Felix Caraballo vs. Shakur Stevenson Boxing Pick, Odds, Prediction – 6/9/20

Shakur Stevenson and Felix Caraballo fight Tuesday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Shakur Stevenson enters this fight with a 13-0 record that includes seven knockouts. This will be Stevenson’s fifth fight since 2019, and he’s coming off an October win over Joet Gonzalez. Stevenson is a decorated olympian who is just starting to improve his pro resume and this is a chance to turn some heads with this bout being on national television. Stevenson is nearly a 23-year-old southpaw who stands at 5’8” and has a 68-inch reach. Stevenson is a technically sound boxer with good movement, impressive defense and doesn’t put himself in harms way much. You can see Stevenson work his way through a fight mentally and pick his smartly pick his spots rather than be super aggressive and end up in a brawl. Stevenson doesn’t have the most punching power in the world, but he does have a strong right hook that he likes to throw in combinations and six of his knockouts have taken place in the third round or earlier. There’s no doubt that Stevenson is a fighter worth keeping an eye on, as his resume is already impressive for his young age. This will be Stevenson’s fourth career fight in Nevada.

Felix Caraballo enters this fight with a 13-1-2 record that includes nine knockouts. Caraballo has won each of his last five fights, and he’s coming off a January win over Sergio Lopez. Caraballo was able to sneak in a fight earlier this year, so he should be in a good rhythm and ready for what is the biggest fight of his career yet. The best fighter Caraballo has faced up to this point was Pedro Marquez Medina back in 2018, and he lost that bout in a comfortable unanimous decision. Caraballo made his pro debut in 2014, stands at 5’8” and has an orthodox stance. Caraballo is a wild fighter who throws powerful combinations and works the body and head equally. Caraballo puts a lot of effort into his punches and three of his victories during this five-fight winning streak have been stoppages. The issue to have with Caraballo is he can be a bit sloppy with his attack and he’s going to pay for that against a more experienced opponent or better skilled. Caraballo can’t leave himself exposed on the attack if he’s going to have success in this bout. This will be Caraballo’s first career fight outside of Puerto Rico. 

Caraballo is a well built fighter who has some pop in his hands and is quite aggressive, so he’s going to put up a fight as best he can. Puerto Rican boxers are also known for their toughness, so I expect Caraballo to be able to take a shot and keep moving forward. Hopefully this isn’t a route by the champion favorite. With that said Stevenson should win this bout, as he’s the more polished and experienced fighter between the two, and his technique and defensive ability will allow him to cruise on the scorecards comfortably. Also, if Caraballo leaves himself exposed and tries to push the pace a little too much, he could eat some shots that drop him.

Either way, Stevenson wins this fight and I’ll side with him in a unanimous decision.