Dejan Zlaticanin vs Mikey Garcia Preview January 28th
Undefeated former WBO Super Featherweight Champion Mikey Garcia of America will be challenging unbeaten WBC Lightweight Champion Dejan Zlaticanin of Montenegro this Saturday, January 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The contest can be seen live on Showtime in the U.S. while fans in the UK can catch the action live on Sky Sports 1. Garcia stopped Elio Rojas in the fifth round in July in his last outing while Zlaticanin won the vacant WBC crown by stopping Franklin Mamani in the third round in their bout in June.
Zlaticanin vs Garcia Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Dejan Zlaticanin +175
- Jesus Cuellar -205
My Pick
The 29-year-old Garcia of Ventura, California will climb through the ring with a perfect 35-0 record with 29 of his wins coming by Ko. He has a 68-inch reach and stands 5-foot-7. He’s also a former world featherweight champion and was inactive most of 2014 and 2015 due to promotional issues. Garcia has better than average power with a current knockout ratio of 83 per cent and is also a fast, solid boxer. He’s fought 175 rounds since turning pro back in 2006.
There isn’t really a weak side to Garcia’s game as his speed, power and boxing skills have simply been too much for all of his opponents so far. Garcia has some impressive wins against quality opponents such as Juan Carlos Burgos, Roman Martinez, Juan Manuel Lopez, Rafael Guzman, Orlando Salido, Jonathan Barros and Mauricio Pastrana.
The 32-year-old Zlaticanin also has a perfect record as he enters the fight with a mark of 22-0 along with 15 kos. He also has pretty good power with a current knockout ratio of 68 per cent. He’s a southpaw who turned pro back in 2008 and has 101 rounds of experience under his belt. He gives up three inches in height since he’s just 5-feet-4-inches tall and also has a three-inch reach disadvantage with a wingspan of 65 inches.
Zlaticanin is a relatively unknown, but solid pro. He’s got a good left hook and likes to apply the pressure. He beat former world champion Ricky Burns of Scotland by split decision in June of 2014 to win the vacant WBC International Lightweight Title. He also stopped the previously undefeated Ivan Redkach by fourth-round stoppage in June of 2015. Other than that and a win over Felix Lora, most of his opponents have been unknown Europeans.
Prediction…
Garcia may not be as well known to the average boxing fan as he should be. He’s simply one of the best in his division and has been for several years. He fought his last bout against Rojas at 139 lbs. so shouldn’t have a problem here in the 135 lb. division. He’s younger, quicker, more experienced and has more power than Zlaticanin. He’s also fought a far higher level of opponents. Zlaticanin has never lost, let alone been stopped, but there’s always a first for everything. Look for Garcia to take Zlaticanin’s title here and probably by a stoppage.
Garcia should be too fast and powerful.
Play: Garcia -205 @ BetOnline.ag
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Dejan Zlaticanin betting • Mikey Garcia betting