Adrien Broner vs. Emmanuel Taylor
If the September 13th rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana is the main course for boxing fans then this weekend will be the appetizer. There are a lot of big names in action this Saturday across a few networks but Showtime is treating fans with a tripleheader from Cincinnati, Ohio. The main event of that card will be a 12 round junior welterweight bout between Adrien Broner and Emmanuel Taylor. This will be a big fight for Broner as he looks to get back to his winning ways following his first career loss. It was also be a huge opportunity for Taylor to really make a statement.
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| Broner looks to rebound following his 1st loss |
It is safe to say that Broner is one of the most hated men in boxing. Which is probably fine with Broner since he models himself after one of the other most hated men in the sport, Floyd Mayweather. Broner also fights in a similar style to Mayweather. He is very good defensively and uses a shoulder roll to deflect punches. He is an orthodox fighter with very fast hands and some good power. Typically Broner starts off slowly while he figures his opponent out and once he has seen what he needs to he will start to sit down on his punches. Broner has a very nice left hook and also a good straight right hand, that right hand being his most powerful punch, especially when he throws it as an uppercut. Unlike Mayweather though Broner isn't an extremely sharp counter puncher and while he can counter his opponents he doesn't do it as often as he should. His lifestyle outside of the ring is also what differentiates Broner from Mayweather.
While Mayweather basically lives in the gym and walks around very close to the weight he fights at Broner does not. When he isn't in the ring Broner is a rapper and instead of spending time in the gym he will go on tour and usually gets very heavy between fights. As recently as 2013 Broner looked like a future star and pound for pound mainstay. His confidence may have gotten the best of him however because he decided to jump from lightweight to welterweight, completely jumping over the junior welterweight division. As a welterweight Broner's hands weren't as fast and his power wasn't as impressive. In that division Broner fought Paulie Malignaggi and won a very close fight but a fight where his defense looked sub par. Next came a loss to Marcos Maidana in a fight that saw Broner get dropped twice. Following that loss Broner intelligently moved down to junior welterweight where he has fought once and beat Carlos Molina. Now Broner's career record stands at 28-1 with a very strong 22 knockouts and he is clearly a talented fighter but if he wants to be an all-time great he needs to take his profession more seriously and he will also need to make fighters like Taylor look very bad.
Most fans will know Taylor from his appearances on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights where he has fought to some mixed results. Taylor is a puncher by trade and isn't very slick. He doesn't do much moving laterally and is usually there to be hit since he just comes straight ahead. Don't expect to see many combinations from Taylor who usually looks to land one power punch instead of shoe shining. While his jab and left hook are good weapons his best punch is his right hand which he can do serious damage with. Unfortunately Taylor's straight ahead style leaves him open to take a lot of punches and he has been dropped in two of his last three fights. In this fight Taylor will have the slower hands and feet and will really need to take a page out of Maidana's playbook and put constant pressure on Broner while he tries to keep things rough on the inside.
This will be the biggest fight of Taylor's career and his first appearance on Showtime. His last three bouts have been against his best competition and he is 2-1 in those fights, beating Victor Cayo and Karim Mayfield but losing to Chris Algieri. Taylor has amassed a career record of 18-2 with 12 knockouts but has never faced anyone with the talent of Broner. This is a step up for Taylor but in Broner's current condition it may not be as big of a step up as it would have been a few years ago. If Taylor can pull off the upset it would be a big boost for his career and would certainly earn him another big fight on subscription cable.
This fight will come down to which Broner steps into the ring. Taylor is going to do what he always does, come straight forward behind a good jab and try to land power punches on the inside. It is Broner that is the question mark. If he allows himself to be trapped on the ropes like he was against Maidana he could end up taking a lot of heavy punches. However if Broner keeps this fight in the center of the ring he should be able to use his hand speed to really touch Taylor up. This should be a good fight because both fighters have a lot on the line since the winner would go on to big things.
PREDICTION: Emmanuel Taylor is a tough guy with a big right hand, a punch Marcos Maidana had success with against Adrien Broner. The difference is that Taylor isn't as powerful as Maidana and Broner should have learned from his mistakes. It may be a good fight for awhile but eventually Broner will take over and win this fight by the way of unanimous decision.
While Mayweather basically lives in the gym and walks around very close to the weight he fights at Broner does not. When he isn't in the ring Broner is a rapper and instead of spending time in the gym he will go on tour and usually gets very heavy between fights. As recently as 2013 Broner looked like a future star and pound for pound mainstay. His confidence may have gotten the best of him however because he decided to jump from lightweight to welterweight, completely jumping over the junior welterweight division. As a welterweight Broner's hands weren't as fast and his power wasn't as impressive. In that division Broner fought Paulie Malignaggi and won a very close fight but a fight where his defense looked sub par. Next came a loss to Marcos Maidana in a fight that saw Broner get dropped twice. Following that loss Broner intelligently moved down to junior welterweight where he has fought once and beat Carlos Molina. Now Broner's career record stands at 28-1 with a very strong 22 knockouts and he is clearly a talented fighter but if he wants to be an all-time great he needs to take his profession more seriously and he will also need to make fighters like Taylor look very bad.
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| Taylor would make a huge statement with a win |
This will be the biggest fight of Taylor's career and his first appearance on Showtime. His last three bouts have been against his best competition and he is 2-1 in those fights, beating Victor Cayo and Karim Mayfield but losing to Chris Algieri. Taylor has amassed a career record of 18-2 with 12 knockouts but has never faced anyone with the talent of Broner. This is a step up for Taylor but in Broner's current condition it may not be as big of a step up as it would have been a few years ago. If Taylor can pull off the upset it would be a big boost for his career and would certainly earn him another big fight on subscription cable.
This fight will come down to which Broner steps into the ring. Taylor is going to do what he always does, come straight forward behind a good jab and try to land power punches on the inside. It is Broner that is the question mark. If he allows himself to be trapped on the ropes like he was against Maidana he could end up taking a lot of heavy punches. However if Broner keeps this fight in the center of the ring he should be able to use his hand speed to really touch Taylor up. This should be a good fight because both fighters have a lot on the line since the winner would go on to big things.
PREDICTION: Emmanuel Taylor is a tough guy with a big right hand, a punch Marcos Maidana had success with against Adrien Broner. The difference is that Taylor isn't as powerful as Maidana and Broner should have learned from his mistakes. It may be a good fight for awhile but eventually Broner will take over and win this fight by the way of unanimous decision.
Lucas Matthysse vs. Roberto Ortiz
The co-feature for Saturday's Showtime card could either be a great fight or a very quick one. In fact whenever Lucas Matthysse enters the ring those are usually the only two possible outcomes. Matthysse is fresh of a Fight of the Year candidate with John Molina in April and now he will do battle with the undefeated Roberto Ortiz who will be looking to make a name for himself in a big step up fight. The two fighters are set to go 12 rounds in the junior welterweight division but don't be shocked if the fight ends before the final bell.
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| Matthysse is one of the heaviest hitters in boxing |
The first things that comes to mind when discussing Matthysse is power because he throws some of the heaviest leather in boxing. The scary thing about Matthysse is that he carries such tremendous power in both hands and can end a fight with his overhand right or his deadly left hook. Matthysse isn't just a wild offensive fighter however he also has a very strong jab and typically lands a lot of clean one-twos. If there is a question that still remains unanswered about Matthysse is his defense. He has been dropped three times in his last two fights and he is vulnerable to right hands because after he throws his left hook he will often leave his hand down low. Still Matthysse is one of the best in the junior welterweight division and shouldn't have a problem with Ortiz.
Up until late 2013 Matthysse was at the top of the junior welterweight division. Then he ran into Danny Garcia who gave Matthysse his third career loss in a very good fight. Matthysse was in control of that fight until his eye swelled completely shut and Garcia started to turn the tides. Following that loss Matthysse took a long break and looked rusty against Molina when he made his return but eventually started to look like his old self as he stopped Molina in the 11th round. Now Matthysse has a record of 35-3 with an unreal 33 knockouts and the only other to blemishes on his resume are highly controversial losses to Devon Alexander and Zab Judah in each of those fighters hometowns. Matthysse has been calling Garcia out and wants a rematch but that fight probably won't happen, especially of he runs through Ortiz with ease.
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| This will be a big step up fight for Ortiz |
Ortiz is a solid fighter but it isn't easy to tell how good he actually is because he has been fighting average fighters at best. He is an orthodox fighter with solid had speed and power but he tends to throw his crooked punches pretty wild, especially when he lets his combinations go. Ortiz also has a bad habit of letting his left hand drift when he throws his right hand which should give Matthysse plenty of opportunities to land his right hand. It should be clear fairly quickly if Ortiz will be able to stand up to Matthysse or if he will just get steamrolled.
As a professional Ortiz has never been beaten. He carries with him a record of 31-0-1 with a very nice 24 knockouts and that lone draw came back in 2007 in only his fourth career fight. While Matthysse has long been fighting the best available Ortiz has been fighting one average fighter after the other and this fight seems like a real leap for him. Although Matthysse did look vulnerable in his last fight so maybe Ortiz is getting him at the perfect time.
How good this fight ends up being depends on Ortiz. If he can handle the big step up in competition fans could be in for a real battle. There is a good chance however that Ortiz will be in way over his head and Matthysse can just run right through him. After his last grueling fight it won't be surprising if Matthysse looks to end this one early so as with all Matthysse fights don't take any bathroom breaks and have extra beer on hand because you won't want to miss one second of action.
PREDICTION: Even with his undefeated record it doesn't seem like Roberto Ortiz will pose a real serious threat to Lucas Matthysse. Matthysse should come out aggressive and that aggression will pay off as he wins this fight via 9th round knockout.
Andre Berto vs. Steve Upsher Chambers
The bout that will open things up features two fighters both coming off back to back losses and both looking to salvage their careers. Those fighters are Andre Berto, who was once considered a top welterweight, and Steve Upsher Chambers who was viewed as a nice prospect for a time. The two pugilists are scheduled to go 10 rounds in the welterweight division.
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| Berto is in need of a win just to stay relevant |
Berto is still a talented boxer but it seems like a lifetime ago that he was considered one of the top welterweights in the sport. A typical Berto fight takes place in a phone booth and there is usually a lot of punishment traded back and forth. He is an orthodox fighter who has fast hands and a good jab. Berto also has a nice short left hook and a good right hand whether he throws it straight or as an awkward uppercut. The problem for Berto has been his defense. His feet are slow and he doesn't move laterally very much, instead he will just stand and trade heavy leather. That has made Berto a fan friendly fighter but not a very effective one.
Not long ago Berto was constantly in line to fight Floyd Mayweather. He was seemingly always one fight away from getting their prized lottery ticket and Mayweather was often seen ringside at his fights. Unfortunately for Berto he always lost fight that would have landed him a fight with Mayweather. In 2011 Berto lost to Victor Ortiz who then landed a bout with Mayweather then in 2012 Berto lost to Robert Guerrero who also went on to fight Mayweather. Since 2011 Berto's career has been in somewhat of a tailspin and he has gone 1-3 since then. Now his record is 28-3 with a strong 22 knockouts but he is in desperate need of a win if he wants to stay at a high level.
Unlike Berto who likes to fight from the pocket Chambers like to do his work on the outside. He is a lanky fighter with a good jab and a solid straight right hand. Unfortunately for Chambers he doesn't have much of a left hook and he doesn't always turn over his overhand right. Defense is also a problem for Chambers who doesn't move very well in the ring and can't fight at all on the inside. Not fighting well on the inside is a bad trait to have against a bulldog like Berto and Chambers will really have to use his jab to keep him at bay.
For Chambers this will be the biggest fight of his career and also his first fight scheduled to go 10 rounds. In the past whenever Chambers has stepped up his level of competition he has lost which he did to Luis Collazo and Eddie Gomez in his last two fights. As a pro Chambers has a record of 24-3-1 with a very weak 6 knockouts and he may be in over his head against Berto.
One thing Chambers has going for him is the fact that he is five inches taller than Berto and his long reach could keep Berto on the outside. That seems unlikely however considering Berto won't have to respect the power of Chambers and can walk in without worrying about taking to much damage. Chambers will need to be extremely sharp with his jab and straight right hand if he wants to win this fight while Berto can just do what he usually does, get inside and land heavy leather.
PREDICTION: Steve Upsher Chambers will not have enough power or movement to beat Andre Berto. Berto will keep him in the corners and on the ropes and should look very strong on his way to a 6th round stoppage.
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| Like his opponent, Chambers is in need of a win |
For Chambers this will be the biggest fight of his career and also his first fight scheduled to go 10 rounds. In the past whenever Chambers has stepped up his level of competition he has lost which he did to Luis Collazo and Eddie Gomez in his last two fights. As a pro Chambers has a record of 24-3-1 with a very weak 6 knockouts and he may be in over his head against Berto.
One thing Chambers has going for him is the fact that he is five inches taller than Berto and his long reach could keep Berto on the outside. That seems unlikely however considering Berto won't have to respect the power of Chambers and can walk in without worrying about taking to much damage. Chambers will need to be extremely sharp with his jab and straight right hand if he wants to win this fight while Berto can just do what he usually does, get inside and land heavy leather.
PREDICTION: Steve Upsher Chambers will not have enough power or movement to beat Andre Berto. Berto will keep him in the corners and on the ropes and should look very strong on his way to a 6th round stoppage.
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