The stars will be out in Las Vegas on Saturday night for Timothy Bradley vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, but the headliners aren't the only reasons to tune in.
Three WBO titles are on the line on Saturday, starting with Jose Ramirez (24-2-2, 15 KOs) vs. Vasyl Lomachenko (who is making his pro debut—sort of). They will be battling for the WBO international featherweight title to start the pay-per-view card.
The other belts up for grabs are the WBO welterweight title, held by Bradley, and the vacant WBO featherweight title. Orlando Cruz and Orlando Salido will slug it out for the vacant championship immediately before Bradley vs. Marquez.
Light heavyweights Sean Monaghan and Anthony Caputo-Smith will also fight on the main card on Saturday night.
Predictions
Jose Ramirez vs. Vasyl Lomachenko
Top Rank is billing this as Lomachenko's pro debut, but the 25-year-old Ukrainian is experienced.
He has won nearly 400 amateur fights and is one of the most decorated boxers in Olympics history. He won gold medals in 2008 (as a featherweight) and 2012 (as a lightweight). He also won gold at the 2009 and 2011 World Amateur Championships.
He's starting off his pro career with a tough opponent, but he is a quick, hard puncher with excellent footwork and ring awareness. I'm expecting him to cruise to victory and set up a title fight with the winner of Salido vs. Cruz.
Sean Monaghan (18-0, 11 KOs) vs. Anthony Caputo-Smith (14-1, 10 KOs)
The undefeated Monaghan isn't a top-tier contender, but the man they call "Irish" is quickly becoming one of the sport's most popular fighters. He regularly draws big crowds in his native New York, and with his aggressive style, he's sure to gain fans in Vegas.
He is fresh off of an eighth-round knockout of Dion Stanley at Radio City Music Hall, which propelled him to an 18-0 record and a deal with Bob Arum's Top Rank.
Look for Monaghan to ride his momentum to an exciting knockout victory over Caputo-Smith.
Orlando Salido (39-12-2, 27 KOs) vs. Orlando Cruz (20-2-1, 10 KOs)
Much of the hype for this fight has centered on Orlando Cruz's status as the first (active) openly gay male boxer. The 32-year-old Puerto Rican, who came out in October 2012, will wear rainbow shorts to support LGBT rights and pink gloves to raise breast cancer awareness in what will be the biggest fight of his career.
While Cruz should be commended for his courage and willingness to support social causes, I don't see him winning this bout. Salido, who has much more experience in big-time fights, is a heavy-handed boxer and will test Cruz's chin.
Salido should also be motivated after suffering a loss to Mikey Garcia in his most recent fight. Look for the Mexican to retain his title with a late-round knockout.
Timothy Bradley (30-0, 12 KOs) vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6-1, 40 KOs)
Timothy Bradley is the undefeated titleholder, but this is a bad matchup for him.
Coming off a brutal 12-round fight with Ruslan Provodnikov, where he was dominated for the first two rounds and knocked down in the 12th, Bradley should have faced a less powerful opponent for his second bout of the year.
Instead, he is taking on the best counterpuncher in the game.
Marquez, 40, has some of the most explosive hands in boxing. His timing and accuracy are incredible, and he packs amazing power into his punches, as we all saw when he vaporized Manny Pacquiao last year.
If Bradley tries to trade punches with Marquez like he did against Provodnikov, he will go down early and hard. If he reverts to his defensive style and tries to outbox Marquez, he has a chance.
However, I'm expecting Bradley to slip up. After a fairly even battle, Marquez will catch Bradley reaching and hand him his first career loss with a 10th-round knockout.
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