By Jim Dower: Former International Boxing Federation (IBF) light middleweight champion Roman Karmazin (40-3, 26 KO’s) will be challenging IBF middleweight champion Sebastian Sylvester (30-3, 16 KO’s) for his title on Saturday night at the Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. This will be the 29-year-old Sylvester’s 2nd defense of his IBF title, which was formerly held by IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham until he vacated the title to move up to the super middleweight division last year.

Sylvester, 5’7”, will be giving up four inches in height to the 5’11” Karmazin. However, the height difference likely won’t mean much for this fight, as the 37-year-old Karmazin often likes to fight at medium to close range where he is comfortable throwing his fast hooks.

Sylvester has one of the best jabs in the middleweight division and likes to control his fights using his jabs and an occasional hard right hand. Sylvester captured the IBF title last year with a narrow 12 round split decision win over Giovanni Lorenzo in September 2009. In his first defense, Sylvester stopped fringe contender Billy Lyell in the 10th round in an impressive performance last January. What made it especially impressive was how easily Sylvester dominated Lyell, a fighter who had only recently defeated top middleweight contender John Duddy by a 10 round decision.

Karmazin has had some bad luck in his career. He suffered his first loss of his career against Javier Castillejo, losing a controversial 12 round decision in Castillejo’s home country of Spain. Having seen that fight, I had Karmazin winning easily by eight rounds to four. Karmazin rebounded from that loss and three years later he won the IBF junior middleweight title with a 12 round decision over then champion Kassim outman in July 2005. However, in Karmazin’s first title defense against Cory Spinks a year later, Karmazin lost a 12 round majority decision to Spinks while fighting in Spinks home town of Saint Louis, Missouri.

I saw that fight as well, and saw Karmazin easily winning that fight by 9 rounds to 3. It was a terrible decision but it showed how hard it is to win a decision in another fighter’s hometown, even if you’re a champion like Karmazin. Following the loss to Spinks, Karmazin won two fights before getting stopped in the 10th round by the hard hitting Alex Bunema in January 2008.

Karmazin was well ahead in that fight and on his way to victory when he got careless by standing directly in front of Bunema and ended up getting hurt and taken out in the 10th. Since that loss, Karmazin has racked up four straight wins, beating Bronko McKart, Antwun Echols, Luiz Augusto Dos Santos and Dionsio Miranda.

Karmazin is getting up there in age at 37, and its unknown how he’ll do against a younger fighter like Sylvester. This fight is taking place in Germany, so unless Karmazin looks especially spectacular, he could end up losing another hometown decision. He has to fight especially well and try to get past Sylvester’s constant jabs if he’s to have any luck in beating him.

There’s little question that Karmazin has the better offensive power and skills, but he’s going to be right there for Sylvester’s jabs all night long. Also, Karmazin has problems with his stamina late in his fight and he could have problems with Sylvester if he wears down late in the fight. I doubt Sylvester will worry him with his power but I can see Karmazin losing by a decision because of Sylvester’s excellent jabs.

Prediction: Sylvester by 12 round unanimous decision