ShoBox: The New Generation Quick Picks

Chris Pearson vs. Justin DeLoach: The main even of Friday's ShoBox: The New Generation card on Showtime will be a battle of young prospects.  Those prospects are Chris Pearson (14-1, 10 KO) and Justin DeLoach (16-1, 8 KO) and they are scheduled to go 10 rounds from the junior middleweight division.  Both fighters are under 27 years old and both enter the fight with one loss on their records.  Pearson's loss came in late 2015 and he has only fought once since then, beating a 28-6-1 fighter.  DeLoach's lone loss came early in 2015 and he has been very busy since, going 6-0 with two knockouts and his last three opponents all entered the fight without a loss on their resume.  Now the two fighters will go head-to-head to see who will take the next step up and who will remain stagnant.  Pearson is a southpaw who will be the heavier hitter on Friday night.  Some of his weapons include a stiff jab and straight left hand and while he also has a right hook it isn't a punch he overuses.  Pearson likes to sharp shoot from the outside but he doesn't use his legs particularly well and he tends to have problems with pressure fighters once they get inside.  While he has been down a few times in his career Pearson does usually recover quickly but his lack of defensive skills could hurt him moving forward.  DeLoach is an orthodox fighter who likes to work with his lead hand low.  He has a nice jab and a decent straight right hand and he also has a solid left hook.  While DeLoach does use his feet better than Pearson does he isn't elite defensively and he doesn't put in a lot of good work on the inside.  This fight is very even on paper and it should be even in the ring as well.  While Pearson has heavier hands and is the crisper puncher, DeLoach has fought the better opposition and uses his legs slightly better.  Both Pearson and DeLoach like to work from the outside but it is Pearson who has a sharper jab and his straight left hand is a nice weapon and those weapons will help Pearson get the split decision win.


Saul Rodriguez vs. Oscar Bravo: The middle fight of Showtime's tripleheader will pit 23-year-old Saul Rodriguez (20-0-1, 15 KO) against Oscar Bravo (22-6, 10 KO).  Their fight is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the lightweight division and these two could not be at more different places in their careers.  Rodriguez is a young fighter on the rise who is fresh of the biggest win of his career.  Meanwhile Bravo is 5-5 in his last 10 fights and despite not even being in his thirties yet it seems like he is already being relegated to gatekeeper status.  Rodriguez is an orthodox fighter who likes to work behind a high guard.  Offensively Rodriguez likes to let his hands go and he has a strong left hook along with a stiff straight right hand.  Rodriguez's jab is also a nice looking punch but he tends to do his best work from the inside.  However, at times Rodriguez can get slightly over aggressive and that is something counter punchers could take advantage of moving forward.  Bravo is also an orthodox fighter and while he does have six career losses he has never been knocked out.  He doesn't carry much power though and he isn't a busy puncher either which all makes it difficult for him to win fights.  Bravo does have a pretty good left hook and his awkward overhand right can catch opponents by surprise but he doesn't move very well in the ring and is usually there to be hit.  Unless Bravo catches Rodriguez with something he doesn't see coming he should be in for a long night.  Rodriguez has heavier hands and is clearly more skilled and he will win this fight fairly easily by the way of unanimous decision.


Andrew Tabiti vs. Quantis Graves: The opening bout of Showtime's card on Friday night is probably the least competitive fight on paper.  That fight will be between Andrew Tabiti (13-0, 11 KO) and Quantis Graves (11-0-2, 4 KO) and it is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the often overlooked cruiserweight division.  Not only is Tabiti undefeated but he is also seven years younger than Graves and has much more power.  Meanwhile, Graves has almost no power, has never fought an opponent worth mentioning, and has never even been scheduled to fight 10 rounds despite being nearly 35 years old.  Tabiti, an orthodox fighter with good pop on his punches and he fights out of a poor man's looking Philly shell.  Tabiti has a nice jab and a patient style that helps him set up his power punches.  His left hook is a short one that can definitely do damage and his straight right hand is a nice weapon as well.  At times Tabiti has also shown a short overhand right and while it isn't exactly the same as Joe Louis' signature punch it can do serious damage and is probably his best weapon.  Graves is also an orthodox but he lacks any power that Tabiti would have to worry about.  Graves does have a solid jab and he will let loose with a straight right hand that carries bad intentions but he isn't a very accurate puncher.  On the outside the left hook from Graves doesn't look like much but on the inside he will shorten it up and he can put in some good work with it.  However, Graves isn't a very busy puncher and he will often just wait behind a high guard for his opponent to stop punching.  With Tabiti's power though if Graves just tries to wait him out he could get knocked out.  Graves has never been knocked out as a pro but that will change on Friday night when Tabiti beats him by stopping him in the sixth round.