By Lee Thornton – The upcoming fight between Sullivan Barrera vs Joe Smith Jr has flown under the radar which is odd considering both are coming off big wins and are talented.
When looking at Joe Smith Jr coming into this fight after finishing Bernard Hopkins in vicious fashion his confidence will be sky high, he is a power puncher who is aggressive and has a seemingly more effective inside game than his opponent Sullivan Barrera.
Sullivan Barrera is a fighter who once had hype around him before his contest with Andre Ward but after being defeated by the pound for pound great Andre Ward it seemed Barrera had a lot of doubters questioning his skill level.
Barrera responded to the critics who questioned him by dominating Vyacheslav Shabaranskyy in a fight which he was a major underdog.
I believe Barrera’s switch to trainer Derik Santos was a great move for his career and it showed in his most recent contest. Derik Santos was the assistant trainer to fighters who John David Jackson worked with as well.
I believe he was a huge part of the recognition John David Jackson received. Santos is a teacher in the sport of boxing which is rare these days and fighters hold him in high regard.
This is a tough fight to pick a winner in but I am leaning towards Sullivan Barrera due to his extensive amateur background along with being a better counterpuncher and is more unpredictable with his style.
You can never count out the real life Rocky Joe Smith Jr, however, I think early rounds will be critical to the landscape of this fight as Barrera can not let himself be bullied by the strength of Joe Smith Jr.
I have Barrera by decision. This will be a can’t miss fight between two very respectful, hardworking and powerful fighters. The true winner in this contest is the fans.
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