Photo Credits: Jeandra LeBeauf/BadCulture.net
Note: For video of the Mayweather-Maidana weigh-in, click HERE.
LAS VEGAS — The fighters for tonight’s “Mayhem” pay-per-view wrapped up their weigh-in requirements yesterday at the MGM Grand. Now that the wait is nearly over, it’s time to get predictions on record. Twitter users, make sure to follow Jeandra LeBeauf (@jethang) of BadCulture.net who is in Vegas as a correspondent for BeatsBoxingMayhem.
Maidana: 146 lbs.
Mayweather: 146.5 lbs.
PREDICTION: As entertaining as the first fight was, Mayweather’s skill level will have to fall off a cliff for Chino to get a victory tonight. Yes, Mayweather’s legs have slowed, but he is still the more accurate puncher, better defensive fighter, and has shown to have a good enough chin to withstand a big punch. Maidana has focused heavily on cardio to throw more than 100 punches per round. That will indeed make things interesting if he can pull it off, but Mayweather has the best way to slow that output, and that’s by making Maidana have to think about where to place his punches. We’ll get another solid scrap, but there will be no doubt as to who the winner is. Mayweather by majority decision.
Santa Cruz:121 lbs.
Roman: 122 lbs.
PREDICTION: Leo Santa Cruz is the WBC super bantamweight champion and fighting a former sparring partner that’s not even ranked in the Top 50 of their division. I’m going to need Santa Cruz to step it up after this fight. And by step up, I mean fight someone like Guillermo Rigondeaux. Carl Framption’s big win over Kiko Martinez last weekend puts this co main-event in even worse light. Santa Cruz TKO5.
Vazquez: 135 lbs.
Bey: 134.5 lbs
PREDICTION: Here’s what you need to know about Miguel Vazquez. The tenured Mexican champ has only lost to two fighters in his career: Canelo Alvarez twice (the first a split decision in Vazquez’s pro debut) and Timothy Bradley. Both those guys are elite fighters. Mickey Bey is not. Expect a schooling so thorough that it would be difficult for even the most biased judge to keep Bey close. Vazquez by wide unanimous decision.
Angulo: 162 lbs.
De La Rosa: 161.5 lbs.
PREDICTION: Angulo is trying his hand at middleweight and coming off a complete decimation at the hands of Canelo. De La Rosa is the right type of opponent for a comeback, as he’s not a big puncher and never fought a guy of Angulo’s caliber. Even a diminished Angulo should get the job done. Angulo TKO7.
***BONUS***
Molina: 139.5 lbs.
Soto: 140 lbs.
PREDICTION: How’s this for irony. The one fight that doesn’t make the pay-per-view will likely be the most competitive and action-packed bout. Soto is the more skilled guy, but I’m not convinced he can truly hang in the 140 pound division. He laid some good shots on Lucas Matthysse, who simply shrugged them off and left Soto sprawling on the canvas back in 2012. Molina did much better against the Machine earlier this year in scoring two knockdowns, but was ultimately bloodied and KO’d himself in brutal fashion.
If the versions of these two guys who fought Matthysse show up, we’ll get a war that ends with the bigger Molina gradually taking over and beating Soto into submission. Molina TKO9.
Filed under: Fight News
