ALLAN GREEN vs TARVIS SIMMS

Allan Green, who scored the quickest-ever win on Showtime when he blew out Jaidon Codrington in 18 seconds, returns to the network on Friday in a ShoBox main event against Tarvis Simms, who is a big underdog despite an unbeaten record.

Simms is 38 and he has boxed only five times in the past eight years, so it is difficult to see how he is going to defeat Green in this scheduled 10-rounder in the super middleweight division.

Green looked spectacular in his last fight when blasting out Carlos De Leon in two rounds. Sometimes, Green is content to box and move and more or less coast home, but when he sets his mind on it he is capable of producing big punching.

Simms had a bit of a struggle in his last fight when he outpointed the tall and lanky Marcus Upshaw, although he seemed to have won clearly — this should never have been a split decision. I have seen Simms described as a southpaw but against Upshaw he boxed in the orthodox position, although he has been known to switch stances during a fight (his better known brother, the southpaw Travis Simms, is also a switch hitter).

This fight is Simms’s big chance after a meandering 12-year-career. His best performance was probably his split decision victory over former world title challenger Carlos Bojorquez in Los Angeles, when Simms was boxing as a junior middleweight, but that was five years ago. Four years ago Simms was only able to get a draw against journeyman Robert Frazier, although I gather that he had Frazier hurt in the last round. Despite his muscular build Simms isn’t a particularly hard hitter, though — his last seven fights have gone the distance.

Green simply looks the better fighter — sharper, more polished, superior hand speed and the bigger puncher. Simms is strong and can be awkwardly effective, but he is stepping up in class and I think he’s a bit out of his depth.

The fight could go 10 rounds if Green decides to box conservatively, but if he lets his punches fly the way he did against Codrington, De Leon and Darnell Woods, among others, I doubt if Simms will hear the final bell. I’m guessing that Green will take his time, be wary of Simms’s looping punches in the early rounds, then start to put his shots together for a win around the eighth or ninth round.