Vyacheslav Shabranskyy vs. Sullivan Barrera: In what should amount to a good action fight this Friday on HBO Latino, power puncher Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (17-0, 14 KO) will take on Sullivan Barrera (17-1, 12 KO). Their fight is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the light heavyweight division and in that division there are plenty of fights to be made. For Shabranskyy this fight could be telling since Barrera will be one of the two best opponents he's ever faced, the other being Yunieski Gonzalez. Barrera is coming off a lopsided loss to Andre Ward and despite being dropped in the third round he was able to go the distance. If Shabranskyy can stop Barrera before the final bell it would be a big accomplishment. Like many other Ukrainian fighters, Shabranskyy is a heavy hitter. He plies his trade out of the orthodox stance and starts everything behind a measuring stick jab. What makes Shabranskyy so dangerous is that he has power in both hands and moves pretty well in the ring. His measuring stick jab can turn into a weapon when he throws it to the body and he can hurt opponents with his left hook or right hand. His one minor flaw is that he tends to keep his hands low at times and when he attacks to the body with both hands he leaves himself open for heavy leather upstairs. However, so far Shabranskyy has been perfect and that is something Barrera hopes to change come Friday night. Barrera hails from Cuba and he too fights out of the orthodox stance. Barrera has a little more pop on his jab than does Shabranskyy but the same can't be said for his other punches. From the outside Barrera throws a stiff straight right hand but he tends to do his best work on the inside in the form of a solid left hook and very good right hand, especially when he is throwing it to the body. What remains to be seen is just how much Barrera has improved after being in the ring with one of the best in Ward. Some fighters learn a lot from losing to an elite talent while others do not and if Barrera learned enough he could be a dangerous fighter. However, both of these men like to trade punches on the inside and it is Shabranskyy who hits harder and moves better and he will consistently get the better of the action on his way to an eighth round stoppage win.
Eddie Gomez vs. Rashidi Ellis: The first fight of Friday's HBO tripleheader will feature two fights under 25 who together have only one loss between them. They are Eddie Gomez (19-1, 11 KO) and Rashidi Ellis (16-0, 11 KO) and they are scheduled to go 10 rounds in the welterweight division. This will be a huge stage for two relatively unknown fighters whose resumes don't include any big names at all. Gomez is the older of the two at 24 years old and he fights out of the orthodox stance. Gomez has the hand speed and movement to jab and move and find success from the outside but he usually likes to work from the pocket. On the inside Gomez shows a good left hook and a mean right hand and he loves to dig those power punches to the body. From the outside Gomez will show a solid jab and good straight right hand but going forward he will need to be careful throwing so many combinations on the inside or he may get caught in between. As for Ellis, he is an orthodox fighter who can also switch it up and fight as a southpaw. He likes to work from the outside where he can stick his quick jab to the belly of opponents and behind it he will throw a very nice straight right hand. Ellis also carries with him a strong overhand right and a decent left hook that would be better if he turned it over more but those are punches he won't use as much as his jab and straight right. Like every other fight on this card this one should be very competitive, which seems a rare treat in a year that gave boxing fans mismatch after mismatch. While Gomez is the better inside fighter it is Ellis who puts in the better work from the outside and his jab and accuracy should help him win this fight by the way of split decision.
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