Boxing Fulcrum

Mario Alfano versus Haithem Laamouz breakdown

This should be a competitive fight over 12 rounds for the Vacant EBU European Super Featherweight title. Neither of these fighters has faced the best competition throughout their careers but Alfano has been matched slightly harder.

Neither of these fighters have much power and neither have great technical skills so it should be a relatively even fight for the most part. I imagine the fight will be fought at a relatively slow pace throughout which will mean a lot of swing rounds occur. With the bout being in Alfano’s home country of Italy you can expect any close rounds to go to him. Both have fought recently but Alfano picked up the better win in somewhat impressive fashion over Nicola Cipolletta.

I expect Alfano to win this fight by decision after twelve rounds due to him being in tougher fights throughout his career and also the fight being in his home country of Italy.

Danielle Perkins versus Princess Hairston breakdown

This is an interesting fight because it’s a Women’s heavyweight fight and its not often you see them happen. I’m glad Ring City are shining a spotlight on these fighters as I doubt many other platforms would have picked them up unfortunately.

Danielle Perkins is six feet tall and a good amateur. I thought she was very impressive in her debut and given two more rounds would have got the stoppage. She’s good technically and clearly has some power.

Princess Hairston doesn’t have the amateur background and is short for the weight so will struggle to reach Perkins who has a significant height advantage. I also don’t think shes got huge power as the Woman she KO’d is 0-2 and has lost by stoppage in the first round twice.

I think Danielle Perkins should be able to use her height, power and technical advantages to win by KO in the 5th round after an entertaining fight.

Gor Yeritsyan versus Mahonri Montes breakdown

I don’t think this fight will be all that competitive as Montes has lost almost every step up hes had and hasn’t won a significant fight since 2017. Gor Yeritsyan was a decent amateur who has taken to the pro’s well and while this is likely his biggest test yet its one I think he’ll pass with flying colours.

I think Gor Yeritsyan’s amateur background and aggressive style combined with his punching power should be enough to overwhelm and stop Montes who after 46 hard fights is perhaps a bit past his best. He’s taken on the role of being a gatekeeper for a number of years now and may not be hugely motivated when the going gets tough while Yeritsyan is on the come up so is motivated to use this fight as a spring board to get bigger fights.

My prediction for this fight is Yeritsyan by stoppage in the 7th round.

Brian Ceballo versus Larry Gomez breakdown

This is another great fight that Ring City are putting on in their new fight series on NBC in America. Brian Ceballo looks like a blue chip prospect and has impressed so far as a pro. Larry Gomez has had a hard pro career wheres hes been matched hard but only has one loss which was a split decision.

Brian Ceballo has a good jab and from his amateur background has good technical skills. He has decent power though isn’t a massive puncher. He’s quite tall for a Welterweight and uses that size well by keeping his opponents at the end of his jab. I don’t think hes been matched very hard in his career so far especially considering his extensive amateur background.

Larry Gomez isn’t terrible technically but doesn’t really jab very often. He puts his hooks together well but doesn’t throw many other punches and isn’t consistent with his work. When he does punch he’ll jump into range and throw three or four hooks in a row. His defence is average to me but he seems to have a good chin. He has fought the better competition so may be able to dig deeper if the fight gets tough. He is a decent puncher and if he can connect on Ceballo he could change the entire fight.

I think Brian Ceballo should be able to use his jab and superior technical skills to win a decision after ten rounds. While Gomez can win because of his power and experience I think his lack of a jab will really hurt him in this fight.

Brandon Adams versus Sanny Duversonne breakdown

This is a really good fight between two American Super Welterweights. Brandon Adams is more experienced and is coming off a loss to Jermall Charlo at middleweight where he performed better than expected. Duversonne is coming off two losses though they were too top prospects and I thought he was perhaps unlucky not to get the decision against Chordale Booker.

Brandon Adams is decent technically and comes forward a lot. He seems like a strong guy and his style is somewhat similar to Shawn Porters where they move into range bullishly using their strength and pressure to overwhelm their opponents. He has a good chin and his stamina held up well in his last fight even if he wasn’t that competitive with Charlo. I think he struggles with people that are technically good or have a good jab and can keep him at range. He hasn’t been in the ring since June of 2019 so will likely have some ring rust he needs to shake off. With the fight scheduled for eight rounds it’s very risky for him if he loses the early rounds due to being rusty. In these shorter fights its very easy for the more experienced fighter to get out worked and out hustled by the sharper more active fighter who understands they don’t have to pace themselves and the objective is to win five rounds out of the eight. They go in with the knowledge that it doesn’t matter if at the end of the eight rounds they are completely exhausted because the fights over while a fighter that is used to twelve rounds may pace themselves when for a twelve round fight which often means they get going to late.

Sanny Duversonne is a good fighter who stays ready to take short notice fights. He has a long reach and uses it well by throwing out his jab along with one-two’s. His hooks can be looping punches which go around the guard. He always throws back when he gets hit and covers up well defensively though he would be better suited by using his legs to navigate the ring while punching instead of standing against the ropes. I think hes an underrated fighter who is making the most of this pandemic and may have the style to beat Adams over eight rounds.

I think Sanny Duversonne will win a close decision over Brandon Adams due to his reach advantage combined with his style of fighting on the outside while being defensively responsible. He’s also been very active and had 16 rounds in the last six months while Adams hasn’t fought for over a year.

Issac Hardman versus Tej Pratap Singh breakdown

This is a great step up fight for Hardman who so far has been running through his competition. Singh is a solid domestic fighter in Australia who if he wants to get into big fights needs to win here as hes 34.

Issac Hardman is a former MMA fighter who has made the transition to boxing well. He’s very aggressive and has good power. While hes not the best technically he makes up for that with his power and volume of punching. I don’t think hes bad technically though and is clearly a gifted combat athlete.

Tej Pratap Singh hasn’t looked great in his recent fights against sub par competition and to me it looks like he might be on the slide a bit. I’m not going to go into detail as I really think hes started to go on the slide and Hardman can make a statement here.

I think Hardman should be able to win by knockout because of his power and youth. Singh wasn’t the greatest fighter in his prime but being on the slide hes not looked good at all.

Justis Huni versus Arsene Fosso breakdown

This is a good fight considering its only Huni’s second fight as it should be competitive at least early. Justis Huni recently made his pro debut by impressively stopping Faiga Opelu in seven rounds. Arsene Fosso is 3-0 with three knockouts and has never got out of the second round.

Justis Huni is only 21 and clearly hasn’t got his man strength yet as he doesn’t seem like a big puncher to me. He’s fast and good technically with a solid jab and good combinations. He likes to double up on his hooks and throws a variety of punches though could perhaps add in more uppercuts. His defence and stamina have looked good so far.

Arsene Fosso had a decent amateur background himself though didn’t quite reach the levels that Huni did. He has a damaging looking jab and is clearly not horrible technically. I don’t think he has the fastest hands or feet and this may cause him problems against Huni. I think he has more power than Huni but will struggle to land it as hes not the best at setting up his big punches.

I think Justis Huni will win a decision or a late stoppage over Fosso because of his superior technical skills and speed. I think he should be able to pick Fosso off with his combinations for most of the fight though if Fosso lands clean then he can drop or potentially KO Huni.

What’s next for Jazza Dickens, Ricards Bolotniks plus undercard?

I enjoyed this card from MTK though they perhaps could have done without the three bouts which featured young prospects versus journeymen. While its great for them to get exposure on tv the fights weren’t especially entertaining and may have turned many viewers away. The last few hours were a good watch and both the Golden Contract finals lived up to expectations especially the Bolotniks-Michel fight.

Adam Azim shined in his debut as he out boxed tough journeyman Ed Harrison over six rounds. Harrison always comes to win and recently caused an upset over Mohammed Bilal Ali on a Frank Warren show. In this fight he was forced down the route of surviving and took going the six rounds as a victory instead of getting his hand raised. I’m not going to crown Azim a world champion in the making but he showed a lot of good qualities and is clearly a talented boxer. He is someone that I think can be fast tracked to an extent and a fight versus someone like Nathan Kirk would be a perfect second fight for him. Ed Harrison can continue being in the away corner and potentially work his way towards a area title as he has the skill and heart to achieve at that level.

James McGivern looked great in his second fight versus the ever tough Jordan Ellison. He has a very fluid style and didn’t struggle at all during the fight. Beating Ellison in his second fight is a good result and proves he doesn’t need to be coddled like some prospects are. A fight versus another 3-0 or 4-0 fighter would be good next as he needs someone that is willing to risk getting stopped in order to win as while Ellison does enough to not get stopped he generally shells up when facing top amateurs. Ellison can keep fighting in the away corner and pick up a living testing prospects.

Fearghus Quinn did what I expected to do and put the pressure on Scott James who toughed it out and went the six rounds. Quinn remained in control throughout the fight and showed a good amount of skill while fighting on the inside. He does get hit quite a bit and isn’t the best finisher yet so more tough domestic opponents would be good for his next two or three fights. After that I think he can start to move towards International titles or some of the bigger names at middleweight in the UK. Scott James made a good account of himself and should keep taking challenges in the away corner to make money.

Harlem Eubank put on a career best performance in beating the previously undefeated Daniel Egbunike on points. He remained in control throughout the fight and at least in my eyes very comfortably won. He will fight for the English title next against Kay Prospere as long as the title doesn’t get vacated. I think he has a good chance of winning that fight and progressing towards the British title. Egbunike should come back at area level and get a few wins before getting into another eliminator for the English title.

Ricards Bolotniks looked great in stopping Michel after a slow opening to the fight. Both really went for it and in the end “The Lion” came out on top in their battle of wills and different styles. I think while Bolotniks can sometimes be described as wild or not good technically hes actually an underrated technician. He was jabbing well and putting good combinations together while cleverly targeting the body of Michel. I think fights with Anthony Yarde, Joshua Buatsi or international names such as Sullivan Barrera would be good fights for him. He’s only two or three fights away from a world title at this point. Serge Michel should target the EBU title in the next year or two and if he can win that potentially aim for world level.

James Dickens out worked and out boxed Ryan Walsh over ten rounds in their featherweight Golden Contract final. While a lot of the rounds were close I felt Dickens was clearly outworking Walsh in the majority of them. Dickens has proved hes past domestic level now and based off his improved form he should target a title shot versus Emmanuel Navarrete or go for the European title. I think Navarrete would stop him but its the biggest fight available for him and as a prizefighter he should be aiming for the biggest fights. Ryan Walsh has to consider whether he wants to continue boxing as at the age of 34 its unlikely he’ll get to world level and hes already conquered the British title and the domestic scene.

Ricards Bolotniks versus Serge Michel breakdown

This should be a competitive fight over ten rounds in the final of the MTK Light heavyweight Golden Contract tournament. Both boxers are obviously on good runs of form right now as they have managed to get to the final even though neither were expected to at the start.

Richard Bolotniks is the best example of a rugged fighter you could ever find. He looks like he just came out of a cave in the wilderness and he fights the same way. He has a decent jab and an overhand right which he clearly loves more than his children as the guy won’t stop throwing it. You might be surprised to hear he has thrown other punches in his career though these are often wild and unorthodox which perhaps you’d expect from Conan’s balding brother. In all seriousness hes a hard fighter to deal with because of his unorthodox style and sheer size as the man used to be a Cruiserweight who competed around world level.

Serge Michel is in many ways the antithesis of Bolotniks, instead of learning on the job as a pro hes had a stellar amateur career, instead of being wild and unpredictable hes calculated and methodical as his nickname “Bavarian Sniper” perfectly encapsulates. Even in appearance they are opposites, Bolotniks looks every part of a wild man while Michel is smooth cut and prepared similarly to the snipers that he draws inspiration from. Michel is a good technician and while he has been stopped by a fearsome puncher before he seems to have improved and evolved as a fighter since then.

While the fighters are complete opposites in almost every way they both fight with the same goal in mind of winning the Golden Contract and changing their lives. The question will be whether Bolotniks strength and bursts of violence will overwhelm the calmer Michel or whether Bolotniks will get frustrated and picked apart like so many raging bulls have done in the pits of Spain. I think the fight will swing back and forth as both are evenly matched if not alike until the scorecards reveal the ending every tournament dreads, a draw.

Daniel Egbunike versus Harlem Eubank breakdown

This is a good 50/50 domestic fight where the winner is expected to fight for the English title next. Both are undefeated and on good runs of form so this should be a highly competitive fight where the winner is always in doubt.

Daniel Egbunike is a come forward fighter who throws a lot of punches though isn’t the most accurate. His defence is solid enough though its only been tested at area level. He has power though its nothing to really look out for and I’d be surprised if it transfers up to even English level.

Harlem Eubank is a decent boxer who also comes forward. I don’t think he throws as many punches as Egbunike but shares the inaccuracy. His defence isn’t great and if he doesn’t improve on it I can’t ever seeing him getting past a British title. He does have reasonable power which is why I think he may be able to work his way towards a British title eventually.

I don’t see much separating the two fighters but I do think Eubank has more power and has also fought more recently which means he won’t have ring rust. I think Eubank should be able to win a close decision after ten rounds.