Richard ‘The Boxing Prophet’ Solomon’s Picks Of the Week (11/7/15) – Boxing Odds & (Record 268-37)

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.

Timothy Bradley (32-1-1, 12KOs) vs. Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 24KOs)

Bradley has been one of the top boxing talents over the past five years.  He is a physically powerful and athletic fighter with outstanding boxing skills.  The two-division champion holds impressive wins over Lamont Peterson, Devon Alexander and Juan Manuel Marquez.  In June 2012, Bradley won a highly controversial split decision to Manny Pacquiao.  He lost the rematch in April 2014.  In between those two fights, Bradley survived and won a brutal war by unanimous decision against Ruslan Provodnikov.  It might have been one of the best fights over the past decade.  Bradley showed inhuman physical and mental toughness in that battle, but he suffered tremendous damage.  With the savage rounds Bradley has fought, it’s tough not to question if he is the same fighter he used to be.  Bradley came away with just a draw against Diego Chaves last December.  Sure, it was a terrible decision, but it was also surprising that Bradley let Chaves fight him enough on even terms for the judges to make that kind of mistake.  Bradley looked a lot better when he beat Jessie Vargas for the vacant WBO welterweight title last June.  However, Vargas had him in serious trouble at the end of the fight.  No doubt Bradley benefited from referee Pat Russell becoming confused and stopping the fight several seconds early.

Rios is a come-forward ring warrior with a chin of granite.  He never fails to give fans their money’s worth.  His first two fights with Mike Alvarado were all-action classics.  Rios won the rubber match easy by a 3rd round TKO last January.  Ultimately, to win against Bradley, Rios is going to need to look sharper than he ever has before.  Of course, he’s probably going to need Bradley to be a faded version of his younger self.  Rios, in order to cut off the ring, has to step forward at angles rather than just moving in a forward direction.  Rios can pull off the upset victory if he turns the fight with Bradley into a phone-booth brawl.  He’s got to get in close with Bradley and hammer away at him.  Both men have outstanding chins and conditioning, but Rios has the bigger punch, so he can win if this turns into a war of attrition.

Make no mistake about it, this should be an exciting fight.  However, Bradley has to resist being drawn into an all out war and box against Rios.  Use a stiff jab and lateral movement to keep the fight on the outside as much as possible.  This will allow Bradley to minimize the damage Rios can inflict upon him and will make it easier for him to pick apart Rios with counter shots.  When Bradley does find himself squared up to Rios in the pocket, he has to smother and clinch.  So long as he can prevent Rios from hurting him in close, Bradley should have enough gas left in the tank to get the win.  Rios will hurt Bradley several times, but even with his back against the wall, Bradley is never going to be an easy fighter to finish.  Very tough fight to call.  Just hope Teddy Atlas knows what he is doing. Hope he reminds Bradley that the less exciting things get in the ring this Saturday night, the better chance his protege has of winning the fight.  End of story.  My Pick: Bradley wins by Split Decision.

Here are my picks for some other fights taking place this week: Alexander Povetkin (29-1, 21KOs) over Mariusz Wach (31-1, 17KOs) by a 10th Round TKO. Denis Lebedev (27-2, 20KOs) over Lateef Kayode (21-0, 16KOs) by a 6th Round TKO.  Rakhim Chakhkiev (24-1, 18KOs) over Ola Afolabi (21-4-4, 10KOs) by Majority Decision.  Cesar Cuenca (48-0, 2KOs) over Eduard Troyanovsky (22-0, 19KOs) by Unanimous Decision.  Dmitry Kudryashow (18-0, 18KOs) over Olanrewaja Durodola (21-2, 19KOs) by a 4th Round TKO.  Antoine Douglas (18-0-1, 12KOs) over Les Sherrington (35-7, 19KOs) by an 8th Round TKO. Taras Shelestyuk (12-0, 8KOs) over Aslanbek Kozaev (26-1-1, 7KOs) by Unanimous Decision.  Keenan Smith (8-0, 3KOs) over Benjamin Whitaker (10-1, 2KOs) by Unanimous Decision. O’Shanique Foster (8-0, 5KOs) over Samuel Teah (6-1, 2KOs) by a 3rd Round TKO.  Martin Honorio (32-9-1, 16KOs) over Miguel Angel Huerta (28-13-1, 18KOs) by a 7th Round TKO.  Vasyl Lomachenko (4-1, 2KOs) over Romulo Koasicha (25-4, 15KOs) by a 6th Round TKO.  Fredrick Lawson (24-0, 20KOs) over Kevin Bizier (24-2, 16KOs) by Majority Decision.  Keita Obara (15-1, 14KOs) over Walter Castillo (26-3, 19KOs) by a 5th Round TKO. Ruslan Provodnikov (24-4, 17KOs) over Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez (14-0, 11KOs) by an 8th Round TKO.  Zhanat Zhakiyanov (25-1, 18KOs) over Yonfrez Parejo (17-1-1, 8KOs) By Unanimous Decision.  David Avaneskan (20-1-1, 10KOs) over Charlie Navarro (25-7, 20KOs) by a 4th Round TKO.  Youri Kalenga (21-2, 14KOs) over Roberto Bolonti (36-4, 25KOs) by Split Decision.  Callum Smith (17-0, 12KOs) over Rocky Fielding (21-0, 12KOs) by Majority Decision.  Scotty Cardle (18-0, 5KOs) over Sean Dodd (10-1, 2KOs) by a 5th Round TKO.  Ricky Burns (38-5-1, 12KOs) over Josh King (20-3, 9KOs) by Unanimous Decision.  Jamie Cox (19-0, 11KOs) over Ferenc Albert (20-7, 9KOs) by a 4th Round TKO.

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