Taylor vs. Essuman & Leo vs. Kameda Preview and Picks

This weekend Josh Taylor moves up to welterweight in hopes of re-igniting his career taking on Ekow Essuman streaming live on DAZN. ProBoxTv returns this time from Japan when Angelo Leo defends his featherweight strap against Tomoki Kameda. Leo is fresh off a highlight knockout over Luis Alberto Lopez to close out last summer. Josh Taylor is looking to get a much-needed victory something he hasn’t done in over 3 years. Heavyweight prospect Moses Ituama is in action on the Taylor/Essuman undercard as well.

Let’s focus first on Josh Taylor as he begins his journey after back-to-back defeats to Jack Catterall and Teofimo Lopez. One could argue Josh has 3 straight losses dating back to his first meeting with Catterall. The big question for Taylor has to do with age and how much does he have left in the tank. Over the last few years some media members believe it was the struggles making the140-pound weight division while others believe Taylor is just long in the tooth. Taylor stepping up to 147 and how he performs on Saturday is likely a bit deceiving.

On one hand this boxing podcaster believes not shrinking down those last few pounds will no doubt help Taylor.  That said we shouldn’t give all that much credent’s to how he looks against a fringe contender in Essuman. However, Josh does indeed need a win in the worse way so why not start here and asset where to go based on his Saturday’s outing. This is not to talk down on Taylor’s opponent. Ekow is an experience fighter who’s fought the 10 and 12 round distance plenty of times. His level of opposition was decent, recently get wins over unbeaten prospects Owen Cooper and Ben Vaughn. His only loss is a 12-round decision to Harry Scarf.

One thing Ekow Essuman will bring to the fight is pressure and an active work rate. With just 8 stoppages in 22 fights, Ekow will have to wear down Taylor with an abundance of shots. As fun as style Ekow has, this is closer to a showcase matchup for Josh Taylor rather than a 50-50. Josh will likely begin by jabbing and moving on the outside. Taylor is a crafty fighter in the trenches and will use that craft and wits to defeat his foe. Josh Taylor will land well timed shots during exchanges and frustrate Ekow with his ring generalship. The best bet is –105 Taylor by decision. Ekow is sitting around +230 all the way up to +270 as the underdog which seems a bit low.

My Official Prediction: Josh Taylor by Unanimous Decision.

On to the ProBoxTv card headlined by Angelo Leo versus Tomoki Kameda. It’s now 5 victories in a row since losing to Stephen Fulton for Angelo Leo. Defeating Luis Alberto Lopez in knockout fashion made for a full circle moment grinding his way back to championship level. Veteran of 46 bouts, Tomoki Kameda is one tough cookie. This boxing junkie thought back in 2015 Kameda should’ve gotten a win over Jamie McDonnell the first time around. Tomoki has gone 11-2 since then losing to Rey Vargas and Lerato Dlamini. It should be noted Kameda did get his revenge via split decision in his last fight over Dlamini.

This title bout on Saturday will likely be the last chance for Kameda to put his stake in the ground. If Tomoki wins it would be his best victory. Although Kameda has never been stopped the wear and tear is adding up. Tomoki is an active fighter who likes to engage, one could argue he tends to overly engage at times. Kameda has a bad habit of throwing wide punches which is one of the main keys to this matchup.

Angelo Leo needs to establish his jab and take his time to break down Kameda. An efficient jab will lead to hooks with both hands to the body. Although Leo throws the more accurate and tighter punch, it would be wise to use his feet to step around and/or pivot. Just because he is more than capable of banging it out on this inside doesn’t mean he should make a habit of it. The body work by Leo will slow down Kameda and loosen up targets to the head. The left hook to the head will be a deciding weapon along with the jab for Leo. An entertaining scrap becomes more and more one-sided in favor of Angleo Leo. Kameda is a +370 upwards to +450 so if you like the upset there’s plenty of value. -161 Leo by decision seems to be the best bet

My Official Prediction: Angelo Leo by Unanimous Decision.

PODCAST LINK: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rope-a-dope-radio-podcast/id1794655742?i=1000709511717

Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio