Danny Garcia vs. Samuel Vargas: On Saturday night the WBC World welterweight titleholder Danny Garcia (32-0, 18 KO) will return to the ring on a PBC on Spike card. Garcia, who has taken a lot of heat for his choice of opponents in recent years, will once again feel that heat from fans because he will be fighting the vastly unknown Samuel Vargas (25-2-1, 13 KO). The two pugilists are scheduled to go 10 rounds in the welterweight division which means Garcia won't be defending his title. To be fair, Garcia is already scheduled to fight Keith Thurman in March of next year but after taking tune-up fights against Paulie Malignaggi and Robert Guerrero most fans are still annoyed at Garcia's choice of opponent for Saturday night. If ever there was a trap fight for Garcia this would be it. He could easily be looking past Vargas and onto the much more dangerous Thurman but Garcia has a bad habit of fighting down to the level of his competition which is why Vargas has a shot. Garcia is an orthodox fighter with one very dangerous weapon, his left hook. That left hook is Garcia's money punch but he also carries a stiff jab and solid right hand. He also isn't a very busy puncher so Vargas would be smart to really step on the gas. While in the past Garcia has faced top opponents like Lucas Matthysse and Lamont Peterson to name a few, Vargas only has one notable name on his resume and that is Errol Spence Jr. who stopped Vargas in the fourth round of their 2015 bout. As for Vargas, he is also an orthodox fighter and he likes to work behind his jab. Usually coming after the jab is a right hand from Vargas, arguably his best punch. Vargas will also throw a left hook but it is nowhere near as good as Garcia's. The big problem for Vargas in this fight will probably be hand speed. Vargas has slow hands so when he puts combinations together he is often open for counter punches. If Garcia can time Vargas all he will have to do is wait to unleash his left hook which could end the fight. The last time Vargas lost a fight was against Spence and he has gone 5-0 with three knockouts since that loss. However, those fights came against much lesser fighters than Garcia and Garcia is going to win this fight when he knocks out in the seventh round.
Jarrett Hurd vs. Jo Jo Dan: The co-feature for Saturday's tripleheader in Spike will pit rising prospect Jarrett Hurd (18-0, 12 KO) against veteran contender Jo Jo Dan (35-3, 18 KO). Dan should be a good test for Hurd and he will arguably be his best opponent to date. Meanwhile, Dan has faced some notable opponents in the past including Selcuk Aydin, Kevin Bizier, and Kell Brook but lost most of those fights outside of who two wins of Bizier. Dan has also fought for a world title before although that fight ended in a loss to Brook. Hurd seems ready for the test and the orthodox fighter has shown skills and power so far in his young career. Hurd has a nice jab and is dangerous with both hands. The young fighter has a nice left hook and a brutal uppercut he throws on the inside with his right hand. Along with his offensive skills Hurd has also looked good defensively and he seems poised to have a big 2017. Dan probably won't have a big 2017 considering his best days seem to be behind him. The veteran fights out of the southpaw stance and has a very frenetic style. Dan does have a nice jab he will stick to the belly and his left hand can do some good work but his right hook comes in wide and doesn't have much on it. While the awkward style and movement of Dan out of the southpaw stance could frustrate Hurd early that probably won't last long. Hurd is skilled both offensively and defensively and once he gets Dan figured out he will stop him in the eighth round.
Javier Fortuna vs. Omar Douglas: The opening bout of Saturday's PBC card will probably be the most competitive and at least on paper looks like the best matchup. In that fight the heavy hitting Javier Fortuna (30-1-1, 22 KO) will take on the undefeated Omar Douglas (17-0, 12 KO). The fight is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the lightweight division and it will be an important bout for both fighters. For Fortuna it is important because he has a recent loss and his resume and is still trying to climb back up the ladder to another title shot. As for Douglas this will be the biggest fight he has been a part of and Fortuna will be his best opponent to date so fans should learn a lot about him. Fortuna recently held the WBA World super featherweight title but lost it in his second defense when he was stopped by Jason Sosa in the 11th round of their June fight. What made things worse was the fact that Fortuna was ahead on all three official scorecards and could have seemingly cruised to a decisive win. Fortuna is a southpaw with one-punch knockout power who has already put together a few highlight reel knockouts including Big Time Boxing's Knockout of the Year against Miguel Zamudio. Fortuna likes to work behind a measuring stick jab and he fights with both hands low, something he needs to do a lot less of going forward. While Fortuna has a good right hook it is his left hand that does the most damage and that is the punch that can end a fight if it lands clean. Meanwhile, Douglas is an orthodox fighter who has a large reach advantage over Fortuna. Unlike Fortuna and his low hands Douglas keeps his hands in a good defensive position and he throws a strong left hook that usually follows a stiff jab. However, Douglas doesn't make much use of his right hand and when he trades punches on the inside he will often get tagged cleanly. This should be a good scrap between two young fighter but Fortuna has faster hands and better power and because of that he will get the unanimous decision victory.
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