HBO PPV Fight Preview (Undercard)

Arthur Abraham vs. Gilberto Ramirez

If Gilberto Ramirez is going to be the next Mexican star in a long line of great fighters he needs to impress on Saturday night.  As the co-feature for the HBO pay-per-view fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, Ramirez will take on veteran Arthur Abraham.  The fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds and Abraham's WBO super middleweight title will be on the line.  While this will be a high profile fight for both men it will be the first real test the young 24-year-old Ramirez has faced.

Abraham hasn't lost a fight since 2013

At 36 years old Abraham has been fighting professionally since 2003 so he comes into the ring with a big experience advantage over Ramirez.  Abraham is an orthodox fighter who has a pretty good jab but an awkward style.  Often he seems to get out in front of himself and his footwork is not great.  When it comes to power punching Abraham has a wide but thudding left hook and a versatile right hand.  Defensively he keeps his hands very low and he will eat some leather because most of his fights take place on the inside and are rough.

Although Abraham is getting older it hasn't shown yet.  He hasn't lost a fight since 2013 and he has won eight fights since then but has only recorded one knockout.  This will be Abraham's first time fighting back in the U.S. since his 2011 loss to Andre Ward and all of this fights since 2011 have been in Germany.  During his long career Abraham has fought some of the best and has wins over Raul Marquez and Jermain Taylor.  Problems arise for him when he takes that next step up in opposition though.  On Abraham's resume are losses to Andre Dirrell, Carl Froch, and Ward but even with some blemishes his career record is 44-4 with 29 knockouts.  While Abraham will be looking to hold on to his title belt many fans may be watching to see how Ramirez does against him.  

Abraham will be Ramirez's toughest test to date

The big advantage Abraham has in experience Ramirez will have in height and reach.  Abraham is a short super middleweight at only 5-feet 9-inches while Ramirez stands at just over 6-feet 2-inches.  That height and reach advantage could help Ramirez keep Abraham from consistently getting inside.  Unfortunately keeping opponents on the outside is not something Ramirez specializes in because he lacks a consistent jab out of the southpaw stance.  He does have a nice straight left hand though and he has some power although he lacks top end hand speed.  The right hook for Ramirez could be used to catch Abraham with his lead hand low but Ramirez can't throw it wide if he wants to find success.

A few years ago Ramirez looked to be on the verge of becoming a star.  He had a fan friendly style and is Mexican which means he had a large built-in fan base.  At the time Ramirez was riding a four fight knockout streak but in his last three fights against just average competition he has been unable to finish fights before the final bell.  As a pro he has a perfect record of 33-0 with 24 knockouts but he has never been in the ring with someone as talented as Abraham.  This fight will not only be the biggest of Ramirez's career but it will also tell a lot about how high he can rise going forward.

This fight will be a battle of youth against age.  If the young Ramirez wants to be a star he needs to take Abraham's title belt.  If he is able to win the fight he would be one step closer to becoming a star but he would also be the man to beat in the super middleweight division.  For his part Abraham doesn't want to let that happen.  He has more experience and has wins over more accomplished fighters than Ramirez.  It will be interesting to see if Ramirez is able to make adjustments and use his height and reach to his advantage instead of being dragged into a phone booth fight, which would favor Abraham.

PREDICTION: There is a very good chance that Arthur Abraham make this his style of fight and wins a close split decision over Gilberto Ramirez.  However, if Ramirez uses his height properly and stays busy with his jab while only trading heavy leather when he really needs to he will win this fight by the way of majority decision.

Oscar Valdez vs. Evgeny Gradovich

The entire undercard for the pay-per-view fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley features high level Mexican prospects and contenders.  That isn't by accident.  Promoter Bob Arum is billing the undercard as the "No Trump" card showing his support to the Latin American community after presidential candidate Donald Trump has threatened to build a wall along the United States of America's southern border.  One of those high level prospects is Oscar Valdez and he will be taking on Evgeny Gradovich whose nickname happens to be "El Ruso Mexicano" or "The Mexican Russian."  The two fighters are scheduled to go 10 rounds in the crowded featherweight division and Valdez hopes this will be his coming out party.

Valdez looks like the real deal 

At only 25 years old Valdez looks like he has the goods to become a star.  He fights out of the orthodox stance and not only does he have fast hands but he also has some serious power.  That combination of skills allows Valdez to sharp shoot from the outside or bang in close.  Valdez carries into the ring a snapping jab along with an accurate straight right hand but he also has a strong crooked right hand and a dangerous left hook, which might be his best punch.  Defensively is where question marks still surround Valdez because he has never been tested by a top fighter and he is so skilled offensively that he hasn't had to work as hard on the defensive end.

Although Valdez hasn't faced any top fighters yet he has been tested against some quality opposition by the likes of Chris Avalos, Ruben Tamayo, and Jose Ramirez, although none of them are at the same level that Gradovich is.  Since turning pro in 2012 Valdez has run his record to a perfect 18-0 with an impressive 16 knockouts.  In his last 10 fights only two opponents made it to the final bell and both of them lost badly and took a lot of punishment during the fight.  Many fans already think Valdez is on his way to stardom and a win over Gradovich would make that possibility seem that much closer.

Gradovich won't be a pushover for Valdez

Also fighting out of the orthodox stance is Gradovich who holds the edge in experience in this fight.  Gradovich is an aggressive fighter who despite his lack of power likes to mix things up at close range.  Don't expect Gradovich to use his jab much because he tends to rely more on his left hook and right hand which he will throw straight or over the top.  Defensively Gradovich is good but by no means is he great and his chin will really be tested against Valdez, especially if he decides to stay in the pocket and trade leather.

Experience wise Gradovich has an advantage over Valdez.  "El Ruso Mexicano" has fought Lee Selby, Jayson Velez, and Billy Dib twice all of which are better opponents than anyone Valdez has been in the ring with.  Gradovich first made a name for himself stateside in 2013 when he won an IBF World featherweight title after beating Dib and his career record stands at 21-1-1 but he only has 9 knockouts to his name.

This fight could come down to how Gradovich chooses to go about his business.  If he constantly comes forward and fights aggressively as he usually does he could make things difficult for Valdez but he could also walk himself into one of Valdez's power punches.  In fact Gradovich might be tailor made for Valdez to look good against because he likes to get inside and trade leather but lacks any serious power.  If this fight takes place from the pocket it should be Valdez getting the better of the exchanges.  

PREDICTION: No fighter has been able to knockout Evgeny Gradovich in his professional career but that will change come Saturday night.  Oscar Valdez is the real deal and he will prove that by turning in a good performance and stopping Gradovich in the ninth round.

Jose Ramirez vs. Manny Perez

Of all the fights on Saturday's HBO pay-per-view card the least competitive will probably be the first bout of the night.  That fight matches the young undefeated Jose Ramirez up against veteran Manny Perez.  The bout is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the junior welterweight division and once again features a prominent Mexican prospect.

This will be a big stage for the young Ramirez

Ramirez is a 23-year-old orthodox fighter with good power.  While he likes to throw a lot of one-two combinations his jab is only decent and still needs to be improved.  His straight right hand is a good weapon though and does damage when it lands clean.  Along with his right hand Ramirez also has a strong left hook but defensively he needs a lot of work.  Although he hasn't faced any top opponents Ramirez does tend to get caught clean a lot and going forward his chin may not hold up as well.

Like some of his fellow undercard fighters Ramirez enters Saturday with a perfect record.  Ramirez turned pro in 2012 and now has a record of 16-0 with 12 knockouts.  Unfortunately all of those wins have come against opponents not worth mentioning so there is still no telling how good he actually is, or can be.  While Perez does have some experience against good fighters he doesn't have the power to really test Ramirez.

Perez hasn't done well against top fighters

Perez is by no means a puncher and will have to be extra slick against Ramirez.  He fights out of the orthodox stance and is very light on his feet and while he has good hand speed there is never much on his punches.  Perez has a nice jab and a very accurate straight right hand but he will also sneak in counter left hooks from time to time.  However, he will also eat some clean punches because he likes to rely on his reflexes to avoid punishment which doesn't always work.  

The 31-year-old Perez has never done well against top opponents and he has losses to Mercito Gesta, Vernon Paris, and Victor Ortiz.  While he does have a win over DeMarcus Corley that fight came well passed Corley's prime.  For his career Perez has put together a record of 25-11-1 and only 6 knockouts but he is riding a three fight win streak.

For Perez to win this fight he will need to be extremely sharp.  He doesn't have the power to put Ramirez away or even really get his respect so he will need to be very slick.  If Perez can work his jab and straight right hand and do his best to avoid oncoming traffic he could put some rounds in the bank and makes things interesting.  That won't be easy though because Ramirez has some serious power and one of his punches will be the equivalent of a lot of Perez's punches.

PREDICTION: Manny Perez has a decent chin and that will allow him to see the end of this fight.  Jose Ramirez is going to control this fight but the slickness of Perez will help him avoid the knockout loss.  Unfortunately for Perez he can't avoid the loss entirely as Ramirez will win this fight via unanimous decision.