Breaking down Lopez-Martin and Crawford-Avanesyan

My No. 1 men's pound-for-pound boxer, Terence Crawford, of Omaha, Nebraska, yet returns to the ringing connected Saturday, and portion he's not facing archrival Errol Spence Jr., Crawford volition instrumentality connected a apical welterweight contender successful David Avanesyan (BLK Prime PPV, 9 p.m. ET).

But to marque things interesting, he's going head-to-head connected tv against arguably 1 of boxing's biggest characters and talents. Teofimo Lopez Jr., the Brooklyn native, volition beryllium warring successful New York's Madison Square Garden connected the aforesaid nighttime connected ESPN (9 p.m. ET, with undercard astatine 6 p.m. ET connected ESPN+).

Lopez volition look Spain's Sandor Martin, who defeated aboriginal Hall of Famer Mikey Garcia in a large upset backmost successful October 2021. Sandor is simply a large southpaw with 42 fights connected his resume (40-2, 13 KOs).

These are 2 wholly antithetic matchups connected the aforesaid time astatine the aforesaid time. Two ultra-talented fighters successful Crawford and Lopez, but with precise antithetic styles, against 2 possessive and unsafe challengers.

Here's wherefore you should ticker both:

Terence Crawford vs. David Avanesyan

Crawford ne'er seems to disappoint. He is precisely what today's boxing and casual fans bask watching -- a knockout specialist. In his past 10 fights, Crawford is 10-0 with 9 consecutive knockouts. Crawford is the lone antheral to halt erstwhile champion "Showtime" Shawn Porter. Porter is known for giving unified welterweight champ Spence each helium could grip backmost successful 2019. Porter mislaid that combat successful a divided decision, and galore thought helium won.

And portion Crawford hasn't been successful the ringing since helium faced Porter much than a twelvemonth ago, he's a large favourite to win. Hopefully a triumph successful this bout volition yet acceptable up a combat for the undisputed welterweight title successful 2023 -- but we've been saying this for years.

There's a batch connected the enactment for Crawford, and that unsocial is simply a crushed to ticker this fight. This whitethorn beryllium the past clip we get to measure Crawford's show earlier helium faces Spence. Again, we've said this before. To add, Avanesyan is simply a large puncher who has 17 KOs retired of his 29 wins and is connected a six-fight KO streak. Furthermore, this volition beryllium Anvaneyan's 2nd and Crawford's archetypal bout this year. Will the inactivity of Crawford beryllium an issue, and adjacent the endowment disparity successful this matchup?

How tin Crawford (-1400), Avanesyan (+800) win?

Avanesyan indispensable get fortunate aboriginal successful the combat arsenic Crawford tends to get successful bushed aft 2 oregon 3 rounds. During that time, he's susceptible portion he's gauging region and uncovering those moments to counter. However, Avanesyan's benignant seems to beryllium tailor-made for Crawford's counterpunching style. Avanesyan fights good disconnected his beforehand foot, but helium indispensable beryllium cleanable to person a accidental to bushed Crawford.

I've seen innovative unit momentarily propulsion disconnected the champ's game. And what I mean by innovative unit is that Avanesyan likes to pressure, but helium indispensable larn however to alteration gait and bushed continuously to debar being timed by Crawford's cat-like strikes. Crawford has a singular quality to set rapidly connected the fly, arsenic helium is multidimensional and has a large ringing IQ.

Nevertheless, determination is ever a interest for immoderate boxer who chooses to measurement into the eventual truth-teller we telephone the ring. Crawford is not a outpouring chicken, arsenic helium turned 35 this year. Activity is indispensable for immoderate prizefighter, and ringing rust doesn't attraction astir rankings. This matchup is considered a tune-up for Crawford, but it's somewhat of a World Cup last for Avanesyan.

Eliminating mistakes arsenic often arsenic imaginable is captious for Avanesyan arsenic good arsenic making Crawford uncomfortable by hitting him anyplace connected his body. On the different hand, Crawford should look for the uppercut arsenic Avanesyan charges inside.

Bradley's prediction: Crawford by stoppage.

Teofimo Lopez Jr. (-700) vs. Sandor Martin (+500)

Lopez is inactive repairing his once-damaged pridefulness and the lone blemish helium has suffered successful his career, a split-decision nonaccomplishment to George Kambosos a small implicit a twelvemonth ago. Lopez, the erstwhile unified lightweight champion, volition combat for the 2nd clip successful his caller value people of 140 pounds.

Interestingly enough, Regis Prograis defeated Jose Zepeda past week to triumph the vacant WBC inferior welterweight rubric successful a more-than-expected thriller. All eyes should beryllium watching this matchup betwixt Lopez and Martin, chiefly to comparison performances, arsenic this 140-pound part is flaming blistery and filled with endowment and imaginable absorbing matchups.

Martin amazed america each by defeating the highly skilled boxer-puncher Garcia, and dissimilar Jose Pedraza, the archetypal hostile of Lopez earlier Pedraza dropped disconnected the combat with what was described arsenic a "non-COVID illness," Martin provides a much important situation to Lopez for respective reasons. The main crushed and -- astir important -- is that psychologically Martin is astatine his best. He hasn't mislaid a combat successful much than 5 years.

Lopez is loud, brassy and genetically gifted. If you bask innovation, theatrical creation moves successful solemnisation and punching power, this combat is for you.

The matchup:

I see last-minute replacement fights astatine this level "trap fights." A trap combat is simply a matchup that looks bully connected insubstantial for the favorite, but the hostile is unsafe and whitethorn beryllium susceptible of upsetting the A-side fighter. Lopez whitethorn deliberation things volition beryllium easy, but the past clip Martin fought successful the U.S., the southpaw bested aboriginal Hall of Famer Mikey Garcia successful his ain authorities of California. Martin volition surely beryllium motivated to bash the aforesaid against Lopez successful Lopez's backyard.

To Lopez's credit, helium has had a cleanable grounds against southpaws. In his young career, helium is 2-0 vs. lefties, stopping 1 (Diego Magdaleno) and outboxing the different (Vasiliy Lomachenko). Lopez's archetypal opponent, Jose Pedraza, usually elected to combat from the southpaw presumption much times than nary successful his fights, truthful I'm definite Lopez and his squad person been grooming for a southpaw each along. Martin is people a southpaw who had fought astatine 140 pounds his full career. Let's not hide this is Lopez's conscionable 2nd quality astatine inferior welterweight, and adjusting to a caller value people takes clip for the assemblage to acclimate to adsorbing punches, arsenic fighters travel down from arsenic overmuch arsenic 165 pounds which makes them somewhat much robust and durable.

Martin is simply a axenic boxer who tin sometimes beryllium slick with elusive caput and lateral movements. He besides tends to determination guardant erstwhile assured portion staying retired of range, looking to drawback his hostile sleeping oregon unit a mistake with feints to instrumentality vantage of immoderate openings. Martin is not a prolific counter-puncher, and the indispensable cardinal to defusing an explosive counter-puncher similar Lopez is continuously countering his missteps. Lopez has tremendous punching powerfulness and bolt-like reflexes but tends to get complacent successful spots. But the unsocial mode Lopez faces southpaws combines his ft positioning, athleticism, timing, and punch variation.

Lopez tin pb with immoderate hand, close and near turned implicit connected a dime which is captious successful defeating a southpaw. Martin's champion weapons are his backhands and his upfront pb hook. Lopez has to debar these 2 punches with his somewhat improved defense, arsenic helium enactment connected show past clip out. And much importantly, Lopez needs to enactment disconnected the ropes -- that should besides beryllium portion of his antiaircraft plan. I deliberation the quality successful this combat volition beryllium the precise accuracy of Lopez's powerfulness shots and the clip Martin allows Lopez to deliberation without making him pay.

Bradley's prediction: Lopez by decision.