NBC Sports Net Quick Picks

Tomasz Adamek vs. Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov: Saturday night on NBC Sports will be headlined by a fight that was supposed to have taken place in November of 2013.  That bout was between Tomasz Adamek (49-2, 29 KO) and Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov (16-0-1, 11 KO) and was cancelled the week of the fight when Adamek came down with the flu.  This time around both fighters are healthy and ready to go and will face off for 12 rounds in the heavyweight division in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator.  This should be a good fight because both fighters are extremely similar.  They are both orthodox fighters who like to attack behind a highly effective jab and both go strong to the body.  Neither fighter has a real advantage in hand speed, they aren't blowing anyone away in that category but they aren't exactly slow fisted.  The similarities continue in the power department, while both fighters are capable of scoring the knockout they usually don't do it with one punch.  Instead, Adamek and Glazkov usually score their knockouts from an accumulation of punches.  The most glaring differe between the two would be defense.  Adamek is the better defensive fighter and doesn't get caught as much as Glazkov does, especially upstairs.  Another notable difference is experience.  Adamek is 39 years old and has been fighting as a pro since 1999 while Glazkov is only 29 and has been a pro since 2009 which gives Adamek a ten year learning curve on the younger fighter.  Glazkov's biggest test came aginst Malik Scott and that fight ended in a draw, meanwhile Adamek has fought in many high profile fights.  Adamek has fought Steve Cunningham twice, Eddie Chambers, Vitali Klitschko, Chris Arreola, and Chad Dawson and that experience can't be overlooked against a younger fighter who is still green.  This fight will almost be like watching Adamek fight himself from eight years ago that's how similar these two pugilists are.  While Glazkov is a good prospect and could have a good future in the heavyweight division he won't win this fight.  I expect the experience and ring generalship of Adamek to play a big role in the outcome as he boxes his way to a majority decision win.

Isaac Chilemba vs. Denis Grachev: Another fight on Saturday's card will be a 10 round bout in the light heavyweight division.  It will see Isaac Chilemba (21-2-2, 9 KO) face off against Denis Grachev (13-2-1, 8 KO) in a crossroads fight for both men.  Chilemba has gone 1-1-1 in his past three fights while Grachev has gone 1-2 so both are in desperate need of a win.  Chilemba is the type of fighter who likes to make things awkward on the inside.  He has incredibly long arms and a great jab but instead of using that jab to control the distance and fight from the outside he often fights in the pocket.  Chilemba like to clinch a lot and use his shoulder to create space but he also can put punches together very well on the inside and has a sneaky uppercut.  Still, Chilemba would be better suited to fight from the outside where he could really capitalize his height and reach and where his defense wouldn't be as exposed.  Chilemba has no real power though and still hasn't yet faced top competition, he needs a win on Saturday before fans lose interest, something his opponent Grachev is also dealing with.  Grachev has faced better competition than Chilemba with fights against Edwin Rodriguez and Lucian Bute both of which he lost.  However just because Grachev has faced top talent doesn't mean he has fixed all his flaws that showed in those fights.  His stance are very wide which doesn't help his balance and leaves him susceptible to a knockout.  One advantage for Grachev will be his punching power, while it isn't overwhelming it is certainly better than Chilemba's.  Grachev also usually fights from the pocket but he has bad habits there as well.  He throws wide punches and tends to fall forward when the throws his power shots.  He also leaves himself open to be countered.  This fight could prove to be entertaining because both fighters like to fight in a phone booth and both have some glaring flaws.  I think Chilemba is the crisper puncher and that will allow him to win this fight via unanimous decision.   

Ronald Cruz vs. Kermit Cintron: The fight that will open the show features two fighters going in vastly different directions.  That fight will be a 10 round welterweight bout between 27 year old prospect Ronald Cruz (20-2, 15 KO) and the battle tested veteran Kermit Cintron (34-5-2, 28 KO).  Cintron was once a top fighter with fights against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Carlos Molina, Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo, Sergio Martinez, and Antonio Margarito twice.  However that version of Cintron seems like it was a lifetime ago.  Recently he has been a shell of himself, once known as a dangerous puncher he hasn't scored a stoppage since 2009.  After his loss to Molina in 2011he took a step down in competition and beat Antwone Smith then stepped back up to fight Alvarez and got stopped in the 5th.  In 2013 Cintron went 1-0-1 against lesser competition and is know more of a tough stepping stone for top prospects like Cruz.  Cruz hasn't fought anywhere near the level of competition that Cintron has but Cruz is still young and on the rise.  Cruz has won his last three fights by knockout and he will now test himself against Cintron with a win moving him forward in his career.  Cruz is an interesting fighter, he isn't a slick boxer but he also isn't quite a big puncher.  He doesn't have the fastest hands but when he can make a fight ugly he usually comes out on top.  Cruz has a tendency to throw his right hand halfheartedly and he will need to throw it with authority if he wants to get past Cintron.  If this fight was five years ago Cintron would blow Cruz away very quickly but that was a very different Cintron.  This may be Cintron's last chance at a national television stage and he will be hungry for the victory, however I think he has been in to many tough fights and is a little to far past his prime.  I think Cruz will win this fight by the way of 7th round knockout.