Boxing Challenge

It's the start of a new year in the boxing challenge as Ramon Malpica and I battle all year for prognosticating supremacy in the Sweet Science.

Both ESPN and DAZN have cards on Saturday night, but we'll be starting with only the main events from both cards start the season.

ESPN will feature an excellent battle in the light heavyweight division in a crossroads fight that might place the victor into a possible title fight by the end of 2020 from Atlantic City.
Jesse Hart faces Joe Smith in what is essentially an eliminator without being an official one between two lower end of the top ten contenders.
Hart, who suffered his only two losses at super middleweight in title attempts against then-champion Gilberto Ramirez, moved up to 175 and defeated another contender of similar ilk as Smith, with a unanimous decision over Sullivan Barrera.
Smith was closer to the upper part of the division in 2016 when he knocked out Andrzej Fonfara and Bernard Hopkins, but has only fought three times since including a decision loss to the aforementioned Barrera that saw Smith finishing the fight with a broken jaw and a decision loss in a WBA title challenge to Dmitry Bivol in which he lost almost every round, but hurt the champion in the eleventh round.
Hart is the better boxer and throws many more punches, Smith is the bigger puncher and has the better chin.
I lean Hart here, but Smith has the proverbial punchers chance to pull this out.

On DAZN, Jaime Munguia will begin his middleweight career against Gary "Spike" O'Sullivan in a twelve rounder.
Munguia vacated his WBO title at 154 pounds after recent trouble making weight and it was beginning to affect his performance as he won a very controversial decision last year against Dennis Hogan that many believed (Myself included) that Hogan deserved.
Munguia faces what appears to be a perfect foil in O'Sullivan, who moves straight forward, doesn't punch hard, has lost all three fights against world-class opposition (Billy Joe Saunders, Chris Eubank Jr) and was explosively taken out in one round by Lemieux in his last step up in competition.
Munguia should look good against O'Sullivan and if he doesn't?
Look for those questions about Munguia to continue.


Light Heavyweights. 10 Rds
Jesse Hart vs Joe Smith
Both: Hart Unanimous Decision

Middleweights 12 Rds
Jaime Munguia vs Gary "Spike" O'Sullivan
R.L: Munguia KO 6
TRS: Munguia KO 3