This is the second ProBox TV card that I’ll be predicting. There was another card, hosted mainly by Juan Manuel Marquez and his small promotional company, which took place in Mexico and was decent but not nearly as good as the ProBox cards put together by the actual ProBox promotion. This week (tomorrow) shows why the ProBox proper cards are simply superior. IF YOU HAVE YET TO WATCH A PROBOX TV CARD AND ARE IN ANY WAY INTERESTED IN VIEWING ONE IN THE FUTURE, TOMORROW’S CARD IS THE ONE TO SEE! It features 5 of the best fighters in the ProBox promotional lineup, and has six very intriguing fights going on. The fights are, as started new for the company in 2023, absolutely FREE to watch on the ProBox TV YouTube, and $1.99 a month or $18 per year for ad-free viewing, plus the ProBox podcast with Paulie Malignaggi, Chris Algieri, and Juan Manuel Marquez, as well as some other ProBox contributors, like Roy Jones Jr among others, from time to time. Now, onto the predictions.
Main Event: Manuel Gallegos (20-1) vs Richard VanSiclen (13-0), 10 rounds at Super Middleweight: Gallegos is a super entertaining fighter who’s dominated the local Mexican circuit en route to his US debut Wednesday night. He’s best known for his explosive power and quick hands, but has been known to run out of gas if he doesn’t stop his opponent after the first few rounds. Still, he’s been a very hyped-up fighter in the Mexican market. He’s going up against Richard VanSiclen, who was signed to the ProBox roster after upsetting one of their golden boys in his last outing, boxing past Hakim Lopez in a close but unanimous decision. VanSiclen, a former football standout, is a super athletic southpaw who is best when fighting at range and utilizing quick hooks and uppercuts to stave off opponents as they try to cut in. I think that this is a very intriguing matchup, as Gallegos likes to fight at close range, and he’s been nothing but successful at doing so in his career, but his style would appear to play right into the hand of VanSiclen, who will be more than happy waiting out Gallegos with jabs until his aggression gets the better of him. I think VanSiclen will want to drag out the fight and make Gallegos follow him around the ring, wearing him out and trying to capitalize on what’s considered to be a weak gas tank. Official Prediction: Richard VanSiclen by Unanimous Decision.
Darrelle Valsaint (6-0) vs Lucas de Abreu (14-2), 8 rounds at Super Middleweight (BoxRec says Middleweight but both guys are 168ers so ???): Valsaint is a ProBox TV poster child, being a young switch-hitter who gained a lot of popularity from being a 2020 Olympian for the US. He’s got a ton of power in both hands and is super fast. He’s never been taken the distance for more than 4 rounds, so that’ll be an interesting thing to see if it happens. Garry Jonas, the CEO of ProBox, has stated that he wants Valsaint to be super busy this year to make up for lost time last year with a back injury, so I’m sure he’s confident that Valsaint can get out of this contest uninjured. Which isn’t a small ask. Lucas De Abreu, the Brazilian 168 champ, is a crafty, quick vet who’s only losses are to Diego Pacheco and Ernesbadi Begue, both considered talented young prospects. He’s been able to, with the exception of the Pacheco fight, really throw off his opponents early, demonstrating a strong game plan and a good understanding of what his opponents will be looking to do against him and counter their plan well. His power isn’t anything spectacular, but it’s there and he is a very accurate puncher. Still, Valsaint is looking for a big year, and I think he’s motivated to have an eye-opening 2023, which starts, for him at least, tomorrow night. Official Prediction: Darrelle Valsaint by KO/TKO round 6.
Jimmy Kelly (26-3) vs Edward Ulloa Diaz (13-4), 8 rounds at Middleweight: ‘Kilrain’ Kelly is probably best known as the guy who have Jaime Munguia 4 tough rounds before getting dropped thrice and stopped on his feet in the fifth. Still, Kelly is a super talented gatekeeper-esque fighter, as he’s never lost when below the top level. Losses at the hands of Munguia, Liam Smith, and ‘Hurricane’ Hogan are nothing to be ashamed about. Diaz, on the other hand, was a late replacement who’s lost 4 of his last 5 fights, which prompted the ProBox crew to take what was supposed to be a 10 round bout down to 8. Kelly, being levels above Diaz in terms of ability, should box the brakes off of Diaz and eye a step back up into the B-levels of 160. Official Prediction: Jimmy Kelly by KO/TKO round 2
Marques Valle (7-0) vs Jarrod Tennant (6-1), 6 rounds at Super Welterweight: I’ve written a piece about Valle on here in the past, in my 10 Under the Radar Prospects for 2023 post. Here’s the SparkNotes of it: Valle is destructive, long, and accurate with excellent shot selection. But, he’s never been brought past round 2. I don’t know anything about Tennant, but seeing as his only loss was via DQ for low blows, I’d imagine that he’s going to be scrappy if things do go his way early, which could be a good thing for a young guy like Valle to try and deal with. I hope we get to see Valle go through the gears a little bit, though only through six rounds. Official Prediction: Marques Valle by KO/TKO round 4
Najee Lopez (5-0) vs Cristian Fabian Rios (26-16-3), 6 rounds at Light Heavyweight (BoxRec says its at 168, but Lopez is a Cruiserweight/Heavyweight. I doubt he’d drop from Cruiser to 168 in one fight, though he has been out for a while with injury so ???): Lopez makes his 2023 debut after a big start to 2022, going 3-0 in elite fashion before an injury put him out from June till now. Another fighter that I mentioned in that post from January, Lopez is probably my #1 prospect in the sport right now. He’s stated (as mentioned in that previous post) that he’s looking to be super busy this year to make up for the 7 month layoff between fights, so I hope to see him do just that. Rios has won just 2 of his last 8 fights, but has gone the distance in all but one of his fights since 2014, including 10 and 12 round bouts. I’d like to see Lopez, like Valle, get brought into the deeper rounds, and see if the kid can go through the gears and see what his gas tank looks like. Official Prediction: Najee Lopez by KO/TKO round 3
Derek Cintron (debut) vs Dario Guerrero-Meneses (1-2-1), 4 rounds at Middleweight: I don’t know much about either fighter, but Cintron is apparently a very fast young fighter, and he used to train at Gleason’s gym in Brooklyn, one of the most storied gyms in the US, which means he’s probably at least decent. Official Prediction: Derek Cintron via Unanimous Decision