Showtime Fight Preview

Keith Thurman vs. Julio Diaz

If you're a fan of knockouts you must also be a fan of Keith "One Time" Thurman, a young undefeated power puncher.  The fact that Thurman is only 25 years old, American, very well spoken, and a monster puncher could all lead to him being the next superstar of the sport.  However to become a superstar and get those elite level fights he will first have to get past veteran Julio Diaz on Saturday night.  The two fighters are set to go 12 rounds for Thurman's WBA interim welterweight title.  

Thurman's power is the real deal

It would be easy for Thurman to fight lazy.  With his exceptional power he could simply walk down opponents and just look to throw one power punch to end the fight, but he doesn't.  Instead Thurman uses his athleticism and good punch output to break opponents down until they are ready to be put out of their misery.  One reason he has been so successful and able to finish so many opponents is because of his commitment to body punching.  Thurman doesn't have a great jab and uses it mostly as a measuring stick and to keep opponents where he wants them in order to land his powerful combinations.  That power comes in both hands as Thurman has a very strong left hook and an equally impressive right.  The scarey thing about Thurman is that he still has room to improve and he is already very good.

Thurman still has some slight holes in his game, mostly on defense and also needs to improve on his range from which he throws punches.  As Thurman continues to win he will keep taking on tougher fights which will tell fans a lot about his potential superstar future.  While he hasn't yet faced any world class fighters his resume does have some good names on it including Carlos Quintana, Jan Zaveck, Diego Chaves, and Jesus Soto Karass.  As a pro Thurman holds a perfect record of 22-0 with 20 knockouts and he seems to sharpen his boxing skills each time he enters the ring.  One thing Thurman can't afford to do is look past Diaz like Danny Garcia did in his last fight with Mauricio Herrera, a fight who could have rightfully lost.  However if Thurman gets past Diaz and looks as impressive as usual a very big fight could be in his near future.

At this point in the career of Diaz he may not have much left.  He is coming off back to back losses against Amir Khan and Shawn Porter and while he wasn't knocked out in those fights he has been in the past on more than one occasion.  Diaz is a veteran of the sport with a record of 40-9-1 with 29 knockouts but in his nine losses five have come by the way of knockout which isn't a good sign when fighting Thurman.  At 34 years old and coming off two losses in a row Diaz will be hungry for a victory because a loss could make him irrelevant.

Diaz has a very tough test ahead of him

Diaz has always been a solid fighter but his problem has been that when he takes that next step up in competition he losses, and Thurman represents a big step up.  Diaz has solid hand speed and can put punches together from awkward angles.  While he doesn't have a very high punch output and doesn't put many combinations together he does have a very good left hook that can catch opponents off guard.  On Saturday night Diaz will need to catch Thurman early in order to make Thurman respect his punching ability.  However a win for Diaz will not come easy.

While this isn't exactly a showcase for Thurman it isn't a real tough test either.  Diaz is past his prime and while he can still drop an opponent with his left hook that is really the only thing Thurman will need to worry about.  It now seems that when Thurman enters the ring the question isn't will he win but what round he will score the knockout in.  If Thurman isn't overlooking Diaz he could have a very impressive night.

PREDICTION: Julio Diaz is passed his prime and it will show on Saturday night.  While he may catch Keith Thurman early like Jesus Soto Karass was able to do he won't find much success after.  Thurman is to strong and to fast for Diaz and will win this fight by the way of 8th round knockout.

Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina 

Saturday nights card on Showtime could be one of the most exciting of the year.  That is because it seems every fighter on it is a power puncher with great knockout numbers.  The co-feature should be a slugfest with both fighters looking for the knockout.  Those fighters are Lucas Matthysse and John Molina and they will compete for 12 rounds in a non title fight.  This fight is very important for both pugilists.  A win for Matthysse would put him right back in the championship picture and could get him a rematch with Danny Garcia while a win for Molina would propel him to new heights in the sport.

Matthysse's eye let him down in his last bout

As far as power punching is concerned it doesn't get much better than Matthysse.  Matthysse goes by the nickname "The Machine" and he certainly fights like one.  He is always coming forward behind a good jab and is actually better defensively than he gets credit for.  Typically Matthysse puts in a lot of body work and he has a left hook that is simply deadly.  Matthysse can fight from the outside or the inside.  When on the outside Matthysse usually throws a lot of jabs and left hands but doesn't throw the right much.  Things change when Matthysse gets inside as he uses his right hand more often.  His best weapon is clearly his left hook which can end any fight at any moment and if he continues to work on his right hand he could become an unstoppable force.

While some fighters in the sport are protected and brought along slowly Matthysse has not.  Matthysse had to make his name the hard way, by taking on the best.  His record as a pro is 34-3 with an incredible 32 knockouts and all three of his losses could have asterisks next to them.  His last fight came against Garcia and he seemed to be winning the fight until the middle rounds when his right eye closed completely and Garcia took advantage.  Matthysse was still able to make a run late but came up just short and as recent interviews attest to a rematch is on his mind.  His other two losses came against Zab Judah and Devon Alexander both of which were split decisions and both fights came in the other fighters home area.  Matthysse could easily be 36-1 and a win over Molina could give him the chance to avenge his loss to Garcia.

Molina salvaged his career against Bey

Matthysse is clearly one of the biggest punchers in boxing and Molina isn't too far behind him.  Molina is a solid, fan friendly fighter who has been plagued by his lack of defense.  He usually fights at a measure pace and waits to land a heavy left hand and then follow it up.  Molina's jab is solid but he doesn't use it enough and instead relies on wide left hooks and right hands.  He is the type of fighter who can lose every round of a fight but score the knockout in the final round much like he did against Mickey Bey in 2013.  The 10th round of that fight was Big Time Boxing's 2013 Round of the Year Runner-Up and helped to save Molina's career.

Molina has had some impressive wins in his career over the likes of Henry Lundy and Bey but he has also had some very bad losses.  The most notable loss came against Antonio DeMarco in 2012 when DeMarco stopped him in the 1st round and totally blew him away.  As it stands now Molina has a record of 27-3 with a strong 22 knockouts and of his three losses only the one to DeMarco came by the way of knockout.  Molina has been very active of late fighting four times in 2013 to a record of 3-1 and is coming off two wins in a row as opposed to Matthysse who is coming off a loss.  This will be the biggest fight of Molina's career and a win would completely change the perception of him in the sport.

This fight should be an all out war.  Both Matthysse and Molina always look for the knockout so the action should be great.  The first round or two both fighters might be tentative as they look to figure the other out while avoiding a knockout blow.  However once things loosen up both fighters should be standing and trading heavy punches.  Molina doesn't have as much power as Matthysse and his defense isn't as good so he should look to land power and dance out of the way.  For his part Matthysse should just do nothing but apply pressure and throw heavy leather much like DeMarco did against Molina.  If Molina is able to stand up to the power of Matthysse this could be a Fight of the Year candidate however not many fighters are able to do that.  Whichever way this fight plays out one thing is for sure, the fans will be happy.

PREDICTION: While John Molina might be able to stand up to a few early punches from Lucas Matthysse he won't be able to over the long haul.  This is a big fight for Molina so he will give it his all but Matthysse is the superior fighter and will win this fight via 7th round knockout.

Omar Figueroa vs. Jerry Belmontes

The fight that will kick things off on Saturday night is also a title fight and will be the first fight for Omar Figueroa since his great battle with Nihito Arakawa in 2013.  Figueroa will be challenged by Jerry Belmontes and they will go 12 rounds for Figueroa's WBC lightweight title.  While Belmontes may not be well known by casual fans Figueroa should be and is a rising star.

Figueroa is becoming must see TV

Figueroa is a high punch output fighter who always brings the action.  His last fight against Arakawa received In The Running status for 2013 Fight of the Year but he hasn't fought since because of a bad hand injury.  Figueroa is a boxer puncher with fast hands who can win fights on the outside or from the pocket.  He does tend to take a lot of punishment in his fights but has shown a good chin and until he really takes a step up his defensive weaknesses shouldn't be exposed.  There really isn't one punch that is Figueroa's best weapon, he doesn't have one punch knockout power but because he throws such a high volume of punches he is able to break down opponents.  When Figueroa enters the ring one thing you can expect, besides a great fight is a lot of punching and a ton of fast combinations.  The real question for Figueroa is when he will take that next step up and face some top talent.

In 2013 Figueroa fought three times and went 3-0 including two 1st round knockouts.  Fans were salivating over his next fight after he battled it out with Figueroa but hand injuries forced him to take a long layoff.  Hopefully for Figueroa his hand problems won't hinder his power and punch output going forward.  Figueroa is unbeaten as a pro with a record of 22-0-1 with a good 17 knockouts but those wins haven't come against any real title contenders.  While Belmontes may be more of a tuneup fight than a real challenge it is still important for Figueroa to get some work in before he goes to the next level.

Belmontes was once a rising prospect until he was dropped by Eric Hunter in 2012 and ended up losing a unanimous decision.  Since that fight Belmontes  is 2-2 and is 2-3 in his last five fights including his loss to Hunter.  Those losses have really derailed the career of Belmontes because they have come against fighters he probably should have beat.  Belmontes did win his last bout and has a record of 19-3 but only has 5 knockouts.  Figueroa represents a big step up for Belmontes and a win would be huge for him but also very unlikely.

Belmontes will have his hands full on Saturday

One thing Belmontes is not is a power puncher.  He hasn't scored a stoppage in four years and probably won't get one on Saturday night.  Belmontes does have very fast hands and puts combinations together very well which against Figueroa should make a very exciting bout.  Belmontes moves well in the ring and his hand speed should allow him to compete with Figueroa and even put a few rounds in the bank.  Belmontes is also good defensively and has never been knocked out.  While Figueroa doesn't have one punch knockout power Belmontes still needs to be careful not to stand and trade or he may end up taking a lot of punishment.

While the other fighters on this card may be higher profile Figueroa and Belmontes do have a chance to steal the show.  They both throw a tremendous amount of punches and don't mind trading in the center of the ring.  There shouldn't be much clinching in this fight and the action should start fast and never slow down.  It will be interesting to see if Figueroa goes for the knockout coming off a hand injury and facing a fighter who has never been stopped.  It will also be interesting to see if Belmontes decides to continuously stand and trade with Figueroa or if he picks his spots to engage and spends the rest of the time sticking and moving.  Whatever happens if should be a good fight because it usually is when Figueroa is in the ring.

PREDICTION: This fight should be more competitive than expected but Omar Figueroa is the superior fighter and will prove it against Jerry Belmontes.  Things will be pretty even for the first half of the fight but eventually Figueroa will open things up and win this fight by the way of unanimous decision.