Eddie Chambers vs. Thabiso Mchunu

This could be the sleeper hit of the summer!

OK - probably not.

It could, all the same, very well steal the show tomorrow night on NBC Sports.

Adamek vs. Guinn looks dreadful. :dead There is a 1% chance we see that mythical cryptid known as the "motivated Guinn" (of which there haven't been any reported sightings in years) and 99% chance that Adamek hustles to a boring wide UD with no drama.

Stevens ought to walk through old Roman if he is as ready for a Golovkin as he seems to feel he is, although it's possible he runs blindly into something (and Roman does have the equalizer - with more kayos than Stevens has matches, constituting 83% of Roman's plus column...and he did floor Vanes Martirosyan...) So there's a chance of seeing either one getting stretched out but it doesn't exactly scream "joy to watch" besides maybe the 5-second kibosh highlight it may ultimately produce.

Glazkov vs. Polley, if that somehow makes it on air - :-( I've already made all my thoughts on that one known... http://www.boxingforum24.com/showthread.php?p=15589442#post15589442

That leaves Chambers vs. Mchunu as possibly the lone bright spot on Saturday night, with no big HBO or Showtime engagements to compete with NBC.

Eddie is making his cruiser debut, and in selecting the young South African he is clearly not ready to jump in the deep end with the big kids just yet. (the sort who could probably make it as small heavies, like he did for over a decade: guys like Huck, Lebedev, Arslan etc.)

Not only is he a reduction in size from Chambers' past opponents, Mchunu is about the average height for a lightweight.


Here is Mchunu in the ring with popular countryman Danie Venter, who stands 6'4".
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Here is Venter against Congolese banger Zack Mwekassa - who, incidentally, dealt Mchunu his lone defeat via TKO6.
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Mwekassa is listed as 5'9" - and judging by him sized up with Venter there it seems that is accurate. He is roughly seven inches shorter.

Now return to Venter vs. Mchunu for a moment - Venter has even more of a height advantage over Thabiso...by a couple of inches at least.


I place Mchunu at 5'7", meaning Chambers will be half a foot taller, a wingspan of maybe twice the length, thrice as much professional experience with a gulf in quality to match the quantity, and having been only ever beaten legitimately by two world champions (the current #1 & #2 @ HW, currently en route to arguably the biggest showdown the division has seen in a decade...and second biggest of the nascent millennium...) - not fellow regional level dark continent dweller Zack freaking Mwekassa.


In short (pun somewhat intended) - this has the looks on paper of being a gimme for Eddie as he wets his tootsies in the lukewarm shallows of the CW waters.


...however...

If you watch Mchunu in the limited footage available (South Africa is notoriously bad for never having international broadcasts even for world title bouts :-( - so it's hard to research anyone from there unless their friends & family happen to make home recordings at ringside and upload them or something) - "The Rock" is a determined little buzz-saw with an ultra-stocky build despite his wee stature and whose high KO rate might actually represent some real thunder. He scored a pair of KO1s over Flo Simba, who at one time had popped up in some world rankings before running into the brick wall of Frans Botha (stopped in six by the White Buffalo, then suffering a KO1 at the hands of Venter before Mchunu came along to replicate the feat twice over)

Mchunu last fought in November himself, but logged three appearances total in 2012. Chambers is fourteen months rusty, and was fourteen months rusty when he met Adamek, just the one night of action in over two years.

Chambers spent lots of time inactive hoping to secure a rematch with Adamek or get another heavyweight world title shot and then sitting on the fence indecisive as to which division he wanted to make his permanent home going forward. If he is rusty, and overlooks Mchunu (figuratively or literally, due to his own shortness or his record's) coming in with poor conditioning and intentions of lackadaisically cruising on into the cruiser picture - he could wind up eating lots of big punches from an energetic pint-sized powerhouse with a chip on his shoulder and nothing to lose but everything to prove by making his bones off Fast Eddie.


Summarily, I heavily favor Chambers, but this is still the most intriguing match-up on the card IMO with the outside possibility of Mchunu doing better than expected if he is up for it and Eddie isn't. :good

 

vBookie:

http://www.boxingforum24.com/showthread.php?t=484998

 

I'm really skeptical about Mchunu knocking Chambers out, unless there are weight drain issues which should put the whole CW plan on hold - but he could land something big enough (or enough big shots, if he comes at Chambers gangbusters) to really surprise Eddie and make him go into defensive mode, which the judges will then punish him for as long as Mchunu keeps his foot on the gas pedal.

 

:yep Just on name value?

Judges aren't exactly fond of Eddie. Remember what happened with Adamek...

There was one really atrocious card in Povetkin vs. Chambers, too.

 

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Yeah, not a hair above 5'7"... :yep

This is going to look comical. It could be Mercito Gesta in with Chambers.

 

Maybe he will give us a prediction, Ali style.

(Chambers posts on here sometimes, registered under the name Team_Chambers)

"The dwarf falls in the fourth!"

 

I don't remember exactly but think it was another of those "half-and-half" affairs where Chambers sort of bottled it around the midpoint after starting great.

It wasn't a robbery or anything whatsoever, but the fact that one judge only gave Eddie a round... :blood