Showtime Quick Picks

Williams was certainly hoping for a bigger fight

Julian Williams vs. Marcello Matano: After his most recent win, Julian Williams (21-0-1, 13 KO) called out fellow junior middleweight Austin Trout.  The young fighter seemed to think he was ready for his first true big test but unfortunately he would have to wait.  Instead of a big name Williams will fight Marcello Matano (16-1, 5 KO) on Saturday night on a Showtime tripleheader.  The fight will be a 12-round IBF junior middleweight title eliminator and a win could finally get Williams the big fight he has been craving.  Williams is a tall orthodox fighter with a nice jab and an even better straight right hand.  With that straight right hand Williams will also throw a crooked right hand on the inside and that is a punch he likes to bring to the body.  The left hook of Williams is an improving weapon but it is still miles behind his right hand as far as development.  "J Rock" as Williams goes by was very impressive in his last fight scoring a first round knockout and he will look to continue his impressive streak on Saturday.  Matano will be giving up two things to Williams, height and experience.  Although Matano is four years older than Williams he has less fights and he fights out of Italy where all of his fights have taken place and where not many good boxers are found.  Matano is an orthodox fighter and he really likes to work his jab.  What could make him difficult is the fact that he is an awkward fighter who punches from all angles.  While Matanos has a good jab and straight right hand, that is about all he has.  He often throws too many combinations in succession and tends to get wild with his overhand right.  Matanos may find success early, or at least frustrate Williams with his style but he is a long shot to win this fight.  Matanos' only career loss came via knockout and Williams will add another knockout loss to his resume on Saturday when he stops Matanos in the sixth round.

Douglas is now considered a contender 

Antoine Douglas vs. Avtandil Khurtsidze: The co-feature on Saturday's Showtime card will feature a a fighter, Antoine Douglas (19-0-1, 13 KO), who moved from prospect to contender after his last fight.  Douglas will take on Avtandil Khurtsidze (31-2-2, 20 KO) in a 10-round bout in the middleweight division.  While Douglas just recently reached contender status and has only been fighting professionally since 2012, Khurtsidze has been a pro since 2002.  Despite fighting professionally for 14 years Khurtsidze hasn't had a ton of fights and that is due to big gaps in activity.  Khurtsidze didn't fight at all in 2003, 2006, 2012, or 2013 and since 2014 has not faced much quality opposition.  Douglas is still a very young fighter but he has already shown a quality jab along with a nice left hook.  He fights out of the orthodox stance and has an aggressive style but he also has some improvements he needs to make, like not pulling straight back on defense.  One reason Douglas has found success is because he has quick hands and a nice idea of what he wants to do in the ring.  Khurtsidze is also an orthodox fighter but he will have a massive height disadvantage against Douglas.  Douglas stands tall at 6-feet while Khurtsidze is very small for a middleweight at only 5-feet, 4-inches.  For Khurtsidze to win he will have to get on the inside which won't be easy, especially since he doesn't have much of a jab.  To get in the pocket Khurtsidze will often duck and launch a left hook and that left hook is really his only weapon.  This fight should be all Douglas, he is taller, quicker, and more athletic and he won't have a very difficult time cruising to a unanimous decision win.

Harrison looks to stay on track 

Tony Harrison vs. Fernando Guerrero: Until mid-2015 Tony Harrison (22-1, 18 KO) looked like he might become Detroit's next boxing star.  While that still could very well happen the road got a bit rougher after Harrison got knocked out by Willie Nelson in the ninth round of a fight he appeared to be winning.  Harrison has fought once since that loss, a decision win over Cecil McCalla and on Saturday he will take on Fernando Guerrero (28-3, 20 KO).  The two pugilists are scheduled to go 10 rounds in the middleweight division and Guerrero could be a dangerous choice of opponents for Harrison considering he is a power puncher.  Harrison is a 6-feet 1-inch orthodox fighter with plenty of pop on his punches.  Harrison has a quick jab and a stiff straight right hand but at times he can look uncomfortable on defense and will sometimes put himself in bad situations.  While Harrison also has a quick left hook, his right hand is hos money punch.  Luckily for Harrison, his opponent Guerrero doesn't take big punches very well and all three of his career losses have been via the knockout.  Guerrero does have power though and he fights out of the southpaw stance.  While Guerrero's hands are fairly quick he isn't an accurate puncher and he also tends to leave his hands low which is dangerous against Harrison.  Guerrero is athletic though and he likes to work behind his jab and follow that up with a strong straight left hand.  When it comes to experience Guerrero has the big advantage and he has been in the ring with Gabriel Rosado, Ishe Smith, Peter Quillin, and David Lemieux among others.  This fight should be a fun one with both fighters gunning for the knockout but Harrison's skills are sharper and he will win this fight by the way of eighth round stoppage.