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As the British domestic scene hosts some of the finest cruiserweight talent in the world in David Haye, Johnny Nelson, Enzo Maccarinelli and Carl Thompson, on Saturday night in Boston, two of the division’s top world champions collide to decide who should be known |
as the very best fighter of them all. Having already twice dealt with former light heavyweight star Virgil Hill, Jean Marc Mormeck of France may have the slight edge in experience, but experience is not beyond susceptibility to the power carried in the fists of Guyana’s Wayne Braithwaite. It is some time since the cruiserweight class could boast a match to capture the public’s imagination, and this one certainly promises to be entertaining while it lasts. Mormeck’s WBA title will oppose Braithwaite’s WBC version in a unification of true significance. It is difficult to choose between two fighters seemingly at the peak of their respective powers, so before you do, check in with the SaddoBoxing.com team to find out who they think will emerge as the unified cruiserweight champion.
Lee Bellfield: A fascinating unification fight in a division that is overlooked a lot of the time. Braithwaite is unbeaten so does not know how to lose. Mormeck on the other hand has beaten experienced men such as Virgil Hill and is out to prove a point. Difficult one to predict in a good trade fight that is happening at the second time of asking. Also, both men have a good knockout ratio. I think the difference maker could be that Braithwaite can adapt more in a fight and can win in more than one way. With this in mind, I think Wayne will box the Frenchman before moving in to force a stoppage around the ninth round.
Jim Cawkwell: Upon seeing Braithwaite fight for the first time, I was not overwhelmed by his boxing ability, but quite taken by the quality of his power. I also went against the surety of my instinct recently in guessing against Erik Morales in his fight with Manny Pacquiao. Therefore, this week, what the hell, I’m going to do it again. I believe in lines of history and I do not feel that Braithwaite’s first loss will come just yet. I believe Braithwaite will finally provide a performance worthy of his hype and stop Mormeck in the tenth round.
William Wolfrum: With so much appearing even, this fight all depends on Braithwaite. Should the “Big Truck” allow his ego to dominate his fight plan, Mormeck has the experience and power to wear him down. The Frenchman goes into the fight confident and on a twenty-six-fight win streak, but at thirty-three, a breakthrough performance that far from home seems unlikely. So, it comes down to Braithwaite. The “Big Truck” knows this is his shot at possible seven figure paydays in the heavyweight division. At this stage, I’m getting the same vibe from Braithwaite that I got from Antonio Tarver before the second Jones fight — pure confidence and determination. The pick here is that on April 2, we’re going to see a star born. Braithwaite by a shocking and spectacular KO by round three.
Edwin Gonzalez: I spent some time with Wayne Braithwaite at Gleason’s gym in Brooklyn, NY, just days before his unification bout. I’d have to say that “Big Truck” is in the best shape of his life. I have never seen him look so good. The sparring sessions are mismatches and the roadwork is a joke. I am not going to mention any names but Wayne has sent a few top ranked heavyweights packing after sparring with them. The natural lefty was fighting out of the orthodox stance, and I tell you that he was getting that right hand off at will. Wayne has been running seven miles daily, so his endurance level is through the roof. He can go twelve rounds twice on Saturday.
Jean-Marc Mormeck’s size doesn’t fool me for one second. Overly muscular fighters such as himself, have stamina problems. His lack of endurance was very evident in the second fight against Virgil Hill. Not the Virgil Hill in his prime, the Virgil Hill that was beaten up by Roy Jones, Jr. and Dariusz Michalczewski. And besides Virgil Hill, Mormeck has never fought any other top shelf opponent. His resume is virtually unknown. The fact that he is the same weight as Wayne is very suspect. As muscular as he is, he should weigh a lot more than 192-pounds.
Look for an impressive performance from Wayne this Saturday. This is the fight that catapults him to the next level. This fight ain’t going into the later rounds, mark my words: it is going to be a beat down. I expect “Big Truck” to steam roll over the competition. This “truck” is speeding and has no brakes! “Big Truck” victorious via knockout in the sixth round. I have said that Wayne is one of the best pound-for-pound for about a year now. After April 2nd, people are going to realize it. Thank you, enjoy the fight.
James MacDonald: I take Braithwaite to win a decision victory.
Sergio Martinez: Mormeck vs. Braithwaite is an interesting tilt at 190-pounds between two of the divisions elite who can put the cruiserweight division on the boxing map. The Frenchman is a busy, crowd-pleasing, body-punching fighter with good power in both hands that aims to get inside and wear his opponents down, while Braithwaite is a tall, rangy southpaw who can turn out the lights with one punch. It’s work rate vs. power in this one with Mormeck holding the advantage in experience. Who knows how Braithwaite will react to a tough, distance bout. My feeling is that if he does not do some serious damage to the Frenchman’s body to slow the incoming down, “Big Truck” will fade late in the fight. I see a tough battle which may see Mormeck hit the canvas early (his chin as never been tested like this before), only to get up and redeem the French in the eyes of the American public with a brave, hard fought twelve-round unanimous decision. There’s my two cents.
Richard Eberline: Interesting clash as Jean Marc Mormeck and Wayne Braithwaite haven’t faced the likes of each other yet in the ring. I’d give Mormeck the advantage in experience as he’s beaten Virgil Hill twice but let’s be realistic, it was a very old Virgil Hill fighting a weight class above his best. Still, I think it provided the Frenchman with an idea of what it’s like to get in with a world-class opponent. Is Braithwaite world class? Is Mormeck? Must be as they are two of the three current major world titlists but I’ve only seen one of them fight: Braithwaite versus Vincenzo Cantatore in Italy. Amazing spectacle as Cantatore would complain to the referee every time Braithwaite hit him, which was often. Just to keep continuity, “Big Truck” would hit him while he complained to the referee as well. Wayne looked good in that one but my guess is Mormeck is a better fighter than Cantatore. This is hard to predict because I have no experience with Mormeck so I’ll go with the guy I have seen, Braithwaite, by unanimous decision.
Don Caputo: I’ve heard rumblings that this eagerly awaited unification showdown could well be one of the great cruiserweight battles. Both fighters are terrific, but from what I’ve seen, Braithwaite is the more versatile of the two. I have a feeling that when the bell rings it is going to be a war and could easily go either way, but if someone was to hold a gun to my head and force me to pick a winner, I’d have to go with the more complete pugilist in my eyes – Braithwaite. He can box and punch, and I think that will be the difference in this one. I expect him to tackle Mormeck similarly to the way Erik Morales fought Manny Pacquiao a couple of weeks ago; he wont back down from the exchanges but will respect his opponent’s power enough to stick to his game plan. Wayne Braithwaite by unanimous decision.
Katrina Walters: I like Wayne for this fight. I feel this is his shot at stardom for his weight division and I believe he will pull out the win in impressive fashion. Braithwaite for the win.
Jim Cawkwell can be reached at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk
