Category
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Curtis "The Cerebral Assassin" Stevens
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Patrick Teixeira
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Age
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31
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25
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Record
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27-5 (20 KOs)
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26-0 (22 KOs)
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Strength
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Curtis is a power-puncher that can end the fight with any punch he throws. He is very experienced and has fought much better opposition than Teixeira thus far.
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Teixeira has power in both hands and possesses pinpoint accuracy. He puts together good combinations and has an effective jab as well.
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Weakness
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Stevens has been inactive for over a year, so some ring rust is expected. He also has a tendency to not let his hands go, which could be costly when fighting a high-volume puncher like Teixeira.
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Patrick has yet to face any top-level opposition. He also tends to throw wide, looping punches, which can lead to trouble if Stevens is able to sneak in one of his lethal left hooks.
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Experience
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He has fought the better opposition, including a win over top-ranked middleweight contender Tureano Johnson, and a hard-fought defeat against current middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.
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He will be at a disadvantage coming into this bout; he has 26 pro bouts under his belt but has yet to face any legitimate contenders. Stevens will be the biggest test of his young career.
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Power
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Curtis has knockout power in both hands; if he connects clean with any punch it can be a game-changer at any point in the fight.
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Patrick has good power in his combinations, he throws vicious body shots and possesses a nasty right hook that has ended many fights for the undefeated southpaw.
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Speed
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Curtis turns it up a notch when he smells blood, he shows off his quick hands and savage combinations.
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Teixeira is quick; he puts his punches together well and maintains a steady pace throughout the fight, which has proven to overwhelm his previous opposition.
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Endurance
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Stevens is a young veteran of the sport who has proven his endurance; he has gone 10 rounds on four separate occasions and 12 rounds twice.
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The Brazilian has gone 10 rounds only twice in his career, but has shown no signs of any stamina issues, even with such a high punch output.
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Accuracy
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If Curtis can work his way to the inside, he may be able to utilize some accurate bodywork against his much taller opponent.
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Patrick has the accuracy advantage; he has demonstrated pinpoint accuracy in his jab and uses his reach effectively in picking apart his opponents from a distance.
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Defense
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Curtis’s best defense has been his offense, his opponents are usually running from him rather than running towards him.
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Teixeira is a rangy fighter who utilizes his reach effectively. It will be a difficult task for any fighter to get on inside on him and do some damage.
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Chin
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Although Curtis has been stopped in his career, he has a solid chin. He has been knocked down from some big shots by some big punchers, including GGG, and has gotten back to his feet.
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Patrick’s chin is still in question. He has not been in any real danger after impressively dominating his opposition thus far.
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Style
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Curtis is a no-nonsense, in-your-face power puncher who is always looking to end the night early.
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Teixeira is a slick and aggressive southpaw who knows how to finish fights. He has a lengthy reach, stiff jab, and throws nasty combinations.
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Intangibles
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In the prime of his career, Stevens does not believe in tune-up fights. His past four opponents were all former or currently ranked contenders and titleholders. With over a year out of the ring, he has decided against tune-up bouts and will attempt to get his name back in the middleweight mix by taking on a young, undefeated, and dangerous knockout artist in Patrick Teixeira. A win on May 7 instantly makes Curtis a legitimate threat in the middleweight division.
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The young Brazilian has chosen to take on a tough task in hopes of moving up the middleweight rankings. Rather than take on a much lesser opponent, he will instead put his undefeated record on the line on the biggest stage of them all, against a fighter in Curtis Stevens who can close the show with any punch he throws. A win over Stevens can catapult him into the top of the middleweight rankings.
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Crowd Support
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Curtis has been in the bigger fights throughout his career and has a style that is appealing to the fans, so he should have the majority of the crowd in his corner.
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Teixeira’s aggressive, come-forward style may earn him some fans before the night ends.
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The Match-up
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Will Teixeira be ready mentally for his toughest challenge to date?
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