Let’s not kid ourselves and believe that these are anything
more than stay-busy, brand-building fights for the Charlo twins. Matt Korobov
and Tony Harrison might be competent, B-caliber fighters but their
vulnerabilities have already been exposed at the championship level. At the
very most, Munroe and Harrison represent yardsticks since they have fallen
short against other world titleholders.
Jermell Charlo vs.
Tony Harrison
Harrison can crack and has above-average boxing skills but,
as evidenced in his knockout losses to Jared Hurd and Willie Nelson, his chin
is suspect. Jermell Charlo is defensively sound, his chin has been sufficiently
tested and is equal or better than Harrison in boxing ability and punching
power. The only chance Harrison has for winning this fight is if he catches
Charlo napping.
The fight might be competitive in the opening rounds but
once Jermell lands the first clean punch, Harrison will begin to unravel. It
will happen sooner rather than later. By the third round, Jermell figures out a
way to out-jab Harrison and, in the fifth round he stops Harrison with
left-right-left hook combination. The victory fuels a much-anticipated
Charlo-Hurd triple-unification showdown in 2019.
Jermall Charlo vs. Matt
Korobov
Korobov came in on five days notice, replacing Willie Munroe
Jr. who tested for excessive levels of testosterone. Like Munroe, Korobov is a
southpaw, but that’s where the similarity ends. The Russian is markedly bigger
than Munroe and his style is more rugged and in-your-face. All in all, though,
Korobov turns out to be more custom-made for Charlo than Munroe.
In the initial rounds, Charlo has trouble finding the range
for his jab clean against the lefty, but once he does, he shoots it out in
doubles and triples, gradually creating openings for his other weaponry. Korobov
determinedly returns fire but he simply cannot match the Charlo’s firepower and
accuracy.
Preoccupied with dodging Charlo’s jab, Korobov runs smack
into a straight right that sends him reeling in the sixth round. Charlo pounces
on his wounded prey with a multi-punch flurry punctuated by a right uppercut
that prompts Korobov’s corner to toss in the towel.
