Boxing Fulcrum

Josh Warrington versus Mauricio Lara 2 breakdown

Seven months after Warrington was brutally knocked out by the then unheralded Lara, he’ll step into the ring with him again. This time he’ll be hoping he can come away with a victory and save his career at world level. For Mauricio Lara this is the final step before a world title shot though the Mexican likely feels he already is a champion albeit without a crown.

I think stylistically Lara poses a lot of problems for Warrington. He’s tough, punches hard and isn’t afraid to take one to give one. Warrington has a come forward swarming style but doesn’t have the power to make it truly effective. When he comes forward and lets his hands go it plays into Lara’s hands as the Mexican can trade with him and always come out on too due to the power difference. Warrington isn’t a fighter who is comfortable trying to box opponents from the outside and his level as a fighter significantly drops when he tries to do so.

I’d be surprised if this fight went any different to the first unless there was some major injury we didn’t hear about from Warrington’s side before that fight. I think Lara will hurt Warrington early and often, a few knockdowns later the ref will wave off the fight and Lara will go on to challenge for a title. Warrington could try and box from the outside but I don’t think he’s good enough at that style of boxing to keep Lara off him and it’ll just means he gets stopped late rather than early. I also thought Warrington looked drained at the weigh in and I expect if he loses the weight cut will be brought up as he looked a drawn out man on Friday.

Balazs Bacskai versus Guido Nicolas Pitto breakdown

This is a good stay busy fight for Bacskai who is getting on at the age of 33 but is still a talented fighter in the deep Super Welterweight division. Pitto has faced a lot of prospects in his time and has normally been durable so I expect this to go rounds.

Bacskai will likely earn himself a stoppage in the second half of the fight though a decision wouldn’t surprise me.

Daniel Dubois versus Joe Cusumano breakdown

This should be a fairly quick job for Dubois’s American Debut as Cusumano isn’t on the level of Dubois. I think Dubois should be able to land his massive power punches early on and finish the fight in either round one or two. I don’t mind Dubois fighting this level of competition at the moment because hes young and rebounding from a loss.

Ijaz Ahmed versus Quaise Khademi 2 breakdown

This should be a competitive fight just like the first fight. Khademi fought on the back foot for their first fight with Ahmed coming forward and putting on pressure. In the end the judges liked Ahmed’s pressure more and he got the decision deservedly in my eyes. They are now re-matching for the vacant British super flyweight title which would be the crowning achievement of either’s career at this stage.

I think this fight will likely look a lot like the first fight and it’ll just depend on whether the judges like forward pressure or counter punching. I expect Ahmed to repeat his victory and win a split decision after coming forwards for twelve rounds and applying good, effective pressure.

Anthony Yarde versus Alex Theran breakdown

This should be a short fight as Anthony Yarde is levels above Theran and has real knockout power. Alex Theran is a former middleweight who now competes as a light heavyweight. He’s been stopped multiple times and it seems every time he steps up a level he gets stopped fairly quickly. Anthony Yarde struggles to get past a jab but should have no problems landing his power punches in this fight.

Anthony Yarde can win this fight in any round he wants and I expect him to get the stoppage in round one or two. After he wins this fight he’ll rematch Lyndon Arthur who he lost to last year on a split decision.

Anthony Cacace versus Leon Woodstock breakdown

This is a solid fight for the British Super Featherweight title over twelve rounds. Both fighters haven’t fought in over eighteen months so I expect them to look a little rusty in the ring. Cacace put on a career best performance in his last fight by beating then reigning British champion Sam Bowen. Unfortunately due to the pandemic he hasn’t been able to keep that momentum going and is only just getting his first defence of the title in now. Leon Woodstock put up a good performance in defeat against Zelfa Barrett, where he showed a lot of grit to keep trying to the final bell even though he was outclassed on the night.

It’s hard to make a prediction for this fight due to how long both have been out the ring though if both are at their best I expect Cacace to win a competitive decision. Woodstock will likely be on the front foot for the most part with Cacace raiding in with power punches before trying to use his legs to avoid Woodstocks return fire.

Akeem Ennis Brown versus Sam Maxwell breakdown

This is a good fight between two British super lightweights, the winner will likely look towards fighting for the European title while the loser will have to mount a comeback. Akeem Ennis Brown is 14-0 with one knockout and has an unorthodox style which not many fighters enjoy facing. He doesn’t hit particularly hard in my opinion but makes up for that with his boxing skills which for the most part confuse his opponents. Sam Maxwell is a technically sound boxer-puncher who comes forward behind a decent jab. He’s got power but like a lot of punchers is vulnerable to being knocked down.

These boxers have completely opposite styles and I personally feel we could see a very ugly fight which isn’t great to watch. Brown will be boxing at range while Maxwell will try to push Brown back and land power punches. If it goes the distance it’ll come down to what style the judges prefer as I don’t expect either to dominate or even clearly win the fight. Maxwell has a chance to stop Brown towards the latter stages of the fight but I also think thats unlikely. My prediction for this fight is a messy draw which a lot of people complain about.

Stephan Shaw versus Nick Davis breakdown

This is effectively a tune up fight for Stephan Shaw, who is a talented fighter that needs more opportunities to showcase his skills. Nick Davis is a domestic heavyweight in the USA who has had mixed results at a fairly low level. A level that Shaw passed a long time ago and in impressive fashion. Shaw has been out the ring for eight months so taking whatever opportunity he can to fight is more than understandable.

I expect Shaw to overpower Nick Davis early in the fight and win by first or second round stoppage. A fight between Shaw and Jermaine Franklin was supposed to happen this year and I think if possible that fight should be resurrected, as it was a great match up between two up and coming American heavyweights.

Dennis Contreras versus Cesar Juarez breakdown

This is a decent fight between two experienced Mexican warriors who both have ten losses but are better than their records suggest. Contreras is on a good run right now with four wins in a row. A few of those wins have been upset wins where he was supposed to lose. If he can win this fight and a few more then he could get into some big fights on TV cards. Cesar Juarez is only 30 but seems to be slightly past his best especially at featherweight. He put on a solid performance against the light punching Jordan Gill but didn’t do enough to win. He had a tune up fight back in Mexico recently, which he won by knockout.

Dennis Contreras is a big puncher who comes forward. He’ll often lose a few early rounds but once he gets his timing starts to dominate with hard power punches. He also catches his opponents when they are punching and puts them down, often ending the fight. Cesar Juarez fights in much the same style and has respectable power himself. He’s got a solid chin though is starting to show some wear and tear as he has been stopped in two of his more recent fights. I think Juarez is best at super bantamweight and as a featherweight is slightly undersized and doesn’t punch as hard as he did at super bantamweight.

I think this fight will be a competitive all out war for six rounds but Contreras’s punching power will make the difference and Juarez will likely be stopped on his feet after being dropped once or twice. I’ve been following Contreras’s comeback run over the last two years and I hope he can continue it on Friday night, a win for Juarez would also be nice too see as he’s a true credit to the sport.

Anthony Tomlinson versus Dante Jardon breakdown

This shouldn’t be a hard fight for Tomlinson in my opinion as Jardon isn’t on a good run of form recently and is moving up in weight. Tomlinson is 13-0 with seven knockouts while Dante Jardon is 33-7 with 24 knockouts.

Tomlinson is a fully fledged welterweight while Jardon has moved up all the way from super featherweight early in his career. He didn’t look good at super lightweight and I don’t think moving up to Welterweight is a good idea for him at this stage of his career.

I think Anthony Tomlinson will win by knockout within six rounds due to being the bigger fighter, who is on a better run of form.