Prizefighter 2015: Middleweights Fight Time, TV Info, Prize Money, Predictions

Another epic Prizefighter tournament is upon us, and this time, the middleweights are featured. Prizefighter 2015 will take place Saturday, Feb. 14, from the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England.

The 160-pound division might just be the best blend of speed, skill and power in the sport. One can only hope we see the myriad of skills from the Sweet Science in this series of scraps.

The total prize money is £80,000 ($90,512 in U.S. dollars). The winner will take home £32,000 ($36,204 in U.S. dollars).

While the lesser-known up-and-comers duke it out in a seven-fight tournament to determine Prizefighter 2015 middleweight champion, two fighters European boxing fans are familiar with will scrap in the featured bout.

Former British super welterweight champion Brian Rose (26-2-1, 8 KO) will battle Carson Jones (36-10-3, 26 KO) in what has the makings of a slugfest. Rose rebounded from a lopsided loss to WBO super welterweight champion Demetrius Andrade in June 2014 with a first-round TKO win over Ignacio Lucero Fraga in Oct. 2014.

The 29-year-old Rose is looking to move back toward another title shot, and beating Jones would be another step in that direction. 

The Oklahoma-born Jones has made a name for himself fighting in England. He pushed current welterweight champion Kell Brook close to his limit when the two met in 2012. Brook won a majority decision, but the rugged Jones created some opportunities for himself with his performance.

Paul Thomas/Getty Images

After a draw and a win, Jones got a second chance against Brook and was stopped in the seventh round. Since the loss, Jones returned back to Oklahoma City to grab an easy third-round KO win over Shannon Miller. Now, he's headed back to the United Kingdom to challenge another European fan favorite.

This is an interesting fight because Jones is a rugged brawler who will attempt to close distance against Rose. The latter has a solid chin as well as the length and overall skill advantage. Despite Jones' two battles with Brook, Rose has faced the better competition and tallied a better overall record. 

Though he doesn't possess much power, Rose's accurate punching and movement should lead to a unanimous-decision win. Here's a look at the participants in the tournament. I've highlighted my pick to win. Just below the table is a focus on two of the tournament's favorites.

Sky Sports in England - 2p.m. ET
Fighters	Age	Record
Tom Doran	27	11-0 (3 KO)
Mick Hall	28	11-0 (1 KO)
Cello Renda	29	25-10-2 (11 KO)
Liam Conroy	22	7-2 (2 KO)
Luke Crowcroft	20	8-1 (2 KO)
Craig Cunningham	26	11-0 (2 KO)
Luke Keeler	27	7-0 (5 KO)
Jack Arnfield	25	17-0 (4 KO)

Craig Cunningham

The 26-year-old from Birmingham, West Midlands, is one of the many fighters who come into Prizefighter as an unbeaten but unheralded prospect. Like most of his fellow competitors, Craig Cunningham has padded his record against journeymen and club fighters with gross losing records.

The difference for Cunningham is that he has proved he's capable of winning a tough bout against another up-and-coming fighter. In Cunningham's last bout in Dec. 2014 against Prince Davis, the 5'11" southpaw won a hard-fought unanimous decision to remain undefeated.

Cunningham had to withstand the effects of a cut above his eye sustained from an accidental headbutt, but he pushed through to win the 10-round affair. This win showed the skill, endurance and toughness it takes to be a serious threat to win the Prizefighter tournament.

He's one to watch on Saturday.

Cello Renda

Perhaps the second time around will be the key for Cello Renda. Back in 2008, Renda participated in the Prizefighter tournament—only to lose in the final to eventual world champion Martin Murray via split decision.

The bout was an instant Prizefighter classic, as promoter Eddie Hearn reminds us:

Unfortunately for Renda, the solid showing didn't push him closer to stardom. The 29-year-old has gone 8-3-1 since the tough loss to Murray, but the losses have been humbling. Back-to-back defeats to Paul Samuels and a first-round TKO defeat at the hands of British middleweight champion Danny Butler have stained Renda's record.

Without question, he needs to win this tournament as much—if not more—than any other fighter involved. His experience in the tournament certainly gives him an edge, as does his time in the ring with top-notch fighters.

Because of that, Renda is my pick to emerge victorious in the tournament. It's hard to predict great success for him outside of the tournament format, but he's the most accomplished competitor set to compete.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.