Bryant Jennings – Athletic big man has taken an all too familiar route to boxing for American heavyweights, not entering a boxing gym until age 23, concentrating on basketball, football and track before trying his hand the ring. Jennings has the athletic ability, reaching the finals of the national PAL (losing to American Olympic representative Lenroy Thompson) and US Golden Gloves competitions. However, the fact that Jennings only had 15 amateur bouts shows that reaching the finals is no longer the arduous process or achievement it once was. At 6’2” with an 84-inch reach and 220 pounds, Jennings is not a big heavyweight, relying on footwork and boxing rather than punching. A lot of Jennings’ success is predicated on footwork, which he got as an all-around athlete, but everything seems reactionary instead of exploitive of his physical skills. Success in other sports rarely converts to boxing since it is a singular sport and most champions were introduced to boxing before their teenage years. Jennings is a mature 27 but only four years of boxing experience gives pause as to what he will do when faced with adversity for the first time. Jennings has a good right hand, most comfortable playing the role of moving counter-puncher. Quick to clinch on the inside, given slender physique, not a bad idea and keeps both hands high but spaced apart as to leave an opening down the middle. At times, Jennings delivers awkward jabs, leaning to his right and pushing it straight out with decent speed, given lack of balance. Has a wide stance and bends his knees deep to shoot straight punches, taking power out of the punches but seemingly improving the accuracy. Reflexes are good but he loses sight of opponents at times with high guard and quick lateral movement. Because he came to the sport late, Jennings is either full offense or defense, punching or covering up, and lacks fluidity changing from one to the other. Needs space to operate and is not a particularly good infighter since he relies on speed more than strength. Showed a good chin and stamina in six-round win over Alexis Mejias on Telemundo and Jennings will need both to deal with the plodding power of Maurice Byarm.
Maurice Byarm – A thudding puncher, this aspiring southpaw has blown away soft opposition, earning the nickname “Freight Train.” Byarm’s natural power, stopping nine of 14 foes, has drawn more fanfare than his skills yet merit. Byarm is hard to derail once he gets a head of steam or when allowed to come at foes in a straight line. Raised in Philadelphia, Byarm moved to Washington D.C. in 2010 after signing with a promoter and to take advantage of sparring with the likes of hot prospect Seth Mitchell. Byarm comes from a boxing family; father Lionel fought Evander Holyfield (ironically, Maurice says Holyfield is his favorite boxer) but Maurice had no interest in boxing until age 19. Unfortunately, that coincided with Byarm’s run-in with the law, leading to jail time for drug possession, further delaying his progress. To Byarm’s credit, he earned a high school degree in prison and worked to overcome the experience through boxing. Focused and on the right path, Byarm concentrated on gym work to become a quality amateur (only fighting ten amateur bouts), suffering one loss in the unpaid ranks to borderline English contender Tyson Fury. Byarm’s style is suited for pro game, pressing forward behind a two-fisted attack that is effective but repetitive. I categorize Byarm as quick, not fast, slowing considerably in combination sequences, able to reach a target with one quick punch rather than working behind a consistent jab. Benefits from being a lefty, starting fast to maximize that advantage and pays attention to body work as well. Unlike other American heavyweights is not hook-crazy, generally finishing foes with a straight right hand. Puts forth a good work rate, taking small steps to stay on balance and work either hand. Does not look comfortable throwing from a distance, sometimes leaping in instead of letting the punch go straight. Defense is average and, again, footwork is not optimum, leaning back to avoid punches instead of moving his feet. Not ideal for an average size heavyweight, stocky with thick arms and low center of gravity, though Byarm uses his shoulder to block punches while turning away. Weight progression is encouraging, turning pro at 267 pounds and working his way down to 244. Byarm described his style to Chip Mitchell, “I believe in controlled aggression. I’m gonna put the pressure on you. I’m gonna check your gas tank. I’m aggressive but I like to control it.”
Verdict - There is limited footage on both boxers and it is an interview the pair gave on NBC Sports Network (while sitting side by side) that swayed me toward Byarm. In it, Byarm looked more composed and ready for the moment. Jennings had a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look and might be overwhelmed by the moment I think there will be transference to the fight with the robust Byarm wearing on Jennings’ fragile confidence as the rounds progress. If this fight goes the distance, the judges should favor the advancing Byarm. Jennings’ lack of offensive power will leave him covering up often or clinching, unable to push a more powerful Byarm off him. Not a good impression that will lead to a comfortable unanimous decision win for Byarm.
Jesus Soto-Karass - Lanky 29-year-old Mexican is an exciting fighter who relies on oppressive physical presence but is as frustratingly inconsistent as he is talented. If Soto-Karass worked harder in the gym, which seems to be the case for this fight, many think he could morph into an Antonio Margarito type. I compare Soto-Karass to former WBO champion Jose Luis Lopez (who gave Ike Quartey a tough fight) since his cerebral maturity has not yet caught up with his aptitude in the ring. Soto-Karass came in a pound over the weight in a showcase fight against Alfonso Gomez, displaying a lack of professionalism and laissez-faire attitude that led to a loss. There is no in-between with Soto-Karass; he either looks fantastic or ordinary. Had one bad stretch of fights where he lost three consecutive fights early in his career, clearly overmatched against undefeated boxers. Showed mental toughness by overcoming that, then began a four-year undefeated streak, landing him with Top Rank Promotions. Defense is the main problem, where Soto-Karass will eat punches unnecessarily instead of backing off to refocus his forward movement. That lack of defense inadvertently aided Soto-Karass in his first fight with Mike Jones, as Jones used up too much energy trying to stop a clearly stunned opponent. Soto-Karass, with excellent recuperative senses, rode out the rough patch and from that point forth, beat Jones to the punch. Sports a rock solid chin, never being stopped, but has been cut in bouts and is not afraid to throw low blows or use other dirty tactics. Uses his length well but, like all of his game, only in spurts and spots, constantly touching opponents who believe they are out of range with punches. Though generally a pressure fighter, he has the finesse and timing to outthink opponents who refuse to engage Soto-Karass because of his physical strength. He blames making weight for his current string of losses, three in a row (not including a no-contest against Gabriel Martinez), and in Soto-Karass’ defense, they came against quality boxers (Mike Jones and Alfonso Gomez). Soto-Karass makes no effort at diplomacy and leaves no room for excuses. “[Rosado] knows about me and I just want to put on a good show on Saturday. Physically and mentally, I’m 100%.” While not a consistent world-beater, Soto-Karass will give anyone a rough run for his money and is always a fun TV fighter.
Gabriel Rosado – Don’t let Rosado’s record deceive; he is a tough-as-nails fighter who beats nearly anyone that comes into the ring with less than 100% dedication. More importantly, Rosado has learned from every loss and become a better boxer because of them. A pure Philly volume-puncher, at home in local gym wars, he has defeated former champ Kassim Ouma and was in a see-saw slugfest with hot prospect Fernando Guerrero, dropping the hometown favorite in a respectable loss. Was steamrolled by Alfredo Angulo in two rounds, not alone there, but bounced back to stop fellow Philly prospect Latif Mundy and veteran Saul Roman in next two fights. I was surprised to learn Rosado did not begin to box until age 18 and only had 17 amateur bouts. Found belief in his abilities in 2008 after losses to two inferior opponents, outpointing undefeated Irish prospect James Moore and dedicating himself to boxing. Maintains an active pace, averaging four fights a year, and is always in the gym, evident in a constant weight in the 155-pound range. At 6’0”, has good size and is beginning to use his length to create breaks for himself by boxing from the outside. Moves well with his feet, mostly to establish distance for his punches rather than lead foes into punches or set up counters. Once Rosado feels an advantage or wears his opponent down, he uses his feet to block escape paths, forcing opponents to engage. Punches have good form but Rosado is not a hard puncher, preferring volume punching over setting himself to throw one hard blow. Has stopped 10 of 18 victims but needs three or four rounds to wear on them and his punches start sinking in. Sometimes smothers punches by fighting on the inside too much, content to lean on and wrestle opponents to drain them of energy. Aside from the Angulo bout, has not been totally outclassed and never fails to deliver in terms of action. I hope Rosado is 100% concentrated on this fight since he was arrested in July after a post-fight celebration turned violent and he was charged with assault for punching a police officer. At 26, Rosado is in his physical prime but there is concern all the tough fights have aged Rosado well beyond what the calendar says. If Rosado hopes to be more than a test for top-notch prospects, he needs to beat an opponent like Soto-Karass handily.
Verdict – Gabriel Rosado is too big for Soto-Karass; that is what this fights boils down to. Soto-Karass depends on his physical presence to win fights through attrition and that advantage disappears with his jump to the junior middleweight division. Rosado is naturally stronger, two inches taller, and enters with a five-inch reach advantage to boot. Rosado edges Soto-Karass in the speed department as well and enters on a winning streak while Soto-Karass has not registered a win since 2009. Rosado sports too many advantages but unless the referee steps in to stop a one-sided affair, I doubt Rosado stops an iron-willed Karass. I am going with Rosado by a unanimous decision, favoring him by at least 97-93.
Prediction record for 2012: 50% (1-1)
Prediction record in 2011: 88% (138-19)
Prediction record in 2010: 85% (218-40)
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