By Cliff Rold

Thanks to Tony Bellew’s heavyweight upset of David Haye at heavyweight, cruiserweight has an opening among its alphabet title ranks.

That opening, the WBC’s, will be filled Saturday. One man either adds a second trophy to his case after a previous long run as WBO titlist or we will see a fresh new face emerge from the crowd.

That the fresh face comes in with a high knockout percentage but little bona fides makes him a question mark and a point of intrigue. That the veteran has been in several enjoyable battles over the last ten years makes this an easy fight to look forward to, even if it means seeing it somewhere like YouTube after the results are in. 

Let’s go the report card.

The Ledger

Marco Huck

Age: 32

Title: IBO cruiserweight (2016, 1 defense)

Previous Titles: WBO cruiserweight (2009-15, 6 defenses)

Height: 6’2

Weight: 199 ½ lbs.

Hails from: Berlin, Germany

Record: 40-3-1, 27 KO, 2 KOBY

Record in Major Title Fights: 13-3-1, 6 KO, 2 KOBY

Rankings: #3 (BoxRec), #5 (ESPN), #6 (BoxingScene, TBRB, Ring, Boxing Monthly)

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 5 (Steve Cunningham TKO by 12; Victor Ramirez UD12; Denis Lebedev SD12; Hugo Garay KO10; Alexander Povetkin L12; Firat Arslan UD12, TKO6; Krzysztof Glowacki TKO by 11)

Vs.

Mairis Briedis

Age: 32

Title/Previous Titles: None

Height: 6’1

Weight: 199 ½ lbs.

Hails from: Riga, Latvia

Record: 21-0, 18 KO

Record in Major Title Fights: 1st major title fight 

Rankings: #6 (BoxRec), #7 (TBRB, Ring), #8 (ESPN, Boxing Monthly), #9 (BoxingScene)

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 0

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Huck B+; Briedis B

Pre-Fight: Power – Huck B; Briedis B+

Pre-Fight: Defense – Huck B; Briedis C+

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Huck B+; Briedis B

These almost heavyweights both came in Friday right near the division limit and both have fought in the heavier class. Huck nearly upset Povetkin (and was very unlucky in the scoring) and Briedis has stoppages of former heavyweight title challengers Danny Williams and Manuel Charr.

So far, it is the power numbers for Briedis that stick out. Are they as good as they look? His level of opposition has been variable so it’s hard to tell. They’re certainly heavy hands. The problem for Briedis is sometimes his delivery is a mess. Briedis is a fighter with a decent, if slow, jab, who can fight a little going backwards. His delivery is more effective off the front foot but regardless of body momentum he sometimes winds up. He also throws a dangerous uppercut from well outside sometimes that begs for a counter.

Huck has the experience to deliver those counters. He also has the quickness to do it. One of the German’s better career assets has been his hand speed. He’s not Manny Pacquiao or anything but for a big man he gets off suddenly and puts punches together well. If there is a knock on Huck, it has been a lack of consistency. Even in amassing 13 defenses in his title reign, there were several nights where he looked a little like Povetkin did against him: lucky.

Huck could easily have lost fights to Lebedev, Afolabi the second time, and in his first bout with Arslan. He didn’t and, outside Povetkin, the way to beat him has been by stoppage. Briedis can find hope there. Neither of the men who stopped Huck, Glowacki or Cunningham, is a lights out puncher. They beat him in long fights. If Briedis has the chops to take the fight deep, something that remains to be determined, he has a chance to wear Huck down.

Neither man is a defensive wizard. Briedis often gets caught but hasn’t shown ill effect. Huck is sounder, and tighter, defensively but also supplements his defense with clinches to stem the tide. If he can tie Briedis up, does it frustrate the first time challenger?

For now, the edge in intangibles has to go to Huck. The experience gap is overwhelming in his favor and while he’s had some bad nights, he’s had plenty of good ones. With a title on the line, and his prime fading with all the tough fights over the years, we’re likely to see the good Huck this weekend. 

The Pick

This fight looks potentially exciting but when you watch both fighters in their recent affairs, and then measure their sum careers, it’s hard not to pick Huck. He’s still a little quicker, somewhat harder to hit, and has a more versatile skill set. Briedis has good knockout numbers but, to date, against who? We’ve seen lots of guys in recent years manufacture strong knockout numbers that don’t have a ton of substance beneath them. How does his power play against a genuine top-level cruiserweight? We don’t know yet. We do know his defense looks like a weakness and his wide shots could leave huge openings for Huck to launch in combination. Huck has more miles on him, but the thinking here is not enough to lose this one. The pick is Huck by late stoppage or decision.

Report Card and Staff Picks 2017: 6-5 

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com