Showtime Fight Preview

Erislandy Lara vs. Vanes Martirosyan

Tonight on Showtime there will be a rematch of the terrible 2012 fight between Erislandy Lara and Vanes Martirosyan.  That fight ended in the ninth round when a clash of heads left Martirosyan with a bad cut that put an end to the bout.  That disappointing draw took a toll on both fighter's careers but recently they have both looked very good and will now meet again, this time around Lara's WBA junior middleweight title will be on the line, a title Martirosyan hopes to take.

Lara looked sensational against Zaveck

Lara is a southpaw from the Cuban school of boxing.  What that means is he is a defensive minded fighter who is very slick between the ropes.  Almost surprisingly Lara is a very good offensive fighter, the reason for the surprise is that he doesn't always use his offensive weapons as much as he should.  Lara can control fights with his accurate jab and he will often follow it up with a strong straight left hand.  Along with those weapons Lara also has a good right hook but his beat weapons is his defense.  The footwork of Lara is very good and he can get in and out seemingly whenever he wants.  Some fans have vented their frustration over the lack of offensive output from Lara but in his most recent fight he look better than ever.

Lara's last fight came against Jan Zaveck and uncharacteristically Lara started off that fight very quickly and stopped Zaveck in just the third round.  The career record of Lara is 22-2-2 with 13 knockouts but both of his losses were highly debatable.  His first career loss came at the hands of Paul Williams,  Lara seemed to dominate that fight but lost via majority decision.  Then against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez  he turned in another strong performance but lost via split decision, perhaps in part because of his inactivity in the middle rounds.  Lara also has some nice wins on his resume including bouts with Austin Trout and a still dangerous Alfredo Angulo.  However, if Lara wants to take on the likes of Gennady Golovkin or secure a rematch against Alvarez, he will need to beat Martirosyan.

Martirosyan scored 2 knockdowns against Smith

Martirosyan is an orthodox fighter and while he is a few inches taller than Lara his reach is a full 4-inches shorter.  Martirosyan is more of a boxer-puncher than Lara is and he too is skilled offensively.  His jab is a solid weapon and he also does nice work with his straight right hand.  Martirosyan also has a strong left hook and while he is fine defensively his skills on that side of things don't compare to those of Lara.  The biggest advantage Martirosyan has going for him in this fight is his toughness and his slight edge in power.

One thing the resume of Martirosyan lacks is a win over an elite opponent.  His two biggest wins have come over Willie Nelson and Ishe Smith and while both fighters are above average, neither is at the top of their division.  For his career Martirosyan has gone 36-2-1 with 21 knockouts and his two career losses have come against contenders Demetrius Andrade and Jermell Charlo.

The first time these two pugilists met they turned in a terrible fight.  There seemed to be more clinching than fighting and neither fighter was ever able to take control.  At the time the fight was stopped the official ringside judges had the fight scored a split draw.  Hopefully this time around Lara and Martirosyan can do more punching than clinching.  If Lara comes out as aggressively as he did against Zaveck it should be a good fight because Martirosyan always like to mix it up.  Let's just hope the sequel surpasses the original.

PREDICTION: Erislandy Lara has the ability to beat any opponent, the problem is that he doesn't always perform up to his skill level.  Vanes Martirosyan will give Lara a tough fight, as he does every opponent but Lara is going to come away the winner tonight by the way of unanimous decision.

Jermall Charlo vs. Austin Trout

The co-feature for tonight's Showtime card will pit young champion Jermall Charlo up against talented veteran Austin Trout.  The fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds and Charlo's IBF junior middleweight title will be up for grabs.  This will be a very important fight for both men because Charlo has never fought anyone at Trout's level and this will be Trout's first truly dangerous opponent since his loss to Erislandy Lara in 2013.

Trout will be Charlo's toughest test to date

Unlike his twin brother Jermell, Jermall is more of a puncher than a boxer.  He fights out of the orthodox stance and he is the type of fighter who uses his jab as more of a measuring stick than a true weapon.  However, once he starts to control a fight Charlo will put more pop on his jab.  Charlo's best punches are his stiff straight right hand and strong left hook and either punch has the ability to drop an opponent.  Charlo isn't a finished product though and still has some room for improvement when it comes to his pure boxing skills and defense.

While Charlo has been impressive he has yet to face any top tier opponents.  As it stands now the record of Charlo is a perfect one at 23-0 with a strong 18 knockouts.  The two best opponents he has faced have come in his last two fights, Cornelius Bundrage and Wilky Campfort but neither of them are at the same level as Trout.  If Charlo wants to prove he is the real deal and as good as his record indicates he first has to beat Trout.  

A win over Charlo would be big for Trout

Trout is a very talented fighter but he hasn't risen to the level most expected him to.  He fights out of the southpaw stance, which could give Charlo some problems.  Trout likes to fight behind his jab and prefers to play the role of counter puncher.  Along with his long jab Trout also has a good straight left hand and he always does a good job of controlling the distance.  However, his chin isn't the best and he is vulnerable to the knockdown although he has never been knocked out.

In 2012 Trout scored the biggest win of his career when he beat Miguel Cotto by the way of unanimous decision.  However, Trout has never been able to capitalize on that win, following it up with losses to Saul "Canelo" Avarez and Lara.  Trout has rebounded nicely as of late though going 4-0 with three stoppages following those back to back losses.  His career record stands at 30-2 with 17 knockouts and a win over Charlo could lead him to more fights against big names.

This will be a very interesting fight.  Fans will finally get to see just how good Charlo is and at the same time see how much Trout has left in the tank.  Recently Trout has been fighting lesser opponents so it will be good to see him back in the ring with a dangerous foe.  Charlo might be tailor made for Trout because he is an aggressive puncher and Trout is a great counter puncher.  However, Trout has been dropped in recent fights and one punch from Charlo could drop him again.

PREDICTION: Austin Trout is the better boxer in this fight but his chin will let him down.  Trout should look good early and control many of the rounds but the power of Jermall Charlo will be the difference.  Charlo will drop Trout once or twice in this fight and those knockdowns will be enough to give Charlo the close majority decision victory.

Jermell Charlo vs. John Jackson

The first fight on Showtime's tripleheader will feature the other Charlo twin, Jermell Charlo.  Charlo will be taking on prospect John Jackson.  Their fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds and they will both be vying for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title.  This will be the first real title fight for Charlo, who won a USBA title in 2013.  It will also be Jackson's first ever title shot.

Charlo is finally getting his shot at the title

Charlo is an orthodox boxer with plenty of skills.  While he doesn't have much power Charlo has many other offensive weapons.  He has a piston-like jab that is very accurate and a stiff straight right hand that follows it up, probably his strongest punch.  Charlo also has a good, short left hook but what wins him fights is his jab.  What's also impressive about Charlo is that he has such a good idea of what he wants to do in the ring and he is always sound defensively.

Between the two Charlo twins it is Jermell who has the better resume.  His undefeated record of 27-0 includes 12 knockouts and he has wins over Gabriel Rosado, Vanes Martirosyan, and Joachim Alcine.  Although his brother won a title first many people think of Jermell as the more skilled brother and this fight against Jackson will be the biggest of his career.

Jackson's first big fight went great, until it didn't

Jackson is also an orthodox fighter and he has a stiff jab and accurate straight right hand.  Jackson also has a nice left hook but his best punch may be when he switches to southpaw and throws his right hook.  That is the punch he dropped Andy Lee with and he throws all of his punches very responsibly, most of the time.  Defense is where Jackson has been letdown.  He sometimes gets too aggressive and forgets about his defense and that can be his downfall at times.

The biggest fight of Jackson's career thus far came against Lee.  Jackson was easily winning that fight and had dropped Lee when he got overly aggressive and got caught with Lee's signature punch, the right hook, that put him to sleep.  For his career Jackson has a record of 20-2 with a strong 15 knockouts but he can't get over aggressive against Charlo.

While Charlo is a straight up boxer Jackson is more of a boxer-puncher which is why this fight could be so fun.  Charlo will try to establish his jab early and control the distance, meanwhile Jackson will be trying to confuse Charlo by switching from orthodox to southpaw as he tries to land his power punches.  Whoever wins this fight will have won the biggest fight of their career and won their first title.

PREDICTION: This will be a close fight and there is a chance that John Jackson can hurt Jermell Charlo but he won't be able to knock him out or drop him.  It will be a close fight by Jermell Charlo is going to win it by the way of unanimous decision.