HBO PPV Fight Preview (Undercard)

Gabriel Rosado vs. Willie Monroe Jr.

With all due respect to Gabriel Rosado and Willie Monroe Jr., who have both put together solid careers, their fight is not worthy of being the co-feature of a major HBO pay-per-view card.  What makes things worse is the fact that the winner of this fight might be next in line to face lineal middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez but both Rosado and Monroe have already been beaten badly by the man fans want to see Alvarez face next, Gennady Golovkin.  Originally Rosado was supposed to face slugger Curtis Stevens but a weak HBO budget put an end to that so now Rosado will face Monroe in a 12-round, middleweight bout.  

Rosado is a G victim looking to face Canelo

Rosado is an orthodox fighter who is best known for making exciting fights, although he tends to be on the wrong end of most of those fights.  Simply put Rosado is a B-level fighter, he is good enough to beat other B-Level fighters but when he steps up to the next level he almost always takes the loss despite usually giving a solid performance.  One thing that has hindered Rosado is his lack of defense which is made worse by the fact that his face tends to swell and cut easily.  However, Rosado is as tough as they come and he has a decent jab from the outside.  Rosado's best punch is probably his left hook and he uses that punch along with a right hand often on the inside where he usually can be found since he doesn't move very well.

The resume of Rosado is full of two things, big names and losses.  His career record is 23-9 with 13 knockouts so he isn't a big puncher but he never shies away from a war.  Among his wins are Joshua Clottey and Jesus Soto Karass but nearly every time he has stepped up he has lost.  Some of those losses came against fighters like David Lemieux, Jermell Charlo, Peter Quillin, and Golovkin but luckily for Rosado, Monroe isn't at that level.  Rosado has won two fights in a row but with his nine career losses he needs to keep winning in order to stay relevant.

Monroe is also a GGG victim 

Monroe's style of fighting is very different from Rosado's and not just because he is a southpaw.  While Rosado likes to stay in the pocket and trade leather, Monroe likes to stick and move and he is much slicker than Rosado is.  Monroe is definitely slick and he loves to work behind his busy jab.  Along with that jab Monroe will also throw a right hook and decent straight left hand but typically he just relies on his jab and movement to win fights and he does a nice job of avoided punches when he does stand in the pocket.

Most fans started to take notice of Monroe when he won the ESPN's 2014 Boxcino Middleweight Tournament.  Since winning that tournament Monroe has gone 2-1 with that lone loss coming in the form of a knockout to Golovkin.  However, Monroe does have a win over Brian Vera and he dropped Vera in that fight.  That fight is important because Vera is similar to Rosado in that he likes to trade punches and doesn't use his feet very well.  As it stands now Monroe's career record is 20-2 but he only has six knockouts so he will need to fight intelligently if he wants to beat Rosado.

Whoever controls the distance in this fight should control the outcome as well.  Rosado is going to do his best to cut off the ring and keep Monroe on the ropes where Rosado can get inside and makes things rough on the slick boxer.  For Monroe he will be looking to stick and move and if he finds success he could easily frustrate Rosado who typically prefers a stationary target.

PREDICTION:  This is a close fight on paper and it could end up being a close fight in the ring as well.  Fans known that Gabriel Rosado is as tough as they come and has a ton of heart but his style doesn't exactly match up well against the slicker and quicker Willie Monroe Jr..  His style may not always please fans but Monroe is going to win this fight by fighting intelligently and not getting drawn into a firefight and he is going to do it by the way of unanimous decision.

Joseph Diaz vs. Andrew Cancio

The rest of Saturday's HBO pay-per-view undercard will be littered with young prospects who all fight under the Golden Boy Promotions banner.  One of those prospects is Joseph Diaz and he will take on fellow Golden Boy Promotions fighter Andrew Cancio.  Their fight is scheduled for 10 rounds in the featherweight division, one of the deepest and most talented divisions in all of boxing.

Diaz has a lot of talent for such a young fighter

The 23-year-old Diaz fights out of the southpaw stance and he has been very impressive since turning pro in 2012.  The only real knock against Diaz is that he lacks top end power but he does have enough pop to earn his opponents respect.  Offensively Diaz likes to work behind a stiff jab and while his right hook is a good punch it is his left hand that does the most damage.  Diaz will often throw that left as an overhand punch and it can seriously hurt an opponent if it lands clean on the chin.  While he still hasn't been tested by the best he has passed every test he has taken so far.

Diaz's professional career is only four years old but he has already made a name for himself with hardcore boxing fans.  That happened mainly because his talent is so clear and his record is a perfect 21-0 with 12 knockouts.  Diaz really stepped his game up late in 2015 when he started taking on veterans and fighters with good records and two of his recent wins were over Jayson Velez and Rene Alvarado.  However, the featherweight division is extremely deep so if he wants to make a splash Diaz needs to keep winning and impressing fans.

Cancio has the power to pull off the upset

Cancio is an orthodox fighter and he also carries more pop on his punches than Diaz does.  Although Cancio doesn't use his jab much he actually has a fairly good one.  Typically when he does throw the jab he is using it as a measuring stick for his big right hand.  Along with that powerful right hand Cancio also has a strong left hook and that is a punch he likes to bang to the body of opponents.  While Cancio won't be as busy as Diaz he will be throwing and landing the heavier punches.  

While Cancio is only 27 years old he has already been fighting professionally for 10 years.  In that time Cancio has put together a record of 17-3-2 with a strong 13 knockouts and he may be Diaz's most dangerous opponent to date.  He has never faced any elite fighters but he does have wins over Rocky Juarez and Jerry Belmontes.  His last loss came against Ronny Rios, another young prospect who isn't nearly as good as Diaz seems to be.  

This fight could come down to the power of Cancio against the skills of Diaz.  Diaz is the younger, and probably fresher fighter, but Cancio puts in good body work which will always slow a slick fighter down.  Cancio could get in trouble though if he relies too heavily on his power punches and doesn't stay busy enough with punches that score points.  As for Diaz he seemingly just needs to do what he usually does, stay busy, stay accurate, and never let up.

PREDICTION: Joseph Diaz is looked at as one of the better prospects in the sport, and when you have that status you should beat a fighter like Andrew Cancio.  It may not be easy and Cancio may even buzz him a time or two but Diaz will come away victorious with a unanimous decision win.

Diego De La Hoya vs. Luis Orlando Del Valle

The opening bout should be a good one where another young prospect has to test himself against a bigger puncher.  That prospect is Diego De La Hoya and he will be taking on Luis Orlando Del Valle.  If the young prospect's name sounds familiar it should, he is the cousin of Oscar De La Hoya.  However, the young De La Hoya isn't here just because of his name, he is seriously skilled and he will look to showcase those skills against Del Valle in a bout scheduled to go 10 rounds in the junior featherweight division.  

De La Hoya is considered a top prospect

De La Hoya fights out of the orthodox stance and at 22 years old his career is really just starting.  Not only does De La Hoya have quick hands but he also puts his combinations together very well.  The jab of De La Hoya is a good scoring weapon but his left hook and right hand do the most damage.  From the outside De La Hoya can sharp shoot with that straight right hand and it can really hurt an opponent when it lands clean.  When he gets in close the left hook comes into play and De La Hoya loves to dig that punch to the body.

The record and resume of De La Hoya are two very different things.  His record is a perfect 15-0 and he has a solid nine knockouts, so while the record is impressive the resume really isn't.  De La Hoya hasn't faced anyone of note but that isn't out of the ordinary for a 22-year-old prospect on the rise.  Luis Orlando Del Valle is definitely far from elite but he will probably be De La Hoya's toughest test to date.

Del Valle will be the bigger puncher on Saturday

Del Valle is also an orthodox fighter and he will have the power advantage against De La Hoya.  Del Valle, who hails from Puerto Rico, doesn't use his jab as a true weapon but he has plenty of those in the form of a left hook and right hand.  The right hand of Del Valle may be his bets punch but he puts in some very good work with his left hook as well.  Like his opponent Del Valle likes to let his hands go and throws his combinations well and with bad intentions.  Del Valle also has the advantage when it comes to experience.  

The two losses that are on Del Valle's record both come against better fighters than anyone De La Hoya has ever faced.  The first loss Del Valle suffered came against Vic Darchinyan and his second loss came to often forgot about prospect Luis Rosa.  However, despite those two losses Del Valle holds a respectable career record of 22-2 with a strong 16 knockouts, and a knockout may be his best chance at beating De La Hoya.

This fight should be a fun one if for nothing more than fans will see De La Hoya in against the best opponents he has faced to date.  It could also end up being the most evenly matched, and best fight of the entire pay-per-view card.  It will be interesting to see how much standing and trading De La Hoya does considering Del Valle is the bigger puncher and has more experience in the ring.

PREDICTION: Luis Orlando Del Valle is a tough customer and he will definitely have a chance in this fight because of his power.  If he can play the role of power punching, intelligent veteran he could make this a very tough fight for Diego De La Hoya.  However, De La Hoya has some serious skills and those skills will be enough to win this fight via unanimous decision.