Showtime Quick Picks

Erislandy Lara vs. Ishe Smith: The fight card that will lead to Saturday's epic night of boxing action will be on Showtime this Friday.  The main event of that card features one of the best junior middleweights in the world Erislandy Lara (19-2-2) who will be taking on Ishe Smith (26-6, 12 KO) in a 12 round fight for Lara's WBA title.  Lara has had some bad luck in his career with some frustrating draws and some questionable losses on his resume.  Still Lara remains a tough fighter for anyone to beat mainly because of his Cuban style of hitting without getting hit in return.  Lara is one of the slickest fighters in the sport but does do a bit too much moving at times and has been accused of being a runner.  Lara fights as a southpaw and he has a very nice jab he can stick upstairs or to the body.  With that jab Lara also has a quick right hook that can hurt an opponent especially if they don't see it coming because of his great hand speed.  Lara has many tools in his arsenal because he also has a very stiff straight left hand and a dangerous overhand left.  Lara will probably look to stay on the outside like he usually does and he should find success with that strategy against the slower Smith.  The orthodox Smith will have a hard time getting inside on Lara where he likes to fight because of his slower hands and feet.  Also Smith doesn't have much of a jab so getting inside will be even harder.  What Smith does have is a nice left hook and a big overhand right.  One thing Smith does have going for him is that in six losses he has never been knocked out so if he goes the distance against Lara he can hang his hat on that.  It would be a surprise if this fight was close because Lara's far more talented than Smith is.  Lara should be able to dominate this fight from start to finish on his way to a unanimous decision victory.  


Badou Jack vs. Francisco Sierra: Every fight on Friday's card will feature fighters promoted by Floyd Mayweather.  In the co-feature Mayweather promoted Badou Jack (17-1-1, 11 KO) will be looking to stay on track after a brutal 1st round knockout loss back in February of 2014.  Jack has won one fight since then and looks to continue winning against Francisco Sierra (26-7-1, 23 KO) in a 10 round bout in the super middleweight division.  Jack is an orthodox boxer with quick hands and he likes to flash that had speed with his quality jab and very nice straight right hand.  Jack moves well in the ring and likes to be patient and counter his opponents.  The orthodox fighter also has a nice overhand right and while he doesn't have much of a left hook he does always jab to the body which takes a lot out of his opponents.  Jack isn't always the most exciting fighter to watch but he always seems to get the job done.  Across the ring with be the aggressive orthodox puncher, Sierra.  Sierra loves to press the action behind his busy jab and he always seems to be coming forward.  Besides his jab everything that Sierra throws is wild.  He has a powerful left hook and a very dangerous overhand right and he isn't the type of fighter who will outbox an opponent.  Instead Sierra looks to land his power punches and end fights early however whenever he steps in to the ring it seems that he either scores the knockout or gets knocked out himself.  This could be a dangerous fight for Jack who has shown that his chin is vulnerable to a big puncher but he will be the sharper, slicker fighter come Friday night and he should be able to outbox Sierra and win the fight via unanimous decision.


Chris Pearson vs. Steve Martinez: The third fight on Friday's card should be a very exciting one.  It features two young fighters who both have a lot of power but have yet to be truly tested.  Chris Pearson (11-0, 9 KO) is a 24 year old southpaw while his opponent Steve Martinez (15-1, 12 KO) is a 24 year old orthodox fighter and the two will be going head to head for 10 rounds in the junior middleweight division.  This will also be the first 10 round bout for either fighter in their young careers and a win would certainly raise either one of their profiles.  Neither fighter has ever faced any top talent either so this should be a good test for both of them and will tell fans who has the brighter future going forward.  The southpaw Pearson has a good jab and it is a powerful punch as is his straight left hand.  Pearson is a well rounded offensive fighter and he also has a powerful right hook and a dangerous overhand left.  His defense is still a question mark and he tends to take breaks during rounds but so far that hasn't mattered yet as Pearson continues to run through opponents.  Martinez is an orthodox fighter and he also has a nice jab and a good straight right hand.  Martinez also has a winging left hook that can come in wild at times.  Out of the two men Martinez is the busier puncher and that could be the difference in this fight.  However the defense of Martinez isn't great and he tends to get backed up at times.  This should be a pretty even fight but Pearson is the physically bigger man and also carries slightly more power which is why he will win the fight by the way of majority decision.