergey Kovalev. He is an athlete who has a world class chin and very good power. His last big fight was a majority decision loss to Elidier Alvarez a year back and he has come back with two stoppage wins since. 

Bivol, skillwise, is in my opinion one of the best if not the best light heavy in the world. Very good footwork and crisp short combinations make him look very smooth. He lacks the power of a Beterbiev or a Kovalev but he makes up for it with very good boxing ability. And he can punch too if he needs to, his KO win over Sullivan Barrera proved that. His last fight was an unimpressive decision win over Isaac Chilemba but in his defense Chilemba has made a lot of good fighters look bad. The most important thing is he got the win and now moves on to a fighter in Pascal where his short combination punching will be a big advantage against the aggressive free swinging Pascal. 

Even though Pascal is a couple years past his prime he has a ton of pride and has a great chin. I think he will come to fight and make it fun for a little while. I could see Bivol boxing and moving in the beginning until he figures Pascal out. While I don’t see Bivol losing I do think this will go rounds. Bivol has shown patience in the ring and is very content to sit back and box if need be. And Pascal has had one of the better chins in boxing over the past decade. Pascal needs to hurt Bivol early to get respect and change the rhythm of the fight. If he is tentative and lets Bivol box and get off his combinations he will have a rough night. I think it will be fun for about 3 rounds and then Bivol will begin to pull away. I could see Pascal going the distance, the only guy to ever stop him was Kovalev, but seeing that Pascal is a little older and already has retired once I think Bivol will wear him down and stop him late. 

Prediction

Bivol TKO 11

-Be sure to also check out former Cruiserweight World Champion Dennis Lebedev on DAZN Saturday afternoon as well. 

Kyle’s boxing picks 11/10/2018

Fights Schedule on DAZN this Saturday November 10-

-Oleksandr Usyk vs Tony Bellew (Cruiserweight World Title)

-Anthony Crolla vs Daud Yordan (WBA Title Eliminator)

-Marius Breidis Vs Noel Mikaelian (World Boxing Super Series Quarterfinal Cruiserweight)

-Krystof Glowacki vs Maksim Vlasov

-If you do not have DAZN go to DAZN.com to sign up. They give a free first month and 9.99 a month after that. The site does a great job and the picture is perfect. If you have a smart tv you can watch there or just watch on DAZN phone app or your laptop. 

Preview Usyk Vs Bellew

-This is a very interesting matchup and for me, one of the more anticipated fights of the year. Usyk is an undefeated former Olympian from Ukraine who has become a unified world champion at Cruiserweight. He has trained in the past with Vasyl Lomachenko’s father and you can see that in his style and skill level. A southpaw who throws a lot of punches but does it behind angles and good movement with his head and feet. He has enough power to hurt you but usually scores stoppages late after wearing his opponents down. In his last fight he boxed beautifully and dominated undefeated puncher Murrat Gassiev. Gassiev was actually favored coming into the fight, which was a surprise to me, but Usyk totally dominated him in winning at least 10 of the 12 rounds. HIs previous fight before that was against Marius Breidis, who also fights Saturday, and it was a war. Usyk proved his chin and toughness in gutting out a good win. 

-Bellew has had a long career of many ups but also some downs. Having been knocked out in a title shot at 175 pounds against Adonis Stevenson, Bellew regrouped and moved up a weight division and won a piece of the cruiserweight title with an exciting KO win. He then moved up to heavyweight and fought former world champion David Haye twice, winning both by KO in fights that many thought he would lose. He is a big puncher with a very good chin who is a warrior and always shows toughness and heart. It seems no matter what the weight, if Bellew hits people on the chin he hurts them. 

-I can see this fight unfolding in several different ways. If Usyk stands and fights like he did against Breidis then it could end up being a very fun competitive shootout type of battle. If Bellew is as slow on his feet as Gassiev ( I think Bellew is a little more mobile) and Usyk fights with the angles he used against Gassiev then I could see him putting on a clinic and winning a decision. I hope we get the first scenario because I think it could be a classic fight. Or we may get a combination of both. But the more Usyk stands in front and trades then the better chance that Bellew has. I think Bellew will get his shots in and make it at least somewhat competitive. He has a lot of pride so I don’t see him just laying back and letting Usyk outbox him. But I think at the end of the day Usyk is the better overall fighter. That is not always bad news for Bellew because his power and heart have carried him to victory over guys who have been better in the past. But they have not been Usyk and I think Usyk is the best fighter he has ever fought and Usyk has also shown a chin and heart himself. 

Prediction 

Usyk by Decision

Kyle’s boxing picks 11/3/2018

Saturday Nov 3 2pmET on DAZN

Josh Taylor vs Ryan Martin

-This is another matchup in the World Boxing Super Series which has become one of the best tournaments to happen in boxing in a long time. Both guys are undefeated although Taylor has fought and beat the better competition even though he has about 8 less fights. 

Taylor is a special talent. A guy who can punch but also is extremely quick and athletic and makes moves at times that look like Vasyl Lomachenko. I am really high on him and I believe he will also beat Regis Prograis who he will fight in the tournament next if he gets through this fight. And that is not a knock on Prograis who I also think is a very good young fighter. 

Martin is a boxer/puncher whose best win was in his last fight against Breidis Prescott. Prescott is way past the days when he was a feared puncher who knocked out Amir Khan and this win does not say much. Martin is going from fighting a past his prime contender to one of the most talented fighters in boxing today. In comparison Tarylor’s last fight was an impressive unanimous decision win against former champ and once beaten Victor Postol. 

Prediction

Martin is a good fighter but Taylor is on another level. There are not many 140 pounders in the world I would pick to beat Taylor at this point. I am not sure if Martin will get stopped though. If he does get stopped it will be from an accumulation, not a one punch KO.

Taylor by wide Unanimous Decision

Nonito Donaire vs Ryan Burnett

WBA Bantamweight Title

-This is also a part of the WBSS tournament and is a very interesting fight. Burnett has an impressive resume but has not looked overly impressive in his biggest wins. Lacks one punch power and seems to just grind out victories but does not seem to do anything special. But, he has become a unified champion and that says something. 

Donaire is a big name but whose best days are behind him although he did give a spirited effort in a decision loss to Carl Frampton last year. He is also going from 126 pounds back to 118 pounds and with his punching power this could be a big advantage. 

I am very tempted to pick Donaire here, mostly because of the size advantage, the power and the vulnerability of Burnett. I think he does have a punchers chance with his big left hook, which Burnett seems open for. The only reason I am not picking the upset here though is the weight. It seems that going back down to 118 would be an advantage for Donaire but I am not buying it. We have plenty of examples of older fighters who make one last move down in weight for a big fight and it always seems to drain them and they fight flat. Oscar De La Hoya against Pacquaio comes to mind as does Roy Jones jr versus Antonio Tarver in the rematch. 

Prediction

Unless Donaire can land a huge shot I expect him to get outworked here and lose a decision. I do not see Burnett stopping him

Burnett by Decision

Saturday November 3 Facebook Live 9 pm Et

Seanie Monaghan vs Sullivan Barrera

-This is a fight that pits a tough grinder who is a big ticket seller in NY in Monaghan against a legit top 10 light heavy with a big time amateur background in Barrera. Monaghan may be able to win at a higher level but it seems whoever is picking his step up fights either doesn’t like him or doesn’t know what he is doing. His first one was against Olympian Marcus Browne who dominated Monaghan and stopped him very early. Now they have Barrera, another guy with a skill set that seems to be a nightmare for the New Yorker. If you are going to step a guy like Monaghan up it needs to be against a slower guy who was not a big time amateur. That is not Barrera. I just hope Monaghan got paid against Browne and is getting paid against Barrera. 

Prediction

Barrera by KO

One more fight this weekend is on ESPN+ between Miguel Berchelt vs Micky Roman.