HBO2 Fight Preview (February 22nd)

Zou Shiming vs. Yokthong Kokietgym

Since turning pro in 2013 HBO has done their best to make Zou Shiming relevant by airing all of his fights on their network.  While Shiming's accomplishments as an amateur are well known his professional career still has many question marks surrounding it.  On Saturday night Shiming will take on Yokthong Kokietgym on HBO2 from Macao, China.  The fight is scheduled to go 8 rounds in a talent laden flyweight division.

While HBO and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum hope to make Shiming a star many fans aren't buying in.  There is no need to talk about Shiming's storied career as an amateur because it is well documented and now that he has a few professional fights under his belt it doesn't really matter.  Making a star of Shiming would be huge for HBO and Top Rank because China is such a good market for making money but so far Shiming looks like he is far from being a star.

Shiming has shown absolutely no power as a pro

Shiming is already 32 years old and really needs to get on the fast track if he hopes to become a global star.  Unfortunately his fighting style hasn't impressed many fans.  Shiming fights in a similar style to Manny Pacquiao or Sergio Martinez with hands low and chin out, almost daring his opponent to open up against him.  While Shiming does have very fast hands he has shown no power and still looks like an amateur fighter just touching his opponent to score points.  In his first three career fights Shiming hasn't knocked anyone out and has never even dropped an opponent.  This becomes even more glaring when you take into account he wasn't fighting any real talent.  Shiming is 3-0 so far in his career but he needs to show more power and the killer instinct to finish his man if he wants to become a star.

Shiming will be challenged by his best opponent to date in Kokietgym.  That statement alone should tell you all you need to know about Shiming's past opponents.  Kokietgym has a career record of 15-3 with 11 knockouts but the Thai fighter has only fought once outside of Thailand.  If you look closer at Kokietgym's record things become even more clear, out of his eighteen career fights fourteen of them have come against fighters making their professional debuts.  The four fights that weren't against debut fighters came against fighters with records of 1-0, 2-0, 0-1, and 10-0 and in that fight he was knocked out in the second round.

Kokietgym is only 19 years old and has been very busy since turning pro in 2010.  He fought six times in 2013 so he should be sharp and ready to go but he should also be severely outmatched.  Kokietgym already has 3 losses and 2 of those were by knockout so perhaps Shiming can finally score his first knockout or at least get a knockdown.  Kokietgym won't have the skills to outbox Shiming so he will need to knockout the veteran fighter if he wants to win.

This fight is huge for Shiming's career.  He is fighting a man with a bad chin and if he can't score a knockout the rumblings about him having feather fists will get even louder.  Shiming has impressed with his hand speed and boxing skills but even when he has buzzed his opponent with a punch he seems content with simply outpointing them for the rest of the fight instead of going in for the kill.  Bottom line is if Shiming doesn't look great fans will not want to watch him fight again.  And a point needs to be made that if Shiming was from Cuba like Guillermo Rigondeaux instead of China ,a huge money market, he probably wouldn't even be on televised fights.

PREDICTION: Zou Shiming will easily win this fight just like he has easily won his past three fights.  Shiming may score his first knockdown but he doesn't have finishing power and won't score a knockout.  Instead Shiming will win this fight by the way of unanimous decision.  

Miguel Vazquez vs. Denis Shafikov

This card is being billed as "Ring of Gold" but it could also be used as a commercial for a mattress store because it may put many fans to sleep.  Shiming will headline the card and isn't all that exciting to watch and things don't get much better in the co-main event.  That fight will feature veteran Miguel Vazquez against Denis Shafikov as they square off for 12 rounds in the lightweight division for Vazquez's IBF title.

Vazquez is hard to beat and even harder to watch

Vazquez is not your typical Mexican boxer who loves to brawl and give his fans a great show.  He doesn't seem to care what fans think of his performances as long as he keeps winning.  Truth be told, Vazquez's style is far from fan friendly but it is highly effective.  Vazquez does a great job of making opponents miss with subtle movement, that along with a good jab allow him to control fights and avoid big exchanges.  However Vazquez isn't in the same defensive stratosphere as a Floyd Mayweather or Guillermo Rigondeaux so instead of fans being mesmerized by his style, they are bored by it.

The Mexican champion has a career record of 33-3 with only 13 knockouts.  What is so impressive about Vazquez is that of his three losses one was his pro debut against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez  who he also lost to in 2008 and the other loss came against Timothy Bradley.  Vazquez hasn't lost a fight since 2008 and continues to make good fighters look inept.  However Vazquez is coming off a long layoff, usually a busy fighter he didn't step into the ring at all in 2013 after fighting four times in 2012.  Even with that layoff Shafikov will have his hands full with the frustrating Vazquez.

Shafikov will look to stay unbeaten

Vazquez will be challenged by the undefeated Russian southpaw Denis Shafikov.  Shafikov will be very outsized because he only stands at 5'5'' while Vazquez is a tall 5'10'' but that height difference could help him if he can get low and avoid Vazquez's jab then go hard to the body.  Shafikov goes to the body very well and really digs in hard when he has his opponent on the ropes, but getting Vazquez on the ropes won't be easy.

Shafikov has fought in many countries so going to China should be no problem for him.  However his opponents are nowhere near the level of opposition that Vazquez has been facing.  Perhaps because of that weaker opposition Shafikov has a record of 33-0-1 with 18 knockouts.  Vazquez will clearly be Shafikov's toughest test to date so it will be interesting to see if he can figure out the frustrating Mexican.

This bout will be won by whoever enforces their style of fight.  Vazquez will try to keep this fight on the outside at a safe distance where he can use his height and defense to avoid punches and work his jab to control the pace.  Across the ring Shafikov will try to make this a tough inside fight where he can cut off the ring, put Vazquez on the ropes and tee off to the body.  Whichever fighter wins the battle of ring generalship will go home with the belt.

PREDICTION: As much as fans will want to see Miguel Vazquez lose to save them from future televised fights it won't happen.  Denis Shafikov is a solid fighter and could land on TV again if he looks impressive but Vazquez is too much for him right now.  Vazquez will control the pace of the fight and although it will be boring he will be effective as always on his way to a unanimous decision win.