Most of the boxing world’s attention will be on Las Vegas this weekend for the Mayweather-Maidana 2 card. Right now, Several Bookmakers has lines on two of the fights on the main card, as Lightweight Mickey Bey is the underdog (+300) against Miguel Vazquez (-390) and Super Bantamweight Leo Santa Cruz is a massive (-10000) favorite over Manuel Roman, who returns (+3500). The card also features popular Mexican veterans Alfredo Angulo and Humberto Soto as they face James De La Rosa (22-2) and John Molina (27-4) respectively. Look for wide lines for the Mexicans to pop up as fight night gets closer. Leo Santa Cruz is making the third defense of his WBC Super Bantamweight title, and he is facing Manuel Roman in what is expected to be a tune-up fight before Santa Cruz graduates to the big time. he has been involved in a war of words with Guillermo Rigondeaux, and he has also talked about facing Carl Frampton. Frampton just won the IBF’s Super bantamweight title with a decisive win over Kiko Martinez in Belfast, and both matches would likely see Santa Cruz come in as the underdog, but not for this Sept 13th gig. The Vazquez vs Bey match for the IBF Lightweight title figures to be a bit closer, at least as far as the books are concerned. This will be the seventh title defense for Vazquez. Vazquez is 34-3 overall with his three career losses coming to Saul Alvarez (twice, in a 4 rounder and a 10 rounder) and to Timothy Bradley, who he also extended to 10 rounds. To beat Vazquez so far, you have to be a top of the line fighter on a world level, and though Bey is a good, solid fighter, he is not on that level. He has a strong amateur background with hundreds of fights, and he has worked himself to a 20-1-1 career mark as a pro, but he’s never faced anyone with the level of Santa Cruz, and there are questions about his 30 to 1 Testosterone level for a February 2013 drug test and how that may affect his performance now. An upset is not likely in this one. The card also has a slew of four and six round fights that have some prospects making their debuts and others trying to extend their undefeated streaks to start there career. These early fights are worth watching, as merely getting on this card is an accomplishment, and could mean that someone has seen promise in the fighters given the opportunity.
