HBO PPV Fight Preview (Undercard)

Oscar Valdez vs. Matias Adrian Rueda

Most serious boxing fans are thrilled at the prospect of Saturday's HBO PPV main event between Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol.  However, most of those fans don'e believe that fight is pay-per-view worthy and think it should be on regular HBO.  Perhaps those grumblings wouldn't be so loud had this card had a stacked undercard but unfortunately most of the undercard bouts feature heavy favorites.  But at least there are some notable prospects and contenders in action who are usually fun to watch.  The co-feature for Saturday's card features one of the best prospects in boxing, Oscar Valdez.  Valdez is scheduled to go 12 rounds against Matias Adrian Rueda for a vacant WBO featherweight title.

Valdez is new to contender status

Valdez is a young fighter new to the world of being a contender after being a top prospect the last year or so.  Not only does Valdez have fast hands but he also carries tremendous power into the ring.  Unlike many smaller fighters who use their jab only to score points Valdez actually has a strong jab.  With that jab Valdez also has an accurate straight right hand and when he throws a crooked right it is also a dangerous punch.  However, the young fighters best punch is probably his left hook which can end a fight at anytime.  Defensively Valdez is still a question mark because his offense has been so good that he is yet to be truly tested.  

Although Valdez is a new contender that doesn't mean he hasn't been in the ring with some quality fighters.  During his young career Valdez has beaten Chris Avalos and Evgeny Gradovich among others.  His professional record is a perfect 19-0 with an incredible 17 knockouts.  This will be another big opportunity for Valdez who has appeared on other notable pay-per-view cards in the past.  If he can not only win this fight, but look impressive doing so then the sky may be the limit for this young pugilist.

Rueda is a mystery to most U.S. fans

Rueda is an orthodox fighter from Argentina.  He carries with him a decent jab and straight right hand along with a strong left hook.  Rueda likes to get inside on opponents where he can use that left hook to the body and when he lands it the fight usually ends.  The problem for Rueda is defense.  When he attacks he often forgets about return fire and he is vulnerable to the left hook, Valdez's best punch.

Most fans in the U.S. have probably never heard of Rueda who has only fought in the U.S. once.  Every other time Rueda has fought he has done so in Argentina.  Like many other recent notable fighters from Argentina Rueda is powerful but not highly skilled.  He too has a perfect record of 26-0 with a very dangerous 23 knockouts and his last 10 fights have all ended via the knockout.

This should be a fun test for Valdez to see how he handles a true heavy hitter.  Rueda can certainly punch and Valdez has never really been tested by a heavy hitter so it will be interesting to see how his chin holds up.  It will also be interesting to see if Valdez can take advantage of Rueda's loose style and counter him with the left hook with success.  This is a big fight for Valdez and he needs to be careful or he could get upset.

PREDICTION: This fight is a tale of two punchers.  Matias Adrian Rueda can bang and he has a puncher's chance in this fight.  Yet it is Valdez who has the faster hands and sharper skills and those tools will help Valdez win this fight with a seventh round stoppage.

Jose Benavidez vs. Francisco Santana

Another fight on Saturday's HBO PPV with a clear favorite is the bout between Jose Benavidez and Francisco Santana.  Benavidez is an undefeated fighter and he will look to keep that record perfect come Saturday night.  The fight between Benavidez and Santana is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the always crowded welterweight division and as it is a big fight for both men hopefully both bring the action.

Benavidez will look to stay perfect on Saturday

Benavidez is a tall welterweight who fights out of the orthodox stance.  He likes to fight from the outside where he can control the distance with his long jab and straight right hand.  The young fighter also has a pretty good left hook, especially to the body but his crooked right hand comes in very wild at times and is not a great weapon.  The problem for Benavidez is defense.  He does not use his feet very well and at times, like in his fight with Mauricio Herrera, he will lay on the ropes for much too long.  

The biggest fight of Benavidez's career thus far came in 2014 against Herrera.  While he was awarded the decision win in that fight many observers felt that Herrera had in fact won a close fight.  Since that bout Benavidez has gone 2-0 with one knockout against lesser competition.  His career record is a perfect 24-0 with 16 knockouts and he hopes to keep that record perfect this weekend.

Santana will look to hand Benavidez his first loss

Santana is an orthodox veteran who has faced many notable opponents.  When it comes to experience he definitely has the advantage over Benavidez.  Santana likes to use his jab to help set up a good right hand.  His best punch though is probably his short left hook.  Santana is very skilled with that left hook and can surprise opponents when he lets it go while backing up.  

The career record of Santana is 24-4-1 with 12 knockouts and he is six years older than Benaavidez.  Although Santana is more experienced and has fought notable opponents such as Karim Mayfield, Jermell Charlo, and Sadam Ali he has lost all of those fights.  That is why Santana is a great test for Benavidez.  If Benavidez can pass the test he may be legit but if he can't handle Santana he will need to go back to the drawing board.

This fight is really about the jab of Benavidez against the left hook of Santana.  Benavidez usually has a height and reach advantage but those advantages won't help him in this fight because he and Santana are nearly the same size.  If Benavidez can control the distance with his jab he should be able to box his way to a victory but as always the left hook of Santana will be a danger until the final bell rings.

PREDICTION: Francisco Santana has a puncher's chance in this fight.  He has a serious left hook and there is a very real possibility that Santana will win this fight with a knockout.  But as long as Benavidez plays it somewhat safe and controls the distance with his jab he will be able to get the win with a unanimous decision. 

Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs. Tommy Karpency

The opening bout of the night is scheduled to go 10 rounds from the light heavyweight division, one of the most exciting in boxing at the moment.  It seems that every top light heavyweight has serious pop on his punches and Oleksandr Gvozdyk hopes to add his name to that list.  Before he is viewed as a top light heavyweight though he will need to handle a tough guy like Tommy Karpency who is looking to find some of the magic he had against Chad Dawson.

This is a very big stage for Gvozdyk

Gvozdyk has a classic style out of the orthodox stance.  He fights behind a nice jab and he keeps his right hand planted near his chin to protect it.  While Gvozdyk has a nice left hook it is his right hand that is his best weapon.  He throws a straight right hand but it is so short and quick and almost looks like a perfect overhand right.  That punch can turn out an opponents lights when it lands clean.

The professional career of Gvozdyk has really just gotten started.  He has only been fighting since 2014 and has a record of 10-0 with a strong eight knockouts and he has actually seen some decent competition, most notable Nadjib Mohammedi who he beat in early 2016.  Now Gvozdyk is set for the biggest stage of his young career against the tough and tested Karpency.

Karpency needs another upset 

Karpency fights out of the southpaw stance where he has shown a nice one-two combination.  He also throws a right hook and while it isn't a terrible looking punch Karpency doesn't carry much pop on his punches.  Throughout his career Karpency has had trouble with his defense against power punchers and this will be only his second fight since being knocked out by Adonis Stevenson.  

One thing is for sure, Karpency will come to win.  He is a tough blue collar kid who always gives a pretty good account of himself.  However, he is not a top tier fighter and holds a record of 26-5-1 with 15 knockouts and he has been knocked out twice.  Despite never having a win over a top opponent, outside of a close decision win over a well past his prime Chad Dawson, Karpency finds himself on a high profile card.  In the past Karpency has lost to Karo Murat, Nathan Cleverly, Andrzej Fonfara, and Stevenson but he hopes to turn things around against Gvozdyk.

Karpency will really need to rely on his toughness and experience against Gvozdyk because it can be argued that Gvozdyk is better than Karpency in every way.  Fairly quickly fans should be able to tell if Karpency has a legitimate shot at winning and that all depends on how he handles Gvozdyk's power and whether or not he can avoid the right hand.  As for Gvozdyk he has the chance to put on a real show and earn himself some new fans since many people have yet to see him fight.

PREDICTION: Tommy Karpency is a tough kid and while that toughness will serve him well against Oleksander Gvozdyk it won't be enough to get him a victory.  Gvozdyk is a seriously talented fighter with a great right hand and it will be that right hand that wins Gvozdyk this fight when he scores the fifth round knockout.