Oscar Negrete vs. Sergio Frias: ESPN is really going all in on boxing this weekend. The network will air Manny Pacquiao's title defense against Jeff Horn on Saturday night and they will also air a fight card on Friday. Friday's card will be headlined by a 10-round bout between Oscar Negrete (16-0, 6 KO) and Sergio Frias (19-6-2, 10 KO). The fight will take place from the bantamweight division and while Negrete will be looking to continue his rise as an undefeated prospect, Frias will just be looking to stay relevant and turn his fortunes around. Despite being 29 years old Negrete has only been fighting professionally since 2013 and he has yet to face any notable names. Frias meanwhile has faced some quality opposition in Manuel "Tino" Avila, Ronny Rios, and Vic Darchinyan but in his last six fights he is just 3-3. Negrete seems to fight in two styles. At times he will work behind a high guard and pump jabs and straight right hands out of the orthodox stance. However, at other times, usually when he is in the pocket, Negrete will leave his hands lower and throw big left hooks and right hands while he looks to do damage. While Negrete doesn't have the heaviest hands he does know how to pile on the punches when he has an opponent hurt. Defensively Negrete is fine but far from good and he can definitely be touched up. Frias is also an orthodox fighter and he is a fighter who has a questionable chin, being knocked out three times in six career losses. However, he is coming off the biggest win of his career, a one punch second round knockout of Darchinyan. Frias uses his jab as a measuring stick for a big right hand but when he throws that right hand he leaves his chin exposed because he keeps his left hand in a strange position. While he also has a winging left hook it is his right hand that does the most damage, although often he will fall in and really square up while throwing that punch which leaves him exposed for return fire. This should be a fairly even fight but Frias' flaws are more noticeable and Negrete will take advantage of them on his way to a unanimous decision win.
Ryan Martin vs. Marcos Jimenez: Friday's co-feature will be a 10-round bout from the lightweight division. The two fighters in action will be the undefeated Ryan Martin (18-0, 11 KO) and Marcos Jimenez (22-7, 15 KO). Martin and Jimenez seem to be going in different directions in their careers, while Martin is an undefeated 24-year-old prospect on the rise, Jimenez is 33 years old and is 5-5 in his last 10 fights. Martin is a young fighter who works out of the orthodox stance. He likes to work behind a solid jab which he will bring a quick right hand behind. Martin's best punch though is definitely his sneaky left hook which can really catch opponents by surprise. While Martin doesn't have overwhelming power he does have quick hands and is an accurate puncher which helps make up for his lack of top tier pop on his punches. The aging Jimenez also fights out of the orthodox stance and he is at his best when he is on the inside. Jimenez's feet aren't very fast and he has issues from the outside. However, when he gets in close he bends at the waist and moves his head to avoid punches and can do a nice job of counter punching. The left hook of Jimenez is a solid punch and he can put in good work with his right hand but working from the inside is dangerous, especially for a fighter like Jimenez who has been knocked out numerous times. While Jimenez will find success in a few rounds he won't be able to sustain an attack and Martin will wear him down on his way to a ninth round stoppage victory.
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