We have a pair of big-time fight cards this weekend, with the openers on each being more entertaining than the headline bout. On HBO, Daniel Ponce de León faces off against Juan Manuel López, a huge Mexican puncher (Ponce de León) against a slick Puerto Rican boxer (López) who's got a fair amount of pop himself. Anyone who's seen Ponce de León against a decent boxer (Penalosa, Cabellero) knows he can be made to look foolish. I just wonder if López will want to prove himself by spending too much time in front of Ponce de Leon, and will wind up absorbing a thumping knockout as a result. Like this one. Or this one. I say no; López is the pick.
In Showtime's first televised bout, viewers will be treated to the rematch of Carlos Quintana versus Paul Williams. Tall Paul (he's a welterweight with the same wingspan as Muhammad Ali) was ineffective and lethargic in the first fight, which resulted in a surprising loss. And he wasn't just outpointed, he was beaten down. One excuse was that Williams killed himself to make weight. Another may be that Quintana has the wrong style for him, and that Williams will never be able to look good with the Puerto Rican southpaw in front of him. I lean toward the latter; Quintana may not be Winky Wright, but he moves well and should have a lot of confidence coming into this bout. Puerto Ricans will go 2-0 on Saturday.
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