the13th POLL


Who Wins Tyson Fury VS Oleksandr Usyk?





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2007-03-15
CROSS FIRE JMM vs MAB
LURKYSHAKA:
On Saturday night at the MGM grand in Las Vegas two of the finest little men in recent years clash, in a mouthwatering fight that has opinion divided straight down the middle.
Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez will be contesting the WBC 130 title but alot more that just a belt is at stake. Barrera is attempting to go down as possibly the greatest Mexican fighter of all time and a win here is crucial for him, while Marquez after a career spent in the shadow of Barrera and the other great Mexican featherweight of recent years Erik Morales, will be looking to finally become the superstar he seemed destined to become at the beginning of his career.

So the stakes are high and the fighters are undoubtedly top notch but what happens when they collide?

Well im expecting a boxing match of the very highest quality....a tactical war if you like. Both men are superb ring technicians but i don't believe that anyone can win this fight simply by boxing. They are both too gifted for that and their skills will nullify each other in my opinion. No, to win this fight i think that one man will have to outfight his opponent.
There is the perception that Barrera(though still a great fighter)is on the decline, though i disagree with this theory. I think that Barrera still has fuel in the tank but he has chosen in recent fights to be more circumspect. If needed and i think it will be on Saturday, im sure he can still reach down and tap into that well of Mexican Machismo.
I expect to see both men come out quite cautiously at first behind the jab, but i think it'll be a matter of time before war breaks out. I think we'll then see a fierce and compelling fight that will have the fans on the edge of their seats. Although i expect to see Marquez giving nearly as good as he gets in these exchanges, i think that the greater experience of boxing at the very highest level that Barrera has got will come into play. Marco knows when to conserve a bit of energy and when to rally. He knows how to sneak the close rounds with a little flurry here and a little flurry there and i think that knowledge will be the decisive factor. Barrera will need all the guile he's amassed throughout his career to beat Marquez here but i do expect him to emerge from this fight victorious.

Lurky prediction.........Barrera close decision possibly split.


CAJUN_TEX:
Juan Manuel Marquez has spent the majority of his career in the shadows of his more popular countrymen, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. What better way to get out of that shadow than to get into ring with one of them, and this coming Saturday night, Marquez will get tat opportunity when he takes on Marco Antonio Barrera. The question is, is Marquez finally ready to sieze an opportunity and shine under the bright lights, taking his place among the great Mexican fighters of all time? I think he is, and I will attempt to lay out here exactly what he needs to do in order to get the job done.


From listening to the pre fight presser's, Barrera intends to come out and go to war, trying to turn the fight into a classic Mexican brawl from the start, so Marquez should be ready for a fast pace early. There is no excuse for Marquez to get caught sleeping in the first round or two the way he did against Manny Pacquiao back in 2004, costing himself a 10-6 round and in the end, a decision victory over Pacquaio. He should lay back and allow Barrera to come forward, let Marco be the aggressor, leaving Marquez in his best and more natural role as the counter puncher. Barrera is a solid technical boxer, but he tends to leave himself open to get hit when he goes on the offensive. That isn't a good thing in any fight, but even worse when you are fighting one of the best counterpunchers in the business. Marquez should welcome Barrera's aggression, basically using it against him. Marquez should use the jab often as Barrera is stalking, but as soon as Barrera unloads with his power shots, Marquez should be ready to counter with his own power. As long as Barrera stays in a "stalking" mode, Marquez should stick to this plan and do fine. However, Barrera is a smart boxer and will attempt to change up if he sees that his plan isn't working. When Barrera switches gears and attempts to slow down and box, Marquez should switch gears as well, going into an offensive mode. Basically, Marquez should change his fight plan according to what Barrera is doing. This will keep Barrera on his toes, not allowing him too much time to think. Ok, now that i've layed out what I feel Marquez needs to do in order to win the fight, I'll switch gears and tell you how I see the fight playing out.




I see this fight being a very good one, going the full twelve rounds. While both guys have good power, they have even better chins and hearts. I see the fight starting out exactly like I said earlier, by Barrera trying to make it a war, coming foraward and throwing a lot of shots, but leaving himself open for the great counterpunching of Marquez. This will result in Marquez winning the early rounds. By the mid rounds, I can see Barrera trying to box, seeing that attempting to brawl isn't working in his favor. The problem with that though, is that he will be attempting to impose his boxing skills on the superiour boxer. The mid rounds I see being a little closer though, mainly due to the fact that Marquez will still be in countering mode and will not be as aggressive as he should. By the later rounds though, both guys warrior mentality will take over in a fairly close fight and neither guy will want to leave anything to chance. This is where I see both guys going on the offensive and the last three or four rounds will be worth the whole fifty bucks. The rounds will be close, but Marquez will be able to mix aggression with his superiour boxing skills, and Barrera will once again be leaving himself open by going on the offensive, and Marquez will do enough to win the later rounds. In the end, I see a close but clear decision in favor of Marquez and hopefully he will finally earn the respect from the fight fans he is long overdue.

Official Prediction : Marquez UD
 
Article By: Lurkyshaka and Cajun_tex