Caleb Plant vs Mike Lee
IBF Super middleweight champion Caleb Plant is a fundamentally sound boxer and a superstar in the making and while Mike Lee is undefeated there is nothing on his resume that would suggest that he is ready for a fighter like Plant. Neither one of the fighters has a particularly high knock-out ratio, so I’m predicting that this one goes to the scorecards. Caleb Plant has made it clear at the press conferences that he is defending his title in honor of his mother, who was killed earlier this year by a police officer. I believe that the hungry, motivated Plant will be successful in this endeavor.
Plant by Decision.
Yordenis Ugas vs Omar Figueroa Jr.
This fight is classic boxer vs slugger matchup. Omar Figueroa will move forward the entire fight, hoping to walk Ugas down. While Ugas is not a slugger, he moves well enough to get himself out of dangerous situations. If Ugas engages in battle, it could be an early fight with Figueroa winning by KO. However, Ugas is an intelligent boxer and is coming off what he felt was a robbery loss against Shawn Porter. He has a chip on his shoulder and will likely come out with something to prove. This fight is the WBC eliminator for the winner of Shawn Porter versus Errol Spence Jr. and Ugas is dying for another title shot. Ugas will fight smart and keep Figueroa on the outside.
Ugas by Decision.
Sergey Lipinets vs Jayar Inson
Jayar Inson is a very last-minute stand in for John Molina Jr., who pulled out just yesterday with a back injury. Inson is 18-2 with 10 knockouts and was already scheduled to fight on the untelevised portion of the Pacquiao/Thurman card. Jayar is a part of Manny Pacquaio’s MP Promotions and most recently fought on the Pacquiao/Broner undercard where he lost a split decision to Johnathan Steele. Lipinets is coming off a performance where he retired Lamont Peterson and although only recently moving up to 147, he brought his power up with him. Inson is commendable for stepping in, but he’s overmatched in this one. The hard-hitting Lipinites should end this one early.
Lipinets by TKO.
Flip the page for the big money prediction of Pacquiao and Thurman.