On Sunday, August 21, 2016, unbeaten rising star Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. will take on once-beaten Italian contender Leonard “The Lion” Bundu in a welterweight world title eliminator that headlines Premier Boxing Champions from Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn.
NBC’s televised coverage of the welterweight world title eliminator begins at 5:00 pm, EST.
The card will also feature unbeaten rivals Heather “The Heat” Hardy and Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent in a long-awaited featherweight showdown. Hardy vs. Vincent will highlight the PBC on NBCSN coverage starting at 9:00 pm, EST.
Read on for Round By Round Boxing’s staff predictions for Spence vs. Bundu and Hardy vs. Vincent and let us know who you think will win.
All photos by Brant Wilson/Round By Round Boxing
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Heather Hardy
vs.
Shelly Vincent
CJ Halloran, Staff Writer
I’ll be perfectly honest for this fight, I don’t have much of an idea who will win this fight.
I haven’t had the time to watch both fighters in depth, but from the two fights I have seen of each, I feel like Heather Hardy will come out with the victory here.
They are both technically sound boxers, but Hardy has better power, and I think she may stun Shelly Vincent at a few moments and sway the judges to give her the decision.
Prediction: Hardy
Sarah Gruber, Staff Writer
First off, yes! We have women’s boxing on network television! Thank you Lou Dibella and Al Haymon for making this moment happen. Women in the sport of boxing work equally as hard as men, and are paid substantially less money. Female boxers are given very little recognition and in recent years given no television air time. This fight between Heather Hardy and Shelly Vincent represents a significant victory in the progress for the equality of women’s boxing.
Hardy vs. Vincent is an interesting fight as it has been in the making for some time now in hopes that the two would continue to win and generate a female super showdown worthy of television coverage. That moment has arrived, so who will reign victorious in front of the network TV cameras and all its viewers?
Hardy is extremely tough and relentless inside the ring. She is not a flashy fighter, she is a grinder with a relentless spirit, an awkward style and vicious overhand right . This combination makes her hard to beat. She is one of those types that would probably die in the ring before she would ever quit.
Her opponent, Vincent is much shorter, which works well to her body-puncher style. She will look to apply continuous pressure and bring the fight to Hardy’s body. She has good defense and swift foot movement so she will likely attempt to roll under Hardy’s punches and take the fight to Hardy inside.
For Hardy to be successful she will need to fight tall and keep her distance by staying long with her jab. Most importantly Hardy will need to establish her power early. If Hardy can land the bigger shots in the early rounds she can make the bold Vincent less likely to want to come inside as persistently.
Hardy has a mean left hook and a thunderous right hand, but with her power also comes her bad habits. She drops her hands often and relies on her speedy reflexes for her defense instead. I would think Hardy respects Vincent’s power enough to keep her hands up, but if she doesn’t she may get a reminder very quickly in the form of a Shelly Vincent left hook.
Hardy vs. Vincent should be a great fight. It will all come down to which fighter can execute their game plan the most effectively on Saturday night. I hope this fight can portray women’s boxing in a great light and that it will bring more support to these female fighters. The talent of women’s boxing is plentiful, but their opportunities to showcase their talents to the masses are sparse.
Prediction: Hardy
Marilyn Paulino, Photographer
Prediction: Hardy
Michael Burnell, Staff Writer
In an interesting battle of the undefeated Heather Hardy will take on Shelly Vincent.
This featherweight fight will be won or lost on boxing ability and stamina over any sort of overwhelming power as the fighters have a combined five knockouts over a total of 35 fights.
Hardy has a substantial advantage in height as at 5’5″ she towers the 5’0″ Vincent.
Vincent wins the battle of the nicknames, but “Shelito’s Way” won’t be able to handle “The Heat” as Hardy sweats out a close, tough unanimous decision.
Prediction: Hardy
Milo Taibi, Staff Writer
In a fight that was hyped for months, Heather “The Heat” Hardy and Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent will finally do battle on NBC Sports Network; the first women’s bout televised on Premier Boxing Champions.
Neither fighter displays a finishing instinct, and I think Hardy’s reach advantage will help her pull away with a one-sided decision in later rounds.
Prediction: Hardy
Shelbi Keyes, Staff Writer
Two undefeated warriors Heather “The Heat” Hardy (17-0, 4 KOs) and Shelly “Shelito’s Way” Vincent (18-0, 1 KOs) go toe-to-toe Sunday night on the undercard of Errol Spence Jr. vs. Leonard Bundu. The winner of this bout will be named the WBC International featherweight champion.
This is a much-anticipated fight for many reasons, one being the fact that this co-feature bout will shine a bright spotlight on women’s boxing. Women’s boxing will gain mainstream recognition Sunday night, as these two fighters will bring their bad blood face to face.
I am expecting an extremely competitive, action-packed fight because they both seem to be pressure fighters. Hardy has both a height and reach advantage over Vincent; she also works the ring and stays mobile while throwing accurate combinations. Vincent one the other hand is more of a brawler style fighter. With that being said, I am expecting a close fight but I give Hardy the nod.
Prediction: Hardy
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
The grudge match between Heather Hardy and Shelly Vincent is finally here! We’ve followed and supported the careers of both Hardy and Vincent for years, and regardless of who wins we’re happy to see them get a shot at being featured on television via Premier Boxing Champions.
I think if Vincent is going to win–and overcome Hardy’s height–she will have to be busy and get some respect with her power. With only one knockout to her credit, I’m not sure she can do that.
I think we’ll see some fireworks, and probably some blood, but Hardy will pull this one out via close decision.
Prediction: Hardy
Errol Spence
vs.
Leonard Bundu
Liam Brady, Graphic Designer/Staff Writer
I see Errol Spence taking out Leonard Bundu early, probably within three rounds.
I believe his dynamism, accuracy and power (something that seems “The Truth” after demolishing an otherwise stubborn Chris Algieri) will be far too much for the 41-year-old stationary and basic Leonard Bundu.
Spence by TKO.
Prediction: Spence
Jack O’Connell, Staff Writer
This is a solid test for Errol Spence. The word “cagey” often gets thrown around when describing veterans, but truly, Leonard Bundu is the definition of cagey.
He moves extremely well around the ring and is a master of gaging distance. Bundu makes for a puzzling match up for anyone.
That being said, Spence has been on a roll. His last performance when he steam rolled Chris Algieri was impressive to say the least. Spence has shown incredible ring generalship, cutting off the ring beautifully against opponents.
The last time we saw Bundu in the U.S, Keith Thurman danced around him for twelve rounds in a dreadful, DREADFUL decision loss. Look for Spence to make a statement, looking to be the first man to stop Bundu.
Spence by mid-round TKO.
Prediction: Spence
CJ Halloran, Staff Writer
Errol Spence Jr. was the victor of the first full boxing match I ever watched and I have been an avid follower of “The Truth” ever since. Although I am a bit biased, from seeing both fighters in the ring before, I can honestly say that I have full confidence in Spence.
It is possible that the 41-year-old Bundu’s superior experience gives him an advantage over the 26-year-old Spence. I don’t see this playing much of a role in the fight however after seeing how more experience helped Chris Algieri in “The Truth’s” last five round knockout victory.
To add to the mountain that Bundu already has to climb in order to defeat Spence, Bundu does not seem to have power. In his thirty-three victories, only twelve ended in a knockout.
In addition to this, Bundu has nearly four inches of a reach disadvantage to Spence, so it will be very challenging to stay out of Spence’s reach and still remain effective.
In conclusion, the only possible way I see Bundu winning this bout is if he can somehow catch Spence in counters all night and I cannot see that happening. So I am going to have to chalk off this fight as an easy knockout victory for Errol Spence Jr.
Prediction: Spence
Sarah Gruber, Staff Writer
Errol Spence Jr. has the longer reach, height and age advantage over Leonard Bundu. Bundu being the smaller and much older fighter will look to apply pressure and bring the fight inside. Spence is a tactical body puncher, breaking opponents down from the midsection until he is able break their will and obtain a knockout victory. His attack against Bundu will be no different.
In order for Bundu to have any success, he will need to make Spence feel and respect his power early. I don’t see him having enough power to put Spence on his heels and keep him from coming forward. I do not see Bundu winning this fight but I think it will be an interesting mile marker for the rankings of Welterweight division.
Keith Thurman beat Bundu by a unanimous decision in which he knocked Bundu down but was not able to knock him out. If Spence is able to knock out Bundu it will make his ever-rising stock in Welterweight division that much more interesting. A knockout victory could mean “The Truth” is actually more vicious than “One Time,” which would make the future of the 147-pound division even more interesting.
Prediction: Spence
Alan Garcia, Staff Writer
Errol Spence is a great upcoming contender that posses all the skills to be a great champion one day. He’s a southpaw fighter with a great boxing IQ who has youth, strength, power and speed on his side; and knows how to use all of those assets very well.
Spence looked spectacular against Chris Algieri in his last fight, scoring a knockout in the fifth round. This says a lot about Spence, since Algieri hadn’t ever been knocked out before in his career.
Leonard Bundu is stepping up to the challenge against Spence this Saturday night. Bundu is a veteran fighter who has seen it all in the ring and has the experience to take any young lion into deep waters, as we saw him go the distance against the hard hitting power puncher Keith Thurman.
This is an interesting matchup for Spence because it serves as a comparative fight for a potential clash against the champion Keith Thurman in the near future. I predict Spence will over-impose his raw talent and hard hitting power on Bundu scoring a few knockdowns along the way to a late-round stoppage.
If Spence goes the distance, it’ll be a great learning experience and it would speak highly of Bundu’s veteran experience. But if Spence knocks Bundu out, then he will definitely be in the spotlight and will prove yet again he’s as great as the boxing world says he is.
Prediction: Spence
Michael Burnell, Staff Writer
Young, promising prospect Errol Spence is fresh of the biggest win of his career and facing the 41 year old Italian Leonard Bundu on Friday night.
Spence looked phenomenal in his complete dismantling and stoppage of the very capable Chris Algieri over five rounds in April. He did so in better fashion than top contenders Manny Pacquiao or Amir Khan were able and in doing so punctuated his arrival.
Bundu is a former Olympian whose lone professional defeat came at the hands of welterweight kingpin Keith Thurman. He has demonstrated an awkward style and a reliable chin throughout his career notching 33 victories along the way.
Neither fighter has a substantial edge when it comes to quality of opposition though Thurman would have greater weight than Algieri.
Expect Spence to dazzle again on fight night, handing Bundu his first defeat via stoppage in Round 8.
Prediction: Spence
Milo Taibi, Staff Writer
Stepping in as an IBF mandatory, Leonard Bundu should provide a durable test for former Olympian Errol Spence Jr.
The onus will be on Spence–who enters the bout as a 100-to-1 favorite on some books–to finish Bundu, a feat Keith “One Time” Thurman wasn’t able to accomplish.
Prediction: Spence
Shelbi Keyes, Staff Writer
Rising star Errol Spence Jr. (20-0, 17 KOs) takes on Leonard Bundu (33-1-2, 12 KOs) on Sunday evening at the new Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Spence and Bundu are fighting in the 147-pound world title eliminator. The winner will take on the IBF welterweight titleholder Kell Brook.
Errol Spence Jr. is called “The Truth” for good reason. He is twenty-six years young, is undefeated and continues to step up in competition winning each of his fights in an impressive manner. This will be Spence’s sixth fight since 2015 and he is coming off a TKO victory over Chris Algieri.
While Bundu is a crafty veteran, and his one and only loss came to Keith Thurman, this will be yet another test that I believe Errol Spence Jr. will pass with flying colors. Bundu is awkward and moves a lot but after the first round I believe Spence will adapt and be able to cut off the ring. Spence is an exceptional technical boxer, Sunday night I am expecting Spence to land clean combinations and break down Bundu slowly. I don’t foresee this fight going to the scorecards; I am predicting another TKO victory for Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr.
Prediction: Spence
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
While Errol Spence is the heavy favorite against the veteran Leonard Bundu, the Texas native is not necessarily cherry picking here. He’s in a title eliminator, looking to face the big names in the division including guys like Kell Brook, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman.
Speaking of Keith Thurman, this will be a good measuring stick for Spence as Thurman beat Bundu by decision in 2014.
I think Spence will roll in this bout quite easily and continue to show why he is one of the best contenders and a future pound-for-pound star.
Prediction: Spence
