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Jose Pedraza vs. Javier Molina Odds and Picks for Main Card

Dylan Bowker

by Dylan Bowker in Boxing

Updated Sep 17, 2020 · 3:15 PM PDT

Pedraza vs Molina
Jose Pedraza and Javier Molina are set to throw down in The Bubble for this Top Rank main event
  • Jose Pedraza vs Javier Molina goes Saturday, September 19th, at 8:00 PM ET
  • Which warrior will have his hand raised this weekend?
  • Check out the fight odds, analysis, and prediction below

Jose Pedraza and Javier Molina will trade bombs inside of The Bubble at the MGM Grand this Saturday (Sep. 19th, 8:00 pm ET). Pedraza vs Molina will broadcast on ESPN+.

This is Pedraza’s second time headlining an event inside The Bubble while Molina is campaigning for his second win of 2020.

These men were supposed to fight in May but the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans. The two are finally entering the ring and testing skills after that cancellation.

Jose Pedraza vs Javier Molina Main Card Odds

Fighter Odds
 Jose Pedraza -175
Javier Molina +145
Fighter Odds
Efe Ajagba -3000
Jonathan Rice +1100

Odds as of September 17th.

Jose Pedraza’s Road to a Third World Title

Jose Pedraza’s last outing saw him secure a unanimous-decision victory over Mikkel LesPierre in July. This fight allows for Pedraza to put together his first winning streak in his new division.

Pedraza is a former two-division champion and is looking to embark on a path towards hardware at junior welterweight, a third weight class. Both of his titles – which came at lightweight and junior lightweight – were under the WBO banner.

This is a bit of a crossroads moment for Pedraza, who has posted a .500 record across his last four fights. Though the pair of defeats were to pound-for-pound killers (Vasyl Lomachenko and Jose Zepeda), this is still a curious moment for the Puerto Rican.

He already has a borderline hall-of-fame caliber resume but has a chance to galvanize his legacy even more by several degrees of magnitude. Championship runs at 130 and 135 pounds are remarkable and, if he goes on yet another championship run in a new division, his legacy is sealed.

Javier Molina’s Biggest Fight Yet

Molina is riding a five-fight win streak heading into this bout with his last outing being a unanimous-decision win in February over Amir Imam.

Molina, a 2008 US Olympian, is finding traction as a pro, and this is the optimal time for him to be making a jump up to the next competitive tier.

He has a stiff test in front of him as Pedraza looked super sharp in his last outing.

These 140 pounders are in a prime position, especially when you look at the macrocosm of the divisional title picture.

There are four vacant belts available and, if someone wins impressively here, they could very well launch themselves into a prizefight for one of those unclaimed straps.

Pedraza vs Molina Tale of the Tape

Pedraza
VS
Molina
27-3 Record 22-2
13 Knockouts 9
5’8 Height 5’10
70.5″ Reach 68″
Ray Beltran, Tevin Farmer, Andrey Klimov Significant Wins Adbiel Ramirez, Jessie Roman, Hiroki Okada
Orthodox Stance Orthodox

This junior welterweight affair is scheduled for ten rounds and I can see this one going the distance, given their sub-50% KO rates and their styles.

Pedraza should eventually figure out Molina and secure a thorough decision victory.

Pick: Jose Pedraza (-175)

Main Card Picks for Pedraza vs Molina

  1. Efe Ajagba vs Jonathan Rice: Ajagba is a highly-touted prospect who will be making his debut under the Top Rank banner this weekend. Although Rice does have a bit of an experience edge, he is coming off of a loss in his last outing and is pretty clearly being brought in so Ajagba can shine. Considering his knockout rate of 85 percent, look for Ajagba to secure the stoppage victory inside of six rounds. Pick: Efe Ajagba (-3000)
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