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. 

Kyle’s boxing picks 10/27/2018

Saturday October 27 HBO 10 pm ET

Main Event Danny Jacobs vs Sergey Deravyenchenko

IBF Middleweight Title

-This, in my opinion, will be a very interesting fight. A lot of people are looking past Deravyenchenko and already putting Jacobs in with Canelo in May in a super fight. That is a big mistake. Deravyenchenko is a legit top 10, maybe top 5 middleweight who will be coming to fight. Jacobs will need to be on his A game to win. 

Another interesting aspect of this fight is the fact that they have sparred over 300 rounds together in the gym. This means there probably will be very little feeling out because they already know each other. From the opening bell I expect them to try to impose their will on the other guy. 

Jacobs was a top amateur who has transferred that success to the pros. His story is well documented having beat Cancer and come back from a bad KO loss to become one of the bigger names in boxing. A big KO win over Peter Quillin and a close decision loss to GGG are the two highlights of his pro career. And just for the record I feel he did lose the GGG fight. He got backed up the whole fight, out jabbed and dropped. Competitive, yes but in my eyes he did not do enough to win. The only other real legit middleweight he fought was Dmitry Pirog who knocked Jacobs out. For all the hype surrounding Jacobs I feel his level of competition has been very weak for the position he is in. His last two fights have gone the distance against blown up junior middleweights and he also has two wins over Sergio Mora who dropped Jacobs in one of them. I feel he is a very good fighter with good power, good skills but also a little chinny who can be hurt. 

Deravyenchenko is possibly being overlooked because of his lack of experience in the pros. At 12-0 with 10 KO’s it does seem premature to get a title shot. But he was an Olympian for Ukraine who had hundreds of amateur fights and in his short career he has fought very solid competition. He has very good skills and good power and has shown a good chin although Jacobs will be the biggest puncher he has fought yet. 

I am tempted to go with the upset because I feel Jacobs is a little vulnerable and Deravyenchenko is a very good fighter. It is possible that Jacobs gets stopped here. He has been KO’d before and also dropped by light punching Sergio Mora although he got up to win. GGG also dropped him but that is nothing to be ashamed of since GGG is a huge puncher and Jacobs did get up from that as well. I think it is more likely that it ends up a back and froth entertaining fight and one that Jacobs squeaks out.

Prediction

Jacobs by close decision. 

Alberto Machado vs Yaundale Evans

WBA Super Featherweight Title

-This should be a good fight. Both guys are southpaws who can punch and fight aggresively. When I trained Emmanuel Lucero we fought Evans on ESPN in Phoenix so I got a good look at him up close. He was impressive, his best punch being a catch and counter right hook that has a lot of power. His one loss was by KO to former World Champion Javier Fortuna in a 1 round brawl that Fortuna ended up catching him although Evans got some of his own shots in as well. 

Machado won his world title with a big KO over Jezreel Corrales and has defended it one time. A tall guy for this weight he also can punch. 

I think Evans will get some shots in but Machado is the bigger guy with more experience in the pros and he should have enough to win the fight. 

Prediction

Machado by KO

Heather Hardy vs Shelly Vincent

I believe this is the first female fight that HBO has ever shown. It is a rematch of a fight from several years back in which Hardy won a decision in a close competitive fun fight. 

Prediction

Hardy by Decision

Saturday Oct 27 Time is TBA on ESPN+

IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator

Kubrat Pulev vs Hughie Fury

Both of these guys are contenders who have had title shots in the past. Pulev was stopped by Wladimir Klitschko in a fight where he fought pretty tough and Fury lost a very close decision to Joseph Parker. Both of these guys are very big although their power is very average for their size. I have not seen much of either guy but I feel Pulev may be a bit past his prime where I feel Fury is still fresh being only 24 years old.

Prediction

Fury by Decision

Saturday October 27 DAZN (time TBA

World Boxing Super Series Quarterfinals Junior Welterweights

-Regis Prograis vs Terry Flanagan 

Interim WBC Super Lightweight Title

Prograis is one of the better up and coming young prospects/champions. He is a very aggressive southpaw who has shown a great chin and great power on top of solid skills. He has beaten very good competition along the way and will be a handful for any 140 pounder in the world. 

Flanagan is a former world champion won lost his belt in his last fight in a minor upset to Maurice Hooker. Before that fight he looked like another very good fighter out of England who had a chance to build up his star power and land some big fights. I think he is a better fighter than what he showed against Hooker and he holds a very impressive blowout KO win over Diego Magdaleno. 

This is a good matchup and Flanagans toughness, chin and experience will keep him in this for a little while. But to me Prograis has shown the potential to become a special fighter and I think he takes over in middle rounds and stops him late. 

Prediction

Prograis by TKO

Ivan Baranchyk vs Anthony Yigit

IBF Junior Welterweight title

-Yigit is an unknown who holds a undefeated 21-0 record but only has 7 KO’s. He is from Sweden and has not fought on US tv. For the most part he is an unknown. Barachyk has been on tv a bunch and is also undfeated but has done it against better competition and an ultra aggressive style with power. His last win was his most impressive in blowing out contender Petr Petrov who can really box. I am assuming  based on his record that Yigit is a boxer and mover who will try to use Barachyk’s aggressiveness against him. Baranchyk can be crude at times but he is always in great shape and has had experience in tough fights against solid fighters. Trainer Pedro Diaz took over for his last fight and it was the best he ever looked so it is very possible that he is still improving. 

Prediction

Baranchyk by Decision

Kyle’s boxing picks 10/18/2018

Thursday October 18 ESPN

Jason Quigley (14-0) vs Freddy Hernandez (34-9) NABF Middleweight Title

-Boxing is back on ESPN with a Thursday night card featuring an interesting main event. Jason Quigley is an undefeated prospect out of Ireland who now trains in California. Hernandez is the older veteran who has been in there with the best and always fought tough but is now moving towards the end of his career. 

In only 14 pro fights Quigley has been moved pretty quickly, already owning good wins over tough fighters such as Glenn Tapia, Jorge Melendez and James De La Rosa. He’s shown good power with overall good skills. At one time Hernandez would’ve been a significant step up for Quigley but now it is probably a small step up. He is 39 years old and is coming off a loss and has not fought for 10 months. In his defense the loss was a competitive one, losing a decision to fringe contender Wale Amotoso. 

Several things will be working against Hernandez here on top of the age factor and layoff. He campaigned the majority of his career at 154 pounds so he is the naturally smaller guy here. And more importantly, he has been very susceptible to cuts. Years of tough fights have made the skin around his eyes very fragile and he has bled in almost all of the fights I have seen him in. Make no mistake about it, Hernandezo is getting brought in here as the opponent and Quigley is the A side and expected to win. I suspect that Hernandez, if he is still motivated, can give Quigley a test in the sense that he is tough and can put some pressure on and will use his experience and ruggedness to show Quigley some things he has not seen yet in his pro career. I am not sure how many rounds he can win but  I feel his only chance at winning will be to try and roughen up Quigley and stretch him into the later rounds. I do not see that happening though. I think Quigley will box well and begin to bust up Hernandez after 3 or 4. Hernandez’s skin will betray him again and the blood on top of losing round after round will force a stoppage somewhere around 6. 

Prediction-

Quigley TKO 6

-We will have a blog entry previewing the fights from Boston on DAZN for this Saturday by Friday. Demetrius Andrade headlines with a solid undercard. 

-The new deal that DAZN just struck with Canelo is very big for them. And do not be surprised at all if after Danny Jacobs last fight for HBO on Oct 27 happens that he is the next to sign with them. His promoter is Eddie Hearn who is the driving force behind DAZN and with HBO getting out of boxing Jacobs will be a free agent. Maybe that could set up a Canelo-Jacobs fight for next year. Canelo has to get past Rocky Fielding on Dec 15 and Jacobs has to get past Sergey Deravyenchenko on Oct 27. Jacobs is in the much tougher fight of the two so we will wait to see what happens. Go to DAZN.com to check out the site. So far I have been using it and I really like it. The quality of the picture is very good and the site is very user friendly , totally unlike ESPN’s streaming service ESPN+ which to me is horrible, not in the quality of fights but in trying to navigate around the site. It is virtually impossible to find the fights on ESPN+ unless you watch them as they are happening. If you miss a fight on DAZN you literally can find it in 20 seconds and start watching. 

Kyle’s boxing picks 10/13/2018

Terrance Crawford- Jose Benavidez Jr

ESPN 1030 ET Saturday Night

-This Saturday night we get a chance to see, in my opinion, the second best pound for pound fighter in the world, welterweight champion Terrance Crawford.  Better yet, the fight is on ESPN which opens it up to millions more fans than used to be the case when fights like this were on HBO or even pay per view. This is the new trend in boxing, putting big fights on free tv or streaming services such as DAZN that are a low monthly cost. This should be an interesting and competitive fight in my opinion. 

     Crawford is only behind Lomachenko in the pound for pound ratings in my opinion and he obviously is a very special fighter. I would take him to beat any welterweight in the world right now and that includes Errol Spence, Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter. He has gradually moved up in weight from 135 and seems to keep getting better and better. A pretty good puncher along with a very solid chin, good defense and a very versatile offensive attack have made him become a special fighter. He has beaten very solid competition along the way although he has yet to have that super fight which could push him to superstardom. The opponents are there, the promoters just need to make it happen. 

     As for Benavidez, I think he is a very live fighter and will be competitive, at least for the first half of the fight. Crawford is somewhat of a slow starter who takes his time building up his offense until he figures you out and then he picks up his aggressiveness. Benavides is a big welter, 6 foot 2 and has a lot of knockouts. His level of competition has not been great although he does own a good win over Mauricio Herrera, a guy who gives everyone a tough time. The good news is he has done what you are supposed to do if you are fighting inferior competition, which is compile a lot of early knockouts. Benavidez is young, fresh , physically imposing and most importantly believes he can win. I know that sounds silly but you would be surprised how many fighters go into fights acting like they are coming to fight but once the bell rings they go into survival mode. I don’t think that will happen here. 

Prediction-

Because of Crawford traditionally being a slow starter and Benavidez being a big strong welter who comes to fight I would not be surprised at all if this is a very  competitive fight for 6 rounds, maybe even longer. It takes time for Crawford to figure his opponents out but once he does he turns it up and becomes a special fighter. Benavidez is a big puncher but Crawford has shown a strong chin. I think it will be tough for Crawford to get a stoppage here and Benavidez has gone 12 before so he can handle the distance. For these reasons I expect a fun fight but one that Crawford will pull away with in the later rounds. A late stoppage is possible but I think will be tough to do. 

Crawford by Decision