Chris John Vs. Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo | Neutral Corner Boxing Predictions

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Fight Predictions for September 23 to September 29

NCBoxingOnline / September 23, 2012 / No comments

Fight Predictions for September 23 to September 29
Sept 29, 2012	#12 Edwin Rodriguez 21-0 (14) vs. #162 Jason Escalera 13-0-1 (12) , 10 rounds, super middleweights	Mashantucket, CT (HBO)
Worcester, Massachusetts native Edwin Rodriguez looks to remain undefeated this weekend against the hard punching prospect Jason Escalera on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. Escalera is a 27-year old from New Jersey who is 13-0-1 with 12 knockouts, and despite his very modest boxrec.com rating of 162, and a complete lack of recognizable names on his ledger, he is an aggressive body puncher with excellent power who can change the makeup of a fight with one punch. Known as “Monstruo” or “the Monster,” Escalera has a reputation for giving sparring partners like Omar Sheika hell in the gym, and he describes himself as a mixture between “Mike Tyson and Jermaine Taylor.” I guess that’s better than Mike and Jermaine Jackson. Anyway, this actually could turn out to be a decent main event. Initially I felt that Rodriguez was much too polished and too experienced for Escalera, and I originally perceived the fight as a total mismatch. However, upon further review, I still think Rodriguez will win, but Escalera will definitely make him earn it. I also think the threat of an upset knockout is very high. Not high enough to change my mind on the outcome, but I do think Escalera’s power will make for some tense moments throughout the fight. In the end, I think Rodriguez is the sharper boxer of the two, I think he has the better hand speed and defense, and I think he will catch the overly aggressive Escalera coming in time and time again with counter shots, en route to a much deserved unanimous decision. Rodriguez by decision: 97-93)
Sept 29, 2012	Luis “Orlando” Del Valle vs. Vic Darchinyan, 10 rounds, junior featherweights	Mashantucket, CT (HBO)
Vic Darchinyan, AKA the “Raging Bull,” squares off against the young, talented Puerto Rican Luis “Orlando” Del Valle this weekend on the undercard of HBO’s Boxing After Dark tripleheader. Darchinyan is 36-years old, he is 37-5-1 with 27 knockouts, and despite losing 3 of his last 5 (and his last 2 in a row), he is still a dangerous puncher with world class experience who is capable of beating all but the VERY best in the division. He has fought the ABSOLUTE best fighters from 112 pounds upward, but he was easily decisioned by both Anselmo Moreno and Shinsuke Yamanaka in his last two fights. Nevertheless, he is still an aggressive, wild swinging fighter with good power, who can disrupt his opponents’ offense with his unorthodox style, and his willingness to exchange. In this fight, Darchinyan faces a very technical and patient fighter who can hold his own on the inside. Del Valle is 16-0 with 11 knockouts, and he is currently rated 4^th by the WBA, 10^th by the WBO, and 13^th by the WBC. In his last fight, he looked very good in winning a unanimous decision over 55^th rated Christopher Martin, as he stood in the pocket and delivered good counter shots. Against Darchinyan, however, the pressure will be a different story. This is a tough fight to call. I can see Del Valle landing the majority of the cleaner blows and winning the majority of the rounds with his faster hands and his precision punching; however, I think Darchinyan will land the more telling blows, and he could win the judges over with his occasional 3, 4, and 5 punch deliveries. I think the outcome of this fight will be controversial, and the scoring subjective, but in the end, I think Del Valle will have the upper hand, as he uses his speed, defense, and youth to win a close decision. (Del Valle by decision: 96-94)
Sept 29, 2012	Alex Perez vs. Antonin Decarie, 10 rounds, welterweights	Mashantucket, CT (HBO)
Antonin Decarie is a 29-year old Canadian welterweight prospect with a record of 26-1 (7 KO’s) and a boxrec.com rating of #21. He is a very good offensive fighter that appears to have all the necessary tools to succeed (a good body attack, hand speed, a good overhand right, and a good left hook to the body). In addition, he provides angles, and he seems to take a pretty good punch; unfortunately, his “signature win” to date may have been his most recent decision over 86^th rated Victor Lupo Puiu. Decarie’s opponent in this fight is 77^th rated southpaw Alex Perez, a 30-year old from New Jersey with a record of 16-0, including 9 knockouts. Perez looks to be a very good offensive fighter in his own right, but he has yet to face any noteworthy names that might give us some real insights on his abilities. He has fast hands, he throws combinations well, and he is a tall, long range fighter with an excellent jab, but his lack of big fight experience may ultimately be his downfall in this one. I think this will be a good fight, but in the end, I think Decarie will be the more active fighter, I think he will put his punches together more proficiently, and I think he will wear down Perez with his excellent body attack, en route to winning a comfortable 10 round decision. (Decarie by decision: 97-93)
Sept 29, 2012	#5 Alexander Povetkin 24-0 (16) vs. #UNR Hasim Rahman 50-7-2 (41), 12 rounds, WBA “Regular” Heavyweight Title	Hamburg, Germany (EPIX)
(Stay tuned for an in-depth analysis of the fight)
Sept 29, 2012	Kubrat Pulev vs. Alexander Ustinov, 12 rounds, IBF heavyweight eliminator/European Heavyweight Title	Hamburg, Germany (EPIX)
Kubrat Pulev, the Olympic representative for Bulgaria in 2008, is currently 16-0 with 8 knockouts, and is rated 6^th according to Boxrec.com. He is a mobile “250 pounder” with good hand speed, a good sense of distance, a sharp 1-2, and in his last 3 fights he registered impressive wins against 46^th rated Travis Walker, 85^th rated Michael Sprott, and 25^th rated Alexander Dimitrenko. In his last fight (against Dimitrenko), Pulev established the jab, he managed to work his way inside the reach of the big Ukrainian, and he set up his right hand nicely. This perfectly applied strategy will serve him well in this fight as well, as he squares off against 6 foot 7 inch, Alexander Ustinov. Ustinov is a 35-year old from Russia with a record of 27-0 (including 21 knockouts), and a boxrec.com rating of #26. He is a big, strong, durable fighter, but with his soft midsection and his sparse locks, he looks more like a 300 pound Chuck Wepner, than the next great heavyweight champion of the world. In the end, the sheer size of Ustinov is enough to pose problems for Pulev, but I think Pulev’s more polished style, his exceptional pedigree, his experience against better opposition, and his overall mobility, will all contribute to his winning a decision by comfortable margins. (Pulev by decision: 117-111)
Sept 29, 2012	Jack Culcay vs. Mark Thompson, 12 rounds, junior middleweights	Hamburg, Germany (EPIX)
Jack Culcay is a 26-year old junior middleweight from Germany (born in Ecuador) with a record of 12-0 (including 8 knockouts) and a boxrec.com rating of #65. Culcay was an excellent amateur, winning a silver medal at the 2008 European Amateur Championships, and representing Germany in Beijing at the 2008 Olympic Games. So far, he has faced very modest opposition, with his best win to date occurring against 142^nd rated Frederic Serre back in August, and in this fight, he faces 157^th rated Mark Thompson, a 31-year old from the UK with a record 24-1, including 14 knockouts. Culcay is a slick boxer with good reflexes and hand speed, and he moves in and out well, leaping in with left hooks and straight right hands like a young Roy Jones Jr. His opponent, Thompson, is a tall lanky fighter that looks a little like a tattooed version of current super middleweight Thomas Oosthuizen. He has a good jab, but he has a tendency to throw wide, looping punches, and he fights too aggressively for a fighter with his build. He would be better suited boxing from the outside and firing straight right hands, “a la Tommy Hearns”, but instead, he will likely engage Culcay, and lose the hand speed battle. I do think this will be a good fight, with Thompson coming forward and making the fight and Culcay slipping his shots and landing the crisper, more precise punches on the inside. In the end, I think Culcay will wear Thompson down and stop at some point in the later rounds; but there should be plenty of action before that happens. (Culcay by 9^th round TKO)
Sept 29, 2012	#15 Liborio Solis 14-3-1 (7) vs. #23 Victor Zaleta 20-2-1 (10), 12 rounds, WBA Interim Junior Bantamweight Title	Caracas, Venezuela
Liborio Solis is a 30-year old Venezuelan who is 14-3-1 (7) and currently rated 15^th according to boxrec.com. At the present, he is the WBA’s #1 contender, and he is hoping to make the 3^rd defense of the “interim” title he acquired from 36^th rated Jose Salgado back in December of last year. He is a conventional fighter who covers well, has a good jab, and subtle movement. This Saturday, he faces 23^rd rated veteran Victor Zaleta, a Mexican fighter with a record of 20-2-1 (10). Zaleta is a tough fighter that comes forward behind a high guard, but in his most high profile fight to date (against Omar Narvaez) he was just a half step too slow, he was too inactive, and he absorbed far too many short stinging punches in the exchanges, ultimately losing a wide decision. In this fight, Zaleta can make things interesting if he presses the action, puts his punches together, and doesn’t just plod aimlessly forward. Solis is not a terribly active fighter, and Zaleta has proven that he can fight at a more spirited pace (as he did against Juan Jose Montes and Gilberto Keb Bass). Therefore, despite the fact that the fight is being held in Venezuela, I think the effective aggression of Zaleta, combined with his more “judge friendly engaging style” will enable him to overcome the hometown sentiment and come away with the win on the road. (Zaleta by split decision)
Sept 29, 2012	#3 Chris John 47-0-2 (22) vs. #14 Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo 44-0 (27), 12 rounds, WBA “Super” Featherweight Title	Singapore, Philappines
Chris John, the current WBA “super” Featherweight world titlist, will travel to Singapore this Saturday to face Thailand’s Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo, in the 17^th defense of his WBA honors. John is one of the longest reigning champions in the entire sport, yet despite his 47-0-2 record and his boxrec.com rating of #3, he is still relatively unknown to most. He is a sharp, accurate puncher with good hand speed and defense, and he holds wins over Juan Manuel Marquez, Rocky Juarez, 21^st rated Shoji Kimura, and 18^th rated Duad Cino Yordan. In this fight, John faces Thai sensation Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo, who is 44-0 with 27 knockouts, and is rated 15^th according to boxrec.com. Piriyapinyo is a very calculating fighter with excellent hand speed, a great jab, and good movement, but he does not throw a tremendous amount of punches, much like a featherweight version of Felix Sturm (both in terms of style and ability). Against John, however, Piriyapinyo’s “Sturm-like” tendencies will put him at a great disadvantage if he simply lets the champion get off first, and waits for opportunities to counter. John is a very experienced champion, and Piriyapinyo, despite his exceptional record, has not faced near the same level of opposition in his nine year career. In fact, his last 5 opponents are currently rated just 78^th, 136^th, 355^th, 96^th, and 254^th. This is a very intriguing matchup. Despite his years of service as a featherweight champion, John is still a bit of a mystery to most boxing fans around the world. He beat Juan Manuel Marquez more than six years ago, but since then, he has done little to elevate his standing to fans outside of Asia; and in this fight, he has once again chosen to take on another dangerous opponent that is lacking in name recognition beyond the Asian market. John should be fighting for top dollar against guys like Orlando Salido, Celestino Caballero, and Jorge Arce, while he is still undefeated and able to do so. Instead, he is facing a dangerous opponent that provides greater risk, with much, much less reward. In the end, I think John will ultimately win this fight, but for a guy who has spent 424 straight weeks on Ring Magazine’s top ten list, I think it’s about time he started fighting some of the other names found on that list. (John by close decision 115-113)