Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Kenneth ‘Bossman’ Sims Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

With Arnold Barboza Jr. and Kenneth ‘Bossman’ Sims each coming off a loss, neither man can afford another setback.

Barboza takes on Sims in a must-win main event for both tonight at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and live on DAZN.

Barboza (32-1, 11 KOs) suffered the first pro loss of his career last May in a unanimous decision outclassing at the hands of Teofimo Lopez. Sims (22-3-1, 8 KOs) learned the valuable lesson of not letting judges decide the outcome as he was eked out by Oscar Duarte via majority decision in August.

Which man will resurrect his career with a rebounding victory in this intriguing fight? DAZN News analyzes their Keys to Victory entering the bout.

Arnold Barboza Jr.’s Keys to Victory

Keep a steady, natural fighting flow

Arnold Barboza Jr. defeated Jack Catterall with high-volume punching toward a rousing split-decision victory last February. Against Teofimo Lopez in May, Barboza didn’t punch enough and was frozen by the former’s slick boxing.

Barboza must keep a steady, fighting flow against Kenneth ‘Bossman’ Sims to admirably bounce back.

This means establishing and maintaining a high volume within his natural flow of boxing.

Bang the body

Oscar Duarte had success pounding away at Sims’ body and Barboza can too as long as he makes it a conscious point to fire away with deposits to the midsection.

He must mix these blows in with his attacks upstairs toward weakening Sims’ legs.

Use reach with the right hand

Barboza has three inches of reach advantage over Sims and he ought to use it, especially on tailends of a one-two combination culminating with a stinging right hand.

Achieving this could grant Barboza the eye candy needed to steal rounds and win the fight.

Kenneth ‘Bossman’ Sims’ Keys to Victory

Punch in traffic

If Arnold Barboza Jr. does indeed show a more natural, steady pace with high volume, Kenneth ‘Bossman’ Sims would be wise to retort by punching in traffic to disrupt Barboza’s flow.

Doing this successfully will break up any rhythm Barboza is able to establish and force him to reset his offense, making it a necessity for the ‘Bossman.’

Catch and shoot

Teofimo Lopez demonstrated it and Sims can build on it - Barboza can be timed for sharp counterpunches, especially on a catch and shoot.

If Sims is able to absorb Barboza’s right hand, a left to the body and left hook across the jaw could be just what Sims needs to win battles in the pocket and bank rounds.

Let hands go

‘Bossman’ does not want to find himself in the position of relinquishing rounds due to a lack of output. If he senses Barboza is extra active with his punching volume, Sims must let his hands go freely.

Doing this effectively could spell the difference between Sims returning to the winner’s circle or suffering a second straight loss.

Barboza Jr. vs. Sims Jr. only on DAZN

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