Lucas Matthysse vs. Viktor Postol

StubHub Center, Carson City, CA, Oct.3
TV: HBO
By Peter Lim

Matthysse's murderous knockout power has overshadowed his underrated pugilistic IQ; he reads his opponents well, adjusts accordingly and can punch from difficult angles. Postol, at 5-feet-11, might be able to keep the Argentine at bay for a couple of rounds but Matthysse's big-fight experience soon allows him to close the distance and it's over once he finds his range. Matthysse abruptly demolishes the Ukrainian's undefeated record with his bread-and-butter combination, the left-right-left hook, in the fourth round.

Afterthoughts:
What a shocker! A possible Upset of the Year candidate.
Given his courageous showings against Danny Garcia and Ruslan Provodnikov, Matthysse should be given the benefit of the doubt for sitting out the count in this one. 

Adrien Broner vs. Khabib Allakhverdiev

U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH, Oct. 3

TV: Showtime

By Peter Lim

The cocky Broner doesn't appear to have been humbled by his losses to Porter and Maidana. Still of the mindset that he's a Hall-of-Fame caliber fighter, he underestimates he Allakhverdiev's ability and determination. Broner showboats and struggles to eke out an unimpressive split decision against the unheralded and inexperienced Russian, reaffirming what has been the writing on the wall since 2013 - that he is the most overrated, over-hyped, under-performing fighter in that weight region since Zab Judah.

Afterthoughts:
As dominant as Broner was, he is no Floyd and still looked very vulnerable. 

Deontay Wilder vs. Johann Duhaupas

Legacy Arena, Birmingham, AL, Sept. 26
TV: NBC
By Peter Lim

If military rankings applied to boxing, this would be analogous to a colonel versus a staff sergeant. Vulnerabilities were exposed in Deaotay Wilder's fights against Berman Stiverne and Eric Molina, namely, it doesn't take much to close the distance against him. But while savvy sluggers like Alexander Povetkin and an in-shape Chris Arreola might be able to exploit those weaknesses, Dehaupas appears to be a notch or two below that income bracket.

Wilder's fight plan is predictable yet effective. He punches holes in Duhaupas' fortifications with hard and soft jabs while strategically unleashing the heavy artillery with his straight right. Like a good soldier, Duhaupas bravely chugs forward but he simply lacks the firepower or battlefield experience to inflict any significant damage. Battered and beaten, the Frenchman finally raises the white flag in the tenth round.

Afterthoughts:
Once again, this one unfolded (almost) exactly as predicted. I'm getting good at this: my record stands at 35-7 since I started this Premonitions blog in January.

Jermall Charlo vs. Cornelius Bundrage

Foxwoods Casino, Manshantucket, Conn., Sept. 12
TV: NBC
By Peter Lim

Jermall Charlo, 25, is simply too young and hungry, and has the right mix of speed, power and skills to overcome Cornelius Bundrage's considerable advantage in level of competition. In his five career losses, Bundrage, 42, has been stopped by hard hitters and outmaneuvered by slick stylists. Charlo can box and punch, and at 6-foot-1, he will be able to dictate the action with his long, stiff jab.

In his last fight, Charlo went the 10-round distance for the first time, ending a 14-fight knockout streak. In an interview with The Houston Chronicle, Charlo predicted a decision victory, but he will be wrong. He will soon discover that Bundrage has no answers to his double jab, and when Bundrage does manage to close the distance, he will be a sitting duck for his Charlo's right uppercut. Bundrage will be a beaten fighter by the middle rounds and Charlo will close the show with a left-right-left hook combination in the seventh round.

Read the pre-fight article in The Houston Chronicle at:
http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/fortbend/sports/article/Missouri-City-boxer-relishes-title-shot-6493763.php   

Afterthoughts:
It's not often that I second guess a boxer and tell him he's wrong but I couldn't have been more right in this case.