Mayweather vs. Berto Undercard: Predictions and Updated Odds for Fight Card

The main attraction in boxing on September 12 is a familiar one. Floyd Mayweather Jr. will cap off his career and put a perfect 48-0 record on the line against Andre Berto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

For all the anticipation ahead of Mayweather's curtain call from his fans and those who appreciate the Sweet Science, the undercard is shaping up to be strong.

Headlining the action are Roman "Rocky" Martinez and Orlando Salido in a junior lightweight title match and a super middleweight showdown with Badou Jack and George Groves. Those two bouts alone are worth checking out before Mayweather's presumptive coronation victory.

Below is a look at the complete undercard along with a breakdown of the highest-profile fight slated prior to Mayweather-Berto, which figures to be the Martinez-Salido rematch.

Weight Class	Matchup	Rounds	Odds	Prediction
Super Featherweight	Roman Martinez vs. Orlando Salido	12	Martinez -225, Salido +175	Martinez via unanimous decision
Super Middleweight	Badou Jack vs. George Groves	12	Jack +137, Groves -175	Jack via TKO
Light Middleweight	Ishe Smith vs. Vanes Martirosyan	10	Martirosyan -450, Smith +325	Martirosyan via unanimous decision
Featherweight	Jhonny Gonzalez vs. Jonathan Oquendo	10	Gonzalez -1429, Oquendo +700	Gonzalez via TKO

Undercard Fight to Watch: Roman Martinez  vs. Orlando Salido

Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

The last time these two men squared off, boxing fans were treated to one of the best fights of 2015 in a bout dubbed The War. Martinez won by unanimous decision, but he paid a physical toll to earn that hard-fought result.

Steve Kim of Boxing News praised Martinez's chin for withstanding the beating Salido laid into him as he tried to push the momentum in his favor:

Now, the WBO World super featherweight title belt is on the line again, and Salido will be eager for vengeance in a marquee showcase preceding the Mayweather proceedings. That could be enough to give Siri the edge, though oddsmakers don't believe so.

Martinez opens as a 4-9 favorite, according to Odds Shark, despite how tight the prior outcome was. It featured many memorable and evenly matched sequences, such as the following, courtesy of Showtime Sports:

Although Salido, at 5'6", gives up two inches in height to Martinez, his 67-inch reach matches that of his formidable opponent. It's key for Salido to use his more compact frame to his advantage, keeping distance with his wingspan while creating a smaller target for Martinez to exploit.

This impending second edition of the featherweight championship showdown has a lot to live up to after what happened on April 11 this year, but it has all the makings of another epic. Martinez and Salido may even steal the show from Mayweather considering the circumstances.

Salido spoke about his chance at redemption and why he feels things could be different this time around, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael: "The first fight in Puerto Rico did not go my way. I got off to a slow start and had to fight two fights—one against the referee and one against Rocky Martinez. On Sept. 12, I am going to take matters into my own hands and look to knock out Rocky to get my world title belt back."

Immense pride is on the line on the neutral grounds in Las Vegas. Salido feels he was slighted when he faced Martinez in his foe's native Puerto Rico. Even with the officials presumably more neutral, though, Salido won't have quite enough. It was telling he hit the canvas three times in the last matchup with Martinez and couldn't manage to get Rocky on the ground once.

Neither man has a high knockout percentage, so it isn't wise for Salido to be too aggressive and go for the KO. If he isn't defensive enough, he's liable to hit the canvas multiple times again during the 12 rounds.

Martinez will therefore successfully defend his title by a familiar margin.

Prediction: Martinez wins via unanimous decision.

Note: Stats courtesy of BoxRec.com unless otherwise indicated.