By Scott Gilfoid: 6’4″ unbeaten super middleweight contender Thomas Oosthuizen (19-0-1, 13 KO’s) is facing the biggest of his career on Thursday night against the powerful wrecking machine Rowland Bryant (16-1, 11 KO’s) at the Roseland Ballroom, in New York, New York.
This is really toss up fight because the 32-year-old Bryant is a pretty special fighter with knockout power and skills that make it difficult to survive against him. He’s a much more solid fighter with a low center of gravity at 5’11” compared to the stork-like Oosthuizen.
It’s very rare that a fighter can survive for long against Bryant because he bludgeons you into submission in the same way that IBF junior middleweight champion Cornelius Bundrage batters his opponents with his huge upper body to get a stoppages. I think Oosthuizen could be taken out in this fight and I really wouldn’t call it an upset, because Bryant is the real deal.
Oosthuizen has never faced a puncher like Bryant before, and he’s going to have to use his skinny legs to move around the ring to avoid him. I’m afraid that the usual hit and run strategy won’t work for Oosthuizen in this fight, because Bryant’s timing is so good. He’ll meet Oosthuizen each time he cmoes forward with a right hand and left hook, and that’ll spoil everything for him.
I was really impressed with Bryant’s recent win over Librado Andrade last April. Bryant took Andrade out in three rounds, and gave him a terrible beating. It was painful to watch because Andrade was getting hit with shots that were monstrous and it was to his credit he lasted as long as he did, because lesser fighters would have been blown out fast by Bryant.
If Oosthuizen can get past Bryant he’ll very likely get a title shot against IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch in November.
Comments are closed.