PBC on Fox Fight Preview

Deontay Wilder vs. Gerald Washington

On Saturday, and in prime time, the PBC will return to Fox will a card headlined by a heavyweight title fight.  That title fight will pit champion Deontay Wilder against challenger Gerald Washington and Wilder's WBC title will be up for grabs.  This will be the biggest fight of Washington's career and also his first title shot.  For Wilder this will be his first fight back since breaking his hand and tearing a muscle in his arm against Chris Arreola.  

This will be Wilder's first fight back from injury

When it comes to Wilder his power is the most important aspect of his skill set.  That power comes in both hands but his best punch is clearly his monster overhand right out of the orthodox stance.  However, his most important punch is his jab because it is the jab that allows him to find the proper distance to land the right hand.  When Wilder is at his best he is snapping his jab and landing the right hand.  At times though Wilder has problems getting that jab going and when that happens he often struggles to land his power punches.  Wilder also has an improving left hook but he also needs to improve his defense.  "The Bronze Bomber" is very athletic and he likes to fight with his hands very low.  Although he hasn't gotten in trouble yet he does need to be careful not to back straight up with his hands down because that is a recipe for getting knocked out.  

Throughout his career and especially since being crowned the WBC heavyweight champion,  Wilder has been criticized for his choice of opponents.  That criticism was heard once again when Wilder agreed to fight Washington, although he should get a pass for this one since this is his first fight back from multiple injuries.  If all goes well against Washington look for Wilder to go after Joseph Parker or the winner of the fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko.  As a pro Wilder has been perfect and currently holds a record of 37-0 with an astounding 36 knockouts.  This will be Wilder's fifth defense of the title he won in early 2015 and a win could potentially set up a huge 2017 for the WBC champion.

This will be Washington's first title shot

Washington is an orthodox fighter who has the size to measure up to Wilder.  At times he seems reluctant to throw punches and he tends to rely on his power punches over a lot of activity.  Washington does have a decent jab and will occasionally throw a left hook, although it isn't a good looking punch and he doesn't use it much.  His best weapon, much like his opponents, is his right hand.  Washington's power comes from that right hand but he also seems to forget about defense when he throws it and at times he will fall to his left when he throws the right which would put him right in the path of Wilder's overhand right.

Like many before him Washington comes from a football background.  He was good enough to play collegiality at the University of Southern California and was a practice squad player for the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks.  Unfortunately like most of the fighters who came before him who got a late start to boxing it shows in the ring and he doesn't look fluid or totally comfortable all the time.  Still, he has been able to put together an impressive professional record of 18-0-1 with 12 knockouts but Wilder will be far and away his toughest test to date.

There is a reason Wilder and his team chose to fight Washington and that reason isn't great for Washington.  Wilder is fresh of multiple injuries and this will be his first fight back since suffering them in his win over Arreola.  He wasn't going to come back to take on any of the other top names in the heavyweight division and he is probably looking at Saturday's fight as a tune-up fight to kick off his big 2017.  Washington certainly has the size to hang with Wilder but he doesn't have top end power or skills so he will need to hope for a homerun punch that Wilder doesn't see coming in order to pull off the upset.

PREDICTION: Despite his unbeaten record it is clear that Gerald Washington is not at the same level as Deontay Wilder.  Wilder may show some rust early but once he gets his jab going it will be all over and he will win this fight with a sixth round knockout.

Tony Harrison vs. Jarrett Hurd

Saturday's other title fight will be for the vacant IBF junior middleweight title.  Hoping to be crowned champion will be Tony Harrison and Jarrett Hurd, a pair of 26-year-old pugilists with only one loss between them.  For both men it will be their first shot at a title so it will be a very important fight for each fighter.  While winning a vacant title doesn't carry the same cachet that beating a current champion does, you can bet that whoever wins this fight won't be complaining about it.  

Harrison will try to take the title back to Detroit

Harrison is a lanky orthodox fighter with excellent pop on his punches.  Offensively he does everything pretty well.  His jab is sharp and he has a very quick right hand that can strike like a snake bite.  While the right hand is probably Harrison's best punch he also has a mean left hook.  However, at times, especially on the inside, Harrison can get a little to squared up to his opponent so he will eat plenty of clean leather upstairs.  His lone career loss came by the way of knockout and his chin is still suspect even if his offensive talent can't be denied.

Harrison was riding high as a flashy, undefeated prospect until he met Willie Nelson in 2015.  Harrison was easily winning that fight until he got caught in the ninth round and while getting knocked out is never a good thing, it is especially bad when you were winning the fight so handily.  Since that loss Harrison has gone 3-0 with two knockouts and all three fights came against quality opponents.  His career record is 24-1 with a very impressive 20 knockouts and winning a title on Saturday night would do a lot to erase the memory of that lone loss.  First he will need to get past the equally offensively skilled Hurd though. 

Hurd looks to win a title in his first attempt

Hurd is an orthodox fighter who likes to leave both hands low but especially his lead hand.  His jab is pretty good but he usually does his best work on the inside.  Hurd's left hook can do damage as can his short right hand but his hands aren't as fast as Harrison's and he arguably carries less power.  However, on the inside Hurd can land punches from multiple angles and he makes things very tough for any opponent willing to fight from the pocket.  Defensively Hurd has looked better than Harrison but it is Harrison who has fought the higher level of competition.

As a professional Hurd has never lost a fight and his record currently stands at 19-0 with a strong 13 knockouts.  His two best opponents to date are Frank Galarza and Jo Jo Dan who are good but the rest of his resume, outside of Oscar Molina is pretty weak.  Certainly against Galarza or Dan it would be Harrison who would be favored so this will probably be the toughest fight of Hurd's career.  Hurd should enter this fight incredibly confidant though as he is riding a five fight knockout streak and has knocked out eight of his last 10 opponents.

On paper fights don't get much more even than this.  Both Harrison and Hurd are 26 years old, both stand at 6-feet 1-inches tall, and both have an identical reach of 76 and one half inches.  While Hurd is slightly better defensively it is Harrison who has faster hands and he is also the more electric puncher.  One major difference between the two is that Harrison likes to work on the outside while Hurd does his best work from the pocket.  That difference in preferred distances will play a major role in the outcome of this fight.  If Hurd can get in the pocket without taking too much punishment he should be able to do damage.  However, getting inside against Harrison won't be easy and if he can keep Hurd at the end of his jab and right hand he should have a good night.

PREDICTION: This is a true 50/50 fight so any outcome is definitely possible.  If Jarrett Hurd can stay in the pocket he will win this fight.  The problem is that Hurd will have a difficult time getting inside and when he does get there he will have paid the price to be there.  Tony Harrison is an electric puncher and he will be able to touch Hurd up with his jab and right hand enough to get the majority decision win in what should be a very fun fight.