Boxing Fulcrum

Elnur Abduraimov versus Deivi Julio breakdown

This is a normal step for Abduraimov to take at this point in his career. He’s 6-0 with six knockouts and hasn’t faced any problems with anyone hes fought yet. That likely won’t change with this fight but Julio is someone that a lot of prospects have fought and only the best ones have been able to stop him so this is still a bit of a test for Abduraimov too see where he is at in his career. Deivi Julio competed internationally as an amateur but turned over late as a pro and after his first defeat quickly become a gatekeeper for young prospects and contenders.

Elnur Abduraimov is a talented former amateur star from Uzbekistan. He has a huge amount of power especially for the lightweight division. He’s technically sound though likes to throw powerful hooks rather than work behind the jab. When he does set his punches up I think he does better however against the current competition he faces I think he sometimes gets a little lazy. His footwork and defence are very good and honestly i’m nitpicking at faults as at least to me he looks like a very good prospect who should make it to world level. He’s also very strong and you can tell that from when he fights as almost all of his punches move his opponents. I don’t think fighters will be able to bully him in the clinch and I expect his style to wear a lot of people down as they can’t keep him off them.

Deivi Julio at this point of his career doesn’t do anything better than Abduraimov. He’s tough and will try to stick it out to a decision but at the age of 39 hes almost done and against top prospects he normally gets stopped. I remember watching his last fight where he lost by decision against a prospect who had power and while he made it to the final bell it looked like he was going to get stopped multiple times. If the prospect had better stamina or was more creative offensively he could have stopped Julio comfortably in my opinion.

I think Elnur Abduraimov will win by knockout within four rounds as he has a lot of power and the technical ability to land it on the aging Julio.

GGG and Jaime Munguia in talks for fight.

The promoters of Jaime Munguia have said that they are trying to negotiate a fight between him and Gennadiy Golovkin otherwise known as “GGG”. This would be for Golovkin’s IBF Middleweight title and would be a big fight in the sport.

Recent statements from Munguia’s promoters makes it seem like the fight may not happen until later in the year due to GGG not being that keen on the fight. They have stated that if GGG doesn’t agree or keeps stalling then they’ll get a fight for Munguia in April most likely against Kanat Islam or another similarly ranked middleweight.

Hopefully we get too see Munguia-GGG but if not then I am happy with how Munguia is knocking off fringe contenders at middleweight before getting a title shot. It makes it so the champions don’t have as many bad contenders to pick as easy title defences and also solidifies his position as the number one challenger in the division.

Donald Smith versus William Foster III

This is an evenly matched bout between two unbeaten American Featherweights. Donald Smith is 10-0 with six knockouts while William Foster III is 11-0 with eight knockouts.

Donald Smith hasn’t fought great competition yet so its hard to judge just how good he is however he does appear like a skilled guy and with how tall he is for Featherweight he’s always going to be a problem. He’s a good counter puncher though could do with developing a consistent jab. Hes fine defensively though that hasn’t been tested yet and his biggest weakness is his lack of experience against solid competition as a pro.

William Foster III is an aggressive fighter who can fight competently on the back foot when he needs too. With how aggressive his combinations are it does put him at risk defensively though he doesn’t get hit that often. I think his offensive combinations are quite creative especially when he mixes it up to the body and head. He has fought a good level of competition in his 11 fights and is used to competitive fights where you have to dig deep.

I think this is a real 50/50 and skill set wise they aren’t really at different levels though Foster is better offensively while Smith is better defensively from what I’ve watched. I think Foster will do just enough to pull off the win due to having a lot more experience against better competition though Smith is clearly a talented fighter and if he pulls off the win it wouldn’t surprise me.

Yamileth Mercado versus Julissa Alejandra Guzman breakdown

This is a fight for the WBC Female Super Bantamweight world title over twelve rounds. Mercado is defending her title while Guzman is getting her first title fight though hasn’t really fought anyone to deserve it.

Yamileth Mercado has a stalking style where she’ll march forward and throw wide hooks to both the body and head. Her jab is effective when she decides to use it however often she’ll throw combinations without using it. Her defence is competent though shes no stranger to getting into exchanges.

Julissa Alejandra Guzman is a bit of a brawler and hasn’t fully distanced herself from the less than stellar competition she has faced. I don’t think she is as skilled as Mercado and also hasn’t faced the same level of opponents.

I think Yamileth Mercado will win this fight by decision after ten rounds due to having more experience and also her punching technique being cleaner. I think her style of fighting will force Guzman onto the ropes where she’ll be able to unleash combinations and win enough rounds to take the fight.

Carlos Molina versus Edgar Ortega breakdown

Carlos Molina will keep up his run of recent activity by fighting journeyman Edgar Ortega over ten rounds in Mexico. Carlos Molina is a veteran of the sport and a former world champion though is past his prime now. Ortega has never been a very good fighter and in recent years has been on a terrible run of form which has seen him lose ten of his last twelve fights.

I think Carlos Molina will most likely win by late stoppage due to having performed at a higher level and even well past his prime has shown in various fights this year he has no problem dealing with journeymen and domestic fighters.

Austin Trout versus Juan Armando Garcia breakdown

This should be a fairly straight forward win for Austin Trout who has been out of the ring for just over a year. Garcia has been out of the ring for more than two years himself and is coming out of retirement for this fight.

Austin Trout is a former world champion who has faced the big names throughout his career. He is 35 now and coming towards the latter stage of his career but isn’t washed up or too far away from his prime. As you’d expect of a world champion he has a good all around skill set and in Trout’s case has never been outclassed completely in a fight.

Juan Armando Garcia is a domestic fighter from Mexico who has fought in Canada multiple times as the opponent without any success. Almost every time hes stepped up in competition hes lost.

I expect Austin Trout to win by knockout due to being levels above Garcia and also having less ring rust than a fighter who’s last bout was in 2018.

Rohan Polanco versus Luis Ronaldo Castillo breakdown

This is a good step up fight for Polanco who is only 2-0 but has had an extensive amateur career. Ronaldo Castillo is 22-6 and normally either knocks his opponent out or gets stopped himself.

Rohan Polanco is from the Dominican Republic and represented them well throughout his amateur career. He has a good set of fundamentals and I especially like how consistent he is with his jab. He sets all his other punches off the jab and while hes not a massive puncher he is someone with a lot of skill. He generally stays in a defensive stance known as the Philly shell and unlike a lot of prospects he uses it to good effect. His footwork is good and gets him out of danger but he also doesn’t get hit very much because of him using the Philly shell effectively which is harder than it looks. Early in fights he doesn’t throw a huge amount of punches but as the rounds go on he gets more active along with being more creative offensively with his combinations.

Luis Ronaldo Castillo has some power and isn’t a bad fighter though he lacks the fundamentals and footwork of Polanco. The biggest thing that lets him down in fights is his defence which has led to him losing six times all by knockout. He keeps his chin in the air and isn’t hard to hit which combined with him not having a granite chin means that anybody with some punching power has a good chance of putting him down.

I think Rohan Polanco will win a decision after six rounds due to having better fundamentals including footwork which will make it hard for Castillo to hit him. I think his consistent jab can control the fight especially over six rounds.

Mark Deluca versus Michi Munoz breakdown

This is Deluca’s third fight since his defeat to Kell Brook and like the other two I think this should be an easy one for him. Munoz has been a journeyman for the better part of a decade now and isn’t known for having a good chin especially in recent times as out of his twelve losses ten of them have been by knockout.

I think Mark Deluca will win by knockout within the first three rounds because he’s levels above Munoz who is now 39 and judging from his last few fights has no punch resistance left and should think about retirement for his health.

Kevin Luis Munoz versus Carlos Jorge Luis Sardinez breakdown

This is a good fight for rising Super Flyweight prospect Munoz. He’s currently 10-0 with four knockouts and will likely look to get a title shot within the next 18 months or so as long as he can keep winning. Sardinez is a domestic fighter who has had mixed results in recent times leading to his record of 16-3 with two knockouts.

Kevin Luis Munoz has decent technical skills and seems to be able to fight effectively off both the front and back foot. He puts combinations together skillfully and has a competent jab though he could improve it by bringing it back quicker. His defence is solid though he does still get hit occasionally when he doesn’t need too. I think he has a skill set well above the domestic level in Argentina and will only lose once he steps up to world level. I noticed when he does get hit clean he fires back immediately like hes angry his opponent would dare hit him which is a good sign in my opinion as most elite fighters share this sort of mindset.

Carlos Jorge Luis Sardinez isn’t a bad fighter but he lacks any sort of power and can be out boxed by people that are competent. He’s very much an average domestic fighter in Argentina and has struggled and lost to people that aren’t especially good either such as Abel Leandro Silva who he struggled to a split decision win over.

I think Kevin Luis Munoz will win a decision after ten rounds due to being better at putting combinations together combined with having a consistent jab. He also boasts more power and can move well which will make it hard for Sardinez to land on him. I see some potential in Munoz while Sardinez is more of a domestic fighter who isn’t bad but isn’t quite good enough to make it to fringe world level which is at least where I see Munoz getting too.

Matias Carlos Adrian Rueda versus Claudio Fernando Echegaray breakdown

I think this should be a fairly routine win for Rueda who is most well known for getting knocked out by Oscar Valdez in two rounds. Echegaray has only won one of his last six fights and is moving up a division for this fight.

Matias Rueda is an upright stiff fighter who has a lot of power but terrible defence. He gets hit clean by almost every opponent he faces but thankfully for him most just haven’t been on his level or haven’t been able to deal with the power he throws back. He generally keeps a high guard but lowers his hand before throwing hooks which leaves him very vulnerable to hooks.

Echegaray is a fairly basic fighter who doesn’t possess much power and is also a natural featherweight. He’s on a terrible run of form and has no momentum going into this fight.

I think Matias Rueda will win this fight by knockout in the first five rounds due to having more power and also Echegaray being a natural featherweight moving up after being knocked down four times in his previous fight.