Adrien Broner vs. Paulie Malignaggi: The main event on Showtime this Saturday which is a 12 round title fight could have big implications on the boxing world. This fight will be Adrien Broner's (26-0, 22 KO) first at welterweight. And unlike most fighters who move up one weight class at a time, Broner jumped up from lightweight, completely skipping the junior welterweight division, which is stacked by the way. For Broner's first test at 147 pounds he will take on the "Magic Man" Paulie Malignaggi (32-4, 7 KO). It's somewhat surprising that Malignaggi is still a title holder and in major fights because he has absolutely no power in his hands and whenever he has stepped up in competition he has lost. Three of his four losses came against Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, and Amir Khan and he has been knocked out twice. Part of the reason Malignaggi is still so relevant is because he is one of the best trash talkers in the sport, which has also lead him to a side job as analyst for Showtime boxing. But against Broner, Malignaggi might be in over his head. Broner has it all, stellar defense, one punch knockout power, and enough swag to rival Floyd Mayweather. And unlike many top defensive fighters who prefer to counter punch, Broner likes to force the action looking to end fights early. Broner has looked better and better each time in the ring and would be a top 5 p4p fighter if he had been fighting higher level talent. While Malignaggi probably won't be his toughest test, he will be the biggest name Broner has fought. While it remains to be seen if Broner takes his power and lightning fast hand speed up to the welterweight division or if the jump will be too much to handle. But Malignaggi better not fight with his hands down low as he likes to do on occasion because Broner will be looking to end this fight quickly. I think Broner will be slightly slower at this higher weight only because he will be jumping up 12 pounds from his last fight. But I predict Broner's power will stay with him and Malignaggi will have to do a lot of running if he wants to survive. Broner is going to try and take Malignaggi's head off and this fight will definitely not go the distance, I predict Broner gets a big knockout win in the 7th round. If Broner looks very impressive the world is at his feet, he could theoretically fight at lightweight, junior welterweight, or welterweight and be great at each level.
Johnathon Banks vs. Seth Mitchell: This fight which is a 12 round heavyweight title fight is an extremely intriguing rematch. It will feature longtime Emmanuel Steward trained fighter Johnathon Banks (29-1-1, 19 KO) taking on former college football player Seth Mitchell (25-1-1, 19 KO). Their first fight was on the undercard of Broner vs. DeMarco in the wake of Steward's passing which may have served as inspiration for Banks who was not only trained by Steward by also acted as his assistant trainer for Wladimir Klitschko. Banks won that fight via TKO when he dropped Mitchell three times in the 2nd round. It was a big upset because at that time Mitchell was viewed as the top American heavyweight prospect. The problem with Mitchell is that he is relatively new to the sport and also has shown a questionable chin. Before Banks exposed him he was also badly dazed against Chazz Witherspoon before ultimately winning that fight. There is no question that Mitchell has the punching power to be a heavyweight contender but he may not have the chin needed to fight in that division, and it certainly seems he doesn't have the ring smarts to be a top heavyweight. That was never more evident than when Banks had him badly hurt and Mitchell continued to throw punches instead of tying Banks up and playing it safe. Which is something the ultra smart Banks surely would have done. Banks isn't very athletic and isn't a particularly powerful puncher but he is one of the smartest fighters in the sport. The big questions facing this fight are whether Banks won the last fight in part because he so badly wanted to pay tribute to the late great Steward and how much work has Mitchell put in in the gym to tighten up his style. However one thing a fighter can never really improve to much is a weak chin and that might haunt Mitchell for his entire career. If Mitchell worked hard and has vastly improved his defense I think he could win and should win. But Banks could use his ring intelligence and boxing skills to keep Mitchell at bay and outbox him all night. Mitchell likes to fight inside but because of his weak chin that is a big risk to take. It is however a risk he needs to take if he wants to win. He doesn't have the boxing skills to win on points against a guy like Banks, Mitchell will need a knockout to win. I think Banks will control the fight but Mitchell will land one perfect punch that ends the fight early. Mitchell will get a lucky win by the way of 7th round knockout.
Johnathon Banks vs. Seth Mitchell: This fight which is a 12 round heavyweight title fight is an extremely intriguing rematch. It will feature longtime Emmanuel Steward trained fighter Johnathon Banks (29-1-1, 19 KO) taking on former college football player Seth Mitchell (25-1-1, 19 KO). Their first fight was on the undercard of Broner vs. DeMarco in the wake of Steward's passing which may have served as inspiration for Banks who was not only trained by Steward by also acted as his assistant trainer for Wladimir Klitschko. Banks won that fight via TKO when he dropped Mitchell three times in the 2nd round. It was a big upset because at that time Mitchell was viewed as the top American heavyweight prospect. The problem with Mitchell is that he is relatively new to the sport and also has shown a questionable chin. Before Banks exposed him he was also badly dazed against Chazz Witherspoon before ultimately winning that fight. There is no question that Mitchell has the punching power to be a heavyweight contender but he may not have the chin needed to fight in that division, and it certainly seems he doesn't have the ring smarts to be a top heavyweight. That was never more evident than when Banks had him badly hurt and Mitchell continued to throw punches instead of tying Banks up and playing it safe. Which is something the ultra smart Banks surely would have done. Banks isn't very athletic and isn't a particularly powerful puncher but he is one of the smartest fighters in the sport. The big questions facing this fight are whether Banks won the last fight in part because he so badly wanted to pay tribute to the late great Steward and how much work has Mitchell put in in the gym to tighten up his style. However one thing a fighter can never really improve to much is a weak chin and that might haunt Mitchell for his entire career. If Mitchell worked hard and has vastly improved his defense I think he could win and should win. But Banks could use his ring intelligence and boxing skills to keep Mitchell at bay and outbox him all night. Mitchell likes to fight inside but because of his weak chin that is a big risk to take. It is however a risk he needs to take if he wants to win. He doesn't have the boxing skills to win on points against a guy like Banks, Mitchell will need a knockout to win. I think Banks will control the fight but Mitchell will land one perfect punch that ends the fight early. Mitchell will get a lucky win by the way of 7th round knockout.
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