Richard ‘The Boxing Prophet’ Solomon’s Picks Of the Week (10/3/15)
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.
Lucas Matthysse (37-3, 34KOs) vs. Viktor Postol (27-0, 11KOs)
Matthysse is a heck of a puncher. We all know that. But, he’s been outboxed in all of his professional losses. It can be said though that two of those (Zab Judah and Devon Alexander) are the subjects of considerable debate. For the record, I had Matthysse winning both of those fights. The Argentine takes another crack at a world title Saturday night on HBO when he faces undefeated Viktor Postol for the WBC Super Lightweight Championship recently vacated by Danny Garcia.
Postol is a tricky boxer with a couple of decent names on his ledger, but you would be understating it by saying he has never been in the ring with a puncher who can crack with the force of Matthysse. So, we won’t really know how he’ll handle that sort of pressure until the bell rings. Matthysse was last seen boxing and brawling his way to a decision win over Ruslan Provodnikov in a Fight Of The Year candidate this past April in upstate New York. Most fans expected a high-octane war, but were instead given something a bit more tactical with many moments of intense action. There was also a bit of boxing rather than slugging. It’s doubtful that Matthysse will be quite as focused on countering and picking off his opponent coming forward as he was against the relentless Siberian slugger, largely because that would seem to play right into Postol’s strengths.
Postol is an intelligent boxer who fights behind an educated, serpentine jab and a tight defense. He has good hand speed and knows how to use his legs to cut off the ring and put his opponents into a good position to land clean, flush shots. He has good punch variety and like Matthysse, he works well to the body. Let’s get real though; Postol’s average punching power won’t earn Matthysse’s respect and he better be ready to stick and move if he plans to pull off the upset win this weekend. Postol is coming off wins over Jake Giuriceo and Selcuk Aydin. He also holds victories over DeMarcus Corley and Hank Lundy.
Matthysse is an aggressive, come forward slugger who carries fight-ending power in both hands. A high-action fan favorite, his all-out style can leave him open to a counter attack. But with excellent conditioning and a dependable beard, he can take a beating and keep on moving forward. Matthysse is coming off hard-earned victories over maulers Ruslan Provodnikov, Roberto Ortiz and John Molina Jr. since his decision loss to Danny Garcia in September of 2013. Let’s not forget that Matthysse wields an 83% KO record and has stopped 8 of his last 10 opponents.
It does not get any better than this. The slugger and the boxer. Let’s remember, Postol doesn’t have explosive power, as evidenced by his modest KO total. But, he battles and will not back down. He does not have the firepower Matthysse brings, but he’ll be nose-to-nose with him for as long as this one lasts. He has to earn Matthysse’s respect or the fight will end early. Postol must use his boxing prowess to keep Matthysse off balance. If he can stay away from powerful exchanges, he will be able to win a lot of rounds. Unfortunately for Postol, Matthysse can be a destroyer when he’s focused and cutting off the ring. A big part of me thinks that Matthysse is not taking this fight seriously. He has been talking all week long about wanting to fight Mayweather and Pacquiao in the not so near distant future. Make no mistake about it, this fight has “Controversy” written all over it. Look for Postol to use his considerable height and reach advantages to put on a “Boxing Clinic” for most of the 12 rounds. Sure, there will be more than a few swing/close rounds. My scorecard will read 116-112 in favor of Postol. But I just can’t shake this sick feeling that Golden Boy Promotions will make sure Matthysse walks out of the ring Saturday night with the title belt, by hook or crook. If you want, call it karma for Matthysse. But, I have been saying it since day one and let’s never, ever forget that in a lot of ways boxing is more like a political campaign than a sporting event. Name recognition and powerful alliances are a key ingredient to success. Sad but true. My Pick: Matthysse wins by Split Decision.
Here are my picks for some other fights taking place this weekend. Adrien Broner (30-2, 22KOs) over Khabib Allakhverdiev (19-1, 9KOs) by Unanimous Decision. Jose Pedraza (20-0, 12KOs) over Edner Cherry (34-6-2, 19KOs) by Unanimous Decision. Robert Easter Jr. (15-0, 12 KOs) over Miguel Acosta (29-8-2, 23KOs) by a 5th Round TKO. Jamel Herring (13-0, 8KOs) over Yakubu Amidv (19-7-2, 19KOs) by a 7th Round TKO. Humberto Soto (65-8-2, 35KOs) over Antonio Orozco (22-0, 15KOs) by Majority Decision. Tommy Langford (13-0, 4KOs) over Christian Fabian (20-6-3, 6KOs) by Unanimous Decision. Ryan Aston (16-2-2, 7KOs) over Nathan Graham (17-6-1, 6KOs) by a 6th Round TKO. Randall Bailey (45-8, 38KOs) over Shusaku Fujinaka (12-5-2, 8KOs) by a 3rd Round TKO. Julius Jackson (19-0, 15KOs) over Jose Uzcategui (23-1, 19KOs) by a 4th Round TKO. Miguel Vazquez (35-4, 13 KOs) over Argenis Mendez (22-3-1, 12KOs) by Unanimous Decision. Mercito Gesta (28-1-2, 16KOs) over Martin Honorio (32-9-1, 16KOs) by Unanimous Decision.
If you have any questions or if you are a boxing business that would like to sponsor Richard “The Boxing Prophet” Solomon’s boxing picks of the week, email him at [email protected]. You can also follow him on Twitter @boxingprophet68 or contact him on Facebook Richard Solomon
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