Clayton does sometime start slowly, so I imagine he'll be defensive and may drop some of the early rounds. But, since his defense is sound, and because he's pretty durable, I don't see him getting blasted out or overwhelmed in the opening stages. He's not going to be as open or accommodating as fighters like Lipenets or Dulorme. Ennis has never been past six, and Clayton likes to surge in the second half. The more I think about this fight, the more I kinda like Custio's chances. Wouldn't say that about every welterweight out there, but I do think he matches well against Ennis.
I think you’re nuts. Doubt he even sees the second half of the fight. It’s 50/50 he gets out of the 6th round. Ennis doesn’t need a guy to open up to hurt them.
And I think you're overestimating just how fast and powerful Ennis is compared to Clayton. Ennis does hit harder, but Clayton probably won't crumble to dust when Ennis punches his guard. In terms of handspeed, they're actually pretty close when throwing single shots; if anything, I think Clayton's jab might actually arrive a bit quicker than Boot's jab. My only concern for Custio is whether he can convincingly bank enough rounds, especially early to sway the judges that might be inclined to favor Ennis's sizzle over Clayton's steak. But, to hell with it. I think there's a reason why Clayton's camp wanted this fight and I'm picking him to do enough to get the nod. Depending on what Ennis has in the closing rounds, a late round stoppage for Clayton wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. Clayton by decision.
So if Ennis runs through Clayton will he be credited for doing so since this is allegedly a tough challenge?
I know I will. Ennis is freaking terrifying and I will fully admit that I was dead freaking wrong about Clayton having any sort of chance. What impressed me was the manner in which he worked the jab from the right side and then switched to a different stance to give a different look and set up the one hitter quitter.
