Boxing Fulcrum

Sultan Zaurbek versus Ryan Wheeler breakdown

Zaurbek is starting to come towards his prime as a fighter and has looked excellent in his recent fights. Ryan Wheeler doesn’t seem to have any power to speak of and lost by stoppage in one of only 3 fights against competition with winning records. One of those other fights was a draw on his debut and then a win against Jamie Speight who was 15-14 at the time. I don’t like discrediting fighters and Wheeler can probably be in some fun fights at area level but hes out-matched in this fight.

Zaurbek simply does everything better than Wheeler who won’t be able to stop Zaurbek coming forward and breaking him down due to his lack of power. The one thing Wheeler has in his favour is he’s a 5 foot 10 southpaw which isn’t something you see very often at Super Lightweight. I expect Sultan Zaurbek to win this fight by stoppage in the first half of the fight due to his superior skill set and the power differential between the two being so high.

Kamshybek Kunkabayev versus Steven Ward breakdown

Returning from the Olympics with a Bronze medal, Kunkabayev looks to continue his run to the top of the Cruiserweight division in quick fashion starting with a fight against Belfast’s Steven Ward. The fighter from Kazakhstan is currently 3-0 with 3 knockouts as a pro and has looked impressive in all his fights so far. Steven Ward was a good Light Heavyweight domestically in the UK and scored wins over Liam Conroy and Steve Collins Jr to claim a WBO European title and a BUI Celtic title. His only loss comes to Ricards Bolotniks who would go on to win MTK’s Golden contract tournament and then fight highly thought of prospect Joshua Buatsi, giving him his toughest fight until he was eventually stopped late on.

Steven Ward is a decent fighter but has been inactive and didn’t look his best at the weight in his last fight versus Jones Volau. That fight has been his only one so far at Cruiserweight and judging from that fight I think he may be outgunned in a division full of heavy handed pugilists.

Kunkabayev should have the skill and power to stop Ward within five or six rounds as I don’t think Ward will be fully adjusted to the weight and with his inactivity may be a bit rusty. While Ward is a decent fighter he was also only really fighting around domestic level at Light Heavyweight so it’s hard too see him beating one of the best Cruiserweight prospects even if he is only 3-0. I think Kunkabayev has a good chance of winning a world title at Cruiserweight though will need to learn to go through the gears in fights as currently he is a little one paced.

Kosei Tanaka versus Sho Ishida breakdown

This is a good fight and a hard one for Tanaka to take after suffering a knockout loss in his last fight. Sho Ishida has challenged for a world title and his only other loss is to highly rated contender Israel Gonzalez on a split decision.

Sho Ishida is tall for the weight and has a solid jab though never doubles it up and rarely throws anything behind it. He overall doesn’t throw all that many punches and isn’t interested in exchanging on the inside. He’s tough and won’t give in without a hard fight but is slightly limited in my opinion.

Kosei Tanaka is a multi weight world champion who opposed to Ishida is most likely a bit small for a super flyweight. He works well to the body and applies good educated pressure. He throws a good amount of punches and knows how to get on the inside which will help him massively against Ishida. While he was stopped in his last fight he still put up a good fight versus Ioka who is an excellent fighter and a multi weight world champion himself. Tanaka also has respectable power which breaks opponents down as the fight goes on.

I personally think Tanaka will be able to get inside and work the body of Ishida who doesn’t have the power to keep Tanaka off him. A jab with no variety will be easily picked off by Tanaka as the fight progresses and I imagine he’ll stop Ishida in the 9th or 10th round due to an accumulation of punches. Tanaka’s body work will play a major role in slowing Ishida down and stopping him late on.

Isaac Chamberlain versus Dilan Prasovic breakdown

This is a decent fight as Chamberlain hasn’t fought anyone of note for two years and Prasovic just fought Lawrence Okolie for a world title albeit in a losing effort.

I think Isaac Chamberlain will likely be too powerful for Prasovic who didn’t show much in the Okolie fight. If Chamberlain needs to he can out-box Prasovic but I expect him to get a stoppage.

Eduardo Ramirez versus Miguel Marriaga breakdown

This should be a fun fight where the winner can head towards a world title fight at super featherweight. Both are moving up for this fight from featherweight with the move most likely to help Marriaga as he’s a big featherweight. I think Eduardo Ramirez is on a good run at the moment and may be entering his prime while Marriaga seems past his best at this point.

I think Ramirez should be quicker than Marriaga who looked slow and out of place at world level versus Joet Gonzalez. Eduardo Ramirez should be able to box and brawl his way to a ten round decision.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko versus Carlos Adames breakdown

This should be a fun fight where either fighter could win but i would favour Derevyanchenko if he hasn’t declined due to the wars hes been in. Carlos Adames is a decent fighter but showed gas tank issues in the past and has never fought someone on Derevyanchenko’s level.

I personally believe in a back and forth war that Derevyanchenko will prevail on points due to his experience and technical skill.

Sebastian Fundora versus Sergio Garcia breakdown

This is a good fight though one where I expect Fundora to do well in after a shaky start. Fundora is the tallest super welterweight to ever live but loves fighting on the inside. Sergio Garcia has an awkward style but hasn’t fought anyone on Fundora’s level and doesn’t have much power.

I think Fundora might struggle in the first couple rounds due to Garcia’s style but will stop him in round six or seven after walking him down and catching him clean. Garcia has been tagged up by journeymen on a regular basis so I fail to see how Fundora doesn’t land his own punches on Garcia.

Devin Haney versus Joseph Diaz breakdown

This should be a good fight though one where I think Haney is a clear favorite. Devin Haney is defending his WBC Lightweight world title for the 4th time versus former world champion and top contender Joseph Diaz. Earlier this year Diaz lost his world title at super featherweight on the scale by missing weight and after earning a draw in that fight moved up to Lightweight. He beat a good fighter in Javier Fortuna to earn this title shot and is a consensus top 10 lightweight. Devin Haney has been a fighter that people have been crowning as one of the next stars of boxing for years now and it’s got to the point where hes stepping up versus world ranked opposition.

Haney is the bigger man who has the better technical boxing skills and should be able to keep Diaz on the end of his jab throughout the fight. Diaz will get on the inside enough to win a few rounds but won’t do enough to win a decision versus Haney who will out-box him clearly due to his size and superior skill set.

Hamzah Sheeraz versus Bradley Skeete breakdown

This could be a solid test and fight for Hamzah Sheeraz if Skeete has benefited from his lay off from the sport and recent move up in weight. In the last few year’s of Skeete’s career he looked like a fighter that should probably retire and he did just that. He’s recently come back and picked up a stay busy stoppage win while telling everyone the time off has done him good and he’s properly back now. Hamzah Sheeraz is a good prospect at super welterweight who has a lot of physical advantages over most opponents as hes huge for the weight class.

I think Skeete will probably look good in this fight until he gets caught with something clean after three or four rounds and falls apart. It’s hard too see him lasting in this fight after watching his last two significant fights where he was stopped early on. Sheeraz is a decent puncher but also doesn’t rush his work so Skeete won’t have many opportunities to score with big punches and turn the fight around.

I think Hamzah Sheeraz will win by knockout in the 6th or 7th round due to being the fresher man who’s got a solid defence and can fight on the inside. Something that a 34 year old Skeete isn’t likely to like at this point of his career.

Dennis McCann versus Juan Jose Jurado breakdown

McCann, who is one of the best prospects in the UK, takes a step up in competition versus the experienced Jurado over eight rounds. McCann has looked excellent in all his fights so far and a lot is expected of him in the future by people involved in the sport. Jurado has become a bit of a journeyman in recent years and has lost four in a row though versus decent opposition.

Dennis McCann is the much bigger man in this match up and Jurado is moving up all the way to the featherweight limit for this fight after fighting most of his career at flyweight and super flyweight. McCann should have the size and power to stop Jurado fairly early in the fight in my opinion.

Dennis McCann will win by stoppage in the first three or four rounds because Jurado won’t be able to take his punches due to being undersized at the weight and isn’t likely to be overly motivated after losing four in a row.