HBO PPV Fight Preview (Undercard)

Roman Gonzalez vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai

The main event of Saturday's HBO pay-per-view card features two of the best middleweights in the sport.  It will also feature Big Time Boxing's number two ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez.  Gonzalez will be in the co-feature slot against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai who at times goes by the name Wisaksil Wangek.  The two are scheduled to go 12 rounds wit Gonzalez's WBC junior bantamweight title on the line.  

Gonzalez with a left to the body against Cuadras

Gonzalez may be small in stature but nobody told his fists that.  He works out of the orthodox stance and is one of the heaviest hitting smaller fighters in boxing.  He likes to work behind a stiff jab and will often follow it with a thudding straight right hand.  "Chocolatito" also has a good overhand right he will use at close range but his best punch is the left hook that has won him many fights.  The Nicaraguan also goes to the body very well and while his excellent offense is really his defense it isn't like he's a stationary target.  Gonzalez is coming off a win against Carlos Cuadras but it was a very close fight and his face started to breakdown in that fight so he should look to put on a show to erase that performance from people's minds.

Despite a close fight his last time in the ring, for his career Gonzalez has been perfect.  His professional record is 46-0 with 38 knockouts, an impressive number for anyone but especially for a fighter of his size.  Throughout his career Gonzalez has always taken on tough challenges and holds wins over Cuadras, Brian Viloria, and Juan Francisco Estrada among others.  Most fans are still hoping to see a rematch with Cuadras or Estrada but before either one of those fights cn happen "Chocolatito" will need to take care of business against Rungvisai.

Rungvisai getting his hand raised in victory

Rungvisai is a southpaw who also has very good power and hails from Thailand.  He likes to use his jab as a measuring stick for his power punches and the best of those power shots is probably his right hook.  Rungvisai also throws a left hand but it isn't very skilled and he doesn't use it nearly as often as his right.  However, Rungvisai doesn't vary his attack very much and usually comes in straight ahead.  That straight ahead style could play right into the hands of Gonzalez so Rungvisai will need to land some heavy shots early to get his respect.

On paper Rungvisai has an impressive professional record of 41-4-1 with a very strong 28 knockouts.  Yet a closer look reveals that his record may not be what it seems.  His last seven fights have only been scheduled for six rounds and out of his 46 career fights 33 of them were six round bouts.  Most top fighters get to a certain stage of their career and only fight 10 or 12 round fights so for Rungvisai to have so many six round bouts doesn't speak well for him.  Also, all but four of his career fights have come in his native Thailand and this will be his first time fighting in the United States.  To make matters worse his last two opponents were guys making their professional debuts and the best opponent he faced, Cuadras, who Gonzalez already beat, was victorious over him.  To his credit Rungvisai hasn't lost a fight since that loss to Cuadras and has gone 14-0 and knocked out every opponent.  However, eight of those opponents had losing records and two were making their debuts so Rungvisai may be easy pickings for Gonzalez.

There is no denying that Rungvisai has shown excellent power against very limited opposition but Gonzalez is far from limited.  Not only does Gonzalez have plenty of power of his own but he has been consistently fighting at a much higher level than Rungvisai.  In fact Rungvisai has never faced an opponent as good as Gonzalez and the best opponent he did face, Cudras, beat him.  What all that means is that this could be a fairly easy fight for Gonzalez who probably needs an easy test after his hard fought battle with Cuadras.

PREDICTION: Unless he suffers a complete collapse or somehow gets hit with a perfect punch that he doesn't see at all, Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez will win this fight easily.  Srisaket Sor Rungvisai is not at the same level as Gonzalez and that will be very clear on Saturday night as Gonzalez stops him in the seventh round.

Carlos Cuadras vs. David Carmona

If a rematch between Carlos Cuadras and Roman Gonzalez was the co-feature of this pay-per-view card fans would be much happier.  Instead the two will fight in separate bouts with the hope that both win and it sets up a rematch.  So while Gonzalez will take on an opponent pretty much everyone outside of Thailand has never heard of, Cuadras will take on David Carmona.  Cuadras and Carmona are scheduled to go 10 rounds in the junior bantamweight division and Carmona will be looking to pull off the upset.  

Cuadras catching Gonzalez clean

Cuadras, an orthodox fighter, showed in his last fight against Gonzalez that he can certainly hang with the best in the sport.  He likes to work behind a good jab and also has heavy hands to go along with solid boxing skills.  He flashes that power in the form of a heavy left hook and dangerous straight right hand.  On defense Cuadras has a sort of twitchy style where even when he isn't using his feet he seems to always be moving something.  Cuadras definitely isn't the best defensively but he does have a very solid chin and does a nice job of not getting hit clean on the inside.  He is also versatile in his attack because he can play the role of aggressor or counter puncher and find success with both.

Until 2016 Cuadras was a perfect fighter.  That was until he ran into Gonzalez and was handed his first loss in a very close fight.  His career record now stands at 35-1-1 with an impressive 27 knockouts and he has faced off with quality fighters outside of Gonzalez like Richie Mepranum and Luis Concepcion.  Most fighters need to gain some confidence back after a loss but Cuadras should be very confident after his showing against Gonzalez so he could enter this fight more confident than ever.

Carmona eating a right hand from Inoue

Carmona is an orthodox fighter from Mexico who has very little power to speak of.  His jab is a really just a distance finder for his left hook, although at times he will look to score with the jab.  Carmona will also throw a right hand but he doesn't use the right very often and is really just a one-handed fighter.  Defensively Carmona doesn't move his head much which means he isn't that difficult to hit so he needs to be careful and really use his feet against Cuadras.  While he doesn't do anything exceptionally well, Carmona is a tough opponent who can stand up to punishment which he showed by going the distance against power puncher Naoya Inoue.

Carmona has always seemed to be one of those guys who never really pulls away in a fight, as evidence by his five career draws.  His record isn't bad at 20-3-5 but he only has eight knockouts and five draws is a ton for a guy with only 28 career fights.  In recent years Carmona has been in with some good opponents but the best he's faced, Inoue and Omar Narvaez both beat him easily and Narvaez stopped him in the seventh round.  

Like in the co-feature there will be a clear favorite in this fight and that is Cuadras.  Not only does Cuadras have more power but he also has the better skills and anything Carmona can do Cuadras can do better.  Carmona won't have the power to stop Cuadras so he will need to really focus on his body attack so he can take enough out of Cuadras to make this a competitive fight that he can try and steal late.

PREDICTION: David Carmona is a tough fighter but toughness isn't enough to win you fights.  Carlos Cuadras is clearly the more talented of the two and he will win this fight without too much trouble by the way of unanimous decision.  

Ryan Martin vs. Bryant Cruz

This pay-per-view card will be rounded out by a 10-round fight between the undefeated Ryan Martin and the one-loss Bryant Cruz.  That fight will take place from the lightweight division and this will be by far the biggest stage either man has ever fought on.  While many fans have probably never seen either one of these pugilists fight a good showing could definitely help their careers going forward. 

Martin lands a heavy right hand

Martin is an orthodox fighter with quick hands.  Offensively Martin has shown plenty of talent and it all starts with a long jab.  That jab not only scores points but also helps him find the distance for his power punches.  While he has a good right hand his left hook is his best weapon because its short, quick, and powerful.  He is also a very accurate puncher which only makes his power even more effective.  Although he still hasn't faced any notable opponents he is only 24 years old so his career is still just starting out.  

The career of Martin started in 2013 and he has been busy ever since.  In 2016 he went 4-0 with two knockouts and his career record is a perfect 17-0 with 10 knockouts.  One thing Martin has never done is go a full 10 rounds because this is his first fight scheduled to go that distance.  His stamina has looked good in previous fights but there is no telling how he will handle going a full 10 if the fight goes that far.  

Cruz landing a left hook

Cruz is an orthodox fighter with a come forward, aggressive style.  He likes to flash his jab and follow it with an overhand right and he really loves to put his punches together in bunches.  At times he also lets loose a left hook but it isn't a very good punch, although at times he does bang it nicely to the body.  Cruz loves to come straight ahead though and he will be giving up 4-inches to Martin which could make it difficult for him to get inside where he does his best work.

Cruz has put together a professional record of 17-1 with eight knockouts but he hasn't been very busy as of late.  After fighting four times in 2015 and going 3-1 with one knockout and being knocked out once himself, Cruz only fought one time in 2016.  While he has been scheduled to go 10 rounds once he never went the full 10 and, like Martin, the deepest he has gone is eight rounds.  

Not only will Martin be the more skilled fighter and the heavier hitter but he has also been busier as of late which means he should be sharper, especially in the early rounds.  Cruz's best chance to win this fight will be to really unload on offense and keep his punch rate high.  If he can outwork Martin he may be able to beat him but he may also have to take a beating to get inside.  As for Martin, what he needs to do is stay on the outside and use his long jab and right hand to keep Martin from really getting his own offense started.

PREDICTION: Bryant Cruz will leave it all in the ring against Ryan Martin but his punch output won't be enough to get the win.  Martin is the better fighter and he seemingly does everything better than Cruz does.  On the biggest stage of his career Martin will really impressive on his way to a fifth round stoppage.