Vitaliy Kopylenko vs. Willie Monroe Jr.: This is a very interesting matchup and a fight that could easily go either way. Both Vitaliy Kopylenko (23-0, 13 KO) and Willie Monroe Jr. (16-1, 6 KO) had impressive wins in the first round of the tournament. Kopylenko scored a 2nd round stoppage against Cerresso Fort while Monroe Jr. outboxed tough veteran Donatas Bondorovas on his way to a unanimous decision win. Kopylenko's last fight was his first in the U.S. and it didn't faze him in the slightest and this time around he should be even more comfortable. Kopylenko is a good defensive fighter but nothing he does can be described as slick. He makes guys miss but he doesn't look particularly pretty doing it. However he needs to be careful not to drop his left hand while he throws the right, something he has done often in the past. On offensive he likes to come forward constantly and has a solid jab and an underrated short left hook. Kopylenko also has a nice right hand which he uses more successfully on the inside. When Kopylenko throws his right hand from the outside it tends to get a little long but when he closes the gap and turns it over it is a good weapon. While Kopylenko will be applying the pressure Monroe Jr. will be looking to stick and move. Monroe Jr. will have the faster hands and feet in this fight and he will need to use them. Monroe Jr. is a southpaw fighter with a good right hand. He likes to jab a lot which allows him to score points and move laterally out of danger. He does have a tendency to pull straight back on defense at times and he will need to correct that or risk being dropped by Kopylenko. The reason this fight can go either way is because the fighters are so different. Kopylenko will be applying the pressure and looking to keep Monroe Jr. against the ropes where he can do damage, although look for him to also use his short left hook to surprise Monroe Jr. when the two are in the center of the ring. While Kopylenko is coming forward Monroe Jr. will be moving a ton. If he is able to use his jab to keep Kopylenko at a safe distance he might be able to sit down on quick combinations, land some nice punches and then circle out of the incoming attack. This fight is the offense of Kopylenko vs. the defense of Monroe Jr.. The only problem is that Kopylenko is also solid defensively so he isn't too far behind Monroe Jr. in that category while he is clearly the better offensive fighter. I expect this fight to be very close and as long as Kopylenko can keep Monroe Jr. from putting early rounds in the bank with his movement he should be able to win by the way of unanimous decision.
Brandon Adams vs. Raymond Gatica: The fight between Brandon Adams (13-0, 9 KO) and Raymond Gatica (14-2, 9 KO) should be the most exciting of the semifinals. Both fighters are coming off stoppages in the opening round. Adams beat veteran Daniel Edourd when he dropped him in the 4th round and then Edourd didn't answer the bell to start the 5th. While Gatica absolutely exposed Sena Agbeko to score a 4th round stoppage. Agbeko came into that fight undefeated but it became clear in the very 1st round that he was fools gold and also happened to be one of the worst fighters to ever appear on Friday Night Fights. Gatica won't have such an easy time against Adams whose defense isn't great but is still miles ahead of what Agbeko's was. Adams is a very athletic fighter with good pop behind his punches. Thus far in his career he has relied on that athleticism to win fights and so far it has worked. He does tend to telegraph his jab like a pitcher tipping his pitch and defensively he doesn't have a great idea of what he is doing but he is able to make up for his shortcomings because of his athleticism and power. Gatica is much more polished than Adams and the southpaw is always very relaxed in the ring and goes to the body often with a lot of success. Gatica fights with his hands low and moves his head a lot to avoid punishment. While he is a slick defensive fighter if he isn't careful with Adams he may get knocked out. While Agbeko wasn't able to do any damage Adams might be. One thing Gatica needs to be mindful of is that he sometimes throws a very wide left hand while his right hand stays low which leaves him wide open to be countered and dropped. Gatica looked great against Agbeko but he really isn't a very crisp puncher and won't be able to look as good against Adams who is far better than Agbeko could ever hope to be. Adams will want to make this a toe to toe fight and if Gatica get suckered into complying with his wishes he may regret his decision. Gatica shouldn't let his knockout in the opening round go to his head and should look to stick and move. Gatica should try and keep this fight in the center of the ring, sit down on his good body punches and then slip out of trouble. This could be a tough fight to score because chances are Gatica land more punches but it will be Adams who will be landing the heavier artillery. I think Gatica will get in trouble in this fight because he likes to fight with his hands low. If Adams can time Gatica's wide left hand he could counter with a left hook and knock him out. I expect this to be a very entertaining fight, a fight that Adams will win with a 6th round knockout.
Comments
Post a Comment