Super Middleweight

Two exciting and young English super middleweights will go head-to-head on Saturday at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.

Tobias Webb (14-1-1, 2 KO), a 25-year-old prospect and former finalist in the Prizefighter tournament series, will step into the ring with Callum Smith (10-0, 8 KO).

Just 24 years old himself, Smith has been decimating opponents with his impressive power. Both men could have long and successful careers from 168-175 pounds. This bout will be the first significant test for both.

The fight is part of a great card that will also feature Lee Selby, the return of Nathan Cleverly and the rematch of Gavin Rees and Gary Buckland.

Here's how you can watch.

When: Saturday, May 17 at 3 p.m. ET

Where: Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales

TV: Sky Sports

Live Stream: AWE

The Book on Webb

Webb had an opportunity to win the super middleweight Prizefighter tournament in 2011, but he was gassed from long bouts heading into the final with Rocky Fielding.

After being dropped twice in the first round, he didn't come out for the second.

He has rebounded well, though. Webb has won eight fights in a row since the tournament. That success set up this meeting with Smith.

Webb has fast hands, a good jab and pretty accurate counterpunching skills.

He'll be hoping to expose a flaw in Smith's game. While Smith is getting a lot of attention on the strength of his punching power, Webb comes with some fanfare as well.

His uncle is former world champion Enzo Maccarinelli. Here's what Maccarinelli had to say about his nephew, per Andrew Wake of SecondsOut.com: "Everyone is talking about Darren Sutherland, Tony Jeffries, George Groves and James DeGale and when you see this kid fight you’ll know he has to be in the mix with them."

We shall see.

The Book on Smith

When you look at Smith, he has a frame that actually looks suited for the cruiserweight, or even heavyweight, division down the road. 

At 6'3", he has broad shoulders and long arms.

When he really connects with an opponent, the effects have been devastating.

He has eight straight wins by KO. Here's a scary quote to ponder from Smith: Per Shaun Brown of Boxing Scene, Smith said, "My power is improving all the time."

If that's the case, the super middleweight division may be in for a shakeup. It's still very early in his career, but with a fine set of pugilistic tools and two anchors attached to his wrists, Smith has an exciting future in the sport.

 

Prediction

In order to win this fight, Webb has to avoid Smith's jab and counter to the body and head. If Smith can establish his jab early, he'll begin to follow it up with the heavy right hand, and that could spell doom for Webb.

Can Webb be the first man to solve Smith?

No.

Smith's power is exceptional, and Webb hasn't demonstrated the best chin. Though he was fatigued in his loss to Fielding, he was easy to hit.

It's hard not to see some of the similarities between Fielding and Smith. 

Fielding is a long-armed, boxer-puncher just like Smith. Is it possible Webb has grown since that loss to Fielding?

Sure it is, but Smith is even better than Fielding.

Smith will continue to roll and win by fifth-round KO.

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@BMaziqueFPBR

As controversy marred Carl Froch's victory over George Groves in November, calls of a rematch have been rife in the months following the bout at Manchester Arena.

That rematch, which is set to take place on May 31 at Wembley Stadium, affords Froch the chance to retain his WBA and IBF super middleweight titles against Groves for a second time, per Sky Sports.

Dubbed as the biggest night in British boxing history by many, the fight will take on huge significance. England's football home will be redressed for boxing purposes, and there's no love lost between the two fighters.

BT Sport reporter Darren Fletcher also tweeted about the importance of the fight—and the venue:

Froch, who agreed to the fight after fierce negotiations, has everything to lose. Meanwhile, Groves looks for revenge after defeat in the first bout, which was marred by a stoppage-time controversy.

But Froch is not letting the fight get to him just yet, reveling in the magnitude of the match ahead, which could see the highest ever attendance in British boxing.

Per BBC Sport's Ben Dirs, the biggest post-World War II attendance to date was Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium in 2008, which raked in 55,000 fans.

This fight, though, could see a capacity crowd at the national stadium, which excites the Nottingham-born boxer. In an interview with Sky Sports News (h/t The Independent's Jack De Menezes), Froch said:

For me to be involved in an event like this is a very proud moment. With it being in the capital city as well, it just makes the whole history of the event phenomenal. It's fantastic because Wembley Stadium's massive.

What's it going to hold, potentially 70,000, 80? If we did sell that, that would be phenomenal. Talk about making history, to go to a stadium like Wembley for such a big boxing match. Everybody's interested and it needs to be held at a big stadium really.

The 36-year-old then took to Twitter to express his excitement of the second bout with Groves:

But Groves, steely as ever, was quick to point out his lack of nerves as the fight, and chance to redeem himself, was unveiled. He told The Guardian's Kevin Mitchell:

I don't think anything affects my nerves. If I'm confident in my ability to do something, I never get nervous about it. If I was to get up and try to sing in front of 50,000 people, I'd fall to pieces.

But boxing, I find it really comfortable. Any fight, if you prepare correctly and you're ready for it, you should be just there to enjoy it. And I really do enjoy it. I wasn't nervous at all for the last fight.

Some times when you're fighting, the best nights are at York Hall, because the fans are right on top of you and they sound just as loud as at the MEN [now the Phones 4U Arena in Manchester, where they last fought]. Obviously, if we can sell out Wembley, it's going to great. I'm not going to be one bit nervous. I don't know about Carl.

If Froch is to reign supreme once again, he will have to start the fight in much better style than the first bout, where he was floored by Groves in the first round.

Momentum is everything in boxing, and a bad start, in front of a bumper Wembley crowd, could be enough to derail either fighter's chances of winning.

That exact momentum saw Froch turn things around in Manchester. He will be hoping that the referee sees the bout through to the finish this time around in order to avoid any further controversy.

Froch has twice lost his WBC super middleweight title, with defeats against Denmark's Mikkel Kessler and United States' Andre Ward.

But he won't want to lose it again—especially not against the man who has built a formidable rivalry with him over the past 12 months.

To put it plainly, Bryan Vera (23-7, 14 KOs) was robbed in his first meeting with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (47-1-1, 32 KOs). Despite outworking the more popular and overweight Chavez, Vera didn't get the nod from the judges.

Vera didn't just lose the fight on the scorecards; it was a unanimous decision, and two of the judges had him losing by a fairly wide margin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ-vPJCc9bw,117

Because of his solid showing and the controversial ending to the fight, Vera has been granted a rematch. Vera-Chavez Jr. II will take place Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. It's the main event of a card that also features an epic clash in the featherweight division.

Orlando Salido will defend his WBO title against Vasyl Lomachenko. It should be an excellent night of boxing on HBO, here's how you can watch the broadcast.

When: Saturday, March 1, at 9:45 p.m. EST

Where: The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

TV: HBO

The Book on Chavez Jr.

JC Jr.'s last two fights haven't been the bright spots of his otherwise successful career. Prior to getting the benefit of the doubt against Vera in September 2013, Chavez Jr. lost his first professional bout and his WBC middleweight title to Sergio Martinez in September 2012.

Perhaps fighting in a different month will help.

The best, most effective practice for the former champion would be to come into the bout in shape and motivated. He was neither in his first meeting with Vera.

HBO.com's Nat Gottlieb says a "fire in the belly" is the key to an improved performance from Chavez Jr. Gottlieb writes:

There isn't much doubt as to which of these two fighters is the more skilled boxer. Chavez has that edge by a generous margin. But the real edge he will need to beat Vera for the second straight time is something that eluded him in their first fight: fire in the belly.

Perhaps Chavez Jr. had a problem getting up for his first bout with Vera. The latter didn't come in highly regarded, and most expected the fight to be a one-sided win for Chavez Jr.

Now that Vera has his attention, Chavez Jr. vows to show his new rival his best. Per Lem Satterfield of The Ring Magazine, Chavez Jr. said:

Vera has not seen the best Julio. I had my best training camp since I fought Andy Lee. I am ready to fight. Vera is a true warrior. I have had much success in Texas, especially in San Antonio and am looking for giving the fans something they can remember—hopefully the Fight of the Year.

In the first fight, Chavez Jr. weighed in at a hefty 172 pounds. The fight was originally supposed to be fought at 163, but Chavez Jr.'s inability to make the weight limit prompted officials to raise it. Ultimately, a weight limit was completely disregarded, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports.

Vera could have opted not to fight, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity or the payday.

Will Chavez Jr.'s weight and conditioning be on point Saturday?

Vera doesn't think so, but he also stands to fatten his pockets if Chavez Jr. doesn't make 168 pounds. Similar to what happened in their first fight, Vera told Steve Kim of Max Boxing that if Chavez Jr. is overweight, he must pay him $250,000:

This time, being overweight might cost Chavez Jr. in more ways than one.

The Book on Vera

Unless you're a big-time Chavez Jr. fan, Vera is the type of fighter most boxing fans root for. He's not the most skilled, but he works hard, and he has a massive heart.

Aside from his first bout with Chavez Jr., Vera has had other memorable wars in the ring. His clash with Serhiy Dzinziruk in January 2013 was one of the best fights of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZkW3DPZsIQ

Despite his all-action style, and the fact that he's actually from Texas, Vera probably won't be enjoying any home-field advantage at the Alamodome. As Iole puts it, Texas is "Chavez country":

Given that Vera is a native Texan, he should—at least theoretically—have the home-court advantage. Texas, though, is Chavez country, and this bout couldn't be more of a home game for Chavez if it were held in his backyard. Texas judging has been notoriously biased over the years. The refereeing is frequently similar. Texas is anything but a level playing field when a Chavez is in the ring. One can almost be guaranteed that if there is some sort of controversy, it's going to favor Chavez.

It would seem that dynamic would worry Vera. He officially lost the first fight, despite the fact that 53 of 59 writers polled scored the bout for him, and the other six called it a draw, per Boxing News Online.

Vera knows the odds but says he cannot worry about being robbed again. Per Gottlieb, Vera said:

Am I worried about getting robbed again? I try not to think about that for this fight. I don't think it will happen this time. The last time, everybody, including the judges, came in with this expectation that Chavez was going to walk through me. Now, because of what happened before, there'll be more eyes on me, a more equal judging.

Some might suggest he needs a knockout to win. That may be the case, but it is highly unlikely. Chavez Jr. has an excellent chin, and Vera isn't known for his punching power. Only 14 of his 23 wins have come by KO. Thus, he's likely resigned to try to outbox Chavez Jr.—again.

As good as Vera was in his first fight, he realizes he needs to be even better. With the fight taking place in Texas and with more attention than the last, he has stepped things up in training. He told Satterfield he's been sparring with heavyweights as preparation.

"I did all of my training times two. This has been the longest camp of my career," Vera said.

Will that be enough to score a stoppage win or to sway the judges his way? 

Prediction

Call me naive, but despite how unprofessional Chavez Jr. has been in the past, I find it hard to believe that he will be overweight again for this bout. His reputation is largely on the line, and I think he will make weight.

Stylistically, Vera is the kind of fighter Chavez Jr. should wear down with body punches and stop in the latter rounds. That's what should have happened in the first fight, but Chavez Jr. lacked the initiative and the conditioning to get the job done.

This time, he'll be motivated and in better shape. He'll beat a game and competitive Vera the way he should have in their first meeting.

Look for Chavez Jr. to win by ninth-round TKO.

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@BMaziqueFPBR

Trilogies are almost always good for boxing. The third meeting between WBO super middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz (46-3, 26 KOs) and "King" Arthur Abraham (38-4, 28 KOs) should add a nice addition to the sport's history of rivalries—and determine which of the two is the better fighter.

On Saturday night at GETEC Arena in Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany, Stieglitz will be trying to retain his title and make it two wins in a row over Abraham.

After losing a unanimous decision and his title in the first meeting with Abraham back in Aug. 2012, Stieglitz got his revenge and regained his title by stopping the Armenian-born slugger in the fourth round in March 2013.

Taking the rubber match of the rivalry and the WBO title makes this a high-stakes fight. Here's how you can watch this bout.

When: Saturday, March 1 at 2 p.m. ET

Where: GETEC Arena, Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany

TV: Box Nation and SAT1

Live Stream: LiveSport

The Book on Stieglitz

Despite holding the WBO crown for all but seven months of the last four-and-a-half years, Stieglitz is not well known outside of the hardcore boxing circle.

Part of the reason for that is because he didn't compete in the Super Six super middleweight tournament from 2009 to 2011. Most of the six—and ultimately eight—men did gain increased notoriety from the experience.

Also, Stieglitz has only fought outside of Germany once since 2008.

Allan Fox of BoxingNews24 contends that Stieglitz wouldn't be the champion if he had been forced to fight more formidable opponents over his career.

He says weak opposition for both men has facilitated this trilogy.

Fox writes:

The two German based fighters have worked it out to where they’ve been able to keep facing each other with repeated rematches by taking [on] weak opponents in between their fights. Stieglitz would have lost his WBO title long ago had he been forced to fight his No.1 challenger George Groves instead of the little known challengers Yuzo Kiyota and Isaac Ekpo.

There could be some truth to that assumption. Groves and the others look like talents who would give Stieglitz issues, but we haven't seen him tested on that level yet.

After looking tentative at times in the first bout, Stieglitz looked aggressive and confident en route to the stoppage win in March. Since that bout, Stieglitz has won two fights in a row. In the video below, he talks about being prepared for a newly motivated Abraham.

There is talk (per Osiris Mendez Cruz of BoxingScene) that the winner of this bout might be matched with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.—should he defeat Bryan Vera on Saturday in San Antonio.

Is it finally time for Stieglitz to step up his level of competition? First, though, he must take care of Abraham again.

The Book on Abraham

King Arthur is known for his exceptional punching power. That trait is likely what caused Stieglitz to fight cautiously in their first fight.

Abraham looked a bit surprised by how aggressive Stieglitz was in the rematch. He never seemed to get a rhythm. Before he knew what hit him, the fight was stopped by the ringside physician.

Abraham did participate in the Super Six tournament, but he was outclassed by every opponent he faced, with the exception of Jermain Taylor, whom he stopped in the final round.

Stieglitz's speed and endurance could give him issues again in the third fight, but don't expect King Arthur to be caught off guard again.

This one should be action-packed from the beginning.

Prediction

Stieglitz will trade enough to sustain his respect early, but expect to see him outbox Abraham for most of the early-to-mid rounds.

He knows Abraham will be on guard and looking to crack early. To keep him off balance, Stieglitz will use his length to keep a distance, but he'll take his shots when they are available.

I'm not expecting to see another early stoppage, but in many ways, this win might be as impressive—if not more—than the last.

Stieglitz will win by a lopsided unanimous decision.

Follow me. I'm addicted to the Sweet Science.

@BMaziqueFPBR

The most highly anticipated rematch in England's boxing scene—and one of the biggest in the sport in any region—has been set for May 31 on Sky Sports Box Office.

WBA and IBF super middleweight champion Carl "The Cobra" Froch will again defend his titles against his rival "Saint" George Groves, as confirmed by Sky Sports:

Groves posted a statement directed at Froch days after the announcement was made:

According to Jeff Powell of The Daily Mail, the English combatants will likely renew acquaintances in an English football stadium, although the venue is yet to be confirmed.

Chelsea's Stamford Bridge is Groves' preference, but Manchester United's historic home grounds of Old Trafford, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Upton Park at West Ham are being considered.

The two men first met in Nov. 2013 where Froch won, but his victory was shrouded in controversy. Groves dominated the early portion of the fight. He even floored Froch in the first round.

The challenger looked to be a little fatigued in the ninth round and Froch took advantage. The champion hurt Groves, but it didn't look as if the latter was in extreme peril. Referee Howard John Foster called an end to the bout as Groves attempted to retreat from Froch's onslaught.

Here are the waning moments of the bout:

The decision to stop the fight was questionable to say the least. Powell himself said this in his recap of the fight: 

The sell-out crowd in the Manchester Arena were robbed of the climax to a magnificently brutal fight and let the third man in the ring know it, roaring: ‘The referee’s a w*****.'

Justice was denied, also.

Froch, although grateful, acknowledged as much when he agreed that Groves deserves a re-match.

Finally, that rematch is on the way.

The Cobra is 36 years old and looking to wrap up his career in a tight little bow. Per Powell, Froch seems content with the agreement and excited about his plans to finish his career.

Froch said:

The two dream fights for me before I retire are one at the City Ground, then the other in Las Vegas. So it looks like they’re both coming true.

After I’ve beaten Groves again – but this time clinically – and put him behind me for good I will then get my big night on the Vegas strip.

That "Vegas strip" dream fight could be a rematch with Andre Ward, whom Froch lost to decisively in Dec. 2011. That fight is the last loss on Froch's record, and the only unavenged defeat he's ever suffered in his career.

The negotiations for the rematch were anything but smooth. The two camps haggled over the purse specifics, but the details have finally been hammered out.

Groves has contended from the beginning that the first fight shouldn't have been stopped. He talks about it in depth in the interview posted by The Daily Mail's YouTube account below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJbTOgRdKR8

This fight is the rare English fighting attraction that will be of a major interest to serious boxing fans in the United States. A win by Froch would launch him even more into the consciousness of American fight followers.

It would be the perfect setup for a rematch with Ward.

If Groves wins, the 25-year-old will have validation for his near miss in 2013. His career will be set for bigger and better things, or perhaps a rubber match with Froch.

Follow me. I'm addicted to the Sweet Science.

@BMaziqueFPBR