Boxing

 

Looking Ahead at the Fights This Week

By Grey Johnson

16.07 - Ah yes, it looks like another quiet week ahead for boxing fans until Saturday night. Shane Mosley vs. Vernon Forrest provides an interesting rematch. Personally, I like Vernon to take another win over Mosley. Shane will come into this fight with a lot of motivation and anger, but I think Vernon will be able to fend him off with his height and jab on the inside for twelve rounds. Shane will have to use his speed and lost of head movement if he wants a chance. Vernon has the edge mentally, knowing that he can put Mosley down with his power, and Shane comes into this fight a lot more desperate. The fight should be at least closer than the first time around. I think that Mosley has so many things going against him, so he will be unable to pull off the win in the rematch.

On the topic of last week, Zab Judah's performance against Omar Weis did not surprise me. He was very tentative against Weis the whole fight. His attitude in the ring was quite modest, instead of the flashy and cocky style he has shown in the past. I think the knockout against Tszyu has changed him mentally. He could have taken advantage of the knockdown in round two, but chose to coast for the next few rounds. I think he should have taken more risks against Weis, who doesn't have any proven punching power. It would have given him a clearer advantage on the scorecards and in my eyes. It will be interesting to see if he keeps this attitude up in future fights.

So, on ahead to the fights this week:

Eric Harding (21-1-1) vs. Antonio Tarver (20-1)

Another important rematch on the Mosley-Forrest undercard. I like Harding again in this one, because he is a lot more tested than Tarver is. Antonio may have gotten better since their first fight, but Harding has impressed me lately with his increase in power and in defense. Tarver has still shown problems with his defense lately, and I like Harding is the type of fighter that can quickly find his opponent's weakness and build from it.

Vivian Harris (20-1-1) vs. Ubaldo Hernandez (18-8-1)

I think Vivian should safely win this one. This fight is just another building block for Harris, who is just waiting now for bigger and better fights. Ubaldo is a durable opponent, and at best, could last the late rounds against Harris.

Vince Phillips (43-6-1) vs. Carlos Vilches (37-1-2)

On paper, this looks like an event fight. Phillips is the veteran who seems to have resurrected his career, while Vilches is the prospect who is taking a slight step up in class (he has a win over Weis). This fight is really hard to call, but I'll take Phillips by split decision just because of his experience against world-class competition.

Verno Phillips (33-9-1) vs. Alex Bunema (20-3-2)

ESPN seems to be cashing in with the matchups this week, because this is another fight that looks close on paper. Verno had been inactive for more than a year, but showed that he had plenty in the tank against Kassim Ouma. Bunema has looked very promising in past fights (against Bronco McKart, for example), but can't stay consistent for an entire fight, which is the reason he has a pair of draws. I like Bunema in this fight, because he has been in the bigger battles as of late, but Verno is good enough to make this fight very close on the scorecards.

Luan Krasniqi (20-0) vs. Przemyslaw Saleta (41-4)

Krasniqi is an Universum heavyweight who shouldn't have any problems with Saleta. Przemyslaw has been knocked out each time he has been in against a decent heavyweight.

Montell Griffin (42-3) vs. Derrick Harmon (22-2)

Woah, did everybody forget about this fight? Or does anybody really care? I do somewhat, just to see if Griffin has anything left. Harmon is carefully being boosted back up the light heavyweight rankings, and a win here should give him a shot at Darius (by the way, which TOP AMERICAN will he be fighting next??? Please.)

OTHER FIGHTERS IN ACTION THIS WEEK: Tony Hanshaw, Wilfredo Rivera, Freddie Cuevas, Juan Lazcano, Javier Juaregui, Shannon Taylor, Kermit Cintron, Larry Donald (?), Tony Oakey

Take care, and enjoy Sugar Shane vs. The Viper.

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