Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Saturday, August 16, 2014, two primer, undefeated fighters–Shawn Porter and Kell Brook–square off in a 12-round fight for Porter’s IBF Welterweight World Championship title.
The bout–promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T–is the headliner of an impressive three-card bout on Showtime Championship Boxing.
In the co-main event, the WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Sakio Bika defends his belt in a rematch against Anthony Dirrell, and in the televised opener, Omar Figueroa defends his WBC Lightweight World Championship against Daniel Estrada.
The event will take place at StubHub Center in Carson, California and will air on Showtime beginning at 9:00 pm, EST/6:00 pm, PST.
Preliminary bouts will air live on Showtime Extreme beginning at 7:00 pm, EST.
Read on for Round By Round Boxing’s staff predictions for Omar Figueroa vs. Daniel Estrada, Sakio Bika vs. Anthony Dirrell and Shawn Porter vs. Kell Brook.
Leave a comment letting us know who you think will win each bout.
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Omar Figueroa
vs.
Daniel Estrada
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
Daniel Estrada enlisted the help of legendary fighter and urine sampler Juan Manuel Marquez for this fight. I think it will pay off here as I see him defeating Omar Figueroa, whose brittle hands make Floyd Mayweather’s seem like those of the Incredible Hulk.
Prediction: Estrada
Vincent Nolasco, Staff Writer
Omar Figueroa will defeat Daniel Estrada via unanimous decision this Saturday night. Figueroa will be the more active fighter and he will land more power shots.
He will bring the nonstop pressure throughout the bout. Along with being a pressure fighter, Figueroa will continue to display a few new wrinkles in his defense. At the end of the night, the crowd will be happy due to the nonstop attack that Figueroa will display.
Prediction: Figueroa
Gabriel Polanco, Staff Writer
I smell an upset brewing as the chronically hand injured Omar Figueroa looked horrible against Jerry Belmontes. The Texan fighter is defending his title against hard-nosed Mexican veteran Daniel Estrada.
Estrada, being guided by four-division champion and Mexican legend, Juan Manuel Marquez, has the tools I think needed to beat Figueroa. I have him winning by a VERY close unanimous or split decision.
Prediction: Estrada
Brandon Glass, Contributing Writer
This is a tough one. I give the edge to Omar Figueroa, although Daniel Estrada is a much taller guy.
Figueroa gets the edge here, because he is one the most underrated body punchers in the fight game. That will help him as he needs to get the taller Estrada to tire and hunch over to punch effectively to his head without reaching and overextending.
Missing the six-foot mark by only an inch, Estrada is a formidable opponent who can switch hit like Terence Crawford (don’t know if Estrada is as fluid and natural as Crawford is), and is a big puncher as well. Figueroa and Estrada have a common opponent they both defeated, Nihito Arikawa who has built a reputation off of his fighting spirit.
Prediction: Figueroa
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Daniel Estrada has become the sexy pick for upset of the weekend. But in the words of the legendary Sunshine Scooter, not so fast my friends!
Omar Figueroa will be back to form after having a tough outing against pesky amateur foe, Jerry Belmontes in his last outing. I expect Figueroa to do what he always does, bring the action. But I think he’ll be sharper and ready for whatever Estrada brings, unless it’s Juan Manuel Marquez’s super-bolo punch.
Prediction: Figueroa
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Sakio Bika
vs.
Anthony Dirrell
Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
Sakio Bika has been fighting since 1974. He fought the previous generation’s best at 168, losing to Joe Calzaghe, and the current 168 king, Andre Ward. Bika is brutal to watch, and to fight. He will hit you with his fists, skull, knee, elbow, groin, stool and if that doesn’t work he’ll just do some good old fashioned wrestling.
He has never beaten an elite fighter; he’s just not good enough. But he is good enough to give those next level guys a serious run. That’s what he did last time out with Anthony Dirrell. The fight started with some solid action, but eventually devolved into something you see happening at your local bar during a UFC card. It was hideous.
It was also difficult to score, and it ended in a draw. Bika clearly wore Dirrell down as the fight went on, and that’s exactly what he’ll try to do here Saturday night. His problem is that he isn’t a huge puncher, and Dirrell can bang. He had Bika badly hurt a couple of times. A major player in this scrap might end up being the ref. If Bika is allowed to maul and hold, Dirrell will have some issues. In the end, I see Dirrell pulling out the win.
Prediction: Dirrell
Gabriel Polanco, Staff Writer
In a rematch to a horribly dirty first fight last December, Sakio Bika once again defends his WBC title against the younger Dirrell brother, Anthony. Dirrell did enough in my opinion to beat the ugly fighting Bika the first time around. Bika was being beat up pretty badly early on in their first fight and was even dropped in the fifth round by Dirrell. I feel Dirrell can come up with a game plan to isolate Bika’s dirty tactics and box him long enough to wear him down and win by a unanimous decision.
Prediction: Dirrell
Donte Brown, Owner of Donte’s Boxing Gym, Contributing Writer
I believe Anthony Dirrell will out box Sakio Bika in a very tough fight.
Bika is ALWAYS awkward with his style, but I think Dirrell will make the right adjustments and come out on top.
Prediction: Dirrell
Brandon Glass, Contributing Writer
Their last bout ended in a split draw as both sides expressed discontent with the outcome, with Anthony Dirrell, younger brother of Andre Dirrell, being most vocal. Sakio Bika, of Contender fame, is a very unorthodox fighter.
He may have a reputation for dirty tactics, but I respect him for taking this rematch. In this fight, I look for Dirrell to be more aggressive from the start and outbox the sturdy, but stylistically aggravating Bika. It should be noted that Dirrell has decent punching power, but I have yet see Bika hurt.
Prediction: Dirrell
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
The first bout between Sakio Bika and Anthony Dirrell turned into exactly what I thought it would, Wrestlemania. Dirrell must realize that against Bika, he’s always going to be in for a rough, foul-filled night. If Dirrell is mentally prepared to deal with Bika’s shenanigans, he should be able to come out on top.
But like I said the first time around, Bika’s awkward and uncomfortable style can be too much for a lot of guys to handle, so there is always a chance that Dirrell will struggle to find his rhythm and loses an ugly decision.
Prediction: Dirrell
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Shawn Porter
vs.
Kell Brook
Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
This is a tricky fight to predict, because we aren’t quite sure what to make of Brook, who is undefeated and has looked good, albeit against less-than-stellar competition. Porter is a beast, who will look to do exactly what he did to Paulie Malignaggi – steamroll his opponent. But Brook does seem effective at running his opponent into shots, something Porter needs to be wary of. He sometimes leaves himself wide open for counters. If Brook is the truth, Porter might have some serious issues here, but I expect him to do what he always does – outwork the guy in front of him. Porter by decision.
Prediction: Porter
Vincent Nolasco, Staff Writer
Kell Brook will have a small window of of opportunity in defeating Shawn Porter this Saturday night. From the start, Brook must be able to box from the outside and utilize the good jab that he possess. If Brook can successfully set up combinations then he will have a better chance of winning rounds throughout bout.
However, Porter is the strong puncher. He possess very good power and I just don’t see Brook winning the bout because Porter will cut off the ring and unload a serious offensive attack on Brook.
In the middle of the rounds, Porter will make the proper adjustment and will continue to attack and land heavy power shots to the body of Brook. In the late rounds, Brook will try to re-establish his jab but Porter will deny him.
Porter will be controlling the inside and entering the championships rounds, Porter will continue to display his power and relentlss attack as the referee will be make the decision to stop the bout.
Prediction: Porter
Rob Anthony, Contributing Writer
Kell Brook is a big name English fighter who has yet to face any major tests in boxing’s toughest division. Shawn Porter is a sturdy, strong battle tested undefeated champion that is coming off of obliterating Paulie Malinaggi in DC in a title defense in April. I believe Brook can be a guy who can compete with the best in the Welterweight division but a softer touch would have been a better choice for his first fight in the US.
Prediction: Porter
Gabriel Polanco, Staff Writer
This is a great match. Two undefeated welterweights fighting in a championship bout, hopefully this fight can wash away the sins of last weeks pathetic main event in Brooklyn. Kell Brook is fast, he is strong and he has very good boxing ability, but IMHO I believe Porter is just better. I would love to see “Special K” win a belt, I just know Porter’s hand speed and power will make the significant difference by not allowing Brook to use his size and fight his fight. I have Porter winning by a 12 UD.
Prediction: Porter
Donte Brown, Owner of Donte’s Boxing Gym, Contributing Writer
Shawn Porter will be VERY aggressive against Brook. This match is a showcase for Porter.
Prediction: Porter
Brandon Glass, Contributing Writer
I am choosing Shawn Porter, his unorthodox style in addition to his application of consistent pressure is something I think will give any legitimate welterweight problems. Even for someone like the undefeated Kell Brook, who is largely unknown to American fight fans.
Brook is a puncher on a four-fight streak of stoppages, so he definitely has the power to change the fight. The way Porter smothers his opponents, I don’t know if Brook will be able to get the leverage necessary to do so. Should Brook find it, he could hurt and possibly stop Porter, a guy not really accredited for defensive acumen.
Prediction: Porter
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
This is an interesting matchup of two young, undefeated Welterweights looking to break through to the elite level. A lot has been made of Kell Brook’s level of competition–or lack thereof–and while I agree with most of the skepticism, I believe it’s equally hard to know just how good Shawn Porter is.
Yes, Porter has come through on the world-class level against Devon Alexander and Paulie Malignaggi, but nothing that I’ve seen from either of those opponents really tells me what I need to know about Porter vs. Brook.
Brook is rangy, has decent pop and if his stamina holds up–which is a big if–I think he can surprise a lot of people and take the IBF strap back home across the pond. I think Porter will have some trouble early on as he tries to close the distance. He will certainly have to be disciplined in his attack and not get frustrated if Brook takes a few rounds early on. In the end, I think Porter wears Brook down for a late-round stoppage victory and looks toward more lucrative bouts at 147.
Prediction: Porter
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