Raymundo Beltran vs. Arash Usmanee
When the rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley was announced many fans were thrilled. Fans were not so thrilled however when they heard who would be fighting on the undercard. While there are some good fights there aren't any stars and certainly not any fights that would have fans salivating. The best fight on the undercard was supposed to be between Raymundo Beltran and Roman "Rocky" Martinez. Things changed when Martinez got ill and withdrew from the fight. Now Raymundo Beltran will be challenged by Friday Night Fights veteran Arash Usmanee in a 12 round lightweight bout for a vacant title.
 |
| Beltran's last fight ended in a controversial draw |
Until a few years ago Beltran was probably best known for being Manny Pacquiao's sparring partner. That was until 2012 when Beltran beat the always difficult Henry Lundy and started to make a name for himself. Beltran's last fight came against Ricky Burns in Burns' native of Scotland which is probably why even though Beltran controlled the fight that it ended in a draw. Beltran holds a career record of 28-6-1 with 17 knockouts and seems to fight better when he is in the ring with a tough fighter. With recent performances he has showed fans that he isn't anyone's sparring partner anymore.
When Beltran fights from the outside he likes to use his jab a lot but not much else. He also has a bad habit of squaring up to his opponent which gives them a very large area to target. Beltran will also sometimes wing a left hook from the outside but tends to just jab until he can get inside and really let his crooked punches go. As far as hand speed goes Beltran doesn't have much to talk about but he does throw shorter punches when he is on the inside, especially to the body so his hands seem to get faster as he gets closer to his opponent. When you spend years sparring with Pacquiao you need to be tough as brick and Beltran certainly is. He doesn't mind taking punches, something he takes a lot of, as long as he is still landing his own punches. While Beltran won't be confused with slick boxers he is able to do a little bit of everything and can often make opponents look bad. In that respect Beltran is like a poor man's version of Timothy Bradley, albeit a very, very poor man's version. Luckily for Beltran he will be fighting Usmanee come Saturday night who also isn't a very slick fighter.
Usmanee also doesn't have very fast hands but with the way he fights it's not really a factor. Usmanee likes to keep his opponents up against the ropes where he can vary his attack from head to body, something he does very well. Along with his lack of hand speed comes a lack of foot speed which means if he has an opponent who moves well in the ring Usmanee will have to spend a lot of energy getting after them. The good news for Usmanee is that Beltran should be there to be hit and won't be running anywhere which should make for a good fight.
 |
| This fight will be the biggest of Usmanee's career |
While Usmanee has had most of his notable fights on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights that doesn't mean he is a B-level fighter. He is a skilled pugilist who just didn't have a large built in fan base because he is a native of Afghanistan, not exactly a boxing hotbed. This fight should give Usmanee a ton of exposure and a win would be the biggest of his career. His record as a professional is 20-1-1 with only 10 knockouts. Usmanee isn't a one punch knockout type of fighter, if he does score the knockout it is from an accumulation of punches, not a single blow.
This bout should be the best of the undercard and as far as action goes could end up stealing the spotlight from the main event. Both Beltran and Usmanee like to fight on the inside and neither one utilizes a ton of lateral movement to avoid punishment. Since both fighters have similar offensive styles it should be interesting to see which fighter can break the others will. Unless Beltran or Usmanee uses a vastly different game plan than usual it should be a toe to toe type of fight with a lot of back and forth action. This fight will come down to heart, whoever has more will com out on top.
PREDICTION: Many people think of Arash Usmanee as a B-level Friday Night Fights boxer but he is much more skilled than that. Raymundo Beltran is a tough customer and will give Usmanee everything he has but it won't be enough. Usmanee will win this fight by the way of majority decision.
Khabib Allakhverdiev vs. Jesse Vargas
One good thing about the Pacquiao-Bradley undercard is that all three fights will be title fights. The 12 round bout between Khabib Allakhverdiev and Jesse Vargas will be no different as they will compete for Allakhverdiev's WBA junior welterweight title. While neither one of these fighters is a power puncher they are both highly skilled and come from deep amateur backgrounds which should make for a highly competitive fight.
 |
| Allakhverdiev is ready to shine on a big stage |
There aren't many fighters who can win rounds without throwing many punches but Allakhverdiev is one of those fighters. His best weapon is his defense and he makes opponents miss most of their punches which drains them of their energy quickly. Allakhverdiev is a southpaw fighter who doesn't make much use of his jab and is hardly ever the aggressor. Instead he likes to make his opponent come to him where he can make good use of his counter punching. He would be even more effective if he had a good jab but instead he relies on his left. With that left hand Allakhverdiev throws a good straight left and will also throw it crooked to the body with force. Good defensive fighters usually carry great records and Allakhverdiev is no different.
As a professional Allakhverdiev has been perfect with a record of 19-0 with 9 knockouts. While he hasn't fought any top level fighters yet he does have some nice wins and his resume and the vast majority of his fights have come against winning fighters. This will be a very high profile fight and it will be interesting to see how Allakhverdiev not only handles the spotlight but also the slick Vargas.
Vargas is an orthodox boxer who doesn't have any power but has a bad habit of throwing punches like he is Mike Tyson. While Vargas will often throw a lot of short, sharp, crisp punches other times he throws wild haymakers, especially with his right hand. Vargas has a good jab but he doesn't do much else with his left hand. When Vargas throws crooked punches he isn't as effective as when he is throwing straight. His jab is good and he also has a very good straight right hand something he puts together often to much success. Throwing punches in bunches is something Vargas will need to do often to upset the counter attack of Allakhverdiev. Vargas will be the busier puncher in the ring and he will need to continue his high punch output throughout the fight in order to win.
 |
| Vargas will try to keep his perfect record intact |
Allakhverdiev won't be the only man in the ring with a perfect record. Vargas has never been beaten and has a career record of 23-0 with a weak 9 knockouts. Much like his opponent Vargas hasn't yet fought any elite talent but has faced some tough fighters and got past all of them. Unless this fight ends in a draw someone's "0" will go.
This is not the type of fight that will have casual fans buzzing. Neither fighter is a knockout puncher and neither is known to make great action fights. However big time boxing fans should be excited for this fight because both boxers have such a high skill level. When you have two highly skilled undefeated fighters going head to head there isn't much to complain about. If Vargas stays very busy for 12 rounds he could win this fight but it won't be easy to do against the great defense of Allakhverdiev.
PREDICTION: This fight could easily end in a draw but what kind of prediction would that be? While Jessie Vargas will have a long successful career ahead of him Saturday night won't be his night. Khabib Allakhverdiev will use his outstanding defense to frustrate Vargas and win this fight via unanimous decision.
Bryan Vasquez vs. Jose Felix Jr.
For the casual fans who aren't overly excited about this card the opening bout should keep you entertained. The first fight of the night will be a 12 round battle between Bryan Vasquez and Jose Felix Jr. for Vasquez's WBA interim lightweight title. While the rest of the undercard may not feature many power punches the first fight will so have you beers handy because the fight could end suddenly.
 |
| This will be the biggest bout of Vasquez's career |
Vasquez is a confident fighter who usually makes good fights. Defensively he keeps left hand very low and his right hand about chest high and uses a shoulder roll to avoid punches. Vasquez typically throws a lot of punches but he has also taken his fair share. He throws a good amount of jabs often times doubling it up before throwing his right hand. However he doesn't just use his left hand to jab, he also have a good left hook and likes to throw it to the body. Vasquez has fast hands and throws short punches which allows him to double up punches with the same hand quickly. The big question, especially against the powerful Felix Jr. is how Vasquez's chin will hold up.
As a pro Vasquez has only lost once but that loss came when he was stopped in the 8th round against Takashi Uchiyama. Vasquez has a good career record of 32-1 with a decent 17 knockouts but has dropped many opponents while winning fights on the scorecards. Vasquez hasn't been fighting any real top opponents so it will be interesting to see how good he is as his level of opposition rises. One thing is certain, he will need to stay focused on his defense so he doesn't get caught by Felix Jr..
Felix Jr. is a power puncher but he doesn't always fight like one. Instead of just standing and trading Felix Jr. makes good use of the ring and moves around it well. However when it comes time to punch he puts his entire body into everything he throws. Felix Jr. has a very good left hook to the head or body and a dangerous right hand often comes behind it. He also has a good jab which he doesn't use excessively but usually when his opponent tries to get inside on him. Defensively he keeps his hands pretty high and moves away from danger well, certainly better than Vasquez does.
 |
| Felix Jr. has dangerous power in both hands |
There is only one blemish on Felix Jr.'s record at that was a draw against Maximiliano Galindo back in 2010. Besides that draw Felix Jr. has been perfect with a record of 26-0-1 with 21 knockouts. Like Vasquez he hasn't faced a lot of tough opponents but he is being brought along intelligently considering he is still only 21 years old. This bout should be a good test for both fighters.
This should be a very entertaining and interesting fight. Defensively Felix Jr. is probably better than Vasquez and he also has heavier hands. However Vasquez throws very short quick punches and he throws a lot of them. As far as the undercard goes this fight could provide the most sustained action throughout 12 rounds, if it lasts that long.
PREDICTION: This will be the only fight on the undercard that will end before the final bell rings. Bryan Vasquez is a good fighter but he tends to get touched up a bit too much and against a power puncher like Jose Felix Jr. that is very dangerous. Felix Jr. may get out landed early on but eventually he will start to land his power punches and will end up winning the fight via 9th round knockout.
Comments
Post a Comment