Our pick last week came from the world title fight between unbeaten WBO lightweight champion Terry Flanigan (30-0, 12 KOs) and countryman Derry Mathews (38-10-2, 20 KOs) . The main event will take place at the Echo Arena, in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The bout was scheduled for 12 rounds and promoted by Frank Warren (Queensberry Promotions). This was the second world title defense for Flanagan.
The underdog Mathews had the fan support as he was fighting in his hometown. It was a tactical affair early on that saw Flanagan winning the rounds. Mathews showed some life in the middle rounds as he begin to find his range. He wasn’t hurting Flanagan but he was scoring points. Flanagan seized control of the fight in the championship rounds. He would go on to win a competitive unanimous decision to retain his world title. We were also victorious as Flanagan was our pick of the week.
This week our pick comes from the matchup between unbeaten Jesse Hart (19-0, 16 KOs) and gatekeeper Dashon Johnson (19-18-3, 6 KOs). The main event bout will take place this Friday at the 2300 Arena, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds with the WBO NABO & USBA Super middleweight titles on the line. The bout is being promoted by J Russell Peltz (Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc.), Brittany Rogers (Bam Boxing), Bob Arum (Top Rank), and Joe Hand (Joe Hand Promotions).
The matchup is an intriguing one with the tale of two very different careers. Hart and Johnson both have 19 wins but thats where the similarities end. Hart is a second generation fighter trained by his father Eugene Cyclone Hart who was a well known puncher in the 70’s. Jesse had a stellar amateur career and looks like a promising prospect ready to become a contender. Johnson’s career has had many more downs than ups. Promoters have to be careful matching Johnson against an unproven prospect as he has been known to pull off upsets. We feel that Hart is ready for Johnson. Hart is are pick of the week.
Disclaimer: Boxing360’s Pick of the week is strictly for entertainment purposes only
