Rances Barthelemy vs. Denis Shafikov:
This week's action will start on Friday night when the PBC returns to Spike TV. That card will be headlined by Rances Barthelemy (23-0, 13 KO) as he takes on Denis Shafikov (36-1-1, 19 KO). That fight is scheduled go to 12 rounds in the light weight division with the winner picking up a vacant IBF title. Barthelemy is an orthodox fighter out of Cuba and while he is slick he isn't the Erislandy Lara type Cuban defensive minded boxer. Unlike Lara, Barthelemy is an aggressive fighter who works behind a strong jab. His best punch is probably his strong left hook and he has enough confidence in that punch to often double it up. Along with those weapons Barthelemy also has a serviceable right hand and he is also a good defensive fighter. Neither Barthelemy or Shafikov is a big name yet but that could change for the winner on Friday night. Shafikov is a southpaw who has some nice wins in his career and only one loss which came at the hands of Miguel Vazquez, a fighter with the ability to make anyone look bad. While Barthelemy does some of his best work from the outside Shafikov loves to do his work from close range. The Russian fighter has a strong jab and he finds a lot of success in close with his right hook and short overhand left. Along with those punches Shafikov also does a nice job of landing uppercuts and he bangs to the body often. This fight should be a lot of fun because it is big for the careers of both fighters and both men like to mix things up. The fight could come down to who controls distance because of Shafikov can stay in the pocket he could rough up Barthelemy and get the win. However, if Barthelemy can use his feet and jab to sharp shoot from the outside the Russian fighter may not be able to answer back. This should be a close fight but Barthelemy is the slicker of the two pugilists and that will help him win this fight with a close unanimous decision.
Murat Gassiev vs. Isiah Thomas:
The co-feature for Friday's PBC card will be a 12-round cruiserweight title eliminator between two undefeated fighters in Murat Gassiev (22-0, 16 KO) and Isiah Thomas (15-0, 6 KO). Gassiev is an orthodox fighter out of Russia and while he does nice work with his jab his best weapon is his heavy left hook. The Russian is the type of fighter who hates to take a backwards step and while he doesn't use his right hand very often when he does use it, it can do damage, especially to the body. Gassiev is still somewhat of a mystery though because he has never faced any notable fighters and defensively he hasn't looked great. The reason for that is because Gassiev will often just put on his earmuffs until his opponent is done throwing his punches and he doesn't use his feet all that well. This fight will be interesting because while Thomas will be Gassiev's best opponent the same can be said for Gassiev when it comes to Thomas' best opponent. Thomas is a vastly different fighter than Gassiev is, first of all he is a southpaw and secondly he is much lighter on his feet. Thomas has quick hands and because of that a good jab which he will follow up with a nice straight left hand. With those punches Thomas also has a very short right hook and even though he doesn't have much power that is a good punch for him. This fight could be very similar to the main event in that it features one fighter who is slicker than the other. In the main event Rances Barthelemy is much slicker than Denis Shafikov. The problem for Thomas in this fight is while he is slicker than Gassiev it isn't by much and he can get caught up in the corners and on the ropes at times. Gassiev is usually the busier fighter and that along with his power is what will help him beat Thomas by the way of 10th round stoppage.
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