By Ian S. Palmer
Tyson Fury vs Vinny Maddalone Preview July 7th
Undefeated Irish Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury will be squaring off against New York’s Vinny Maddalone in a 12-round bout at the Hand Arena in Clevedon England on July 7. Fury has made a name for himself in Britain mainly due to his knockout power and height of 6-feet-nine-inches while Maddalone is known for his tremendous heart.
The 24-year-old Fury, who was born in Manchester, England, has a 14-year age advantage over the 38-year-old Maddalone as well as a seven-inch height advantage over the 6-foot-2 American. Fury has built up an 18-0 record with 13 KOs since turning pro back in 2008 while Maddalone is 35-7 with 26 KOs since 1999.
Maddalone’s been in the ring with some tough customers over the years such as Tomasz Adamek, Jean Marc Mormeck, Denis Boytsov, and Evander Holyfield, but lost to all of them. He’s got the heart to compete against the world’s elite fighters, but doesn’t possess the skill to be successful against them. However, the same could be said of Fury. The English giant hasn’t really met anybody of note other than an overrated Dereck Chisora, who he managed to beat by a 12-round unanimous decision. His last fight was a fifth-round TKO over 41-year-old Martin Rogan for the Irish title.
Maddalone is definitely an exciting fighter and has enough power to drop Fury, but the question is can he stand up to Fury’s best shots. The New Yorker knows only one way to fight and that’s basically to keep pressing forward and slugging it out. Both fighters have shown a lot of respect for each other before the bout as they realize each of them is quite dangerous. This fight should be a treat for the fans and it’s very unlikely that it’ll go the distance.
Fury has the sense to step up in class gradually instead of making a giant leap and taking on a top-10 fighter. He’s got the size and pretty good power, but his boxing skills aren’t that polished at the moment. But at the age of 24 he’s still learning the ropes and has tome to improve his skills. Maddalone certainly represents a step up in class from his last opponent Rogan, and he better be well prepared for the onslaught once the bell rings.
However, Maddalone’s been in several wars throughout his career and at his advanced age he might just run out of steam the longer this fight goes. His best chance is to go after Fury early on. If he fails to put him away by the sixth round Fury will likely stop him in the second half of the fight. There could be a couple of knockdowns in the contest and don’t be surprised if both men hit the deck at some point. If Fury can’t get past Maddalone, it’ll be a giant step backwards for him and may have to start all over at square one again.
Kell Brook vs Carson Jones Preview July 7th
On July 7, Carson Jones of Oklahoma City, USA travels to the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England to take on Britain’s undefeated Kell Brook in a 12-round welterweight battle. Both fighters are hoping to earn a shot at IBF champion Randall Bailey. The 25-year-old Jones has a record of 34-8-2 with 24 KOs while the 26-year-old Brook is 27-0 with 18 KOS.
Brook’s last fight was a unanimous decision over Matthew Hatton and Jones said he wasn’t too impressed with his performance as he many several mistakes. He said if Brook makes the same types of errors against him he’ll make him pay for them. Carson’s record may be a little deceiving as he’s won his last eight fights all by knockout. He had a bad stretch of fights between 2008 and 2008 where he lost four out of five, but he’s been pretty impressive since going 21-2.
Jones has fought some decent opposition over the years such as Alfonso Gomez, Roberto Garcia, Freddy Hernandez, and Jesus Soto Karass. But the problem is that he lost to all of them. He has a hard time when he steps up in class, which is what he could be doing against Brook. The Briton has faced a few name opponents so far, such as Hatton, Philip Kotey, and Lovemore Ndou
Jones is going into this fight with a stoppage in mind because he doesn’t want to leave the outcome up to the judges, especially in Brook’s backyard. Although he’s just 25 years old, Jones already has 44 pro fights under his belt and definitely doesn’t suffer from inactivity. His experience could come into play for him against Brook, but this will be his first fight outside of America. According to Jones, when the bell rings it doesn’t matter where the fight is though, since it’s just one on one.
Jones is ranked number three by the IBF and Brook is right behind him at number four. The winner of this bout will likely have to take on Argentina’s Hector Saldivia in an elimination bout before getting a shot at Bailey’s title. Brook realizes Jones is a powerful puncher and is going to be a confident fighter. He plans to meet him head on though as he’s determined to get a shot at a world title in the near future.
Jones isn’t going to be an easy opponent for Brook and he’s considered to be a step up in class from Hatton. Brook will have to display a solid chin and prove he can stand up to Jones’ power. If Jones isn’t able to stop Brook though, he’s going to have a hard time winning a decision. Brook has pretty decent power too and this could end up being a pretty good action fight. There may be a knockdown or two, but Brook should end up coming out of it with a decision victory.
