NBC Sports Quick Picks

Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov vs. Derric Rossy: NBC Sports will have a solid card this Saturday night in case boxing fans don't feel like tuning in to Showtime to watch big mismatches.  The main event of that card will be a 10 round heavyweight bout between Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov (17-0-1, 11 KO) and veteran Derric Rossy (29-8-14 KO).  Glazkov is the one to pay attention to in this bout because he is a rising contender in the division.  Glazkov really got peoples attention in his last bout when he beat perennial contender Tomasz Adamek by the way of unanimous decision.  That fight was interesting because Glazkov is just like a younger version of Adamek, a good boxer without that top level heavyweight power.  Glazkov is an orthodox fighter who has a nice jab from his hip and a good hard straight right hand.    To go along with that Glazkov also has a nice short left hook and he puts his punches together well.  He did fade late in that fight against Adamek but that was his first 12 round bout and he should be fine going 10 against Rossy.  Glazkov should look fast against Rossy who is a big lumbering heavyweight.  Rossy doesn't fight very well on the outside but does have a good stiff jab.  He gets better on the inside when he can lets his hands go to the body and upstairs and he has a very good overhand right.  The problem for Rossy has always been his defense.  He has eight career losses and five of them have come by the way of knockout.  While Glazkov doesn't have big time power he does have faster hands and better stamina which should allow him to control most of the action on his way to an 8th round stoppage.


Robert Berridge vs. Vasily Lepikhin: The co-feature for Saturday's card will feature two 29 year old fighters with only one loss between them.  They are the one loss Robert Berridge (24-1-1, 20 KO) and the unbeaten Vasily Lepikhin (15-0, 8 KO).  They will square off for 12 rounds in the light heavyweight division.  It should be an interesting fight because Berridge who is from New Zealand has only ever fought in New Zealand or Australia while Lepikhin who is Russian has never fought outside of Russia.  Also neither one many quality opponents on their resumes but Berridge has faced the slightly higher level of opposition.  Berridge is a southpaw with an awkward upward jab that he uses as a range finder for his power punches.  He has a very heavy right hook and an equally strong left hand.  Berridge doesn't have the fastest hands and he tends to throw wide punches but when they land they do damage.  The only loss of Berridge's career came against good boxer Blake Caparello who is better than he looked last week against Sergey Kovalev.  As for Lepikhin there is virtually no tape of him which is never a good sign.  He is an orthodox fighter who at 6'3'' has a big height and reach advantage over the 5'10'' Berridge.  Also Lepikhin is coming off three straight 1st round knockouts but those opponents had records of 8-11-1, 0-1, and 28-18-3.  It seems that Lepikhin has been fed a lot of bad fighters which is why his record has remain perfect for this long.  Berridge has been fighting the higher quality of fighters and that should be evident on Saturday night as he cruises to a unanimous decision victory.