Ryan Garcia v Jeyson Velez - Super Featherweight, Friday

Talented, unbeaten prospect Ryan Garcia (14-0-0) takes a step up against 30 year old Puerto Rican Jeyson Velez, who was a bit of a prospect himself until 3 years ago when he had a bad run of 4 consecutive defeats, including one against JoJo Diaz. Garcia is very tall for the weight, and has very fast hands and good timing and decent power with a particularly good left hand. This is a very good test for Garcia, who has quite a following stateside. Velez is not that much shorter than Garcia, has a respectable KO ratio and plenty of experience. Garcia has an excellent amateur record, and If he beats Velez, "Golden Boy" will be looking to move him up very quickly, as he is one of their brightestest prospects. Obviously, his chin has yet to be tested, and it remains to be seen how well he will cope with a powerful, fast opponent trying to rough him up and knock him out.  There are a lot of fans suggesting that this will be a really hard fight for Garcia, and that he could come unstuck, pointing out his upright stance and relatively static footwork. Personally, I think that Garcia will handle the pressure well and will prevail over Velez, gaining some valuable experience against an opponent who has never been stopped. If Garcia can knock out Velez for the first time it will be a very strong statement to the SuperFeatherweight and the lightweight divisions.