HBO Fight Preview

Sergey Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal

The boxing world is still waiting for a fight between lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev, however, until that fights happens Kovalev will have to stay busy.  The Russian power puncher decided to stay busy with a very good opponent in Jean Pascal who he will meet this Saturday on HBO.  The fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds in the light heavyweight division for Kovalev's IBF, WBO, and WBA titles.

Kovalev proved himself to be legit against BHOP

Kovalev has gained a large following due to his prowess for spectacular knockouts.  He is an aggressive orthodox fighter who is always on the attack.  The Russian has a stiff jab and will follow that up with a strong straight right hand that does a ton of damage.  Kovalev's power is undeniable and he has even knocked opponents out with jabs to the body, a weapon who should use more of like Floyd Mayweather does.  Along with that stiff jab Kovalev has a monster left hook that can end a fight and a right hand that can end a life.  While most people think of Kovalev is a straight power puncher he can also box well when he needs to, something he showed off in his last bout against Bernard Hopkins.

Kovalev really announced his presence as a top fighter in 2013 and hasn't looked back since.  While most everyone was sold on his power, some still had doubts about just how skilled he was.  That was until late in 2014 when Kovalev stepped in the ring with the legendary Hopkins.  Kovalev dropped Hopkins in the 1st round and then went on to outbox him for the next eleven rounds, including a brutal 12th round that saw Kovalev unleash everything he had.  As it stands now Kovalev has an unbeaten record of 26-0-1 with a ridiculous 23 knockouts.  While Kovalev certainly wants a fight with Stevenson he will first have to get passed a game Pascal.

Pascal impressed in his last bout against Bute

Pascal is also an orthodox fighter but he does his best work on the defensive side of things.  Pascal uses subtle head movement and footwork to frustrate opponents and is a very difficult target to land punches on.  The defensive minded Pascal does flash a nice jab and he tends to keep his left hand low.  Along with that solid jab Pascal has a nice left hook but doesn't use his right hand very often.  The defense of Pascal should be enough to frustrate Kovalev at times but Pascal needs to focus on staying busy on offense if he wants to win.

While Kovalev was able to easily handle Hopkins in their 2014 fight, Pascal didn't have such an easy time.  Pascal fought Hopkins in 2010 and 2011and fought to a draw and then a loss.  Following those disappointing performances Pascal fought a few average opponents before stepping up and looking dominant against Lucian Bute.  Now Pascal is looking to climb to the top of the light heavyweight division with a win of Kovalev.  As a professional Pascal has put together a record of 29-2-1 with a solid but not overly impressive 17 knockouts.  

This should be an interesting fight that pits Kovalev offense against Pascal's defense.  The only problem for Pascal is that Kovalev just got done beating a fighter in Hopkins who was more experienced and better defensively than he is.  Pascal will need to drop some power on Kovalev early to make the Russian respect him because if he doesn't he is in for a long night.  As for Kovalev he just needs to remain patient and do what he does, wear opponents down and breaks them.

PREDICTION: Jean Pascal has never been knocked out and Sergey Kovalev won't be the first to do it.  That doesn't mean however that Pascal will win the fight.  The hometown fighter may be able to give Kovalev some good rounds early but eventually the power of Kovalev will start to do damage.  This should be a good fight and one that Kovalev will win by the way of unanimous decision.

Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov vs. Steve Cunningham

The co-feature of Saturday's HBO card should be an interesting one.  It features Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov and Steve Cunningham.  Glazkov has some notable wins but is still viewed as more of a prospect than contender in the heavyweight division.  Cunningham is a fan favorite who is never one to shy away from a challenge, which most of his fights are considering he is so undersized.  The two heavyweights are scheduled to go 12 rounds and the fight will be an IBF title eliminator.

Some say Glazkov lacks a killer instinct

Glazkov is an orthodox fighter with a very good jab he likes to use frequently.  Glazkov likes to keep his jab hand low and shoot from the hip and besides his jab he also lets loose a nice short left hook.  Another weapon that Glazkov has is an overhand right hand, the problem is that he rarely uses that punch.  Another problem of Glazkov is his defense.  He tends to take a lot of punishment upstairs, especially on the inside and he has also faded in the late rounds of recent fights.

Glazkov was brought along at a nice pace and beat a string of gatekeeper type heavyweights before facing his toughest opponent to date, Tomasz Adamek.  Glazkov won a close decision in that fight and looked like he was set to go on to even bigger things.  However following that fight Glazkov barely won a decision over journeyman Derric Rossy and followed that close win up with a stoppage of a no name fighter.  Now Glazkov has a record of 19-0-1 with  a good but not great 12 knockouts.  Some have said that Glazkov lacks a killer instinct and that may be one reason he doesn't close fights out stronger, something he will need to do against Cunningham who is always fresh in the late rounds.

Cunningham fights with more heart than most

Cunningham has become a fan favorite in recent years, and not just because he fights for his daughter who was awaiting a heart transplant.  His daughter got that transplant and Cunningham fights on.  He fights as a heavyweight because there is more money to be made in that division although he is always outsized.  Cunningham's calling card is his heart, he has gotten off the canvas in recent fights to come back and win.  Cunningham is a quick, athletic orthodox fighter with a good jab.  He will often fight with his hands low and he moves well in the ring.  Cunningham's best punch and heaviest is his right hand although it can come it wild at times.

As a heavyweight the undersized Cunningham has had his share of hits and misses.  He lost back to back fights to Adamek and Tyson Fury then won three fights in a row, including an impressive get off the canvas win over Amir Mansour.  Despite those tough losses suffered when he first moved to the heavyweight division Cunningham fights on and has put together a record of 28-6 with 13 knockouts.

This should be an interesting fight with a contrast of styles.  While Glazkov fades late Cunningham usually gets stronger so if it goes to the championship rounds things could get intriguing.  One thing to make note of is that Cunningham has two losses to Adamek who fights in a very similar style to that of Glazkov.  While Glazkov will be landing the heavy leather in this fight it will probably be Cunningham who is busier so if it goes the distance the judges could be in for a tough night.

PREDICTION: Steve Cunningham always gives a good account of himself and Saturday will be no different.  Cunningham will show a ton of heart and have plenty of moments but Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov is the bigger puncher and will be rewarded with those heavy punches by the judges with a split decision win in a close, competitive bout.

Isaac Chilemba vs. Vasily Lepikhin

In the opening bout of HBO's card will be Isaac Chilemba and Vasily Lepikhin who are set to go 10 rounds in the light heavyweight division.  It should be a competitive fight between fighters who are roughly of the same age, height, and reach.  While Lepikhin is looked at as a top prospect, Chilemba is viewed as a perennial contender who just can't seem to win that one fight to get to the next level.  Fighting on a high profile HBO card in front of a full house should provide both fighters with a great opportunity to further their respective careers.

Chilemba is an orthodox fighter with a nice busy jab.  Usually Chilemba will follow up his multitude of jabs with a decent straight right hand, although that punch does have much behind it.  As for a left hook Chilemba doesn't use his much but it does come in short and quick which often surprises opponents.  Perhaps Chilemba's best trait is his his defense.  Chilemba has quick reflexes and moves well in the ring which lets him avoid a lot of punishment.

Chilemba is a fighter who lacks a true marquee opponent.  He has fought some solid competition including, Tony Bellew and Thomas Oosthuizen.  Unfortunately for Chilemba he tends to lose or fight to a draw when he has the chance to get a big win.  As it stands now Chilemba's record is a solid 23-2-2 but he lacks power and only has 10 knockouts to his name.  Now Chilemba has a chance to get a nice victory on HBO but he will need to beat good looking prospect Lepikhin first.

Lepikhin looks like a legitimate prospect 

Lepikhin is a good looking prospect who likes fights out of the orthodox stance.  He tends to keep his left hand low and he will jab from his hip, and that jab is a very effective one.  Lepikhin also has a very long straight right hand and a short left hook he also throws from his hip.  While Lepikhin has a lot of early knockouts in his career he isn't exactly a heavy hitter and he is more of a boxer-puncher than a true slugger.  This is a nice stage for Lepikhin at this point in his career and Chilemba should be a good test.

Lepikhin has been a pro since 2005 but still has very few fights since he didn't fight at all in 2011 or 2012.  Chilemba will be Lepikhin's first fight of 2015 and also represents his toughest opponent to date.  If Lepikhin looks good against Chilemba on an HBO card it would go a long way in helping advance his career.  That career has seen Lepikhin put together a record of 17-0 with a solid 9 knockouts.  

What is so great about HBO's tripleheader is that every fight is competitive.  This one should be no different as both fighters will be looking to make a statement on such a high profile card.  This fight could very well come down to ring intelligence and defense.  Both fighters are solid defensively so however puts together the best game plan should come out victorious.

PREDICTION: Isaac Chilemba is a good fighter but he tends to lose his most important fights.  Vasily Lepikhin is viewed as a top prospect and he will need to look that way on Saturday night.  Lepikhin may not look as great as he hopes but he will get the unanimous decision win.