Oscar Duarte vs Kenneth Sims Jr Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Oscar Duarte and Kenneth Sims Jr. both feel like they are on the brink of something special.

Each fighter will look to prove it Saturday night when they collide at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, Illinois, and live on DAZN.

Duarte (29-2-1, 23 KOs) enters the bout riding a three-fight win streak, having delivered an emphatic seventh-round knockout of Miguel Madueno in February.

Meanwhile, Sims (22-2-1, 8 KOs) enters the ring even hotter with nine consecutive victories including his unanimous decision over Kendo Castaneda in February.

With furthering chances toward a possible super lightweight world title shot hanging in the balance, there is plenty at stake for this bout.

Will Duarte continue storming forward in proving he is a force to be reckoned with at 140 pounds? Or will Sims boost his own standing with a splashy performance?

DAZN News analyzes all the keys to victory, breaking down the tactics for both Duarte and Sims.

Oscar Duarte’s Keys to Victory

Walk Sims down

Cutting off the ring and walking opponents down is what Oscar Duarte does best.

Once in position, the Mexican fighter forcibly invites them to a buffet of power punches.

There is little doubt that Duarte should look to impose his will on Sims in attempt to produce another dominating display.

Rip the body

While fighting forward, Duarte does a solid job of ripping the body with both hands.

These shots tend to slow opponents down, even getting them to lower their arms just enough for Duarte to rattle them upstairs with significant damage.

Testing Sims' body could only help.

Unload the big right hand

This could come in the form of Duarte launching an uppercut.

It could be produced as a crunching right hook.

Or it could be fired straight through the guard.

Whatever the method of delivery, Duarte has got to unload that big right hand with timing.

He already does a solid job of sitting on his punches, leveraging their maximum impact.

A right hand that lands flush could shut Sims’ lights off.

Kenneth Sims Jr’s Keys to Victory

Change levels, utilize the stab jab

Watch fight footage on Kenneth Sims Jr. and one will note how changing levels and dipping down with deposits to the body are already in his arsenal.

Doing this with consistency against Duarte can force and frustrate the Mexican fighter to restart his offense every time he is brushed back.

Sims must utilize this tactic to keep Duarte’s power at bay.

Piece together combinations

In particular, Sims possesses a pointed left hook-right uppercut combination which he pulls off with slickness and pop.

Him catching Duarte with this combo will not only irk the bullish fighter but also serve as eye candy toward judges’ scorecards.

Pick Duarte apart with sweet science skills

Sims does not possess a power edge over Duarte.

But his sweet science skills are there and if he manages his ring real estate well, Sims can wow judges by scoring with precise pot shots.

Surgically pinpointing around Duarte’s power could very well be the recipe for Sims to produce a rousing upset.

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 .