Cotto vs. Alvarez Undercard: Preview and Prediction for Caballero vs. Haskins

The IBF bantamweight title gets unified on the Miguel Cotto-Saul Alvarez undercard this Saturday, when IBF champion Randy Caballero faces interim champion Lee Haskins. Both men are ranked in the bantamweight top 10 by the Ring. 

It will be Haskin's experience and crafty counterpunching versus Caballero's youth and technical skill. This is a nice undercard fight for one of the year's biggest boxing events. 

Caballero is the younger fighter and has an advantage in reach. But Haskins is a far more experienced professional. He's campaigned near the top of the flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight divisions in the U.K. and Europe for the past decade.

Neither of these guys is a knockout artist, but they both have respectable power.  

Lee Haskins turned in the biggest win of his career last June when he electrified his hometown crowd in Bristol, England, by stopping Ryosuke Iwasa of Japan in six rounds to capture the interim IBF bantamweight title. 

It remains one of my favorite performances of the year to date. Haskins is a longtime veteran who has kept pushing forward for more than a decade, coming back from setbacks and waiting for his big opportunity. When he got it last June, he made the most of it. 

Randy Caballero won the vacant IBF strap in October 2014, when he beat former champion Stuart Hall, who actually lost to Haskins in 2012. 

Caballero was forced to withdraw from a scheduled defense last February because of an injury, and he's been out of action for more than a year. He had a nice amateur career that included a U.S. national title and a bronze medal in the World Cadet Championships. 

This fight has the ingredients to be an entertaining bout. The winner will be in position for some of the division's biggest bouts. 

Randy Caballero has quick hands and throws a nice selection of punches to both the body and head. When fighting in tight, he throws a terrific uppercut/chopping overhand right combination. 

His footwork and timing are excellent, as is his ability to change levels and avoid punches. He's a slick boxer with punching power. 

Lee Haskins is an awkward and clever counterpuncher. He does a good job of staying out of range to be hurt, luring his opponent into a dangerous position and then striking quickly. 

He's a patient, savvy veteran. His punch that knocked out Ryosuke Iwasa was a tricky, jolting counter.

Randy Caballero has been out of action for more than a year now because of an ankle injury. Lee Haskins uses the ring well, so if Caballero's mobility is a problem, Haskins will be a tough opponent. 

Lee Haskins has suffered three knockouts in his career, with two at lower weight classes, against much lighter-hitting opponents than Caballero. Haskins' tendency to fight with his hands low, in order to bait his opponents, could cost him against a quick puncher like Caballero. 

The big challenge for Randy Caballero in this fight will be to cut off the ring on Lee Haskins and trap him. He wants to take away the awkward Brit's ability to move and feint on the outside. 

To do that, he needs to stay patient and keep Haskins in front of him rather than simply move forward in a straight line. If he moves side to side at angles, keeping Haskins in front of him, eventually he'll trap the shorter man on the ropes or in the corner. 

That's going to mean resisting the urge to let Haskins sucker him into ill-advised attacks. Haskins did a beautiful job of this with Ryosuke Iwasa last June.

When Caballero does successfully trap Haskins in the early rounds, he should look to pound his body. Slowing Haskins down will give Caballero a big edge in the later rounds. 

When he's in tight, he can let his hands go and take advantage of his speed and power advantages. Once he starts landing with his uppercuts and compact, overhand rights, the fight will be as good as won. 

Last May, Lee Haskins knocked out a much taller and longer fighter in Ryosuke Iwasa. He did an outstanding job of staying beyond the Japanese fighter's range. He was then able to bait Iwasa forward into dangerous positions, before striking quickly with his counter shots. 

One of those counters led to a Round 6 TKO. 

He's going to need to do something similar against Caballero. The younger fighter likes to bang away on the inside, so Haskins is going to want to give him an elusive target and stay out of range. He needs to make it tough for Caballero to cut the ring off. 

He has to frustrate Caballero and lure him into a game of chase. Then he will have a chance to hurt him with counters. Haskins isn't a monster puncher by any means, but if he can hit an aggressive Caballero from unexpected angles, he can win this fight. 

Lee Haskins is a skilled and gutsy veteran, but Randy Caballero has the chance to develop into a special talent at 118 pounds. 

He is going to be largely effective at dictating the pace and range of this fight. He'll throw crisp, hard combinations to the body and head and cover up afterward, minimizing Haskins' ability to score effectively with his own shots.

Caballero is bigger, younger and quicker. He's also a solid technical boxer. He'll stop Haskins in Round 8. 

The top fighter in the world at 118 pounds is Shinsuke Yamanaka of Japan. Ideally, he will fight a rematch with former champion Anselmo Moreno, whom he barely edged by split decision earlier this year. 

Besides Yamanaka and Moreno, there are several other talented potential opponents for Caballero. Tomoki Kameda would make for a great matchup with him. So would Jamie McDonnell, who beat Kameda twice this year. 

Other good options would be Juan Carlos Payano or three-time Olympian Rau'shee Warren.