TV Fights & Boxing Predictions: February 11-12, 2011 By Brian Gorman, Doghouse Boxing (Feb 11, 2011) Doghouse Boxing - Tweet
Friday, February 11 in Montreal (ESPN 2): Antonin Decarie (24-1, 7 KOs) vs. Shamone Alvarez (21-3, 12 KOs), welterweights (147 lb.)
Prediction: Decarie by decision
As we seem to say each week on "Friday Night Fights," expect the main event to be competitive. Alvarez has faced slightly better opposition, most notably Joshua Clottey and Delvin Rodriguez, but he's come up short against the elite. But Decarie hasn't yet proven that he's an elite fighter, and Alvarez has never lost big.
The two determining factors could be age and location. Decarie, who's 28 to Alvarez's 34, will compete in his native Montreal's daunting Bell Centre against the Atlantic City native. He'll probably fight well enough to earn a decision he would have gotten at home or on the road.
Jo Jo Dan (27-1, 15 KOs) vs. Steve Forbes (35-8, 11 KOs), welterweights (147 lb.)
Prediction: Dan by decision
You have to wonder how much Forbes has left at 33, after getting upset last year by gatekeeper Harrison Cuello. He still has enough skill and savvy to constitute an interesting opponent, but it's hard to fathom him outpointing a young prime contender like Dan at this point, and a stoppage is highly unlikely. Dan's only loss was a highly debatable one to contender Selcuk Aydin in his opponent's homeland of Turkey. The Romanian Dan currently lives and fights out of Montreal.
Friday, February 11 in Atlantic City (Showtime):
Rico Ramos (18-0, 10 KOs) vs. Alejandro Valdez (23-4-3, 17 KOs), junior featherweights (122 lb.)
Prediction: Ramos by decision
At first glance, this constitutes a showcase for Ramos, albeit by a mild step up in competition. The one intriguing fact about Valdez, though, is that he had the red-hot Fernando Montiel reeling four fights ago before the bout was declared a technical draw due to a headbutt. Valdez has been stopped by a champion, Hozumi Hasegawa, and a former title challenger, Nehmoar Cermeno, so this should be a good gauge at where Ramos stands at this stage of his career.
Cornelius White (16-0, 15 KOs) vs. Don George (20-1-1, 17 KOs), super middleweights (168 lb.)
Prediction: White by TKO
In what could be a fun fight, both American fighters look for the KO and usually get it. It's hard to predict a winner based on their careers thus far: White hasn't fought anyone yet, and George was beaten up badly when stepping up in his last bout against Francisco Sierra, who just escaped with a draw last week against fringe contender Dyah Davis. Kudos to Showtime for pairing young American prospects against each other.
Saturday, February 12 in Guadalajara, Mexico (Fox Deportes):
Marco Antonio Barrera (66-7, 43 KOs) vs. Jose Arias (15-1, 9 KOs), junior welterweights (140 lb.)
Prediction: Barrera by KO
Whatever Barrera has remaining in the tank should suffice against the 43 year old Dominican Arias, whose opposition has been utterly abysmal. Of Arias' opponents, only one still has a winning record, and that's at 2-1. He has at least still won all but one of his 16 bouts, so he must have some ability, but it won't be enough to go ten with Mexico's legendary warrior Barrera, however faded he is.
Also fighting this weekend, in Germany:
IBF Cruiserweight (200 lb.) champ Steve Cunningham (23-2, 12 KOs) vs. Enad Licina (19-2, 10 KOs)
Prediction: Cunningham by decision.
