Fight Preview (September 14th PPV Undercard)

Danny Garcia vs. Lucas Matthysse 

This Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas there will be a fight you may have heard about.  That fight features Floyd Mayweather Jr. taking on Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and while that fight is getting all the hype from casual boxing fans, it is another fight that has big time boxing fans salivating.  That fight is a 12 round matchup between the two best junior welterweight fighters in the world, titleholder Danny Garcia and challenger Lucas Matthysse.

Garcia may be the belt holder but he is coming into this fight as the underdog, a position he seems to relish.  Garcia has seemingly been an underdog his entire life.  He grew up in Philadelphia which is renowned for producing tough fighters with a ton of heart and Garcia fits that mold to perfection.  It isn't easy to describe Garcia's fighting style, he is one part boxer and one part brawler and never stops coming forward.  Garcia's career record is a perfect one of 26-0 with 16 knockouts and he really started to make a name for himself last year.  That year saw Garcia beat Mexican legend and future Hall of Fame inductee Erik Morales twice, once by vicious knockout, and Amir Khan, also by knockout.  Then in April of

Garcia beats Judah but is bloodied in the process

this year Garcia beat Zab Judah in a fight that was closer than it should have been.  The knock against Garcia is that he gets touched up way to often.  While he does have a solid chin that chin has never been tested by a power puncher like Matthysse and it remains to be seen if Garcia can withstand that kind of onslaught.  Something we do know about Garcia is that he has a game changing left hook, which he showcased in his second fight against Morales when he almost knocked him out of the ring.  If Garcia wants to beat Matthysse he will need to brawl less and box more from the outside.  

Matthysse's destruction of Peterson

Even though Matthysse isn't the man bringing the title belts into the ring he is being viewed as the favorite.  That may have something to do with the fact that he is one of the most lethal punchers in the sport and has a "take no prisoners" type attitude.  An underrated part of Matthysse's fighting style is his defense.  While he wouldn't be considered a world class defensive fighter, he does just enough so he doesn't take a lot of unnecessary punishment.  But the reason Matthysse has earned a reputation as a must watch fighter is because of his offense.  He has a relentless come forward style and he likes to get on the inside so he can unload his deadly left hook.  If Garcia has a great left hook than Matthysse has a legendary one.  Matthysse has a strong record of 34-2 with 32 knockouts.  His only career losses have come against Devon Alexander, in Alexander's hometown of St, Louis, Missourri and Zab Judah, in Judah's hometown of Brooklyn, New York.  Both of those fights ended in split decision and most people feel that if the fight ended in a loss, draw, or win it would have been the right call.  That's how close those fights were and that's why most people consider Matthysse an undefeated fighter.  Since that time Matthysse has only gotten better.  He seemed to realized that he needed to get off to quicker starts and after his disputed loss to Alexander none of his fights have gone the distance.  If Garcia tries to sit inside with Matthysse he will probably get destroyed early, but even if Garcia moves around all night Matthysse does a great job of cutting off the ring.

This fight is guaranteed to be fun while it lasts.  How this fight will play out really rests on the shoulders of Garcia.  He could let his pride as a tough power puncher overtake him and try to slug it out with Matthysse or he could try and box smart, using his jab to keep Matthysse at a safe distance and try to land from the outside.  The problem is that Matthysse would love to fight on the inside and would probably dominate from that distance and even if Garcia tries to box from the outside Matthysse does a good job of cutting off the ring and forcing his opponent to brawl.  This fight might not go all 12 rounds but while it lasts it will be explosive.

PREDICTION: Danny Garcia will show a ton of heart but he will be slowly sucked into a brawl after the first few rounds and Lucas Matthysse will take over.  Garcia will take to many punches to make it to the deep rounds and Matthysse will win the fight via 7th round knockout.

Ishe Smith vs. Carlos Molina 

Another title fight featured on the undercard of The One will be a 12 round affair in the junior middleweight division.  The man bringing the belt into the ring will be Mayweather promoted Ishe Smith and his challenger will be the frustrating Carlos Molina.  These two fighters might not be the biggest names in the sport but they have paid their dues to get to this level and their fighting styles should match up nicely to make an entertaining fight.

Smith very emotional after winning title

The funny thing about this fight is the fact that the man with the belt is probably the lesser of the two fighters.  But Smith was the first Las Vegas native to ever win a chamionship and he will not be relinquishing that title easily.  Smith doesn't have great defense but he does have surprisingly fast hands and he throws a ton of combinations.  That is the most dangerous aspect of Smith's offensive attack because he wouldn't be described as a busy fighter.  Smith doesn't just throw punches on punches, he waits, stalks, and picks his spot to unleash fast combinations that seem to catch his opponents off guard.  Smith has a career record of 25-5 with only 11 knockouts so he doesn't have a ton of power but when he gets his man hurt he will seize the opportunity to put them on the canvass.  A major question mark for Smith, who is already 35 years old, is the fact that he has never battled an elite level fighter.  The most notable names on his resume thus far would be Pawel Wolak, Daniel Jacobs, and Cornelius Bundrage and while all three a good fighters, none or top level talent.  Of those three fighters it is Jacobs who would be considered the best today but Smith lost to him via unanimous decision.  For Smith to win this fight he will need to keep his cool and not let Molina's style frustrate him.

Molina battles to a draw with Erislandy Lara

Not getting frustrated by Molina is easier said than done.  Molina loves to fight on the inside and loves to bully his opponent.  He is the type of fighter who is always coming forward but doesn't always come forward behind a punch.  Molina is very skilled at bullying his way to the inside and throwing short punches to the body.  What is so brilliant about Molina's style is the fact that he smothers so many punches by tying up his opponent or simply getting to close for his opponent to extend his punches and land anything hard.  That style has helped Molina win fights but has also cost him some fights because in the eyes of the judges his style doesn't always look pretty.  Molina has a career record of 21-5-2 with only 6 knockouts but his record doesn't tell the true story of his career.  For example Molina was handling James Kirkland until he was dropped in the 10th round and his corner entered the ring to early which lead to Molina being disqualified in a fight he probably would have won.  Molina has fought some of the best in the world including Kirkland, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. twice, Erislandy Lara, Mike Alvarado, and Kermit Cintron.  Taking on some of the most talented fighters in the sport is why his record doesn't look great.  He lost to Alvarado in a close fight that could have gone either way and he went 0-1-1 against Chavez Jr. again two fights that could have gone either way.  Because Molina has fought the best his ring intelligence is very high which should help him against the calm Smith.  If Molina can frustrate Smith and get him to forget his gameplan he can work the body and punish Smith.

This fight should be fun with most of the action coming on the inside.  However there is a slight chance this fight doesn't please the fans.  If Molina can muscle up Smith and clinch all night it will make for an ugly fight, albeit a smart one for Molina.  For his part Smith needs to use his jab to perfection in order to keep Molina on the outside, a place he doesn't like to fight from.  Whoever displays the greater amount of ring generalship will win this fight.

PREDICTION: Ishe Smith may be the better puncher and busier fighter on Saturday night but the experience of Carlos Molina will pay off big time in this one.  I expect Molina to get on the inside, smother Smith's punches, and work the body in a manner that reminds the fans of Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.  It may be an ugly fight but Molina will get a big win via majority decision. 

Pablo Cesar Cano vs. Ashley Theophane  

The fight that will kick off what could be the highest selling PPV of all-time will be the only non-title fight of the night.  That fight will be a 10 round bout in the welterweight division featuring two fighters looking to make a name for themselves on the biggest stage of their careers.  Those fighters are the power punching Pablo Cesar Cano and the slick defensive minded Ashley Theophane.

Cano drops Malignaggi in the 11th round

The fighter who is better known in the U.S. would be the Mexican power punch Cano.  He has had a solid career so far but one thing worth noting is that whenever he has stepped up his level of competition he has lost.  Cano holds a career record of 26-3-1 with a very strong 20 knockouts.  His only losses have come against Erik Morales, Paulie Malignaggi, and Shane Mosley.  While his loss to Morales is understandable and his loss to Malignaggi was highyl debatable, his loss to Mosley was very disheartening.  Cano fought Malignaggi in Brooklyn and dropped him in the 11th round yet still couldn't come away with the victory.  While one judge had it all the way for Cano the other two had Malignaggi winning by one point.  While it was a close fight many people feel that Malignaggi got a hometown decision.  Then Cano took on Mosley and lost a close fight via unanimous decsion, a fight that left fans wondering if Cano was as good as perviously advertised.  Cano is an all action brawler in typical Mexican fashion.  He comes forward behind a stiff jab and throws everything with bad intentions.  This fight will be all about the punching power of Cano against the ring intelligence of Theophane.

Theophane taking on Garcia

While Cano will try to turn this fight into a brawl, Theophane will try to make it a dance.  Theophane is not a brawler by any means he is a classic boxer who likes to stick and move.  While Cano may have the bigger names on his resume it is Theophane who has by far more ring experience and rounds boxed.  The biggest name Theophane has taken on is another fighter on this card, Danny Garcia, a fight that Theophane lost in a very close split decision.  What makes Theophane so difficult is his dedication to defense and movement.  Theophane has some of the best footwork in the sport which he can use to keep the distance or get inside, land punches, and then make his opponent look foolish while they try to punch back and come up with nothing but air.  What Theophane lacks in punching power he more than makes up for in hand speed, defense, and counter punching.  Cano will really have to work hard to cut off the ring from Theophane and not just chase him around all night.

Just like the fight between Smith and Molina this fight will come down to ring generalship.  Cano is a slugger who wants to fight inside and up against the ropes while Theophane will try to dance around all night and try to keep the fight in the center of the ring.  If Cano stays calm and doesn't get frustrated by the defense of Theophane he could punish him with his massive power.  However Theophane is very slick and could end up boxing circles around the brawler Cano.

PREDICTION: Pablo Cesar Cano has been the more active fighter in 2013 and that activity will pay off.  I think Theophane will look sharp early but Cano will wear him down with power punches on his way to a win via 10th round stoppage.