Andy Vences versus Luis Alberto Lopez Vargas breakdown

This is another chance for Andy Vences to make his way to a world title and also a chance for Alberto Lopez Vargas to make a name for himself on television.

Andy Vences has a good long jab and likes to control the distance versus his opponents. He wasn’t able to do that versus Albert Bell because of how much taller Bell was but he has a height and reach advantage over Vargas so that won’t be a problem. He has good counters but I don’t think his defense is great in all honesty. I also don’t think he punches all that hard so it might be hard for him to get Alberto’s respect.

Alberto Lopez Vargas has fast hands and puts his opponents under constant pressure. He’s very agressive and will just rush in head first chin in the air winging in shots at his opponents which to be fair to him are surprisingly accurate. He has a good work rate and I especially like some of the 1-2’s he throws on the way in as they seem to hit more cleanly compared to his other punches. He can be countered on the way in and the way he comes forward makes him very vulnerable defensively. His best defence is his offense and he certainly has a lot of that.

I think Andy Vences will be able to use his height and reach to squeak out a close decision however it wouldn’t surprise me too much if Vargas is able to sway the judges with his aggressive style.

Canelo Alvarez versus David Lemieux rumored.

The search for Canelo’s next opponent continues and it seems to be going further and further away from the top names that people want him to fight. This is due to Golden Boy wanting a cheaper opponent because they will have no money from the gate which i think is reasonable enough.

David Lemieux looks to be the fighter who will get the big Canelo pay day as he’s with Golden Boy and his manager said they have begun talks to fight Canelo. Lemieux is a recognizable name and most likely the best they can get right now in the weak Super middleweight division. Obviously fans won’t be happy with this fight but its either a fight like this or Canelo doesn’t fight until sometime next year.

Albert Batyrgaziev impresses in pro debut.

Batyrgaziev is an accomplished amateur who won the world championships in his weight class last year. He turned pro today and competed for a WBA regional title versus Armen Ataev. He has fast hands and good footwork which he used well in the fight where he couldn’t miss with his counters.

He got caught a few times early on but as the fight progressed he was landing more and more until Ataev was pulled out of the fight by his corner before the 8th round. I was impressed with Batyrgaziev who looked comfortable outclassing his opponent even though it was his debut and he was facing a decent fighter. He seemed to be getting better as the fight went on so expect him to break people down rather than score one punch knockouts.

Super Featherweight is one of my favourite divisions in the sport and I think he’ll be a good addition to it. I think he’ll likely go to the Olympics next year and as a lot of next year’s Olympians are doing is getting some pro fights in so as to not waste time.

What’s next for Jose Pedraza, Mikkel LesPierre plus card

This was a relatively fun card though the 6 round fights delivered more action and excitement than both the main and co-main event.

Robeisy Ramirez looked good in getting revenge against Adan Gonzales and showed that it was due to a lack of preparation that he lost. I thought he looked like he’d been making progression under Ismael Salas and hopefully he continues to improve. I think more opponents around the level of Adan Gonzales would be good for his next couple fights before moving him up to 8 and 10 rounds. Adan Gonzales is a good fighter who should get back to fighting on the small hall scene as I think he could develop into a good gatekeeper in the division.

Patrick Mailata and Kingsley Ibeh went to war for 6 rounds and even though Ibeh was completely exhausted he managed to win. This was actually Ibeh’s second fight in a week and having won both he seems like a guy who go on to make a name for himself in the division. He obviously needs to work on a lot but he’s only 26 and seems to have a lot of heart. It wouldn’t surprise me if he got the call to fight one of Top Rank’s top heavyweight prospects soon. Mailata needs to go back to the drawing board as honestly someone with his amateur background shouldn’t be losing to an inexperienced guy like Ibeh. I heard that he spars a lot of the top guys so he could be in a sparring partner mentality and if so needs to snap out of it if he’s to make it in the division.

Elvis Rodriguez looked like a very good prospect by stopping Danny Murray in the first round with a jab. He seems very powerful and has good skills to back his power up. He should get a step up in competition next as this was very easy for him. Danny Murray can go back to the club level fights and perhaps get a few pay days as a B-side guy.

Albert Bell showed his footwork and boxing skills when he beat Mark Bernaldez by decision over 10 rounds. He successfully used his height and reach to win but did suffer a hand injury late on. I think he should perhaps fight one more 10 rounder before getting a title shot but he’s close. Mark Bernaldez should continue taking fights as a B-side as all he needs to do is win one to get picked as a voluntary defense for one of the champions who wants a tune up.

Jose Pedraza looked good versus Mikkel LesPierre however that was what I expected to happen as while LesPierre has a shiny record I personally don’t believe hes a world level fighter. Pedraza could have good fights versus Alex Saucedo, Arnold Barboza Jr or even Josh Taylor once he deals with his mandatory. LesPierre while being a great guy is unlikely to get another big fight and honestly I didn’t like how much he got hit in the fight so if he wants to continue boxing he should do it at a lower level.

There was a fight between Carlos Jackson and Jose Enrique Durantes Vivas over 10 rounds but they didn’t show it on the broadcast. Vivas won a decision in the fight but I can’t describe what it looked like.

Albert Bell versus Mark Bernaldez breakdown

Albert Bell will look to continue on his path to a world title shot by fighting Mark Bernaldez over 10 rounds.

Albert Bell is tall for 130 pounds and uses his height well unlike most fighters. He’ll use his height to land jabs and right hands which Bernaldez might walk into. His defense isn’t the best but he does seem to have a decent chin and because of his height its hard for opponents to hit him.

Mark Bernaldez will likely be on the front foot in this fight and will look to unload hooks to the body and head. His best trait is that when he does pressure he’ll really let his hands go and put his opponents under a lot of pressure. His defense is ok but its nothing special.

I think Albert Bell will be able to use his height and reach to cruise to a 10 round decision though Bernaldez could win if he can keep the pressure up long enough for Bell to crumble.

Jose Pedraza versus Mikkel LesPierre breakdown

This is a bit of a crossroads fight where the loser will find it hard to get back into world title contention. Jose Pedraza is a two weight world champion who has faced some very good competition while LesPierre has only fought Maurice Hooker and was dominated in that fight.

Jose Pedraza does all of the basics well and like most southpaws has a killer left hand that has caught many people off guard. He has sometimes moved away from his strengths like in his fight versus Gervonta Davis but I think he will stick to the plan in this fight.

Mikkel LesPierre is tough and can be physical on the inside if his opponents let him. Other than that Pedraza does everything better than him in all honesty though I will say that LesPierre is more used to the weight class.

I think Jose Pedraza should be able to win this fight by decision and that it will be relatively wide for him.

Robeisy Ramirez versus Adan Gonzales 2 breakdown.

This is a rematch where Robeisy Ramirez can avenge his only professional loss and prove that it was due to a lack of training and being out the ring for so long. Adan Gonzales could potentially get more decent fights if he can prove he’s a bit more than a domestic gatekeeper.

I’ve already broken down one of Robeisy Ramirez’s fight’s two or so weeks ago so i’m just going to repeat what I said there as not much has changed. Robeisy feints a lot which leaves his opponents constantly on edge. He varies his attack to the body and head and also varies the speed of his attack. He’ll throw a jab to the body or a singular hook to the head but then throw five or six punch combinations which means his opponents can’t predict what hes going to do. So far hes been an aggressive fighter in his pro career and breaks down his opponents rather than being a one punch KO artist. He has fast hands and seems very fluid when he fights which is what you expect from a top amateur.

The thing I most noticed about his last bout is that his timing really seems to be getting better as he settles into the pro game.

Adan Gonzales has fast hands and is willing to exchange punches but doesn’t really have any punches I would say stand out to me. His defense isn’t terrible but he also isn’t particularly hard to hit.

I think Robeisy Ramirez should be able to take his revenge and either win a 6 round decision or stop Gonzales late as he hasn’t fought for close to a year while Ramirez is improving. Ramirez has also changed coaches and is now training with Ismael Salas who is a legendary Cuban coach.

What’s next for Alex Saucedo,Sonny Fredrickson plus card?

This was a bit of a low key card but it had some good fights on it. I really enjoyed the main event and I thought Josue Vargas looked like a good prospect.

The first fight was between Donte Stubbs and Isiah Jones. This fight was competitive but Jone’s superior boxing skills managed to get him the win. He fought on one of these Top Rank cards two weeks ago and lost but came back and picked himself up a win over an undefeated prospect which really impressed me. Not many people would be willing to come back so quickly. I think he should keep working on the small hall scene and if he gets a call to be a B-side then he should take it and try to spring the upset as hes very capable of doing so when he lets his hands go. Donte Stubbs needs to have more developmental fights as he’s still transitioning over from MMA.

John Bauza versus Lawrence James Fryers was a scrappy fight where neither fight truly impressed. John Bauza seems to have excellent timing but doesn’t punch in combination and was getting bullied on the inside to an extent. I think he needs more fights at this level and if I was his team I wouldn’t be rushing him. Fryers is unlikely to get much better and should keep accepting roles as a B side as if he scores an upset then hes secured himself a decent payday versus a better opponent.

Josue Vargas schooled Salvador Briceno for 10 rounds and showed he can really box. I think perhaps fighting Sonny Fredrickson would be a good test for him as he was clearly a level above Briceno. I’m impressed with him as a prospect though if he can make 135 he should certainly move down. Briceno tried his best but because he lacks both foot and hand speed he didn’t stand much of a chance. I think he should continue in his role as a gatekeeper and perhaps try to develop a little bit as hes only 25.

Alex Saucedo Versus Sonny Fredrickson was a really fun fight where both fighters showed their strengths and weaknesses. Alex Saucedo did well offensively but still gets hit much to often and versus the top guys in his division will really struggle. I’ve looked at the rankings and I actually think he could get a title shot through the WBO within a year and a half. If he fights Daud Yordan who is ranked 10th that will get him a ranking then he should fight Chris Algieri or Yomar Alamo who are ranked 5th and 6th. This will get him ranked around 5th and he’ll likely get a vacant title shot versus Liam Paro when the winner of Ramirez/Taylor moves up to Welterweight. Viktor Postol and Jose Zepeda are both ranked above him but will be going the WBC route and Jack Catterall will likely face Ramirez before he fights Josh Taylor and lose leaving Saucedo with a perfect chance to become a world champion. Sonny Fredrickson should take a fight versus Josue Vargas next if he wants to try and get back to the top quick or if he doesn’t should take a tune up and then work his way up again.

Josue Vargas versus Salvador Briceno breakdown

Josue Vargas versus Salvador Briceno is a good fight for both fighters at this stage of their careers. Briceno has had a few chances versus good competition and has so far come up short in his career but he could potentially use that experience to perform better in this fight. Josue Vargas has had a near perfect career apart from a disqualification loss which he has since came back from. He’s had some promotional issues in the past but now he’s with Top Rank it seems hes on the right path to get a world title.

Josue Vargas is a southpaw who fights well off both the back and front foot. He has decent footwork which he uses well to avoid getting hit. He’s a patient fighter who picks his punches and consistently uses his jab to create space and set up his punches. He uses a variety of punches but I think his left to the body is one of his better shots.

Both his counter-punching and defense are relatively impressive for this stage of his career.

Salvador Briceno has a long reach for the weight class but he doesn’t use it that well. I don’t think he has any specific punches that stand out though I do like his body work and uppercuts. His hands are low most of the time and his hands aren’t especially quick which really isn’t a good combination.

I think Josue Vargas should be able to use his superior footwork timing to take a 10 round decision or perhaps even a late stoppage.

Alex Saucedo versus Sonny Fredrickson breakdown

Alex Saucedo (29-1) continues his rise back to the top of the sport in a crossroads fight versus Sonny Fredrickson (21-2). Saucedo’s only loss came in a title shot versus Maurice Hooker in 2018 where he lost by KO in the 7th round. Fredrickson lost to a very good prospect/contender in Shohjahon Ergashev and then in his last fight to Samuel Teah where he said he underestimated his opponent.

Alex Saucedo has a good right hand which he normally throws behind a jab or after he lands an uppercut or hook with his left hand. He has good counter left hooks and will often use his left hand multiple times in a row combining hooks with uppercuts.

He doesn’t have a bad jab when he uses it but seems more comfortable getting into firefights with his opponents where they exchange big shots. He has gone to the body well before but he isn’t consistent with it and it varies from fight to fight how much focus he puts on it. He is there to be hit as after he gets his shots off he doesn’t move and just waits for the counter which isn’t a good habit to have if you want a long career or want to be successful at the top.

Sonny Fredrickson is very tall considering he’s at 140 pounds however he’ll often give up his height in fights. In his fight with Manuel Mendez he was regularly being put back on the ropes where he would attempt to do the rope a dope to varying degrees of success. He’s not great at fighting on the inside but considering his height he has quite a lot of success on the inside countering with uppercuts and body shots. From the footage I’ve watched he has nice chopping right hands which he lands often using his superior height. When he commits to his shots hes quite accurate but he isn’t especially consistent with his offense.

He does try and keep people on the outside with his jab but it doesn’t seem to have a lot of pop on it and people don’t have much of a problem walking him down. His defense isn’t anything special as he just puts his gloves up like ear muffs and still gets caught with shots around the back or through the middle. Shohjahon Ergashev had no trouble backing Fredrickson up and landing hooks to the body and head along with straight left hands at will.

I think Alex Saucedo should be able to win this fight by KO as I feel he has more power than Fredrickson and I don’t think Fredrickson will be able to keep Saucedo off of him. Neither of their defenses are great but I think Saucedo should get the better of the exchanges and he won’t be getting hit as much when he’s pushing Fredrickson back.