HBO Fight Preview

David Lemieux vs. Gabriel Rosado

Saturday night on HBO will have the feel of a 1950's throwback fight.  That is because to tough, rugged fighters will be going head to head when the Canadian David Lemieux faces off against Philadelphia native Gabriel Rosado.  This fight will be a battle of wills as Lemieux puts his power up against the relentlessness and heart of Rosado.  The fight is the main event of a tripleheader and is scheduled to go 12 rounds in the middleweight division.

Lemieux is a knockout threat in every fight

When it comes to power punchers not many hit as hard as Lemieux.  Lemieux is an orthodox fighter with fast hands who loves to throw a ton of punches.  He uses his jab to measure the distance for his power punches and when he unleashes those his opponents are usually in for some trouble.  Lemieux typically throws punches in bunches and his best may be hist devastating left hook which can end a fight immediately.  Lemieux also has a dangerous right hand which can get wild at times but is also a punch he can throw from multiple angles.  On defense Lemieux will take some clean punches and he was stopped by Marco Antonio Rubio in the 7th round of their 2011 fight.  Since then Lemieux has tightened up his defense but he still has some holes.  Still Lemieux is a good looking, well spoken young fighter and if he continues to win he could become a star.

Lemieux was an undefeated fighter until 2011 rolled around and the wheels seemed to fall off of his career.  He lost two fights in a row and was stopped in one of them.  Since that time however Lemieux has really worked on his game and has improved all aspects of it.  Since 2011 Lemieux has fought seven times going 7-0 with six knockouts.  For his career Lemieux has a record of 32-2 with an incredible 30 knockouts.  This will be a big fight for Lemieux and a win could set him up for some big things in the crowded middleweight division.

Rosado's last fight came in the new BKB

When it comes to boxing not many fighters are tougher than Rosado.  He is an orthodox fighter who usually keeps his left hand low and jabs from his hip.  Rosado likes to rough things up on the inside and has a nice short overhand right he lands at that distance.  Rosado also has a solid left hook but he doesn't use it as much as he could.  The problem for Rosado is his defense.  His footwork is bad and he usually comes comes straight ahead which allows his opponents to really touch him up.  Also Rosado's skins cuts very easily and he has had numerous fights stopped due to bad cuts.  Rosado needs to be sharp defensively if he doesn't want to get stopped by Lemieux.

The last time Rosado fought was in BKB which stands for Big Knockout Boxing.  It takes place in a circle instead of an actual boxing ring and there are no ropes.  BKB adverstises the fact that they don't want defensive fighters and it is more bar fight than actual boxing.  Rosado beat Bryan Vera in that BKB fight but that win doesn't go on his actual record.  In the real boxing ring Rosado has taken on top talent such as Gennady Golovkin, Peter Quillin, and Jermell Charlo.  As a pro he has gone 21-8 with 13 knockouts and his career has really been hurt by he propensity to cut.

This fight has the feeling of a Fight of the Year candidate because both fighters are aggressive and like to mix it up.  The bout will really come down to how Rosado's face holds up to Lemieux's power.  If Rosado's face opens up early he will be in some serious trouble and it could be a very quick night.  However if Rosado's face holds up he could give Lemieux a tough fight. 

PREDICTION: If Gabriel Rosado's face was as tough as his heart he may have a chance in this fight.  That is the case however and David Lemieux should be able to open him up and put a hurting on him on his way to a 9th round stoppage. 

Thomas Dulorme vs. Henry Lundy   

The co-feature on Saturday's HBO card should be an interesting one.  It features the young Thomas Dulorme taking on veteran tough guy Henry "Hammerin' Hank" Lundy.  The fight is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the crowded junior welterweight division and it will be a meaningful fight for both men as they look to get a title shot.  Dulorme has lost step up fights before but its tough to say how much of a step up Lundy represents at this point.

Dulorme has talent but he also has some flaws

Dulorme is an orthodox fighter with quick hands who tends to get wild with his punches.  He has a nice long jab and a good straight right hand as well as having a strong left hook.  Dulorme's major flaw is on defense.  The young fighter will often get a bit too wild on offense which leaves him open to be countered.  The toughest fight of his career so far came against Luis Carlos Abregu and Abregu dropped Dulorme twice before Dulorme's corner threw in the towel in the 7th round.  Dulorme has rebounded nicely since that loss and should have a tough fight against Lundy.

Dulorme was looked at as a top prospect until he ran into Abregu.  After that fight people questioned his ability and his chin since he was dropped twice and both were brutal.  Since that first career loss Dulorme has gone 5-0 scoring two knockouts but except for his bout with Karim Mayfield all of those wins came against low level fighters.  As a pro Dulorme has put together a record of 21-1 with 14 knockouts and a win over Lundy would earn him back some respect.

Lundy is a tough veteran for anyone to handle

Lundy is a tough veteran fighter who fights out of the southpaw stance making him even more tricky for young fighters.  Lundy has a nice stiff jab and although his hands aren't all that fast he can surprise opponents when he lets his right hook go.  Lundy will also throw an overhand left but not very often.  The veteran fighter is very good at controlling the distance in a fight with his long jab and his defense is better than it appears.

While Lundy has some solid wins on his resume he has lost most of his step up fights against the likes of John Molina, Raymundo Beltran, and Viktor Postol.  However Lundy has also played spoiler to plenty of young prospects which he will look to do against Dulorme.  The 30 year old Lundy has a career record of 25-3-1 with 12 knockouts and could very well earn a title shot with a win on Saturday night.

This should be a very competitive close fight.  Dulorme will probably be the busier fighter and that punch output could sway the judges if the fight is close.  Lundy will be the veteran in the ring and he will fight like it, controlling the distance and trying to rough Dulorme up on the inside if the young fighter can get there.  A victory would put the winner very close to earning a title shot so expect a good, close fight.

PREDICTION: Thomas Dulorme may have earned his title of top prospect back but that won't help him against Henry Lundy.  Lundy has seen better fighters that Dulorme and has spoiled prospects in the past.  Lundy will control the distance in this bout and his defense will be the difference as he earns a split decision win.

James De La Rosa vs. Hugo Centeno

The opening bout of the night should be a very competitive fight between two young fighters looking to make a name for themselves.  James De La Rosa fresh off the biggest win of his career against Alfredo Angulo will be facing off against Hugo Centeno in a 10 round middleweight bout.  This will be an important fight because the winner will go on to bigger and better things while the loser will have to start from the bottom again.

De La Rosa is coming off his biggest win yet

De La Rosa is an orthodox fighter with quick hands.  He loves to throw his jab and will often double or even triple it up.  De La Rosa also has a very nice straight right hand and a strong left hook.  De La Rosa seems to lull opponents into a trance with his jab then unleashes heavy combinations.  The young fighter also moves very well in the ring but he has been dropped a few times which leaves some question marks surrounding how good his chin is.  De La Rosa is coming off the biggest win of his career and needs to follow that up with another high profile victory.

During his career De La Rosa hasn't faced many top level fighters.  That changed in September of this year when he took on Angulo, dropping him once on his way to a wide unanimous decision win in a fight that was never really close.  As a pro De La Rosa has put together a record of 23-2 with a solid 13 knockouts and a win on HBO would certainly help to raise his profile.

Centeno looks to remain a perfect fighter

So far in his career Centeno has not yet had the chance to face any top fighters but he has looked good against whoever he has faced.  The orthodox Centeno uses his legs a lot in the ring and his long arms give him a nice jab that he snaps out frequently.  Centeno also thros a left hook that starts off looking like his jab before he turns it over.  His right hand isn't as good as his left and it comes in wide when he does throw it.  When Centeno does get caught with a clean punch he tends to stop moving and allows his opponent to follow up which is why he has also tasted the canvas in his career.

As a pro Centeno has been perfect but that may be due to his lack of quality opposition.  However Centeno has faced off against some fellow prospects and has fared well against them.  Over the course of his young career which started in 2009 Centeno has put together a record of 21-0 with 11 knockouts and he should be in for a good test against the psychically bigger De La Rosa.

This fight will come down to who can control the distance.  De La Rosa is the bigger puncher and will look to fight on the inside where he can do damage.  As for Centeno he will look to use his height and reach advantage to outbox De La Rosa from the outside while avoiding any power punches.  This is a nice even fight and should provide fans with some nice action whichever way it ends up going.

PREDICTION: Hugo Centeno has never lost as a professional but that may change Saturday night.  James De La Rosa is the stronger fighter and he should be able to get inside on Centeno and rough him up on his way to a unanimous decision victory.