This Saturday on Showtime, boxing fans will be treated to the rare event of four World Championship bouts on one card, all televised live from the brand new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, NY. It should be a great night of fights, and every fan should certainly be looking forward to it.
Here's how the four fights break down:
Pablo Cesar Cano vs. Paulie Malignaggi
As a fan of Paulie Malignaggi, I'm really excited for this one. It puts the boxer against the puncher, as Malignaggi will look to defend his WBA welterweight belt that he won earlier this year on the road in Ukraine.
The key in this fight is for Malignaggi to do what he does best, which is box, box and box some more. Cano is a good young fighter, but he was outboxed by an old Erik Morales not too long ago, which should provide Malignaggi with the blueprint for victory.
If Malignaggi does what he's supposed to—which is stay on the outside and control the fight with his jab—and not let Cano get on the inside, it's going to be an easy night of work for the Brooklyn native. Expect Malignaggi to take this one in a wide UD.
Peter Quillin vs. Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam
In perhaps the least hyped fight of the night, Brooklyn's own Peter Quillin will be taking on Frenchman Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam for the WBO Middleweight title. N'Jikam was previously the interim-titlist before being promoted to full champion status.
While I admittedly am not that familiar with N'Jikam, he is undefeated at 27-0 (17 KO's), so that's something that has to be respected. He appears to be a solid fighter, and Quillin can't take him lightly if he's going to take the title off him.
Look for Quillin to get off to a quick start and work behind his jab, throwing sharp, crisp combinations. Quillin has progressed nicely in recent years, and I fully expect him to get the victory on Saturday night. He'll be too fast, too quick and too strong for N'Jikam, and he'll win via a late stoppage, somewhere around the 11th.
Randall Bailey vs. Devon Alexander
This is a very interesting fight, because on paper Devon Alexander has virtually every advantage imaginable, except one: power. Randall Bailey possesses perhaps the best pure punching ability of any fighter on the planet at the moment.
This means Bailey is never out of the fight, no matter how far behind he falls, as he showed when he knocked out Mike Jones for the IBF Welterweight belt in June. On paper, Alexander should use his superior boxing ability to box circles around Bailey, likely winning every round.
In fact, that's probably exactly how this fight will go. Alexander's going to use his jab, youth and speed to control the fight and make Bailey look old and slow, as Jones did for 10-plus rounds. But with Bailey's power, you just never know what's going to happen, so this fight's going to be interesting and up in the air until the final bell rings.
I'll still take Alexander by decision. He's too skilled and too good to lose to a fighter like Bailey, but with Bailey's power, you just never know.
Danny Garcia vs. Erik Morales
In the main event of the night, Jr. Welterweight Champ Danny Garcia takes on aging legend Erik Morales in a rematch of their first fight, which took place earlier this year. Garcia won their first meeting comfortably, and to be honest, this rematch shouldn't even be taking place.
Morales exercised a rematch clause, but unless he pulls out some sort of magic, there's no way he beats Garcia. Garcia isn't great in any one category, but he's workmanlike and does everything well. He has good speed, solid power and decent footwork. He's tough as nails and isn't discouraged easily, as he showed when he fell behind early to Amir Khan only to knock him out.
This fight should be a repeat of their first fight, with Garcia winning easily and possibly stopping Morales late in the fight. Morales was great once, but his time is over.
On another note, Danny Jacobs returns to the ring Saturday night after nearly a two-year absence in which he underwent treatment for cancer that temporarily paralyzed him and threatened to end his boxing career. Jacobs has a great story, and at only 25 years of age, he's got plenty of time to rebuild his career. Hopefully, he'll pick up right where he left off.
Follow Me On Twitter: @RalphLongo
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