MAIN EVENT
For The Ring Magazine and WBC Super Featherweight Titles
JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ
(48-3-1, 35 KO, Mexico City, Mexico)
versus
MANNY PACQUIAO
(45-3-2, 35 KO, General Santos City, Philippines)
For the WBO Featherweight Title
STEVEN LUEVANO
(34-1, 15 KO, Los Angeles, CA)
versus
TERDSAK JANDAENG
(29-2-1, 19 KO, Tasae, Thailand)
ABNER MARES
(15-0, 9 KO, Montebello, CA, by way of Guadalajara, Mexico)
versus
DIOSDADO GABI
(30-3-1, 21 KO, Davao City, Philippines)
DAVID DIAZ
(33-1-1, 17 KO, Chicago, IL)
versus
RAMON MONTANO
(15-4-2, 1 KO, Las Vegas, NV, by way of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico)
We've talked up the main event, and you already know what that's about. I'm sticking with my gut, though I'm maybe 55% confident in the pick: Marquez via tight unanimous decision
Let's take a quick look at the PPV televised undercard.
Steven Luevano v. Terdsak Jandaeng
Hearing Michael Buffer say "Terdsak" is going to be a highlight of the night, I believe. Luevano was last seen dominating Antonio Davis on the undercard of Pacquiao-Barrera II in October, and this seems like a very similar matchup, to be honest. Luevano isn't going to make you forget the all-time great featherweights, but he was a class above Davis and I suspect he'll be a class above Jandaeng as well. Luevano in a unanimous decision rout
Abner Mares v. Diosdado Gabi
Mares, 22, is a good prospect with some solid stepping stone developmental-type of wins. Gabi, 28, is a past Vic Darchinyan victim, falling in the 8th round against the ex-flyweight champion in 2006. After that, he proceeded to knockout Mauricio Pastrana in the first round in his debut at 115, and has now jumped all the way up to 118 pounds. Mares has to be considered the favorite, and this is a PPV showcase for his skills. But, to Harold Lederman it up for you briefly, I gotta tell ya somethin': this one smells heavily like upset city. Gabi is a more experienced fighter, has been in with good fighters, and he's a southpaw. I rarely go off and call upsets of this magnitude, but I'm feeling it with this one. Gabi via decision
David Diaz v. Ramon Montano
The question has been asked. "Who the hell is Ramon Montano, and why is the WBC lightweight champion fighting him in a non-title bout after being inactive since August?" This is a Top Rank publicity stunt -- get Diaz an easy win on PPV, and set up Diaz-Pacquiao for this summer. But all things considered, Diaz is no special talent. He's a tough son of a bitch and an enjoyable fighter to watch because he actually comes to fight, but Montano is sort of a Jesse Feliciano-type of guy, a possible fly in the ointment. Not a pretty record, and that's no typo -- he has one career knockout. But he has sparred with some excellent fighters, and he also deserved a win over Dmitriy Salita in their 2006 draw, a really bogus decision. But I won't call the upset here. I'm just saying, don't be shocked if Diaz-Pacquiao doesn't look attractive at all after tonight. Diaz via TKO
The show starts live at 9PM ET, and the non-televised undercard bouts will be streaming at Yahoo! and ESPN360 in just moments. I'm going to watch those, but probably not score them. Settle in for a great night of boxing with us! We'll be scoring the PPV fights round-by-round in the comments below.