Leo Santa Cruz vs. Jose Cayetano
Unlike most major pay-per-view cards that feature three undercard fights, the megafight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will only have two fights before the main event. That news was somewhat disappointing to boxing heads expecting a stacked undercard but after five long years of waiting, any undercard is a welcomed sight. The co-feature of Saturday's joint HBO & Showtime telecast will be a 10 round, featherweight bout between Leo Santa Cruz and Jose Cayetano. Cruz was a late edition to the card and a few opponents were rumored to be getting the fight before he ultimately settled on Cayetano.
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| Fans are still waiting for a big Santa Cruz fight |
One reason that Santa Cruz became such a fan favorite so quickly was because of his very high punch output. Santa Cruz, who fights out of the orthodox stance, can finish opponents but he doesn't do so with one punch. Instead Santa Cruz relies on throwing a lot of accurate punches that wear opponents down over the course of a fight. The young fighter makes good use of an excellent jab along with a very accurate straight right hand. To go along with those punches Santa Cruz also has a quality left hook, and when he gets inside he flashes good uppercuts with both hands. The thing about Santa Cruz is he fights well from a distance or on the inside and his defense isn't the tightest which makes for fun fights. Despite all of his positive attributes, fans have become increasingly annoyed with Santa Cruz for his recent opponents.
After beating a string of tough veteran fighters and earning a WBC super bantamweight title, Santa Cruz has settled for relatively unknown opponents in his two most recent bouts. His last two fights have come against Manuel Roman who held a record of 17-2-3 at the time and Jesus Ruiz who had a record of 33-5-5 when he met Santa Cruz. Now the young fighter will take on another opponent, viewed by many fans as sub par. If Santa Cruz doesn't take on a big name soon his fans will start jumping ship. Still though you can't knock Santa Cruz for his excellent record of 29-0-1 with a solid 17 knockouts. Against Ruiz, Santa Cruz had a tougher time than expected and he will need to look dominant against Cayetano.
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| Saturday will be a great opportunity for Cayetano |
Cayetano is also an orthodox fighter, albeit one most fans have never heard of. Cayetano can also switch up and fight as a southpaw, although he doesn't usually stay that way for very long. While Cayetano has a fairly good jab, he isn't a very accurate puncher and tends to get wild in the ring. Cayetano has a bad right hand that he throws a mile wide and he often does the same from the outside with his left hook. In close Cayetano will throw a shorter left hook but he doesn't have very heavy hands. One claim Cayetano can make is that he has never been knocked out, however, that may change come May 2nd.
This is a fight that fans were not happy about when it was announced, and they probably won't be any happier while it is going on. This is a clear mismatch and really not much more than a tuneup fight for Santa Cruz, who shouldn't be taking a tuneup fight after having two in a row, his last coming in January. Cayetano has never been in the ring with anyone nearly as good as Santa Cruz and that will be clear from the get go. If this fight ends up being exciting is will be because Cayetano has shocked the world.
PREDICTION: This fight should be an easy one for the much more talented Leo Santa Cruz. Jose Cayetano may give it his all but his all won't be enough. Santa Cruz will win this fight by a wide unanimous decision.
Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Gamalier Rodriguez
The opening bout of the May 2nd pay-per-view will feature one of the most talented pure boxers in the sport, Vasyl Lomachenko. The Ukrainian fighter with the storied amateur background will look to continue his winning ways against Gamalier Rodriguez. The bout is scheduled to go 12 rounds in the featherweight division for Lomachenko's WBO title. The unfortunate part of this fight is that fans were hoping to see Lomachenko take on Leo Santa Cruz, but hopefully if both fighters prevail on Saturday night that fight can be made.
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| Lomachenko is as skilled as they come |
Lomachenko is a southpaw with some of the fastest hands in the sport. Along with that speed Lomachenko has shown some good pop on his punches when he actually sits down on them. Like many fighters who spent a long time as an amateur, Lomachenko sometimes just touches opponents instead of really putting a hurting on them. However, when he wants to turn up the power he can. Lomachenko has a great jab along with a skilled right hook. His left hand is just as good as his right and he lands uppercuts from awkward angles. Defensively Lomachenko is one of the best and he could be a star in the making in a crowded featherweight division.
As a pro Lomachenko has only fought four times. One of those four fights was a loss to the tough veteran Orlando Salido. That loss was questionable though considering Salido landed about 10 low blows and should have had at least a point taken away. Besides that fight, which was really a good learning experience for Lomachenko, he has been perfect. As it stands now Lomachenko has a record of 3-1 with 1 knockout and that knockout number could grow as he adapts to the professional style.
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| Rodriguez will be looking to pull off the upset |
Rodriguez is an orthodox fighter with a nice jab he likes to double and sometimes triple up. One thing Rodriguez, who hails from Puerto Rico, does very well is work the body. He likes to bring his left hook and right hand downstairs and he is effective in doing so. Rodriguez will also throw a straight right hand that often finds its target. Defensively is where Rodriguez gets in trouble. He isn't a great defensive fighter and is usually there to be hit, which is not a good thing against an accurate puncher like Lomachenko.
While Rodriguez has fought some quality opponents recently, none are at the same level that Lomachenko is. Also, Rodriguez was brought along very slowly and fought a lot of tomato cans on his way up. Rodriguez now holds a record of 25-2-3 with 17 knockouts but he may need to be perfect if he wants to beat Lomachenko.
For this fight to be any good Rodriguez will need to fight the fight of his life. There is no room for error against a skilled fighter like Lomachenko, who can pick opponents apart with his accurate punches, and make them miss with his great defense. Rodriguez is a tough fighter so he may be able to rough Lomachenko up a little bit, but that little bit may not be enough to get the win.
PREDICTION: This fight is going to be all Vasyl Lomachenko. Gamalier Rodriguez may have a moment or two but those moments will be short loved. Lomachenko will come out aggressive in this fight and may drop Rodriguez a few times on his way to an easy unanimous decision victory.
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