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Gary Russell Jr. vs Vasyl Lomachenko Preview
By James Lopez, RCM Boxing Correspondent
Gary Russell Jr. (24-0 KO’s 14) vs. Vasyl Lomachenko (1-1 KO’s) is the bout that has created a huge buzz amongst the boxing community. These two fighters, both 26 years of age, possess great hand speed, power, and technique. The fight is intriguing to many boxing experts because they have such similar styles of fighting, are highly talented, and are trying to establish their name as an elite fighter in the pro rankings off this fight. There is a lot of mystery with these two fighters and a lot questions will be answered on June 21, 2014 at the Stub Hub Center in Carson California
The Breakdown of the Fight
Size Advantage
Vasyl Lomachenko with a height of 5’7 and 66 in. reach will come in with a slight size advantage over Gary Russell Jr. who stands at 5’4 with a reach of 61 in. Both fighters are very skilled technical fighters who know how to utilize their arsenals. The reach advantage might help Lomachenko to maintain the range he prefers and make it slightly more difficult for Russell Jr. to land his shots.
Styles
These fighters are not very physical so expect two boxers standing toe to toe in a chess match. The reason why Lomachenko struggled with Orlando Salido was because he was facing a very rugged veteran who can become very physical in the ring. There were many low blows, clinching, and rough housing that is not allowed in the amateurs. So despite the amazing amateur pedigree Lomachenko contains, he had never face someone like Salido and it showed throughout the fight. Vasyl Lomachenko will not encounter this with Gary Russell Jr. It will come down to a battle of who is the better boxer.
Experience
Despite only being (1-1 KO’s 1) Vasyl Lomachenko probably has better experience than Gary Russell Jr. at (24-0 KO’s 14). The two fighters Lomachenko has faced are much better competition than what Russell Jr. has faced in his whole career. Despite Russell Jr. having a great amateur pedigree (163-10), it is difficult to compare to Lomachenko’s amateur experience that is widely recognized at (369-1) and his only loss was avenged twice. Along with that unprecedented record, Lomachenko has two gold medals to his name.
Power and Chin
Gary Russell Jr. has good power in his punches but his chin is left untested. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to a fighter who has decent power.
Vasyl Lomachenko also has good power in his punches. His first pro fight he knocked out Jose Ramirez who was (25-2) at the time with a body shot in the 4th round. Lomachenko also hurt Orlando Salido in the 12th round with the same body shot and had Salido clinching the last half of the round. Lomachenko has also proven to have a pretty good chin, he took some heavy shots from Salido but did not seem hurt at any point of the fight.
Devon Alexander vs Jesus Soto Karass.
St. Louis listed as the second most dangerous city in America, and ranked number four for murders, is also home to former champion of the world Devon Alexander “The Great” (25-2 KO’s 14). Vaughn Alexander one of Devon’s 13 siblings was the first to introduce Devon to the boxing gym. From that day it started a difficult but promising journey. Having his brother Vaughn face an 18 year jail sentence and having his father pass away from cancer he continued to move forward onto becoming one of boxing’s elite fighters. Having wins over Lucas Matthysse and Marcos Maidana he has proved he can be a tough challenge for any fighter in the welterweight division. On June 21, 2014 he will be facing the dangerous and tough Mexican fighter Jesus Soto Karass (28-9 KO’s 18). He may not come in as the favorite but always gives a good fight and is a true Mexican warrior. Nothing less is expected of him at the Stub Hub Center this Saturday in Carson, California.
The Breakdown of the Fight
Height and Reach
Jesus Soto Karass standing at 5’9 with a 72’ inch reach has a small size advantage over Devon Alexander standing at 5’8 with a 70’ inch reach. Karass fights tall but will not be using much of his height or reach to his advantage. He preferably fights at a toe-to-toe come forward style.
Devon Alexander is a little different. Alexander prefers to fight in an athletic style. He moves around the ring a bit, but mostly uses subtle footwork movements to avoid punches and get in position to use his offense.
Power and Chin
Jesus Soto Karass has power in each hand but does not have one punch knockout power. His game plan is to break Alexander down with an accumulation of punches both to the head and the body. He tends to throw a one-two combination, an overhand right, and good hooks to the body. Expect Karass to not put an enormous amount of pressure, but to always try and stay in punching range and to constantly move forward whenever Alexander chooses to fight off his back foot. He will have to work a lot faster than he usually does because it is only a 10 round bout. Karass has a good enough chin to allow him to stick with the game plan and confront Alexander throughout the entire bout.
Devon Alexander is not known as a knockout artist but has very good snap in his punches. Alexander’s punches are sharp enough to grab Karass’s attention. Alexander chooses to shoot the jab quite a lot in the early rounds followed by right hooks and straight lefts. As he gets more comfortable throughout the fight expect him to start throwing sharp two to four punch combinations. Alexander has a great chin because he has beaten heavy handed fighters like Marcos Maidana and Lucas Matthysse. Even in his lost against Shawn Porter he was knocked down early in the fight but was able to recover and continue fighting throughout the night. Soto Karass has power but will not be the biggest puncher Alexander has faced. Alexander should be able to deal with Karass’s power and to maintain his game plan throughout the fight knowing that it is only a 10 round bout.
Speed and Defense
Soto Karass does not have the best footwork but he normally does not need it for his style of fighting. He likes to stay in front of his opponent and exchange blows and does not like to back down. This will probably be the biggest disadvantage to Karass when facing someone who is as fast and athletic as Alexander. It does not mean Karass won’t be able to land shots on Alexander because he can be hit, but it will just make it that much harder to do so. Karass should try and get into exchanges because that will be his best bet in surprising Alexander with a punch he doesn’t see.
Devon Alexander’s main arsenal is his sharpness. He should be able to take advantage of Karass’s average defense. Expect Alexander’s quickness to enable him to create many openings throughout the fight. He will also use his subtle footwork movement to get in position to throw his combinations and to be able to slip Karass’s punches. When Alexander does stand in front of Karass and gets hit, expect him to either clinch or throw his own combination and step back. Alexander’s quicker hands should also allow him to beat Karass to the punch.
Conclusion
Jesus Soto Karass definitely has a tough challenge against the slick and sharp southpaw Devon Alexander. Expect Karass to want to stay in punching range while trying to land combinations on Devon and pushing the action at times. Alexander who is not new to Karass’s fighting style will rely on his speed and boxing skills to outpoint Karass throughout the fight. Alexander is a crafty fighter who will lay traps for Karass and throw short combinations when he has to. Expect Alexander to not shy away from throwing combinations in the second half of the fight if he feels he is in control of the tempo. Knowing that Karass has been out boxed by fighters like Mike Jones in the past, Alexander should come in as a heavy favorite to win the fight.
Robert Guerrero vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai
Robert Guerrero (31-2 KO’s 18) has not fought since his clash against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 4, 2013. Guerrero hopes to return in vintage fashion and remain a big name at the 147 pound division. He will be facing Yoshihiro Kamegai (24-1-1 KO’s 21) a fan friendly fighter who likes to come forward and tries to break down the will of his opponents. Kamegai will be looking to score the upset and will definitely come in with bad intentions on June 21, 2014 at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California. This bout and style of matchup promises to deliver action and excitement.
The Breakdown of the Fight
Size and Layoff
Robert Guerrero at 5’8 with a 70 inch reach is virtually the same size as Yoshihiro Kamegai at 5’9 with an identical 70 inch reach. Guerrero should still come in a little physically stronger than Kamegai due to his new found commitment in crossfit during the long layoff. This should come in handy for Guerrero’s style whenever he chooses to clinch with one hand and push his opponent back while delivering free shots with his other hand until the referee breaks it up. This is something that he tends to do when the action heats up.
Style and Power
Yoshihiro Kamegai is a slow first round fighter but as the rounds go by the volume of punches and pressure increases. Kamegai does not have knockout power despite his high KO ratio; he relies on his opponents breaking down as the fight continues. Robert Guerrero has a decent chin but that will not discourage Kamegai to continue moving forward and pushing the action throughout the bout.
Robert Guerrero will choose to fight off his back foot. Guerrero doesn’t have knockout power either but has enough to catch Kamegai’s attention. Kamegai’s has shown to have a really good chin in the past and even when hurt has managed to be able to regroup himself and continue fighting.
Defense and Combinations
Yoshihiro Kamegai is a smart pressure fighter he likes to pick his shots and go to the body and the head. He fights like a veteran but does not have the greatest defense. He is not an easy target but not too difficult to find.
Guerrero has slick defense in the early rounds but is not as defensive minded in the later rounds. The slight speed advantage that Guerrero has will allow him to beat Kamegai to the punch and find openings more often. The punches that will do the most damage to Kamegai will probably be the uppercuts up the middle but expect Guerrero to use his jab often and throw the right hook and straight left down the pipe. Guerrero is a crafty veteran so he will show a little versatility with his offense at times against a fighter like Kamegai who is not the hardest guy to find.
Conclusion
Robert Guerrero is the favorite to win this fight. His slight advantages in speed and defense should result in Komegai receiving more punishment than Guerrero. Komegai will do his best to expose Guerrero’s ring rust by constantly coming forward and forcing him to react to his aggressive offensive attack. Yoshihiro Komegai is a fan friendly fighter and Robert Guerrero might feel as if he has something to prove might result in combustion at certain times of the fight. It should be a comeback party for Guerrero but Komegai will try and do everything he can to play spoiler.
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