McCaskill vs Braekhus 2 preview, predictions, who wins the fight?

Saturday night on DAZN (8 pm ET), the co-feature for the Estrada-Chocolatito 2 main event is another rematch, as undisputed welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill puts the four belts she won from Cecilia Braekhus last summer on the line.

The first fight was close and debatable and the result an upset to most, and now they run it back, as Braekhus looks to regain her glory and McCaskill looks to prove it’s her time in the division.

Scott Christ (10-4-1)

I thought Braekhus won the first fight. I like McCaskill, she’s a fun pressure fighter, always brings a fight, has a great chip on her shoulder and a lot of determination. But I thought Braekhus did enough. The judges liked the pressure of McCaskill on the night, just by a bit.

I’m going with Jessica this time, though. I do think Braekhus can beat her, but Cecilia is 39 and has had 294 professional rounds. Even fights she dominated over the years — a lot of them — she had to go 10 full more often than not. In fights scheduled for 10 rounds in her career, she’s gone the distance 20 of 27 times. McCaskill isn’t dramatically younger in years at 36, but she’s had 71 rounds as a pro. That experience edge didn’t get Braekhus the win last summer, and I think McCaskill’s energy may just be a bit too much for her anymore. I think it’s going to be close and debatable again, once more might be decided on what the judges like. And a lot of judges will nick close rounds to the person who looks like they’re pushing the pace. I actually think this fight screams “draw” more than most any fight, and I nearly went that way. McCaskill SD-10

Wil Esco (10-4-1)

You know, it’s funny because the last time these two fighters met I predicted that McCaskill would do enough to earn the win but expected she would get shafted on the scorecards. I still like McCaskill — she’s one of my favorite female fighters to watch because she always brings it. But against Braekhus she’s up against a good technical boxer which means this fight will once again be about McCaskill’s workrate going against Braekhus’ precision. I fully expect this to be another close fight on the cards, but I just think Braekhus will be more motivated for this outing and that could be enough to tip things in her favor this time around. I’ll take Braekhus to win a majority decision. Braekhus MD-10

How to Watch McCaskill vs Braekhus 2

Date: Saturday, Mar. 13 | Start Time: 8:00 pm ET
Location: American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX
Streaming: DAZN
Online Coverage: BadLeftHook.com

Patrick L. Stumberg (10-4-1)

Watching the pair’s first meeting, I was reminded of Katie Taylor’s first fight with Delfine Persoon, in that the technically superior fighter was seemingly unprepared for her opponent’s raw aggression and got swept into unfavorable terms of engagement. Unlike Taylor, Braekhus found her footing in time to turn things around, only for her own bit of questionable judging to go the other way. Now that she’s got a full ten rounds of data on McCaskill, I expect a far more one-sided sequel.

Dangerous as McCaskill is, the fact that Braekhus’ movement and range management actually improved as the fight progressed suggests that “CasKilla’s” attempt at attrition failed despite their protracted infight. So long as Braekhus stays mobile from bell to bell, she takes McCaskill apart at long range to reclaim her status as boxing’s “First Lady.” Braekhus UD-10

Lewis Watson (10-4-1)

I landed the 6/1 dog in McCaskill when they first fought last August (not that I go on about it at all, jeez), but even I can appreciate that the judging may have been a little off. I mean it was the classic case of aggression vs counter precision, with McCaskill’s work rate tilting the decision in her favour. I guess I expected Braekhus to retire following that solitary blotch on her record, but here we are again with the ‘The First Lady’ looking to pick up every trinket the welterweight division has to offer.

The thing is, I don’t see McCaskill’s hunger subsiding. She won the opener by bringing the heat and making the fight messy on the inside out-throwing the former champion, and unless Braekhus can box and move tirelessly off the back foot for 20 minutes then I can see a repeat materialising.

These two-minute rounds play into the hands of a front-foot pressure fighter and I’m sticking with “Caskilla.” McCaskill UD-10

And the staff winner is...

Ed Mulholland/Matchroom

We have a draw (2-2)!