Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Jermell Charlo vs. Joachim Alcine

NRG Arena, Houston, Texas, Oct. 31
TV: NBC Sports 
By Peter Lim

Nothing brings the beast out of boxers than good old-fashioned sibling rivalry, and such will be the case with Jermell Charlo. Jermell's identical twin Jermall won an alphabet belt last month with an emphatic four-knockdown third-round stoppage over Cornelius Bundrage last month, and Jermell is eager to steal some thunder away from his older-by-a-minute brother.

Despite his less-than-impressive 42 percent knockout rate, Charlo can punch when he puts his mind to it. Bent on making a statement with a new gym and new trainer, that's exactly what he will do against Alcine in front of his hometown fans. Normally a cool and calculated technician, Charlo will tear into the Hatian-Canadian with reckless abandon and stop him with a three punch combo in the third round.

Afterthoughts:
To his credit, Jermell Charlo was more patient and methodical than I anticipated but the end result was still a dominating knockout win. Expect Jermell and Jermall to make ripples, together and as single entities, in the 154-pound division in the next few years. Prediction: at least one of the twins would have fought Canelo by the end of 2016. 

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Terence Crawford vs. Dierry Jean

CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Nebraska, Oct. 24
TV: HBO
By Peter Lim

This might be Crawford's toughest test to date but he is one of the more under-recognized talents in the sport today and he should rise to the occasion in front of his hometown fans. Fluidly darting in and out of range, Crawford dictates the action landing the first and last punches of each exchange. Frustrated and outmaneuvered, Jean tries to lure Crawford into the trenches but the Nebraska native refuses to take the bait and wins a comfortable decision in the 117-111 to 118-110 range.

Afterthoughts:
Crawford looks more impressive with each outing.

Friday, October 9, 2015

Roman Gonzalez vs. Brian Viloria

Madison Square Garden, New York, Oct. 17
TV: HBO Pay-Per-View
By Peter Lim

This showdown resembles a miniaturized version of The Rumble in the Jungle. Downsize Foreman and Ali to half their weights and you'll have Gonzalez-Viloria - a young, seemingly indestructible destroyer at the peak of his prowess against an accomplished 34-year-old veteran whom many consider past his prime. Both are multi-division titleholders and potential Hall of Fame inductees.

Gonzalez (43-0, 37 KOs) has beaten everyone he has faced including several fighters to whom Viloria lost. Viloria has risen to the occasion against top-notch fighters but also fought down to the level of mediocre to above-average opponents. Like Ali in Kinshasa, Viloria enters the ring a substantial underdog in New York.

But as much as the sport of boxing could use an adrenaline jolt that a jaw-dropping Rumble-in-the-Jungle upset would deliver, that scenario will not repeat itself at The Garden. As likable and talented as Viloria is, he's simply no Muhammad Ali. While the Hawaiian Punch is very proficient in most facets of the game, he does not excel in any one area. Having struggled against gatekeeper-level opponents, Viloria (36-4, 22 KOs) lacks the ability to adjust and improvise mid-fight, as Ali did with the rope-a-dope against Foreman.

Gonzalez's youth, energy and relentless pressure prevails over Viloria in a war of attrition. Powerful and precise, Chocolatito gets the better of the toe-to-toe exchanges, and when Viloria moves his feet and tries to box, Gonzalez will chase him down, cut him off and let fists fly. By round seven, Viloria knows his only shot of victory is to land a Hail Mary and attempts to lure Gonzalez in for a single, explosive knockout punch. But Gonzalez denies him the opening by keeping his head low and gloves high while continuing to dish out debilitating punishment with both fists. The stubborn and gutsy Viloria refuses to wilt but the writing is on the wall and either the referee or his corner steps in to end the beating in the ninth round.

Afterthoughts:
I predicted the outcome of this fight to a tee all the way up to the referee stepping in to end the fight in the ninth round. I have to admit, though, Gonzalez was even more devastating than I anticipated, but Viloria was also more resilient. I thought the stoppage was a smidgen premature given that Viloria had hurt Gonzalez with a body shot moments before it was called to a halt. 

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux

Madison Square Garden, New York, Oct. 17
TV: HBO Pay-Per-View
By Peter Lim

Looking at the combatants' impressive knockout percentages, one would be inclined to buy into the Fight-of-the-Year hype that the promoters have dished out. But in reality, Lemieux (34-2, 31 KOs) is just a lamer, tamer version of Golovkin (33-0, 30 KOs) and this will be a one-sided affair. Triple G built his dossier against a much higher caliber of opponents than Lemieux.

Lemieux's deficiencies in punch resistance and ring generalship were exposed in back-to-back losses to Marco Antonio Rubio and Jaochim Alcine in 2011. Rubio, who Golovkin annihilated in two rounds, lived up to his role as gatekeeper by weathering Lemieux's onslaught and stopping him. In Lemieux's next fight, he was outmaneuvered by Alcine, a natural 154-pounder several years past his prime. Granted, since his disastrous 2011, Lemieux is 9-0 and has developed better skills and patience, but he is still nowhere close to the composite war machine that is Golovkin.

Lemieux hits hard enough to have a puncher's chance of victory, but short of catching Golovkin napping, it will be all Kazakh and no Cunuck. Golovkin will read the cheaper knockoff of himself like a book from the opening bell and have the discretion of ending it early or late, depending on his mood.

My guess is, Golovkin will err on the side of caution and end it as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Unlike his most recent opponents, Lemieux packs the firepower to render anyone unconscious so Golovkin will not risk toying with the Canadian like he did against Willie Monroe and Martin Murray. He will sap Lemieux of his strength with a few strategic body shots before separating him from his senses in the third round.

Afterthoughts:
I haven't seen anyone dominate rounds with just the jab and deploy it as an instrument of prolonged torture since Larry Holmes in his heyday. This was such a style mismatch that from a military standpoint, it resembled a tough and grizzled master sergeant trying to outmaneuver and overpower a decorated brigadier general on the battlefield.