I wouldn’t normally cover a four rounder but this is the debut of former amateur standout Marc Castro who has been trying to turn pro for a few months now but has had delays because of Covid. He’s got great skills and should be able to breeze through this level of competition however his power hasn’t been tested in the pro’s and a lot of amateurs have problems on their debut’s. Luis Javier Valdez is tough and always goes for it but hasn’t been able to beat the prospects hes been put against yet. He’s never been stopped so I don’t see him losing this fight by knockout.
I’m picking Marc Castro to win a four round decision.
This should be a really easy fight for Frank Sanchez who is a rising prospect in the heavyweight division. He’s put in some good performances and is clearly ready to fight a fringe contender. Fernandez has never beat anyone good and isn’t a big heavyweight at all. In his two fights versus prospects hes been knocked out in quick fashion and I don’t see it going any differently here.
Julian Fernandez
I think Frank Sanchez will win by knockout in the first three rounds because Fernandez isn’t very durable and doesn’t have the skills to keep Sanchez from pinging him around the ring.
This is the biggest fight since the pandemic and potentially the biggest fight of this year. Canelo Alvarez is the pound for pound best fighter on the planet while Callum Smith is a top 5 fighter at 168 pounds.
Canelo Alvarez is a great boxer who does everything well. He has great defence, timing and his most underrated ability is being able to stick to a game plan. He has one of the best chins in the sport and is a good body puncher which doesn’t bode well for Smith. I could carry on about his advantages but all you really need to know is hes very much the finished article as a fighter. His only real weakness is that he can’t fight at a good pace for twelve rounds and does take a few off in every twelve round fight. He also isn’t the most fleet footed but he makes up for these disadvantages by adapting his game plans so they aren’t a problem.
Callum Smith’s main advantage in this fight is his size. He’s much bigger than Canelo however I don’t think this will be useful as hes not good at keeping people at range as evidenced when John Ryder consistently got on the inside and went to work. He’s got power and is good fundamentally but hasn’t shown it at the elite level and has struggled at world level versus average opposition. The reason I struggle to see him winning this fight is because of his performance versus Ryder where the shorter man was able to consistently get on the inside and outwork Smith. I thought he lost that fight and considering Canelo is 5x the fighter that Ryder is i’m not sure Smith has much of a chance.
Callum Smith
I think Canelo will win this fight by decision after twelve rounds due to being a good body puncher which should slow Callum Smith who is likely tight at the weight anyway. He’s also the much better boxer and seems to have really filled out into being a Super Middleweight. Smith doesn’t really do anything better than Canelo and isn’t great at keeping shorter opponents away so I don’t see a route for him to winning.
This will be a fun fight while it lasts but Makabu is the rightful favorite in this fight based off his excellent recent form. He’s beaten three good opponents in a row and now defends his WBC Cruiserweight world title for the first time. Durodola has put together a five fight winning streak but against lesser opposition and his most recent step up he was stopped in two rounds by Michal Cieslak who Makabu recently beat to win the world title.
Makabu is a massive puncher with underrated technical skills though of course hes by no means a master technician. Hes tough, has a good chin and has shown that his stamina holds up in big fights. While hes lost twice by knockout one was early in his career and the other was versus Tony Bellew after he sustained an injury in the first round.
Olanrewaju Durodola is also a big puncher and if he was in his prime this fight would be more competitive. He’s 40 now and I think his age has caused him to slow down which has led to his defence being even more shaky than usual.
Olanrewaju Durodola
I think Makabu will win by knockout in the first six rounds due to his good run of form and world class power. He’s the younger fighter who’s in his prime which should be enough to stop Durodola who may become a bit of a gatekeeper after this.
I think this will be the most competitive fight of the night and really could swing either way. Both are decent technically and possess power. Carlos Gongora has the longer reach but might be slightly less good fundamentally. Both had very solid amateur careers and there isn’t much to separate the two.
Carlos Gongora
If I was going to pick a winner I would go with Akhmedov because he is younger and looks very calm in the ring which should work to his benefit in a 50/50 fight.
This is a bit of a tune up fight for Choi who is getting a stay busy defence in before unifying her division. Silgado is a tough fighter who will give it her all but isn’t as good technically and has taken this fight on very short notice.
I think Hyun Mi Choi will win a decision after ten rounds due to having the longer camp and also being better technically.
This is a good tune up for Ryder who if everything was fair in the world would be fighting Canelo Alvarez tommorow.
Ryder is a good fighter who has shown hes world level and has good inside fighting skills. Hes also shown good power at Super Middleweight and also puts combinations together well.
Mike Guy is very underrated and is a tough out for anyone but is very much a come forward brawler with good conditioning. He’s not terrible technically but isn’t on Ryder’s level and is more of a tough gatekeeper for upcoming prospects.
Mike Guy
I think John Ryder will win a decision after ten rounds as Mike Guy is tough but not on his level.
I don’t think this fight will be all that competitive as Golovkin looks to be in the best shape of his career and is a world class fighter while Szeremeta is European level at best.
Szeremeta isn’t a bad fighter he just isn’t on the level of Golovkin and from watching his fights there’s nothing to suggest he can beat him. His hands are often low and he doesn’t have a lot of power either.
I think Golovkin will look like he used to and KO Szeremeta in 7 or 8 rounds before moving onto a bigger fight.
This is a fight that i’m really looking forward too as it features two fairly evenly matched fighters. Pitters is on a very good run of form at the moment and is unbeaten in 14 fights. Craig Richards was putting together a good run but was held to a draw last time out by Chad Sugden which put him to 15-1-1.
Shakan Pitters is a massive Light Heavyweight who uses his height and reach to good effect. His defence is solid because of how hard it is for opponents to get near him. He’s a decent technical boxer but his height is his biggest advantage. He’s not a big puncher which is strange considering how much bigger he is than his opponents.
Craig Richards is a decent domestic fighter who holds average power and is a decent technician for a British level fighter. His defence isn’t great though he does have a solid chin. His stamina has shown to be decent and hes clearly improved in the last few years.
Craig Richards
I think Shakan Pitters will be able to use his height and reach advantages to win a 12 round decision but it should be a fun competitive fight on free television in the UK which is great.
This is a really fun eight rounder between two contenders at Bantamweight. Abgaryan is currently undefeated but is facing his biggest test in Baez who has been fighting on the regional circuit in Mexico.
Narek Abgaryan is a good technical boxer with great reaction speed and timing. He’s trained by Freddie Roach who is one of the best trainers in the world. He’s not got world class power but hits harder than his six knockouts in 14 fights suggests. He had a good amateur career and competed at the 2016 Olympics.
Eduardo Baez a bit like his brother is a come forward fighter who throws a lot of punches. He’s tall for the weight and holds a significant height advantage in this fight. He’s not as technically good as Abgaryan but hes tough and won’t stop coming for the full eight rounds. This is also his biggest test to date.
Eduardo Baez
I think Narek Abgaryan should be able to use his skills to make Baez miss and punish him for missing. After eight rounds I expect him to win a decision though it’ll be a hard fight and he may lose a few rounds.
Boxing Fulcrum 