Boxing Preview: PBC on Spike ‘Rodriguez vs. Seals’

Light Heavyweights

Edwin Rodriguez (27-1, 18 KOs) vs. Michael Seals (19-0, 14 KOs)

Edwin Rodriguez will look to continue to establish himself as a light heavyweight contender when he takes on Michael Seals in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card on Friday night at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss. The event airs on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT and also includes a co-headlining matchup pitting Thomas Williams Jr. (18-1, 12 KOs) against Humberto Savigne (12-2, 9 KOs) at 175 pounds.

Rodriguez has won four straight fights -- two at light heavyweight -- since falling to 168-pound champion Andre Ward in November 2013. Seals is relatively unknown, but recently compiled a nine-bout knockout streak prior to his last outing, a six-round unanimous verdict against Carlos Reyes.

The Matchup: Rodriguez had a solid amateur career, winning gold medals at the 2005 U.S. National Championships and 2006 National Golden Gloves before beginning his pro tenure with 24 straight victories. The Worcester, Mass.-based Dominican announced his presence to the boxing world with a one-round demolition of Denis Grachev, a bout in which he landed a whopping 70 punches and knocked his Russian foe down twice in less than three minutes.

That victory earned him a shot at Ward, but virtually nothing went as planned in that bout. It began when Rodriguez missed weight badly and was fined $200,000. He was not competitive in losing a unanimous decision in the super middleweight title contest, and his performance could not be blamed on a poor weight cut alone. Instead, Ward simply outclassed him in all aspects of the fight, outlanding his foe 217 to 85, according to CompuBox figures, and sweeping the scorecards 117-107, 118-106 and 116-108.

That said, Rodriguez figures to be more comfortable at 175 pounds, as he will no longer be concerned with cutting excessive amounts of weight or being dehydrated come fight time. Though he doesn’t have any true signature victories, Rodriguez has faced unbeaten foes in five of his last nine outings. Seals, meanwhile, is nowhere near that level, as his last five opponents own a cumulative mark of 56-93-8.

This has all the looks of a showcase fight for Rodriguez. While his lack of overall technical skill may have been evident against Ward, his strengths should be more than sufficient to earn a triumph against Seals, a former collegiate linebacker at Alabama A&M University. Rodriguez possesses solid power behind his straight right hand and left hook, and he is also adept at slipping and countering punches. He is known as more of a brawler than a boxer, and while he has a tendency to leave his chin unprotected when engaging in a slugfest, he has yet to be finished.

Seals will have to make use of his four-inch reach and three-inch height advantage, because the knockout power he displayed at the lower levels of the sport isn’t guaranteed to manifest itself against an opponent the caliber of Rodriguez. Thus far, Seals’ main claim to fame is having sparred against reigning heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko. Perhaps his greatest chance at victory is if Rodriguez comes in overconfident

The Pick: Rodriguez cruises to a unanimous decision triumph.