By Philip H. Anselmo:

Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor

Arthur will beat Jermain over 12 decisively. Taylor will gain a personal victory by making it the 12 round distance, but will get out-hustled down the stretch, again. Abraham will open a lot of eyes after this performance. His skill-level must have been forgotten by the majority of Americans who are picking Taylor to win. It wasn’t that long ago that Arthur beat a fresher version of Edison Miranda, twice. He beat “Big Mouth” at his own game by brawling his way to a decision in their 1st meeting, then completely turned the tables in the rematch by “boxing” a charging Edison, and knocking him cold inside of 4. A victory for “King” Arthur over Taylor will serve as a reminder to all that he’s a major player in “The Super-6 Tourney”.

Nicolay Valuev vs. David Haye

Either guy could win- but it’ll be how they win that’ll define their futures- and either way, it’ll be UGLY= BORING. Well, perhaps not boring, but definitely not a “classic” by any means. Haye will flop as a major “threat” by not being nearly as effective as advertised. Ring-rust and pressure to deliver will have David trying too hard early on to get to Nicolay’s chin. That may be harder to accomplish than expected. Valuev’s defense isn’t only underrated; it’s pretty damn good considering how big a target he presents. Actually, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Haye wilt down the stretch and get stopped. Considering what Odlainer Fonte Solis just did to an in-shape Monte Barrett (KO 2), Haye really has no business vying for a title belt at heavyweight at all. In stark comparison, Haye was in a life-or-death battle with Barrett. For all his deficiencies, Nicolay is the far more experienced fighter. I still feel that Haye has fought NO ONE. Was JM Mormeck an elite fighter when Haye beat him for the cruiserweight title? Was Mormeck EVER considered an elite boxer? No on both accounts. But he’s the best guy Haye has ever faced, and fairly enough, beaten. But that was over two-years ago, and at 200 lbs. Valuev won’t be mistaken for an elite fighter any time soon, but his knowledge of the game is sound and clinically effective. Nico is also seen as the far slower fighter, as hand speed is noted as one of Haye’s strong points, but I think Valuev is being underrated here. Look for the titleholder’s mitt-velocity to be a big surprise as well as an unexpected factor. These tangibles, and experience alone may be all it takes for Valuev to overcome Davey’s quick hands, wide bombing punches, and tasteless pre-fight predictions.

Tomasz Adamek vs. Andrew Golota

Tomasz will beat Golota on points without too much difficulty. Too fast for the older Golota, but Andrew will be in the fight. It would be surprising to see Adamek jump all over Andrew early and get a stoppage here. If Adamek pulls that off, we’ll know more about how shot Golota is than what Adamek can do against younger, rated heavyweights. Golota could make this a tough fight by using his superior size and strength providing he comes in shape. Tying up and leaning all 250 pounds on the smaller Adamek could serve Andrew well to sap the smaller man’s strength. But I see the sharper-punching Adamek landing enough stinging volleys to steal most close rounds, and the fight.

– PA