Adrien Broner vs. Gavin Rees
After Adrien Broner's destruction of Antonio DeMarco, big time boxing fans thought his next opponent would be Ricky Burns. But fans will need to be patient for that lightweight showdown. Instead fans will witness Broner taking on Gavin Rees. It should be a good tough fight, albeit not the one fans were hopeing for. The real question is whether Broner will walk through Rees like he has done to so many other opponents, or if Rees can make it a competitive, close fight. Rees is not short of confidence, proclaiming that he will beat Broner by knockout.
Big time boxing fans are very aware of Broner who is in line to take the thrown after Floyd Mayweather retires. He is brash and cocky and always backs up his smack talk. His record is perfect at 25-0 with a ridiculous 21 knockouts. He holds one of the highest knockout percentages in boxing, a feat that is all the more amazing considering he fights at lightweight, not a division known for it's big punchers. Broner is getting better and better with each fight and he is still only 23 years old. He fights in a style similar to Mayweather in that he uses shoulder rolls to block punches, but unlike Mayweather he loves to go on the attack. When he senses he has his man on the ropes he pounces and finishes him off. Most of the time its' not if Broner will win, but how many rounds will his opponent survive. Rees is hopeing he survives all twelve.
Rees is somewhat new to American boxing fans. This is because nearly all of his fights have taken place in the U.K. He does have an impressive record, but it hasn't come against top competition. His record stands at 37-1-1 and he isn't a big puncher, recording only 18 knockouts. But this is a man who has beaten a well known problem with alcohol so he is definately a tough guy. His only career loss came against Andriy Kotelnyk, when he was knocked out in the 12th round. Rees is the type of guy who loves a good fight. He isn't the slickest boxer so he likes to get in close and trade power shots. But getting inside and landing clean shots on Broner is not an easy task.
If Rees can somehow get inside on Broner and land to the body consistantly he may have a shot at the upset in the biggest bout of his career. It should be a pretty good fight, but Broner should be able to handle Rees. He will be too slick for Englishman, and due to the lack of quickness from Rees, he will be able to land heavy shots to the head. It would be a big suprise if this fight lasts all 12 rounds. But while it does last the action should be solid.
PREDICTION: Adrien Broner gets another knockout win, this time in the 9th round.
Sakio Bika vs. Nikola Sjekloca
The undercard of the Broner-Rees fight was supposed to be a rematch between heavyweight contenders Johnathon Banks and Seth Mitchell. But because of a broken thumb Banks suffered during training, fans will have to settle for a fight between Sakio Bika and Nikola Sjekloca. It will be a 12 round super middleweight bout and the winner will be in line for a shot at Andre Ward. This is a big fight for each man so they should come out guns blazing.
The better known of the two is Bika, who is ranked in the top ten super middleweights in the world. He has been in the ring with some of the best fighters there are, uncluding; Andre Ward, Peter Manfredo Jr., Lucian Bute, and Joe Calzaghe. His record isn't overly impressive standing at 30-5-2 but he has a strong 21 knockouts. Of his five losses three have come against top super middleweights in the world. He isn't the slickest boxer but he fights hard and has never been knocked out. Bika is definately the favorite in this fight.
His opponent Sjekloca is an undefeated fighter who fights mostly in Montenegro. He is 25-0 with a very weak 7 knockouts. The only reason he remains undefeated is because he has faced such weak competition. In fact this will be Sjekloca's first fight on U.S. soil and Bika represents a huge step up in competition for him. Whether or not he is ready for that step up is yet to be seen.
Although Bika will be the big favorite this should be a solid fight. The question is if Sjekloca's chin will be able to withstand the power of Bika. If his chin holds up and he boxes well, he could come away the victor. But Bika will be coming hard and he is not an easy fighter to stop. Look for good action and big power.
PREDICTION: Sakio Bika wins the fight by 10th round knockout.
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