Boxing Fulcrum

Yordenis Ugas versus Abel Ramos breakdown

Ugas should be the clear favourite in this fight as hes fought at a very high level and had good success while Abel Ramos has shown he loses most of the big fights.

Yordenis Ugas is originally from Cuba and has the Cuban amateur background which means hes very technically good. Hes got a good defence and seems to have a good chin as well. His power is decent though he doesn’t stop high level opponents very often.

Abel Ramos is a bit more crude but does have some good power. Hes normally a front foot fighter and will put pressure on his opponents all fight long. His defence isn’t great and hes not on Ugas’s level technically.

I think Yordenis Ugas will be able to us his superior boxing skill to win a 12 round decision or potentially a late stoppage if he can time Ramos enough.

Alex Dilmaghani versus Samir Ziani breakdown

I really like this fight as it should be very competitive and both fighters are taking a risk as a loss would set them back while winning gets them slightly closer to a world title. Alex Dilmaghani seems to have become the focus of boxing on Channel 5 and with that comes the responsibility of taking hard fights which he is doing here. Samir Ziani is boxing on away soil in England defending his EBU European Super Featherweight title.

Alex Dilmaghani is a southpaw who usually has a good jab and decent fundamentals. In his most recent fight versus Francisco Fonseca he abandoned these tools and instead went to war which ended up with him getting a draw which could easily have been a loss. He’s very tough and has good stamina though when he gets cut it effects him and he slows down badly.

Samir Ziani is also a southpaw and like Dilmaghani likes to get into a scrap. Hes normally a come forward fighter that throws lots of combinations and tries to overwhelm his opponents. He’s very tough and not bad technically either though neither him or Dilmaghani are likely ready for world level.

I think Alex Dilmaghani will win by decision because he’s the taller fight and will be able to use his jab to control the fight. I also think in his fight with Francesco Fonseca he showed he can fight effectively on the inside so he won’t get bullied there. I applaud Mick Hennessy for bringing boxing back to free television in the UK especially with the competitive match ups hes making.

Antonio Moran, Xander Zayas and Nikoloz Sekhniashvili fight September 4th

All 3 boxers will have fights later tonight on the USA Telemundo series of boxing cards. Xander Zayas is expected to be the next big thing in boxing though with him being only 17 he is being progressed slowly and this should be an easy fight for him.

Antonio Moran is in a bit of a harder fight versus Luis Solis though I think he will still win comfortably.

Sekhniashvili should also win fairly comfortably.

Aslambek Idigov beats Stanislav Kashtanov

This fight happened earlier today and really was just a bit of a tune up bout for Aslambek who needs as much experience as he can get right now. Kashtanov is tough but is perhaps past his best and at this point in his career is handing the torch over to the new generation of Russian Super Middleweights such as Idigov.

Idigov won by decision and from what I gather was hurting Kashtanov to the body and started to really take over as the fight progressed. He is quite highly ranked in the WBO so may in a few more fights be thrust into world level which I don’t think hes ready for. Hes only 24 and has been building himself a decent resume of top 30 fighters but still needs a few more years of development to be competitive with the top fighters at Super Middleweight.

I think for his next fight he should face Istvan Szili who is ranked 15th in the WBO. Szili is 37 and holds a record of 24-2-2 with his most recent fight being a good upset win versus Jayde Mitchell in Australia. Szili lives in Switzerland so it wouldn’t be hard to get him to come to Russia. It also wouldn’t be too much of a step up for Idigov as Szili is 37 and a little past his best though he is still very capable and should be a good test.

I’m going to try to do more content like this and opinion pieces etc rather than just breaking down fights as I enjoy making this more. I’m also going to try and get a few interviews with fighters which you’ll be able to read. Expect more varied content and hopefully some interesting stuff in the future!

Shuichiro Yoshino versus Valentine Hosokawa breakdown

This is a really good match up between two Japanese Lightweights who will be looking to move on to bigger things especially Shuichiro Yoshino who is 12-0 right now. Valentine Hosokawa is a domestic fighter in Japan who has had mixed results at that level. He holds a record of 25-7-3 and is 39 years old. The fight will be 12 rounds for Shuichiro Yoshino’s Japanese and OPBF Lightweight titles.

Shuichiro Yoshino is an orthodox fighter but has a really good left hook which he throws often. He has a good right hand as well and also a decent jab. He’s very powerful and this power has bailed him out a few times when he’s been out boxed by people but has managed to knock them out late in the fight. His defence isn’t anything special but its decent and he seems very calm when he’s put under pressure.

Valentine Hosokawa has a lot of experience and has fought a lot of decent fighters such as Koki Inoue. He’s short for lightweight and isn’t the best at getting into range. He has a decent right hand and his jab isn’t horrible but it doesn’t get to the target very often. He’s a slow starter but when he gets later into the fight his work rate gets quite high and he fights better overall. His defence isn’t great from what I’ve seen though he does have a decent chin.

I think Shuichiro Yoshino will win by knockout because I think Hosokawa’s defence isn’t great and Yoshino is a big puncher who can use his height advantage well to pick Hosokawa apart. Hosokawa being a slow starter will play right into Yoshino’s hands as he often stops people early and his opponents need to be switched on at all times.

Batyr Akhmedov versus Rey Perez breakdown

This is a tune up fight for Akhmedov after almost a year out the ring. His last fight was a controversial loss to Mario Barrios and its expected if they both win their upcoming fights that they will have a rematch. Rey Perez is a career journeyman who has managed to spring a few upsets over domestic prospects.

Batyr Akhmedov was a very good amateur and a 2016 Olympian. He has decent fundamentals and normally fights on the front foot as he breaks his opponents down with good pressure and a variety of hooks. He has good power and has moved very quickly so far in his career as he’s only 8 fights in. One of his biggest flaws is he’s been dropped a few times in his career though he doesn’t seem to have been hurt when hes been knocked down. I don’t know if its a balance issue or if he just hasn’t seen the shots coming.

Rey Perez constantly has one hand out pawing trying to bait his opponents to overextend but it rarely works. He has some decent power and a very good chin. Honestly his best asset in this fight is his toughness though that may end up just meaning he takes more punishment. In recent times hes struggled with prospects and end up losing decisions.

I think Batyr Akhmedov will win this fight by KO because hes the superior boxer who has the better power and will be able to break Perez down.

Padraig McCrory versus Mickey Ellison breakdown

This is another well matched fight from the MTK show on Wednesday as it pits two Super middleweights on the rise against each other. Padraig McCory finally got a breakout win last year versus Steve Collins Jr but hasn’t been able to get another significant fight since. Mickey Ellison is coming off of two upset wins over Charlie Schofield and Christian Kinsiona.

Mickey Ellison is the taller man in this match up but will probably be on the front foot because he has quite an aggressive style. He uses a good jab and feints to get into range to throw a variety of punches. I like that he doesn’t just throw right hooks and mixes up what he throws when he gets into range. His defence and foot work aren’t great but to take full advantage of his defensive lapses you’d have to be a level or two above him which I don’t think McCrory is. He seems to have a good chin and semi-decent power though nothing too out of the ordinary. He throws quite a volume of punches but this does lead him to tire late in fights though in an 8 rounder this shouldn’t be a problem.

I can’t find any footage of Padraig McCrory’s fights but I have watched him live a few times so I’ll go by what I remember. He has a decent jab and a good right hand which is decently fast. When he hurts someone he really goes for it and seems to be a good finisher. He has a lot more power than his record suggests and I’ve seen him stun guys more than once with only one shot. He also has a decent amateur background and is both technically and defensively decent for this level of fight. McCrory is currently 10-0 with 4 knockouts.

I think it’ll be a competitive fight but I think McCrory should be able to pick Ellison off enough to win a decision. I think his power may trouble Ellison and stop him being so active which is one of his better attributes. I wish this fight was 10 rounds honestly as it’s a very competitive fight and the winner could easily go on to fight for the British title.

Harlem Eubank versus Martin McDonagh breakdown

I love match ups like these where its two prospects who are fighting for the chance to move on to bigger things. This is a bit of a grudge match from the amateurs as well which should make the fight more interesting as both will give everything to win.

Harlem Eubank has only fought Journeymen in his career so far and the one time he stepped up early in his career I thought he lost but he got the decision. I think he’ll be on the front foot in this fight as in the footage I’ve watched he seems quite aggressive and is clearly looking to stop his opponents. He jab isn’t very hard and doesn’t often hit the target as he uses it more to measure his right hands which he puts a lot of power on. He’s got decent footwork and his defence seems fine though it hasn’t been tested yet. He has been dropped once in his career though it was ruled a slip. He jumps in and throws right hands and will try to jump to a different angle after the first right hand though it doesn’t often work. When he’s throwing combinations its almost exclusively with the right hand and I think he crowds himself a bit. I don’t think his balance is great but its sufficient. He also doesn’t seem to have a lot of power though its hard to tell when someones only facing tough journeymen as they don’t get stopped very often.

Martin McDonagh is the more pure boxer of the two in my opinion as he almost exclusively tries to win by using his boxing skill and IQ rather than trying to stop his opponents. I think he’ll be boxing off the back foot in this fight as the only other competitive fight he’s had he did exactly that for 10 rounds. He has a serviceable jab and decent counters for the level that this fight is being fought at. His only real defence is moving around the ring as he seems to lack much head movement. He is a southpaw which means Eubank may struggle a bit as he won’t be used to facing Southpaws. McDonagh doesn’t have any power because he doesn’t sit down on his punches at all and fights like hes still an amateur to an extent. I think the 10 competitive rounds he shared with Daniel Egbunike will help him a lot in this fight.

I predict McDonagh will win this fight by decision because he’ll be able to frustrate Eubank with his movement and counters off the back foot. Eubanks lack of a good jab will mean he won’t have much success setting his shots up on the moving McDonagh. I think the competitive rounds will help McDonagh as well because he’s been here before. If Eubank puts a lot of pressure on I can see him taking a decision from a ref that values front foot pressure over back foot countering.

Dan Azeez versus Andre Sterling breakdown.

This is a well matched fight and a good step up for Dan Azeez who is slowly making his way up the domestic ladder at Light Heavyweight. Azeez is coming off of two good wins against Lawrence Osueke and Charlie Duffield. Andre Sterling has recently had two close fights with Liam Conroy and Craig Richards where he lost decisions but fought well.

Dan Azeez has a good jab and can work decently well on the inside. He seems to have good power though probably not at world level though that won’t matter for this fight as its at domestic level. He seems to have a solid chin and good stamina though neither have been truly tested beyond area level. I think he has good timing and seems to be very dedicated to the sport. It wouldn’t surprise me if he won a British title though I think he’ll struggle to get to world level because the Light Heavyweight division is absolutely stacked with talent right now.

Sterling has an awkward style as he fights in bursts of energy where he’ll throw 3 or 4 punches very quickly to both the body and head. You never quite know when hes going to do it but if you can time him you can hit him easily as he leaves his chin a bit too in the air when he punches in my opinion. He clinches a lot and while he’s tough hes been dropped by almost every good opponent hes faced and this has changed fights from him winning to him losing because of the momentum shift. He has a decent right hand and does try to work to the body. I don’t think his foot work is very good at all and this gets him into trouble. His defence isn’t the best either.

I think Dan Azeez should win by decision because I think he has the better jab and has better technical skills. I think he also has the power advantage and is on a good run right now and momentum is a big thing in boxing.

Joshua-Pulev to take place December 12th

The fight between Anthony Joshua and Pulev will take place December 12th at the O2 Arena. Hearn confirmed the news today and I for one am very happy the fight finally has a date. They are expecting to get at least some crowd in the venue and by December they may get their wish granted. It’s a shame that Joshua will only fight once this year but with the pandemic there isn’t much anybody can do.

It also looks like if Both Joshua and Fury get through their next fights then they will fight each other next. Joshua has a WBO mandatory in Usyk next but from comments that Hearn has made it sounds like they may vacate the belt and just get on with the Fury fight.