Steven Nelson vs. DeAndre Ware is a very intriguing match-up and we don’t agree that this will be a wipeout win for Nelson like many other handicappers. Nelson has looked incredible as of late and he has been stopping many guys. It is obvious that he punches hard and that he is physically strong. DeAndre Ware is a decent fighter and he only has 2 losses. In his most recent fight against Vladimir Shishkin he was stopped late in the fight but Shishkin is no joke and he is a better fighter at this stage of their careers than Steven Nelson who took up boxing late. Shishkin has a ton of amateur experience and he would be favored in a fight against Nelson by those who know about him if they were to fight now. DeAndre Ware has already made his presence known in Las Vegas this week-end as he saved a life at the weigh-in, giving out emergency CPR to revive someone in the crew who got suddenly ill. He is here to fight and he looks to be in good shape as did Nelson at the weigh in. (sign in to view our prediction & pick)
We believe that Nelson´s pressure and physique will win him this fight but it will be close. We see the fight going the distance and the best value play here is to pick the "Fight To Go The Distance" for a priee of +240 (3.40 decimal odds). Picking Nelson by Decision is almost priced the same as the fight going the distance so this play is better because we are covered in case the fight is a draw or if DeAndre wins a decision.