https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf8nE-KQT6E
By Kbarsey: Tonight at the 02 arena in London, UK, we will be witnessing a mouth watering card on Sky Box Office that will entice all boxing fans. Everybody will have their opinion on whether it is a PPV worthy card but none the less it is a very good card.
Their are four bouts I want to focus on in particular.
Firstly Anthony Joshua vs Kevin “kingpin” Johnson
We all knew that in the lead up to this fight Kevin Johnson would talk a lot, entertain and antagonize the 2012 Olympic Champion Joshua. This is what makes the Fight more intriguing. I believe the 35-year-old Johnson will be stopped for the first time in his lackluster career. But not without some success.
I believe Johnson will take Joshua past 5 rounds, but also believe it will not be enough to keep off the “hype job.” It will take AJ five rounds to figure the American out and then he will find his range and start looking for the kill.
Prediction: Anthony Joshua by KO round 5.
Then we have the “the Welsh Mayweather” Lee Seby fighting the non stop IBF featherweight Champion Evgeny Gradovich. This is a very debatable scrap as you have two very different styles that could either make for a great fight or make it pretty boring. I have always felt that Selby has a natural ability to box, he has amazing timing and his movement looks effortless but still I feel like we’re missing this spark from him.
Selby is very adamant we are yet to see the best from him and if we are now is certainly the time because the champion in front of him will not give him any time or space to rest. Gradovich works with a non stop and risk taking pace that Selby has never seen before and it will be a different level to the offense we saw from Joel Brunker.
I am certain that Selby has more in the way of talent than Gradovich and believe this will see him through to a very tight decision. I think he will box for the first half the fight and then step on the gas the second half by taking centre of the ring more and applying educated pressure down the stretch. Body shots are important here. Selby needs to slow Gradovich down and I don’t think his raw punching power will be enough to scare the Mexican Russian.
Lee Selby by a very close majority decision.
Next we have a very mouth watering fight between two fighters that just love a tear up. Jorge Linares, the three weight world champion and reigning WBC lightweight champion, will be fighting the pride of East London Kevin Mitchell. Linares was once hailed to be the next Oscar De la Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez. He is no doubt a very talented individual but I would not put him in the hall of fame just yet.
Linares has impressed me many times but also disappointed me the same amount. He has a lovely fluent style of boxing but gets to easily dragged into a dog fight which would suit Mitchell down to the ground and the fact remains he has been stopped three times and looks very vulnerable to a left hook. But he claims he has never watched a fighter so much in the lead up to a fight and I am sure he will be prepared.
Kevin Mitchell has had two failed attempts at a would title, losing to Micheal Katsidis and Ricky Burns. He underachieved in both fights in my opinion and I think this time he will give a much better account of himself. The self confessed party animal who now leads a clean boxing life will give Linares a lot to think about and may even cause a couple of knock downs with his ferocious left hand. It will be a nip and tuck affair up to the eight round when I predict both fighters will really start to force the fight. My heart says to go with KV but my head just think Linares will have to much in his arsenal for the cockney banger.
Prediction: Jorge Linares by unanimous Decision.
And last but no means least the world championship welterweight bout between the “Special One” IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook and “Funtime” Frankie Gavin. People are predicting a blow out and it will be just that. Kell Brook really impressed me with his win over Shawn Porter in the U.S. Brook was strong, accurate and all round better boxer. Since then he fought his mandatory in Jo Jo Dan and dismantled him pretty easily. What Kell Brook has got now to assist his boxing ability is momentum and confidence. Fannie Gavin was an excellent and established amateur and is the only Brit to pick a gold at the world championships, but I feel he’s lived off that prize through his pro career. He is a very good boxer and I think everybody has played off this to give him a really good chance.
These people I think have forgotten the boxing skills of the Special One. Not only do I think Brook is quicker but he definitely more seasoned and much more stronger and Funtime will be over a soon as the first bell rings. Kell Brook has already stated that this is a seek and destroy mission and he does not believe it will go past four rounds. I totally agree.
Prediction: Kell Brook by KO round four.
Well for what it’s worth there are my fight night predictions. If you are paying for the event then tune early as there are some good British scraps that could steal the show.
Let’s me know your predictions from the four.
Comments are closed.