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.    

Jermall Charlo vs. Brandon Adams

NRG Arena, Houston, TX, June 29
TV: Showtime
By Peter Lim

Facing a much bigger man, Adams (21-2, 13 KOs) deploys a circle and ambush game plan, making Charlo stalk him across the ring, pouncing at opportune moments and moving out of punching range before Charlo can return fire. The strategy is moderately successful until Charlo finds the range and timing for his jab, arguable one of the best in the sport today, midway through the second round.

Charlo jolts and stops Adams in his tracks with the mule kick of a jab, effectively nullifying any offense Adams tries to mount. Charlo quickly finds openings for straight rights and left hooks for which Adams has no answer. In the third round Charlo steps in with a double jab followed by a straight right that drops Adams for the full count.

Jermell Charlo vs. Jorge Cota

Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas, NV, June 23

TV: Fox

By Peter Lim

In the first round, Charlo demonstrates that he has the speed and ring IQ to box Cota's ears off all night. He snaps his jab, sidesteps Cota's charges and befuddles the Mexican with accurate counter punches.

But Charlo unexpectedly switches from boxer to brawler in the second and meets Cota head on. He beats the Mexican at his own game savagely ripping in punches to the head and body, like he's taking out his frustrations of missing the rematch with Tony Harrison on Cota.

Despite being outgunned, Cota remains in the pocket and trades with Charlo, knowing that his only chance of pulling off an upset is to land a lucky punch. Midway through the third, both fighters unleash left hooks simultaneously. Charlo's is shorter, sharper and more compact and it gets to Cota's jaw first, sending him crashing face first to the canvass for the full count.

Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.

Madison Square Garden, New York, June 1
TV: DAZN
By Peter Lim

Strange as it may seem, fat and chubby has the edge in hand speed over sculpted and muscular in this heavyweight match up. But that's just about the only advantage that Ruiz has against Joshua who is superior in size, power, skill set, defense and big fight experience.

After a shaky first round, Joshua establishes a rhythm to control the action from the second round onwards. Utilizing his bigger frame and longer reach, Joshua easily beats Ruiz to the punch as the Californian comes chugging forward aggressively but ineffectively. Joshua methodically shoots straight punches to the head before digging hooks to Ruiz's ample belly.

The accumulation of blows visibly takes its toll on Ruiz who begins fighting in retreat in the fourth allowing Joshua to turn up the heat and mercilessly pummel him upstairs and down from corner to corner. Desperate and depleted, Ruiz decides to go for broke and attacks with reckless abandon in the fifth round only to walk into a decapitating right uppercut that drops him for the full count.

Josh Taylor vs. Ivan Baranchyk

SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland, May 18
TV: DAZN
By Peter Lim

On paper, Taylor vs. Baranchyk looks to be a 50/50 matchup; Taylor has a slight edge in speed and Baranchyk a slight edge in power. But Taylor’s style will be more of a mystery to Baranchyk than vice versa and that will tip the balance of the fight.

Baranchyk's hard-charging right handed style is something Taylor has dealt with all his life. Taylor on the other hand, is not only a southpaw, but a southpaw who fires the right hook in doubles and triples upstairs and down. It will throw Baranchyk off and deny him the opportunity to establish any kind of momentum all night.

Taylor is faster on the trigger with his right jab, which sets up sharp combinations to the head and body from the outset. Baranchyk is befuddled by the incoming fire coming at him from angles and sequences he has never seen before, rendering him unable to connect with more than one punch at a time.

Baranchyk finds a measure of success in the middle rounds by fighting from a shell, catching Taylor's punches on his gloves and arms before returning fire. But Taylor quickly makes the right adjustments to avoid Baranchyk's most damaging shots, resumes dominating the exchanges and cruises to a clear-cut victory in the 117-111 to 118-110 range.   

Naoya Inoue vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez

SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland, May 18
TV: DAZN
By Peter Lim

The suspense and intrigue in this fight stems not from who will win but from how fast and how brutally the fight will conclude. Rodriguez might be a rugged talented and cagey fighter but Inoue’s devastating one-punch knockout power will negate anything Rodriguez brings to the table. The Japanese phenom has the capacity to end a fight with either hand from any angle to the head or body.

Rodriguez finds a measure of success by crowding and bullying Inoue with his superior size in the first two rounds. But that success is short lived. In the third round, Inoue delivers a crackling left hook to the liver that folds Rodriguez and sinks him to his knees. Rodriguez survives the round but never completely recovers from the debilitating body blow.

Rodriguez is reduced to fighting on survival mode with his elbows glued to his rib cage as Inoue continues to zero in on the torso in the fourth round. But just when it seems Inoue will stop his opponent with an accumulation of punches downstairs, he explodes with a one-two to the chin that sends Rodriguez down and out for the full count.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Danny Jacobs

T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV, May 4
TV: DAZN
By Peter Lim

Many fans and pundits have pegged Jacobs as past his prime based on his recent track record - two close struggles against obscure and unheralded fighters with difficult-to-pronounce names. But few realize that Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Maciej Sulecki are two talented and tough world-class fighters who have gone under the radar. Going 24 rounds with these two underratedEast European fighters has only sharpened Jacobs‘ skills and upped his game.

Still, Canelo is a notch above Derevyanchenko and Sulecki and leaps and bounds ahead in terms of championship-level experience. Arguably among the top-notch fighters in the world today, Canelo has faced a parade of fellow pound-for-pounders in his career, losing just once to a boxer named Mayweather. Love him or hate him, it’s undeniable that, at age 28, Canelo has already accomplished hall-of-fame credentials. Guess what? The guy might not have reached his peak yet.

Canelo and Jacobs engage in an evenly-contested chess match in the early rounds with both fighters trying to figure each other out. But Canelo begins putting his foot on the accelerometer in the fourth round and gradually gains control. Forcing Jacobs into retreat mode, Canelo mixes his attack to the head and body with equal ferocity. Jacobs manages to catch Canelo coming in with sharp one-twos but they ar too few and far between to stymie Canelo’s momentum.

Aware that he is behind on the scorecards, Jacobs ups his punch volume in the ninth and tenth rounds, finding a measure of success by beating Canelo to the draw with double jab-straight right combinations. But just as he seems to be getting back into the fight, he is dropped by an overhand right-left hook combo in the eleventh round.

Canelo refuses to allow Jacobs to shake it off by going after him with a reinvigorated intensity but Jacobs survives the round by covering, clinching and switching to southpaw. Canelo continues to apply controlled pressure in the final round and Jacobs seems content to just survive the fight rather than go for broke. The judges award the fight to Canelo in the 117-110 to 116-111 range.

Regis Prograis vs. Kiryl Relikh

Cajundome, Lafayette, LA, April 27
TV: DAZN
By Peter Lim

Both Prograis and Relikh have beaten 23 opponents, stopping 19 of them. Relikh has lost twice, both by decision, while Prograis is undefeated. But throw in the fact that Relikh captured a world title while avenging one of his losses and what we have here are two evenly matched well-rounded fighters with formidable punching power. Prograis is a southpaw and Relikh’s right-handed.

The evenness of this matchup will be reflected during the first half of the bout as both fighters trade  punches on  relatively equal terms. But while Relikh is mostly headhunting, Prograis mixes his attack upstairs and down with similar ferocity.

Prograis’ body work makes the difference. By the sixth round Relikh’s movement is visibly slowed and his punches lack the pop they had in the early rounds. Prograis, though, inexplicably abandons his body attack and begins zeroing exclusively to the head in the seventh and eighth rounds, allowing Relikh to regain some momentum and resume his offensive surges.

But it turns out to be a trap. In the ninth round, as Relikh is getting back his confidence and unleashing punches with more gusto, Prograis freezes him in his tracks with a southpaw right hook to the ribcage. It sets up a pinpoint left to the liver that folds Relikh and renders him incapacitated on his hands and knees for the full count.

Terrence Crawford vs. Amir Khan

Madison Square Garden, NY, April 27
TV: ESPN
By Peter Lim

Ar first glance, Crawford vs. Khan might seem like an intriguing, competitive matchup, but given that Khan's most glaring weakness plays directly into the Crawford's best asset, it turns out to be a mismatch.

As quick-handed as Khan is, he is also very fundamentally flawed; when he misses his punches, his fists stray all over the place, his chin is floats invitingly up in the air and his balance is way off. It's precisely the type of mistakes that Crawford thrives on.

Utilizing his speed, Khan is first on the draw with one-twos in the early goings but Crawford kills his momentum every time by tying him up in a clinch. By the third round Khan begins flailing as Crawford figures him out and eludes the incoming fire. In the fourth round, Khan falls forward as he misses a combination and Crawford pounces with a left uppercut from a southpaw stance that drops Khan for the full count.

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Mikey Garcia

AT&T Stadium, Dallas, March 16
TV: Fox Pay-Per-View
By Peter Lim

It's often tempting to root for the little guy in David-versus-Goliath matchups. Given that Mikey Garcia, at just 5-foot-6 is a smallish lightweight and Errol Spence Jr., at just under 5-foot-10 is a big welterweight, this is exactly what it is.

Common sense prevails over any wishful thinking in this case. Spence's advantage in size, strength and punching power is just too much for Garcia to overcome. What, on paper looks like an intriguing and scintillating matchup, turns out to be a mismatch.

Garcia attempts to box in the early goings but his jab, formidable as it might be at the lower weights, won't back Spence up and the create openings he seeks. Spence answers with his longer, stiffer southpaw jab that jolts Garcia's head back, denying him the opportunity to establish any kind of rhythm. When Garcia manages to land a clean punch, Spence absorbs it effortlessly and returns fire with a vengeance.

By the fourth round, the writing is on the wall; Garcia had not only severely underestimated Spence's strength but also his skill level and ring IQ. Garcia valiantly increases his punch volume by flurrying but Spence stands his ground, and makes Garcia pay with pinpoint counter punches from different angles upstairs and down. With Garcia battered and bloodied, his corner wisely decides to not let him answer the bell for the eighth round.

Manny Pacquiao versus Adrian Broner

MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV, January 19
TV: Showtime PPV
By Peter Lim

Both fighters find each other to be relatively easy targets and take turns teeing off on each other with one-twos on relatively even terms for the early rounds. But by the fifth round, Pacquiao figures out if he returns fire when Broner attacks, he backs off and is reluctant to engage in any prolonged exchanges.

Pacquiao dominates the middle rounds as he increases his punch output, mixing in right hooks and body punches to his offense, forcing Broner to retreat into defense mode. When pinned against the rope, Broner seems content to just cover up without punching back.

Aware that he has fallen behind on the scorecards, Broner attempts to rally in the ninth and tenth rounds by punching in bunches but Paquiao stands his ground, drives him back with straight lefts and refuses to let him get the upper hand or change the momentum of the fight. Pacquiao boxes strategically with controlled aggression in the championship rounds and cruises to a decision victory in the 116-112 range.