Our win streak continued as we successfully picked unbeaten Ievgen Khytrov to defeat Nick Brinson. The bout was a very good fight. Brinson officially was in position to win the fight heading into the 8th and final round. Khytrov applied heavy pressure and got the stoppage in the round.
This week we have decided to choose the fight between former world champions Antonio Tarver (31-6, 22 KOs) and Steve Cunningham (28-7, 13 KOs). The main event will be a part of power boxing advisor Al Haymon’s Premiere Boxing Champions series (PBC). The pair will square off this Friday Scheduled for 12 rounds at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey. Spike TV will air live.
Tarver scored an impressive win over Johnathon Banks in his last bout. He dropped Banks early in the fight before stopping him in round 7. It has been 8 months since that bout but Tarver appears to be fit and in good shape. Tarver appears to have the edge in one punch power over Cunningham. He is also a southpaw which can always make it tough on a conventional styled fighter like Cunningham to adjust both offensively and defensively. That said Tarver is a slight underdog at some sportsbooks at +160 to -185 for Cunningham.
Cunningham last fought this past March where he dropped a decision to unbeaten Vyacheslav Glazkov. Many who saw the fight felt that Cunningham did more than enough to deserve the decision. It was a tough loss for Cunningham as a win would have put him in position to challenge current unified heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko. All was not lost in the defeat as Cunningham has since signed a contract with Haymon. Tarver himself is also with Haymon.
The matchup itself is an interesting one as both fighters can box and mix it up when necessary. The level of competition in recent years is an area where Cunningham has the edge. He has been in some really tough fights and fared well. This is why we have chosen Cunningham in this very close matchup. We feel that he will be able to dig deep and pull out the victory in the end.
Disclaimer: Boxing360’s Pick of the week is strictly for entertainment purposes only
