Manny Pacquiao vs. Adrien Broner is the headlining fight, but Badou Jack vs. Marcus Browne in the co-main event will steal the show.
Light Heavyweight’s Badou Jack (21-1-3, 13 KOs) and Marcus Browne (22-0, 16 KOs) will be matched up this Saturday night. Browne is looking to re-establish himself as one of the best in the division after a year that was filled with lost opportunity.
Before former WBO Light Heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev was dethroned by Eledeir Alvarez it was Browne who was supposed to take him on. Unfortunately for him, legal issues saw him miss out on the fight which lead to Alvarez taking full advantage of the opportunity.
The division is stacked with a number of great champions and incredible challengers. He is a bit of an afterthought at the moment. That can all change if he is able to secure a victory Saturday night against former two-division champion, Badou Jack.
Jack had a year that could be classified as somewhat forgettable. He stepped into the ring only one time last year managing to only get a draw against then WBC champion Adonis Stevenson.
A win against the dangerous Browne could set him back on track for another title fight.
Both men need a win in a big way. Let’s take a look at how each man can pull it off and who ultimately will walk away with the victory.
TALE OF THE TAPE
The measurables for both of these men are very similar. Marcus Browne stands at 6′1½″ with a 75½″ reach. Badou Jack checks in at 6′1″ and a 73″ reach.
Browne has the edge in terms of power as he has knocked out 73 percent of his opponents compared to Jack knocking out only 50 percent of his.
Those numbers are a bit deceiving however as Jack has faced the much stiffer competition. Jack undoubtedly gets the nod in terms of level of opposition and experience.
MAIN STORYLINES
The storylines for this are straight forward.
For Marcus Browne it’s all about getting back on track and making a statement. Although he is highly skilled he isn’t known by much of the public.
If Browne can put together a dominant win over Badou Jack it will go a long way in to showing that he is a force in the division. Jack needs to get on track himself as he’s been known more for the amount of draws he has been getting lately.
For both guys a win will put them both in the thick of things in the division, while a loss will have that fighter struggling to get another crack at a world-class fighter for quite some time.
STRENGTHS FOR EACH FIGHTERS
Badou Jack
Badou Jack is an all around very good fighter. He boxes well and has more than respectable power. At age 35 he doesn’t appear to be slowing down either. One of his biggest strengths is his gas tank. Many times during his fights he seems to look much fresher than his opponents in the championship rounds.
In Jack’s contest against James DeGale he knocked him down and had him badly hurt in the final round. In Jack’s last fight against Adonis Stevenson he had the former champion badly hurt in the last round as well.
See a theme here? Jack seems to save his best for last.
The former two-division weight champion will also have the edge in terms of level of opposition as Browne hasn’t faced anyone in the same league as Jack. That experience could lead Jack to a victory over his much younger opponent.
Marcus Browne
Marcus Browne is a big strong Light Heavyweight. His biggest strengths lies in his power. He has, after all, knocked out three of his past four opponents. He has underrated boxing skills as he does a good job of setting up his opponents for those devastating power shots.
Badou Jack has hit the deck before in several fights and has been stopped once before. That could become a concern for Jack. If Browne is able to land cleanly it could be a short night for his opponent.
WEAKNESSES FOR EACH FIGHTER
Badou Jack
Badou Jack is a two division weight champion for a reason. He has one of the best resumes in all of boxing as he constantly faced the best opponents available.
Jack has a tendency of starting off his contest slow which has led to a number of draws on his resume. A slow start against Marcus Browne could lead to a defeat.
It seems as though Jack spends the early rounds getting the timing of his opponent and getting comfortable before turning it on in the second half of the fight. Browne needs to jump on his man early in the hopes that he can take advantage of his slow starts.
Marcus Browne
The undefeated Marcus Browne has not shown many flaws in his game throughout the early part of his career. His biggest weakness is his lack of experience.
Browne has really fought no one of note, while Badou Jack has fought a murderers row of fighters including former champions George Groves, Lucian Bute, Anthony Dirrell, James DeGale and Nathan Cleverly.
I could name several others, but I think you get the point. Jack has been in there with some of the best at both Light Heavyweight and Super Middleweight.
We have yet to see Browne get truly tested and be forced to dig deep. Browne is obviously skilled, but his lack of championship level fight experience could lead to his downfall come Saturday night.
THE WINNER AND WHY
This is an excellent matchup. There are a ton of reasons as to why either man will win this contest and quite frankly it can go either way.
Badou Jack is getting a bit up there in age at 35, but he shows no signs of slowing down. Expect Jack to get off to his normal slow start. You can also expect him to pick things up as the fight continues.
Jack loves to attack the body and that’s a major key to victory as he’ll be able to slow Marcus Browne down. The longer the fight goes on the more it will play into the hands of Jack.
Browne has a ton of skill but he is taking a huge step up in class in this fight. It’s hard to say whether or not Jack will earn the stoppage or the victory on points. Either way you can expect Jack to walk away with the victory and put himself next in line for a title fight.