Silkov's Predictions
June 8, 2013
Tonight there are some interesting fights taking place, I’m going to take a little look at my pick of the bunch, and give a prediction as to what kind of results we might see….
Chad Dawson 31(17 koes) -2 vs. Adonis Stevenson 20(17koes) -1… WBC World Light-Heavyweight Title… Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada…
This is an interesting match up… Dawson is coming off a demoralizing defeat at the hands of Andre Ward, after stepping down to 168 to challenge the hugely talented Ward. It was a brave decision for Dawson to step down in weight, but backfired badly, as he was floored 3 times and outclassed by Ward. How much, if anything, the Ward loss has taken out of Dawson, we will be able to see when he takes on the big punching Stevenson. If he is on form, Dawson should be able to outbox Adonis, in what will be a tough fight for sure. I’m going for a Dawson win on points here, after weathering some awkward moments.
On the undercard of Dawson vs. Stevenson, Yuriorkis Gamboa 22(16koes) -0 takes on Darleys Perez 28(19 koes)-0...
This is Cuban born Gamboa’s first go at the 135 division and is for something called the Interim WBA Lightweight title… like there isn’t enough titles around already. Gamboa is highly talented, but has been very inactive lately and is in danger of becoming one of Boxings wasted talents. Gamboa should win this fight, probably on points, but moving up in weight can be a dangerous game and the Cuban needs to look better than he did in his last fight against Michael Ferenas.
Marco Huck 35(25koes)-2-1 vs. Ola Afolabi 19(9koes)-2-4.… WBO World Cruiserweight Championship… Max Schmeling Hall, Berlin, Germany…
This fight has all the makings of a good scrap, both men have met twice before, which should spice things up nicely. Both of their previous fights have been closely contested and controversial, with Huck winning a 12 round decision in their first clash in 2009 and then both men having to be content with a draw in their second fight last year. Their fight last year was a gruelling struggle, with some great toe-to-toe exchanges and tonight’s fight promises to be a similar affair. These two boxers are evenly matched, with different styles, which gel together well, perhaps the biggest advantage is held by Huck as they will be fighting in front of his adoring German fans, and as the saying goes, Afolabi may need a knockout to get a draw.
I think this will be another closely fought match with Huck edging out a close and probably controversial points winner.
Marcos Rene Maidana 33(30 koes)-3 vs. Josesito Lopez 30(18koes)-5... WBA Intercontinental Welterweight Championship… Home Depot Centre, Carson, California…
Another good match-up here, say what you like about boxing, but this year we are certainly seeing some good fights and good match-ups. It’s a shame we can’t get rid of most of the tinsel titles and kick the manipulative world boxing bodies into touch. Good fights don’t need fake world championship titles, unfortunately, certain people need their pockets lined with moolah, and most fighters feel they need a title, often any title, in order to get decent paydays, so the title charade goes on.
Back to this fight, it’s for an ’intercontinental’ belt, but it’s a match-up that doesn’t need a fake title. Both men are big hitters with a reputation of going to war in fights, and this could be a fight of the year candidate if both men come in on top form. Maidana has the better resume, having fought the likes of Amir Khan, Devon Alexander, Erik Morales and Victor Ortiz. Joseito Lopez has less experience at the top and really came into contendership from nowhere, when he forced Victor Ortiz to pull out of their fight last year with a broken jaw. Ironically, it was a TKO win over Ortiz some years ago which proved to be the break out win for Maidana. Putting these two together, Maidana looks to be the bigger puncher, while Lopez seems to have an edge in boxing skills. One of the big questions hanging over this fight is whether Lopez’s last fight, an ill advised jump to Light-Middle that saw him stopped in 5 rounds by Saul Alvarez, will have had any permanent physical or mental affects upon Lopez. If so, then this could be bad news for Lopez when coming up against someone like Maidana.
I actually see Maidana being too strong for Lopez in this match and think he will grind out a late stoppage win which might be more one-sided than people are predicting.
There are two good fights on the undercard of Maidana vs. Lopez…
Erislandy Lara 17(11 koes)-1-2 vs. Alfredo Angulo 22(18koes)-2.…. This bout pits the slick and tricky Lara against the big punching Angulo… this could be a classic boxer vs. puncher confrontation… Angulo though seems to lack those higher gears and his predictable style is in many ways made for Lara. Providing he doesn’t get careless and allow himself to get tagged, I think Lara will out-box Angulo here for a comfortable decision win. Angulo will have a puncher’s chance right until the end and will be especially dangerous early.
Oh and this fight is for the Interim WBA Light-Middleweight title, for anyone who cares.
Sakio Bika 31(21 koes)-5-2 vs. Marco Antonio Periban 20(13koes)-0
This fight is what could be called a WBC special… basically Jose Sulaiman, in his infinite wisdom, chose to strip Andre Ward of his Championship belt due to Ward being out of action though injury for the past 9 months. Sulaiman, being the saint that he is, did offer Ward the honour of being ‘Champion in recess,’ but Ward turned down this little gift of Jose’s and chose instead to vacate the WBC title completely. Very admirable of Ward, one just hopes he is not left out in the cold due to his attack of principles. So, here we end up with the rugged Bika whose been around the block a number of times, (and was well-beaten by Ward a few years back) taking on the unbeaten, but largely untested Periban, for the ‘Vacant’ WBC World Super-Middleweight championship. It’s ironic and a little sad that a boxing bill like this, which shows on one hand the best of boxing, (two exciting fighters coming together against one another) is also showing us boxing at its worst in this stage managed ‘world title’ fight. The match itself seems to be an even one with Bika, the much more experienced and battle hardened, while we don’t really know yet how good Periban is, but so far he really doesn’t seem to be anything special at all. I see this being a close fight with Periban taking a close and probably controversial points decision. Whoever does win, this ‘title’ will most like find themselves spoon fed to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. within the next 6 months, when little Julio decides that absolutely nothing at all can help him get down to 160 pounds anymore. Don’t worry Junior; Jose is looking out for you.
Not to forget also…
Lenny Daws 25(10koes)-2-2 vs. Michele Dirocco 34(15 koes)-1-1 European Light-Welterweight Championship, Palasport, Puglia, Italy…
After a number of cancellations and postponements, Lenny Daws is finally getting his shot against Dirocco for the European Championship. With all the titles being handed out these days, the European title still hold some prestige and history and this fight is a great opportunity for the veteran Daws, who has twice held the British Light-Welterweight title in the past. Winning titles in Italy is no easy thing and Lenny may need an inside-the-distance victory here, as if the fight is anywhere near, close then Dirocco will most likely reap the benefits of home advantage.
Daws is a very fit and hardworking battler and looks like he will need to have all his fitness and strength here in order to force a high pace and perhaps a late stoppage victory. If this fight goes the distance then I can only see Dirocco getting the verdict… albeit probably controversially.
Let’s not forget the bill at The Glow, Bluewater, Kent, England….The main bout that I wrote about earlier in the week, featuring James Degale 15(10)-1 vs. Stjepan Bozic 26(17koes)-6 for Degales Silver Super-Middleweight title. Degale should win this fight with little trouble and to be honest, anything less than an inside the distance win, will be a poor performance from ‘Chunky’. I see Degale winning this in about 5 or 6 rounds.
Some of the other fighters featured on this bill are…
Chris Eubank jr 9(4koes)-0 vs. Tyan Booth 11(2koes)-9-2...Super-Middleweight… Eubank jr takes on the tough Booth…. Eubank Jr. is coming on quite nicely at this stage of his career, and while its too early to say whether he can reach the fistic heights that his father reached, he certainly looks good enough to get into British and European Championship class at the moment. This looks like a late stoppage victory for Eubank Jr.
Kid Galahad 13(6koes)-0 vs. Isaac Nettey 21(11koes)-8-1.…Super-Bantamweight… Kid Galahad is a fast rising boxer with a catchy name, and is mixing in pretty good domestic class already. Nettey is a tough journeyman who lost a Commonwealth title fight to Rendall Munroe a few years back, Galahad should get a comfortable win but it will be interesting to see if Galahad can become the first to beat Netty inside the distance. I have a feeling he will.
Hughie Fury 4(3koes)-0 vs. Ladislav Kovarik 10(5koes)-14-0.…. Heavyweight… Yes yet another Fury is loose within the pugilistic world!
Hughie is the cousin of world ranked Tyson Fury, but at just 18 years of age, has some way to go before he is anywhere near the sort of level that his older cousin has reached. This is another fight for Fury to pad out his record and gain a few more professional rounds. Kovarik is fairly durable, so a quick win for Hughie would be impressive, although learning wise he might be better off going a few rounds. I see this as a Fury win in 3 rounds.
Ok so there they are, let’s break out the beers or orange juice, (or rather tea in my case!) and settle down to some decent action tonight….
Chad Dawson 31(17 koes) -2 vs. Adonis Stevenson 20(17koes) -1… WBC World Light-Heavyweight Title… Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada…
This is an interesting match up… Dawson is coming off a demoralizing defeat at the hands of Andre Ward, after stepping down to 168 to challenge the hugely talented Ward. It was a brave decision for Dawson to step down in weight, but backfired badly, as he was floored 3 times and outclassed by Ward. How much, if anything, the Ward loss has taken out of Dawson, we will be able to see when he takes on the big punching Stevenson. If he is on form, Dawson should be able to outbox Adonis, in what will be a tough fight for sure. I’m going for a Dawson win on points here, after weathering some awkward moments.
On the undercard of Dawson vs. Stevenson, Yuriorkis Gamboa 22(16koes) -0 takes on Darleys Perez 28(19 koes)-0...
This is Cuban born Gamboa’s first go at the 135 division and is for something called the Interim WBA Lightweight title… like there isn’t enough titles around already. Gamboa is highly talented, but has been very inactive lately and is in danger of becoming one of Boxings wasted talents. Gamboa should win this fight, probably on points, but moving up in weight can be a dangerous game and the Cuban needs to look better than he did in his last fight against Michael Ferenas.
Marco Huck 35(25koes)-2-1 vs. Ola Afolabi 19(9koes)-2-4.… WBO World Cruiserweight Championship… Max Schmeling Hall, Berlin, Germany…
This fight has all the makings of a good scrap, both men have met twice before, which should spice things up nicely. Both of their previous fights have been closely contested and controversial, with Huck winning a 12 round decision in their first clash in 2009 and then both men having to be content with a draw in their second fight last year. Their fight last year was a gruelling struggle, with some great toe-to-toe exchanges and tonight’s fight promises to be a similar affair. These two boxers are evenly matched, with different styles, which gel together well, perhaps the biggest advantage is held by Huck as they will be fighting in front of his adoring German fans, and as the saying goes, Afolabi may need a knockout to get a draw.
I think this will be another closely fought match with Huck edging out a close and probably controversial points winner.
Marcos Rene Maidana 33(30 koes)-3 vs. Josesito Lopez 30(18koes)-5... WBA Intercontinental Welterweight Championship… Home Depot Centre, Carson, California…
Another good match-up here, say what you like about boxing, but this year we are certainly seeing some good fights and good match-ups. It’s a shame we can’t get rid of most of the tinsel titles and kick the manipulative world boxing bodies into touch. Good fights don’t need fake world championship titles, unfortunately, certain people need their pockets lined with moolah, and most fighters feel they need a title, often any title, in order to get decent paydays, so the title charade goes on.
Back to this fight, it’s for an ’intercontinental’ belt, but it’s a match-up that doesn’t need a fake title. Both men are big hitters with a reputation of going to war in fights, and this could be a fight of the year candidate if both men come in on top form. Maidana has the better resume, having fought the likes of Amir Khan, Devon Alexander, Erik Morales and Victor Ortiz. Joseito Lopez has less experience at the top and really came into contendership from nowhere, when he forced Victor Ortiz to pull out of their fight last year with a broken jaw. Ironically, it was a TKO win over Ortiz some years ago which proved to be the break out win for Maidana. Putting these two together, Maidana looks to be the bigger puncher, while Lopez seems to have an edge in boxing skills. One of the big questions hanging over this fight is whether Lopez’s last fight, an ill advised jump to Light-Middle that saw him stopped in 5 rounds by Saul Alvarez, will have had any permanent physical or mental affects upon Lopez. If so, then this could be bad news for Lopez when coming up against someone like Maidana.
I actually see Maidana being too strong for Lopez in this match and think he will grind out a late stoppage win which might be more one-sided than people are predicting.
There are two good fights on the undercard of Maidana vs. Lopez…
Erislandy Lara 17(11 koes)-1-2 vs. Alfredo Angulo 22(18koes)-2.…. This bout pits the slick and tricky Lara against the big punching Angulo… this could be a classic boxer vs. puncher confrontation… Angulo though seems to lack those higher gears and his predictable style is in many ways made for Lara. Providing he doesn’t get careless and allow himself to get tagged, I think Lara will out-box Angulo here for a comfortable decision win. Angulo will have a puncher’s chance right until the end and will be especially dangerous early.
Oh and this fight is for the Interim WBA Light-Middleweight title, for anyone who cares.
Sakio Bika 31(21 koes)-5-2 vs. Marco Antonio Periban 20(13koes)-0
This fight is what could be called a WBC special… basically Jose Sulaiman, in his infinite wisdom, chose to strip Andre Ward of his Championship belt due to Ward being out of action though injury for the past 9 months. Sulaiman, being the saint that he is, did offer Ward the honour of being ‘Champion in recess,’ but Ward turned down this little gift of Jose’s and chose instead to vacate the WBC title completely. Very admirable of Ward, one just hopes he is not left out in the cold due to his attack of principles. So, here we end up with the rugged Bika whose been around the block a number of times, (and was well-beaten by Ward a few years back) taking on the unbeaten, but largely untested Periban, for the ‘Vacant’ WBC World Super-Middleweight championship. It’s ironic and a little sad that a boxing bill like this, which shows on one hand the best of boxing, (two exciting fighters coming together against one another) is also showing us boxing at its worst in this stage managed ‘world title’ fight. The match itself seems to be an even one with Bika, the much more experienced and battle hardened, while we don’t really know yet how good Periban is, but so far he really doesn’t seem to be anything special at all. I see this being a close fight with Periban taking a close and probably controversial points decision. Whoever does win, this ‘title’ will most like find themselves spoon fed to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. within the next 6 months, when little Julio decides that absolutely nothing at all can help him get down to 160 pounds anymore. Don’t worry Junior; Jose is looking out for you.
Not to forget also…
Lenny Daws 25(10koes)-2-2 vs. Michele Dirocco 34(15 koes)-1-1 European Light-Welterweight Championship, Palasport, Puglia, Italy…
After a number of cancellations and postponements, Lenny Daws is finally getting his shot against Dirocco for the European Championship. With all the titles being handed out these days, the European title still hold some prestige and history and this fight is a great opportunity for the veteran Daws, who has twice held the British Light-Welterweight title in the past. Winning titles in Italy is no easy thing and Lenny may need an inside-the-distance victory here, as if the fight is anywhere near, close then Dirocco will most likely reap the benefits of home advantage.
Daws is a very fit and hardworking battler and looks like he will need to have all his fitness and strength here in order to force a high pace and perhaps a late stoppage victory. If this fight goes the distance then I can only see Dirocco getting the verdict… albeit probably controversially.
Let’s not forget the bill at The Glow, Bluewater, Kent, England….The main bout that I wrote about earlier in the week, featuring James Degale 15(10)-1 vs. Stjepan Bozic 26(17koes)-6 for Degales Silver Super-Middleweight title. Degale should win this fight with little trouble and to be honest, anything less than an inside the distance win, will be a poor performance from ‘Chunky’. I see Degale winning this in about 5 or 6 rounds.
Some of the other fighters featured on this bill are…
Chris Eubank jr 9(4koes)-0 vs. Tyan Booth 11(2koes)-9-2...Super-Middleweight… Eubank jr takes on the tough Booth…. Eubank Jr. is coming on quite nicely at this stage of his career, and while its too early to say whether he can reach the fistic heights that his father reached, he certainly looks good enough to get into British and European Championship class at the moment. This looks like a late stoppage victory for Eubank Jr.
Kid Galahad 13(6koes)-0 vs. Isaac Nettey 21(11koes)-8-1.…Super-Bantamweight… Kid Galahad is a fast rising boxer with a catchy name, and is mixing in pretty good domestic class already. Nettey is a tough journeyman who lost a Commonwealth title fight to Rendall Munroe a few years back, Galahad should get a comfortable win but it will be interesting to see if Galahad can become the first to beat Netty inside the distance. I have a feeling he will.
Hughie Fury 4(3koes)-0 vs. Ladislav Kovarik 10(5koes)-14-0.…. Heavyweight… Yes yet another Fury is loose within the pugilistic world!
Hughie is the cousin of world ranked Tyson Fury, but at just 18 years of age, has some way to go before he is anywhere near the sort of level that his older cousin has reached. This is another fight for Fury to pad out his record and gain a few more professional rounds. Kovarik is fairly durable, so a quick win for Hughie would be impressive, although learning wise he might be better off going a few rounds. I see this as a Fury win in 3 rounds.
Ok so there they are, let’s break out the beers or orange juice, (or rather tea in my case!) and settle down to some decent action tonight….
Copyright © 2013 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved.
Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com
Nice art, Peter, very nice
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