Bermane Stiverne vs. Deontay Wilder
It seems like the sports world has been waiting for a charismatic American heavyweight ever since the departure of Mike Tyson. In fact the lack of a great American heavyweight has led some people to proclaim that boxing is dead, and while that couldn't be further from the truth having an American heavyweight champion who can talk with the best of them would certainly help the sport. That is why this Saturday on Showtime will be such an important night. U.S. heavyweight hopeful Deontay Wilder who seems to be America's best chance at regaining the heavyweight crown will be in the ring against Bermane Stiverne who currently holds the WBC title. The fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds but probably won't last that long and above all else it will let the world know if Wilder is the truth or just another hype job.
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| Stiverne will not make this an easy fight |
Stiverne is a tough orthodox fighter with a good chin and he has never been down as a pro. That chin may help Stiverne against Wilder but it also may give him too much confidence to stand and trade. Stiverne has heavy hands and likes to work his jab when he is in the center of the ring. He also has a nice short left hook he will throw at close range and a dangerous overhand right. One problem Stiverne has is that he doesn't mind hanging out on the ropes and he doesn't mind trading punches so he often takes a lot of punishment. Also Stiverne will often double and triple his jab up but he keeps that hand very low and doesn't bring it back up after he jabs which leaves him open for Wilder's right hand.
The knock against Wilder is that he has never faced any solid heavyweight in their prime or anywhere near it for that matter. However until recently the same could have been said for Stiverne. That changed when Stiverne took on then title contender Chris Arreola in 2013 and again in 2014. In the first fight Stiverne broke Arreola's nose and out worked him for the rest of the fight. In the rematch Stiverne was getting out worked himself but his heavy hands gave him the win when he stopped Arreola in the 6th round. As a pro Stiverne has an impressive record of 24-1-1 with a strong 21 knockouts and he should really be able to test the chin of Wilder.
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| Fans will finally find out if Wilder is the real deal |
Wilder is a tall, long armed orthodox fighter with what seems to be unreal power. He has a nice long jab and he sometimes flashes a quick left hook but often times he gets too wild with his punches. Wilder's best punch is by far his overhand right which can turn opponents lights out even if it doesn't land clean. However Wilder isn't a very busy fighter and chooses to pick his spots because he believes in his power. The question surrounding Wilder are about his chin. His chin has never been tested by a top fighter and he has been backed up by a jab from a weak fighter before. That may be because Wilder tends to get off balance when he lunges in with his punches and he will need to protect his chin against the heavy handed Stiverne.
People may have more trust in Wilder if he had been brought along like most other fighters. It isn't a problem when a prospect starts off his career fighting a string of tomato cans to pad his record and get his confidence up but eventually that fighter will start to face better opposition. Instead of slowly stepping up his level of competition Wilder has fought the same type of fighters; former contenders who are years passed their prime or tomato cans who were never contenders to begin with. Still Wilder has always taken care of business and has a perfect record of 32-0 with an unbelievable 32 knockouts.
Fans already know what Stiverne will bring to the ring. The champion will be patient and work his jab from the outside and then unleash his heavy left hook and right hand when he gets in close. Stiverne may be even more patient that usual however because Wilder has never been passed 4 rounds so Stiverne may try and take him into deep water and drown him. As for Wilder eighteen of his knockouts have come in the very 1st round so look for him to come out looking to land his power punches. It will be interested to see how Wilder decides to fight and fans should find out very quickly if he is the real deal or not. If Wilder can't handle Stiverne's power the fight won't last long but the same can be said for Stiverne handling Wilder's power.
PREDICTION: The safe pick here is probably Bermane Stiverne. He has more experience and has very heavy hands along with a solid chin. However there is just something about the punching power of Deontay Wilder that can put an opponent to sleep even if it doesn't land clean. That power will be too much for Stiverne who usually takes a lot of punches and Wilder will win the fight via 6th round knockout.
Leo Santa Cruz vs. Jesus Ruiz
The co-feature of Showtime's tripleheader might finally help setup a fight boxing fans have been clamoring for. For at least a year now fans have wanted to see junior featherweight titlist Leo Santa Cruz take on fellow title holder Guillermo Rigondeaux. Both fighters have called each other out on social media but have still not stepped in the ring against one another. Now Santa Cruz will defend his WBC junior featherweight title against the unknown Jesus Ruiz. A win for Santa Cruz might finally clear the way for the unification bout against Rigondeaux that fans have been not so patiently waiting for.
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| Santa Cruz shouldn't have a very difficult night |
Santa Cruz is a fun fighter to watch due to his high volume of punches. He is an orthodox fighter with solid power although it isn't of the one punch variety, instead he wears opponents down over the course of a fight. Santa Cruz has a nice jab he throws often and he also has a solid left hook along with an accurate straight right hand. When he gets in close Santa Cruz will also unleash uppercuts with both hands and he is dangerous wherever he is.
As a professional Santa Cruz has been very impressive and is still without a loss on his record. The only blemish on his resume is a draw and that came in his second professional fight. Unfortunately Santa Cruz's last opponent wasn't much of a challenge and Ruiz doesn't seem to be either. This fight should add another win to Santa Cruz's resume which is already an impressive 28-0-1 with 16 knockouts.
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| Ruiz will look to pull off the upset |
Ruiz isn't a very sharp fighter but like Santa Cruz he is a busy one. He is an orthodox fighter and loves to throw jab after jab. His left hook isn't great but he has pretty good power in his right hand. Ruiz is an aggressive fighter and he actually goes to the body very well. Unfortunately for Ruiz, Santa Cruz represents a big step up in competition for him and that step may be too big for him.
This will be the first big fight for Ruiz who has never been in a ring outside of his native Mexico. As a pro Ruiz has put together a record of 33-5-5 with a solid 22 knockouts but he has never faced anyone as good as Santa Cruz.
For Santa Cruz this will be his second opponent in a row who really shouldn't even be in the ring with him. Santa Cruz fights at a much higher level than Ruiz does and it will take a near miracle for Ruiz to win the fight.
PREDICTION: This will be another easy fight for Leo Santa Cruz who will have no problems with Jesus Ruiz. Santa Cruz will apply pressure early and won't let up which will lead to a 5th round stoppage.
Amir Imam vs. Fidel Maldonado Jr.
The opening bout of the night should be a hard hitting one. Both fighters are very heavy handed and both are under twenty-five years old. They are both prospects at this point but it is Amir Imam who looks like the better prospect between him and Fidel Maldonado Jr. The two power punchers are scheduled to go 10 rounds in the crowded junior welterweight division and it should be a good fight to kick off the night.
Imam is an orthodox fighter with fast hands and a good jab. He is also equally adept at fighting off the ropes are in the center of the ring. While his defense still needs to be tightened up it has been a problem yet because of his offensive skills and power. Along with his quick jab Imam has a very accurate straight right hand along with a short left hook. Imam is still a prospect but he is one to pay attention to.
At only twenty-four years old Imam is still on his way up and hasn't yet faced any top tier fighters. His toughest fight to date was when he took on fellow undefeated fighter Jared Robinson and Imam handled him by the way of 4th round stoppage. As a pro Imam has put together a perfect record of 15-0 with a very impressive 13 knockouts.
The southpaw Maldonado Jr. has plenty of power of his own so this should be a fun fight. Maldonado Jr. also has a good, busy jab but his hands are slightly slower than those of Imam. He will sometimes throw a straight left hand without much behind it but he will land a heavy left hand to the body and upstairs when he throws it crooked. Besides throwing a jab Maldonado Jr. doesn't make much use of his right hand and often times he will throw wild punches from an improper distance which is dangerous against a puncher like Imam.
Like his opponent, Maldonado Jr. hasn't faced any top level competition. His career hit a rough patch in 2012 when he lost back to back fights against Fernando Carcamo and Michael Perez but since then he has gone 6-0 with his most recent bout being a no contest. His overall record stands at 19-2 with a strong 16 knockouts so expect a slugfest with Imam.
This fight will certainly entertain fans more than the lopsided co-feature will. Two young, hungry power punches going head to head usually makes for a great fight and this one should be no exception. It is tough to say who carries the heavier hands in this fight but it is Imam who has the fast hands and better chin and that could play a big role in the outcome of this fight.
PREDICTION: Fidel Maldonado Jr. is a quality fighter but his ceiling doesn't seem to be as high as Amir Imam's is. With a win Imam would be on his way to bigger and better things and he will get their by the way of 9th round stoppage.
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| Imam has looked good in his young career |
At only twenty-four years old Imam is still on his way up and hasn't yet faced any top tier fighters. His toughest fight to date was when he took on fellow undefeated fighter Jared Robinson and Imam handled him by the way of 4th round stoppage. As a pro Imam has put together a perfect record of 15-0 with a very impressive 13 knockouts.
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| Maldonado Jr. will try to upset the apple card |
Like his opponent, Maldonado Jr. hasn't faced any top level competition. His career hit a rough patch in 2012 when he lost back to back fights against Fernando Carcamo and Michael Perez but since then he has gone 6-0 with his most recent bout being a no contest. His overall record stands at 19-2 with a strong 16 knockouts so expect a slugfest with Imam.
This fight will certainly entertain fans more than the lopsided co-feature will. Two young, hungry power punches going head to head usually makes for a great fight and this one should be no exception. It is tough to say who carries the heavier hands in this fight but it is Imam who has the fast hands and better chin and that could play a big role in the outcome of this fight.
PREDICTION: Fidel Maldonado Jr. is a quality fighter but his ceiling doesn't seem to be as high as Amir Imam's is. With a win Imam would be on his way to bigger and better things and he will get their by the way of 9th round stoppage.
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