Photo Credit: Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions
Premier Boxing Champions will make their debut on ESPN Saturday night with headliners Keith Thurman vs. Luis Collazo. The main event participants and opening TV bout fighters, Tony Harrison and Willie Nelson, were all on target with their respective weights.
The card airs at 9 p.m. ET.
THURMAN: 146.2
COLLAZO: 147
PREDICTION: Long gone is the Luis Collazo that nearly took out undefeated versions of Andre Berto and Ricky Hatton in the mid to late 2000s. Although career lulls has preserved him more than most 15 year pros, it won’t be enough to combat the talent of Keith Thurman. One Time will have some issues getting the timing down with Collazo’s southpaw stance, and I expect some additional jitters fighting in his hometown. After a few pensive rounds, I see Collazo hitting the canvas a few times before protesting a ref stoppage. THURMAN TKO8
HARRISON: 153.8
NELSON: 154.6
PREDICTION: This is supposed to be Harrison’s coming out party, but he’s not facing a pushover. Willie Nelson’s height and long jabĀ give him a shot to pull the upset. The reason the Harrison is the favorite is his bigger punch, Nelson’s shaky chin and propensity to compromise his height and brawl. I favor Harrison to get inside, force a dogfight and crack Nelson’s chin for a vicious KO. HARRISON KO5
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 