Gary Russell Jr 24-0(14 Ko) vs
Vasyl Lomachenko 1-1(1 KO)
One of the most interesting
fights of the year. Both guys were great amateur prospects. One guy has
actually been in 24 fights in the pros whereas the other guy has only been 2,
but somehow has already gotten title shots. Here are the positives. Russell Jr
has great speed, arguably the best hand speed in boxing. He has a good jab and
good punch variety and some pop. Lomachenko has good speed(not on Russell’s
level) and good movement as well as a well-rounded arsenal of punches. The criticisms
might be that Russell Jr. hasn’t exactly faced anyone of note in 24 fights so
we don’t know how tested he really is. Lomachenko himself, has been thrust into
2 title shots in a row to start his professional career.
I expect nothing less than an
amazing fight here. For GRJ, I think he needs to just keep his output high and
at range in the center of the ring, which shouldn’t be a problem for him. I’ve
seen some lulls for Lomachenko offensively if engaged and a lot of times he
thinks a bit too much and doesn’t throw(at least what I’ve seen in his 2 fights
in the pros). There are gonna be a good amount of chances for Russell to
counter since we know Lomachenko most of the time is using his head movement
and foot movement to press forward and set up his offense.
Lomachenko has fought a lot of
amateur fights. He was 396-1 I believe, so he has seen probably almost every
style there is. But as we know, the pros are a completely different animal. Though
he has great speed, Russell isn’t exactly the slickest boxer out there. I think
Lomachenko has really good body work and that’s where he can be really
effective against Russell. If and when he pushes him to the ropes he can really
get some good work to the body, leading to some more big shots up top.
I think it’s fair to say Lomachenko
has fought better opposition even in only 2 fights in the pros and this should
be Russell’s toughest fight. I also think it’s fair to say that maybe
Lomachenko should be getting himself more acclimated to the pro life instead of
rushing into big fights so soon. I just
think the odds really should be more even here and Russell is slightly more
gifted.
Russell Jr. +160. I see 12 rounds here.
Robert Guerrero vs Yoshihiro Kamegai
Don’t call it a comeback! Guerrero
has been chillin for the past year ever since he got outboxed badly against
Floyd Mayweather Jr. I guess when you go from what you’re making normally to in
the millions, going back to the drawing board doesn’t seem like a proposition
you want to find yourself in. So, he turned down a couple fights, notably one
with Keith Thurman. So here we are, all these months later, Robert Guerrero
finding himself in the ring with a boxer not many people really know of for a
tune up fight. I don’t know why people act like Guerrero isn’t a really good
fighter. He’s a multiple division champion(though belts sure are easy to come
by nowadays lol) and only has 2 losses on his record. It’s pretty easy for
anyone to look really bad against Floyd.
Listen man, I feel like Guerrero
is the better boxer here by a lot, as well as inside fighter and he should also
have a slight speed advantage. Kamegai is a straight forward fighter. He has
power, he has a decent variety on his punches. I don’t see much of a jab from
him or defense. I think there are more ways for Guerrero to win this but I
think Kamegai should try the uppercut. I’ve seen Guerrero get hit with that a
lot his last few fights, mainly against Berto and Aydin. Kamegai also needs to
be first in his exchanges and try to avoid tie ups.
You can’t underestimate the
effects of a layoff as long as Guerrero took. I think we’ve seen that enough in
boxing. He is the favorite, though, and the better fighter.
Guerrero by KO
Devon Alexander vs Jesus Soto
Karass
This fight here is a good fight
for Alexander who’s coming off a loss, and yet another chance for career
journeyman Soto Karass to possibly score a big win over a notable fighter. I
never really liked Alexander after watching him get thoroughly outboxed against
Kotelnik, but get the win. And then it happened again against Lucas Matthysse! The guy’s style is actually effective but
really boring to watch; he even managed to dominate and make a Maidana fight
really bad looking. In Alexander’s last fight, a loss to Shawn Porter, he was
manhandled on the inside by a stronger fighter and beaten to the punch. Can
Soto Karass do this? Eh. Big win against Berto, but Berto has never shown
himself to be a good inside fighter. And then there’s the thing about him
getting hit in the face and body way too easily. It’s gonna be an ugly fight
that I expect the better, younger fighter to win. Ugly fight.
Alexander -850
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