Boxing TV Guide: Golovkin and Gonzalez Headline a Great Weekend of Fights
Boxing TV Guide: Golovkin and Gonzalez Headline a Great Weekend of Fights
Gennady Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez, the two best boxers in the world, headline a great weekend of fights.
Gennady Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez don't need any build up from the likes of me. If you somehow aren't familiar with two of the best, most exciting boxers in the world, our own Patrick Connor has you covered. Suffice to say, they are both gruesome buzzsaws who always bring the pain.
Of course, those two superstars are far from alone this weekend and the action should be glorious. It's my job to tell you which fights are worth watching--and who will win and why. So be a good boy and read on--this week we're doing it Mexican style.
Daniel Jacobs (31-1, 28 KOs) vs. Sergio Mora (28-4-2, 9 KOs) II
Key Info
Date: September 9th
Network: Spike TV
Promoter: King's Promotions/Haymon Boxing
Undercard bouts: Richard Commey (24-0) vs. Robert Easter Jr. (17-0)
Interest Level: Medium
Harsh truth time: No one really cares about Sergio Mora. No one has really cared for years. His continued relevance and uncanny ability to get fights such as this one is perplexing.
His claim to fame is winning a reality show that was cancelled nearly immediately from network TV. He's never been a major ticket seller. His fights have never generated huge ratings. He doesn't hit hard. His lone win in a world title fight was 8 years ago, and he lost the rematch 3 months later.
Over a year ago, he faced Daniel Jacobs in what turned out to be a two round street fight that he lost when his ankle fell apart. With no tuneups or activity of any sort in 13 months, he's somehow scored a rematch with Jacobs. Jacobs was last seen 9 months ago beating Peter Quillin in under 90 seconds. He has fought a whopping 7 minutes, 20 seconds in the last 15 months.
Welcome, friends, to the PBC era.
Jacobs will win again, possibly by KO again, possibly in a matter of moments. That's certainly a possibility. I'm going to guess that he, instead, uses this as a televised sparring session to get some ring time, with Mora fighting in his exasperatingly defensive style. If you aren't good with subtext, I'm saying this could be a lousy, lousy fight.
On the undercard, at least, there's something legitimately interesting! Robert Easter Jr. has looked outstanding thus far in his TV appearances, and as a giant, skilled lightweight, seems destined to do some good things. Richard Commey represents the strong boxing heritage of Ghana. He KOed the durable Bahodir Mamadjonov last year, so he at least competent. Should be a fun fight. Tune in, then find something to stream here on Flo.
Main Event Prediction: Daniel Jacobs by Unanimous Decision
Emmanuel Robles (15-0-1, 5 KOs) vs. Steve Claggett (23-4-1, 16 KOs)
Key Info
Date: September 9th
Network: CBS Sports Network
Promoter: RJJ Boxing
Undercard bouts: Neeco Macias (12-0) vs. Rolando Garza (9-0)
Interest Level: Medium
Mountains should be moved any time you hear that Steve Claggett is fighting on television. One of the best action fighters no one discusses, Claggett has been pitted against an individual best known for his awful hair and some decent wins. Robles isn't a laughable prospect of course. Drawing with Adrian Vargas early in his career is nothing to be ashamed of - they'd never have fought each other if the managers knew what they had. Wins over Yordenis Ugas and Jonathan Chicas are very passable. But Robles doesn't hit hard enough to keep Claggett off of him, so they will trade so many punches for your entertainment.
Main Event Prediction: Steve Claggett by 10th Round KO
Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) vs. Kell Brook (36-0, 25 KOs)
Key Info
Date: September 10th
Network: HBO
Promoter: Matchroom/K2
Undercard bouts: N/A
Interest Level: High
HBO's best overall night of boxing this year starts with this live fight from the O2 Arena in the UK. The crowd is gonna be pumped and ready for this throwback to the old days when champions frequently stepped up in weight to fight the very best. At the very least, Brook appears to be in excellent shape leading into this fight. Of course, he probably should be if he's going to step in the ring with the most dangerous fighter he's ever been anywhere near.
Golovkin, of course, is Golovkin.
Kell Brook likely has faster hand speed than anyone Golovkin has fought, and at welterweight has displayed some degree of power with it. For Brook to win, he will need to provide angles, trick Golovkin with feints, utilize double and triple jabs, and defend impeccably.
Critics point at Brook's poor showing against Carson Jones in their first fight and the difficulty Brook had early with Shawn Porter as strong indicators that he stylistically can't win the fight. But those struggle were against top welterweights--and I don't believe the middleweight class is particularly good overall by comparison. Golovkin's opposition, which generally consists of those desperate enough for a payday to dare face him, is particularly weak under the microscope.
Despite Brook's flaws and lack of prior middleweight experience, there is still a legitimate argument that he's among the best fighters GGG has ever faced. If we hypothesize that at top 5 welterweight fighter in the present day is in fact better than a top 5 middleweight in ring, then we may have a larger working theory to talk about after Saturday night.
All that said, this prediction is, well, predictable. Gennady Golovkin should win. He's extremely talented, he's skilled, he hits extremely hard and he's the bigger man. His biggest flaw is that he's been landed on occasionally when he's in throw down mode--but never by anyone with the power to hurt him.
Main Event Prediction: Gennady Golovkin by 5th Round KO
Carlos Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs) vs. Roman Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs)
Key Info
Date: September 10th
Network: HBO
Promoter: K2/Teiken
Undercard bouts: Yoshihiro Kamegai (28-10-4) vs. Jesus Soto-Karass (26-3-2) II
Interest Level: High
Like with Golovkin, Gonzalez has been utterly dominant for a long time. Unlike Golovkin, Choclatito has beaten the best fighters in every weight class he occupies. In truth, many of the great little men in the post-weight class expansion boxing ran up huge records without ever fighting anyone of quality. Gonzalez has proven to be a dramatic departure from this paradigm--and he again finds himself moving up in weight to fight an individual near the top of the pile.
Carlos Cuadras has a glitzy record, a world title belt, and is recognized universally as a top 3 fighter at super flyweight. He can punch pretty hard, he seems kinda tough, and he's got an outrageously bad case of bacne for someone the size of a horse jockey. But Cuadras can be easily hit and tends to swing wide while dropping his hands. Those are big technical flaws to overcome when you fight someone as skilled as Gonzalez.
Size could be an issue, but once again, we're looking at someone who moving up just 10 pounds from their peak weight, not 30. This will probably be a long form massacre in favor of Gonzalez.
The undercard attraction between Kamegai and Soto-Karass should be a blast, much as the first fight was.
Main Event Prediction: Roman Gonzalez by 9th Round KO
Andy Ruiz (28-0, 19 KOs) vs. Franklin Lawrence (21-2-2, 16 KOs)
Key Info
Date: September 10th
Network: UniMas
Promoter: Top Rank
Undercard bouts: Ray Beltran (30-71-1) vs. Miguel Angel Mendoza (22-8-2)
Interest Level: Medium
A spectacular weekend of action ends with this overlooked card. On the undercard Ray Beltran is the junior welterweight Glen Johnson, and as such he will mow down Miguel Angel Mendoza with incredible efficiency.
The main event is a strange one: Yah-Yah Lawrence is a decent heavyweight who has never had a really good shot at stardom. Andy Ruiz is fat, but passably skilled. He has a fight scheduled for October 29th where Hughie Fury is going to beat the lard out of him. Perhaps this is Lawrence's best hope--that Ruiz will look past him and eat his way out of an opportunity. I'm not swallowing that one.
Main Event Prediction: Andy Ruiz by 6th Round KO (corner stoppage)
Of course, those two superstars are far from alone this weekend and the action should be glorious. It's my job to tell you which fights are worth watching--and who will win and why. So be a good boy and read on--this week we're doing it Mexican style.
Daniel Jacobs (31-1, 28 KOs) vs. Sergio Mora (28-4-2, 9 KOs) II
Key Info
Date: September 9th
Network: Spike TV
Promoter: King's Promotions/Haymon Boxing
Undercard bouts: Richard Commey (24-0) vs. Robert Easter Jr. (17-0)
Interest Level: Medium
Harsh truth time: No one really cares about Sergio Mora. No one has really cared for years. His continued relevance and uncanny ability to get fights such as this one is perplexing.
His claim to fame is winning a reality show that was cancelled nearly immediately from network TV. He's never been a major ticket seller. His fights have never generated huge ratings. He doesn't hit hard. His lone win in a world title fight was 8 years ago, and he lost the rematch 3 months later.
Over a year ago, he faced Daniel Jacobs in what turned out to be a two round street fight that he lost when his ankle fell apart. With no tuneups or activity of any sort in 13 months, he's somehow scored a rematch with Jacobs. Jacobs was last seen 9 months ago beating Peter Quillin in under 90 seconds. He has fought a whopping 7 minutes, 20 seconds in the last 15 months.
Welcome, friends, to the PBC era.
Jacobs will win again, possibly by KO again, possibly in a matter of moments. That's certainly a possibility. I'm going to guess that he, instead, uses this as a televised sparring session to get some ring time, with Mora fighting in his exasperatingly defensive style. If you aren't good with subtext, I'm saying this could be a lousy, lousy fight.
On the undercard, at least, there's something legitimately interesting! Robert Easter Jr. has looked outstanding thus far in his TV appearances, and as a giant, skilled lightweight, seems destined to do some good things. Richard Commey represents the strong boxing heritage of Ghana. He KOed the durable Bahodir Mamadjonov last year, so he at least competent. Should be a fun fight. Tune in, then find something to stream here on Flo.
Main Event Prediction: Daniel Jacobs by Unanimous Decision
Emmanuel Robles (15-0-1, 5 KOs) vs. Steve Claggett (23-4-1, 16 KOs)
Key Info
Date: September 9th
Network: CBS Sports Network
Promoter: RJJ Boxing
Undercard bouts: Neeco Macias (12-0) vs. Rolando Garza (9-0)
Interest Level: Medium
Mountains should be moved any time you hear that Steve Claggett is fighting on television. One of the best action fighters no one discusses, Claggett has been pitted against an individual best known for his awful hair and some decent wins. Robles isn't a laughable prospect of course. Drawing with Adrian Vargas early in his career is nothing to be ashamed of - they'd never have fought each other if the managers knew what they had. Wins over Yordenis Ugas and Jonathan Chicas are very passable. But Robles doesn't hit hard enough to keep Claggett off of him, so they will trade so many punches for your entertainment.
Main Event Prediction: Steve Claggett by 10th Round KO
Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) vs. Kell Brook (36-0, 25 KOs)
Key Info
Date: September 10th
Network: HBO
Promoter: Matchroom/K2
Undercard bouts: N/A
Interest Level: High
HBO's best overall night of boxing this year starts with this live fight from the O2 Arena in the UK. The crowd is gonna be pumped and ready for this throwback to the old days when champions frequently stepped up in weight to fight the very best. At the very least, Brook appears to be in excellent shape leading into this fight. Of course, he probably should be if he's going to step in the ring with the most dangerous fighter he's ever been anywhere near.
Golovkin, of course, is Golovkin.
Kell Brook likely has faster hand speed than anyone Golovkin has fought, and at welterweight has displayed some degree of power with it. For Brook to win, he will need to provide angles, trick Golovkin with feints, utilize double and triple jabs, and defend impeccably.
Critics point at Brook's poor showing against Carson Jones in their first fight and the difficulty Brook had early with Shawn Porter as strong indicators that he stylistically can't win the fight. But those struggle were against top welterweights--and I don't believe the middleweight class is particularly good overall by comparison. Golovkin's opposition, which generally consists of those desperate enough for a payday to dare face him, is particularly weak under the microscope.
Despite Brook's flaws and lack of prior middleweight experience, there is still a legitimate argument that he's among the best fighters GGG has ever faced. If we hypothesize that at top 5 welterweight fighter in the present day is in fact better than a top 5 middleweight in ring, then we may have a larger working theory to talk about after Saturday night.
All that said, this prediction is, well, predictable. Gennady Golovkin should win. He's extremely talented, he's skilled, he hits extremely hard and he's the bigger man. His biggest flaw is that he's been landed on occasionally when he's in throw down mode--but never by anyone with the power to hurt him.
Main Event Prediction: Gennady Golovkin by 5th Round KO
Carlos Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs) vs. Roman Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs)
Key Info
Date: September 10th
Network: HBO
Promoter: K2/Teiken
Undercard bouts: Yoshihiro Kamegai (28-10-4) vs. Jesus Soto-Karass (26-3-2) II
Interest Level: High
Like with Golovkin, Gonzalez has been utterly dominant for a long time. Unlike Golovkin, Choclatito has beaten the best fighters in every weight class he occupies. In truth, many of the great little men in the post-weight class expansion boxing ran up huge records without ever fighting anyone of quality. Gonzalez has proven to be a dramatic departure from this paradigm--and he again finds himself moving up in weight to fight an individual near the top of the pile.
Carlos Cuadras has a glitzy record, a world title belt, and is recognized universally as a top 3 fighter at super flyweight. He can punch pretty hard, he seems kinda tough, and he's got an outrageously bad case of bacne for someone the size of a horse jockey. But Cuadras can be easily hit and tends to swing wide while dropping his hands. Those are big technical flaws to overcome when you fight someone as skilled as Gonzalez.
Size could be an issue, but once again, we're looking at someone who moving up just 10 pounds from their peak weight, not 30. This will probably be a long form massacre in favor of Gonzalez.
The undercard attraction between Kamegai and Soto-Karass should be a blast, much as the first fight was.
Main Event Prediction: Roman Gonzalez by 9th Round KO
Andy Ruiz (28-0, 19 KOs) vs. Franklin Lawrence (21-2-2, 16 KOs)
Key Info
Date: September 10th
Network: UniMas
Promoter: Top Rank
Undercard bouts: Ray Beltran (30-71-1) vs. Miguel Angel Mendoza (22-8-2)
Interest Level: Medium
A spectacular weekend of action ends with this overlooked card. On the undercard Ray Beltran is the junior welterweight Glen Johnson, and as such he will mow down Miguel Angel Mendoza with incredible efficiency.
The main event is a strange one: Yah-Yah Lawrence is a decent heavyweight who has never had a really good shot at stardom. Andy Ruiz is fat, but passably skilled. He has a fight scheduled for October 29th where Hughie Fury is going to beat the lard out of him. Perhaps this is Lawrence's best hope--that Ruiz will look past him and eat his way out of an opportunity. I'm not swallowing that one.
Main Event Prediction: Andy Ruiz by 6th Round KO (corner stoppage)