Showtime Fight Preview

Robert Guerrero vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai

Fans who have been wondering what happened to Robert Guerrero after his loss to Floyd Mayweather will have their answer on Saturday night.  Guerrero will finally make his return to the ring after a 13 month layoff and he will be in tough with the power punching Yoshihiro Kamegai.  The two fighters are scheduled to go 12 rounds in the welterweight division in front of what should be a packed house in Carson, California.  

Guerrero got dominated by Mayweather

Guerrero goes by the nickname "The Ghost" which seems to imply that he is elusive and hard to hit.  While that may have been true when Guerrero was a lightweight it certainly isn't the case for him anymore in the welterweight division.  Guerrero loves to fight toe to toe in the pocket which always makes for the possibility of a head clash against an orthodox fighter since Guerrero is a southpaw.  Guerrero has a nice long jab which is unusual for a fighter who prefers to fight in a phone booth.  Along with that jab Guerrero has a nice straight left hand and a solid left hook but his best punches are his uppercuts that he loves to throw on the inside.  Look for Guerrero to bend the rules and pull down on the back of his opponents head as he throws an uppercut, which makes it even more dangerous.  On defense Guerrero is good but not great because he will take a lot of clean punches but does have a great chin and has never been knocked out.

For a long time now Guerrero has been fighting quality opponents but his career really took of in 2010.  That was the year Guerrero beat Joel Casamayor, Vicente Escobedo and he followed those wins up by beating Michael Katsidis, Selcuk Aydin, and Andre Berto in the next two years.  Berto had long been in the running for a fight against Mayweather and after Guerrero beat him he was awarded that winning lottery ticket.  Unfortunately Guerrero got absolutely dominated in that fight and has fought since.  Even with that loss Guerrero's record remains very impressive and stands at 31-2-1 with 18 knockouts.  His fight on Saturday will be a big one for his career, he may have some ring rust and his opponent isn't very well known in the U.S. so a loss would really be detrimental.  The pressure will really be on Guerrero when he enters the ring against Kamegai who will basically have nothing to lose.  

This will be the biggest fight of Kamegai's career

Head clashes could play a huge role in this fight since Kamegai is an orthodox fighter who also happens to have an aggressive style.  He has a nice jab and brings the right hand behind it well, especially to the body.  However without a doubt the biggest punch Kamegai has is his deadly left hook which seems to do a lot of damage even when he doesn't throw it all that hard.  Also, like Guerrero, Kamegai likes to throw uppercuts on the inside.  Also like his opponent he is solid defensively and has never been knocked out which is why both fighters could end up taking a lot of punishment in this fight.

While Guerrero has long been fighting top talent Kamegai isn't as seasoned against elite opposition.  It's not that he has only been fighting tomato cans and cab drivers but no one on his resume compares to the caliber of fighter that Guerrero has faced.  As a pro Kamegai has a record of 24-1-1 with an incredible 21 knockouts but Guerrero will be his toughest opponent to date so it won't be easy to get win number 25.

This fight should provide fans with plenty of fireworks.  Both fighters have aggressive, crowd pleasing styles and don't mind going toe to toe.  Guerrero might be slightly slicker but the hand speed is even and Kamegai is clearly more powerful.  While this will be a big fight for Kamegai he should be relaxed because he isn't very well known in the U.S. and really has nothing to lose.  Even if he were to lose the fight if Kamegai gives a good showing of himself it would be as good as a win while Guerrero not only needs a win but needs to look good.  Since this fight should be a slugfest whoever is able to absorb the heavy leather better should come away with the victory.

PREDICTION: This will be a very entertaining bout from the opening bell and both Robert Guerrero and Yoshihiro Kamegai will have their fair share of success.  Things should stay fairly close throughout this fight but the experience of Guerrero will pay off in the later rounds and he will end up winning this fight by the way of unanimous decision.  

Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Gary Russell Jr.

The co-feature on Saturday's card will be one of the most interesting fights in quite some time.  It will be a 12 round fight for a vacant WBO featherweight title and features two highly talented boxers.  One of those boxers is Vasyl Lomachenko who has only had two professional fights after a historic amateur career and is coming off a loss.  The other is Gary Russell Jr. who was the consensus 2011 Prospect of the Year but still has yet to face any real competition.  While this many not be your classic crossroads fight with a veteran fighter in desperate need of a win it is a crossroads fight nonetheless.  Lomachenko can't lose two fights in a row so early in his career and a loss for Russell Jr. would really call his future into question.

Lomachenko just wasn't ready for Salido

There is little doubt that the southpaw Lomachenko is a highly talented boxer.  He has incredibly fast hands and throws a high volume of punches.  Lomachenko also has fast feet to go along with his hand speed and usually moves around the ring well.  Perhaps the scariest thing about Lomachenko and the thing that could make him a very successful pro is the fact that he carries good power in both hands.  Lomachenko can control rounds with his jab and movement but also likes to flash his hand speed with a lot of one-two's and multiple combinations.  However Lomachenko is still very green as a pro and took his fair share of clean punches in his last fight against Orlando Salido.

The professional career of Lomachenko has been a very short one of just two fights, his second of which was a championship bout.  His record as a pro is 1-1 with 1 knockout but even though he lost his last fight it could have easily been a draw and he almost knocked Salido out in the final round.  The fact that he carried his power into the late rounds was a good sign.  The reason he lost that fight though was that Salido new all the tricks of the trade and referee Laurence Cole let him get away with a lot.  While Lomachenko has only fought twice as a pro he had a long amateur career.  As an amateur he amassed a reported record of 396-1 and was able to win gold medals in the 2008 & 2012 Olympics as well as many other amateur championships.  Now against a fellow slick southpaw Lomachenko needs to prove the hype is real.

It is finally time for Russell Jr. to fight a real foe

Much like his opponent, Russell Jr. is also a southpaw with highly impressive hand speed.  He flashes that hand speed with a good jab and a very quick, short right hook.  Russell Jr.'s only weapon isn't just his right hand though he also has a powerful straight left hand that he lands clean often.  But his knockout punch is definitely his short right hook that opponents often don't see coming.  Defensively Russell Jr. has also been impressive but it is hard to tell just how good he actually is because he has been fighting tomato cans.  

The record of Russell Jr. is a perfect one at 24-0 with 14 knockouts.  However in boxing circles he has earned the nickname Gary "TBA" Russell Jr.  for "To Be Announced" because he often fights opponents who were brought in on short notice and have no business being in the ring with him, not even as a sparring partner.  Because of that his fourteen knockouts almost seems low for the competition he has been in the ring with.  It has been three years since Russell Jr. was named the Prospect of the Year and one has to wonder if there is a reason his team has kept him away from top level opposition.  He has never been tested as a pro and Lomachenko will be far better than anyone Russell Jr. has faced.  By the end of this fight fans should finally found out just how good Russell Jr. could actually be.

This bout will most likely be a highly skilled game of chess.  Don't expect a phone booth fight because both men will be trying to control the action from the outside.  The early rounds should be very slow as the each fighter tries to figure the other out but once they have the information they need things should open up and things should be very interesting in the middle and late rounds.  If Lomachenko wins he would have a title in only his third professional fight and his skills inside the ring would be validated.  However back to back losses could really turn fans off because he got put right into title fights based off of his amateur career and didn't have to work his way up.  A win for Russell Jr. would prove that he is as good as people thought he was back in 2011 and that he has the talent to compete with and beat any fighter in his division.  But a loss for Russell Jr. would really hurt his career and may give fans the impression that he had been protected because he actually didn't have what it takes.  Either way this should be a fun fan for true fans of the sweet science.

PREDICTION: If there was ever a 50/50 fight this is it.  Both fighters have a very similar skill set and whoever wins this fight should do so by a slim margin.  Gary Russell Jr. has more experience as a pro but Vasyl Lomachenko's last opponent probably taught him more than any of Russell Jr.'s have.  Lomachenko will have learned a lot from his bout with Salido and that new knowledge will help him win an extremely close fight via split decision.      

Devon Alexander vs. Jesus Soto Karass

While the main event and co-feature of Saturday's Showtime card feature fighters with similar styles the opening bout will have two fighters who couldn't be more different.  Devon Alexander is your classic boxer and he will be in the ring with the aggressive puncher Jesus Soto Karass.  The boxer and puncher are set to go 10 rounds in the welterweight division and both should be hungry for wins coming off losses.

Porter was just too much for Alexander

Alexander is a southpaw whose favorite punch is his jab.  That jab was allowed him to control the pace and distance in most of his fights and along with his footwork is his best weapon in the ring.  He also has a very fast straight left hand and because of his quick reflexes likes to fight with his hands low.  As good as Alexander fights from the outside he doesn't look good when things are at close range.  He isn't a fighter who likes to mix  it up on the inside and will typically clinch when things go that way.  In the past Alexander has found success against slower power punchers and will look to do the same against Soto Karass.

Back in 2011 Alexander was looked at as a future pound for pound mainstay and possible star, that was until he quit against Timothy Bradley.  Yet somehow Alexander was able to bounce back from that loss and beat tough Argentine sluggers Lucas Matthysee and Marcos Maidana in back to back fights.  While he utterly outboxed Maidana his fight against Matthysse could have gone either way.  Things changed in his last bout when he faced Shawn Porter who had power and enough speed to bother and beat him.  Now Alexander's record stands at 25-2 with 14 knockouts and he looks to rebound against Soto Karass.

Soto Karass was stopped in his last bout

Soto Karass has earned a reputation as a fan favorite because he is always involved in great action fights.  He is the total opposite of Alexander and loves to fight from the pocket where he can trade heavy leather.  Soto Karass is an orthodox fighter with a very good left hook and an awkward clubbing right hand and along with that is very good at landing uppercuts on the inside.  One thing Soto Karass doesn't make much use of is his feet, he comes straight forward and rarely moves laterally which doesn't help him defensively.  Soto Karass is as tough as they come but takes a lot of punishment and has been dropped many times.  For Soto Karass to win this bout he will need to slip Alexander's jab and get in close.

Soto Karass is only 31 years old but nearly every fight he has is a war which makes him an old 31.  He takes a lot of punishment in fights and another loss may force him to really evaluate his career.  His record is 28-9-3 with 18 knockouts and he has never backed away from a tough challenge.  He has been in tough bouts with fighters like Gabriel Rosado, Maidana, Andre Berto, and Keith Thurman.  Soto Karass usually has trouble with slick boxers so his fight against Alexander won't be an easy one.

This bout is all about distance.  Soto Karass will do his best to wear down Alexander and get inside where he can land powerful punches.  For his part Alexander will try to keep Soto Karass at the end of his jab and outbox him.  One thing that could play a role in this fight is headbutts since it will be a southpaw vs. an orthodox fighter.  If someone gets cut it could really change things Alexander has quit before and doesn't fight as well when he gets bloodied while Soto Karass is the type of fighter who will go out on his shield.  It's simple, whoever controls the distance of this fight will be the winner.

PREDICTION: Jesus Soto Karass is a fan favorite which is why even after losses he finds himself back on Showtime.  Unfortunately for him he isn't slick enough to avoid the jab of Devon Alexander which Alexander will use to control the fight.  Soto Karass may find himself on ESPN2 as a tough test for a younger prospect in his next bout because Alexander is going to win this fight by unanimous decision.