PBC on Fox Fight Preview

Deontay Wilder vs. Chris Arreola

Many fans of Deontay Wilder and the heavyweight division were thrilled to see Wilder take on Russia's Alexander Povetkin.  Unfortunately due to a failed drug test by Povetkin that fight, which was supposed to have already happened, was canceled.  Now Wilder will take on the much less dangerous Chris Arreola.  This PBC card will air on Fox this Saturday in prime time from Wilder's home state of Alabama.  The fight is scheduled to go 12 rounds and Wilder's WBC heavyweight title will be on the line.  

Wilder scored another KO in his last fight

By now fans are aware that Wilder is a serious power puncher.  His money punch is his overhand right and if it catches an opponent clean, or even catches them partially, it is usually lights out.  Wilder fights out of the orthodox stance and his most important punch is his jab.  Yes, the overhand right is the punch that wins fights but it is the long, stiff jab that sets it up.  Along with those weapons Wilder also has shown an improving left hook.  There is no denying that Wilder is very athletic but sometimes he relies to heavily on that athleticism.  He will often keep his hands low and leave his chin exposed as he dances out of danger.  So far he hasn't paid the price but going forward he does need to make at least minor improvements to his defense.  Still, with such tremendous one punch power at times it seems that defense doesn't even matter.

Many fans were still unsure of Wilder and how good he actually was until his bout against Bermane Stiverne.  That fight was the only one of Wilder's career to go the distance and in it he showed he has some legitimate boxing skills and wasn't just a power puncher.  Since that win though Wilder hasn't faced any top tier opponents.  His last fight was in January against the solid, but far from elite, Artur Szpilka.  That fight was much closer than expected, partly because Wilder couldn't get his jab going to set up his right hand.  However, in the ninth round Wilder caught Szpilka clean and knocked him out cold.  As it stands now Wilder's career record is a perfect 36-0 and he has an almost unbelievable 35 knockouts.  While Arreola isn't the opponent Wilder fans wanted to see him in the ring against he should at least make for a fun action fight.  

This could be Arreola's last shot at a title

Arreola is also an orthodox fighter with serious power, although his power isn't as prodigious as Wilder's.  Everything that Arreola lands is powerful, even his jab.  However, he is often a wild puncher so his accuracy is never good.  Like Wilder, the best punch of Arreola is his overhand right but he also throws a mean left hook.  The problem for Arreola has always been conditioning.  He usually enters the ring very out of shape and that has definitely contributed to some of his recent poor performances.  Also his chin isn't great and he has been knocked out twice in four career losses.

When you look at the resume of Arreola it is actually more impressive than Wilder's, if only for one name, Vitali Klitschko.  Arreola lost to Klitschko in 2009 and since then he has fought Tomasz Adamek, and Bermane Stiverne twice.  Arreola's career record is 36-4-1 with a very strong 31 knockouts.  That record would say 37 wins but his most recent win, which could have easily gone the other way, was overturned when he tested positive for marijuana in a post-fight drug test.  Clearly Arreola's best days are behind him but he still always makes for exciting fights and he always has a puncher's chance.

Obviously there is some disappointment about this fight because so many fans were looking forward to Wilder facing off against Povetkin.  That doesn't mean this won't be a fun fight though.  Both Wilder and Arreola have serious power and defensive flaws so both could conceivably be knocked out.  The big difference is athleticism and current form.  Wilder is incredibly athletic and is a physical specimen.  Meanwhile Arreola is always out of shape and tends to get gassed out late in fights.  Look for Wilder to try and knock Arreola out early but if that doesn't happen he would be smart to box from the outside until he takes Arreola to the late rounds.  If Arreola is going to win this fight he will probably need to do it quickly and with a knockout so look for the first few rounds of this fight to be electric.

PREDICTION: A few years ago Chris Arreola would have been a good test for Deontay Wilder, much like Bermane Stiverne was.  But that time has come and gone and now Arreola looks like he will be just another knockout victim.  One thing is for sure, Arreola will come in guns blazing and make this a fun fight but he won't last too long and Wilder will win this fight with a fourth round knockout.

Sammy Vasquez vs. Felix Diaz

The co-feature for Friday's PBC on Fox card will also have a replacement fighter in action.  Originally Sammy Vasquez was slated to take on tough veteran Luis Collazo but an injury to Collazo put an end to that.  Now Vasquez will take on Felix Diaz in a fight that is arguably even tougher for Vasquez and even better for fans.  This fight is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the welterweight division where both men are looking to make a splash.  

Vasquez seems to be on the cusp of a title shot

Vasquez is a boxer-puncher who works out of the southpaw stance.  At 30 years old the time seems to be now for Vasquez to really announce his presence in the sport and he has already become a fan favorite on the east coast.  Vasquez likes to use his jab to measure out his power punches and although he is not a knockout artist he does have some good pop.  Vasquez does leave himself open to return fire because he usually keeps his hands low but he moves well in the ring and usually doesn't eat too many clean punches.  The best punch from Vasquez may be his short right hook but he also throws uppercuts well with his left hand and his straight left hand is a sneaky weapon.  

Vasquez has yet to fight an elite opponent but he hasn't been spoon fed easy opponents either.  Vasquez whose nickname is "The Who Can Mexican" has faced quality opposition in his last six bouts and most recently looked highly impressive, scoring a knockout win over Aaron Martinez.  What makes that win even more impressive is the fact that Martinez had just beaten Devon Alexander and lost a split decision to Robert Guerrero before that in a fight most fans felt he won.  The record of Vasquez is a perfect one of 21-0 and he has a solid 15 knockouts.  While it can be said he just moved from prospect to contender he seems to have the goods and at 30 years old he could be very close to his first shot at a title.  

Many fans thought Diaz beat Peterson

Diaz is also a southpaw fighter and he had a very successful amateur career capped off by winning a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  While Diaz doesn't have much power he does have plenty of boxing skills.  Diaz has fast hands and fights well from the outside or at close range.  From the outside Diaz will work his jab and straight left hand and from the pocket he does a nice job of attacking the body with right hooks.  The Dominican born fighter also moves well in the ring so he won't be an easy target for Vasquez.

Diaz turned pro in 2009 but didn't really step up his level of opposition until 2014.  Then in late 2015 Diaz took on Lamont Peterson and lost via majority decision although many fans thought he deserved the win in that bout.  As it stands now Diaz has a record of 17-1 with 8 knockouts.  That fight against Peterson could play a role in this bout because Peterson is vastly better than anyone Vasquez has ever faced.  Often times fighting a top tier pugilist like Diaz did can help improve a fighter.

This is a very interesting fight and one that should actually be better than the originally scheduled one between Vasquez and Collazo.  Vasquez is a boxer-puncher who isn't afraid of a good brawl.  Meanwhile, Diaz is a slick boxer who fights well on the inside but may not want to stay there.  If this fight takes place in a phone booth it should favor Vasquez because he is the heavier hitter.  Look for Diaz to try and frustrate Vasquez by sticking and moving while Vasquez looks to try and make this a tough inside fight.

PREDICTION: This fight should be a close one and on paper looks like it could easily go either way.  It may come down to what style the judges favor.  Sammy Vasquez will get credit for landing the harder punches but if Felix Diaz controls the distance and pace the judges may favor him.  Because Diaz does like to fight from the pocket he will end up being on the wrong end of power punches from Vasquez and Vasquez will win this fight via majority decision.