Charlo vs. Derevyanchenko, Charlo vs. Rosario

Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT, Sept. 26

TV: Showtime PPV

By Peter Lim 

Jermall Charlo vs. Sergei Derevyanchenko

Derevyanchenko is once again struck by the first-round-knockdown curse that likely cost him dearly against Danny Jacobs and Gennady Golovkin. This time, it comes courtesy of Charlo's jolting jab that catches him flush as he tries to press the action in the opening round. It is a flash knockdown that he is able to shake off without much ado, but a legitimate knockdown nonetheless.

The tough and crafty Ukrainian comes back robustly, as he did against Jacobs and Golovkin, and forces Charlo to dig deep into his skill set and mettle for the remainder of the fight. He boxes Charlo on even terms on the outside and viciously works the body when the action gets up close and personal. Following the instructions of trainer Ronnie Shields, Charlo reestablishes his stiff jab he fires in doubles and triples which allows him to control the action in the championship rounds.   

At the end of the fight, Charlo is declared the winner by three identical scores of 114-113. Had Derevyanchenko remained on his feet in the opening stanza, the fight would've been a unanimous draw.

Jermell Charlo vs. Jeison Rosario

After a round or two of feeling each other out, the disparity in experience and skill set between the two becomes painfully obvious. Charlo dominates the action behind an accurate jab he deploys to set up fluid textbook combinations with both fists. The writing is on the wall and a stoppage appears imminent.

But Charlo, still stung by the robbery he suffered against Tony Harrison, becomes overly eager to moot the judges' scorecards and begins loading up on his punches in the middle rounds. This allows Rosario to counter punch his way back into the fight.

It takes a few rounds for trainer Derrick James to calm Charlo down and reroute him back onto the path of brain rather than bravado and the strategy quickly begins to pay dividends. Charlo's superior ring education takes over and he lands a left hook-straight right combo that drops Rosario in the eighth round. Rosario beats the count on spaghetti legs but Charlo's follow-up assault leads to two subsequent knockdowns prompting the referee to intervene, making Charlo a triple belt-holder at 154. 

Jermell Charlo vs. Tony Harrison II

Toyota Arena, Ontario, CA, Dec. 21
TV: Fox Sports
By Peter Lim

Charlo won the first encounter in most observers' eyes but was robbed by the judges. Still, he allowed Harrison to have sufficient success to leave enough room for doubt to mute the public outrage. The main adjustment Charlo makes in the rematch is letting his punches go in fluid combinations instead of loading up on power punches as he did in the first fight.

But Harrison too will come in with a markedly different game plan. At the back of his mind he probably knows he was lucky to get away with the win in the first fight so he has reinvented himself for the rematch. Expect him to try and frustrate Charlo by moving, counter punching and clinching when the going gets tough.

Punch resistance will ultimately determine the outcome of the fight. In his two losses, Harrison crumpled the minute he got nailed by a direct hit. It might take Charlo a while to get there but he eventually does. A left-right-left hook combo drops Harrison to the canvass in the eighth round. He beats the count on spaghetti legs and Charlo’s follow-up assault sends him careening around the ring prompting his corner to intervene with the towel toss.

Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Anthony Joshua II

Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 7
TV: DAZN
By Peter Lim

Ruiz tipped the scales at a whopping 283 pounds, 15 pounds heavier than he did in the the first encounter six months ago. It's safe to say Ruiz did not put on muscle. Joshua, on the other hand, came in at 237, 10 pounds lighter than he was in the first fight.

Granted, boxing is not a body building contest and the more sculpted fighter does not always come out on top. But this is the heaviest Ruiz has weighed in over eight years and a good 20-30 pounds over what he has weighed in his best outings. It is a patent giveaway that he under-trained and over-ate in the weeks leading up to the rematch.

The fight unfolds the way most people predicted for the first encounter. Joshua beats Ruiz to the punch with his long thudding jab and gradually finds the range for his power punches. The flabbier, slower Ruiz is a split second off the trigger to do what worked for him in the first fight - counter punch in bunches.

A sense of deja vu fills the air when Joshua drops Ruiz heavily in the fourth round. But instead of going in for the kill with reckless abandon, Joshua remains guarded and tactically measures Ruiz with jabs before unloading the heavier artillery. The gambit works to perfection as he drops Ruiz twice more prompting the referee to step in and call a halt to the one-sided affair.

Jermall Charlo vs. Dennis Hogan

Barclay's Center, Brookly, NY, Dec. 7
TV: Showtime
By Peter Lim

Hogan earned this title shot with a spirited effort against Jaime Munguia at 154 pounds in April in Mexico. Hogan appeared to do enough to win the fight but the decision went Munguia's way via majority decision. Against Charlo, he faces a full-fledged middleweight with better defense, possesses a more multi-dimensional skill set and has equal if not more punching power than Munguia.

While Munguia's brawling style negates his height and reach advantage, Charlo fully utilizes his 6-foot-1 frame. With Hogan standing at just 5-foot-8, Charlo will have an ample size advantage.

Charlo seizes control of the fight as soon as he establishes his long, piston-like jab. Controlling distance and tempo, Charlo gradually breaks down the determined but outgunned Irishman with his arsenal of artillery. A one-two drops Hogan at the end of the seventh round and his corner refuses to let him answer the bell for the eighth.

Regis Prograis vs. Josh Taylor

02 Arena, London England, Oct. 26
TV: DAZN
By Peter Lim

This highly-anticipated showdown between two undefeated world titleholders, both southpaws, quickly erupts into an action-packed, see-saw firefight that lives up to its expectations.

Prograis opts to skip any semblance of a feeling out process and aggressively tears into Taylor from the opening bell forcing the Scotsman into defensive mode. But Taylor soon settles down and begins utilizing his superior reach finding a home for his signature right hooks to the head and body. It is Prograis’ turn to adapt and adjust, and he does so by activating his underrated boxing skill set. Most significantly, he neutralizes Taylor’s right hook by dipping and countering with hooks of his own.

The fight quickly evolves into a suspenseful and scintillating shootout with both fighters trading on relatively even terms from range and up close and personal. But Prograis’ edge in power takes more of a cumulative toll on Taylor as the fight progresses. Taylor begins to fade in the later rounds while Prograis remains as fresh and energetic as he was in the early goings.

Aware he is behind on the scorecards, Taylor courageously attempts to rally in the final round and lets his fists fly with reckless abandon. But Prograis remains composed, meets the assault head on and drops Taylor with a well-timed left cross to seal a close but clear cut decision victory in the 115-112 to 116-111 range.

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter

Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, 

TV: Fox PPV

By Peter Lim

The vast disparity in finesse between Spence and Porter will be glaringly exposed as soon as Spence establishes his versatile southpaw jab. He utilizes it defensively to keep Porter at bay and offensively to set up powerful left crosses and body shots.

Dictating the tempo of the fight, Spence dominates the action from a distance and, when it pleases him, he engages his shorter, stockier opponent up close and personal. Porter manages to find sporadic moments of success when he forces Spence into the trenches and bullies him with short punches and roughhouse tactics. But those moments become fewer and further between as the fight progresses. Spence simply refuses to let Porter turn the fight into a prolonged prison brawl and continues spearing Porter with the jab while delivering calculated punishment upstairs and down.

By the sixth round, Porter’s face begins to show the effects of the brutal bludgeoning he has absorbed all night. He valiantly continues to try and turn the tide but the writing’s on the wall. Busted up, bruised and bloodied, Porter bravely and adamantly wants to fight on but his corner mercifully pulls the plug at the end of the ninth round.

What was anticipated to be an elite encounter between two elite fighters in arguably the most elite division in the sport today turns out to be a style mismatch.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman

MGM Casino, Las Vegas, NV, July 20
TV: Fox PPV
By Peter Lim

It becomes abundantly clear early in the fight that Thurman has shaken off the 22-months of ring rust that impeded him in his last fight. He takes the fight to Pacquiao from the outset forcing the older man to engage in some action-packed exchanges. Pacquiao holds his own as Thurman brings on the heat but is visibly uncomfortable fighting on Thurman’s terms.

Pacquiao makes the right adjustment in the middle rounds by going after Thurman’s Achilles Heel by zeroing in on Thurman’s liver and it quickly begins to pay dividends. He blasts his southpaw left into the right side of Thurman’s ribcage every chance he gets, sometimes at the cost of absorbing vicious punches to do so. The body shots have taken its toll by the eighth round and Thurman begins to lose the spring in his step and the pop in his punch. 

Another left to the body sinks Thurman to a knee in the tenth round, and a stoppage seems imminent. But Pacquiao cannot finish off his injured opponent, just as he was unable to close the show against Adrien Bronner and Jeff Horn after he hurt them. He wins the championship rounds comfortably but doesn’t come close to stopping Thurman.

With Thurman winning most of the early rounds and Pacquiao most of the later rounds, the knockdown proves crucial in the verdict. Pacquiao is declared the winner in the 114-113 to 115-112 range.