Edwin Rodriguez vs Craig Baker Preview May 23rd
The Premier Boxing Champions Series returns to North American television this Saturday, May 23 when Edwin Rodriguez takes on undefeated Craig Baker in a light heavyweight bout. This fight is on the undercard of the Andre Dirrell vs James DeGale IBF title contest and will take place at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It will be broadcast live in the U.S. and Canada on NBC. Meanwhile, British fans can catch the scheduled 10 rounder on Sky Sports 1.
The 30-year-old Rodriguez is a former super middleweight contender who’s now practicing his craft in the 175-lb division. Rodriguez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, will be climbing through the ring ropes with an impressive record of 26-1 along with 17 Kos. The 31-year-old Baker of Baytown, Texas has a perfect mark so far of 16-0 with 12 Kos to his name. Both of them have decent power as Rodriguez own a knockout ratio of 63 per cent while Baker has stopped 75 per cent of his opponents.
Rodriguez stands 6-feet tall with a 76-inch reach while Baker’s reach and height isn’t listed by BoxRec. Baker has fought 44 rounds since turning pro in 2008 while Rodriguez also turned pro back in 2008 and had rounds 146 under his belt. Rodriguez’s only loss came at the hands Andre Ward by a 12-roubd unanimous decision back in November of 2013. He was 24-0 at the time he took on Ward and he’s gone 2-0 since then as a light heavyweight. Rodriguez’s toughest opponents so far have been Derrick Findley, Denis Grachev, Don George and Darnell Boone.
Meanwhile, Baker may not be known by the average boxing fans as he’s fought mainly second-tier opponents up to now. He’ll definitely be stepping up in class in this fight. His last outing came in February when he stopped Umberto Savigne of Cuba in the round In fact, out of his 16 opponents so far, Baker has faced just two boxers who entered the ring with winning records. These were in his last two bouts which were against Savigne and Sergio Cordoba, so he’s definitely miles behinf Rodriguez when it comes to pro experience.
Baker will be taking on a good boxer/puncher in Rodriguez and an opponent who has an excellent jab. Both guys seem to have enough power, but we’re not sure just how good Baker’s chin is due to his level of opponents. Rodriguez can take a punch and that trait will benefit him if Baker lands a haymaker on him. Baker is motivated for this contest since it gives him national exposure on network TV and he’s hoping to make a name for himself so boxing fans know exactly who he is.
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Prediction
It’s often hard to predict the outcome of a fight when one of the guys has basically fought journeymen along the way and hasn’t really been tested as of yet. This is why we don’t know how good Baker is. He may have legitimate power and skills, but until he takes on some better opponents we won’t know. This is his chance to show the fans what he’s got. Unfortunately, it probably won’t be enough and he’ll likely drop a decision or be stopped late. Still, at least he’ll gain some much-needed experience along the way.
Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.eu has the latest odds on all of the big fights. The odds of a Rodriguez victory are listed at -1350 while a Baker win is listed at +650. Visit 5Dimes.eu to see up to date odds and to bet on this fight. You should also check out our recent boxing betting predictions to see how we’ve done.
Craig Baker betting • Edwin Rodriguez betting