Showtime Fight Preview

Adrien Broner vs. Adrian Granados

Say what you want about Adrien Broner, but the man usually makes for great television.  That is because even if the action in the ring isn't phenomenal usually the post-fight interview is.  Broner will climb into the squared circle once again this Saturday on Showtime and he will face off against Adrian Granados.  Their fight, scheduled to go 10 rounds, was originally supposed to take place at a catchweight of 142 pounds but Broner did what Broner does and was once again unable to make weight.  Because of that, the fight will now take place at 147 pounds.

"The Problem" had a problem making weight

Broner is an orthodox fighter who is a counter puncher by trade.  He has never been the busiest fighter but he is an accurate puncher with good power.  Broner has a good up and down jab and will bring a stiff right hand behind it.  That right hand may be Broner's best weapon but he also has a strong left hook and when he lets it go his uppercut is also a dangerous weapon.  Defensively Broner usually tries to do his best Floyd Mayweather impression but he is not nearly as good at it and he will eat his fair share of leather.  At times Broner does get into trouble because he looks to counter too much and will sometimes go long stretches without doing much of anything offensively. 

Despite his world of talent Broner can't seem to get out of his own way.  Broner goes by the nickname "The Problem" and so far the biggest problem of his career has been making weight.  For this fight Broner once again failed to make weight and now will have to fight as a welterweight.  Broner has two previous fights in the welterweight division and they were to of the worst performances of his career.  First he took on Paulie Malignaggi and despite getting the win he didn't look good and it was somewhat of a disputed decision.  Then he fought Marcos Maidana and was dropped twice on his way to the first loss of his career.  Broner's career record stands at 32-2 with 24 knockouts and at only 27 years old he still has plenty of time to turn things around and take his career more seriously because a hardworking and dedicated Broner could still be a very dangerous man.

Granados is no stranger to an upset victory

Granados, an orthodox fighter will have two big advantages over Broner on Saturday night.  The first of those advantages is his height, he stands three inches taller than Broner and the second is his reach which is five inches longer than Broner's.  However, Granados usually likes to fight from the pocket so those advantages may be nullified by his own style.  Typically Granados will walk forward without the use of his jab and he has a tendency to really square up to his opponents.  While Granados' left hook is a good weapon his best punch is his right hand and his volume of punches.  Throwing punches in bunches, which he always seems to do, will be Granados' best chance at stealing this fight from Broner.  

When it comes to pulling off the upset Granados does have some experience.  In late 2015 Granados took on rising prospect Amir Imam in what was simply a stay busy fight for Imam.  Instead it turned into a nightmare for Imam who was outgunned and eventually stopped by Granados.  Now Granados will look to pull off another upset, this time against Broner.  Granados' career record is 18-4-2 with 12 knockouts but his losses have usually come against quality opponents.  Outside of a loss early in his career all of his other losses have come against Frankie Gomez, Felix Diaz, and Brad Solomon in what was a close fight.  So while Broner, in his current form, may not be Granados' best opponent he will be his biggest name opponent.

This fight could come down to the power and counter punching of Broner against the volume of punches from Granados.  The fight should take place from the pocket because neither fighter is opposed to working from close range.  Expect Granados to throw a ton of punches while not being very accurate while Broner looks to deflect those shots with his shoulder roll and counter.  If Broner can counter accurately and can flash his power than Granados will be in for a long night.  However, if Granados can stay on top of Broner and never stop throwing punches, much like Maidana did, than he could pull off the upset.

PREDICTION: Adrian Granados is going to give a good account of himself in this fight.  He will fight hard and throw a ton of punches but his lack of movement and his tendency to square up will let him down.  Adrien Broner will look sharp against Granados and his counter punching and power will be the difference as he boxes his way to a unanimous decision victory.

David Avanesyan vs. Lamont Peterson

Showtime's card on Saturday night will be a tripleheader but only one of those fights will be a title fight.  That title fight will be between David Avanesyan and Lamont Peterson and they are scheduled to go 12 rounds from the welterweight division with Avanesyan's WBA title on the line.  While Avanesyan will be looking to make a name for himself in only his second fight in the U.S., and fifth outside of his native Russia, Peterson will just be looking to prove he still belongs among the top names at 147 pounds.

Avanesyan is the great unknown in this fight

Avanesyan is an orthodox fighter who lacks serious power.  The Russian native likes to work behind a crisp jab and strong straight right hand, although at times that right hand can get very wild.  Avanesyan also throws a left hook but it isn't a great looking punch and often doesn't land.  While Avanesyan does a lot of subtle things well he doesn't overwhelm you with any of his skills but since he doesn't take a lot of unnecessary chances he isn't a fighter who typically takes a tremendous amount of punishment.

The career resume of Avanesyan is not a particularly great one.  Arguably his two best opponents were Andrey Klimov, who he fought in just the second fight of his career, and Shane Mosley who his most recent win came against.  That Mosley though was way past his prime and the rest of Avanesyan's resume is filled with no name opponents.  His career record is 22-1-1 but he has never faced an opponent as good as Peterson at their time of meeting.  A win over Peterson could be considered the biggest of Avanesyan's career and would help him gain some name recognition stateside.

Peterson really needs a decisive victory

Peterson, who will have a height and reach advantage against Avanesyan, is an orthodox fighter who likes to control the action with his long jab.  Behind that jab Peterson will bring a good straight right hand and he also has a nice left hook in her arsenal.  Peterson does like to vary his attack though and will sometimes throw an overhand right which carries much more power than his straight right does.  However, Peterson does also have some bad habits, like waiting for his opponent to finish a flurry before going on the attack. 

The resume of Peterson is far more impressive than Avanesyan's even with two more losses on it.  That is because Peterson has fought a much higher level of opposition which includes bouts against Danny Garcia, Lucas Matthysse, Amir Khan, and Timothy Bradley to name a few.  Peterson's career record is 34-3-1 but he only has 17 knockouts and in recent bouts hasn't looked his best.  In his last five fights he has gone 3-2, scored one knockout and was knocked out once.  While his loss to Garcia was controversial so was his win over Felix Diaz and time away from the ring has been an issue for him.  While Peterson fought twice in 2013, 2014, and 2015 he didn't fight at all in 2012 or 2016 and it should be clear early on whether or not Peterson is suffering from any ring rust.

This fight probably wont be a very visually pleasing one.  The old saying goes that styles make fights and neither Avanesyan or Peterson have much power and neither is a very aggressive fighter.  In fact for the first half of his fight against Garcia, Peterson didn't do much at all which is why he lost that fight.  Expect to see a fight where both fighters start slow as they try to figure each other out and then from there it should be a battle of who can control things with their jab.

PREDICTION: On paper Lamont Peterson looks like the clear favorite in this fight despite David Avanesyan being the champion.  How something looks on paper doesn't always translate to the ring but it will on Saturday as Peterson will jab his way to a close unanimous decision win.

Marcus Browne vs. Thomas Williams Jr.

The fight that is scheduled to open Showtime's tripleheader is the fight that probably won't last very long.  The reason for that is because it involves Thomas Williams Jr. and it seems that whenever he enters the ring the action is fast paced and the fight doesn't last long.  Williams will be taking on the undefeated Marcus Browne are the two are set to go 10 rounds from the light heavyweight division where Brown would like to get his first title shot while Williams hopes for another.

Browne has never lost a fight as a professional

Browne is a southpaw with solid pop but not overwhelming power.  He has a decent jab that helps set up a big left hand and Browne also possesses a nice right hook.  What makes Browne fun to watch is the fact that he tends to get wild with his punches and he loves to mix things up.  A fighter who has an aggressive style but throws wide punches is usually a recipe for scoring knockouts or being knocked out yourself.  On defense Browne doesn't keep his guard up and often simply relies on his quick reflexes to avoid punches but against a slugger like Williams if he gets caught it could be all over.

Browne is an undefeated fighter with a perfect record of 18-0 with a solid 13 knockouts.  He has yet to face any top tier talent but in his last fight he did beat the 21-0 Radivoje Kalajdzic and he also has wins over solid veterans like Gabriel Campillo and Cornelius White.  Against a wild, heavy hitter like Williams though a fighters perfect record can vanish in an instant so Browne will need to tighten up on defense if he doesn't want to get caught.

Williams fights are always exciting

Williams, who was one part of 2016's Round of the Year along with Edwin Rodriguez, is an orthodox fighter.  He is also a southpaw and he loves to get off to a fast start.  However, much like Browne he too has a tendency to throw wide, wild punches.  What makes Williams dangerous is that he carries plus power in both hands and can drop an opponent whether he catches them with his right hook or overhand left.  Defensively Williams is just not good, he gets very aggressive on offense and tends to forget about return fire which is why he has been dropped numerous times in his career.

During his career Williams has made a name for himself as an exciting puncher with plenty of flaws.  He has many early knockouts on his resume and that resume currently stands at 20-2 with 14 knockouts.  The last five fights of his career perfectly sum up who Williams is as a fighter.  He has gone 3-2, scored two knockouts and was knocked out twice himself.  In his last fight he fought for the title against Adonis Stevenson only to be knocked out so he should be hungry for redemption.  

This should be a very exciting fight if for nothing more than it seems like Williams can't be in a bad fight.  Both Browne and Williams love to exchange heavy leather and neither one is very skilled defensively so this should be a brawl.  The winner of this fight will probably be whoever catches the other clean during an exchange and that could happen at any moment.

PREDICTION: In his last fight Thomas Williams Jr. was knocked out in brutal fashion.  While he has been stopped before not every fighter recovers well from such a big knockout.  Meanwhile, Marcus Browne has never lost a fight so he has to have a lot of confidence entering the ring.  As long as Browne doesn't get caught early he will go on to win this fight with an eighth round stoppage.