GLENDALE, Ariz. -- On Aug. 25 the WBO lightweight champion, Raymundo Beltran (35-7-1, 21 KOs) will put his title on the line against Jose Pedraza (24-1, 12 KOs). The fight will air on ESPN and will renew one of boxing's best rivalries, Mexico versus Puerto Rico. Originally Beltran was slated to take on WBA lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko but an injury to Lomachenko derailed that fight. The winner of this fight could find themselves challenging Lomachenko when he returns to the ring in December.
Beltran fights out of the orthodox stance and has an old school style. He likes to come forward and really sits down on his punches well. Beltran's best punch is his left hook. He puts a lot on that punch and will bang it upstairs and to the body with equal success. The Mexican native also has a solid right hand and when he actually uses his jab it's a solid punch, but he should use it more often. Along with his left hook Beltran's best weapon is his chin. He doesn't mind eating three punches to land one of his own and he hasn't been stopped since 2008.
For years Beltran was known for being Manny Pacquiao's primary sparring partner. Being a sparring partner for so long can negatively impact a fighter's confidence and actually hurt their career. That wasn't the case with Beltran though who has turned himself into a championship fighter. He does have a recent one-sided loss to Terence Crawford but since that loss he's gone 6-0 with four knockouts including dominant performances against Mason Menard and Jonathan Maicelo. As strong as he's looked as of late, Beltran can't look ahead to Lomachenko because he has a tough opponent in front of him in Pedraza.
Pedraza is also an orthodox fighter but there is where the similarities between him and Beltran end. While Beltran loves to come forward and fight from the pocket, Pedraza loves to counter and sharp shoot from the outside. He has an excellent jab he'll work upstairs and to the body and that jab is probably his best weapon. Along with the jab the Puerto Rican pugilist also has a decent left hook and a quality right hand but he does have trouble fighting on the inside and often spends too much time against the ropes.
Previously Pedraza held the IBF junior lightweight title until he ran into, and was stopped by Gervonta Davis. That loss came in January of 2017 and Pedraza sat out the rest of that year. This year Pedraza has already gone 2-0, winning both fights by the way of unanimous decision against lesser competition than Beltran will be. Having fought twice this year though he should be very sharp, especially since his last bout was in June.
This fight presents an interesting contrast of styles. Beltran loves to make things rough on the inside, work the body, and wear opponents down. Meanwhile, Pedraza loves to stay on the outside where he can flash his jab and counter opponents and show why his nickname is 'Sniper.' Whoever controls the distance in this fight should control the outcome. If Pedraza doesn't have enough pop on his punches to keep Beltran at the end of his punches the Mexican fighter will do damage in the pocket. Beltran needs to be careful not to take too much punishment on his way in though and some head movement would do wonders for him.
PREDICTION: Jose Pedraza is going to get off to a hot start in this fight but fade late. His quicker hands and style will allow him to put a few early rounds in the bank before Raymundo Beltran really gets going. Once Beltran heats up though he will do enough damage at close range to come away with the close unanimous decision win.
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| Beltran catching Mason Menard with a stiff jab |
For years Beltran was known for being Manny Pacquiao's primary sparring partner. Being a sparring partner for so long can negatively impact a fighter's confidence and actually hurt their career. That wasn't the case with Beltran though who has turned himself into a championship fighter. He does have a recent one-sided loss to Terence Crawford but since that loss he's gone 6-0 with four knockouts including dominant performances against Mason Menard and Jonathan Maicelo. As strong as he's looked as of late, Beltran can't look ahead to Lomachenko because he has a tough opponent in front of him in Pedraza.
Pedraza is also an orthodox fighter but there is where the similarities between him and Beltran end. While Beltran loves to come forward and fight from the pocket, Pedraza loves to counter and sharp shoot from the outside. He has an excellent jab he'll work upstairs and to the body and that jab is probably his best weapon. Along with the jab the Puerto Rican pugilist also has a decent left hook and a quality right hand but he does have trouble fighting on the inside and often spends too much time against the ropes.
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| Pedraza catching his opponent on the chin with a sharp jab |
This fight presents an interesting contrast of styles. Beltran loves to make things rough on the inside, work the body, and wear opponents down. Meanwhile, Pedraza loves to stay on the outside where he can flash his jab and counter opponents and show why his nickname is 'Sniper.' Whoever controls the distance in this fight should control the outcome. If Pedraza doesn't have enough pop on his punches to keep Beltran at the end of his punches the Mexican fighter will do damage in the pocket. Beltran needs to be careful not to take too much punishment on his way in though and some head movement would do wonders for him.
PREDICTION: Jose Pedraza is going to get off to a hot start in this fight but fade late. His quicker hands and style will allow him to put a few early rounds in the bank before Raymundo Beltran really gets going. Once Beltran heats up though he will do enough damage at close range to come away with the close unanimous decision win.
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