By Peter Wells: With just over two months left of the year, boxing fans are suddenly being handed early christmas presents as week after week world title fights are swarming out TV’s. On saturday night Golden Boy have delivered boxing fans with 4 world title fights on one single card. And there’s something for everyone. Danny Garica headlines defending his WBC and WBA titles in a rematch with Erik Morales. Paulie Malignaggi defends his WBA Welterweight title in front of his home fans against Pablo Cesar Cano. Hot prospect, Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin takes on unbeaten WBO Middleweight champion Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam and what could be the fight of the night, Devon Alexander challenges hard hitting IBF Welterweight champion Randall Bailey. So, what isn’t to like about this weekends super show live on Showtime.
Danny Garcia is coming off a masive victory over Amir Khan, shocking the favourite in 4 rounds. Before Garcia landed a fight changing punch midway through the 3rd, Khan had dominated the fight, utalising his fast hands to make it seem that Khan was going to make a statement. Instead it was Garcia who made a statement, making him hot property in an already hot division.
Last time out Garcia beat Mexican legend Erik Morales comfortably on a points decision, but Morales claims he was suffering gall bladder problems in the build up to the fight which disrupted his training camp. A fully fit Morales may offer more of a threat but the pick is for Garcia to repeat his victory in similar fashion.
It’s not often that Paulie Malignaggi has a hometown crowd behind him, but that will be the case tommorow night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Malignaggi returns from Ukraine to defend his newly acquired WBA Welterweight title after an eye opening 9th round stoppage victory over the undefeated Vyacheslav Senchenko.
His challenger Pable Cesar Cano may offer a small threat, but nothing more as the pick is for the rejuvinated ‘Magic Man’ to take a shut out unanimous decision.
Despite being the champion, Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam is not the fighter being talked about ahead of this WBO Middleweight title clash. Instead it is the rising star, Peter Quillin who is getting all the attention that is usually given to the champion. Both fighters are 27-0, but it is Quillin who has fought the better opposition, including Hall of Fame bound Winky Wright.
Although Quillin is the big favourite don’t expect the Cameroonian born fighter to give his title up easily. The pick is for Quillin to take an early lead before coming through a last attempt from N’Jikam to save his title to take a points verdict.
The final title bout on the card could well be the best, as champion Randall Bailey defends against Devon Alexander. Bailey is a veteran of the sport but showed why he is still a feared fighter when knocking out the unbeaten Mike Jones in the 11th round. Jones was up on points and on the verge of winning the vacant IBF title, but Bailey made Jones his 37th knockout victim.
To beat the slick Devon Alexander he may have to score his 38th knockout of his career. Alexander moved up to Welterweight after losing via technical decision to Timothy Bradley. In his debut he dominated big puncher Marcos Maidana over 10 rounds.
Alexander should be too quick for older Bailey in the first half of the fight, and should continue to build on his lead as the fight goes on. Alexander throws a lot of punches and they usually have some snap on them. Bailey has been stopped 3 times in 7 defeats and the bold pick is for Alexander to stop the 38 year old in the final quarter of the fight.
Despite all of that the man who will take all the limelight, is Daniel Jacobs. In 2011 Jacobs found out he had a tumour on his spine, which was making being able to walk impossible. Jacobs was days away from death, yet tomorrow night he returns to the ring in one of the most incredible sporting comeback in history. If anyone was born to be a fighter, it was Daniel Jacobs, an inspiration to people all around the world.
No matter who Daniel Jacobs faces in the future, he can never be worried, because he’s already defeated his biggest opponent.