Boxing Fulcrum

Brandun Lee versus Jimmy Williams breakdown

This is a solid step up fight for Brandun Lee who seems to be one of the better American prospects. Jimmy Williams will need to win here as at 34 he doesn’t have a huge amount of time left in the sport.

Brandun Lee has fast hands and throws in combination. He had a good amateur career before turning pro and having 19 fights in three years. He seems to have decent power though its hard to tell sometimes because of the low level of competition hes faced. His defence seems good though once he steps up in levels it will be tested a lot more than it has been.

Jimmy Williams has a decent jab and better power than his record suggests. He doesn’t seem to have particularly fast hands and doesn’t throw in combination that much. His defence isn’t anything special and hes been hit clean by fighters who aren’t nearly as good as Brandun Lee.

I think Lee will win this fight by KO in the 5th or 6th round because he has much quicker hands and is better technically. I also think he has the killer instinct to really go for the knockout while Williams is happy to win on points.

Iskander Kharsan versus Andrei Nurchynski breakdown

This is a tune up fight for Kharsan after losing his most recent fight to Thomas Essomba. He looked like a very good prospect before that and I still have high hopes for his future as hes still young and was caught early in that fight by a good fighter.

My breakdown for this fight is that Kharsan is much better technically than Nurchynski and also seems to have more power. He’s normally quite aggressive and while Nurchynski is tough I think he’ll get stopped in this fight as the gulf in class will be too much. Nurchynski is also a journeyman and won’t have much ambition in this fight so the young hungry Kharsan will be more motivated to push through any hard moments unlike Nurchynski.

Charles Conwell versus Wendy Toussaint breakdown

This fight is between two solid prospects at 154 where the winner will progress and start to become a name while the loser will have to rebuild.

Charles Conwell had a good amateur career before turning pro and competed in the 2016 Olympics. He has a good defence that consists of head movement, slipping punches and catching punches on his gloves so its layered unlike many fighters defence. He’s a good combination puncher that has real spite in his punches especially when he throws them to the body. He’s one of the few modern day fighters that puts a real focus on body shots and I love too see it because I feel its a little bit of a lost art. While he will throw combinations solely to the body he’ll also often mix it up by going to the body then head in the same combination. He has a good jab which he uses to set a lot of his punches up with. I don’t think he has any major flaws in his skill set which is probably why a lot of people in boxing see him as a big time prospect who just hasn’t got the shine yet.

Wendy Toussaint is tall for a Super Welterweight and knows how to use that to his advantage. He throws a pawing jab before throwing a hard straight punch rather than using his jab as a weapon. Similar to Conwell he punches to the body often and with good results. He’s not quite the combination puncher Conwell is in my opinion as he throws a lot of single shots or two punches before resetting. I think he has a solid defence that mostly relies on his footwork and height.

This is a hard fight for me to predict as I think both are good prospects but I think Conwell will win this one on points because of his combination punching and superior head and upper body movement. I also think his focus on the body will slow Toussaint down late in the fight which will mean his height won’t be such as an advantage as his legs slow down.

Aleksei Evchenko versus Asinia Byfield breakdown

I really like the look of how competitive this fight is and credit needs to be given to whoever did the match making for this. Aleksei Evchenko is a fighter that wins some loses some but always gives it a go. Asinia Byfield has competed at domestic level in the UK and came up short at British level.

Aleksei Evchenko has decent technical boxing skills and throws clean combinations on the front foot. He is normally a come forward fighter that likes to take the center of the ring and not back down. He has decent power which might not show on his record but hes only fought good fighters so its harder to knock them out. He is 37 now but doesn’t look like he wants to slow down any time soon.

Asinia Byfield has lost at British level to Ted Cheeseman and was also out classed recently versus Ismail lliev on one of these KOld war cards. He has an awkward style and switches stances for no given reason. He normally fights on the back foot and moves around a lot. I don’t think hes ever fully got away from his amateur style as he doesn’t sit down on his punches enough. He doesn’t have much power though that may be more a reflection of his style rather than how much natural power he actually has.

I think Aleksei Evchenko will win this fight by decision because of his come forward style which will impress the judges. I also think hes got more power and Byfield will spend too much time moving and not enough time punching to win the fight.

Andrey Sirotkin versus Grant Dennis breakdown

This is a decent match up in the middleweight division between two fighters who desperately need a win for their careers. Andrey Sirotkin seemed like he was on his way to a title shot but came unstuck against the heavy hands of John Ryder. Grant Dennis has only mixed it at domestic level in the UK and has had a few losses there.

Grant Dennis is a decent fighter but leaves his chin up in the air a little too much for my liking. He doesn’t have much power and while he has decent technical boxing skills its nothing that Sirotkin wouldn’t have seen before. He keeps his hands low a lot but doesn’t have the reaction speed to pull off that style of fighting in my opinion.

Andrey Sirotkin like Grant Dennis is a decent fighter but will never make it to world level again in my opinion. His jab is good when he throws it and his combinations are relatively fluid when he throws them. He doesn’t really have any power and his reaction time doesn’t seem great. I don’t think his footwork or technical skills are anything to write home about but they might be slightly better than Dennis’s.

I think Sirotkin will win this fight by decision because hes slightly better technically and being a southpaw might make Dennis uncomfortable. He’s also the home fighter so in a close fight he will get the decision.

Joshua Buatsi versus Marko Calic breakdown

This is in my opinion a tune up fight for Buatsi who seems like one of the top talents in the sport. Marko Calic was a decent amateur but hasn’t really transitioned to the professional game very well.

Joshua Buatsi is very compact and throws a variety of punches which lead to him getting knockouts because of the variation of his shots. He has a decent defence and good power.

Marko Calic without being mean fights quite stiff. I think when he throws his punches he doesn’t quite get the range right and is easy to counter. I’ve watched fighters who are no where near Buatsi’s level land cleanly on Calic again and again. I don’t think Calic is great at combination punching and doesn’t seem to have that much power.

I think Buatsi will win by knockout in the 6th or 7th round after breaking Calic down and getting the ring rust off.

Alen Babic versus Niall Kennedy breakdown

This is a really good fight for Babic in only his 5th professional fight. Babic is moving quickly and has completely skipped the somewhat pointless fights versus no hopers for two years that most prospects go through. Niall Kennedy is a decent domestic level heavyweight but is coming to the end of his career and hasn’t fought for over a year.

Alen Babic just comes forward and swings wildly. There isn’t much else to say about him than that as he’ll either knock someone out in two or three rounds or slow down and probably lose a points decision.

Niall Kennedy likes to take the center of the ring and is horrible technically. He has been stopped by Devin Vargas and struggled versus other not so good heavyweights. I think like Babic he has struggled with stamina in the past but doesn’t really have the power of Babic.

I think Babic should win this fight by KO in the third round as Kennedy is tough enough to last a while but won’t be able to deal with the pressure of Babic in the end.

Mark Magsayo versus Rigoberto Hermosillo breakdown

This is a good fight and a nice test for Magsayo who is having his second fight in the USA. If he wins this fight he may challenge for a world title within one or two fights. For Hermosillo this is a great opportunity.

Mark Magsayo is a big puncher who seems very strong for the weight. Hes decent technically and isn’t afraid to get into a bit of a war. His defence isn’t bad but I wouldn’t say its great either. His competition hasn’t been great so far though there are a few capable opponents on his resume.

Rigoberto Hermosillo is generally a come forward fighter that has decent power. I wouldn’t describe him as your standard brawler as he does normally use his boxing to push forward. His defence isn’t great and hes been dropped by lesser punchers than Magsayo.

I think Magsayo will win this fight by knockout and be the first person to stop Hermosillo because Hermosillo likes to come forward but has a lackluster defence which will play right into Magsayo’s hands or in this case fists.

Paul Kroll versus Lucas Santamaria breakdown

This is a really good fight between what I would call a blue chip prospect in Paul Kroll and a fighter who’s had to earn everything hes got in Lucas Santamaria.

Paul Kroll was a very good amateur and while hes had quite a slow start to his pro career it looks like hes ready to really get going now. His offence is beautiful to watch as he throws a variety of hard hitting combinations that seem to flow together seamlessly. He also has a good defence and employs the Philly shell a lot which is appropriate considering hes from Philadelphia.

Lucas Santamaria has had to come up the hard way in the pro ranks as most of his big fights hes been the B-side and was expected to lose. He throws a huge amount of punches and normally presses the action. His defence is solid but he isn’t hard to hit. Hes very tough and has a good gas tank as proved in his last fight.

I think this will be a breakout fight for Paul Kroll who’s superior amateur background will lead him to a KO victory in the second half of the fight.

Gabriel Flores Jr versus Ryan Kielczweski breakdown

This is a good step up fight for Flores Jr who’s looked like he could be a big star in the future. Flores fought recently in the Top Rank bubble and looks to make it 2 out of 2 there this Saturday. Ryan Kielczweski is coming off a win but throughout his career has narrowly lost to good prospects.

Gabriel Flores Jr is a good technical boxer who can sometimes be accused of playing it safe instead of going for the knockout. He doesn’t have much power though hes only 20 so that power could still develop later on. His defence is really solid and I don’t think it’ll be a problem in this fight.

Ryan Kielczweski isn’t as technically good as Flores Jr but has been a pro for much longer and knows a lot of the professional tricks which you only learn through experience. He doesn’t have that much power and is starting to come towards the end of his career in my opinion. He has a decent right hand and isn’t technically bad at all I just think Flores is a bit better. He mostly fights on the front foot or holds the center of the ring. I watched his fight with Frank De Alba recently and felt he was very unlucky to not get the decision in that fight.

While this is a solid test for Gabriel Flores Jr I think he has the tools too see him through to a decision victory though he may struggle and lose a few rounds for the first time in his career.