Fans of the sweet science have a great Saturday night to look forward to. With no major MMA on the slate this last Saturday of January, boxing takes center stage. The squared Circle’s world tour’s next stop sees Golden Boy Boxing teaming up with Matchroom Boxing and Zanfer Boxing in Phoenix at Footprint Center.
While the NBA’s Phoenix Suns cede control of their home court this weekend for an East Coast road trip this week, courtside seats become ringside seats for a nine-fight card exclusive to DAZN. Action kicks off with Before the Bell early Saturday evening at 5:30 pm ET/ 2:30 pm PT, followed at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT by the main draw.
As we’ve mentioned throughout the week, Saturday is boxing’s biggest night so far in 2024 with four titles at stake, including an appealing co-main attraction.
WBO World Minimumweight Belt For the Taking in Arizona
Your co-main event of the evening takes place at minimumweight (105 lbs.) The WBO World Minimumweight Championship will be contested when current champion Oscar Collazo (8-0, 6 KOs) puts the title at risk versus challenger Reyneris Gutierrez (10-1, 2 KOs).
As with most championship fights in the squared circle, this week’s Golden Boy co-main event is an advertised maximum of 12 rounds at three minutes per round.
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Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into Saturday night’s co-main event, Oscar Collazo stands 5-foot-2 and owns a 61-inch reach. No height or reach information was accessible for Reyneris Gutierrez online at press time.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the oddsmakers have Collazo installed as a -3000 favourite on the money line, while Reyneris Gutierrez counters as a +1400 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening over the weekend, please wager responsibly.
Oscar Collazo Looking to Go 4-0 in America on Saturday
Oscar Collazo has yet to taste defeat in his professional boxing career. Dating back to his amateur days, he’s won 11 fights in succession. To find his last loss, you’d have to travel back in time to April 10, 2019.
That evening, he dropped a unanimous decision to Yuberjen Martinez (49-15 amateur, 7 KOs). Collazo avenged that defeat with a majority decision victory against Martinez a few months later during a trilogy bout in his amateur finale. He hasn’t looked back since.
In more recent times, he scored a sixth-round TKO (retirement) against Garen Diagan (10-4, 5 KOs) on Aug. 26 2023, to successfully defend the belt from San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was his second straight win by TKO due to retirement, as he initially won the belt by that method in Indio, CA vs. Melvin Jerusalem (21-3, 12 KOs) after the seventh round last May when Jerusalem couldn’t proceed in the fight after 21 minutes.
This was Collazo’s third consecutive win inside the United States. Throughout his young professional career, he’s split time between America, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.
No matter where the fight takes place, it hasn’t mattered in the least bit. He’s walked away the victor each time as a pro.
“With less than a week away for my second world title defence, I feel great and at my best moment,” Collazo said in an interview. “As always, we are very prepared and focused on what we are going to do on January 27 and leave the ring with our hand-raised.”
For Collazo, who was born in New Jersey before relocating to Puerto Rico, this is his first defence of the belt in America. Can he retain the belt under the stars and stripes? Tune into DAZN on Saturday night and find out.
Reyneris Gutierrez Seeks to Knock Collazo From Unbeaten Ranks
In the other corner, Reyneris Gutierrez has gone 4-1 in his last five matches. Last time out, he battled Nataniel Rocha (8-16, 2 KOs) to a unanimous decision win in Nicaragua back in October.
After having fought for the WBO International Minimumweight Championship twice over earlier on in his career, going 1-1 in such fights, Saturday night’s co-main event is Reyneris Gutierrez’ biggest bout of his boxing life. With an undefeated champion in the other corner of the squared circle, the stakes are indeed high for him.
Given that this is Gutierrez’ third career fight for a WBO Minimumweight Championship, he knows how important an evening Saturday is. One last question for the Gutierrez camp: Can their fighter hand Oscar Collazo his first professional defeat?
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Collazo is a southpaw, while Gutierrez has an orthodox stance. Who wins the day?
Oscar Collazo Can Make a Guy Pay
Given that Oscar Collazo has yet to lose in his professional career. he’s able to make life miserable for any opponent. One need look no further than the sixth round of his fight against Diagan back in August.
Throughout the period, Collazo moved in on Diagan, repeatedly landing great shots, including an uppercut later on in the round. Due to his variety of strikes combined with his footwork, Diagan almost had no answer for the offensive onslaught and was visibly tired, aside from a brief moment where he landed an uppercut near the end of the round.
Had it not been for Diagan resigning from the fight on the stool, Collazo would likely have scored the natural knockout if the fight had continued. If Collazo brings the heat, the belt will remain his.
…But So Can Gutierrez
In the other corner, Reyneris Gutierrez is equally vicious and can wear an opponent down in his own right. During his rematch vs. Nataniel Rocha in 2020, Gutierrez landed crisp punches from close range, making Rocha uncomfortable and forcing him to put him in the clinch several times.
The sheer volume of punches thrown and landed by Gutierrez may force Rocha to increase his own output. Thus, it stands to reason that Gutierrez will have to match Collazo step-for-step here like he did that night against Rocha.
Final Thoughts
This one has Fight of the Night potential written all over it in capital letters and boldfaced type. We could be looking at an incredible scrap over the weekend.
Prediction: Oscar Collazo by Unanimous Decision
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