HBO PPV Fight Preview (Undercard)

Maurice Hooker vs. Darleys Perez

Fight fans have been anxiously waiting Saturday's HBO pay-per-view main event between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward.  Before that fight though fans will have to patiently sit through three undercard fights.  The co-feature on that undercard will be a 10-round, junior welterweight bout between unbeaten prospect Maurice Hooker and veteran Darleys Perez.  Hooker and Perez find themselves in different places in their careers.  Hooker is a young fighter on the rise while Perez may have moved into gatekeeper territory.  

Hooker will look to make a statement

Hooker is a 27-year-old prospect who fights out of the orthodox stance.  He likes to work behind a quick jab and he has an even quicker left hook to go along with it.  What has made Hooker so good so far is the fact that he has power in both hands.  Hooker throws a short left hook that can catch an opponent on the way in but he also has a strong right hand that can also do damage.  Defensively Hooker is a responsible fighter but there are times when he has his opponent hurt that he opens up too much and can leave himself open to a counter attack.  

As a prospect Hooker still hasn't faced any elite level opposition.  That won't change on Saturday because Perez is not in the category of an elite fighter but he will be Hooker's toughest test to date.  As a professional Hooker has an unbeaten record of 21-0-2 with 16 knockouts.  While Perez will be Hooker's toughest opponent thus far Saturday will also be the biggest stage Hooker has fought on.  This will be an important for him because a win on a card like this will raise his profile in the sport and help him get bigger fights.

Perez needs a win to avoid being a gatekeeper

Perez is also an orthodox fighter and he has a crisp jab to go along with a hard right hand.  Another punch on Perez's arsenal is a left hook which can do damage if it lands but he tends to load up on that punch so it is fairly easy to time and counter.  Another issue for Perez is that he doesn't fight that well on the inside because he needs distance in order to land his jab and right hand.  As far as experience goes though Perez has a big advantage.

While Hooker is still a prospect climbing the ladder of the junior welterweight division, Perez is an experienced fighter moving up to the division.  Perez has spent the majority of his career fighting in the lightweight division and has taken on notable fighters like Yuriorkis Gamboa and Anthony Crolla.  While experience should help Perez it isn't always easy for a veteran fighter to move up in weight late in their career.  During his career Perez has put together a record of 33-2-1 with 21 knockouts but he is coming off a loss and needs to look good against Hooker.

Like most of the fights on this card the co-feature should be a competitive fight.  While Perez has the experience advantage, Hooker is younger and naturally bigger which could help him break Perez down.  It remains to be seen whether or not Perez will take any of his pop to the junior welterweight division and if he can't get Hooker's respect he could be in trouble.  As for Hooker he needs to fight patiently and if he hurts Perez he can't get too aggressive or else he could get countered and dropped.

PREDICTION: Maurice Hooker is coming off back-to-back first round knockouts but he won't dispatch Darleys Perez that quickly.  Perez will give Hooker some issues early but eventually Hooker will start to land his power punches and he will stop Perez in the eighth round.

Isaac Chilemba vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk

The bout scheduled for the middle slot of Saturday's pay-per-view will feature veteran Isaac Chilemba and upstart Oleksandr Gvozdyk.  Their fight is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the light heavyweight division and for both fighters it will be a very important bout.  For Gvozdyk it will be his toughest fight to date, meanwhile Chilemba will be looking to avoid his third loss in a row.

Chilemba is always a tough opponent for anyone

Chilemba is an orthodox fighter whose awkward style makes his a tough opponent for anyone he faces.  Defense is one of Chilemba's better skills as evidence by the fact that he went the distance against Sergey Kovalev.  In a career that has now spanned 11 years Chilemba has only been dropped three times.  Chilemba uses subtle movement to avoid big punches and on offense he likes to work behind a stiff jab.  Behind that jab Chilemba also has a nice straight right hand and on the inside he can do some decent work with his left hook but he doesn't have top end power.

On the resume of Chilemba are notable names such as Kovalev, Eleider Alvarez, and Tony Bellew, among others.  Chilemba started his career in 2005 and as a pro he holds a record of 24-4-2 but he only has 10 knockouts so Gvozdyk won't have to worry too much about being knocked out.  Chilemba can't just go the distance in this fight though, he needs to look good.  He is coming off back-to-back losses and is now being used as an opponent for a talented prospect to test himself against.  For his part Chilemba will look to ruin those plans and get a win for himself.

Gvozdyk may have the power to stop Chilemba

Gvozdyk is an orthodox fighter with good power.  He likes to paw with his jab in order to measure the distance for his power punches and once he has that distance measured things don't usually end well for his opponents.  Behind that jab Gvozdyk will bring a quick straight right hand that can turn an opponent's lights out.  Along with that punch Gvozdyk also has a dangerous left hook and really the only question about him is how he handles better opponents.  

While Chilemba's career has been going strong for 11 years Gvozdyk has only been fighting professionally since 2014 and he has been busy in that time, going 11-0 with a very strong nine knockouts.  As of now Gvozdyk is riding a streak of five knockouts in a row and it would be a huge accomplishment if he were able to make Chilemba number six.

This fight should prove to be a very tough one for Gvozdyk.  Not only does Chilemba have much more experience than the Ukrainian Gvozdyk but he is also a very good defensive fighter.  If Chilemba goes into survival mode like he did at times against Kovalev it won't be easy for Gvozdyk to catch him and finish him.  Gvozdyk can't just look to land one power punch in this fight and will need to stay busy no matter what Chilemba does.  

PREDICTION: Isaac Chilemba never makes for an easy fight and this one won't be the exception.  Chilemba will frustrate Oleksandr Gvozdyk in stretches throughout this fight but they won't last too long.  Gvozdyk has serious power and once he catches Chilemba a few times he will make the veteran fighter a bit hesitant.  Because of that hesitancy Gvozdyk will do enough to get the close unanimous decision win.

Curtis Stevens vs. James De La Rosa

The opening bout of Saturday's pay-per-view could be the heaviest hitting.  That bout features slugger Curtis Stevens taking on James De La Rosa.  That fight is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the middleweight division but it could be over long before the final bell because both men like to trade heavy leather and both are in need of a high profile victory.

Stevens is fresh off an impressive knockout

Stevens, who fights out of the orthodox stance will be a full 3-inches shorter than De La Rosa but that usually doesn't bother Stevens who is fresh off an early knockout of Patrick Teixeira, another taller fighter.  Stevens likes to work on the inside and often puts on his earmuffs and just looks to land power punches from the pocket.  Stevens' best punch is his big left hook and if that punch lands clean it can end a fight in an instant.  However, the overhand right of Stevens can also end a fight so De La Rosa will need to stay alert.

Stevens didn't have an easy time on the way up and has usually faced quality opposition.  Even some of his earlier fights were against tough opponents.  In recent years Stevens has taken on the likes of Gennady Golovkin, Tureano Johnson, and Hassan N'Dam.  He does have his fair share of losses though and his career record stands at 28-5 with a very strong 21 knockouts.  Stevens is vulnerable to the knockout though and he has been stopped twice in his career, something he looks to avoid against De La Rosa.

De Lo Rosa is coming off back-to-back losses

De La Rosa is also an orthodox fighter and he will have the height and reach advantage in this fight.  Because of that advantage De La Rosa should try to stay on the outside and not let Stevens get in the pocket where he can attack the body and force De La Rosa to fight small.  Like Stevens, De La Rosa will often spend long periods with his earmuffs on looking to land his own power punches.  The jab isn't a big weapon for De La Rosa who instead relies on left hooks and heavy right hands to win fights.  

The biggest win De La Rosa has scored as a professional came in 2014 against Alfredo Angulo.  However, since that win he has gone 0-2 and was knocked out once.  His career record is 23-4 with 13 knockouts and one problem he has faced is the fact that he doesn't do anything at an elite level.

The fight between Stevens and De La Rosa could end up being a fun one.  Both fighters lack top tier defensive skills and both like to trade punches in the pocket.  Fans who loves knockouts and hate defense should really enjoy this fight and hopefully both men throw plenty of combinations instead of just waiting for their turn to land their power punches.

PREDICTION: James De La Rosa may have the height and reach advantage but with his style of fighting that won't help him.  Curtis Stevens has heavier hands and has fought a higher level of opposition than De La Rosa and his experience and power will help him win this fight by the way of an eighth round stoppage.