Jesus Rojas vs Can Xu Preview Jan. 26th
Jesus Rojas of Puerto Rico will be defending his WBA Featherweight Title against Can Xu of China at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas this Saturday, January 26th. The 12 round bout can be seen live in North America on DAZN. Rojas dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Joseph Diaz Jr in August, but Diaz came in overweight so Rojas kept the title. He originally won the interim WBA Title by stopping Claudio Marrero in the seventh round in September, 2017. Xu last fought in September when he beat Enrique Bernache by an eight-round split decision.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Rojas vs Xu Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Can Xu +706
- Jesus Rojas -981
My Pick
The champion Rojas hails from Caguas, Puerto Rico and is now 32 years old. He’s 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 68-inch reach. He turned pro back in 2006 and has 148 rounds under his belt since. Rojas enters the contest with a record of 26-2-2 with 19 Kos with his first defeat coming at the hands of Jose Angel Beranza via an eight-round unanimous in December of 2008. His two draws came against Jorge Lara via a technical decision in 2015 and an eight-round majority affair with Jose Luis Araiza in 2012.
Rojas also went just over one round against Jorge Arce in 2012. The fight was stopped and ruled a no-contest after Arce suffered an unintentional foul and couldn’t continue. Other than those opponents and Diaz Jr, Rojas hasn’t really met anybody who could be considered an elite boxer as he’s also faced the likes of Abraham Lopez, Kiun Evans, Juan Jose Beltran, Braulio Santos and Juan Carlos Pena. Still, Rojas has pretty good power as his current knockout ratio stands at 61 per cent.
Since turning pro he’s also won the WBA-NABA, and WBA Fedecaribe Featherweight Titles along with the WBA Fedecentro Super Bantamweight Crown. He was riding a 15-bout unbeaten streak at 13 wins and two draws including four straight stoppages until he ran into Diaz in August. Rojas likes to work on the inside and go to the body and has good power in both hands. He’s got solid skills and a good chin, but isn’t really at the elite level.
The baby-faced Can Xu hails from Suzhou, China and fights out of Kunming. He’s just 24 years of age and carries around a record of 15-2 along with just 2 kos. Although he’s nicknamed ‘Monster,’ it’s quite obvious he isn’t a power puncher with a current knockout ratio of only 12 per cent. He has 136 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro in 2013. He stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a wingspan of 69 inches so he has a two-inch edge in height on Rojas and a negligible inch reach advantage.
Xu’s first loss came in June of 2014 when he dropped a four-round split decision to Neeraj Goyat in his third pro bout. He then lost again by a six-round majority decision to Bao Dong just three months and two fights later. Xu was 3-2 at that points of his career, but has now reeled off a dozen consecutive wins. He has wins over the likes of Josh Baillie, Hurricane Futa, Kris George, Chaiyong Sithsaithong, Isaias Santos Sampaio, Corey McConnell, Ramiro Blanco, Spicy Matsushita, Jack Asis, Nehomar Cermeno and Jelbirt Gomera.
Xu’s a tough boxer with a solid chin. He has fast, accurate hands and has fought all the way up to 140 lbs. He’s ranked top-10 by the IBF, WBA, and WBC and has won the WBA Oceania Super Featherweight Title along the way along with several other regional belts in different weight divisions. He’s stepping up in class against Rojas and will gain valuable experience regardless of the outcome.
Prediction…
Rojas is a workmanlike boxers with decent power while Xu has to rely on his skills to get by. Rojas can be outboxed, but unless Xu can put some mustard on his punches he’s not going to be able to keep the champion at bay. Rojas may be frustrated early in this fight, but he should be able to land enough hard blows to retain his title.
An interesting bout, but Rojas’ should retain the belt.
Play: Rojas -981 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Can Xu betting • Jesus Rojas betting