On a night that would have been game 6 in the NBA‘s Eastern Conference Finals, no 3-point buckets will be shot or made. Instead, thanks to the Boston Celtics sweeping the Indiana Pacers into the offseason with a narrow 105-102 victory on Monday, boxing takes center stage on the last night of the fifth month.
Red Owl Boxing in Houston, an intimate arena with a maximum capacity of 1,500 spectators, plays host to Overtime’s OTX 7, dubbed “Rumble at the Rodeo”, this Friday night. Live coverage of the card begins at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on DAZN and the DAZN YouTube channel.
All told, barring any late postponements or cancellations between now and fight night, the final version of OTX 7 features six fights inside the squared circle. At the top of the bill is continuing quarterfinal action in the promotion’s super-welterweight division, beginning in the co-main event of the evening.
Terry Meets Villalobos for Spot in Semis
The first entrant in the second semifinal will be determined in the OTX 7 co-main event when undefeated Robert Terry (11-0-1, 4 KOs) meets up with Estevan Villalobos (16-2-1, 12 KOs). This 154-lb. tournament quarterfinal will be an advertised maximum of 10 rounds at three minutes per round..
If, however, the fight produces a draw on the scorecards after 30 minutes of action, the fight will progress to an 11th round to decide who moves one step closer to an OTX contract and who goes home.
Its winner will await the results of the OTX 7 main event later on in the evening between Andreas Katzourakis (12-0, 10 KOs) and Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (20-2, 12 KOs). More on that fight later on in the week.
Houston, we have liftoff 🚀
📆 Friday, May 31
🥊OTX 7: RUMBLE AT THE RODEO
📍@redowlbox 🤝 @Overtime BoxingOTX Tournament Rnd 1 continues:@adreaskatz vs @KAbdukakhorov
Robert Terry vs Estevan Villalobos➕Breyon Gorham, Gio Marquez, @leannacruuz & Gustavo Rivera Rio pic.twitter.com/bpiU0biANk
— Tony Palmieri (@ttonez4) May 6, 2024
OTX 7 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the OTX 7 co-main event on Friday night, Estevan Villalobos stands as the taller man at 5-foot-10, compared to the 5-foot-9 frame of Robert Terry. Terry owns a 69-inch reach, with no such information accessible for Villalobos at press time.
Currently, the oddsmakers have Robert Terry installed as a -320 favorite on the money line, while Estevan Villalobos counters as a +240 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening over the weekend, please wager responsibly.
Robert Terry Ready to Go on Friday Night
Robert Terry has yet to lose thus far in his pugilism career. Last time out, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Luis Sanchez (9-5, 6 KOs) after six rounds on Nov. 11, 2023 in Newark, NJ. At 10 rounds in length, Friday’s fight is the longest in his career up to now.
Initially, Terry had been linked to a fight against Vladimir Hernandez on OTX 7 this Friday night, but that pairing was scrubbed prior to the show for undisclosed reasons. Before the change in opponent was announced, Terry was interviewed by YSM Sports Media, where he mentioned that he still has yet to reach his peak.
“We have yet to see, man,” Terry said about the best version of himself as a competitor. “We’re definitely going to see.”
How will Robert Terry handle the late change in opponent? Can he deliver in the OTX 7 co-main event on Friday night?
Estevan Villalobos Returns for First Fight in More than a Year Friday
In the other corner, Estevan Villalobos has posted a mark of 4-1 in his last five fights. Most recently, he saw a five-fight winning streak snapped by unanimous decision at the hands of Fredrick Lawson (30-5, 22 KOs) in April of last year from Arlington, TX.
Villalobos was an 11th-hour replacement for Lawson’s previously-slated adversaries for that night, Raul Curiel and Blair Cobbs, having accepted the bout just two days prior to the card. He hasn’t set foot in the ring since that night. Thus, the age-old question of ring rust has cropped up once more.
Will Villalobos be able to shake it off in his first fight in 13 months time? Tune in and find out.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
The OTX 7 co-main event is a classic strength vs. strength matchup on Friday night. Who will win the day?
Robert Terry Can Exhaust Anyone
Even though Robert Terry has logged four wins by knockout in his boxing career, the flashy victories don’t always get the job done. Sometimes, working your opponent to the point of exhaustion works just as well, like in his November fight vs. Sanchez.
Throughout the six-round affair, Terry was the fresher fighter, landing crisp counterpunches on Sanchez, forcing the latter to go to the clinch a few times. While in the clinch, Terry’s defense was on full display, as he continued to land counters.
As the fight neared its conclusion, Terry had Sanchez running on empty, effectively removing any doubt as to which of these two men would get his hand raised after the final bell, scoring a crisp shot to wobble Sanchez backwards up against the ring ropes.
Robert Terry doesn’t necessarily need to try for a knockout on Friday night in the OTX 7 main event. If he can gas out Estevan Villalobos, the spot in the second semifinal is his.
Villalobos Needs to Go Upstairs
In the other corner, while Villalobos lost his last fight against Lawson last year, he cannot be afraid to go upstairs against Robert Terry on Friday night. Early on in that fight, Villalobos landed a combination of a shot to the head and the body, further peppering him with an overhand-right, forcing Lawson to try and block.
During the final minute of round one, Villalobos connected on a shot to the liver and continued to land punches to back Lawson up against the ring ropes. Bottom line: Estevan Villalobos shouldn’t be underestimated here.
If he can land some crisp shots early on, he can disrupt Robert Terry’s gameplan.
Final Thoughts
The OTX 7 co-main event has high stakes given that it’s a tournament quarterfinal. This looks to be a fun scrap, so tune it in.
Prediction: Robert Terry by Unanimous Decision.
