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Richard ‘The Boxing Prophet’ Solomon’s Picks Of the Week (12/5/15)

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.

Daniel Jacobs (30-1, 27KOs) vs. Peter Quillin (32-0-1, 23KOs)



Brooklyn in the house!!!!  Always wanted to say that.  This fight is for the WBA middleweight title.  The Barclays Center crowd will be on their feet from start to finish.  Quillin, 32, beat up an outmatched Michael Zerafa over five rounds three months ago.  This was his first bout since a draw with Andy Lee, the only blemish on his record.  With wins over Winky Wright, Hassan N’Dam and Gabriel Rosado, Quillin no doubt has the more impressive resume than Jacobs.  Jacobs has been destroying most of his recent opponents.  However, his best win is a 2nd round TKO over light-hitting former champion Sergio Mora, who also had Jacobs down in the fight.  It took him 12 rounds to put away the unexceptional Caleb Truax.  Back in 2009, he beat Ishe Smith, who would later win a world title at 154. Other than that, his list of victims are considered glorified club fighters.  In his only bout against a truly top middleweight, he was torn apart by Dmitry Pirog in 2010.  Jacobs has since made headlines for his courageous and complete battle back from cancer, which really offers a glimpse into his heart and grit as a human being.  But for the purposes of this battle and to pick a winner, I must focus on the actual in-ring fighting.

The fact of the matter is that Jacobs, still only 28, has not proven himself against a top middleweight contender. Until he does, there is only so much you can say about the guy.  He hits hard and there is no question about his punching power.  Whether or not he makes that power get over on a top fighter is still up in the air.  Quillin is a top middleweight, a level at which Jacobs has not occupied.  And it does not make the picture rosier when he was dominated and laid out cold in his only appearance at this level.  Sure, fighters are allowed to improve and it’s been over five years since that loss.  But there is no reason why Jacobs has been matched so softly.  He has really been eased into this spot.  The build-up has not just been slow, it’s been downright ponderous.

Quillin’s career-movement has not been great either.  With only one fight in 2014 and two in 2015, he hasn’t been that active.  He’s been through managerial/promotional issues.  Heck, he refused to fight Matt Korobov in a lucrative defense, with Andy Lee stepping in and destroying the overrated contender.  But, he has been impressive in most of his appearances and should have gotten the nod in the Lee fight.  Quillin is a big middleweight and can be a real handful.  He is just a robust physical force.  He is not particularly fast nor does he possess one-punch knockout power.  Let’s just say he hits hard enough.  No doubt, he is a hard night’s work for any 160-pound fighter in the world.

My main concerns for Quillin are his weight and that even though he lives in Brooklyn, he spent a lot of his early years in Chicago.  Jacobs was born and raised in the Brooklyn residential neighborhood of Brownsville.  This means that should the fight go the distance and be close, Jacobs could get a hometown decision win.  This is boxing after all we are talking about.  Lol.  Quillin has been struggling with the 160-pound limit for a few years now and it led to him giving up his title before.  But this is the most important fight of his career, so I would hope that Quillin will make weight without any problems.


Jacobs needs to use his jab, hand speed and foot movement to pick up the win this Saturday night.  He will have to trade shots with Quillin at some point in the fight and earn his respect.  Truth be told, I would not be shocked at all if both men hit the deck early.  It’s hard not to root for Jacobs.  He is a great kid who has overcome so much adversity to get where he is at today in the boxing world.  But his career seems to be a bit of a mirage.  He’s been built up by his glossy KO record and the media-friendly angle of his story.  Jacobs is a winner in life.  That’s the most important thing of all. But, when predicting a fight, I follow my head over my heart.  My Pick: Quillin wins by a 10th Round TKO.

Here are my picks for some other fights taking place this weekend: Jesus Cuellar (27-1, 21KOs) over Jonathan Oquendo (26-4, 16KOs) by a 9th Round TKO.  Chris Algieri (20-2, 8KOs) over Erick Bone (16-2, 8KOs) by Unanimous Decision.  Marcus Browne (16-0, 12KOs) over Francisco Sierra (27-9-1, 24KOs) by a 4th Round TKO. Yuri Foreman (32-2, 9KOs) over Lenwood Dozier (9-9-1, 4KOs) by Unanimous Decision.  Heather Hardy (14-0, 3KOs) over Noemi Bosques (10-3-2, 2KOs) by Split Decision.  Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (24-5-1, 19KOs) over Rafael Rivera (20-0-2, 14KOs) by Majority Decision.  Jose Ramirez (15-0, 12KOs) over Johnny Garcia (19-3-1, 11KOs) by a 7th Round TKO.  Francisco Rodriguez (17-3-1, 11KOs) over Moises Fuentes (22-2-1, 12KOs) by a 9th Round TKO.  Jack Culcay (20-1, 10KOs) over Dennis Hogan (22-0-1, 7KOs) by Split Decision.  Kubrat Pulev (21-1, 11KOs) over Maurice Harris (26-20-3, 11KOs) by a 3rd Round TKO.  Jhonny Gonzalez (58-10, 49KOs) over Futa Nakagishi (20-5-1, 11KOs) by a 6th Round TKO.  Joseph Parker (16-0, 14KOs) over Daniel Martz (14-2-1, 11KOs) by a 2nd Round TKO.  Amnat Ruenreong (16-0, 5KOs) over Myung Ho Lee (19-4-1, 6KOs) by Unanimous Decision.      

 

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…

BOXING ODDS “Odds are Available 24 hours before the fight.”




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