HBO Fight Preview

Timothy Bradley vs. Jessie Vargas

This week has an overwhelming amount of fights cards, yet most of them will be on Friday night.  On Saturday HBO will have the stage all to themselves and they are bringing fans one of the most interesting fights in recent memory.  That fight, which will act as HBO's main event, will be between Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas.  Bradley is currently ranked in Big Time Boxing's Top 10 P4P Rankings in the 8th spot and a loss would drop him from the rankings.  Vargas is a young fighter who has been a prospect and is now on the verge of very big things if he can beat Bradley.  The two prizefighters are scheduled to go 12 rounds for a vacant WBO welterweight title.  If Bradley wins he gets to remain a top fighter who is always involved in high level fights.  If Vargas wins he reaches new heights in his career and really puts himself in position to do some big things.  Vargas is the young, hungry fighter, Bradley is the aging veteran looking to prove he still has plenty left.  What all this means for the fans is that they should be in for a great fight.    

Bradley's face was in bad shape against Chaves

Bradley is an orthodox fighter who brings an athletic style to the ring.  He shows a good jab along with good movement which helps him get in and out quickly.  That movement, along with his rock solid chin have made Bradley one of the better defensive fighters and he achieves that status without being labeled as a runner.  Along with his jab Bradley also has a good left hook, although he doesn't have much power on that punch, or any punch.  His heaviest punch may be his overhand right and he is accurate with that punch.  In the past Bradley was known more for his defense but lately he has tried mixing things up on the inside.  Typically Bradley likes to make things rough and tumble and his stamina and ability to stay in top form in the championship rounds has become his calling card.

Recently Bradley has run into some tough luck and tougher opponents.  His 2012 win over Manny Pacquiao has really altered his career.  Bradley caught a lot of criticism following that fight because most fans didn't think he won, and they were right.  Perhaps because of that criticism Bradley decided to go to war with his next opponent Ruslan Provodnikov, a move that nearly cost him his career and health.  After that fight Bradley seemed to have more fans than he ever had previously and that praise from fans for his guts may have gone to his head.  Most recently Bradley fought Diego Chaves and instead of using his defense he decided to slug it out, not a smart move considering Bradley doesn't have big power.  Even stranger is the fact that recently Bradley has called out Gennady Golovkin and said he would fight him at 160 pounds.  Following a loss to Pacquiao in their rematch and a draw against Chaves, Bradley is in dire need of a win.  His career record is 31-1-1 but he only has 12 knockouts and because of his recent brawls the 31-year-old may age quicker than some of his predecessors.

Vargas is a talented fighter on the rise

Despite Bradley's serious lack of power he will have he heavier hands come Saturday night.  That is because Vargas really has no power but the orthodox fighter brings plenty of other skills to the table.  Vargas is a skilled offensive fighter who has a quick jab.  He likes to follow that jab up with uppercuts and left hooks downstairs and he also has an accurate straight right hand.  Even though Vargas is not a powerful fighter he can still catch opponents by surprise and he flashes a nice looking one-two combination that lands at a high rate.  On defense Vargas also shows that he has a high skill level and he can usually avoid taking a lot of unnecessary punishment.

 

Throughout his young career Vargas has been matched up intelligently.  He has steadily increased his level of competition and he has wins over notable fighters such as Josesito Lopez, Wale Omotoso, and Antonio DeMarco.  As a professional Vargas has been perfect and he holds a record of 26-0 but he has an abysmal 9 knockouts.  That lack of power hasn't hurt him yet because he has been able to outbox all of his opponents but as he continues to take on better opposition that power deficiency may hurt him much like it has done to Bradley.

 

It will be interesting to see how this fight plays out.  Vargas is 4-inches taller than Bradley and has the longer arms so he should try to keep the fight on the outside.  His jab is a great weapon and he has controlled fights with it, but it remains to be seen whether or not he can do that to a fighter like Bradley.  As for Bradley he should try to get inside and bang to the body while making it a rough type of fight.  Vargas has not been through the hell that Bradley has walked through to get wins so look for Bradley to try to teach the younger fighter a thing or two.  This fight basically comes down to youth vs. experience and considering there is no love loss between the two, it should be a fun night.

 

PREDICTION: Timothy Bradley may not be the fighter he was even two years ago beating Juan Manuel Marquez.  He may be sliding down the pound for pound list and he may have been in a lot of brutal fights.  However, Bradley still has plenty left in the tank and he will show that on Saturday.  Jessie Vargas will be a top fighter someday but Saturday is not that day.  Bradley will win this fight by the way of unanimous decision.  

 

 

 

Oscar Valdez vs. Ruben Tamayo

 

The co-feature of Saturday's HBO card should be a heavy hitting one.  Prospect and knockout artist Oscar Valdez will be taking on Ruben Tamayo in a featherweight bout scheduled to go 10 rounds.  Valdez looks like he could be one of Mexico's next big things, especially because of his power punching.  He will bring that power up against Tamayo who hasn't always done well against heavy hitters but will be bringing more experience into the squared circle.  It will be a big stage for both pugilists to expect a fun fight.

 

Only one of Valdez's fights has gone the distance

Valdez is known for one thing above all else, his power.  The 24-year-old fighter out of Mexico plies his trade out of the orthodox stance and he loves to throw his power punches.  Despite being known as a power puncher Valdez does also have a nice snapping jab, snapping in the sense that it can snap opponents heads back.  Valdez's best punch is his deadly left hook but his overhand right can also do a tremendous amount of damage.  One thing Valdez needs to improve on is his body work.  While he will go to the body and has success there he often spends too much time head hunting.  Defensively Valdez hasn't really been tested yet so there is no telling just how good or bad it is but with his power most of his fights don't go long enough to expose any possible flaws.

 

During his short career Valdez hasn't yet faced any top fighters.  However, he has been brought along at a nice pace and has beaten many quality veterans who would help give him experience without posing a huge threat to his perfect record.  That record stands at 15-0 with an unreal 14 knockouts.  It will be interesting to see how the power of Valdez looks when he starts taking on top level opponents but for right now it is a helluva lot of fun to watch. 

 

Tamayo has had trouble with power punchers

Tamayo is an incredibly tall 5-foot 10-inch southpaw who has a decent jab but not very long arms.  Tamayo isn't the most aggressive fighter and likes to counter from the outside.  His hands are actually pretty fast and he sows a quick left hook and a big overhand right.  Tamayo has some pop on his punches and is fairly skilled offensively, his problem has always been on the defensive end.  In his five losses four have come by the way of knockout and Tamayo just doesn't handle heavy hitters well.

 

When it comes to experience Tamayo will have the advantage over Valdez.  Tamayo's last fight came against Jesus Cuellar who is a very talented fighter and he has been fighting as a pro for five years longer than Valdez has.  The problem for Tamayo who has a record of 25-5-4 with a solid 17 knockouts is that he has lost to some sub par and average fighters.  Outside of his loss to Cuellar, Tamayo has lost to fighters with records of 1-3, 20-4-1, 39-14, and 25-5-5.  If Tamayo wants to avoid another knockout he will need to have a near perfect fight.

 

This bout is really all about Valdez.  Tamayo isn't a fighter that would find himself on HBO as the name fighter and he is really being brought into this fight as a talented yet beatable opponent for Valdez to impress against.  Valdez is the big name and this looks like the start of his big push to becoming Mexico's next star.  If Tamayo wants to upset the apple card he will need to keep Valdez on the end o his jab and not let the young fighter get in close where he can land his power.  However, that won't be easy to do and Valdez should come out very aggressive in this fight.

 

PREDICTION: Ruben Tamayo is a solid fighter, but solid fighters should be too much of a problem for a future star like Oscar Valdez.  If Valdez wants to prove he is the real deal he needs to start on Saturday night.  Valdez will look very good in this fight and Tamayo will be no match for his power as Valdez goes on the win the fight via 6th round stoppage.