Wednesday Night Fight Predictions: August 6th

The more I have gotten into boxing, the more I wish I could be one of those HBO analysts who sit ringside and get paid tons of dollars to share their so called expert opinion with the public.

I guess the best way to reach that goal is to start off on Bleacher Report by introducing and make predictions to upcoming fights.  I hope that my prediction reports can become a regular appearance on the boxing section, but I need you, the reader’s help.  The more views and comments I receive the more motivated I will be to continue my prediction reports.

On that note, here is my pre-fight analysis to the bouts that will be shown on August 6, 2008 on ESPN under Wednesday Night Fights.

Ali Oubaali 21 (17) – 1 - 0 vs. Christopher Fernandez 15 (9) – 4 (3) – 1

This is a scheduled ten-rounder in the light welterweight division. Fernandez has not been knocked out since 2002, although he has never fought anyone close to Oubaali’s skill level.  He is coming off a surprising draw against Joel Torres (undefeated at the time), which occurred on Wednesday Night Fights. 

Oubaali has won his last six fights, his most impressive performance coming against Ashley Theophane (20-2-1), where he won a unanimous decision, although he tasted the canvas in the sixth round. All three of Oubaali’s losses have been during a title fight of some sort. 

There is no significant difference in height between Oubaali (5’8”) and Fernandez (5’9”), and both have not taken a long break in action before preparing for this fight. 

Prediction: Do not expect this fight to go the distance.  Oubaali has a 77% knockout rate, while Fernandez has been stopped three times in his career.  I would not say that Oubaali is taking a step up in competition, but Fernandez has never faced anyone at his opponent’s skill level. 

Neither of these fighters will ever reach the pinnacle of the light welterweight division, so the result of the fight is not very important, so what do they have to loose? This fight should be entertaining in two ways—one, by seeing Oubaali knock out Fernandez, and two by laughing about why in hell Fernandez’s alias is "Kid K.O." when in his 15 wins, only nine are by knockout. 

Albert Sosnowski 43 (26) – 1 (1) – 0 vs. Kevin Burnett 13 (8) – 1 (1) – 1

When I first saw this fight scheduled on ESPN I wondered why I never heard of Albert Sosnowski.  A heavyweight with his record has to be fantastic, right?  Wrong. 

Sosnowski must be one of the most protected boxers I have ever seen.  His lone loss came by knockout against a nobody, while his 43 victories also came against no-name fighters. 

He has fought professionally since he was 19, so he must have some talent, which obviously has not been taken advantage of.  He reminds me a lot of Tye Fields (except for the power), a fighter whose record does not reflect his skill.  He is a two-time WBF champion, but honestly, how much does that matter?

Kevin Burnett is going to be a step-up opponent for Sosnowski.  Burnett was last seen on Friday Night Fights, against Horace Ray Grant, where he gained a lot of my respect after he was knocked down in the final seconds of the fight and managed to beat the referee's count and get the win. 

If Burnett can fight Sosnowski the same way he did Grant, then this fight can be very competitive. However, if he fights like the other mediocre opponents that he has fought, then he will most likely lose.

Prediction: I am expecting a fight with a lot of clinching and not much boxing.  As good as Burnett looked in his last fight, I am leaning towards a Sosnowski victory by way of knockout. 

Although Sosnowski has been matched against some very soft opposition, he has a tendency of knocking out the best opponents that he has faced.  Can Sosnowski reach stardom?  Probably not, but if he does manage to knock out Burnett it will give him a little bit more credibility among myself and other boxing fans.

Oh, I almost forgot, Sosnowski sort of resembles Ivan Drago from Rocky IV, while one can consider Burnett a recreation of Apollo Creed (I know it’s a stretch).  Maybe if we think in those terms, fans might be able to endure this fight.