Garcia: 139.8
Morales: 139.2
Prediction: Drug controversy aside, there’s not much that makes me think Erik Morales can turn around what happened in the first fight. At times, we saw Morales counter Garcia effectively, but the younger fighter’s power and stamina allowed him to take over late and drop El Terrible. This one I don’t see going the distance. Garcia was clearly angered by Morales’ alleged steroid use, and fighting upset and brawling can only help Morales’ chances. But at some point, the heroic efforts run out for every fighter and this appears to be it for Morales. GARCIA BY LATE TKO
Bailey: 147
Alexander: 146.8
Prediction: Can lightning strike twice Randall Bailey? On the surface, I’d say no. Still, Bailey brought up a good point back in September when this fight was first supposed to happen. He said that in the majority of Alexander’s big fights, he’s gotten clocked and sometimes dropped by right hands (Bailey’s massive power punch). There’s truth to that — Matthysse, Kotelnik and Bradley got in their share of solid rights. Nonetheless, controversial as they were, only Bradley got a victory. Bailey will get in at least one massive shot, maybe even score a knockdown, but Alexander is going to be cautious and not get hit enough to get in any prolonged serious trouble. Alexander by unanimous decision.
Malignaggi: 146.2
Cano: 147.2
Prediction: Cano couldn’t get under the welterweight limit on several tries, so Paulie’s WBA strap isn’t on the line. Look for Cano to try and apply a lot of pressure early, leading to some rough spots for Malignaggi (who’s woeful on the inside). Since Cano is the one moving up, and Malignaggi’s been punching with more authority (with the jab and body work), I think the Magic Man handles Cano’s aggressiveness just fine and proceeds to stick the jab and outbox Cano by the middle rounds. With his hometown as the backdrop, Paulie Maligaggi cruises to a comfortable unanimous decision.
Quillin: 159.2
N’Jikam: 159
Prediction: If an upset were to happen on this card, this is the most likely fight. Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam has a high punch output and fast hands. During inside exchanges, it’s conceivable that he can catch Quillin. However, Kid Chocolate holds the advantage everywhere else: he’s more accurate, throws straighter shots and has more power. N’Jikam attributes will present some problems, but his recklessness and wide punches likely will have him running into a big Quillin right hand. Quillin TKO7
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6KWALkrTpI&feature=youtube_gdata_player]
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World championship boxing returns to Brooklyn with an inaugural night of fights at the new Barclays Center on October 20 headlined by Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Danny “Swift” Garcia against future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales presented by Golden Boy Promotions and supported by Golden Boy Promotions sponsors Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. In the co-featured attractions, Brooklyn’s own Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi puts his WBA Welterweight World Championship on the line against hard-hitting Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano, undefeated number one rated WBO middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin of Manhattan takes on unbeaten Hassan N’Dam for N’Dam’s WBO Middleweight World Championship and Devon Alexander “The Great” faces Randall Bailey for Bailey’s IBF Welterweight World Championship in a bout presented in association with DiBella Entertainment. The SHOWTIME® CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Preliminary fights will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
The undercard is loaded with many of New York’s top fighters, including Brooklyn’s hot middleweight prospect Daniel “The Golden Child” Jacobs, former World Champion Luis Collazo, the Bronx’s rising star Eddie Gomez, former world title contender Dmitriy Salita and Brooklyn prospect Boyd Melson.
Tickets pricedat $300, $200, $100 and $50 are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com,www.ticketmaster.com, the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling 800-745-3000.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 