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Over the last few days, an exciting HBO Boxing After Dark triple header was announced for January 19th. Opening HBO’s 2013 boxing calender are top Featherweights Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia (30-0-0 26 KO’s) and battle-hardened WBO titleholder Orlando “Siri” Salido (39-11-2 27 KO’s), who face off in an intriguing 12 rounder.
In the co-feature, Philly based fan-favorite Gabriel Rosado (21-5-0 13 KO’s) will scrap with heavy-hitting WBA/IBO Middleweight beltholder Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (24-0-0 21 KO’s) and last but not least opening up the televised bill is Roman “Rocky” Martinez (26-1-1 16 KO’s), who will look to retain his WBO Featherweight strap when he faces the always courageous Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-0 20 KO’s).
Lets start by saying this; these matchups are brilliant. It is rare you get three fights on a boxing event in which can all be considered “pick-ems”. This show, presented by Bob Arum’s Top Rank inc. and K2 Promotions, is an ensured treat for fans of the art of pugilism.
Discussing the opener between WBO champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez and Juan Carlos Burgos, you have two guys with very similar styles. Both men are known as high volume brawlers who like to mix it up in the battles they often find themselves in.
Both have exceptional power and strong chins, so I am unsure if either will score a finish. Nevertheless, these warriors are likely to bring fireworks over an exciting twelve rounds and the verdict will be fairly close as both men pressure each other head to head.
In the co-headliner, we will see the tough Puerto Rican-American Gabriel Rosado move up in weight to face a high risk opponent in the form of power punching warrior Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan.
This is probably the most anticipated fight on the bill for various reasons. You have two of boxing’s hardest hitters compiled into one entertaining throwdown. Most are predicting a Golovkin knockout, as I am, seeing the tremendous breakout win, via a monstrous right hook, he scored in August against Gregorz Proksa.
But make no mistake, whoever lands the first bomb could nab up a win. Be sure to tune into this one.
With that, we will see a sure-fire war between two of the world’s best Featherweights, Orlando Salido and Mikey Garcia, in the televised main event.
Both Mexican fighters are known for having precise knockout power and high stamina. That is how Orlando Salido twice beat his arch rival, Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico.
Salido pressures and finishes his opponents to gather victories, just as Garcia did last time out, in his HBO debut, against tough Argentinian Johnathan Victor Barros.
Salido, age 32, has a shady 11 losses in 52 fights, however, all but three of those occurred before 2001 when he was a more youthful and naive teenager.
His only defeats in the last 10 years were against Juan Manuel Marquez, Yuriorkis Gamboa and a controversial split decision to Christobal Cruz, leading to the conclusion that Salido is in his very prime now. And it will take Mikey Garcia at his very best to defeat him.
Whatever happens be sure to tune in live on HBO Boxing After Dark January 19th from the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Corey Quincy is a boxing writer for Saddoboxing.com , his blog Blboxing.com and others. Follow him on Twitter at Quincyboxingfan and also like his Facebook page at Boxing Legends.
