Porter Vs Ugas Predictions
Welterweight World Champ Shawn Porter makes the first defense of his WBC title against top-rated Cuban contender Yordenis Ugas on Saturday March 9 at Dignity. Porter, 31, out-landed Ugas 144 to 128, according to CompuBox, over 12 rounds which could've been scored either way. While the judges were ultimately split on who should've won the fight, one. The early rounds were defined by Porter using his jab to try to cut down the distance, while Ugas worked power shots and jabs to the body. Porter had some success on the inside landing on Ugas’ chin during flurries, but was unable to hurt the Cuban. Porter vs Ugas (won) Main event for the WBC welter weight belt. Picks are not just a plain prediction for the result but also containing a detailed preview and analysis of the game with all important info and hint for the best odds available at the online bookmakers, so as complete stats and records of the tipster behind the pick.
On Saturday, March 9th, Premiere Boxing Champions presents a night of boxing action live from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. This boxing card will be televised on FOX and features a main event world title fight as WBC welterweight champ Shawn Porter defends his title against Yordenis Ugas.
Originally, this card was to feature a co-main event between Andrzej Fonfara vs Edwin Rodriguez. Unfortunately, to the surprise of many, Fonfara decided to retire from boxing a few weeks ago. So, the card has been shuffled around to make up for the fight being called off.
In total, there are up to 16 possible fights scheduled for Saturday night. However, not all boxing betting sites are listing odds for each fight. The preliminary card is set to begin at 6:30 PM ET and will be televised on FS1. The main card will air on FOX beginning at 8 PM ET.
Let’s take a closer look at this boxing event to see if there’s any betting value and to KO our picks.
Hevinson Herrera (24-16-1, 18 KOs) Robert Guerrero (34-6-1, 19 KOs)
- Hevinson Herrera (+1750)
- Robert Guerrero (-3500)
Robert Guerrero is one of the biggest betting favorites on the night. The former multi-division champion is clearly the better fighter between the two and boxing oddsmakers clearly agree with this. There’s no betting value in Guerrero’s odds and Herrera has no chance of winning, which makes him not worth a flyer.
Hevinson Herrera vs Robert Guerrero Preview
| Boxer | Hevinson Herrera | Robert Guerrero |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 34 | 35 |
| Height | 5’7” | 5’9” |
| Reach | — | 71” |
| Total Fights | 41 | 41 |
| Record | 24-16-1 | 34-6-1 |
| Knockouts | 18 | 19 |
Hevinson Herrera comes into this welterweight fight having lost 4 of his last 6 fights. He fought three times in 2018 and went 2-1, which was an improvement over his 0-2 campaign in 2017. Herrera fought on Feb 15th and lost via UD. He’s turning right back around and fighting less than a month later against Guerrero. 18 of Herrera’s 24 wins have come via KO/TKO, so he definitely packs a punch.
Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero is in the second fight of his comeback. Guerrero retired in the summer of 2017 after losing his third straight fight and the 5th of 7 contests, which dates back to his loss against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May 2013. The Ghost would also fight against Thurman, Garcia and Figueroa who were all undefeated at the time. Sadly for Guerrero fans, Robert lost all of those fights.
I'm here to announce that I'll be fighting on the #WilderFury card as I look to continue my legacy in this sport. #TheGhost is Back!
— Robert Guerrero (@GHOSTBOXING) November 8, 2018
Guerrero decided to return to the ring in November of 2018 and stated that he wanted to continue with his legacy. After a 17 month hiatus, Robert would fight on December 1st and win his first fight since returning from retirement. Guerrero didn’t want to wait too long for his second post-retirement fight and is taking on a rugged, but beatable opponent this weekend.
Will “The Ghost’s” Legacy Continue?
Guerrero turns 36 in a few weeks, which certainly isn’t too old for this sport. In fact, he’s not even the oldest fighter on the card. However, Guerrero definitely needs to win this welterweight contest or he will end up retiring for good.
Herrera is a step up from being a glorified sparring partner, but he’s not talented enough to defeat Guerrero unless The Ghost has a really bad night. Since we’ve already seen him fight last December, I’m certain that Guerrero will win this bout and continue his post-retirement success.
Amir Mansour (23-3-1, 16 KOs) vs Efe Ajagba (8-0, 7 KOs)
- Amir Mansour (+1000)
- Efe Ajagba (-1500)
In this fight, we have a veteran taking on an up and coming heavyweight prospect who remains undefeated. And, based on this difference in age and boxing skills, the oddsmakers feel that Ajagba is a significant betting favorite. The elder Mansour is one of the biggest underdogs of the night. With that said, I do think that Mansour is worth a small flyer. He’s a veteran with punching power.
Amir Mansour vs Efe Ajagba Preview
| Boxer | Amir Mansour | Efe Ajagba |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 46 | 24 |
| Height | 6’1” | 6’5” |
| Reach | 74” | 88” |
| Total Fights | 27 | 8 |
| Record | 23-3-1 | 8-0 |
| Knockouts | 16 | 7 |
Yes, you read that correctly. Amir Mansour is 46 years old and still fighting. The American, born Lavern Moorer, was an undefeated boxer with a record of 9-0 before going to prison in 2001. He would come out of prison in 2010 and return to boxing. From 2010 to 2013, Mansour would win 10 straight fights. Since then, he’s gone 3-3-2. His toughest opponent over the last 8 fights was Sergey Kuzmin and that contest ended in a Draw due to both fighters sustaining cuts from an accidental collision of their heads.
Mansour last fought in September 2018 and lost via KO in the 3rd round. He still packs a punch and is a tough competitor even at the ripe old age of 46.
Efe Ajagba is undefeated as a professional and has fought all of his fights in America. The 24 year old Nigerian competed for his home country in the Commonwealth Games, African Games and Olympics. Ajagba is a talented heavyweight with knockout power and speed.
Ajagba is best known for his bout against Curtis Harper last August when Harper touched gloves and walked out of the ring without even fighting Efe. It was one of the most surreal scenes in boxing history and one that will certainly live on in infamy and YouTube.
Can Ajagba Continue Moving up in the Division?
Ajagba fought 5 times in 2018, which includes the Harper bout. He won 4 of them via TKO/KO. The Harper matchup resulted in a DQ win for Efe.
Now, Mansour isn’t the type of man or fighter to walk out of the ring like Harper. In fact, I expect Amir to come into this contest with every intention of handing Ajagba his first loss. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening. In fact, the only question is whether or not Ajagba is going to stop this fight early or win via decision.
Mansour does have two losses via KO/TKO, so he is susceptible of being stopped. Ajagba has won all of his fights, minus the Harper walkout, via KO/TKO and I expect him to pick up another one this weekend. Look for Efe “The One and Only” Ajagba to notch his 9th win and continue working his way up the heavyweight ladder.
Abel Ramos (23-3-2, 18 KOs) vs Francisco Santana (25-6-1, 12 KOs)
- Abel Ramos (+160)
- Francisco Santana (-185)
As mentioned above, due to Andrzej Fonfara retiring last month, his fight was cancelled and Ramos vs Santana became the new co-main event of the night. Boxing betting sites have this bout as the closest fight on the entire card. Although Santana has a worse record than Ramos, he’s considered the betting favorite due to the level of competition he’s beaten. With that said, I do believe that Ramos offers betting value as this fight should be an action packed contest.
Abel Ramos vs Francisco Santana Preview
| Boxer | Abel Ramos | Francisco Santana |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 27 | 32 |
| Height | 5’9” | 5’9” |
| Reach | 69” | 72” |
| Total Fights | 28 | 32 |
| Record | 23-3-2 | 25-6-1 |
| Knockouts | 18 | 12 |
Abel Ramos comes into this matchup having won 5 straight fights and all of them via TKO. He lost 1 year ago via Majority Decision to Jamal James in a hard fought contest. Although Ramos suffered the 3rd loss of his career, he proved that he’s a tough opponent for anyone in the welterweight division.
Francisco “Chia” Santana is making his PBC debut on Saturday night and is looking to keep his momentum going from defeating Felix Diaz last April. Prior to his upset win over Diaz, Santana had lost two fights in a row and was dropped by his promoter. Chia only got into the Diaz fight because another boxer was injured. After all of the adversity that he’s faced in the last 20 months, Santana is looking forward to making the most of this PBC opportunity.
“I’m beyond excited to be able to make my PBC debut on Fox in primetime on the undercard of the WBC welterweight title fight. I have nothing but respect for a fellow hard working fighter like Ramos and I expect a war but I intend to make a statement on March 9th and come out victorious.”
Santana has wins over 4 world title contenders and champs, has a draw against contender Julian Williams, went the full distance against champion Charlo, had beaten 3 undefeated fighters and could be just two fights away from a title shot.
“I believe I am only one or two fights away from that opportunity and no one is going to stand in my way.”
Who’s Going to Win the Ramos-Santana War?
Both of these fighters won’t shy away from standing toe-to-toe and exchanging haymakers. With that said, someone is probably going to get knocked out. Combined, these fighters have 30 KOs in 48 wins. Both of them will be looking for a statement win in order to move up the welterweight food chain. With bigger fights, comes bigger paydays.
Currently, Santana is positioned better for a bigger fight if he wins this weekend. Ramos has fought inferior opponents compared to Chia. With that said, I’m not only rooting for Santana to win, but I believe he will.
Chia is a survivor and a workhorse. Despite all odds against him when he fought Diaz last year, Santana ended up winning. And, he accomplished this feat without a promoter. With his career looking to be over with, Santana defeated a ranked contender. With that said, I believe he won’t pass up the opportunity of winning this weekend and moving another step closer to a world title fight.
I’m taking Santana to win via TKO in the latter rounds.
Yordenis Ugas (23-3, 11 KOs) vs Shawn Porter (29-2-1, 17 KOs)
- Yordenis Ugas (+270)
- Shawn Porter (-330)
In another close contest, according to boxing oddsmakers, WBC welterweight champ Shawn Porter defends his title for the first time against mandatory challenger Yordenis Ugas. Porter comes in as the betting favorite largely based on his quality of wins compared to Ugas. But, don’t sleep on Ugas as he’s resurrected his career and looks like a brand new fighter. I don’t see any value in Porter’s odds, but I do see some betting value in Ugas.
Yordenis Ugas vs Shawn Porter Preview
| Boxer | Yordenis Ugas | Shawn Porter |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 32 | 31 |
| Height | 5’9” | 5’7” |
| Reach | 69” | 70” |
| Total Fights | 26 | 32 |
| Record | 23-3 | 29-2-1 |
| Knockouts | 11 | 17 |
Yordenis Ugas is on an 8 fight win streak with some solid wins over Jamal James, Bryant Perrella, Dulorme, and Barrionuevo who he thoroughly dominated in his last fight. Ugas is feeling good about where he’s at in his career and believes he has a shot at defeating Porter on Saturday.
“There are a lot of big names and I know they’re all looking to fight each other. The only way to get in that mix is to beat one of those names, and Porter is one of those names. That’s my main focus right now, beating Shawn Porter and making myself one of those household names in the 147-pound division.”
For Porter, he’s a two-time welterweight champion looking to defend his WBC title for the first time. Porter defeated Danny Garcia last September to win the vacant WBC title.
Porter is a former IBF welterweight champ, but lost that belt back in August 2014 to Kell Brook. Porter lost his second chance at a welterweight world title when Keith Thurman defeated him back in June 2016. Shawn would love to fight against Thurman again, but could also line up a title vs title fight against Crawford, Pacquiao or Spence in the latter portion of 2019.
“What I will say, once we get this win, then we can look at the other top welterweights. It will begin with March 16 and (Spence vs. Garcia) and we will go from there. I’ve had my same short list of fighters I’ve always wanted to face ever since regaining this title—a rematch with Keith Thurman, and unifications with Errol Spence and Manny Pacquiao”
With that said, Porter isn’t overlooking Ugas this weekend as he recognizes that Yordenis is a tough opponent.
“I expect him to be consistently aggressive, I expect him to try to come at me hard like I’ve seen him go at guys in his past previous fights. And I expect it to be a hard fight, I don’t expect to hit Yordenis one time and then go down, he’s not that kind of fighter. A lot of people expect this to be a wash for me. I’m expecting it’s going to be a hard fight.”
Can Porter Pressure His Way to Victory?
Much is being made of Porter’s smothering style. It’s a physical boxing style that has overwhelmed previous opponents. Boxing pundits feel that Porter should be able to work his way to victory in a fight that should be a winnable one. If Ugas has anything to say about it, Porter is going to have to earn every point he gets from the judges.
Porter is the more talented fighter of the two, but Ugas isn’t someone to be overlooked. He’s hungry for respect and wants a world title badly. Porter also wants respect, but wants to unify the division even more.
I think this fight is closer than what the odds indicate. With that said, I still believe Porter will win this contest. Ugas has never been stopped and I don’t see that happening on Saturday either. Porter is going to have to work for all 12 rounds to win this fight. And, it’s something that he should be able to do.
I’m taking Porter to win via Unanimous Decision in an entertaining main event.
Additional PBC on FOX Fights
The following fights are also scheduled for the PBC on FOX boxing event. All odds are courtesy of 5Dimes.
Damien Vazquez (14-0, 7 KOs) vs Juan Carlos Payano (20-2, 9 KOs)
- Damien Vazquez (+335)
- Juan Carlos Payano (-420)
With the retirement of Fonfara, and reshuffling of the card, it’s surprise if this matchup doesn’t get boosted up to the main card and televised on FOX. It’s a clash between a rising prospect on the cusp of championship contention and a former world champ. And yet, it’s still not higher on the card.
Payano was the former WBA bantamweight champ for two years. Unfortunately he lost it in 2016 to Warren. After that fight, Payano won three straight fights before getting KO’d in the 1st round of his fight last October against Naoya Inoue. It was the worst loss of Payano’s career.
Vazquez is undefeated and taking a big step up in competition:
“This is a big step up for me. Payano is a former world champion who is very dangerous, but I’m confident in myself, in my talent, and I’m going to leave everything in the ring. After March 9, the world will know who I am and what I’m about. There is no doubt in my mind, I’m coming out on top! Beating a former world champion like Payano will get me closer to that world title shot I’m seeking. I’m the future of the bantamweight division and it’s my time to shine.”
This matchup is definitely intriguing. One has to wonder if Payano has recovered from his knockout loss last year. He’s a significant betting favorite, but I think we’re going to get an upset on Saturday night.
Damien Vasquez is the younger brother of former 3-time champ Israel Vazquez. He has a strong team around him and I believe he will be prepared for this bout. I’m going with the upset here and taking Vasquez to score a UD over Payano.
Samuel Figueroa (11-1, 4 KOs) vs Eimantas Stanionis (7-0, 5 KOs)
- Samuel Figueroa (+450)
- Eimantas Stanionis (-600)
Figueroa returns to the ring for the first time in almost two years. He suffered the first loss of his career roughly 3 years ago, but did score a win in his last fight in March 2017. Samuel has 4 KOs in his 11 wins and hasn’t been stopped in his career.
Stanionis is a former Olympian for his home country of Lithuania and also won a gold medal at the 2015 European Championships. He’s undefeated in his young career with 7 professional wins by the age of 24. Eimantas defeated a tough opponent in Ghvamichava last August and proved that he has what it takes to hang with more skilled veterans.
I liked what I saw from Stanionis in his last fight and I believe he has what it takes to win this matchup. Boxing betting sites feel the same way as he’s a big betting favorite at -600 odds. With that said, I’m taking Stanionis to win via UD on Saturday night.
Carlos Padilla (16-9-1, 10 KOs) vs Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar (28-3, 21 KOs)
- Carlos Padilla (+2000)
- Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar (-4000)
Former WBA featherweight champ Cuellar is fighting for the first time in almost a year since he lost to Gervonta Davis via TKO for the vacant WBA super featherweight title. Prior to that, Cuellar also lost to Abner Mares in December 2016, which cost him his WBA title that he held for three years.
Padilla is nothing more than a tune-up fight for Cuellar to get his confidence back and regain some momentum. After two tough losses, Cuellar needs to put together a few wins and prove he’s still a title contender. At just 33 years old, Cuellar still has plenty of time to capture another belt once he gets back on track.
For this fight, there’s no doubt that Cuellar wins in dominant fashion. I expect a KO/TKO in the middle rounds and Cuellar to regain his mojo. There’s no betting value with JMAC and Padilla isn’t worth a flyer.
Final Thoughts for the PBC on FOX Card
Porter Vs Ugas Predictions Week 2
Unlike Saturday’s boxing card for DAZN, the main event fights of PBC on FOX will be more competitive. Both boxing events will be entertaining and boxing fans will certainly have plenty of matches to watch. I’m excited to see Guerrero as I’ve been a fan of his for many years now. Out of both boxing events, I think the Vasquez vs Payano fight has the most intrigue. I’ll be rooting for Santana to win because I can really appreciate his story and hard work. With that said, boxing fans sit back and get your popcorn ready because Saturday is going to be an exciting night of pugilistic action.