Richard ‘The Boxing Prophet’ Solomon’s Picks Of the Week (7/25/15)
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.
Sergey Kovalev (27-0-1, 24KOs) vs. Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23KOs)
Summer is traditionally a slow time for boxing, but we have plenty of fights and news around to keep us occupied as the heat intensifies. Kovalev is considered by most fans of the sport to be the true light heavyweight champion. Forget this nonsense of lineal titles and who beat the man. It’s all a bunch of crap. Sergey’s resume over the past several fights far surpasses WBC and Ring magazine champion Adonis Stevenson’s by a laughable amount. I’m sad to say that a fight between the two punchers seems farther away than ever. The “Krusher” won every round against ageless wonder and future first ballot Hall Of Famer Bernard Hopkins to unify three-fourths of the 175 pound crown late in 2014 and followed that up by becoming the first man to stop Jean Pascal this past March.
Mohammedi is a decent fighter. To his credit, he’s played the good soldier and stepped away a couple of times as the mandatory challenger to allow bigger fights to take place. Now, it’s finally his turn. However, his chances of beating Kovalev would appear to be extremely thin. Indeed, this is a little more than an appetizer to the main course. Negotiations are already underway for Kovalev to meet unified super middleweight champion Andre Ward in the near future. Let’s not get too excited and interpret this to mean the fight is close or a done deal, but the two sides are in talks and moving toward each other on terms. Also, at some point in the next year or two, Kovalev might want to face his old amateur rival Artur Beterbiev. This will no doubt be a hot fight. Heck, the only reason we have to accept the Mohammedi fight is in order to keep alive the dream of Kovalev meeting up with Stevenson to unify all the belts and once and for all establish a true undisputed light heavyweight champion.
Honestly, I will be shocked if this fight goes the distance or lasts more than eight rounds. Nadjib Mohammedi will have to find a way to stick and move in order to survive, period. He might even win a round. Maybe, Kovalev fights down to the level of his competition. This is the only way Mohammedi can pull off the miraculous upset. Still not sure how in the world Mohammedi is The IBF number one contender. Then I remember, this is boxing after all. Lol. Bottom line, Kovalev will go to the body early and often and land his jab and power shots at will. I only hope that we have a “True” champion crowned this year. Again, paging Adonis Stevenson!!!! My Pick: Kovalev wins by a 7th Round TKO.
Here are my other picks for some fights taking place this weekend: Jean Pascal (29-3-1, 17KOs) over Yunieski Gonzalez (16-0, 12KOs) by an 8th Round TKO. Beibut Shumenov (15-2, 10KOs) over B.J. Flores (31-1-1, 20KOs) by Majority Decision. Jordan Shimmell (19-0, 16KOs) over Isiah Thomas (14-0, 6KOs) by Split Decision. Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. (20-3-1, 9KOs) over Cesar Juarez (16-3, 13KOs) by Unanimous Decision. Brian Viloria (35-4, 21KOs) over Omar Soto (23-11-2, 7KOs) by a 6th Round TKO.
If you have any questions for Richard “The Boxing Prophet” Solomon, email him at [email protected]. You can also follow him on Twitter @boxingprophet68 or contact him on Facebook Richard Solomon
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