Showtime Extreme Quick Picks

Jesus Cuellar vs. Ruben Tamayo: Usually it would be the big name fighter in action on a Saturday night, however things are a bit different this week.  The biggest name in action this week is lineal light heavyweight champion of the world Adonis Stevenson.  Stevenson will be doing battle on Friday night on Showtime while there will also be a card this Saturday on Showtime Extreme.  That Showtime Extreme card will be headlined by Jesus Cuellar (25-1, 19 KO) as he faces off against Ruben Tamayo (25-4-4, 17 KO) in a 12 round bout for Cuellar's WBA interim featherweight title.  Cuellar is a heavy handed southpaw with a good jab he sticks to the head as well as to the body.  Like most Argentinian fighters Cuellar is very aggressive and he can even tend to get wild at times like when he throws his powerful left hand.  Along with that heavy left hand Cuellar also has a dangerous right hook and he has scored many early stoppages in his career.  His opponent Tamayo is also a southpaw and like Cuellar carries with him a good jab.  While Cuellar is a little wild Tamayo is extremely wild and that can be seen when he throws his right hook or left hand.  Tamayo's problem has always been his sub par defense and his terrible chin, he has been stopped three times in his four career losses and should have his hands full with Cuellar.  Cuellar will be able to get the better of Tamayo and break him down on his way to an 8th round stoppage.


Gary Russell Jr. vs. Christopher Martin: The co-feature of Saturday's card was a fight that wasn't even supposed to be televised when the original telecast was announced, but things change in a hurry in boxing.  Now the co-feature will be a 10 round bout in the crowded featherweight division between Gary Russell Jr. (24-1, 14 KO) and Christopher Martin (28-4-3, 9 KO).  Russell Jr. has long been considered a top prospect but until his most recent trip to the ring against Vasyl Lomachenko he had been fighting mostly tomato cans.  Russell Jr. looked solid in that fight but he was handed his first career loss in that fight via majority decision.  Russell Jr. looks to rebound against Martin and should have a fairly easy time of doing so.  As a southpaw Russell Jr. has very fast hands and his jab is lightning quick.  He also flashes that speed when he throws his stiff straight left hand but his best punch may be his right hook.  While it is clear that Russell Jr. is talented he has been fighting lower level guys for too long and has picked up some bad habits that he needs to fix going forward if he ever wants to be a star.  His opponent Martin has always been a fighter who losses when he takes that next small step up on competition.  He is an orthodox fighter with absolutely no power that Russell Jr. has to worry about.  Martin throws a wide right hand and his best punch may be his wild uppercut with the right hand.  As for his jab it isn't much of a threat to anyone and his left hook isn't often seen.  Martin actually has some solid defensive skills on the inside but he still tends to take a lot of punishment.  Russell Jr. won't get the knockout on Saturday but he will get an easy victory by the way of unanimous decision.


Julian Williams vs. Jamar Freeman: Another top prospect in action this Saturday will be Julian Williams (17-0-1, 10 KO).  Williams will be taking on Jamar Freeman (13-3-2, 7 KO) in a bout scheduled to go 10 rounds in the junior middleweight division.  This should be a look good fight for Williams because he seems to be far superior to Freeman.  Williams is an orthodox fighter with a nice strong jab.  He has fast hands and solid power and he throws a very good overhand right that can do damage.  Williams will also flash a powerful left hook and he has a very quick uppercut with his right hand that he likes to unleash on the inside.  As for Freeman he has no power to worry about and a weak chin considering he has been stopped in two of his three losses.  Freeman is also an orthodox fighter and he does have a nice long jab to keep opponents at a safe distance.  Freeman will also flash a nice straight right hand and he has pretty quick hands himself.  His best punch is probably his left hook but none of his punches have much on them.  Williams has showed some improved power lately and he should be able to stop Freeman before the final bell by the way of an 8th round stoppage.


Julius Jackson vs. Jonathan Nelson: The opening bout of Saturday's Showtime Extreme card should be a showcase fight for the young Julius Jackson (18-0, 14 KO).  Jackson will be taking on Jonathan Nelson (19-1, 9 KO) in a 10 round super middleweight fight.  The reason this will probably be a showcase fight for Jackson is because Nelson has fought nothing but tomato cans and there is virtually no tape of him online which is never a good sign.  As for Jackson he is an orthodox fighter with very good power.  While his defense isn't great it hasn't had to be since he usually knocks his opponents out.  Jackson throws a wide left hook that lands heavy and he has a very strong right hand whether he throws it over the top or straight.  Jackson does tend to get very wild but his power has made up for any other weaknesses.  While Jackson has a lot of work to do going forward he should be able to easily handle Nelson via 6th round stoppage.