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Richard ‘The Boxing Prophet’ Solomon’s Picks Of the Week (9/12/15)

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.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (48-0, 26KOs) vs. Andre Berto (30-3, 23KOs)

Berto did start his career with 27 straight wins and was once regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in the world.  Five years ago, this fight seemed likely to happen and fans wondered whether Berto could be the man to hand Mayweather his first ever loss.  He now finally gets his chance.  However, here is the bad news; Berto has lost three of his last six fights and earned his shot at Mayweather with wins over Steve Upsher Chambers and Josesito Lopez.  Enough said.  Of course, Mayweather needs no introduction.  The unquestioned pound-for-pound king and future first ballot Hall Of Famer was last seen dispatching longtime rival Manny Pacquiao, easily beating him by unanimous decision in a fight that failed to live up to the fans’ lofty expectations.  “Money” did what he does best: control the ring, dominate with speed and defense and cruise to an easy win.  Even at the age of 38, Mayweather’s hand speed remains phenomenal and you have to admire his longevity in the sport.  Make no mistake about it, Floyd Mayweather is an all time great.

That doesn’t mean Mayweather hasn’t shown any signs of old age.  His footwork is not as good as it was during his prime, when he could move around the ring like no other and make his opponents look silly.  These days, he relies even more on his head movement and shoulder roll defense and while it’s still an incredible sight to behold, it does present his opponent with a more static target.  Floyd has been hit more in his last couple of fights than ever before.  Mayweather has become less adventurous when moving forward, relying heavily on counterpunching instead.  Berto is an explosive puncher with solid power, so I guess you can say that keeping Andre at a distance and making the ring as big as possible would play right into Mayweather’s strengths.  No doubt the champ won’t be afraid to clinch when necessary.

Exactly how controversial was Mayweather’s decision to fight Berto?  Apart from the constant criticism the bout has received in the past few months, even the fighter himself felt the need to address the issue during a recent press conference.  Mayweather doesn’t usually answer tricky questions, he either dodges them or ignores them completely.  The fact that Mr. “TBE” chose to defend himself tells you all you need to know.  Berto is 31 years old and is a former champion.  His resume includes impressive wins over Juan Urango and Luis Collazo.  Berto is no scrub, he’s just not the young, dangerous fighter fans were hoping for.  Mayweather was never going to fight Gennady Golovkin, but I’m sure most boxing fans would have been thrilled if Mayweather fought Amir Khan instead of Berto.  Let me point out that Berto has solid hand speed and some power.  He seems eager to prove all of his doubters wrong.  Berto is in impeccable shape for this fight.  Berto knows if he is to produce one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, he will have to be fearless.  Berto should not worry about trying to walk through Mayweather’s punches to get up close.  Andre needs to avoid the clinch against a defensive fighter like Mayweather, which by the way, is never easy.  But what he can do is force Mayweather into the ropes and try to lure him into a street fight.  Pacquiao seemed to shock Mayweather briefly in their fight.  This will be Berto’s only chance to win.

Does Berto have a style to give Floyd trouble?  In a word, no, unless he changes dramatically.  He is physically strong, a broad-shouldered guy who could in theory do some of what Marcos Maidana did against Mayweather, bullying him and letting his hands fly.  But that’s not really been Berto’s approach too often in the past.  He’s been a hesitant fighter at times and since returning from the shoulder surgery, seems a bit cautious about throwing punches in bunches.  While there is no guarantee that Mayweather will go for a knockout considering how effective his usual strategy is, it will be there for the taking provided he remains patient and doesn’t attempt to brawl with Berto.  The finish of the fight is essentially in Mayweather’s hands and depending upon how he feels on the night of September 12th, 2015, he could very well put an exclamation point on the end of his storied career.  My Pick: Mayweather wins by a 9th Round TKO.

Here are my picks for some other fights taking place this weekend: Roman Martinez (29-2-2, 17KOs) over Orlando Salido (42-13-2, 29KOs) by Unanimous Decision.  Badou Jack (19-1-1, 12KOs) over George Groves (21-2, 16KOs) by Split Decision.  Vanes Martirosyan (35-2-1, 21KOs) over Ishe Smith (27-7, 12KOs) by an 8th Round TKO.  Jhonny Gonzalez (58-9, 49KOs) over Jonathan Oquendo (25-4, 16KOs) by a 7th Round TKO.  Adonis Stevenson (26-1, 21KOs) over Tommy Karpency (25-4-1, 14KOs) by a 6th Round TKO.  Errol Spence Jr. (17-0, 14KOs) over Chris van Heerden (23-1-1, 12KOs) by a 9th Round TKO.  Donovan Ruddock (40-5-1, 30KOs) over Dillon Carman (8-2, 7KOs) by a 5th Round TKO.  Tyson Cave (27-3, 10KOs) over Nestor Hugo Paniagua (25-8-2, 17KOs) by a 4th Round TKO.  Oscar Valdez (16-0, 14KOs) over Chris Avalos (26-3, 19KOs) by Majority Decision.  Jesse Hart (17-0, 14KOs) over Aaron Pryor Jr. (19-8-1, 12KOs) by a 3rd Round TKO.  Peter Quillin (31-0-1, 22KOs) over Michael Zerafa (17-1, 9KOs) by a 6th Round TKO.  Jermall Charlo (21-0, 16KOs) over Cornelius Bundrage (34-5, 19KOs) by Unanimous Decision.  Marcus Browne (15-0, 11KOs) over Gabriel Campillo (25-7-1, 12KOs) by Unanimous Decision.  Hugo Centeno (22-0, 12KOs) over Lukasz Maciec (22-2-1, 5KOs) by a 2nd Round TKO.  Anthony Joshua (13-0, 13KOs) over Gary Cornish (21-0, 12KOs) by a 7th Round TKO.    

BOXING ODDS    

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