What’s next for Jamal James, Thomas Dulorme plus card?

I enjoyed this card though I really felt the commentary team was biased towards certain fighters and barely watched the actual fights sometimes.

David Morrell clearly beat Lennox Allen over 12 rounds and showed he has a good gas tank and can make adjustments throughout the fight. We’ll have too see in upcoming fights how well his power transfers up the levels. I think he should fight the loser of Caleb Truax versus Alfredo Angelo next as they have good name value and should be A good test but not enough to actually beat him in my opinion. Lennox Allen should try and get fights with John Ryder or Rocky Fielding where he’ll be paid well and have a chance of winning and progressing his career.

Omar Juarez stepped up against Willie Shaw and fought well though he did show some defensive flaws. He’s only 21 and this was a good step up fight for him so he can certainly improve. I think he should keep fighting guys at this level but over 8 rounds next. Willie Shaw can upset a few prospects especially if he starts using his reach and throws more striaght punches. He can either be a good gatekeeper or build himself up on the small hall scene again.

Jamal James and Thomas Dulorme put on a great fight and I’d love too see a rematch somewhere down the line. Jamal James boxed the best he has ever done in his career and actually used his range and size to his advantage. I’d like too see him get a big fight versus Shawn Porter or Keith Thurman next. Thomas Dulorme should fight Vergil Ortiz or rematch Jessie Vargas.

Michael Polite Coffie looked calm as he KO’d Luis Eduardo Pena in the 5th round of their scheduled 6 rounder. He seems to have good power and at 34 all I want too see him be is active now. Pena is honestly quite small for a heavyweight but can give good work to heavyweight prospects because of his hand speed and how he rushes in.

Vito Mielnicki Jr won by second round stoppage as expected and needs to be stepped up now in my opinion. He’s only 18 but Chris Rollins wasn’t a test for him at all and he will have learn’t nothing at all from that. It was still a good performance from him I just think he’s past this level of opponent now. Chris Rollins should probably retire as he hasn’t beaten a fighter with a win yet and actually lost to a 0-7 fighter who isn’t even that good of a journeyman.

Mykal Fox versus Lucas Santamaria was a great fight where I felt Santamaria clearly won even though the PBC commentary crew had him losing and gave him no credit throughout the fight. Thankfully the judges agreed with me and gave Santamaria the win though it was by surprisingly wide margins. I think Santamaria should take some developmental fights now versus domestic guys as while this was a great win he’s still not ready for the top guys. Fox should try and do the same and potentially get a rematch as I think he could implement better tactics and win especially if he doesn’t get knocked down early.

Jamal James versus Thomas Dulorme breakdown.

This is a good 50/50 fight where the winner will be close to a title shot or at least a big fight with someone like Shawn Porter.

Jamal James is a very tall Welterweight but doesn’t use his height to his advantage like he could do. He’s a volume puncher and if he’s going to win this fight it will be down to him outworking Dulorme. He’s had close results versus guys like Abel Ramos and Antonio DeMarco who I think he really should be beating comfortably so this perhaps shows the level he’s at. He’s not horrible defensively and as far as I know hasn’t been dropped in his career yet.

Thomas Dulorme is the heavier handed of the two fighters and will be looking to land power punches rather than throw volume like Jamal James does. He’s not as tall as Jamal James but because James doesn’t use his height well I don’t think he’ll have a problem landing shots. He’s had some good results at Welterweight such as a draw with Jessie Vargas where he arguably could have won and also a very close fight with Yordenis Ugas. He’s only 30 and so should be in his prime and has a lot of big fight experience versus the likes of Terence Crawford. I don’t think his chin is bad at all but he has been dropped a few times but only by big punchers.

I’m going to pick Dulorme to win because I think he’s been looking good at Welterweight and I don’t think James has the power to keep him off of him. I also think Jamal James has been running it close with guys that Dulorme would comfortably beat and while the triangle theory doesn’t always work in boxing I think it applies to this fight. The only way I see James winning is by throwing a lot of punches and the judges giving him the fight whether his punching was effective or not. It should be noted that James is the guy that’s being pushed so the judges may favour his volume over Dulorme’s power.

David Morrell versus Lennox Allen breakdown

This is a bit of a hard fight to break down as Morrell has only had two fights and boxed three rounds professionally. He did have a very good amateur career but I try not to judge fighters on their style in the amateurs as the pro game is completely different. This is a very big step up in competition for David Morrell who hasn’t faced anyone on the level of Allen before who is himself a fringe top 20 contender. For Allen this is a big opportunity as he’s currently undefeated and after a stop-start career is finally getting a shot at a form of a world title. This fight will be for the interim WBA Super Middleweight world title and the winner can be expected to either fight Callum Smith or be upgraded to being regular champion when Canelo vacates that title.

David Morrell is a well schooled Cuban Amateur who defected from Cuba to turn pro. He’s only 22 which is unusual for a Cuban fighter as normally they stay in the amateurs until they are older as professional boxing is banned in Cuba and to turn pro they have to escape from the country. Morrell seems to have a lot of power and isn’t afraid to let his hands go. He does seem to punch in combination mostly and also mixes it up to both the body and head which you would expect a good amateur to do. I presume his chin and defence are decent but neither have been tested in the pro ranks. His stamina is also largely untested over 12 rounds and with him having never gone past two rounds in the pro’s I have no idea how well he’ll keep up though I imagine he’ll struggle a bit as most fighters do in their first 12 rounder. Morrell is also a southpaw which could cause Allen trouble.

Lennox Allen is 35 but should still be in his prime because he hasn’t been in many draining fights and trains hard. He has a decent jab which he varies his use of as sometimes he’ll throw it a lot and other times he completely abandons it. It’s a relatively accurate jab and most of the punches he does throw connect. I have seen him overreach on a few shots and throw a few looping hooks which seem wide and he’ll need to tighten up on this. He likes to wait for his opponent to come in and make them miss before unleashing a 4 or 5 punch combination normally at short range with what is surprisingly fast hand speed. His defence is solid enough though I think someone with Morrell’s pedigree will easily work out how to get past his half philly shell defence which he tries to do. A lot of his defence seems to work on reactions too and I can’t imagine he has faster reactions than Morrell. He seems to have a good level of power but nothing special, I would say Morrell punches hard but there’s nothing really proving that right now. He has his hands low and it seems a lot of his punches are wide when he gets too relaxed and even when he’s got full concentration he leaves himself open for counters.

I think Morrell is going to win this fight due to his superior power and more precise punches. I don’t think Allen throws enough volume to win a decision and I’d be surprised if he caught Morrell with any of his wide looping power punches. I think he’ll be there for Morrell to hit all night and I don’t think he has the foot work to make an amateur of Morrell’s calibre miss while fighting on the back foot and so will end up with him being smashed against the ropes. If he can get to the latter rounds then he could have some success as Morrell is untested there but I’m not sure he makes it. Allen is a decent operator at 168 pounds but Morrell looks to be a special talent and I think he’ll get the job done comfortably on Saturday night.

What’s next for Terri Harper, Natasha Jonas plus card

While I don’t think this week of fight camp was as good as last week it was still a solid card though as I predicted a few of the matches weren’t very competitive even though on paper perhaps they should have been. The main event really delivered beyond expectations but the rest of the card was very average as it was really just good fighters in tune up fights before they go into bigger fights later in the year.

The first fight Chris Billiam-Smith versus Nathan Thorley was fun while it lasted but it was clear that Billiam-Smith was the superior fighter who had the experience and confidence advantage. He was very aggressive from the outset and the first knockdown he scored came off of work in the clinch which I highlighted in my preview. He was relentless in the second round and while he got tagged a few times this led to him being able to land a counter right hand which put Thorley down for the third time and finished the fight. A fight with Tommy McCarthy has been proposed for the European title and I think that would be a great fight for him. If Smith can’t get that fight then fighting for the vacant British title would also be good as I have heard that Riakporhe the current champion is looking to fight for the European title himself. Nathan Thorley showed he lacks the experience on the big shows and also showed a somewhat questionable chin. I think he should get a comeback fight and then slowly work his way back into the domestic scene while hitting the weights a bit more as he looked considerably weaker than Smith.

Hopey Price boxed very well and dealt with a rough Jonny Phillips with a maturity beyond his age and number of fights. I thought he’d have more problems seeing as Phillips was the bigger more experienced fighter but Hopey schooled him for 6 rounds and Phillips only real success was when he was slamming Hopey into the ropes. I think Hopey should fight a few more experienced journeymen and then go into a English title fight as I think he has the talent to be moved quickly. Jonny Phillips while being a game opponent is a journeyman and should continue taking fights versus good prospects as if he beats a few he may get a shot at an area title.

Anthony Fowler showed off an impressive jab versus Adam Harper and you can already see the improvements since he’s starting training with Shane Mcguigan. He showed he does possess decent power as he dropped Harper and eventually stopped him. He did get caught more than he needed too but acknowledged post fight that he got a bit eager and should have stayed calm and used his reach advantage. I’d like too see him in with either Ted Cheeseman or JJ Metcalf next as those are great fights and the winners can move on to European level. I think Harper should move back down to area level and if he’s being very serious about boxing should try and find a new trainer as his team should have pulled him out earlier and didn’t give him any good advice between rounds.

The main event saved the card as it was an all out war for 10 rounds. It had good swings in momentum and both fighters were hurt at different parts of the fight. I said in my preview I thought Jonas would perform better than she has before and she certainly did that. I didn’t score the fight but felt that either Jonas winning 6-4 or a draw was fair and I was happy with the result. I thought both showed great heart and can certainly be in very fun fights in the division. I think they should rematch each other next as this fight was a draw and it was such a great fight everyone would love too see it again. I’m very confident that this is what will happen though it does scupper the plans Hearn had to match the winner of this fight with Ewa Brodnicka the WBO champion.

Overall I enjoyed the card though felt a few of the fighters could have been in more competitive fights especially Fowler who looked a few levels and weight classes above his opponent. I think we’ll see all the fighters on this card move on to bigger and better things though so I’ll take that as a positive.

Jorge Linares versus Javier Fortuna cancelled.

News broke recently that Jorge Linares has tested positive for Corona Virus while training in Japan for his fight with Javier Fortuna. He reportedly has no symptoms but has been advised to rest for 10 days as a precaution.

The fight has since been cancelled and Golden Boy are currently looking for a new opponent to fight Fortuna. Hopefully we can now get Fortuna versus Devin Haney later this year. I wish Linares all the best and hope that he stays healthy and that the fight can be made at a later date.

Full credit to Asian Boxing on twitter and also on their website AsianBoxing.info where they first reported the news.

Terri Harper versus Natasha Jonas breakdown

This should be a relatively competitive fight as Harper has proven she is a world level fighter and this is Jonas’s last chance at a world title.

Harper has a very solid jab and is very consistent with her 1-2. She has decent feints and foot work and doesn’t get hit all that much. When she fights on the inside she’ll sometimes throw uppercuts but apart from that doesn’t do much work on the inside. She doesn’t punch much to the body and seems to mostly want to stay on the outside and use her 1-2. She does use hooks as well but I think she does leave herself open when she starts throwing them.

Natasha Jonas has a decent jab that she throw to both the body and head but doesn’t have much power on it and she also doesn’t pull it back quick enough which leads to her getting countered. She also has a decent 1-2 but isn’t particularly quick with it and I think she’ll struggle to catch Harper with it. I think she punches to the body better than Harper but isn’t any better at fighting on the inside. I don’t think shes really a combination puncher and will rarely throw more than 2 punches at a time. I don’t think she puts a lot of pressure on her opponents either. Her defense isn’t great and she’s very hittable. I’m not sure how good of a chin she has as she has been stopped but outside of that has shown no signs of ever being stunned or even being hurt.

I think Harper will win this fight by decision as she’s the taller fighter who uses her reach advantage well. I think she’ll be able to establish her jab and throw 1-2’s down the center all fight. I think Jonas will perform better than when she got stopped so I expect her to be competitive and win some rounds but in the end lose a decision due to not being able to get into range consistently enough.

Aqib Fiaz versus Kane Baker cancelled after Fiaz falls ill.

Matchroom announced today that the fight between Fiaz and Baker was cancelled due to Fiaz feeling ill after the weigh in. I presume this was related to an issue with weight cutting as he failed to make the 132 pound limit for this fight.

Chris Lloyd tweeted that Fiaz is currently in hospital but it sounds like its more of a precaution rather than him being seriously ill. I wish Fiaz good health and its horrible seeing people suffer due to weight cuts which I know can be very painful.

I feel especially bad for Kane Baker who was really up for this fight and after watching more interviews with him I was going to change my pick to him by decision. Hopefully Matchroom will still pay him his purse as he did nothing wrong and for guys like him who have to work a normal job as well the money is important because they don’t have a big promotional deal or anything. Eddie Hearn has said that he is going to try and reschedule the fight as soon as possible so that’s good news.

Aqib Fiaz versus Kane Baker breakdown

This is a fight that I believe is very close to a 50/50 as Fiaz hasn’t had a lot of experience yet and Baker has proven he’s at least an area level fighter. A lot of respect has to be given to both fighters for taking this fight but especially Fiaz as this is a big risk at this stage of his career.

Aqib Fiaz has fast hands and decent foot work though its nothing out of the ordinary. When he’s actually in a competitive fight he doesn’t throw huge amounts of punches but the ones he does throw are accurate and have a purpose behind them. He has a serviceable jab but doesn’t use it enough especially when he’s in with someone coming to win. He has nice combinations and a decent right hand though doesn’t seem to have any standout power. He’s only fought very tough journeymen so far so we don’t know if he actually does have decent power or not yet. One of the combinations which he throws a lot is a 1-2 to the head then a right hand to the body before pulling out. He does pull out straight backwards which against a good opponent will lead to him getting countered. He’s willing to get into exchanges sometimes and his defense is average but will likely improve over time as he’s only 20.

Kane Baker is 13-6 but has faced a good level of competition in his career. He works to the body well and throws 4 or 5 punch combinations when given the opportunity. He uses his jab more than Fiaz but it doesn’t seem to have all that much power on it. He has decent head movement but won’t be impossible for Fiaz to hit. The one thing I don’t like about his style is he’ll sometimes go to the ropes and take a few shots before throwing his own back. This is ok if your fighting decent opponents but when it’s journeymen its not the best look in the world. I don’t think his footwork or hand speed is on the level of Fiaz’s but its hard to judge the hand speed just on tape.

I really can’t see too much of a difference between the two fighters and this should in my opinion be the most competitive fight on the card. I think Fiaz will likely be able to win a very competitive decision as I believe he has the better boxing IQ and throws his combinations with more purpose rather than just punching to punch. If Baker does win I really wouldn’t be surprised as he is the much more experienced fighter.

Chris Billam-Smith versus Nathan Thorley breakdown.

This is a good fight for the Commonwealth Cruiserweight title. Chris Billam-Smith has proved he’s one of the top Cruiserweights in the UK by beating Craig Glover and in my opinion beating Richard Riakporhe though he didn’t get the decision. Smith will be looking to win in good fashion here so he can move on to bigger fights and potentially get a shot at the British title next year.

Chris Billam-Smith has a good amateur background and it shows when he fights as he’s very comfortable in the ring. He has good fundamentals and I like how he tries to work on the inside when people hold him (Riakporhe). I think he has a solid jab but the best part of his skill set for me is that he uses a lot of feints which I think is something you need to be a world class fighter. He’s normally decent defensively though I do think he needs to move his head off the center line a bit more as when he’s jabbing hes wide open to counters. This is only a thing I noticed in the Craig Glover fight though and while he got hit a decent amount in that fight I get the impression from interviews that he couldn’t feel Glover’s power at all so almost didn’t notice how much he was getting hit.

In other fights he’s been defensively responsible and this only starts to fail a bit when he gets tired and I don’t necessarily think thats a stamina issue as the fight he got tired in he was held and leaned over the ropes constantly. He also seems to hold decent power though we’ll see more in this fight how real it is as Craig Glover is known for not having a great chin.

Nathan Thorley is currently 14-0 but has mostly faced journeymen and hasn’t been taken into deep waters like Billam-Smith has. He seems to have a decent jab which he often puts a right hand behind but its only really been against journeymen so far so its hard to tell if he’ll be able to establish it versus Smith. He throws in combination but at Cruiserweight his punches don’t seem to have all that much power. He seems to like throwing uppercuts both by them self and in combinations. I think this could lead him to success as Riakporhe was landing uppercuts through his fight with Smith and hurt him with a couple.

He keeps his hands low and isn’t hard to hit as shown by Journeymen landing combinations as he stands still for no apparent reason. With the way he fights I presume hes a counter puncher who has to go on the offense versus Journeymen as he seems to spend a long time waiting between combinations. When he’s not throwing shots he’ll move his gloves and upper body around making it harder for opponents to hit him but unfortunately he doesn’t do this consistently or effectively from what I’ve seen. I do like the idea of it and it does work sometimes but because his opponents put out so little offense it feels like he gets lazy and stops doing it. With an opponent going for him he may step up as some fighters do and there is a little bit of evidence for this as when he has fought people coming to win he KO’s them. The only exception to that rule is Adam Jones and to be fair to Thorley no one has ever stopped him so it’s understandable for him to go to a decision there.

I believe that Chris Billam-Smith will win this fight by KO as Thorley doesn’t have the reaction speed required to fight with his hands so low and be effective with it. Smith has a power advantage and I think his combinations are crisper and overall a bit more fluid. For Thorley to win he needs to counter the jab early and put a bit more power into his shots. Billam-Smith like a lot of Cruiserweights isn’t a defensive genius and Thorley is perfectly capable of catching him coming in especially with the uppercut he likes to throw.

Ivan “Hopey” Price versus Jonny Phillips breakdown

This is a good opponent for Price in what is only his third fight. Jonny Phillips is a journeyman but has scored an upset before against Nathanael Wilson so this fight should push Price more than his first two.

Jonny Phillips is an unorthodox fighter who changes style depending on how he feels in the fight. Against Nathanael Wilson he was jumping about and willing to get into exchanges. He threw big shots and left himself open to counters by throwing 6 or 7 punch combinations. In more recent fights hes more willing to take shots and bounce off the ropes then occasionally explode and try to catch his opponents off guard. He doesn’t have the best foot work or defense in the world but seems tough. Rhys Edwards comfortably beat him by using his foot work to avoid Phillips wild swings and then being more active so the judges couldn’t give credit for Phillip’s occasional hay makers and 3 punch combinations.

Price has a good jab which he uses to set everything up. He’ll normally throw in combination but still stays sound defensively. His foot work and defense has looked good so far but he hasn’t been put in with a real test yet so we don’t know if these will crumble under pressure. He seems to have very fast hands and stands tall for featherweight at 5ft 10. On boxrec he is listed at around 5ft 9 but when fighting commentators have put him at 5ft 10 so its a little questionable how tall he is. It’s hard to make too many observations about his style because he’s only boxed 7 rounds and that was against sub-par competition.

I think Price should be able to win a points decision due to his jab and foot work. I also think he’ll be more active than Phillips and his hand speed may trouble him. For Phillips to win he needs to make Price uncomfortable with constant pressure and roughing him up on the inside would be the best tactic as he’s only 2-0 and inexperienced in the pro game. This is of course a lot easier said than done and I imagine he’ll lose on points.