John Docherty versus Anthony Fox breakdown.

This is the first big step up for John Docherty and will really show us just how good he is and if he’s ready to move on to the next level. Anthony Fox is a good domestic gatekeeper.

John Docherty is a solid Super Middleweight who has looked perfect in his 8-0 career so far. He has good power and is very aggressive but doesn’t look defensively irresponsible though that might be due to the level of competition hes faced.

Anthony Fox is a solid guy that has beat some good domestic names but usually loses to the top prospects hes faces. Hes very tough and holds more power and skill than his record suggests. He should have got the win over Danny Dignum.

I think John Docherty will struggle in places but will win enough rounds to take the victory due to his impressive amateur pedigree and power. I am rooting for Fox to win because he always has to take fights on the road.

Felix Cash versus Jason Welborn breakdown

This should be a fun fight and also a good test for Felix Cash too see if he’s ready to move on to European level or not. Jason Welborn needs to win this fight if he’s going to be anything but a gatekeeper at this point in his career. I’m not going to break down this fight as to who has the better jab etc because I don’t necessarily think those factors will matter too much in this fight as I expect a bit of a slug fest. Both are known for being in good fights and with this being one of Welborn’s last chances at a title I expect him to really go for it.

Felix Cash is a decently big middleweight who seems to carry good power and strength. He’s shown he has a good chin in the Jack Cullen fight where he took some good punches. That fight did show his defence isn’t the greatest but I thought it also showed a lot of positives to his game. It showed he can dig deep and is willing to battle it out over an extended period of time without quitting which will be important in this fight. It also showed that he doesn’t fade badly in the latter stages of fights as he started to come on stronger in the last few rounds of that fight. He also does have good technical skills and was a solid amateur.

Jason Welborn is a veteran who has been fighting the best domestically for more than a decade. He switches between middleweight and Super Welterweight and while he says he feels stronger at middleweight I think he’s more suited to Super Welter. He has a lot of miles on the clock as he started his career in 2005 and has been in a lot of wars since. He has pulled off upsets before but these were earlier in his career and also against guys that arn’t as good as Cash. He earned himself a world title shot versus Jarrett Hurd and performed well before being stopped by a body shot where I thought he could potentially have got back up and earlier in his career I think he likely would have done. In his last fight he was also stopped by a body shot off of JJ Metcalf. Before he was KO’d that fight was competitive though it did look like it was only going to end one way. Recently Welborn has admitted he could have got up but decided not too because he felt the referee wasn’t warning Metcalf for low blows and decided he wasn’t gonna take more punches just to make it entertaining. I think that nearing the end of his career he’s lost a step and can’t go through the gears anymore and isn’t as willing to tough it out as he was earlier in his career. He has said he’s motivated again but until I see him put that into action in the ring I’m not sure how truthful he is being.

I think Felix Cash will win because he’s the bigger, hungrier fresher fighter who has shown he can go into deep waters and stay swimming. Eddie Hearn keeps saying Welborn will test if Cash can tough it out 8 or 9 rounds in but he’s already shown he can and at this point I think it’s Welborn who needs to show he can still tough it out at the end of his career.

Shannon Courtenay versus Rachel Ball breakdown

This should be a very competitive fight and really is the perfect fight for both. Courtenay hasn’t really fought anyone yet and needs a major step up fight and Rachel Ball is a good fighter who could really progress her career if she wins live on Sky Sports.

Courtenay normally boxes on the front foot when her opponents arn’t great and stalks them down while throwing a variety of shots to the body and head. I don’t think she jabs enough and her defence isn’t great as shown in the Jasmina Nad fight where Nad was landing at will. I think she is stuck between styles as sometimes she’ll come forward winging in shots like a Brawler and other times she’ll try to bounce around with her hands low like Josh Kelly does and this makes sense as she’s trained by Adam Booth who also trains Josh Kelly. I don’t think she fights well when put under consistent pressure and this was shown in the Nad fight where she was pushed back and was lucky to get the win and not a draw.

Rachel Ball is tall for the weight and has good technical skills after coming from a kick boxing background. She has a good jab which seems to have some power on it as opponents have to reset and think twice before lunging in. She also has a nice 1’2 and hooks when her opponents get into range. She’s decently defensively and has much better foot work than anyone Courtenay has faced. Ball has also faced a good level of competition and arguably should have beat Katharina Thanderz who is one of the best in the division.

I think Rachel Ball should win a decision here because I think she’s the more experienced fighter who also has a better jab and the height advantage. I think she’s a better technical boxer than Courtenay and is used to going longer into fights. I would be very surprised if she got the decision however as she’s not the home fighter and with her likely boxing on the back foot it gives the judges an excuse to score against her without getting called out for corruption.

Ryo Sagawa versus Yuri Takemoto breakdown

Ryo Sagawa has come back from an early set back and now looks to be one of Japan’s best prospect’s. I think with the right fights he’s only 3 or 4 fights away from a world title shot. Takemoto has also come back from early setbacks but hasn’t faced the level of competition that Sagawa has.

Sagawa has a good jab which he throws relatively often and it seems to have some force behind it rather than it being a pawing jab to keep opponents off of him. I think he has a really good straight right hand which seems very accurate and also seems to have some decent power behind it. He’s not a massive combination puncher and will often throw lead hooks instead of putting them behind a jab. I think his hooks can be a bit wide sometimes though it does seem to suit his style of boxing. I also think his defence is good especially for the level he’s fighting at and I think Takemoto will struggle to land on him.

Yuri Takemoto isn’t a bad fighter but I don’t really think he does anything better than Sagawa. He’s struggled against lesser opposition than Sagawa and while he’s been improving I think this fight is a little too early for him. Sagawa is getting close to fringe world level while Takemoto is definitely still a domestic fighter. He is a southpaw which could trouble Sagawa a little bit as there arn’t a lot of southpaws around so boxers arn’t used to fighting them. I think he does possess some power so if he can catch Sagawa clean he could stop him as we know Sagawa has been stopped before though that was a long time ago.

I think Ryo Sagawa will win this fight by decision as I think he’s the more refined and experienced fighter. The only reason I don’t think he’ll stop Takemoto is because I expect Takemoto to perform better in this fight than previous fights and Sagawa isn’t a massive puncher.

Sahir Iqbal versus Maredudd Thomas breakdown.

This is the most competitive fight on the MTK card on Wednesday night. Both fighters are undefeated with Iqbal being 7-0 and Maredudd being 11-0.

Iqbal has a decent jab and works to the body and head well. He seems quite tall for the weight and usually uses his height to his advantage. Due to him only fighting Journeymen so far its hard to break down how he’ll fight when someone is actually trying to win. The closest we’ve seen to that is him fighting Serge Ambomo who really pushed him and was landing heavy shots especially late in the fight. Hopefully Iqbal has improved from that fight as he looked good early on but got tired and started to get hit a lot for someone with his amateur background.

Maredudd Thomas has a nice jab which he uses often and so his opponents struggle to get their punches off as they constantly have to reset. He throws nice combinations though doesn’t throw to the body all that often. He seems to be physically strong and walks his opponents down behind a strong jab. He also seems to have solid defence as his hands are always high and he doesn’t stay in range unless he’s throwing punches himself which gives his opponents less chance to hit him. He seems to have decent stamina though he’s only gone 6 rounds so far so he hasn’t been tested that much.

I think Maredudd Thomas will win because he’ll be pressing the action and has the better defence of the two. I think his jab is also better and he should be able to establish it after 3 or 4 rounds when Iqbal slows down. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Thomas wins this fight by stoppage however if Iqbal has improved his defence from his last fight then I think Thomas wins by competitive decision.

Craig Maclntyre versus Ischmael Ellis breakdown

This is a nice fight which should be competitive. Maclntyre should be the slight favourite as he’s the natural 140 pounder who has also had more notice while Ellis is taking this fight on short notice. Both have had a few competitive fights where they haven’t looked the best and this is a fight where the winner will get the backing of MTK while the loser goes down to area level.

Maclntyre is tall for the weight class but doesn’t really use his height that well as he falls in with his punches. He sets most of his stuff up with his jab (which isn’t very powerful) and loves to throw 1-2’s again and again. He also sticks his jab in his opponents face and keeps it there before throwing a punch to the body. He only really throws combinations when his opponent is on the ropes from the footage I’ve watched. I do like how much he goes to the body but I think he needs to add more variation to his punching as he’s very predictable. I don’t think his defence is great as he keeps his head on the center line constantly and also has his hands quite low so it’s easy for people to counter him. I’ve watched him get countered by Journeymen who didn’t have to work hard to hit him. He also pulls back in straight lines so any pressure fighter won’t have any trouble finding him with their punches.

Ischmael Ellis is 11-2 and coming off a loss though it was a close fight. He has a decent jab though from what I’ve seen it doesn’t land on his opponents all that often. When he wants to go on the offence he jumps in and throws a few hooks before getting out of range. The majority of the time he’s stood just outside of punching range waiting for something to happen. I don’t like how much he waits and how inactive he is in between small bursts of punches. I don’t think he’s particularly hard to hit though he does normally keeps his hands relatively high which is a good sign. The problem is when he rushes in his chin is high in the air and if he gets countered by a good shot I can see him being knocked down or even knocked out.

I think Craig Maclntyre will win this fight due to being the taller and more active man who is used to fighting at 140 pounds. I also think that he’ll be able to establish his jab and land his 1’2’s throughout the fight. He may get caught pulling out as he does pull straight back and Ellis likes to rush in but Ellis lacks the power to hurt him. Ellis also doesn’t do these marauding charges forward enough to steal the 5 rounds he needs to win this fight. Maclntyre will win by decision though it will be competitive.

Naoya Inoue versus Jason Moloney in the works.

Mike Coppinger has reported that Inoue and Moloney are in talks for a fight that will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN+. No date or location has been talked about publicly yet but I do know that Top Rank wanted to bring Inoue over to fight in the USA pre-pandemic. It wouldn’t surprise me if this fight occurred in Japan though as they have started having boxing matches and actually had a limited crowd at one of their events recently.

I think this is a good fight and Jason Moloney is a top 10 Bantamweight who deserves his shot. I also think it’s a good fight for Inoue’s legacy as it really starts to flesh out his resume at Bantamweight. It’s a shame that the Casimero fight isn’t happening but if Inoue wins this fight hopefully it can be rescheduled for next year. From talking to people it seems that Top Rank have chosen Moloney because hes willing to take less money than Casimero and Casimero isn’t willing to take a pay cut which is fair enough but means he won’t be fighting during a pandemic.

I’m just glad Inoue is going to get a fight in this year as it was looking like he was going to sit on the shelf all year as Top Rank messed around with trying to get people to take pay cuts.

Sean McComb versus Siar Ozgul breakdown

This should be another good test for Sean McComb who appears to be one of the fighters that MTK are pushing the most. Ozgul in recent years has been given opportunities as the B-side to good prospects or high level guys and he’s in a similar situation here.

Siar Ozgul isn’t a bad fighter and is improving because of the experience he’s gained by fighting top level guys like Victor Postol. He’s got a decent chin but nothing special and I’ve seen him hurt multiple times. He has a decent jab and can box on the back foot using lateral movement well for 5 or 6 rounds before getting tired. Apart from that he doesn’t do anything special or anything to a high standard which is expected of a tough guy that hasn’t got to British level yet. I don’t think he has huge power either But he does have a lot of heart and is willing to fight anyone something which a lot of fighters in this era won’t do.

Sean McComb has looked very good In his pro career so far. He goes to the body well and this seems to really sap his opponents and helps him finish fights. he generally throws in combination and has some decent power in his left hand. He can box on the back foot as shown in his fight versus Renald Garrido who put him under constant pressure for 8 rounds. He performed well in that fight and was tagging Garrido constantly though noticeably got tired later on and in my opinion gave one or two rounds away though still clearly won the fight. He’s quite good defensively though like all fighters is much easier to hit when he gets tired and also lies on the ropes when he gets tired which is a bad habit. He has been dropped with a body shot once but was never in any real trouble of getting stopped. This could be a problem later in his career if its a reoccurring thing but as of right now I think it was just a very good bodyshot and he wisely took a knee and recovered.

I think Sean McComb should pass this test and beat Siar Ozgul by decision. He could get the stoppage but I think Ozgul has the experience to get through 10 rounds with McComb though earlier in his career before the Postol fights I imagine he’d lose by KO. My reasoning for McComb winning is he’s simply the better boxer who’s been known to go to the body versus a guy who’s been known to fade late in fights and also doesn’t have the Power to turn the fight around.

Jono Carroll versus Maxi Hughes breakdown

I’m not going to lie and try to sell this as a competitive fight as really this is a tune up fight for Carroll before moving onto bigger fights next year. Maxi Hughes is a decent domestic fighter but in recent years has shown he gets beat by the top fighters at British level.

Jono Carroll lacks any real power and only stopped Scott Quigg because his corner threw in the towel after a one sided fight. Carroll has shown he has good boxing skills and also a decent chin though he was dazed by Tevin Farmer who isn’t much of a puncher himself. He can box off the back foot and pick his opponents off using single shots and good lateral movement though he doesn’t always use this style. When he fought Tevin Farmer he chose to get into a phone booth war where he came off second best and got tired in the latter rounds. In that fight his defence wasn’t good but in other fights he’s slipping shots and using his feet so its mostly up to him how much he gets hit. I imagine he’ll choose to fight more on the front foot in this fight as Maxi Hughes shouldn’t be on his level.

Maxi Hughes is a decent boxer who is likely past the peak of his career when he was earning draws with talent such as Martin Joseph Ward. Maxi Hughes doesn’t have a great defence and Carroll should be able to catch him all night as he has the faster hands. Hughes was stopped by Sam Bowen due to a relentless body attack that eventually saw him take a knee twice before being retired by the doctor because of a swelling over his eye. I don’t think this means he’s weak to the body as Bowen is a big puncher who puts a large focus on body work. Maxi Hughes does occasionally have some good upper body movement but like his offence it isn’t consistent enough to win him rounds. He can time people with his jab but he needs to put something behind it more and in my opinion commit to his shots more as I feel he bounces around too much instead of planting his feet. He sometimes jumps at his opponents while throwing shots which leaves him open to counters and considering he carries very little power this doesn’t benefit him all that much.

I think Jono Carroll should win a comfortable decision or perhaps a very late stoppage if it gets very one sided as he’s the superior boxer who has a lot of momentum behind him. I don’t see Maxi Hughes pulling off the upset as he’s not active enough and lacks the power to keep Carroll honest.

Pierce O’Leary versus Jacob Quinn breakdown.

This is the first step up fight for O’Leary who has only faced journeymen so far in his 4 fight pro career. Jacob Quinn is also 4-0 so this is a very good match up between two unbeaten prospects.

Pierce O’Leary has substantial power though his record doesn’t show it because he’s only fought very tough journeymen who come to survive and not fight most of the time. He has a solid jab and keeps his shape well before throwing combinations whenever he sees an opening. He rarely throws single shots and I think this is likely due to him having a good amateur background. I like his left hook to the body and how much he targets the body in general as I think this is a very underrated tool in boxing that more fighters should concentrate on. His defence is decent and he does a good job of slipping shots before throwing his own. You could perhaps say he puts too much power on each shot but I don’t necessarily think he does and it just looks that way because he has good natural power. He does leave his left hand a bit low which leaves him open to right hands.

Jacob Quinn throws a lot of jabs though doesn’t put something behind them all the time often preferring to launch a combination at range using the first punch to close the distance. I’m not sure how much power he has as he’ll often throw his entire body weight into shots and almost jump into the air instead of planting his feet to generate power. He has his hands low a lot and seems to rely on his reaction speed to dodge incoming shots. He’s almost constantly moving his head and feinting which I imagine takes up a lot of energy but as he’s never been past four rounds I don’t know if this effects him later in fights. I think his whole style is very energetic which makes him a fun fighter though I’d be surprised if he can keep it up over 8 rounds or more. I think he’s open to counter’s when he throws as he stays on the center line a lot.

I think Pierce O’Leary will win this fight by knockout because I think Jacob Quinn leaves too many openings with his hands down style. I don’t think his footwork or defensive work when throwing punches is good enough to stop O’Leary from walking him down. I expect Quinn to box on the back foot which isn’t his usual style. Quinn doesn’t plant his feet enough and so O’Leary has the power advantage. I think O’Leary will finish the fight with a left hook to the body followed up by a left hook to the head immediately afterwards.