Oscar Duarte vs Kenneth Sims Jr: Who has the edge?

Since losing to Ryan Garcia in December 2023, Oscar Duarte has been on a hot streak.

The Mexican fighter will seek his fourth straight victory and look to inch closer to a shot at a super lightweight world title when he clashes with a surging Kenneth Sims Jr at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday night, live on DAZN.

In less than a 10-month span, Duarte (29-2-1, 23 KOs) has produced three wins including his punctuating seventh-round knockout of Miguel Madueno in February.

He will put that streak up against Sims (22-2-1, 8 KOs) who is riding a wave of momentum himself, having won nine straight fights including his unanimous decision over Kendo Castaneda in February.

Here, DAZN News' Mark Lelinwalla examines who has the edge between Duarte and Sims heading into their bout Saturday night.

Boxing Styles

Oscar Duarte’s style is simple but effective. He is going to walk opponents down behind the jab, dismantling them with power shots along the way.

It is how the Mexican fighter has accumulated 29 professional victories and he will use this method in search of his 30^th as well.

That style will be up against the more surgical, pinpoint boxing of Sims who picks opponents apart with a precise, steady flow of well-timed shots.

This category is a close one as each fighter executes his boxing style effectively. The question is: Can Sims’ sweet science skills hold off Duarte’s power?

It might take a breakout performance but Sims’ skills are present.

Edge: Sims

Power

Duarte counts 23 of his 29 victories by way of knockout.

His bullish style is made with power in mind, especially with his big right hand.

If he catches Sims with this shot cleanly, the Chicago native could instantly find himself in a heap of trouble.

While Sims is not known for his power with only eight of his 22 wins coming by knockout, he is capable of battering boxers round by round with his stinging output.

That said, this category is not close with Duarte being the bigger power puncher.

Edge: Duarte

Mental Warfare

Duarte and Sims were originally slated to fight in November, though a knee injury to the latter forced the bout to be scratched.

Duarte made it clear that he thought Sims was trying to duck him — an insinuation that ‘Bossman’ refutes and vows to make the Mexican pay for.

This could mean Duarte is already living rent-free in Sims’ head or that the American boxer is using the Mexican’s allegation as fuel toward a win Saturday night.

The slight edge goes to Duarte.

Edge: Duarte

Who has the edge in Duarte vs Sims?

Both Duarte and Sims enter this bout hot, looking to further chances toward a world championship opportunity at 140 pounds.

If there is an extra push between them, it could very well be Duarte who has been on a big stage before, headlining a card with Ryan Garcia to plenty of eyes.

So this contest against Sims should not rattle him. Of course, Sims can change that with a breakout performance but he is going to have to fight that into fruition.

DAZN News' Mark Lelinwalla gives the 2-1 edge to Duarte heading into this pivotal bout.

Watch Itauma vs Whyte live on DAZN

You can watch Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte live on DAZN on August 16. More information is available here.