BROOKLYN, NY — All fighters were on weight for tomorrow’s HBO triple-header featuring David Lemieux vs. Gabe Rosado. Despite not getting much fanfare, this is essentially a card where all the televised fights are close to 50/50. But realizing that no one appreciates a writer that sits on the fence, I’m onto the predictions for Saturday night.
Saturday’s HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader telecast airs at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT).
LEMIEUX: 160
ROSADO: 159.5
PREDICTION: I’ve done lots of flip-flopping on this matchup. Initially, I like Rossado’s chances considering how he looked against Peter Quillin last year. The Bare Knuckle boxing KO over Bryan Vera was also impressive even considering the unconventional circumstances. Then I started leaning towards Lemieux due to his youth, power and Rosado’s tendency to get into unnecessary exchanges.
I see two potential scenarios. First, Rosado could use the counter-punching strategy we saw against Golovkin and Love early on before later turning on the aggression we saw in the Quillin fight. If his chin holds, Rosado will exploit Lemieux’s tendency to be a frontrunner and takes a close but clear decision. Second scenario is that Lemieux’s power becomes the equalizer and Rosado’s tendency to cut assists in leading to a late stoppage.
In the end, more can go wrong on Rosado’s side than Lemieux’s. I’m picking the Canadian to score a late stoppage that puts his name in the GGG sweepstakes.
CENTENO: 159.4
DE LA ROSA: 159.8
PREDICTION: Despite some late scares, James De La Rosa performed well in defeating Alfredo Angulo earlier this year. However, the fight is also an indicator of how far Angulo has slid as a fighter. De La Rosa is a fringe contender. Centeno, although essentially still a prospect, is the more accurate puncher and should get the better of most exchanges tomorrow night. CENTENO UD
DULORME: 139
LUNDY: 140
PREDICTION: This is the sleeper fight. Hank Lundy has been screaming for another big opportunity since losing a decision to Viktor Postol last year. His main target in recent months has been fellow Philadelphia native Danny Garcia. Beating Dulorme would go a long way to raising Lundy’s rep above the “ESPN” level where most rate him. Lundy has an edge in the smarts department. However, the height disparity (5’10 to 5’7) will be problematic for Lundy if Dulorme can keep the bout at mid-range. In addition, Dulorme should have a strength advantage and showed in his ugly Mayfield win that he can clinch and nullify inside fighting, where Lundy would do his best work. Expect a lot of close rounds where Dulorme gets favored because of his slightly higher punch output and harder shots. DULORME MD
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 