The big HBO pay-per-view event hits us this Saturday night with Miguel Cotto versus Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in the main event. The main broadcast is also set to feature two world title matches as well as the return of pouind for pound stud Guillermo Rigondeaux. None of the main card bouts except the Cotto vs “Canelo” main event have over/under lines. Super Featherweight – 12 rounds Takashi Miura +115 Francisco Vargas -135 Note: The line at the books have this as the most competitive fight of the night. Miura (29-2-2) has power, as he has notched 22 KOs, and this will be his fifth defense of the belt he won back in March of 2013. Miura has defended his belt in Mexico, but this is his first fight in the USA. He has a very high level of competition under his belt, as the Japanese scene in these weight classes is deep. In his first attempt at a world title, he lost to WBA Champion Takashi Uchiyama. Vargas is a long-time amateur who has run his record to (22-0-1) as a professional. Miura is a southpaw, and he is giving up slight height and reach advantages to Vargas. Bantamweight – 12 rounds Lee Haskins +400 Randy Caballero -500 Note: Undefeated Randy Caballero (22-0) returns for the first defense of the title he captured backin October of 2014 as he faces interim titlist Lee Haskins (32-3). Haskins has won six fights in a row, netting Britsih and European titles before grabbing the interin belt in June of 2015 when he defeated Ryosuke Iwasa (19-1). Caballero is six years younger than Haskins and he will have advantages in height, reach and speed. Though he has experience fighting outside of England, Haskins has never fought in the United States Featherweight – 10 rounds Drian Francisco +4500 Guillermo Rigondeaux -14000 Note: Rigondeaux is on most of the pound for pound lists in the Top 5, so there is no doubt he is one of the highest skilled fighters on the planet. He has had virtually no lead time for this fight, as he agreed tot he match only last week. Rigondeaux has had a tumultous couple of months, as both the WBO and WBA stripped him of their world titles due to inactivity. In Franciso, he is facing an experienced (28-3-1) veteran who built his resume mainly in the Philippines. He fought in Mexico and three times in the United States as well, but nothing on the level of Rigondeaux. His only real chance is that the Cuban does not come in sharp after a 9 month layoff and a shortened camp, as Francisco dropped an existing fight to take this opportunity and should be in condition.
