This content is protected Interesting match-up. Paredes several years ago was a very skilled and underrated welterweight contender who never quite got his break, and is now getting on in years. In fact he will celebrate his 39th later in March, just a fortnight after having fought Cuevas...and it has been a long time since he won an even remotely important bout...and he is coming off a nearly two year layoff (most recently dropping a UD in a 154lb eight-rounder to Konstantin Ponomarev on the non-televised - but streamed on Top Rank Live - undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Félix Díaz on HBO). The undefeated 24 year old Puerto Rican, however, thus far has never faced anyone even half as good as Paredes, mostly knocking over stiffs to pad up his apparent puncher's record. He is coming off a ho-hum UD on Telemundo last fall over Breidis "Khanqueror" Prescott, who is now 7-13 in his last twenty outings. And that is Cuevas' biggest step up in class, twenty bouts into his professional campaign. Is his power real? Can he put away the grey-mane? Or is there some boricua glass being harbored which the old lion could exploit? Many questions...
I'm rooting for Ed...and not just because he's a local (native of Lawrence, MA) ...I always did like his style. Cuevas is a huge question mark, though. On paper it seems like he's being fed an over the hill quasi-name here, but... not even dropping Prescott is somewhat telling. I still remember the beatdown laid on Prescott by Levan Ghvamichava, three years ago!
He dropped Prescott at the end of first round with a jab, but the bell saved Prescott and he wasn't in trouble again afterwards. But hell, Prescott was wobbling after he made it back from the canvas, my gosh, from a ****ing jab! Expect Paredes to win a close fight with a clear decision. He's looking better than his padded record, but as you said Paredes is the toughest opponent yet and i don't think he's a big puncher, Paredes should be able to keep it close.
Title at stake for Cuevas only - he made the welterweight limit on the nose, but Paredes missed it by 4¼lbs. (incidentally, the challenger in the main event, Ricardo Núñez, also missed weight by four pounds)
