Omar Figueroa Jr. vs. Sergey Lipinets: Boxing Preview, Odds, Picks & Prediction (2022)
Adding another chapter to the never-boring Adrien Broner story, just days before his scheduled main event Showtime fight this weekend, he withdrew citing mental health issues. As the fight was about to be tossed out with no opponent for Omar Figueroa Jr., Russian veteran fighter Sergey Lipinets answered the call and will now step to take Broner’s spot; albeit it on extremely short notice.
Let’s take a closer look at both fighters, and how this one might play out from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL.
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These odds were taken from FanDuel Sportsbook on August 17, 2022
Omar Figueroa Jr. (28-2-1, 19 KOs) vs. Sergey Lipinets (16-2-1, 12 KOs)
The 32-year-old Figueroa Jr. made his professional debut back in 2008 and has had a lengthy welterweight career with some legitametely impressive wins. He is a former lightweight champion for the WBC, WBC FECARBOX, WBC Silver, and WBA-NABA, and despite being on the tail end of his career, likely has some good fights left in him. Figueroa Jr., who entered 2019 undefeated after 28 fights, ultimately ran into trouble in July of that year, falling to Yordenis Ugas by unanimous decision to suffer his first defeat.
After that, Figueroa Jr. lost again, this time to Abel Romas in an RTD in May 2021. He will now try to get back on track with a freshly scheduled opponent after spending nearly 18 months away from the ring as he looks for his first victory since February 2019.
33-year-old Lipinets, who last competed in April 2021 and lost by KO to Jaron Ennis, will enter the ring after a lengthy absence. Prior to then, Lipinets’ most recent appearance was a draw for the IBF interim welterweight title in October 2020 against Custico Clayton.
Coincidentally, Lipinets’ last victory also occurred in July 2019 when he defeated Jayar Inson via TKO in the second round. One thing that has probably not diminished despite the extended time off is Lipinet’s punching power. When they meet on Saturday night in Florida, Figueroa Jr. will no doubt be aware that 12 of his opponent’s 16 professional victories have ended in KO/TKO.
Bottom Line
While Broner was no doubt hand-picked by the Figueroa Jr. camp, I don’t think they take this fight if they didn’t see a clear path to victory against Lipinets. Also dealing with an extended layoff, Figueroa Jr. has the benefit of at least going through an extended camp, and despite likely staying in shape, Lipinets will be put in a difficult place having to step into the ring for this one
Pick: Omar Figueroa Jr. +210
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