Mayweather vs. Maidana 2 Undercard: Predictions and Updated Odds for Fight Card
Let's be honest, the undercard for the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Marcos Rene Maidana rematch isn't chock-full of big names. The featured undercard bout will have WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz taking on an unproven and inexperienced "contender" in Manuel Roman.
To put this fight into proper perspective, you should know that Roman is a former sparring partner of Santa Cruz. Per the champion, Roman didn't fare well during the training sessions.
Looking at Roman's recent fight history doesn't exactly help to make this fight look more competitive. The challenger has had only two fights scheduled for longer than eight rounds in his career, and he hasn't faced anyone of note.
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This looks like a stay-busy fight for a champion whose only real challenge lies on the other side of boxing's cold war. The fighter most want to see Santa Cruz take on is "El Chacal" Guillermo Rigondeaux.
On Twitter, Santa Cruz says he's ready for The Jackal, but the fight hasn't been made up to this point.
Yet, per Steve Kim of UCN, Santa Cruz and his team seem to be targeting other contenders in the division.
Rigondeaux is signed with Top Rank and appears exclusively on HBO—when his fights are televised.
With Santa Cruz linked with Showtime, the two will have an issue connecting. Thus we get a Santa Cruz-Roman bout. Thanks, boxing.
Here's a look at predictions for the four fights that will precede Mayweather-Maidana II.
Leo Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15 knockouts) vs. Manuel Roman (17-2-3, six KOs) (minus-10000 in favor of Santa Cruz)
For Santa Cruz's WBC super bantamweight title
Prediction
This is a pretty simple prediction to make. Roman lacks the power—as evidenced by his modest KO total—and experience to give Santa Cruz a problem.
This bout could render a result similar to the Danny Garcia vs. Rod Salka matchup last month. Let's just hope Roman doesn't take too much punishment. There's really no scenario where I can see him coming out on top.
Santa Cruz will win by fourth-round KO.
Miguel Vazquez (34-3, 13 KOs) vs. Mickey Bey (20-1-1, 10 KOs) (minus-278 in favor of Vazquez)
For Vazquez's WBC lightweight champion
Prediction
This is the bout that should have been the top undercard fight. Vazquez is not the hardest puncher in the world, but he is one of the most skilled boxers you'll find. With his 5'10" height and 72" reach, he's a real problem for anyone at 135 pounds.
Bey has bounced back well from a crushing TKO loss to John Molina back in July 2013. Bey has won his last two fights and finally finds himself in position to capture his first world title.
While Bey's relentless body attack is probably the right approach against a thin opponent like Vazquez, the challenge will be getting passed the champion's jab and boxing savvy.
The flat-footed style Bey utilizes doesn't lend itself well to handling Vazquez's length and movement.
The champion's slickness and length will befuddle Bey and lead to a unanimous-decision win.
Alfredo "Perro" Angulo (22-4, 18 KOs) vs. James De La Rosa (22-2, 13 KOs)
As of Thursday, there were no odds listed for this fight.
162-pound catchweight
Prediction
This is a major crossroads bout for Angulo. After losing to both of the top fighters at 154 pounds in Erislandy Lara and Canelo Alvarez, Angulo is now looking to move to middleweight.
This bout will take place two pounds above the 160-pound weight limit for middleweights as Angulo attempts to work himself into shape.
Per Boxing News 24's Dan Ambrose, Angulo said this about his rise in weight:
“I’m happy fighting at 160 (middleweight). It’s a lot better than 154. I wasn’t having trouble making weight, I just feel better at 160. I’m ready to take over the division at 160.”
Seeing as though he has come from a weight class below, it doesn't look good that the bout is taking place two pounds over his target division. Usually, the catchweight in this situation would be between 154 and 160 pounds.
De La Rosa is a talented and athletic fighter, but he has had some defensive issues in his career. The 26-year-old was dropped three times by Allen Conyers in 2011 and another time by Tyrone Brunson in 2012.
He also hasn't been very active over the last five years. He didn't fight at all in 2010. De La Rosa fought only once in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He did stop Fabian Reyes on August 2, but it remains to be seen how sharp he'll be against Angulo.
There's a chance he could shock Angulo with his speed and movement, but because he likes to mix it up and has the tendency to get careless defensively, he's going to run into one of Perro's heavy right hands.
That will spell the end of the bout and give Angulo the win he needs to breathe some life back into his career.
John Molina (27-4, 22 KO) vs. Humberto Soto (64-8-2, 35 KOs)
As of Thursday, there were no odds listed for this fight.
Prediction
If nothing else, this fight should be thrilling. Molina and Soto have never shied away from an exchange, and both figure to come out firing in this bout.
Molina generated some buzz in his last fight. He was stopped in the 11th round by Lucas Matthysse, but not before playing his part in an early favorite for Fight of the Year.
Soto also faced Matthysse back in 2012, but the results were more lopsided. Matthysse pounded Soto into submission and the latter didn't come out for the sixth round.
Expect Molina to continue the momentum he established against Matthysse with another strong performance. A younger and less shop-worn Soto might have given Molina troubles with his boxing skills three years ago, but on Saturday, Molina will have too much firepower.
Molina will win by eighth-round TKO.
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