Showtime Fight Preview

Daniel Jacobs vs. Peter Quillin

Sometimes it seems like certain fighters circle each other for years before they actually fight.  That was the case with Daniel Jacobs and Peter Quillin but now they will finally circle each other inside the squared circle.  The two Brooklyn natives will meet this Saturday on Showtime in a 12-round bout for Jacobs' WBA "regular" middleweight title.  The fight will take place from Brooklyn's Barclays Center and the winner will leave will a belt and Brooklyn bragging rights.

Jacobs won his last fight in strange fashion

Once a highly talked about prospect Jacobs may be one of the least talked about champions today.  That may be because most people only focus on Gennady Golovkin when they discuss middleweights, but Jacobs can't be overlooked.  Jacobs is an orthodox boxer-puncher who has plenty of pop on his punches.  He flashes a stiff jab and while he does have a decent straight right hand he doesn't use that punch as often as he should.  Although, on the inside he makes use of that right hand more often and it is dangerous from the pocket.  His best weapon though is his left hook which he turns over quickly and can end fights.  Another thing Jacobs does well is move in the ring but questions remain about his chin, espcially after Sergio Mora dropped him with a left hook in his most recent fight.

No matter how hard a fight Jacobs has in the ring nothing compares to his fight with cancer outside of it.  Jacobs' life was threatened by cancer but he overcame that and now looks to continue his climb of the middleweight ranks.  As a pro he has put together an impressive record of 30-1 with an often overlooked 27 knockouts.  However, his lone loss did come by the way of knockout back in 2010 to Dmitry Pirog and at the time it was looked as a big upset.  Then Pirog went on to prove he was a top fighter and that loss didn't look so bad.  Despite being a champion Jacobs hasn't fought many top opponents.  He has recent wins over Caleb Truax, Mora, and Jarrod Fletcher and while they are all fine fighters none would be considered elite.  Now, with his title belt on the line Jacobs will be facing his toughest test since Pirog.

 

Quillin also fights out of the orthodox stance and he too has plenty of pop on his punches.  While Quillin does have a nice jab he uses it more as a measuring stick than he does a punch to score points with.  While Quillin does have a strong left hook his best punch may be his straight right hand and the fact that he has power in both hands makes him a difficult fighter to beat.  However, Quillin doesn't move around the ring as well as Jacobs does and he also has questions about his chin, especially after he was dropped, and hurt multiple times against Andy Lee.

One advantage Quillin has over Jacobs is experience.  Jacobs has fought a few good fighters but his resume doesn't read the same as Quillin's does.  Quillin has a record of 32-0-1 with 23 knockouts and he has wins over Ronald "Winky" Wright, Hassan N'Dam, and Gabriel Rosado and the only blemish on his resume is a draw with Lee.  

This should be a very close, competitive fight.  While Jacobs has the higher knockout percentage he has faced the easier opposition and it may actually be Quillin who has more power.  What Jacobs has over Qullin is that he is more of a boxer and he moves more fluidly in the ring.  Who wins this fight could depend on what distance the fight takes place at.  If this is a phone booth fight the power of Quillin may be too much for Jacobs.  However, if Jacobs uses his superior jab and boxing skills to keep Quillin at bay he could leave the ring with the title belt he entered it with.

PREDICTION: Peter Quillin has the power advantage and he could easily end up stopping Daniel Jacobs are at least drop him a few times.  It is Jacobs who is the better boxer though and he will use his jab to stick and move and play it safe and that will allow him to win a close fight by the way of majority decision.

Jesus Cuellar vs. Jonathan Oquendo

The co-feature on Saturday's Showtime time should be an exciting one.  It pits rising talent Jesus Cuellar against Jonathan Oquendo in a 12-round bout for Cuellar's WBA "regular" featherweight title.  The featherweight division happens to be one of the deepest and most talented in all of boxing so a win for either man could lead to a big fight with one of the other top fighters in the division.

Cuellar's low profile could change with a big win

While Cuellar may not be very well known in the U.S. he is a very exciting fighter to watch.  Cuellar is a powerful southpaw with a fan friendly aggressive style.  The southpaw, who hails from Argentina likes to fight on the inside and don't expect to see many jabs from him.  Cuellar likes to rely on his power and he has plenty of it.  He has a wild right hook but when it lands it is often lights out for his opponents.  Cuellar also has a big left hand and while he isn't always pretty in his craft he is fun to watch.  

The last time Cuellar lost a fight was in 2011 when his style was even more wild.  Since that loss Cuellar has seemed to improve with every fight and has wins over Juan Manuel Lopez, Rico Ramos, and Vic Darchinyan.  His career record stands at 27-1 and he has an impressive 21 knockouts and if he keeps winning and his fights keep getting televised in the U.S. he could find himself with a large fan base.

Oquendo has not fared well in title fights

The reason this fight could be so exciting is because Oquendo, who fights out of the orthodox stance, is also a very aggressive fighter.  He rarely takes a backwards step and he has a very powerful right hand.  Oquendo will throw that right hand as a straight punch or over the top and can do damage both ways.  He also has a dangerous left hook although he throws that punch very wildly.  Oquendo's defense isn't very good though and he has been stopped twice which doesn't bode well for him against a fighter like Cuellar.  Another problem for Oquendo has been how he performs in step up fights.

Against average fighters Oquendo has done very well.  However, when he steps up his level of competition or gets a title fight he hasn't always done that well.  His career record is 26-4 with 16 knockouts and while he has a recent win over Jhonny Gonzalez he has lost to other top fighters like Lopez, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., and Abner Mares.

Don't expect to see many jabs from either fighter come Saturday night.  Both men are aggressive fighters who like to do battle on the inside and both have good power.  This fight may not showcase much of the sweet science but it could end up being a war that brings fans to their feet for long stretches.  What makes things even more exciting is the fact that both fighters have been stopped before in their careers so any punch could end things.

PREDICTION: Jonathan Oquendo is a good fighter and looks good against lesser fighters.  He has always had a problem in step up fights though and that will be the case again on Saturday.  Jesus Cuellar has been on the rise and looking better each time in the ring and he will add another win to his resume when he stops Oquendo in the 9th round.