In 2021, Roger Gutierrez achieved what his sights had been set on for four years.
Having been handed the first defeat of his professional career by Rene Alvarado in 2017, Roger Gutierrez defeated the Nicaraguan twice in 2021, claiming his WBA Regular Super Featherweight title in the process.
Now, Gutierrez is tasked with defending the belt in his first full title defense against the dangerous Hector Garcia. With the two fighters clashing from 9:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, the 20th of August at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in California, bookmaker William Hill has odds out on the match-up indicating which boxer is likely to come away victorious on Saturday.
Holding a record of 26-3-1, Roger Gutierrez is an experienced veteran in the eighth year of his professional career. The 27-year-old has plenty of firepower with 20 wins by knockout though both of his last two fights against Alvarado came by way of unanimous decision. Expect the Venezuelan to come at Garcia hard, looking to outwork his older opponent by getting on the inside and landing hooks as well as right hands.
Hector Garcia, on the other hand, is far less experienced than Gutierrez with half the amount of professional fights. The Dominican Republic fighter is no slouch as he holds a 15-0-0 undefeated record with 10 wins coming by way of knockout. He won his place in this fight through defeating top contender Chris Colbert in a last minute match-up earlier this year. A contest in which Garcia thoroughly dominated winning by unanimous decision.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 17th, 7:00 A.M. (GMT)
While this fight appears even on paper, bookmaker William Hill suggests who’s favoured to come away with the WBA Regular Super Featherweight title over the weekend. Despite being the challenger in this fight, Hector Garcia is well ahead in the odds to win on August 20th.
With odds of 1.36 for Garcia to win the fight, the undefeated 30-year-old is a cut above Gutierrez. The Dominican proved his boxing prowess by easily dispatching Colbert earlier this year that explains why he’s so favoured in the odds here. Garcia also comes into this match with more momentum in having scored the best win of his career in February.
Gutierrez, however, hasn’t stepped inside the ring for 12 months.
Look for Garcia to stay on the outside and land heavier punches while outclassing Gutierrez in the final rounds.
While Garcia won’t necessarily dominant Gutierrez by any stretch of the imagination, it’s hard to see a path to victory for Gutierrez. The only question mark is around Garcia’s chin as there’s a chance Gutierrez’s work rate will see him land a lucky punch at some stage in the bout. Whether or not Garcia can maintain his composure following this will determine the outcome of the match.
This one should end up being pretty comfortable for the challenger Garcia who looks to walk away with a much bigger belt come Saturday night.
