Scott Quigg vs Jono Carroll – who wins?
Former WBA World super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (35-2-2, 26KOs), 31 from Bury, has his 40th contest against Jono Carroll (17-1-1, 3KOs), 27 from Dublin, at the Manchester Arena on March 7, live on Sky Sports.
BBN ask their panel of experts who they think wins in this England vs Ireland battle:
Mark Tibbs
Boxing Trainer
"I fancy Carroll here. Quigg strong for a long time but I just see Carroll fresher and strong also."
Paul Stevenson
Everton Red Triangle Head Coach
"I was in the opposite corner to Jono Carroll when he boxed John Quigley and have been in the opposite corner to Scott Quigg a few times in sparring over the years.
Both are strong, always in top shape and very thorough in their preparations. Although Scott looks the bigger man, Jono has been at Super Feather for longer and is four years younger. Scott Quigg has more big fight experience but hasn’t boxed for a while.
Style wise Jono is a bustling box-fighter and Scott is methodical and doesn’t waste much. They both like it on the front foot so it has the potential to be a great fight. I may be wrong but I don’t think Jono will stand in front of Scott, at least not early. He’ll use his quick feet and hands to launch surprise attacks then go for little walks. If he gets this right he can build up a big lead and win a decision, it’s up to Scott Quigg to make Jono work harder than he wants to and look for a big finish to the fight or a stoppage down the stretch. I’ll go for Carroll narrowly on points (I actually just changed my mind from a Quigg win mid sentence) though it could quite easily go the other way too."
Peter Sims
Boxing Coach
"This will be a classic fight of the counter-punching southpaw and the come forward body-punching fighter.
In my opinion, although Jono Carroll boxed well against Tevin Farmer, I feel that might be his one-off best ever performance.
Scott Quigg, although has been around the block a few times now at a high level, for me, Quigg still has something left in the tank, so my prediction is a late stoppage win for Quigg as he breaks Carroll down with body and head shots."
Ben Day
Former Southen Area Champion
"Good match-up, but I think Quigg is thinking about retiring now and this might be his last fight, Carroll is strong and I think he could possibly bully him back to get the victory.
Carroll is a character too, makes me laugh!"
Steve Wood
Promoter at VIP Promotions
"I think this is a great fight and a genuine 50/50, but if I had to pick a winner I would go with Carrol, simply because of the weight.
First time for Scott at this weight and I am unsure if the strength advantage that he had at Super-Bantamweight / Feather will carry on up another division.
I love it when Scott boxes with an all-action, aggressive style, and I am sure he will in this one and therefore guarantee a great fight. It may suit the quicker hands of Carrol and that could make the difference in what I hope will be barnstormer.
When Scott has tried to box in the past in the early rounds with James Arthur and then Carl Frampton, it has not worked for him so cannot see him making same mistakes again, that is why I am so looking forward to it.
I edge to Carrol on points, but not with conviction."
Matt Marsh
Former British Champion
"I think it'll be a good fight, but my gut feeling is going towards Jono Carroll. I like both fighters but Carroll edges it for me on points."
Carl Greaves
Carl Greaves Promotions
"I really like this fight, a good clash of styles.
Quigg is strong, relentless and a solid hitter with Carroll a very good southpaw boxer with good footwork and fast hands. I think Quigg will have his moments but hasn't been very active so I see Carroll come through to win on points."
Tim Rickson
Sports Agent
"Scott Quigg is a lot more experienced than Jono Carroll, so it's for that reason I'm edging with him.
He's not only been a world ruler already, he defended his WBA title about four times before Frampton beat him. His losses to Frampton and Valdez are admirable because he was injured badly in both and still fought well. I think Frampton broke his jaw in the fourth round and Valdez broke his nose in round five, but he went the distance both times. There's no quit in him and he's a very capable and high-level fighter. He gets the home advantage too. Also, his reunion with Joe Gallagher could be another good thing.
He has got a lot of stoppages on his record and looks like he's carried that power up through the weights with him, but Carroll is a 'Celtic Warrior' and I don't believe that he can be stopped, not with the Irish blood in him!
I see a points win to Scott Quigg in this fight."
Anish Parekh
British Boxing News Writer
"Carroll is a real character and has attempted to goad Quigg numerous times during the build up.
He is a decent boxer and performed well during his shot at the title against Tevin Farmer but was ultimately defeated. The thing is Farmer himself has been recently found wanting during his recent loss to Joseph Diaz, which tells me that Carroll is some way below world level at the moment.
Quigg on the other hand has been there and done it. He might look basic at times but he always comes in shape and is a hard man to deter, even in losing efforts like against Oscar Valdez which descended into a war. He has also returned to trainer Joe Gallagher, which always felt like a natural fit for his style.
Perhaps if Carroll had a bit more pop in his punches, I would give him a shot at winning but Quigg will have a too much for him.
He will break Jono down with body shots before head-hunting and coming away with a victory that might put him back into the world title scene."
Dee “The Hat” Taggart
Boxing Trainer
"It’s an interesting fight, it’s step up time for Jono and his team. Being an Irishman myself, I hope he comes through!
It’s all about how much Scott has left, for me. If he hasn’t got enough, Jono will overwhelm him aka Hatton-Tsyzu.
But I fancy Quigg by stoppage, I hope I’m wrong though."
Chris Glover
Unbeaten Professional Boxer
"I’ve got Jono winning inside the distance. I think Quigg’s been through too many wars and Jono’s pressure will be a massive factor in this fight."
Jack Bradley
British Boxing News Writer
“I think Scott Quigg has peaked, and he’s had some tough fights over the years. Whilst there is no denying his ability, I’ve always found him to look a bit rudimentary under Joe Gallagher and I’m not convinced he’ll deal well with Jono Carroll’s pressure after a long period of inactivity.
Carroll has the bit between his teeth now, and after losing to Tevin Farmer in his first world title shot last year he will see this as a massive chance to take a step back towards those big fights. He will no doubt have learned some valuable lessons from that fight too. I’m going with Carroll on a close decision as the younger, fresher fighter.”
Ryan Clark
Co-Founder of buymyfight.com
"I know the majority will be going for Quigg, which is the bookies favourite by points, and whilst I could see the logic and find it hard to disagree, I think it’s a much closer fight than the odds would suggest. As a betting man, I’m going to place my money on a Jono Carroll stoppage. I just have a feeling he is more hungry at this moment in time. Should make a great fight though either way. May the best man win."
Tony Tolj
Boxing Manager
"It's a very intriguing fight, that I'm looking forward. The winner will put himself back on the map.
I'm tipping a UD for the homecoming Quigg."
Jordan Bright
British Boxing News Writer
"This fight will be Quigg’s first appearance in over 16 months since his last bout where he defeated Mario Briones, bouncing back from his decision loss to Oscar Valdez. Quigg was scheduled to fight Carroll back in December, but the fight didn’t happen as he had to pull out because of a recurring tendon injury in his arm.
He is the former WBA super bantamweight champion where he made six successful defences of his title. Moreover, he also held the WBA Inter-Continental super bantamweight title in which he was the British super bantamweight champion and international featherweight champion.
The 31-year-old has teamed up with his former trainer Joe Gallagher for this fight as they reunite in Bolton after Quigg moved over to the US three years ago to train with Freddie Roach.
For Carroll, he is coming off a recent win where he won the majority decision over Eleazar Valenzuela. He suffered a draw against Guillaume Frenois and a unanimous decision loss to Tevin Farmer which was for the IBF junior lightweight title.
The 27-year-old is the former IBF European and Inter-Continental junior lightweight champion where he has only gone the distance three times in his career where he won just one of those fights. That fight was against John Quigley and his draw to Frenois as well as a loss to Farmer were his other two 12 round bouts.
This fight is an intriguing one. Quigg's experience, along with his sheer power, should have the edge over Carroll. The British fighter will have less weight to make the cut at 130Ibs where it will be a bonus in the later rounds, especially as Carroll has only reached the 12th round three times in his career. Carroll will not want this fight to go that far as his recent experiences explain.
Winner will be Quigg in the 11th round."
Online Poll
BBN's online poll results:
Scott Quigg points: 49%
Scott Quigg KO: 28%
Jono Carroll points: 13%
Jono Carroll KO: 10%
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