Jermall Charlo vs Antwone Smith Preview Aug. 9
Junior middleweight Jermall Charlo will be taking on fellow American Antwone Smith at the Fantasy Springs Casino Resort in Indio, California on Friday Aug. 9. This will be a 10-round bout televised across the nation by the Showtime Network. The 23-year-old Charlo hails from Houston, Texas and has built up an impressive undefeated record up to now. He’ll enter the ring at 14-0 along with 10 Kos.
Smith is a seasoned veteran even though he’s just 26 years old. He hails from Miami, Florida and will climb through the ropes with a decent record of 23-4-1 with 12 knockouts to his name. He looked impressive in his last bout by beating Jose Luis Castillo, a former world champ. However, Castillo’s best days are far behind him at this point in his career. Smith is a fine boxer with good footwork and a fine jab. He’s a good counterpuncher and likes to use the shoulder roll as an effective form of defence.
Charlo is a decent boxer who doesn’t panic in the ring. He’s got good skills as well as some power in his fists. He has an excellent jab which he uses to keep the desired between himself and his opponent. He’s won his last two bouts by knockouts with wins over Luis Hernandez and Orlando Lora. He hasn’t really taken on any elite opponents as of yet in his young career and while Smith can’t really be considered a top contender he’s still a step up in class for Charlo.
Charlo has the faster hands and is arguably the better boxer. Other than that he and Smith have quite similar styles and because of this it might not be the most exciting fight of the year. They both like to counterpunch as neither of them is naturally aggressive. In addition, don’t expect to see a lot of punches thrown in this bout as neither of them is known for letting their hands go either. When they do throw punches though, they’re usually pretty accurate.
Whoever takes the initiative in this fight and shows some hunger could very well come out of it with his hand raised. Charlo has an advantage in reach and height, but if he doesn’t utilize them and just sits back he’ll be making a mistake. Charlo needs to use his speed to get in, land punches and then get out of distance.
Prediction
It’s hard to pick a winner when both boxers are so close in the skill department. This means it’s going to come down to desire and heart. Whoever works the hardest in this bout should take it by a decision, and it could be a pretty close one. As hard as it is to choose a winner here, Charlo could be hungrier as he needs to make a name for himself and Smith is the toughest opponent he’s faced. Charlo wins this by a close call.
Odds
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Antwone Smith betting • Jermall Charlo betting