Friday Night Fights Quick Picks

Roberto Garcia vs. Breidis Prescott: Friday Night Fights typically does a good job of giving fans good quality fights.  That will certainly be the case this Friday when the rugged Roberto Garcia (35-3, 23 KO) takes on the hard hitting Breidis Prescott (27-5, 20 KO) in a 10 round bout in the welterweight division.  Garcia is viewed as a B-level fighter but one who gives everyone a tough test.  The only real marquee name on his resume is Antonio Margarito who he lost to back in 2010.  Since then Garcia has fought a lot of average fighters but looked good in his last two bouts against Norberto Gonzalez and Victor Cayo, two quality fighters.  As for Prescott he is a talented puncher who just can't seem to put it together against top level fighters.  The biggest win of his career came back in 2008 when he knocked out Amir Khan in the very first round.  Since that however he has lost all of his step up fights against the likes of Paul McCloskey, Mike Alvarado, and Terence Crawford.  He rebounded in his last bout with a win over Edinson Garcia, but he isn't a top talent and Prescott needs a nice win to keep his name in people's mouths.  This fight should be an explosive one because both men will be coming in hungry and looking for a big win and both like a good fight.  Garcia is an orthodox puncher who doesn't have much of a jab and doesn't have fast hands.  He does have heavy hands though and his constant pressure wears opponents down.  Garcia wears them down with a good left hook and an awkward right hand that can do some damage.  The problem for Garcia is his defense which is poor.  Garcia has never been knocked out but he has been dropped and he typically takes a lot of punishment in his fights.  That lack of defense will be dangerous against the heavy handed Prescott.  Prescott is also an orthodox fighter and will have the faster hands in this bout which he will flash when he throws his quick jab.  Along with that jab Prescott has a very sharp left hook and a nice straight right hand.  However like Garcia, Prescott's defense leaves much to be desired, he has been knocked out once and dropped on a few occasions.  Whoever the more active fighter is will be the winner because neither fighter will be making the other miss much.  If Garcia can cut the ring off he may be able to wear down Prescott.  However I expect Prescott to use his jab and feet enough to keep Garcia at bay and win a close split decision.

 
Caleb Truax vs. Derek Ennis: The other notable fight this Friday will feature a fighter who has appeared on Friday Night Fights on many occasions.  That fighter is the now 30 year old Caleb Truax (23-1-2, 14 KO) who was once viewed as a bright prospect but is getting a little long in the tooth and is coming off a disappointing draw.  Truax will be in the ring against Derek Ennis (24-4-1, 13 KO) in a 10 round middleweight bout.  Truax is an orthodox fighter who likes to work his jab from the outside.  Truax likes to keep his fights on the outside but when he gets in close shows a good right hand and a solid but not great left hook.  Truax likes to play the role of counter puncher but he isn't the most accurate puncher and may be better served taking the lead in future fights to avoid adding more draws to his record.  Truax really needs to look impressive against Ennis if he ever wants to become more than just an ESPN2 fighter.  Ennis will be the veteran in this bout and has faced the high level of opposition although he has never been in with any true elite talent.  Ennis has always been a tough fighter and he has surprisingly fast hands which allow him to jump in and land combinations.  His jab is decent but his best work comes from his left hook and right hand, especially when he brings it to the body.  The problem with Ennis is that he has a bad chin and has been knocked out three times in his four losses and is 2-2 in his last four bouts.  If this fight took place a few years ago Ennis would have been the favorite but that is no longer the case.  Ennis has been through tougher fights and has slowed down a bit which will allow Truax to land his jab and control the distance.  Because of that I think Truax will win this fight by the way of unanimous decision although he won't look as impressive as he hopes to.