**** Kirk's ESB Championships 2011 ****

VK by serious knockout over Adamek! :bbb:bbb:bbb:bbb:bbb:bbb Good post on it Kirk. This will be fun if Tom doesn't get beat down fast. Vitali isn't going to a decision in Poland!

 

Salgado ud.vitali tko. Afolabi ud. Mckcloskey ud. Gamboa tko.

 

Vitali klit tko.

 

Salgado TKO
Gamboa TKO
V Klitschko TKO
Ola Afolabi TKO
McCloskey UD
Frampton TKO

 

09/10 - Argenis Mendez vs. Juan Carlos Salgado - Mendez UD

 

09/10 - Kiko Martinez vs. Carl Frampton - EBU Super Bantamweight title Carl UD
09/10 - Argenis Mendez vs. Juan Carlos Salgado - IBF Super Featherweight title Salgado UD
09/10 - Vitali Klitschko vs. Tomasz Adamek - WBC Heavyweight title Adamek UD
09/10 - Pawel Kolodziej vs. Ola Afolabi - WBC Cruiserweight Semi-Final eliminator Ola UD
09/10 - Paul McCloskey vs. Breidis Prescott - WBA Light Welterweight eliminator McCloskey TKO
09/10 - Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Daniel Ponce de Leon Gamboa UD

 

...Recognize. :yep

 

We have a great weekend of action this week. We have two fighters that have pulled off shocking 1 punch knockouts, one of the most talented fighters on the planet, and a heavyweight championship fight. Very good week, let's get right to it.

First, over in the UK, the "Khanqueror" Bredis Prescott makes his 3rd trip to the United Kingdom. His first trip to the UK, as everybody knows, is when knocked out Amir Khan in less than a minute back in 2008, just a little over 3 years ago now. He then made a return to the UK, throughly getting outboxed by Kevin Mitchell. He had lost two straight, but has now won 3 straight. Paul McCloskey, pretty much his claim to fame is losing every round to Amir Khan. He was an undefeated fighter, but very much an unknown. McCloskey fighting Bredis Prescott is the right level of fighter for McCloskey. McCloskey really should have no trouble versus Bredis Prescott. McCloskey is a very tricky fighter, a lot like a Joe Calzaghe type. Lots of head movement, hands down quick, not much power. Prescott is a straight ahead fighter that throws looping shots, and has good power, but his power is definitely overrated. He doesn't have one punch power, even if he does hit McCloskey, it's not as if McCloskey is going to start wobbling and get knocked down. McCloskey will be tricky, and slippery early on and Prescott will get frustrated. McCloskey will continue to outbox Prescott making it, probably, an ugly fight to watch, but it'll get the job done. Prescott will be lucky to win 3 rounds in this fight. McCloskey by very very wide UD.

Next, we got on tap is Argenis Mendez-Juan Carlos Salgado. Argenis Mendez has definitely impressed me. He is a highly skilled fighter that is very slick, rolls with punches, has good speed, with nice smooth combos. Very, very talented fighter. Not only does he have the skills, but he has beaten quality opposition. Last year he beat Martin Honorio by UD, and earlier this year he went to South Africa and beat Cassius Baloyi. He is taking his act on the road down in Mexicao taking on Juan Carlos Salgado. Much like Prescott, Salgado's claim to fame is shocking the world with his 1st round KO of hot prospect Jorge Linares. His career quickly lost steam when he tried to defend his belt against Takashi Uchiyama, where he was dominated for pretty much the whole fight. Since that lost over a year and 8 months ago he has fought twice against the same opponent. He took on Guadalupe Rosales and stopped him in 4, they rematched and won a clear UD. What I hate about this fight is that it's in Mexico. anywhere else and I am 100 percent certain Mendez completely dominates Salgado, but it's in Mexico and there is always that chance of a robbery. I'm going to take a chance and pick Mendez by SD. Salgado doesn't have the skills to match with Mendez, but he does have power and there is that chance of a KO, and Mendez does get lazy at times with his defense. So, I'll take the better fighter...even though he is on the road. I've got Mendez by SD.

Now, HBO is showing to big events this Saturday. First, let's start off with the fight in the States, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Daniel Ponce De Leon. Yuriorkis Gamboa, P4P, is one of the fastest and powerful fighters in the world. He very much is Roy Jones Jr. esque in terms of his attitude, body language, but also in his skills and athletisicim. Gamboa has been tested early and often and has passed all his tests' with flying colors. Knocking out Jose Rojas, Walter Estrada, Al Seeger, Ulises Solis, Rogers Mtagwa, and decisioning Jonathan Victor Barros, and Orlando Salido. Gamboa is taking on another quality opponent in Daniel Ponce De Leon, but like all the others, I think there is just too big of a gulf in class. De Leon has massive power and if he connects it is lights out, but he is just too slow for Gamboa. I think this fight could look a lot like Gamboa's fight with Mtagwa and Solis. Mtagwa was stopped in 2 rounds and Solis was stopped in 4 rounds. De Leon is tough as nails, but I expect him to get stopped somewhere in the first 4 rounds. Gamboa I don't think will lack motivation for this fight either. He always likes topping other fighters' results, Juan Manuel Lopez stopped De Leon in 1 round and I would expect Gamboa to come out guns blazing to try and stop De Leon in the first round, may'be even in the first minute to try and top JuanMa. I expect an entertaining, but short fight with Gamboa coming out on top.

The biggest fight of the night, by far, is Vitali Klitschko vs Tomasz Adamek. Just to kick things off I really, really can't wait for this fight. I'm really pumped and ready for this fight. I'm expecting a superb fight between a highly skilled little man versus a strong, big, big man. Let's talk a little about both fighters. They both always come in shape and it will be really refreshing to see two heavyweights, both in shape, both ripped fighting. Not two blobs, or one somewhat in shape, nah, both of these fighters will be in tip top shape. Very very refreshing to see, and really it's back to back big Heavyweight fights that both fighters will be in shape. The last one, which wasn't that long ago, was Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye where both were in shape. So, let's go deep into both fighters, starting off with the challenger, Tomasz Adamek. Adamek, started off at 175 won a world title, and had two wars with Paul Briggs. Two underrated wars. Adamek's last fight at 175 was against Chad Dawson where he suffered his first and only loss. He moved up to Cruiserweight won a world title, and was dubbed as the top dog after his war with Steve Cunningham. A couple of fights after that he moved up to Heavyweight and beat fellow countryman in Andrew Golota, and had a tough fight with the very defensive Jason Estrada. A couple of months after that fight he took a big test when he took on Chris Arreola, but he passed with flying colors as he won a very entertaining fight. Then his next 3 fights have been against really tall fighters in Michael Grant, Vinny Maddalone, and Kevin McBride. With those 3 fights he has worked on sticking, moving, using speed, getting out of the way, moving his head, really working on his stamina. Now, all that hard work and all that preperation is on the line as he now faces the man (or the 2nd best fighter in the division) in the Heavyweight division, "Dr. Iron Fist" Vitali Klitschko. Klitschko is now 40 yers old and has shown some *****s in the armor. His most recent fight was against Odlanier Solis, in which a little right to the temple blew out Solis' knee after 1 round, but in that 1 round Solis landed a couple of nice right counters, a round in which he was winning. He has looked a bit slower, a little bit older, so coming into this fight, and styles wise I think Adamek has a great shot at not only staying on his feet for 12 rounds, but may'be even winning this fight. Style wise Vitali looks to be too slow on his feet so if Adamek can move and potshot he can definitely win the fight. Adamek has been working on doing this moving, doubling up the jab, left hook to the body, straight rights, and quickly moving, spinning, moving his head. With this game plan he can definitely easily beat Vitali Klitschko. Vitali though, will only be a couple of right hands from hurting and even dropping Adamek. While Adamek does have "cheen" Vitali is a big puncher and plus 30-40 pounds on him a right hand will do massive damage. All right, prediction time, Adamek will be boxing off his back foot moving, spinning, jabbing trying to keep Vitali off him. Vitali will be moving forward, hands down, flicking out that jab from his knee and firing off the right hand, throwing quite a few punches for a big man. So, I expect a really close fight...I'm not expecting a 10-0 shutout for Vitali before knocking him out like what everybody is expecting. I think this fight goes the distance and will be in the 7-5, 8-4 range for either fighter. Shocker, right? I know, but I'm fully expecting it to be that close. And for my pick, I'm going with Adamek to shock the world and win via SD. A close fight in his homeland of Poland I think the judges will give him the nod and the Heavyweight division will finally be complete with a complete total unification of all the belts.

Paul McCloskey vs. Breidis Prescott- Paul McCloskey by UD
Argenis Mendez vs. Juan Carlos Salgado- Argenis Mendez by SD
Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Daniel Ponce de Leon- Yuriorkis Gamboa by KO
Vitali Klitschko vs. Tomasz Adamek- Tomasz Adamek by SD

 

Gamboa TKO

 

Mendez, SD/MD
Klitschko, UD
Afolabi, UD
McCloskey, UD
Gamboa, TKO/KO

I'm only unsure of one pick. But, since this is Upsetapalooza Year...who cares?

Anybody want to take a small ten Kirkbuck bet that Klitschko wins a decision, not a knockout? Can we do it that way?

 

Will you attempt to pick even one non-heavyweight fight?

Your devastating regret in 5...4...3...2...

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Humbling...isn't it?


PS: I no longer want you to have my babies.