KAROLY BALZSAY vs ROBERT STIEGLITZ

It’s a homecoming main event for Karoly Balzsay on Saturday when the undefeated Hungarian southpaw defends his WBO 168-pound title against Robert Stieglitz in Budapest.

Balzsay won the title in a minor upset when he outscored Denis Inkin and he made a successful first defence against the veteran Maselino Masoe, of New Zealand, who turned away in surrender after getting dropped in the 11th round.

Unfortunately for Balzsay he suffered two cuts from head clashes in the fight with Masoe — cuts always seem more likely when an orthodox fighter meets a southpaw — but he never seemed to let this affect his boxing and he gradually wore down Masoe with his quick, snappy punches.

Stieglitz, a German boxer who was born in Russia, gets his second chance at a world title after being stopped by the dangerous Alejandro Berrio two years ago. In that fight, Stieglitz got caught just when he appeared to be taking over the fight — he had previously stopped Berrio and he was the betting favourite.

In March of last year Stieglitz was seen on HBO in an IBF title eliminator against Librado Andrade, when he was overpowered in eight rounds by a much stronger man.

Stieglitz came through, though, in something of a make or break fight when he narrowly outscored Poland’s unbeaten Lukas Wilaschek in December, and on Saturday he finds himself in his second world title bid.

My impression of Stieglitz is that he is a sound, competent boxer with a good right hand but that there is nothing particularly special about him.

He seems to have a good chin, even though his two losses were by stoppage. In the fight with Berrio he was doing very well for two rounds, pushing the Colombian back, but he got a bit too adventurous and found himself on the floor after taking a huge right hand. Stieglitz got up, though, and he was on his feet but unsteady and cut badly when the fight was stopped.

A knockdown suffered in a fight with Djamel Selini was apparently more a case of being off balance than anything. Stieglitz was never down in the fight with Andrade and had one excellent round, the fourth, when he backed up his sturdy opponent, but Andrade’s strength and punch volume was too much for the German fighter.

I am expecting Stieglitz to give an excellent account of himself on Saturday, but I think that Balzsay holds most of the aces — he is a bit faster, a bit slicker, has home-ground advantage, and he’s a southpaw.

Balzsay represented Hungary in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, was a silver medallist in the world championships and defeated Lucian Bute in the amateurs.

When he beat Inkin to become champion, Balzsay took his boxing to a higher level — under pressure early, he came back to outbox and outsmart the defending champion and he even had the tough Siberian looking very wobbly in the 10th round.

Balzsay has career momentum going for him, and although at 30 he is a bit older than Inkin he somehow looks the younger fighter.

Upsets happen constantly — almost without fail there is at least one upset every week — but I will be really surprised if the favourite falls in this fight. I am expecting Balzsay to box his way to a clear win by decision or perhaps even force a late stoppage with his classy sharpshooting.