THE new season kicks off in Britain this weekend, with two big televised bills. Here Messrs Dixon and Flexen, who previewed the two main events in this week's magazine, swap roles and give their respective takes on who will win the top-liners and why.

John Simpson (holder) v Paul Truscott (Commonwealth featherweight title); Friday, September 4, Eston Sports Centre, Middlesbrough

THE first fight was entertaining but Truscott’s punches seemed to have very little effect on the Scot, writes Tris Dixon. That was concerning for the Middlesbrough man.

The fight was coming to the boil when the Northerner was swollen and cut around his right eye. I thought Simpson was taking control. His experience was beginning to tell and Truscott seemed absent of a Plan B.

Paul is a nice boxer and has excellent variety in his work when he is on top. He is swift of hand and foot but Simpson will keep coming and try to close the ring off. It is likely to go to the trenches where I feel Truscott is the more vulnerable. A finish due to cuts or swelling is easy to envisage.

While the fight is almost sure to be exciting, the hometown fans could be left disappointed as I can see Simpson retaining via a tough, 12-round decision.

John O'Donnell (holder) v Tom Glover (Commonwealth welterweight title); Saturday, September 5, Watford Colosseum

TOM GLOVER is a modern-day Cinderealla Man, writes Danny Flexen. The Maldon bricklayer has won his last four in a row and in all but one, in my opinion, Golver came in as an underdog.

Tom's upset wins over Scott Woolford (for the Southern Area title, now relinquished), Nadeem Siddique (by disqualification but Glover appeared to be taking over) and, most recently, Jon Thaxton, all seem to have been represented as cases of hard graft overcoming superior skill, but there is far more to Glove than that.

The Essex man is compact, doesn't take many clean shots, closes the gap quickly and hits harder than his no-stoppage record suggests. He also works incredibly well – cleverly as well as industriously – inside. Glover is also ambitious and has little to lose.

O'Donnell has bundles of talent but has yet to really convince me. In one of his early fights I said he had a "tendency to slap to the body" and he was very unhappy about it. I saw him a few weeks ago and we had a laugh about it and, against Craig Watson last time out, O'Donnell showed great guts.

While I had Watson winning by three points at the end, O'Donnell held his own in his first completed 12-rounder and appeared the stronger and more powerful man for the majority of the contest. However, if he'd stuck to his boxing more he might have won more easily.

O'Donnell is a 5ft 11ins (four-and-a-half inches taller than Glover) southpaw with a sharp jab, good movement and switches well from head to body. Expect him to stick more to his skills this time, but Glover will keep coming all night. O'Donnell has the edge in technical ability and variety but, although I am tipping him to retain on points, I anticipate it being a fair bit closer than people think.