Cruiserweight champions collide on Showtime

The cruiserweight division has long been boxing's "No Man's Land." A late-career wasteland for blown up super middleweights, no cruiserweight champion has captured the attention of the American public since the reign of Evander Holyfield. And none could lay claim to the title of undisputed (or unified) champion since Holyfield vacated the division to campaign as a heavyweight back in the summer of 1988.It is no surprise, therefore, that this weekend's terrific cruiserweight unification bout has gone largely unnoticed by both the press and the fans. Yet, when Wayne Braithwaite and Jean Marc Mormeck step into the ring to unify the WBC and WBA titles, it promises be a terrific match up of styles for the fans and attractive offshore betting lines for players to enjoy (Showtime, 11 PM ET/PT).The reason Showtime decided to broadcast this fight has nothing to do with the fact that, barring a draw, Saturday's fight will crown the first unified cruiserweight champion in nearly 17 years. Instead, it has everything to do with how the champions match up stylistically.In many ways, Mormeck and Braithwaite (ranked #1 and #2 by InsideFighting, respectively) are mirror images of each other. They are pressure-first fighters who like to close the distance with the jab so they can smother their opponent with punches against the ropes. It is a style that is very similar to the reigning Light Heavyweight Champion, Glen Johnson. So, fans can expect both fighters to come out trying to impose their will on the other.The deciding factor in the fight, therefore, may very well come down to which man can fight more effectively outside of his comfort zone. In other words, will either man be able to successfully transition to the role of counterpuncher? For Mormeck (30-2, 21 KOs), that means using upper body and head movement to slip the jab and step inside ripping hooks to the body. Once on the inside, Mormeck's natural tendency to push the pace will turn him into the aggressor, as he looks to back up Braithwaite with smothering punches. While that isn't counterpunching per se, it is countering to create opportunities to get inside and push the pace against his taller, longer foe.Braithwaite (21-0, 17 KOs), on the other hand, has the length, reach and hand speed to keep the fight at a safe distance with his long jab. As Mormeck reaches in to try and land power shots, Braithwaite also has the footwork and reflexes to counter with a power shot before circling out and resuming boxing behind the jab.In terms of punching power, Braithwaite (21-0, 17 KOs) is the bigger puncher. He owns more early-round stoppages against quality opponents compared to Mormeck. A lot of that comes from the way he sits down on his punches to get maximum leverage. Mormeck does not sit down and fire with everything all that often. He prefers to throw shots with a little less zip so that he can land more shots with a higher percentage. But those shots certainly have enough pop to get any cruiserweight out of there with an accumulation of shots. Because Braithwaite is the bigger, more powerful and younger fighter, odds makers slightly favor the Ghana native in Saturday night's fight. For newer players, that basically means that they give him just over a 50 percent chance at victory. And they believe that it is more likely than not that he will win by decision, setting the round proposition bet at over 9.5 rounds -150. While the fighter's respective resumes, particularly Mormeck's resume, suggests that this fight is an "over" fight. The clash of styles creates some value in the under.As mentioned earlier, when the bell rings on Saturday night, both men should come out with guns blazing, because neither is very comfortable playing the role of counterpuncher. Braithwaite is also a southpaw, so that sets up well for Mormeck's preference to lead with right hands. And jumping in with hooks to the body, again, Mormeck's preference, against a southpaw increases the likelihood of a clash of heads and a resulting fight-ending cut. Moreover, when the relatively inexperienced Braithwaite gets hit, he responds by planting his feet and fighting. He does not respond by getting on his bicycle and boxing behind a good jab. All that combines to build value in the under and Mormeck as the slight underdog.There is no doubt that Wayne Braithwaite is very capable of becoming the first unified cruiserweight champion in almost 17 years - the odds makers believe that he will do just that by some type of late-round stoppage or decision. "Mormeck, to be the 'man', you have to beat the man," Braithwaite said to his foe on the final media call last week. "I am the man, so you have to beat me to be the man!" "It's exactly what I am going to do," Mormeck quickly countered.And Mormeck certainly has the goods to make good on that reply. Go to SportingBet