Golden Boy on ESPN Picks

Junior Lightweight Bout: Jayson Velez (26-4-1) vs. Ryan Garcia (14-0)

Nolan Howell: Ryan Garcia is the young prospect here and Jayson Velez might be the biggest name he has fought to date. Garcia is undoubtedly legitimate and Velez’s name might be the stamp that he needs, with Garcia scoring 13 KOs out of 14 victories in his undefeated streak and Velez on a three-fight winning streak over the ghost of Juan Manuel Lopez after a winless 2016. Velez has lost to the likes of Ronny Rios and Joseph Diaz before and it is pretty much canon that he is the gatekeeper that tends to get reminded of that as soon as he takes a step up. While it will be a tougher out than normal and Velez hasn’t been finished, Garcia should be up to snuff at this point. Ryan Garcia by eighth-round TKO.

Middleweight Bout: Berlin Abreu (14-1) vs. Gary O’Sullivan (27-2)

Nolan: “Spike” O’Sullivan goes from being a potential challenger to Gennady Golovkin to opening up the ESPN2 card the night before against Berlin Abreu. While that is a definite trade-down, it is probably for the best as O’Sullivan gets another television showcase to up his stock. He has moved past the novelty stage as this point and this should be a highlight reel performance if he wants to continue to keep his name up there with the likes of Golovkin. O’Sullivan beats the body early and often to open things up and grab the win in the middle stretch. Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan by fifth-round TKO.