Andrzej Fonfara vs. Joe Smith Jr.: This Saturday in prime time the PBC will return to NBC with a tripleheader. That card will be headlined by a 10-round fight from the light heavyweight division between Andrzej Fonfara (28-3, 16 KO) and Joe Smith Jr. (21-1, 17 KO). Fonfara is a top tier light heavyweight whose only recent loss came against the lineal champion Adonis Stevenson in a good fight. Since that loss Fonfara has gone 3-0 with one knockout and heas beaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, and Nathan Cleverly in those bouts. Meanwhile Smith, who fights out of Long Island, New York has been more of a club fighter, fighting exclusively in and around New York. Also, Smith hasn't faced anyone as good as Fonfara and his resume doesn't stand up to that of his Polish foe. Fonfara is an orthodox boxer-puncher with a very good jab. The "Polish Prince," as he is known by fans, also has a very stiff straight right hand that can do damage along with a solid left hook. His best attribute however may be his ability to recover after eating heavy leather and his excellent conditioning has helped him stay sharp in fights as they get into the deeper rounds. Those late rounds could present a problem for Smith who has just recently started competing in 10-round bouts and he has only gone a full 10 rounds once. Smith is also an orthodox boxer-puncher but there is no telling how he will handle things at this level. While Smith doesn't move all that well in the ring he has shown a stiff jab and a good straight right hand. Along with those punches he also has a strong left hook, especially downstairs. However, Smith can square up too much at times and doesn't always do a tremendous job of protecting his chin with his off hand. Look for Smith to try and build an early lead because it is sure to be Fonfara who is better late if the fights make it that far. Smith may put up a good fight but Fonfara will eventually wear him down and win this fight by the way of ninth round stoppage.
Juan Carlos Payano vs. Rau'shee Warren: The co-feature for Saturday's PBC card will be a championship rematch between Juan Carlos Payano (17-0, 8 KO) and Rau'shee Warren (13-1, 4 KO). This fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds in the bantamweight division where Payano's WBA belt will be on the line. Their first fight, which took place in August of 2015 was a closely contested and heated fight that ended in a controversial split decision win for Payano. Payano is a southpaw with very fast hands. He has shown a good jab and a strong left hook despite not being much of a knockout puncher. Along with those weapons Payano also has a stiff straight left hand that he likes to counter with and he has shown the ability to find success from the outside or in close. Warren is also a southpaw who has been blessed with very fast hands. He too lacks any serious power but he does have a good right hook and an accurate straight left hand. While Warren's jab may not be as good as Payano's he does work more on the inside and that work rate could make a big difference in this fight. This bout should be another close one that is hotly contested and could easily end in a draw. However, Warren feels as though he won their last fight and he may be extra motivated to prove that he did. That extra motivation and slightly higher work rate on the inside could make the difference in this close fight and Warren will get the win by the way of razor thin split decision.
Erickson Lubin vs. Daniel Sandoval: The opening bout of the PBC on NBC card will feature one of the top prospects in the sport, Erickson Lubin (14-0, 10 KO). Lubin will put his perfect record on the line against Daniel Sandoval (38-3, 35 KO) in a 10-round bout from the junior middleweight division. At only 20-years-old the southpaw Lubin looks like he has the goods to be a future star. For such a young fighter Lubin has shown some serious offensive talent. Along with an accurate jab Lubin has a stiff straight left hand and a powerful right hook. Like many other tall lanky fighters Lubin has shown some serious punching power and at such a young age the scary thing is that he can still vastly improve on an already strong skill set. Defensively Lubin is still a bit of a mystery because he hasn't really faced any opponents that could push him too hard. Although in recent fights he has faced some quality opponents. Sandoval is also a young fighter and he fights out of the orthodox stance. At the young age of 25 Sandoval has already had 41 professional bouts, although most of them have come against average competition. His best opponent was probably Omar Chavez who he lost to in 2014. One thing Sandoval has plenty of is power. Even better is that he has flashed that power even at times where he wasn't sitting down on his punch. Sandoval doesn't have much of a jab but he does have a dangerous short left hook and he puts in some great work with his right hand. Defensively Sandoval isn't great and he has been knocked out in the past. Sandoval is a dangerous puncher and a bit taller and longer than Lubin so this won't be an easy fight for Lubin. However, Lubin has the superior boxing skills and he should be able to put them together and win this fight with a unanimous decision.
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