Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Undercard: Preview for Lomachenko vs. Rodriguez

On the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao undercard, Ukrainian star and WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko will return to action as he defends his belt against Gamalier Rodriguez of Puerto Rico. 

The Mayweather-Pacquiao card is all about the main event. This is a fight that fans have been waiting half a decade to see. The most casual of boxing fans will be drawn back to the Sweet Science on the night of May 2, and only Pacquiao and Mayweather are drawing them back. 

But it might not be a bad thing that they will be able to grab a look at Lomachenko, who could be one of the sport's next big stars. More serious fans have had him on their radar since his professional debut. 

Gamalier Rodriguez is the longer fighter in this bout. Vasyl Lomachenko's 65-inch reach is actually below-average for an elite fighter, and Rodriguez's four-inch advantage is substantial. 

It's probably going to be the only edge he has in this fight, so he better take advantage of it. 

Rodriguez has 26 more professional fights than Lomachenko, but the edge in experience still goes to the Ukrainian. Lomachenko had 400 amateur bouts and in his first four pro fights has seen much stiffer competition than Rodriguez. 

Vasyl Lomachenko is arguably the best amateur boxer to ever live. Along with Cuba's Guillermo Rigondeaux, he's definitely one of the two best amateurs of this century. He's a two-time Olympic gold medalist and compiled a record of 396-1 before turning pro. 

As a professional, Lomachenko jumped directly into the deep waters. In just his second fight, he challenged WBO champion Orlando Salido, one of the roughest and shrewdest belt holders in the sport.

Salido didn't even try to make the 126-pound limit, instead giving up the belt on the scales. On the night of the fight, he came into the ring a welterweight and proceeded to give Lomachenko an education on the finer points of "veteran tactics."

Lomachenko lost that fight, but he adjusted to Salido's roughhousing and carried the last part of the fight. You could see him learning round by round.

In his third fight, Lomachenko handed Gary Russell Jr. his first professional loss and captured the vacant WBO belt. Russell has since captured the WBC title by knocking out Jhonny Gonzalez.

Gamalier Rodriguez is hardly a top-10 contender, but he's a fighter in his prime who has put in his time. He's very much a contrast to Lomachenko. While Lomachenko was collecting glory on the international amateur scene, Rodriguez was toiling his way up through the professional ranks.

Rodriguez went 8-2-3 in his first 13 fights, but he has been perfect since 2010. His most high-profile opponent was Orlando Cruz last year, so this is a huge step up for him.

But he's the kind of hard-knocks fighter in his prime who will not fail to understand the opportunity he has in front of him.  

Vasyl Lomachenko is an outstanding technical boxer who has adjusted very quickly to the advanced rigors of the professional game. He has slick defense and dangerous combination punching. He is a true ring general who can control the range and tempo of a fight. 

More importantly, he has the boxing intelligence necessary to make quick adjustments during a fight. Lomachenko is the kind of fighter with the tools to beat almost any style. 

Gamalier Rodriguez is a veteran fighter who has come up in the sport the hard way. He uses his jab well to set up his offense and varies his attack to the body and head. His lead hook to the body is very effective. 

Rodriguez has solid punching power, with 17 of his 25 victories coming within the distance. 

Vasyl Lomachenko has shown very little in the way of weakness in his first four fights. Orlando Salido was able to beat him in a rough, grinding brawl, but even in that fight, Lomachenko adjusted and looked very good late. 

With only four fights, it is absurd to declare him flawless at this point. But I'm skeptical that Gamalier Rodriguez is going to be the opponent to expose those flaws. 

Gamalier Rodriguez has a bad habit of lunging and leaving holes in his defense. He squares up his stance and gives up his height. 

There is a lot of sloppiness in his boxing, and an elite technician like Lomachenko should have success exploiting it. 

Gamalier Rodriguez looks like an opponent Vasyl Lomachenko should feast upon. Lomachenko is a consummate ring general, outstanding at putting his opponents in bad positions. Rodriguez has a tendency to put himself in bad positions anyway. 

Even though people will focus all of their attention on Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather on this night, it is still a huge stage for Lomachenko. He needs to stay relaxed and treat the fight like any other fight.

He shouldn't have any trouble with that, though. He's been on other big stages.

Lomachenko needs to stay calm early and wait for the opportunities to use Rodriguez's aggression against him. Once he's managed to score some punishing counterstrikes, he'll be able shift to offense and work off from his jab to break Rodriguez down in the middle part of the fight. 

Lomachenko should be able to showcase a wide variety of offensive and defensive looks in this matchup. 

This is a rare opportunity for a blue-collar fighter like Gamalier Rodriguez. At the very least, he should make sure he leaves the ring Saturday night knowing he's done everything he can to take advantage of it. 

The model for Rodriguez here has got to be Orlando Salido. Salido subjected Lomachenko to a bruising, grueling fight, but he attacked with intelligent aggression and avoided putting himself in a lot of really dangerous positions.

Rodriguez has to resist the impulse to simply sell out while looking for the big punch from outside. Instead, he should jab his way inside and then mix it up aggressively up close, attacking like he has four or five hands instead of just two. 

I don't want to say that Rodriguez should foul Lomachenko, but he might want to consider employing what boxing people euphemistically call "veteran tactics." Lomachenko is the far more talented boxer. Rodriguez is going to need to do something to even things up. 

Don't expect a competitive fight from this bout. Vasyl Lomachenko is appearing on this undercard in order to be showcased before a bigger crowd, and Gamalier Rodriguez is an opponent who was selected to make him look good. 

Rodriguez will show spirited aggression in the early rounds, and Lomachenko will punish him for it. Lomachenko will have the fight well in control by the middle rounds.

I'm predicting a 120-107 decision, with Rodriguez getting dropped at some point. 

Featherweight is one of the hottest divisions in the sport, but for it to stay that way, some of these belt holders need to start facing off. A unification bout between Lomachenko and WBA champion Nicholas Walters would be a blockbuster fight. 

I'd also be happy to see him against IBF champion Evgeny Gradovich or even in a rematch with Gary Russell Jr., who just captured the WBC crown. What I don't want to see any more of is Lomachenko against obscure marginal contenders who don't belong in the ring with him.