One More Round: Froch/Abraham, Marquez/Katsidis, Berto/Hernandez, Ward/Bika, Vaszquez/Dominguez & Hatton/Belge

Dave Oakes takes a look at all the action coming your way this weekend.

In this edition of One More Round I’m going to start by taking a look at the two main world title fights that are happening this weekend - Carl Froch v Arthur Abraham and Juan Manuel Marquez v Michael Katsidis, plus a quick look at three more title fights –, Andre Berto v Freddy Hernandez, Andre Ward v Sakio Bika and Miguel Vasquez v Ricardo Dominguez.

Carl Froch vs Arthur Abraham

Froch v Abraham is taking place at the Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland - both fighters not wanting to fight in the others backyard, especially Froch who claims hometown judging in his fight against Mikkel Kessler cost him his title and undefeated record last time out.

I disagree with Froch’s statement about the Kesser decision. I thought the fight was closer than the judges scored it but still thought Kessler had done enough to get the decision. I do believe Froch’s preparations were far from ideal though - the way he uncharacteristically ran out of steam in the later rounds providing evidence to that theory.

The Nottingham man has left nothing to chance this time around, claiming he’s sparred nearly two hundred rounds (against quality partners, including the undefeated prospect Edwin Rodriguez) as well as arriving in Finland a week before the fight to allow him time to acclimatize properly.

Abraham is also coming off the first defeat of his career, a disqualification loss to Andre Dirrell, who had out-boxed Abraham for the majority of the fight before the abrupt and shocking end came.

Dirrell displayed the perfect blueprint on how to beat Abraham - speed, footwork and work-rate. Abraham can be hard to hit clean and possesses massive punch power but he can be outworked due to him not committing himself unless his opponent gives him an opening, he can also be flatfooted and one paced.

Froch has also got his limitations, he can be too eager to brawl at times and leaves his chin exposed when he does so, and even though he’s got a solid chin, he’d be advised not to provide Abraham with too many opportunities to land his big shots.

The outcome of the fight may depend on how Froch approaches it; he’s got advantages in height, reach and skill and would be better suited to keeping Abraham on the end of a stiff jab and picking him off at range. I’ve got a feeling that Froch won’t be disciplined enough to do that though and at some point his propensity for brawling will more than likely see him trying to bludgeon Abraham rather than box him.

I can see the fight being tactical in the first few rounds - Abraham always takes three rounds to weigh up his opponents ability and Froch will start with the intention of boxing at range. The fight will heat up as it progresses, Froch won’t be able to help himself and I can envisage him walking onto big shots as he looks to land his own.

It’s a hard fight to pick but I’ve got a feeling the heavy hands of Abraham will start taking their toll on Froch as the fight wears on. I can see Froch, buoyed from early successes, getting sloppy in his approach and allowing Abraham back into the fight in the middle rounds. I’m going for Abraham winning via a stoppage in the final three rounds.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs Michael Katsidis

For me the pick of the weekend’s fights is Marquez v Katsidis, which takes place at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. It’s a classic boxer v puncher fight and one that I can see being a thrill-a-minute, back and forth battle.

Marquez is hoping to retain the WBA and WBO titles he won last time out against Juan Diaz, whilst Katsidis will be hoping to turn his interim WBO belt into a full world title (a daft situation that I hate explaining to non-boxing fans) as well as adding the WBA belt to it.

Katsidis had shown signs of wear and tear in his fights against Juan Diaz and Vicente Escobedo but produced a stunning performance last time out against Kevin Mitchell, stopping the Londoner in the third round.

The Aussie always provides value for money, his all action style and big punching making him a fan’s favourite. He can be guilty of rushing in face first at times, which will be dangerous against a sharp and accurate puncher like Marquez, but he’ll be aggressive throughout and will try to trap Marquez against the ropes before letting his hands go.

Marquez boxed well in his second meeting with Diaz but the signs of ageing are slowly becoming visible. He’s still a classy operator though, even at the age of thirty seven. Katsidis’ style is tailor made for Marquez, who’ll look to counter and move rather than trading with the physically stronger Aussie.

The early rounds will be vital for Katsidis, he needs to stamp his authority on proceedings straight away to try and prevent Marquez from getting into a rhythm. Juan Diaz had early successes against Marquez in their first meeting and I can see Katsidis doing the same here. The big question is whether Katsidis will be able to cause enough damage in those early rounds to have an effect later in the fight.

If Marquez can ride out the early storm without taking too much punishment then he should be able to outbox Katsidis to take a hard-fought points decision, but I’ve got a gut feeling that the younger Katsidis may be fighting Marquez at the right time and his early onslaught and non-stop aggression may take their toll on the ageing Marquez.

There’s no doubt in my mind that this fight will be a war, and both boxers can make valid claims as to why they’ll win, but I’m going with my gut instinct and saying that Katsidis will drag Marquez into the trenches and will finish the stronger to take a close points decision.

Andre Berto v Freddy Hernandez

Andre Berto defends his WBC title against Freddy Hernandez on the undercard at the MGM. Berto’s career has been met with a mixed response so far, some believe he’s a future pound-for-pounder, whilst others believe he’s a hype job. I’m somewhere in the middle, he’s definitely got talent but he’s not yet proved it at the very top level.

Berto’s best wins have come against Luis Collazo, Juan Urango and Carlos Quintana. He performed poorly against Collazo but gritted his teeth and prevailed via a close points decision. His performances against Urango and Quintana were much more impressive; he comprehensively out-boxed Urango and overcame early difficulties to hammer Quintana in the eighth round.

I’ve not seen a huge amount of Hernandez but from what I have seen he looks like more of a fighter than a boxer. He’s coming off two good stoppage wins against DeMarcus Corley and Mike Anchondo and knows this is a big chance for him to make a name for himself.

Hernandez looks like the type of fighter who’ll give everything he’s got but Berto should have big advantages in speed, skill and power. I can see Berto taking his time to pick apart Hernandez before stopping the brave but overwhelmed Mexican sometime around the eighth.

Another interesting fight on the MGM card sees former super-bantamweight champion Celestine Cabellero move up to super-featherweight to fight Jason Litzau. It should be another entertaining fight on what looks like a top class night of boxing.

Also, keep an eye out for Erislandy Lara on the undercard; he’s got all the makings of a future world champion.

Andre Ward v Sakio Bika

Andre Ward takes a break from the Super Six tournament this Saturday when defends his WBA title against the tough but limited Sakio Bika at the Oracle Arena, Oakland, California.

Ward has been the most impressive performer in the Super Six tournament, creating a name for himself by beating Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green. His performance against Kessler being particularly notable, it wasn’t just that he beat the hardened Dane, it was the way he beat him.

Most people expected the more experienced and proven Kessler to bully Ward but it turned out to be the other way around, Ward picked Kessler apart early before hammering him with fast and hard combinations later in the fight. Ward won via a technical decision, the fight being stopped due to a cut caused by an accidental head clash.

Bika is best known in the U.S for winning the Contender show, whilst in Britain he’s known more for his failed world title attempt against Joe Calzaghe. The Cameroon born Aussie is a tough fighter; he’s got a solid chin, can be rough on the inside and isn’t opposed to the odd foul here and there. He isn’t the most skilful of fighters though, and is sluggish and easy to hit.

I’d be surprised if Ward elected to stand and trade with Bika, I think he’ll use his superior speed and skills to give Bika a boxing lesson. Bika’s a tryer but Ward is a level above him in all aspects and the fight should be a one-sided beating. Bika’s durability will help him to hear the final bell but I expect Ward to win at least ten of the rounds.

Miguel Vazquez v Ricardo Dominguez

The final world title bout I’m taking a look at is the much ignored match-up between Miguel Vasquez and Ricardo Dominguez. Vazquez makes the first defence of his IBF lightweight title in front of his home fans in Tijuana, Mexico.

Vasquez has improved greatly over the past couple of years and looks a more rounded fighter than the one who lost to Tim Bradley and Saul Alvarez, the move down in weight also being beneficial to him.

The experienced Dominguez will be making his second attempt at a world title, his first attempt being a wide points defeat to Humberto Soto earlier this year. Dominguez is no stranger to the canvas and doesn’t posses anything to overly worry Vazquez but has enough about him to make the champion work for the victory.

Vazquez is a crafty operator who doesn’t have significant punch power. With that in mind, I fancy him to out-box Dominguez in a similar fashion to which he won the title against Ji Hoon Kim. I’d be surprised if there was a knockout in this fight and am picking Vazquez to win via a wide points decision.

Matthew Hatton v Robert Belge

Matthew Hatton makes the second defence of his European title on Friday night at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton, England. He takes on the undefeated Robert Belge, whose record may turn out to be somewhat deceiving.

Belge doesn’t carry any power with only four knockouts on his record, a record made from facing nobodies. From the very small amount of footage I’ve seen of Belge I’m not expecting much from him, he doesn’t seem to do anything particularly well and looks to be a cautious first fighter.

Hatton has done well to win a European title, and there’s no doubt he’ll defend it successfully in this fight, but his claims of being world class are well off the mark. He’s a solid boxer who has made the most of the ability he’s got, which he deserves credit for, but he lacks versatility, punch variety, speed and knockout power. In short, the European title will be as far as he goes.

I can’t see Belge causing Hatton too many problems and I expect Hatton to either force a late stoppage or win a clear points decision.

Scott Quigg, the hot prospect from Bury, takes on Daniel Kodjo Sassou over twelve rounds on the undercard. Quigg should be able get a stoppage victory around the sixth.

e-mail Dave Oakes