Preview and Predictions for March Madness Boxing Weekend
By Chris Carlson
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 30 Mar 2024
This weekend features a smorgasbord of events running from Friday night all the way thru Sunday. Boxing has its own version of March Madness and will be streamed on Amazon and Amazon PPV, ESPN+, DAZN, and Peacock. Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora, Oscar Valdez vs. Liam Wilson, Rolando Romero vs. Isaac Cruz, and Seniesa Estrada vs. Yokasta Valle will be the bouts focused on in this article.
Let’s begin on Friday as Oscar Valdez makes his return to the ring facing a normally game Liam Wilson. In his last outing Valdez was thoroughly defeated over 12-rounds by Emanuel Navarrete. Over a year ago, Liam Wilson gave that same fighter a run for his money. Wilson had Navarrete hurt bad but wasn’t able to close the show. Wilson would end up getting stopped in the 9th round. How much does Valdez have left to give considering tough fights dating all the way back to 2016?
Another item to think through is what level is Liam Smith actually at? It’s a fair question given how mediocre he appeared last December versus Jon Jackson. Smith getting his get back by knocking out Joe Noynay was impressive don’t get me wrong, along with a solid win over Carlos Rueda. This boxing podcaster believes Liam Smith rose to the occasion by seriously hurting Navarrete in that moment which has us thinking he’s better then he probably is in reality. Unless Valdez is damaged goods he will get the ‘W’. That said it will be highly entertaining as is the theme for this whole weekend.
My Official Prediction is Oscar Valdez by Unanimous Decision.
Tim Tszyu solidified himself to American boxing fans last year by knocking out Tony Harrison and taking apart Brian Mendoza. Prior to that he was still doubted and in fact many media members then favored his opponent on Saturday night. Before getting shocked Brian Mendoza lots of the boxing world thought Sebastian Fundora should be given the shot at the lineal champion Jermell Charlo. As we know boxing has a what have you done for me lately motto and now Fundora is a clear underdog.
Tim should be the favorite but he is technically less of one than he was with Keith Thurman. The combination of Tim’s patient starts to fights and the time it will take to adjust to Fundora’s height and style makes the first couple of rounds so important for the ‘The Towering Inferno’. One can assume Fundora will be applying pressure from the start as he attempts to make Tszyu very uncomfortable. Smothering Tim so he can’t get the full impact on the punches he throws at least in the beginning.
Look for Tim to chop down the tree by attacking the body and using his jab to slow down Fundora. It’s smart for Tim to bring in tall sparring partners but did he have enough work to figure out a concrete game plan? After some early troubles look for the more accurate and straighter puncher with the better hand speed to separate as the rounds go on. Most are calling for a knockout and I do get that sentiment but there is real value in betting Tim Tszyu by decision. Mid to Late stoppage is the most likely outcome.
My Official Prediction is Tim Tszyu by Unanimous Decision.
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Another entertaining scrap will be Rollie Romero vs. Pitbull Cruz. Cruz will look to put his head in Rollie’s chest and throw powerful punches to the head and body. Cruz’s overhand shots are delivered from obscure angles. Will Rollie’s jab, upper cuts, and body punching be able to slow down Pitbull is the real question here. Rolando will need to use that 5 inch reach advantage instead of engaging in a brawl in the early goings. This will be a two-way fight filled with drama, action, and of course awkward ugly moments as well. The betting lines are calling for a KO but if you believe otherwise either guy by decision is at a super high value.
My Official Prediction is Pitbull Cruz by late stoppage.
An undisputed bout between Seniesa Estrada and Yokasta Valle is close to a pick’em fight on the betting books. Valle is sitting as a live dog anywhere from +138 up to +175. Valle has two losses on her record but those came back in 2017 and 2018. Estrada has yet to taste defeat. All though this boxing junkie can see why there’s anticipation for this matchup, Seniesa will win fairly cleanly. Estrada’s skill places her at a different level in my humble opinion but we shall see if I’m wrong.
My Official Prediction is Seniesa Estrada by Unanimous Decision.
Side Note: Also Checkout Garcia vs. Davis, Martinez vs. Cordova, Wardley vs. Clarke on Sunday. The fight of the weekend could be Bohachuk vs. Mendoza.
Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio
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