Richard ‘The Boxing Prophet’ Solomon’s Picks Of the Week (6/12/15) – RECORD – (148-20)
By Richard Solomon, RCM Boxing Radio Panel-Host
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
Deontay Wilder (33-0, 32KOs) vs. Eric Molina (23-2, 17KOs)
Wilder is the first American heavyweight champion since Shannon Briggs back in 2007. He makes the first defense of his title this weekend in a fight that has to be described as “One Big Joke”. Molina is best known for getting blasted out in one round by Chris Arreola three years ago. Let’s be serious. This is not a very good fight. It should produce nothing short of an early demolition win for Wilder in his homecoming at Bartow Arena in Birmingham. No doubt team Wilder wanted an opponent who would not cost a whole lot of money or have a huge chance of upsetting potential prime-time fights with either Wladimir Klitschko or Tyson Fury.
Eric Molina looks to me like a fighter who was designed to be knocked out by Wilder. He’s flat-footed and has a habit of dropping his lead left when he jabs. This makes him very vulnerable to a big right hand. Enough said. Just to be kind, Molina is a rugged fighter who has a powerful right hand of his own. To pull of the upset win, Molina is going to have to nail Wilder on the chin with a “Hail Mary” shot. Deontay Wilder is a monster puncher. He has stopped 32 of 33 opponents. Against Stiverne, he showed some defense and all around boxing skills, employing a nice jab and good lateral movement. My only concern with Wilder is that his torso and legs are extremely slender for a heavyweight. His thin frame has yet to be exploited, but it has to be viewed as at least a potential weakness. Bottom line: I just can’t see Wilder losing this fight. With his fight-ending power in both hands, Wilder will stay relatively patient and work in a methodical manner. He should be able to set up a big shot that ends things in a hurry. My Pick: Wilder wins by a 2nd Round TKO.
Nicholas Walters (25-0, 21KOs) vs. Miguel Marriaga (20-0, 18KOs)
This fight is all that’s right about the sport of Boxing. Expect a war. Walters, the 28-year-old Jamaican Featherweight champion of the world was considered by many fans to be a one-trick pony. A fighter who had tremendous natural power but who would eventually run into someone who could expose his technical flaws. He proved all the critics wrong when he thrashed Nonito Donaire last October. Sure, Donaire may not have been near the level of the guy who won Fighter of the Year honors back in 2012 by beating four world champions, but he was still a competent pro and a huge step up in class for Walters. However, the Axe Man dominated the former pound for pound superstar in every way possible.
Not much is known about Miguel Marriaga. He’s got great raw numbers with 18 knockouts in 20 fights. But, he’s fought mainly in Colombia against suspect opposition. One fighter came into the ring against Marriage with a record of 1-28-3. Really, you can’t make this stuff up!!!! Marriaga beat Walters at the pre-Olympic trials in 2008. Also, let’s be fair. In his only appearance in the United States, Marriaga was very impressive. He destroyed contender Christopher Martin by a six round stoppage in October of 2014. Marriaga has 13 KOs in three rounds or less.
Expect precision bombardment leading to full-scale devastation here. The difference in the fight, I feel will be Marriaga’s wider punching. This should allow Walters to get inside his power shots and land first and hard. In the end, Walters will chop down another foe. Hopefully, next up for Walters is a “Dream Fight” with Vasyl Lomachenko. My Pick: Walters wins by a 7th Round TKO.
Here are my picks for some other fights taking place this weekend: Erislandy Lara (20-2-2, 12KOs) over Delvin Rodriguez (28-7-4, 16KOs) by a 9th Round TKO. Artur Beterbiev (8-0, 8KOs) over Alexander Johnson (16-2, 7KOs) by a 5th Round TKO. Felix Verdejo (17-0, 13KOs) over Ivan Najera (16-0, 8KOs) by a Unanimous Decision. Jose Pedraza (19-0, 12KOs) over Andrey Klimov (19-1, 9KOs) by Split Decision. Dejan Zlaticanin (20-0, 13KOs) over Ivan Redkach (18-0, 14KOs) by an 8th Round TKO. Jose Felix Jr. (29-1-1, 24KOs) over Yakubu Amidu (21-6-2, 19KOs) by a 5th Round TKO. Julian Williams (19-0-1, 11KOs) over Arman Ovsepyan (14-4, 11KOs) by a 4th Round TKO. Ryosuke Iwasa (19-1, 12KOs) over Lee Haskins (31-3, 13KOs) by Majority Decision.
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