Ruslan Provodnikov vs. John Molina: When the fight between Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido was announced fans were expecting to see a candidate for 2016 Fight of the Year. When the fight happened the two men in the ring didn't disappoint. Now fans are hoping for more of the same from Ruslan Provodnikov (25-4, 18 KO) and John Molina (28-6, 23 KO) when they face off this Saturday on Showtime. The fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds in the junior welterweight division but no belts will be on the line. The reason this fight should be so exciting is because both men like to plow forward, get inside, and go to war. Also, both men always seem to be involved in strong candidates for fight of the year. In 2015 Provodnikov's fight against Lucas Matthysse was named Big Time Boxing's Runner-Up for Fight of the year, in 2014 Molina's fight against Matthysse was named the Fight of the Year, and in 2013 Provodnikov's fight with Timothy Bradley also took home the award for best fight. Unlike many pugilists who seem scared to lose, Provodnikov only seems to care about making exciting fights. He doesn't have much of a jab and instead comes forward out of the orthodox stance behind a seemingly indestructible chin. When he gets inside he loves to bang the body with powerful left hooks and right hands and he also does a nice job of cutting off the ring. Defensively Provodnikov will eat a ton of leather but his chin is so good it doesn't seem to matter. He is also prone to cuts, something Molina is also familiar with. Molina is also an orthodox fighter but his chin doesn't hold up as well as Provodnikov's. Molina does have the power advantage in thise fight though. He likes to use his jab as a measuring stick for his powerful overhand right, his best punch. Molina also has a good left hook but the right hand is his best weapon. Both men have had losses as of late. In his last 10 fights Molina is 5-5 including three losses in a row before winning his last fight against Jorge Romera. Provodnikov is 7-3 in his last 10 but he also suffered a recent loss before rebounding against Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez. This fight should be an absolute war and the winner may come down to who can take more punishment. While Molina is the bigger puncher it is Provodnikov who stands up to punishment better and he will get the win when he stops Molina in the 10th round.
Demetrius Andrade vs. Willie Nelson: Another one of the fights on Saturday's Showtime tripleheader will be a junior middleweight title eliminator between Demetrius Andrade (22-0, 15 KO) and Willie Nelson (25-2-1, 15 KO). That eliminator is scheduled to go 12 rounds and the winner will face Jermell Charlo for hiws WBC junior middleweight belt. While Andrade has proven to be highly talented he has also frustrated fans because he rarely fights. Young prospects and contenders usually stay fairly busy but Andrade only fought twice in 2013, once in 2014, and once in 2015. If a young fighter wants to keep the buzz surrounding his name he needs to stay much busier than that. Andrade is a tall southpaw with a good jab that he uses as a measuring stick for his stiff, accurate straight left hand. Along with those weapons Andrade also has a solid right hook and he moves very well in the ring. That movement comes in handy because Andrade doesn't always do a great job of protecting his chin with his off hand but he is still good defensively due to that movement. Although Andrade is a tall junior middleweight, Nelson is even taller at 6-feet 3-inches. Nelson fights out of the orthodox stance and he likes to work behind his jab. While Nelson has a pretty good left hook it is his right hand that can surprise opponents and do real damage. In fact, Nelson has won two fights in a row both coming via the knockout. In this fight Nelson will probably need the knockout to win because Andrade is the better boxer and moves better in the ring. Nelson will probably have a tough time stopping the straight left hand of Andrade and Andrade is going to win this fight by the way of unanimous decision.
Dejan Zlaticanin vs. Franklin Mamani: The opening fight on Saturday night's Showtime card will be a title fight for the vacant WBC lightweight belt. Competing for that belt will be the undefeated Dejan Zlaticanin (21-0, 14 KO) and Franklin Mamani (21-2-1, 12 KO). While Mamani hasn't fought anyone worth noting outside of a well passed his prime DeMarcus Corley, Zlaticanin has already built a solid resume. Zlaticanin has wins over Petr Petrov, Ricky Burns, and Ivan Redkach. Zlaticanin is a southpaw who packs a serious punch. His right hook is dangerous but he also has an overhand left that can end a fight in an instant. Zlaticanin doesn't make much use of his jab but he does do a nice job of sitting down on his punches and he always seems to be on the attack. Mamani is an orthodox fighter who likes to use his jab as a measuring stick. At times Mamani will follow that jab with a looping right hand but his problem is that he seems reluctant to throw punches at times. Mamani is the type of fighter who doesn't do anything at a high level so he needs to outwork opponents but usually doesn't. Mamani has never been knocked out but he has also never faced a talent like Zlaticanin who is going to win this fight with an eighth round knockout.
Comments
Post a Comment