Welterweight Bout: Andre Berto (30-4) vs. Victor Ortiz (31-5-2)
Nolan Howell: We are five years removed from the first encounter and things couldn’t be much worse for both. Berto’s inability to stay healthy is rivaled by Ortiz’s foot going in and out of the door of boxing with his hand being somewhat forced after a lackluster Hollywood career attempt. As it stands, Berto is probably in better shape coming off a fight against Floyd Mayweather than Ortiz is off winning two “stay in the game” fights. This will be fun, no doubt, but this is a battle of who has anything left in the tank. Andre Berto by unanimous decision.
Luke Irwin: Ugh, not a fan of this being a main event on FOX whatsoever. Berto doesn’t deserve it after putting on that televised nap with Mayweather that I paid far too much for and Ortiz hasn’t shown anything that should have elevated him from Tuesday Fox Sports 1 cards that he was doing. Their first meeting was a rough-and-tumble encounter, and I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that this will be the opposite of that. Berto via UD.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Edwin Rodriguez (28-1) vs. Thomas Williams Jr. (19-1)
Nolan: Williams is solid enough, but Rodriguez should be able to take him here despite just coming off a run of victories to repair his record after losing to Andre Ward (which really doesn’t need too much fixing, but I digress). Edwin Rodriguez by fourth-round TKO.
Luke: In a matchup that will most likely determine who Adonis Stevenson defends against next, and what is my pick for the best fight of the night on either network, I think Rodriguez’s power will be the deciding factor. I think he puts Williams on the canvas a couple times en route to a late TKO win. Rodriguez via R8 TKO.
WBC World Super Middleweight Championship: Badou Jack (c) (20-1-1) vs. Lucian Bute (32-3)
Nolan: Bute really proved something against DeGale last time out, but it could also be one of those performances where a fighter knows what is left in his tank and goes all out before taking the downturn. Jack really hasn’t been all that impressive squeaking out victories and Bute, if his last fight is any indication, should be able to put the pressure on early and wear Jack down in an upset. Lucian Bute by fifth-round TKO.
Luke: Jack has been the furthest thing from dominant since fighting Anthony Dirrell for the title. He took the title via majority decision and defended it against George Groves by split-decision. Bute would be wise not to let this go to the judges. I think the DeGale fight might have been his last hurrah. A prime Bute waxes Jack, but I think in his biggest test, Jack, yet again, does enough to slide by. Jack via SD.
IBF World Super Middleweight Championship: James DeGale (c) (22-1) vs. Rogelio Medina (36-6)
Nolan: Not really much to say here from a competitive standpoint, but DeGale needs to come out looking great here after a questionable performance against someone who may be falling out of relevance in Bute. He gets the win easy, but how he looks doing it will be intriguing. James DeGale by unanimous decision.
Luke: In my opinion (IMO LOL), DeGale is the best fighter at 168lbs in the world, until at least, GGG gets bored of people running away from him at 160. DeGale didn’t look as dominant as he should have against Bute, but Bute is still a hell of a fighter. Medina hits really hard and doesn’t go down very often, so DeGale could very easily coast to an easy win, but I think he wants to make an impact and will go for the knockout. His one-shot power won’t get Medina down, but if he starts throwing combinations, he can fall Porky. DeGale via R8 TKO.
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