The PBC-Amazon Prime Card at the MGM Grand features a unique roster. The co-main event of the night features a fighter who previously stopped the headliner. It’s been nearly 3 years since Brian Mendoza stopped Sebastian Fundora in the third round of their fight for the interim title. Yet, a series of events has placed the two on opposite sides of the same card.

What’s most significant is whether Mendoza can capitalize, as he faces a top-ranked contender. Standing at 5th place in the WBA’s 154-pound rankings, Yoenis Tellez aims for a title shot. To move closer to his goal, he needs to defeat the formidable Mendoza. But would he be able to do so, especially when Mendoza is in a desperate situation to put his career back on track? Here are a few details that show how the fight could play out tonight.

Who has better stats and record?

Mendoza’s age makes it clear that he leads in terms of record and experience. It’s been over a decade since the New Mexican began fighting professionally. Over that stretch, he stepped into the ring 27 times and emerged victorious on 23 occasions. However, he also paid a price by suffering 4 losses, most of which occurred during the last few years.

Mendoza enjoys a slight advantage over Tellez in strike rate. With a nearly 74% knockout-to-win rate, Mendoza edges past his opponent, who has a strike rate of 73%. Moreover, with just 12 fights, including a loss last year to Abass Baraou, Tellez’s resume lacks significant depth.

Yoenis Tellez vs. Brian Mendoza: Height, weight, reach comparison, and more

Unlike the headliner, Mendoza and Tellez are evenly matched physically. Both record a height of 5 feet and 10 inches (178 centimeters). Where the Cuban-American contender may enjoy a slight edge is in reach. He boasts a 72.8-inch (185 centimeters) wingspan – a 2.8-inch advantage over Mendoza, who has a reach of 70 inches (178 centimeters).

For his most recent bout, against Kendo Castaneda, Tellez weighed 154.8 pounds. While the records are sketchy, it appears that for the fight against Jesus Antonio Rojas, Mendoza tipped the scales at 153.8 pounds.

Yoenis Tellez vs. Brian Mendoza: Style breakdown and fight prediction

Mendoza comes off two consecutive losses, but the bad stretch shouldn’t give the impression that the Albuquerque native, who turned 32 a month ago, is past his prime. Regardless, his devastating power to throw opponents off balance remains a key attribute and could shift the outcome if Tellez is not careful.

Particularly, the Cuban has to watch out for Mendoza’s uppercuts. Though an American, Mendoza fights more like a Mexican, applying relentless pressure until the opponent breaks. A good example of his dogged mentality could be the Fundora fight. During their face-off, Fundora was leading on all the scorecards. But Mendoza persevered and sprung a right hook that caught Fundora off guard, leading to his eventual knockout.

Mendoza’s ability to fight inside, landing short left and right hooks to the head and body, more often than not, yields results. Whether it works against a crafty fighter like Tellez remains to be seen.

A pedigreed Cuban fighter, the former WBA interim champion matches Mendoza’s aggression. Moving forward, he likes to corner his opponent. Expect him to try to corner Mendoza so he can land precision shots to the body and break Mendoza down.

Where Tellez could potentially cause trouble for Mendoza is the way he can switch stances. That may confuse the latter, who follows a more traditional approach.

Prediction

There’s a clear tilt with many fans and pundits picking Tellez to win the fight. Their confidence largely stems from the record and recent activity. After a spate of canceled fights, Mendoza secured a 4th-round stoppage over Rojas this past July, nearly 15 months after he suffered a loss to Serhii Bohachuk.

In comparison, 25-year-old Tellez has been more active. Though he suffered his first career loss to Baraou, he fought three times last year. Combined with his relative youth, it presents a discouraging prospect for Mendoza. However, some diehard fans still believe Mendoza could potentially knock out Tellez during his comeback fight.

We believe Tellez is likely to win the bout over the distance, either unanimously or by a majority decision.