Boxing Fulcrum

Ali Izmailov versus Israel Duffus breakdown

This should be an entertaining fight for however long it lasts. Ali Izmailov is an up and coming prospect who’s moving quickly in the Light heavyweight division. Israel Duffus is a gatekeeper who has been a pro for ten years.

Ali Izmailov can fight both on the front and back foot though when fighting on the back foot doesn’t move around a lot. He’s a strong fighter with clubbing power which he uses to full effect when throwing left and right hooks to the body of his opponents. He has a low left hand and 90% of his defence consists of a shoulder roll which so far has been effective though may lead him vulnerable at world level. One of his favorite punches is a counter overhand right, a jab to the body and then a left hook to the head is something hes also fond of throwing. He’s very relaxed in the ring especially considering he only has six fights. I don’t think he’ll become a marquee name but I think he’ll challenge for a world title at Light heavyweight as long as he can make the weight without any issues. He hasn’t yet made championship weight for Light heavyweight which is a bit of a worry.

Israel Duffus has respectable power but doesn’t quite have the technical skills of Izmailov. A large amount of his hooks are wide and he loads up on them enough that outside of lower level competition his opponents see them coming. His upper body movement and defence in general are quite impressive especially considering the shaky start he had to his career. The biggest issue he has is that he doesn’t throw nearly enough punches and seems to have a sparring partner mentality at times as if he just let his hands go he could do a lot better. He has the power and the skill to set the punches up without much risk due to his good defence but for some reason he’ll happily not punch for minutes at a time.

I think Ali Izmailov will establish his jab to the body and head early on with the fight progressively becoming more one sided in his favor due to him out-working Duffus. Izmailov’s consistent body punching will also slow Duffus down who even while not tired doesn’t throw many punches.

Frank Sanchez versus Christian Hammer breakdown

Frank Sanchez is a heavyweight contender that has a lot of potential but isn’t the most exciting fighter to watch. He’s technically very good and has reasonable power but nothing special. Christian Hammer has been around the European circuit for a long time with varied success. In recent years hes become a bit of a journeyman and with him taking this fight on short notice I don’t expect him to be overly motivated.He was also injured in his fight versus Hughie Fury just a few months ago which led to him retiring in the corner.

I think Frank Sanchez will out-box Hammer without too many issues due to his superior technical skills. He also has more momentum than Hammer and has had a full training camp for this fight. Hammer tends to shell up and look stuck in the mud when he comes up to world level. I’m not sure if Sanchez will get the KO as hes not a big puncher and Hammer is tough when he wants to be. I could see the Hammer corner pulling him out late in the fight but I would lean towards Frank Sanchez winning on points.

Luis Ortiz versus Charles Martin breakdown

This is a solid match up in the heavyweight division between dangerous two time world title challenger Ortiz and former world champion Martin.

Luis Ortiz is the more technically sound of the two fighters and has more power in my opinion. I’d be very confident in him winning this fight as he’s proved hes a better fighter than Martin and on tape it’s clear how skilled he is but he’s 40 and has fought for a year. With older fighters they can suddenly become washed from one fight to the next and with Ortiz’s inactivity and his bad knockout loss to Deontay Wilder you have to wonder what he has left.

Charles Martin was very lucky to become world champion as his opponent injured his knee and couldn’t continue meaning he won his title by knockout. He then lost the title in a one sided two round blowout to Anthony Joshua in 2016. He’s had two significant bouts since and gone 1-1. A close loss to Adam Kownacki was no shame but again reinforced his place in the heavyweight rankings. A more recent win over Gerald Washington was good however Washington isn’t half the fighter Ortiz is and should probably think about retirement soon. Martin hasn’t fought since early 2020 but seems to be in reasonable shape.

I think Luis Ortiz will stop Charles Martin early as he’s accurate and Martin will be rusty due to his absence from the ring. Ortiz is the better fighter and will only lose this fight if he’s aged badly in the last two years.

Frank Martin versus Romero Duno breakdown

This is a good fight between fringe contenders Martin and Duno. Frank Martin is 14-0 and has looked great in his last two fights. He’s a combination puncher with good footwork and excellent hand speed. Martin can box adeptly on the back foot and front foot and generally has a lot of tools at his disposal.

Romero Duno is a respectable come forward fighter with slightly above average power. He isn’t as adaptable as Martin but is fairly effective in his own style of fighting.

I think Frank Martin will win a decision after ten rounds due to his adaptability and his excellent punch selection and variation in his combinations. I think Frank Martin has a lot of potential and could be a dark horse in the lightweight division where theres so many talented fighters.

Geovany Bruzon versus Lenier Pero breakdown

This is an excellent match up between two Cuban heavyweight’s with decent amateur backgrounds. Bruzon is the younger of the two and doesn’t quite have Pero’s power but is much more aggressive. Pero spent longer in the amateurs and it shows when he fights as he’s more patience and sets up his punches better.

I think Lenier Pero can counter punch his way to an eight round decision victory or a late stoppage.

Kazuto Ioka versus Ryoji Fukunaga breakdown

Kazuto Ioka was supposed to be unifying his WBO Super Flyweight world title with Jerwin Ancajas IBF world title but due to Japan’s new Covid restrictions the bout was cancelled with Ancajas not being able to get into the country. Instead Ioka will still defend his title on New Year’s eve but against his fellow countryman Fukunaga.

Kazuto Ioka is an excellent fighter who has competed on the world stage with great success for almost ten years. He’s very good technically and has the experience to manage the twelve rounds against any style of fighter. He’s not a power puncher but has respectable power and the accuracy to stop anyone if he catches them.

Ryoji Fukunaga is a power puncher in the domestic Japanese scene but doesn’t have world class punching power. He clearly has respectable power as he’s KO’d almost everyone he’s fought domestically and you can see the power when he punches but it’ll be hard for him to land on Ioka clean. Fukunaga isn’t as good technically as Ioka so will have to land the punch of his career to win this fight. He is the bigger man so if he can push an unmotivated Ioka back and grit it out he could make it competitive but it’s hard too see him beating an elite fighter such as Ioka. I thought he was lucky to get the decision versus Hayate Kaji who is a domestic Japanese fighter himself though one who at only 24 could have some potential on the world stage.

Kazuto Ioka will stop Fukunaga in the seventh or eighth round due to an accumulation of punches set up from his excellent jab.

Yoelvis Gomez versus Clay Collard breakdown

This should be an excellent test for Gomez, a 4-0 power puncher from Cuba who had a decent if not outstanding amateur background. Collard rose to prominence in the middle of 2020 by fighting regularly on Top Rank’s bubble series of cards where he was able to find success after being brought in originally as an opponent.

Yoelvis Gomez is fairly sound technically though has a habit of loading up on every punch he throws instead of looking for opportunities for his big punches. He seems to carry power and if he needs to he can box with less aggression than he currently does. He throws a lot of volume and has a nice left hook to the body like most southpaws do.

Clay Collard is incredibly tough and has a style no one can replicate. He throws from weird angles and unless your incredibly fit then he’s going to out-work you and put the pressure on all fight long.

I think Yoelvis Gomez should be to slick for Collard who is the opposite of technically sound. Gomez’s sheer volume combined with his power should be enough to beat Collard by decision after six rounds. It’ll be interesting too see how well Gomez does as a pro as he seems to have a good style but is being fast tracked without a deep amateur career like other Cuban pro’s have had.

Victorio Saludar fights Erick Rosa for secondary WBA title at minimumweight

I decided not to do a breakdown on this fight but still think its worth talking about to an extent. Erick Rosa is only 21 and 4-0 but has been fast tracked to world level due to the belief his promoters have in him. He’s a solid boxer-puncher who will certainly win a world title and get to the elite level at the lower weights even if he comes up short here.

Victorio Saludar has gone around 50-50 at world level with some good wins but also four losses. He carries the experience in this fight and will be looking to stop the rise of Erick Rosa who is a potential future star. If Erick Rosa can win this fight then I can see him start to get brought onto under cards in the USA as he’s entertaining and has a lot of upside.

I personally think Erick Rosa will win a close decision but I haven’t watched back any of their fights recently so I didn’t feel comfortable doing a proper breakdown. I hope Rosa wins as well as he has more potential long term and could lead to it being easier to watch minimum weight world title fights.

David Morrell versus Alantez Fox breakdown

David Morrell is a very talented young fighter who has a lot of potential. Morrell was a good Cuban amateur before defecting and moving to the USA where he has turned pro and progressed quickly. Alantez Fox wasn’t as successful as an amateur but has been a pro for over ten years and holds a massive experience advantage. Fox has lost in his two biggest fights though both were to good fighters in Demetrious Andrade and Liam Williams.

David Morrell is very good technically and also possesses a good amount of power. While he’s inexperienced as a pro his amateur career seems to have made up for it as he looks natural in a pro ring.

I personally think that while Fox is a solid pro and his height could cause a few early problems, Morrell will simply be too good technically for him and will break Fox down late in the fight. My pick is Morrell by stoppage in the second half of the fight due to his technical prowess and also being the bigger puncher who picks his punches better. I’m quite high on Morrell as a prospect/fighter and I hope he’s more active in the future win or lose here as he’s only 5-0 but is already only fighting twice a year.

Jack Cullen versus Kevin Lele Sadjo breakdown

This should be an exciting fight as both fighters styles should gel well. Kevin Sadjo is a compact fighter who throws with power if not precision. He’s not a tall super middleweight but he does seem to possess some power and is also fairly strong. He likes to throw overhand rights but the thing you’ll see him do the most is throw six or seven punch combinations of left hooks and right hooks one after the other. This can leave him open when hes punching but no one has taken advantage of it yet as he’s normally close in so it’s hard for people to get their straight punches off.

Jack Cullen is a tall super middleweight who’s been improving fight after fight. He doubles up on his hooks and works to the body well. I was impressed in his last fight versus Avni Yildirim as he boxed to a gameplan on the outside and showed a solid jab along with some good boxing on the outside.

For Jack Cullen to win I think he’ll have to weather an early storm and then box on the outside like he did versus Avni Yildirim. A consistent jab will win him this fight as while Sadjo has some respectable upper body movement he seems to forget to do it once the punches start flying and so Cullen will be able to keep him at range. For Sadjo to win I think he needs to jump on Cullen early and not let him establish a rythm behind the jab. Sadjo should also go to the body to slow Cullen down though I don’t think he will as when watching footage of Sadjo he seemed to be a head hunter.

I think this fight could go either way but i’m picking Jack Cullen to win this fight on points due to the jab he showed in his last fight. Sadjo taking this on short notice also means he may not be completely fight fit which with his style and muscular build isn’t good especially versus a fighter with a lot of heart like Cullen who can dog it out in a war. Cullen won’t have had a long time to make a game plan and practise it but i’m sure his team will recognise that keeping Sadjo behind a jab and staying off the ropes are Cullen’s keys to victory. If Cullen can time Sadjo coming into range with uppercuts then he could even earn a stoppage as Cullen can get quite a bit of power behind his uppercuts and Sadjo’s chin can be a little high when he’s punching.