Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero
Al Haymon is a polarizing figure in the sport of boxing. Many fans dislike Haymon because he rarely puts any of his top fighters in competitive fights. Instead he matches a fighter like Danny Garcia, ranked number one at junior welterweight, against Rod Salka, a fighter ranked outside of the top fifty in the lightweight division. However, Haymon began to change the perception of himself when he announced Premiere Boxing Champions. Known as PBC, the Haymon creation will air fights on NBC, NBC Sports, CBS, Spike TV, and there are already other networks rumored to be getting involved. Still, fans were skeptical that Haymon would fill the PBC cards with top fighters. But in the first ever PBC card on NBC this Saturday fans will be treated to some excellent bouts. The main event will be a 12 round welterweight fight between Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero for Thurman's WBA "regular" title.
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| Thurman may be on the brink of stardom |
Thurman is known for one thing above everything else, knockout power. He goes by the nickname "One Time" because all it takes to knock an opponent out is one Thurman punch. Thurman is a southpaw who has plenty of talent offensively. "One Time" has a stiff jab he doesn't use as much as he should as well as a strong left hook. While Thurman likes to set up his heavy overhand right it is his left hook that does the most damage throughout a fight. While his power is undeniable Thurman isn't just a slugger, he also has plenty of boxing skills. It seems that Thurman is a fight or two away from becoming a star, he has the power and charisma to get there but he needs to handle the veteran Guerrero first.
The team around Thurman, Haymon included have done a terrific job of bringing him along. He has slowly stepped up his level of competition and faced some nice fighters along the way including Diego Chaves and Jesus Soto Karass. That has led Thurman to a perfect record of 24-0 and he has an outstanding 21 knockouts. Now Thurman will face the toughest test of his career in the battle tested Guerrero and any questions about the authenticity of Thurman should be answered.
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| Guerrero went to war in his most recent fight |
While Guerrero will be Thurman's best opponent to date, Thurman is far from being Guerrero's best foe. That title is and will always be Floyd Mayweather who Guerrero fought in 2013. For most of his career the southpaw Guerrero was known as a good boxer. Yet in two of his three most recent fights, Guerrero has gone to war. Once with Andre Berto in the fight that earned him the lottery ticket that a bout with Mayweather is, and then again with Yoshihiro Kamegai in his last bout. Guerrero has a nice jab he uses on the outside but he doesn't stay on the outside very often. The southpaw loves to fight in the pocket and has one of the best uppercuts in the sport. The problem is that since Guerrero has started fighting on the inside he has also began taking much more punishment.
Guerrero is a former lightweight who has faced many notable fighters besides Mayweather and Berto. They include Joel Casamayor, Vicente Escobedo, and the always exciting Michael Katsidis. Yet despite fighting such tough competition Guerrero has put together an impressive record of 32-2-1 with 18 knockouts. Even though Guerrero has the edge in experience this fight may come down to real estate.
Whoever controls the distance in this fight should get the victory. Thurman likes to fight on the outside where he can use his jab to set up his power punches. If this is a toe to toe fight than the power of Thurman will probably get smothered. If Thurman can stay on the outside he could put a hurting on Guerrero but that won't be easy. If Guerrero is able to make Thurman stand and trade he might be able to land his powerful uppercuts and really test Thurman. Perhaps the best part of this fight is the fact that neither fighter has ever been stopped.
PREDICTION: This fight will be very close one with both fighters having their moments. The fighter that will have the most of those moments will be Keith Thurman. Robert Guerrero gets caught clean too often and Thurman is a tough fighter to take punches from. Guerrero will show how big his heart is but Thurman will ultimately stop him in the 10th round.
Adrien Broner vs. John Molina
The co-feature of the inaugural PBC card could be a sneaky good fight. The two prizefighters in action will be Adrien Broner and John Molina, and they are scheduled to go 12 rounds in the junior welterweight division. Broner has been in a few good action fights recently and Molina has made a name for himself as a slugger with a ton of heart. The combination of the two fighters and their vastly different styles and personalities should make for a great fight.
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| Broner finished his fight with Taylor in style |
It wasn't too long ago that Broner was being compared to his "big brother" Floyd Mayweather. That was back when Broner was fighting as a big lightweight whose speed, power, and defense made him look like a future pound-for-pound superstar. While Broner may still reach start status the comparisons to Mayweather have stopped. Now fighting as a welterweight the power of Broner is still there as is his speed but neither is as impressive as they were when he was a lightweight. Also his defense has been a no show in recent bouts. One problem Broner has is that he isn't a very busy puncher and tends to just pick his spots to unleash combinations. He is an orthodox fighter who uses the shoulder roll on defense although he has yet to perfect it. The jab of Broner is quick and a useful tool but his short left hook is really the punch to watch out for. Broner also does some nice work with his right hand, especially when he throws his uppercut, and he also puts in good body work.
Broner found his best success fighting as a bloated lightweight. He was able to impose his power on smaller fighters but has been in tough with larger opponents. Broner's only loss came against Marcos Maidana who is similar to Molina in his aggressive style and power. Until Broner met Maidana he was a perfect fighter and as it stands now he has a record of 29-1 with an impressive 22 knockouts. If Broner wants to beat Molina and continue his rise to stardom he needs to have learned his lessons from his bout with Maidana.
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| Molina's heart is as big as they come |
Molina is an orthodox fighter with plenty of power. His jab isn't one of his big weapons and really just uses it to set up his powerful right hand. Molina also has a solid left hook but it is really his overhand right that does all the damage and it was that punch that dropped Lucas Matthysse twice in their 2014 Fight of the Year. The difference between Molina and the only man to conquer Broner, Maidana is that Maidana throws his punches from very awkward angles where Molina is more traditional. Molina can't let Broner get any confidence in this fight and needs to make him respect his power early.
The career of Molina has been an up and down one. Molina was a rising fighter with some nice wins on his resume when he got obliterated by Antonio DeMarco in the 1st round of their 2012 fight. Two fights later Molina lost again and his career looked to be in jeopardy. It looked over when Molina took on Mickey Bey but he saved the day with a 10th round stoppage win. However Molina has lost his last two fights, the one against Matthysse and his most recent fight with Humberto Soto. If Molina wants to be known as more than just an exciting slugger he needs to beat Broner.
This fight should be a good one with a lot of back and forth action. Broner is the slicker fighter but he has had trouble with power punchers in the past and if Molina can tough him up early it might make him tentative. For Broner's part he needs use his feet to land combinations on Molina and then dance out of danger. It would be apparent early if Broner truly learned from his loss to Maidana and if he didn't he could be in for some trouble because one thing is for sure, Molina will be hungry.
PREDICTION: John Molina is becoming a power punching action hero. But with that comes a lot of return fire which Molina has a hard time avoiding. Broner isn't a very busy fighter but his quick combinations in spurts should be enough to win a close unanimous decision.
Abner Mares vs. Arturo Santos Reyes
The first fight to ever appear on PBC will be between Abner Mares and Arturo Santos Reyes. The two fighters are scheduled to go 10 rounds in the crowded featherweight division. This is a fight that Mares should dominate but he needs to be careful not to look passed a hungry underdog in Reyes. Mares may not be a top ten pound for pound fighter anymore but his aggressive style is perfect for TV and a nice start to PBC.
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| Mares is the epitome of the boxer-puncher |
Back in 2013 Mares was ranked in many publications top ten pound for pound rankings and if he wasn't in the top ten he was certainly in the top fifteen. Then Mares ran into the brutal power of Jhonny Gonzalez who knocked him out in the very 1st round. Since then Mares has gone back to his more aggressive style and fans are thankful for that. He is an orthodox fighter with solid power but he certainly isn't a one punch knockout artist. Mares has a nice jab but his left hook may be his best weapon. The orthodox fighter also does nice work with his right hand and to the delight of fans loves to go toe to toe.
Until Mares met Gonzalez he was an undefeated fighter. He has also been an undefeated fighter going 2-0 post Gonzalez. However, Mares certainly has unfinished business to take care of when it comes to Gonzalez and many fans would love to see a rematch. As it stands now Mares has a record of 28-1-1 with a respectable 15 knockouts. Reyes is a big underdog in this fight so Mares does need to be careful not to let a hungry dog feed early in the fight.
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| This is a huge chance for Santos Reyes |
Like Mares, Santos Reyes is also an orthodox fighter. Unlike Mares he isn't very aggressive and likes to flash the jab and move. One thing Santos Reyes does well is show the jab a few times then throw a left hook that looks like his jab until he turns it over. Besides that Santos Reyes doesn't do much and rarely lets his right hand go. Defense is a problem for Santos Reyes, his chin is solid but he doesn't move very well around the ring and takes his fair share of clean punches.
Mares will be by far the best fighter Santos Reyes has ever seen. Santos Reyes has faced some quality veteran fighters but he has lost to them all and they all had numerous losses on their resumes. As a pro Santos Reyes has gone 18-4 but has only recorded 5 knockouts so Mares won't have to worry about his power.
This fight should be all Mares. The only real shot Santos Reyes has to win is if Mares is completely looking passed him and doesn't enter the ring properly prepared. Don't expect that to happen though, Mares should be ready to impress on this PBC card and should be able to handle Santos Reyes fairly easily.
PREDICTION: Arturo Santos Reyes has never been knocked out and won't in this fight. Abner Mares may put a hurting on him forcing someone to stop the fight if it gets out of hand but the more likely outcome is that Mares dominates every minute of the fight on his way to a shutout unanimous decision win.
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