Editor’s Note: There are some good fights coming up this weekend, so before you cuddle up with your spouse on Valentine’s Day, watch some people get punched in the face. On Saturday Feb 13, there are THREE boxing nights going down — two on DAZN, including the return of boxing in the UK, and another on ESPN. Boxing analyst Erick Garcia gives a quick preview for each of these fights and make his predictions. Two of the three main events feature a Russian against an American, so you know Erick is pumped up!

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DAZN Fights (Cali)

• Venue: Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio CA
• Network: DAZN

Main Event: Diaz vs Rakhimov

IBF Jr. Lightweight Belt – 130 lbs.

For the main event, we got Jo Jo Diaz, who last fought on 01/30/2020 when he beat Tevin Farmer via unanimous decision and won the IBF Jr. Lightweight belt. I had Jo Jo Diaz winning the fight clearly, but it was still a close fight, and I was looking forward to the rematch.  Diaz and Farmer could not come to terms for the rematch, so Jo Jo is fighting Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, an undefeated Russian who is 15-0 with 12 Kos. I have only gotten a chance to see Rakhimov on YouTube, and he’s looked good. Still, Jo Jo is definitely a big step up in class compared to the fighters Rakhimov has shared the ring with so far. Rakhimov is the number one contender and isn’t the easiest of fights for Jo Jo to return with after being out of action for just over a year.  Jo Jo has more than double the amount of fights than Rakhimov, and I think the experience will be too much for Rakhimov. 

Ericks Pick: Diaz by decision

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Undercards: Teixiera vs Castaño

IBF Jr. Middleweight Belt- 154 lbs.

On the Undercard, we got Brazilian Patrick Teixeira defending his Jr. Middleweight title against Argentine Brian Castaño. Both fighters get to add yet another chapter to the sports rivalry between Brazil and Argentina. Teixeira won his Jr. Middleweight belt by upsetting Carlos Adames on 11/30/2019. Castaño is undefeated and also fought last in November of 2019 when he defeated Wale Omotoso. Like in the main event, both fighters have been out of the ring for over a year and might look a bit rusty, especially in the early rounds. Even though I was impressed with Teixeira’s heart in his upset win against Adames, Teixeira was hit too much and took a lot of damage.

Ericks Pick: Castaño via late-rounds stoppage

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Undercards: Mosley Jr vs Olivas

Middleweight Fight – 160 lbs.

Shane Mosley Jr. will also be on the card fighting Mexican Cristian Olivas in a Middleweight bout.  Olivas was a late replacement for Jason Quigley, who was initially scheduled to fight Mosley Jr. but was forced to pull out of the fight due to an illness. 

Ericks Pick: Mosley Jr. by decision

ESPN Fights

• Venue: The Bubble MGM Grand
• Network: ESPN

Main Event: Smith vs. Vlasov

BREAKING: Fight is postponed due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

WBO Light heavyweight Belt – 175 lbs. (Vacant)

The main event has Joe Smith Jr fighting for the vacant WBO Light Heavyweight title against the tough Russian Maxim Vlasov.  Vlasov has a record of 45-3 and has never been stopped. Smith has bounced back with two good wins against Eleider Alvarez and Jesse Hart after losing to Dmitry Bivol via UD in a fight for the WBA Light Heavyweight title.  The way Smith Jr. has looked in his recent fights has me thinking he’s getting a clear victory, but the stoppage will be tough to get.

Ericks Pick: Smith Jr. by decision

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Undercards: Commey vs. Marinez

Lightweight Fight – 135 lbs.

On the Undercard, you have Richard Commey. He last fought on 12/14/2019 when he was severely beaten and stopped by Teofimo Lopez in 2 rounds and lost his IBF Lightweight title. He is fighting Jackson Marinez, who lost to Rolando Romero on 08/15/2020 in a controversial decision (I had Marinez winning the fight ). Both fighters are coming off a loss and looking to bounce back with a win to stay in the mix in a stacked lightweight division. Even though they both are coming off losses, I believe that the momentum is on Marinez’s side right now since I don’t think he lost his last fight and don’t know if Commey will be the same after the KO.

Ericks Pick: Marinez, by decision

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Undercards: Lopez vs Sanchez

Featherweight Fight – 126 lbs.

We also have Adam “Blunose” Lopez on the card. Jason Sanchez is not a step-up-fight for Lopez, but Lopez always seems to be in exciting fights regardless of who he is in the ring with. Lopez had back to back tough fights against Oscar Valdez and Luis Coria, so I am curious to see if “Blunose” can avoid another war against Sanchez.

Ericks Pick: Lopez by decision

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Undercards: Anderson vs Ibeh

Heavyweight Fight – No Limit

I’m also looking forward to Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson’s fight against Kingsley Ibeh. Anderson is one of my favorite up-and-coming Heavyweights. He has looked impressive so far in his young career by knocking out all 7 of the opponent he’s faced to date. Let’s see if Anderson can keep the KO streak going against Ibeh, who has fought three times in the MGM bubble during the pandemic.

Ericks Pick: Anderson by KO

DAZN Fights (UK)

• Venue: London Wembley Arena, Wembleym, UK
• Network: DAZN

Main Event: Warrington vs Lara

Featherweight Fight – 126 lbs

Boxing is returning in the UK. In the main event, undefeated former IBF Featherweight champ Josh Warrington is fighting Mauricio Lara. Warrington vacated his Featherweight IBF title after the IBF declined to sanction a unification bout against WBA Featherweight champion Can Xu. The fight would have also been for the lineal Ring Magazine championship. Warrington is still in line for the unification fight with Can Xu, or even a unification fight with the WBC Featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. However, a loss to Lara would ruin Warrington’s plans.

Ericks Pick: Warrington via decision

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Undercard: Barrett vs Martinez

Lightweight Fight – 130 lbs

On the Undercard, I want to watch Zelfa Barrett’s fight. I haven’t seen Zelfa Barrett fight a lot, but I was able to catch his last fight against Eric Donovan.
Donovan gave him a good fight, but Barrett showed toughness and was able to win the fight with his power. Barrett is in with a gatekeeper and former world champion Kiko Martinez. It’s going to be interesting to see if Barrett can keep Martinez off of him because the wily veteran will be coming for him from the jump.

Ericks Pick: Barrett via late-rounds stoppage

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TLDR Version

• DAZN (Indio, CA)
  • Diaz/Rakhimov = Diaz
  • Teixeira/Castaño = Castaño
  • Mosley Jr./Olivas = Mosley Jr.
• ESPN (Las Vegas, NV)
  • Smith Jr./Vlasov = Smith Jr.
  • Commey/Marinez = Marinez
  • Lopez/Sanchez = Lopez
  • Anderson/Ibeh = Anderson
• DAZN (London, Eng)
  • Warrington/Lara = Warrington
  • Barrett/Martinaz = Barrett

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