The postponement for the undisputed heavyweight championship leaves this Saturday bone dry in America. On Friday, there are a bunch of events the two highlighted in this preview, and the predictions article will be live on ESPN+ and DAZN. O’Shaquie Foster takes on Abraham Nova, and a rematch between Adrian Curial and Sivenathi Nontshinga. Let’s begin with the second meeting pairing Curial and Nontshinga.
Adrian Curial came out of nowhere to knock out the heavily favored Nontshinga in round two last November. Nontshinga was using his fundamentals nicely in the early goings until being plastered to the canvas from an overhand right by Curial. Will it be different the second time? It is a tough question to answer because Sivenathi has the tools to win this fight on paper. He’s got hand speed and has a very solid jab. Nontshinga goes to the body well as he did in their first meeting with both hands. The key for him will be to stay off the ropes as much as possible.
Curial keeps a high guard and has enough confidence to walk straight inside. Trapping Nontshinga from heavy pressure will again be the main objective. Adrian did show the ability to move his upper body and is crafty with the way he lands that overhand right. Upper body/head movement and footwork will be so important for both of them, especially Nontshinga.
This boxing podcaster thinks this fight will last much longer and quite possibly the full 12-round distance. Expect a back-and-forth fight on Friday all the way until the end. Nontshinga’s jab will have to be effective, along with staying outside to keep Curial from setting up shop and delivering his power punches. This one is 60-40 in favor of Curial, even with the first result ending abruptly. The best bets in this boxing junkie’s mind are Curiel by decision sitting around +150 and +375 for Nontshinga by a decision on me. bookie. Honestly I don’t have a great feel for the outcome as you can tell.
My Official Prediction is Adrian Curiel by Split-Decision.
In the main event on ESPN+, O’Shaquie Foster against Abraham Nova is seemingly a less difficult fight to pick. Foster is coming off a rough fight with Eduardo Hernandez in which he had to score a stoppage to get the victory. Before that, O’Shaquie cruised to a decision win over Rey Vargas, a skilled fighter in his own right.
His opponent is Abraham Nova, a good boxer who has bounced back with two wins after getting stopped by Robeisy Ramirez. Nova will need to emulate Hernandez by cutting off the ring while landing big blows in combination. Nova’s defense is not all that great. He keeps his hands too low, which leaves him wide open to left hooks and counterpunches in general. Foster will need to pump his jab and use his legs to circle and pivot away from Nova.
Versus Hernandez, Foster lingered on the ropes, relying too heavily on his shoulder roll/philly shell. O’Shaquie can defend fairly well, don’t get me wrong, but there are holes that Hernandez found. Foster’s jab, pot shots, and counterpunching will overwhelm Nova if he does, in fact, try to make this a phone booth fight. Nova is a quality boxer but doesn’t fight in the manner of Hernandez enough to give him the edge.
My Official Prediction is O’Shaquie Foster by Unanimous Decision
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Side Note: ProBoxTV, ESPN+, & DAZN all feature Friday night cards. One to keep an eye on is Rakhimov vs. Nunez this Saturday.
Written by Chris Carlson, Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio