HBO Fight Preview

Terence Crawford vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa

If you're in the mood for a great fight then don't miss the main event of Saturday's HBO card.  That fight will pit two highly skilled fighters with identical undefeated records against each other.  Those fighters are the defensive minded American Terence Crawford and the aggressive Cuban Terence Crawford.  This fight will be a contrast of styles and will also tell fans a lot about where each fighter is in their respective careers.  The bout is scheduled to go 12 rounds for Crawford's WBO lightweight title but it could end well before the final bell.

Crawford might be the best lightweight in boxing

The best part of Crawford's game is his defense.  He always remains calm in the ring and uses subtle movement with his head and feet to avoid opponents punches.  Another amazing part of what Crawford does is his ability to switch from orthodox to southpaw with ease, something that will frustrate any opponent.  Usually Crawford likes to fight on the outside where he can pop his strong jab that he likes to double and triple up.  His jab is probably better when he is in the southpaw stance but his left hand isn't all world when he chooses to fight that way.  However when he fights in his orthodox stance his straight right hand is extremely sharp and he also has a short left hook that almost looks like a jab that works well.  Crawford seems to have all the talent in the world and could prove on Saturday night that he is the best lightweight in the sport.

Before he proves that he is the best lightweight though he will need to get past Gamboa.  Crawford's career has come along at a nice pace and his toughest test came in his last fight against Ricky Burns.  If he were to get past Gamboa he may chose to fight longtime lightweight title holder Miguel Vazquez although that wouldn't be a high profile fight.  It wouldn't be surprising if Crawford moved up to junior welterweight pretty soon if he continues to clean out the lightweight ranks.  As a pro Crawford holds a perfect record of 23-0 with a strong 16 knockouts and in the words of Bull Durham's Nuke LaLoosh could "announce his presence with authority" with a win over Gamboa.

Gamboa has power but doesn't always fight smart

Gamboa is a talented fighter who just seems to be missing something, which may be ring intelligence.  Unlike Crawford who puts in good work with his jab Gamboa's jab is really just to set up his power punches and he won't do much damage with it.  Another difference between the two fighters is the fact that Gamboa isn't great defensively and keeps his hands down to often, especially after he is done throwing a combination.  Because of that lack of defense Gamboa has been dropped four times in his career although he has yet to be knocked out.  Still on the offensive side of things Gamboa is as talented as they come especially when he flashes his hand speed and power.  He possesses a very good left hook and an equally strong right hand and if he tightens up his defense and becomes slightly more active offensively he could also stake his claim to being the best lightweight in the world.  

As far as experience is concerned Gamboa should have the slight advantage.  He has been a pro for longer then Crawford and has faced the tougher opposition.  Gamboa has beaten the likes of Jonathan Victor Barros, Orlando Salido, Jorge Solis, and Daniel Ponce De Leon just to name a few.  Like his counterpart across the ring Gamboa has been perfect as a pro and holds an identical record of 23-0 with 16 knockouts.  Gamboa hasn't been very active of late and only fought once in 2012 and once in 2013 and it has been a year since he was last in the ring so ring rust could play a role in this bout.  If Gamboa were to beat Crawford it would go a long way in bringing some of the buzz back to his career.

This is a toss up fight that could go either way which shouldn't be a surprise since the fighters have identical records.  Gamboa will probably be the aggressor in this fight but it will be interesting to see if he chooses to stay in the pocket or move in and out.  Crawford likes to fight from the outside and should use his jab and height to keep Gamboa at bay.  If things stay on the outside it will be Crawford getting the better of the exchanges but he also fights pretty well from the pocket.  Gamboa will need to make Crawford miss with his jab so he can get inside and land his power.  This fight should start slowly because both fighters will be trying to figure the other out while also respecting each others power.  However once things open up the action should be good and this fight could end in any round.

PREDICTION: Yuriorkis Gamboa is highly skilled offensively but he defense leaves much to be desired and that will be the difference in this fight.  Terence Crawford is good offensively and great defensively and his height and jab will allow him to control the distance and the pace and win this fight by the way of unanimous decision.

Matt Korobov vs. Jose Uzcategui

Saturday's HBO card will be a special one because all four of the fighters being featured have undefeated records.  Like both fighters in the main event both Matt Korobov and Jose Uzcategui look to remain perfect as professionals as they square off in a 10 round middleweight bout.  Neither of the fighters in the co-feature has ever faced any real top talent so it will be interesting to see how they match up against each other.  A win on HBO would be huge for both fighters so they should be coming in to the ring very hungry to impress.

Korobov had a stellar amateur career

Korobov is a southpaw who had a very successful amateur career winning world titles in 2005 & 2007 in the middleweight division.  Korobov is a rugged fighter who likes to pressure opponents.  His jab is alright but his best punch is his short and deadly right hook.  Korobov also has a nice left hand but it isn't as crisp as his right hook.  Defensively Korobov isn't anything special and because he usually stands in front of opponents is there to be hit but he has shown a strong chin and has never been down as a pro.  One big question surrounding Korobov's career is whether or not he is a legit contender or if his impressive record is just a product of his sub par opponents.

While Korobov hasn't been in the ring with any top fighters he has always done what he is supposed to, win.  He holds a career record of 23-0 with 14 knockouts and at 31 years old the time is now for a big win that will help move his career forward.  However if he wants that career boost he will need to beat the toughest opponent of his career in Uzcategui.

This fight could be a lot of fun like Korobov, Uzcategui isn't great on the defensive side of things and gets caught clean upstairs far to often but has also never been down as a pro.  But Uzcategui moves a lot better than Korobov does which should help his case.  Uzcategui is an orthodox fighter with a nice stiff jab and a sharp straight right hand.  He is able to land that straight right hand very often and it is a good punch for him but he sometimes just uses it to score points because he won't always turn it over to land it for power.  As for Uzcategui's left hook he doesn't throw it often and when he does it is wild but if it lands its lights out.  However the same questions surrounding Korobov and his talent level are the same questions swirling around Uzcategui.

Uzcategui has some legit power in both hands

The reasons there are questions about Uzcategui is because of his lack of quality opponents although he has fought better talent than Korobov has, most notably Rogelio Medina.  As a pro Uzcategui has been perfect going 22-0 with a very impressive 18 knockouts.  He is only 23 years old so his ceiling is very high and he could go on to bigger and better things if he were to get past Korobov.

This fight has slugfest written all over it because neither fighter is great on defense.  While Uzcategui is slightly better and moves his head more it is probably Korobov who fights stronger at close range.  Because of that Uzcategui should try to keep some distance between them where he can land his jab and straight right hand and look to land power punches when the opportunity presents itself.  For his part look for Korobov to try and bully Uzcategui and take the fight on the inside.  Basically whoever wins the ring generalship will win the fight.

PREDICTION: While Matt Korobov is a nice fighter he lack of speed and movement will be his downfall in this fight.  Jose Uzcategui will be able to avoid more punishment and consistently land his straight right hand which will let him win this fight via majority decision.