Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez Card: Preview and Predictions

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez are fighting on Saturday. This is common knowledge. However, few people seem to acknowledge that there will be other interesting fights on this card.

Actually, the three major undercard fights will all feature at least one undefeated fighter. Isn’t it ironic that everyone is thrilled about a main event where both fighters combine for eight losses and a few draws?  

The televised card has three other fights before the main event. I would be shocked to witness an upset in any of these fights.

Timothy Bradley vs. Joel Casamayor

Timothy Bradley, ranked No. 8 pound-for-pound by The Ring Magazine, will defend his WBO junior welterweight title vs. a boxer older than Juan Manuel Marquez.

Indeed, Joel Casamayor (38-5-1) just turned 40 a few months ago.

Casamayor, a former Cuban Olympic medalist, is well known for his 2008 fight vs. Marquez, the only man who has ever been able to defeat Casamayor by way of knock out.

The Cuban held a title four times, but this fight should be a mismatch.

At some point, Bradley (27-0) was set as a 30:1 favourite. However, since Bradley has only 11 knockouts in 27 bouts, it is a relatively risk-free fight for the 40-year-old Cuban.

The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds.

Prediction: Easy unanimous decision win for Timothy Bradley

Mike Alvarado vs. Breidis Prescott

Mike Alvarado will try to remain undefeated (31-0) when he enters the ring on Saturday. His opponent, Breidis Prescott, has become famous since his knockout win over current WBA and IBF junior welterweight champion, Amir Khan.

Khan, Mayweather’s possible next opponent, was knocked out by Prescott in less than one minute. However, since that 2008 impressive win, Prescott lost three of his past seven fights.

Mike Alvarado, also called Mile High, has won nine of his past 11 fights by way of knockout.

The fight is scheduled for ten rounds.

Prediction: Easy win by Mike Alvarado

Luis Cruz vs. Juan Carlos Burgos

I hope that you weren’t expecting any heavyweight fights because if you do, you might regret watching this card. The first televised bout will feature two young boxers.

Luis Cruz, 26, is still undefeated after 19 bouts. Juan Carlos Burgos, 23, only suffered one loss in 28 fights. His lone loss came in Japan back in 2010.

This fight is for the WBO NABO super featherweight title.

Prediction: Cruz exits with a close win.

The Main Event

Manny Pacquiao will meet Dinamita for the third time in the ring. If you want to read every possible article about them, you might need 72 straight hours. However, available on the Bleacher Report, there’s a nice summary about the 25 things you need to know about this fight.

Prediction: Manny Pacquiao wins

Note: For full fight descriptions on Saturday, follow me on Twitter at TakeoSports