Fox Sports 1 Quick Picks

Fidel Maldonado Jr. vs. Luis Ramos Jr.: For boxing junkies needing their fix, Fox Sports 1 has them covered.  The network will air a Golden Boy Promotions card this Monday night.  The main event of that card features two young, talented fighters trying to climb their way up the ladder.  Those men are Fidel Maldonado Jr. (16-2, 13 KO) and Luis Ramos Jr. (23-1, 10 KO) and they will be fighting a 10 round bout in the loaded junior welterweight division.  Maldonado is the younger of the two fighters at 22 years old and it shows.  He isn't as sharp as the 25 year old Ramos Jr. is a puncher not a boxer.  Maldonado Jr. relies on his power and hand speed to knock his opponents out while Ramos Jr. relies on his speed and impeccable timing.  If this becomes a phone booth fight the advantage goes to Maldonado Jr..  However I expect Ramos Jr. to move well around the ring and use his short effective punches to box his way to a split decision win.

Fernando Guerrero vs. Raymond Gatica: Another 10 round fight that night will be in the middleweight division between two fighters who can't afford to lose.  Both Fernando Guerrero (25-2, 19 KO) and Raymond Gatica (13-1, 8 KO) are in their late 20's and need to keep winning and looking good just to stay relevant.  Guerrero is the higher profile of the two pugilists and has the higher ceiling.  He has had some notable fights against Gabriel Rosado, Ishe Smith, and Peter Qullin and won the fights against the first two.  He has good power and solid defense but not tremendous speed, still against the less talented Gatica he should be able to do what he wants.  If Gatica were to suffer a loss it would only be the second of his career but would be devastating.  Because he has never had a notable fight against a top opponent he needs to win this fight just to get on television again.  However Gatica does have a chance because both of Guerrero's career losses were stoppages and he was down four times in his last fight against Quillin.  Still, I think Guerrero will win this fight in the 7th round by the way of knockout.