Boxing: Saturday Matches to Watch
There is so much quality boxing Saturday, fans will have to make hard decisions to decide which matches to watch.
New York
Terence Crawford vs. Amir Khan, WBO Welterweight Title
Khan is an exceptional fighter. He's got some of the fastest hands in the sport at any weight class, which always gives him a shot. The problem with Khan is he believes so much in his fast hands that he can easily get goaded into thinking he's at a safe distance when he isn't.Khan is also more of a straightforward fighter who could cause him big issues against Crawford.
A southpaw, Crawford always looks for the angle. That's why, even though he often fights taller opponents, Crawford can get to his opponents with his shorter arms. He consistently cuts the distance between himself and his rivals.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Christopher Diaz, featherweights
Stevenson is a fast, talented, in-and-out fighter. He darts in, gets in his punches, and then uses his speed to stay away from trouble. Stevenson is a southpaw who often has a reach advantage over his opponent.Diaz has a 24-1 record and has much more experience than Shakur. The key here will be if Stevenson can stay patient enough to stay outside of Diaz's reach. Stevenson has shown he'll reach for his target instead of moving into position to throw an optimal punch. Experience versus physical advantages is the best way to describe this fight.
Carson City, California
Danny Garcia vs. Adrian Granados, welterweights
Garcia's strength is his patience. He's not always the fastest fighter, but like he showed against Shawn Porter in his last fight, he'll cover up and then look for counter opportunities if his opponent insists on pushing forward. Garcia also doesn’t waste a ton of punches, preferring to tie up his opponent if he doesn’t see an opening during a melee.The style often works for Garcia, but it didn’t work against Porter, which is why Granados will provide a challenge. Granados has a 20-6-2 record, but he has never been knocked out. He’s a brawler type who goads his opponents into what to non-boxing fans looks like a street fight. Granados isn’t a street fighter, though.
He’s a volume puncher. Other volume punchers, like Adrien Broner and Porter, can beat Granados.
London, U.K.
Dave Allen vs. Lucas Browne, heavyweights
Top Australian heavyweight “Big Daddy” Browne battles top U.K. heavyweight Allen. Allen’s giving up 2 inches in this fight, but although Browne’s the bigger man, he could be at a disadvantage.Allen is quick for a heavyweight and has fast hands, but Browne can use his jab to keep Allen at bay. If Allen is able to get inside, he can do some damage. Allen’s challenge will be to cut the distance without allowing Browne to lay one of his thundering knockout punches. Twenty-four of Browne’s 28 wins have come via knockout.
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