Showtime Fight Preview

Shawn Porter vs. Kell Brook

Fortunately for fight fans they won't have to suffer through another Showtime card filled with horrendous mismatches.  That is because this Saturday Showtime will put on a tripleheader and every fight should be a good one.  The main event of that card will feature two fighters with no losses between them in Shawn Porter and Kell Brook.  The two pugilists will be going 12 rounds for Porter's IBF welterweight title and both will be looking to make a statement.

Porter wants to show fans he is in fact elite

Porter is a boxer puncher who fights out of the orthodox stance.  Porter is an aggressive fighter who likes to keep the pressure on his opponents and does his best work on the inside.  His style can be described as athletic and also awkward since he tends to leap in with his punches.  Porter has a nice jab that he sticks from the outside but he will sometimes throw that punch from to far away and good counter puncher could take advantage of that.  While Porter doesn't have one punch knockout type power he does wear opponents down over the course of a fight.  He has a good left hook to the body and a strong overhand right and he goes to the body early and often.  While Porter does have some flaws he seems to make up for them with his athleticism and a win over Brook would thrust him into some high level fights.

While Porter had an impressive amateur career and a nice start to his professional career things really took off for him in 2013.  That was the year Porter beat slick boxing Devon Alexander by unanimous decision and really made a name for himself.  Porter followed that up with the most impressive performance of his young career when he absolutely demolished Paulie Malignaggi by 4th round stoppage.  After that bout the boxing world really started to buzz about Porter.  As a pro he has remained unbeaten with a record of 24-0-1 with 15 knockouts and if he can get best Brook some very big fights against some very big names will come his way.

Brook will look to make a statement to U.S. fans

Like his opponent Brook is also an orthodox fighter.  Brook may not be very well known in the U.S. but he has the goods.  His jab is elite and he can control rounds solely with that punch because he has good hand speed.  He also has a nice quick left hook in his arsenal and a nice long straight right hand with some power on it.  While Porter likes to do work on the inside Brook is at his best when he is controlling the distance from the outside so this bout will really be a contrast of styles.

The one thing about Brook is that he has never been in the ring with an elite opponent.  While many might not consider Alexander or Malignaggi elite they are certainly near the top so Porter has experience against top fighters.  Brook has been fighting quality opponents but none at the level of an Alexander or Malignaggi.  Still Brook always takes care of business and has a record of 32-0 with 22 knockouts.  This will be a tough test for Brook but if he wins he would have really made a name for himself in the U.S..

This fight really comes down to distance.  Porter likes to fight on the inside while Brook does his best work on the outside.  If Porter can get on the inside he should be able to put in some good work in to Brook's body.  However is Brook can use his jab to keep Porter at bay he may be able to outbox him.  Brook should also try to counter punch a lot in this fight.  Porter tends to lean and leap in with his punches and also throws from to far away at times and Brook should be able to make him pay with his sharp jab and straight right hand.  This is really a toss up fight that could go either way, something fans will welcome after last week's embarrassment of a main event. 

PREDICTION: Shawn Porter does some of his best work on the inside when he can go to the body but he won't be able to get in there enough against Kell Brook.  Brook will look very sharp in this fight as he uses his jab and straight right hand to outbox Porter on his way to a split decision victory.  

Omar Figueroa vs. Daniel Estrada

The co-feature of Saturday's tripleheader will showcase one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, Omar Figueroa.  Figueroa has been in some very good fights as of late and is already a fan favorite.  This will be Figueroa's second fight of 2014 following a close win over Jerry Belmontes.  This time he will be challenged by Daniel Estrada in a 12 round fight for Figueroa's WBC lightweight title.

Figueroa had a hard time with Belmontes

There is a reason that Figueroa has become such a fan favorite.  Because he seems to love to stand and trade heavy leather.  Figueroa doesn't have the best defense in the world and he may not be the most skilled but damn is he fun to watch.  He is an orthodox fighter who doesn't use his jab very often.  The reason for his lack of a jab is because he fights at such close range.  Figueroa has a good left hook and a powerful right hand and he goes to the body well.  He is the type of fighter who will walk through his opponents best punches and keep throwing bombs in return.  The only thing that has slowed Figueroa down are his hands.  He has broken both hands in recent fights and that is the type of thing that can really change a fighters career.  Just ask Paulie Malignaggi who had a little bit of pop on his punches before hand injuries turned his fists into feathers.  You can also ask Floyd Mayweather who briefly retired because of chronic hand problems.  One thing is certain though, if Figueroa's hands hold up he will be a fan favorite for a long time.

As a pro Figueroa has been very impressive.  His record stands at 23-0-1 with a strong 17 knockouts and at only 24 years old he has already been in some classic fights.  His 2013 fight against Nihito Arakawa was a Fight of the Year candidate and really made him into a blossoming star.  However he didn't look very good in his most recent bout against Jerry Belmontes which he won via split decision.  This will be a big fight for Figueroa who will be looking to prove that his hand problems won't hinder him going forward.

Estrada could make a name for himself with a win

Estrada is also an orthodox fighter but doesn't like to stand and trade like Figueroa.  Estrada has a good jab and will throw that punch often along with his straight right hand.  Unlike Figueroa he never seems to take a step back Estrada will often fight off his back foot and isn't very aggressive.  Estrada also throws a left hook but it doesn't have much force behind it and he doesn't throw it often.  Because of his style Figueroa shouldn't have many problems getting inside and forcing Estrada to adapt to him.

While Figueroa hasn't fought any elite level fighters he has certainly faced better opposition than Estrada has.  Estrada has been impressive against lesser opponents but there is no way of telling how well he will handle Figueroa.  To date Estrada's record stands at 32-2-1 with 24 knockouts and this fight against Figueroa will be by far the biggest of his career.

This fight may resemble a bullfight.  Estrada will be the matador fighting off his back foot trying to stick the bull without getting horned.  Of course that makes Figueroa the bull and he will fight like he usually does with relentless aggression.  Estrada may find some early success in his matador role but eventually Figueroa should be able to take over and impose his will on the lesser fighter.

PREDICTION: The only thing that may be able to stop Omar Figueroa is his own hands.  If his hands break he may not be as aggressive as usual and Daniel Estrada could capitalize.  That seems unlikely however and Figueroa should win this fight by a wide margin on the scorecards for a unanimous decision.

Sakio Bika vs. Anthony Dirrell

The fight that will open the show will be a rematch between Sakio Bika and Anthony Dirrell.  The two fighters first met in December of 2013 with that fight ending in a draw.  This time around the pugilists will once again go 12 rounds for Bika's WBC super middleweight title.  There is no love loss between these two and neither one minds getting into a good brawl which should make for a great start to a great night of boxing.

Both fighters gave as good as they got

Bika is an orthodox fighter with a good strong jab.  While he isn't the most skilled fighter he is fun to watch because he is typically in fan friendly fights.  Along with his jab Bika has a nice short left hook which he goes to the body with very well and also a wild overhand right that lands with authority.  Bika also doesn't mind standing and trading because he has a very solid chin. That chin comes in handy because Bika's defense isn't great and he also clinches fairly often.  Bika is your classic B-level fighter he handles everyone pretty easily until he takes that next step up against A-level fighters which is where most of his losses have come from.

Some of the better fighters Bika has lost to are Andre Ward, Lucian Bute, and Joe Calzaghe.  During his professional career Bika has amassed a record of 32-5-3 with 21 knockouts.  Right now the super middleweight division is a very crowded one with many big fights to be made and if Bika wants to be in one of those fights he will need to get beat Dirrell.

Dirrell needs to use his jab more often

Dirrell is also an orthodox boxer and like Bika he doesn't mind fighting on the inside.  Dirrell has an alright jab but he doesn't use it as often as he should.  That jab could really help him control the distance against Bika if he chooses to use it.  The big advantage for Dirrell in this fight is his hand speed and he will flash that with his quick combinations.  Dirrell puts in a lot of good body work with those combinations and has a good left hook and right hand.  While he does usually fight out of the orthodox stance he can also switch up and fight southpaw, something that could frustrate Bika.  Dirrell also has a nice short uppercut in his bag of tools and that could be a good punch to use on the inside.

Unlike Bika who has fought many top level fighters Dirrell has only faced B & C-level fighters.  The best fighter he has been in the ring with was Bika and this time around Dirrell hopes to win convincingly.  As a pro Dirrell has compiled a record of 26-0-1 with a very strong 22 knockouts.  Like Bika, Dirrell wants to get into the big fights that are available in the super middleweight division and needs a win on Saturday to do so.

This should be a very fan friendly fight to start the show.  Both fighters like to stand toe to toe so it really comes down to who is doing better work on the inside.  Dirrell has the faster hands and should be able to outland Bika but Bika is more solid on defense and can probably withstand more punishment than Dirrell can.  One thing you won't see during this bout is a chess match, it will be war in the ring and should bring fans to their feet.

PREDICTION: Sakio Bika is probably the tougher of the two fighters but he is also the slower one.  Anthony Dirrell's skills are more sharpened than those of Bika and he should be able to use his hand speed to land the cleaner punches in this fight on his way to a majority decision win.