Predictions: Berto vs. Urango, Angulo vs. Cintron

The Franchise says...

Whatever you think of Andre Berto, whether you think he's one of the top welterweights in the world or you feel he still has a long way to go, this much is undeniable: if he keeps winning, he'll eventually work his way into the big fights.

To me, the important thing to remember is that he's only 25. All he can do is keep honing his defense, maybe add a few wrinkles to an already-impressive offense, and the rest will fall into place.

That's if he keeps winning, of course, and he'll have to work to make sure he does that Saturday against Juan Urango. The Colombian is no pushover, and he's a southpaw like Luis Collazo, who gave Berto all he could handle earlier this year.

He's also coming up in weight, and that's where I think Berto may have a distinct edge. Andre has already shown he has the chin to stand up to some big shots at 147, but can Juan say the same?

Both men can be hit, so this should have its share of action. Urango has never been knocked out - his only loss is by decision to Ricky Hatton - but I'm going to show some faith and say Berto wins by late stoppage.

On the undercard and one division further up is another young fighter who may be even closer to becoming a breakout star, Alfredo Angulo. The explosive Mexican is also undefeated and has never had a fight scheduled for eight or more rounds that didn't end with him winning by knockout.

He's got an interesting foe in the form of Kermit Cintron, who has power and athleticism but seems to be stuck at a level just short of the top talents he's faced. The Killer hasn't looked too impressive since his second KO loss to Antonio Margarito in April 2008, and he was extremely fortunate to escape with a draw against Sergio martinez last time out.

We may learn something about Angulo if he gets caught by anything clean, because Cintron can crack. But of course Perro can do that too, and he's faster and more relentless.

I hate picking against Cintron since he's from a town not far from where the BoxingWatchers grew up, but I can't see him derailing Angulo's train to stardom. I like Angulo to win by mid to late-round TKO.

Bonus pick: What if they held a heavyweight title fight and no one cared? Well, not no one, I suppose someone in Helsinki will be watching as Ruslan Chagaev and Nikolai Valuev scrap for the WBA heavyweight belt.

I'm not spending too much time thinking about this one either, so my pick is Valuev to retain by decision. Yawn.

Uatu says...

Well, he starts off by saying that he isn't terribly excited for this main event. No need to go out on any limbs today. I like Berto by comfortable decision, a win by a large margin - maybe 10 rounds to two. He may not be able to knock down Urango, and I don't like Urango's chances to land a big punch of any kind throughout.

I would like to see Cintron thrive as well. He still only has two losses, and they are both to a guy suspended for cheating. Not saying Margarito cheated in his fights, but you would be crazy not to think that it is at least possible. On the other hand, maybe Margarito would have steamrolled Cintron either way with superior punching, conditioning and experience. We will never know. A huge "what if" for boxing fans, and imagine how Kermit must feel. Have to pick against him based on his last fight, but hoping for the best for him. Angulo by KO.

Posted by The Franchise