Richard ‘The Boxing Prophet’ Solomon’s Picks Of the Week
Richard’s love of boxing preceded his love of solid food. Doctors report he came out of his mother’s womb throwing a jab. As a child he would only ever count from 1 to 10, and his favorite superhero didn’t wear a cape- he wore leather gloves that were A Thrilla In Manila. With his uncanny ability to predict fights, his parents gave up dreams of him becoming President and set their sights higher: Boxing Prophet.
His claim to fame: telling the whole world in Feb of 1990 that James Buster Douglas was going to beat Mike Tyson. Through jeers and laughs he stuck to his prediction. Rich was an overnight sensation. A folk hero in his town. The prophet was born. His parents wept.
For every 10 fights Richard predicts – he guarantees 8 out of 10 are correct. He prides himself on not only picking the winner of the fight, but also whether it’s by decision or knockout – being so bold as to even pick the exact round.
Richard went to Adelphi University and holds a Master’s degree in Special Education. He teaches preschool children with learning disabilities and special needs. His kids are fighters and Richard genuinely appreciates and nurtures that spirit in them.
Richard started his career on Adelphi radio in a weekly sports talk show and went on to co-host other boxing radio shows during his career. He is now the RCM Boxing Radio Co-Host since April 2013.
John Molina Jr. (27-4, 22 KO) vs. Humberto Soto (64-8-2, 35 KO)
This should be the most exciting fight of the night. Molina is coming off of a loss in a Fight of the Year candidate against Lucas Matthysse in April. It was a war that left both men bloodied and battered. Soto, on the other hand, is looking to establish himself as a force in the division. He has won six straight since his own stoppage defeat to Matthysse in 2012. Soto is a former titleholder at 130 and 135 pounds and also held an interim belt at 126. He’s fighting over his natural weight these days and has to rely on skills rather than the power he once displayed. Molina is naturally the bigger man and has shown a flair for the dramatic with come from behind knockout wins over Hank Lundy and Mickey Bey. If nothing else, Molina-Soto should be thrilling. Both fighters have never shied away from exchanges. Soto is way past his prime and Molina took a pounding but generated some buzz in his last fight. Did he recover mentally and physically from the Matthysse fight? Tough one to call. A younger and less shop worn Sotto might have won against Molina three or four years ago. He will have some big moments early in the fight. I would not be shocked at all if he hurts Molina on more than one occasion. However, I expect Molina to be the fresher and stronger fighter. Molina has a wicked left hook and too much firepower for Soto to overcome at this stage of his career. My pick: Molina wins by an 8th Round TKO.
Miguel Vazquez (34-3, 13KO) vs. Mickey Bey (20-1-1, 10KO)
Bey has the chance of a lifetime. However, there is nothing in his game that says he’ll be able to take advantage of it in this particular fight. Vazquez is just so skilled and tricky with a style built to frustrate. Bey could be in over his head. The best chance he has to win would be by pressuring Vazquez and throwing a bunch of punches, especially to the body. Try and steal some rounds and at the same time, slowing Vazquez down. When he’s on his bicycle, the Mexican champion can be outworked. Bey needs to work hard and basically “Mug” Vazquez all night long. Vazquez has a legitimate claim to being the best 135 pound fighter in the world. He is going to do what he does best and that means box, move and frustrate his opponent. Mickey Bey has bounced back well from a crushing TKO loss to John Molina Jr. back in July 2013. He has won two fights in a row. But, his flat footed style he utilizes is made to order for Vazquez. Vazquez is a master of length and movement. The champion’s slickness and crafty boxing style will befuddle Bey. I just hope and pray the three judges don’t get it wrong and give Bey a “Gift” win. That would be just another black eye for the sport. Well, you know what they say, two out of three ain’t bad!!!! My pick: Vazquez wins by Split Decision.
Alfredo Angulo (22-4, 18 KO) vs. James De La Rosa (22-2, 13 KO)
Make no mistake about it, this is a huge crossroads bout for Angelo. He lost to two solid fighters at 154 pounds in Erislandy Lara and Canelo Alvarez. Angulo is now looking to make some noise as a middleweight. De La Rosa has some talent and is quite athletic but, I need to keep it real. At best he is an above average club fighter. The only way he wins this fight is if Angulo gets “Old” overnight. I mean De La Rosa was dropped three times by Allen Conyers in 2011 and another time by Tyrone Brunson in 2012. Enough said. De La Rosa can and will use his speed and movement to win some of the early rounds, but it is just a matter of time until he gets caught by one of Angulo’s heavy right hands. “Perro” will pound De La Rosa to the body, break him down and eventually win the fight by a stoppage. My pick: Angulo wins by a 6th Round KO.
Leo Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15 KO) vs. Manuel Roman (17-2-3, 6 KO)
Bottom line: This fight is a joke. Roman is a former sparring partner of Santa Cruz. He has had only two fights scheduled for longer than eight rounds in his career and he hasn’t faced anyone of note. Damn!!!! This is basically a stay busy fight for a champion whose only real challenge lies on the other side of boxing’s cold war. The fighter most want to see Santa Cruz take on is Guillermo Rigondeaux. Personally, this has been my dream fight for the past two years. Sadly, I don’t think the two will ever face each other. Can’t even really come up with a preview on this mess of a fight. It could be worse than Danny Garcia vs. Rod Salka last month. Let’s just all hope that Roman doesn’t take too much punishment. There’s really no scenario, well maybe some divine intervention, lol, where I can see Roman coming out on top or even being competitive. My pick: Santa Cruz wins by a 5th Round TKO.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (46-0, 26 KO) vs. Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KO)
The best pound for pound fighter in the world, undefeated Floyd Mayweather survived one of the biggest challenges of his career when he narrowly beat Marcos Maidana in May. Maidana’s deliberate style frustrated Mayweather throughout their first encounter and threw him off his game. Now that “Money” knows what to expect out of his opponent, it will be interesting to see how he adjusts and what type of strategy he employs. Mayweather wants and needs to be more decisive in the rematch. He usually sits in a defensive posture and uses his speed and elusiveness to escape his opponents’ advances. I’m not saying he should totally abandon what has allowed him to reach 46-0, but he most definitely needs to go on the offensive a little more often this time around. Don’t think Mayweather will take any unnecessary chances, but Floyd needs to increase his aggressiveness. For the record, I scored the first fight 116-112 for Mayweather. Even in one of his worst fights, Mayweather still came out on top. If he adds a little extra offense in the rematch, he should prevail again. Maidana had a great game plan when he and Mayweather fought four months ago. He did everything he could to frustrate the undefeated champion. That being said, it still wasn’t enough to take down the world’s top boxer. The problem I had with Maidana’s performance in the first fight was that he didn’t actually connect with many shots. Most of his punches were blocked or absorbed harmlessly. The damage was negligible. Maidana and his trainer Robert Garcia went for the quantity over quality theory. It did not pay off, but it did prevent Mayweather from fighting his preferred fight. This time around, “El Chino” must make some changes. It is very important for Maidana to double up on his very improved jab and be more selective with his punches. Don’t wear himself out by throwing punches that are not landing. I’m not crazy, Maidana still needs to be very Aggressive and even fight “Dirty” to once again bother Floyd. Just don’t waste your punches. Be more accurate, especially to the chin and body. Beating Mayweather is one big task. Maidana believes he has made the correct tweaks in his game plan to get it done. That remains to be seen. I firmly believe that you will see Mayweather at his best in the rematch. Floyd knows he is not bulletproof. Expect him to enter this fight determined and hungry. Maidana showed that he could keep it close against Mayweather. However, he also didn’t do enough to slow Mayweather down. The only way I see Maidana winning this fight is if he lands the “Perfect” punch, kind of like Marquez-Pacquiao IV. Or, maybe, just maybe, Floyd’s legs betray him and he can’t move around the ring. I know a lot of haters out there want to see Maidana pull off the upset win, especially my father. Don’t laugh, it’s true. While, I would not be shocked at all If Maidana hurts Floyd at some point during the fight, dare I even say score a flash knockdown, yep, I said it!!!! When all is said and done, at the end of the day, Floyd Mayweather is the best in the world at what he does for a reason. Look for his hand speed and ring generalship to be the big difference in the rematch. Once again, it pains me to say this: I hope there is no hidden agenda from any of the judges. Please, no B.S.!!!! My pick: Floyd Mayweather wins by Unanimous Decision.
The Boxing Prophet’s Record (23-3)
RCM’s Boxing Record (21-5)
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