On Saturday night, Oscar Collazo steps into the ring to defend his WBA and WBO strawweight titles against Joey Canoy. If you're not paying attention to this fight, you're missing one of the most compelling matchups in the lower weight classes. Collazo, the Puerto Rican champion with an unblemished 10-0 record, is a knockout artist in a division where KOs are rare. Canoy, a Filipino brawler with 17 wins and 9 KOs, has never been stopped. Something has to give.
Why This Fight Matters
Strawweight—the 105-pound limit—often gets overlooked by casual fans. That's a mistake. These guys are fast, technical, and hit harder than their size suggests. Collazo is the division's rising star. He's only 27, but he already holds two belts. His last fight? A fourth-round demolition of Hugo Noriega that had the crowd on its feet. Canoy is no pushover. He's fought twice for world titles before and came up short both times—but he's never been knocked out. That resilience makes him dangerous.
"Collazo hits like a middleweight in a strawweight's body. Canoy absorbs punishment like a sponge. This is a classic puncher vs. survivor matchup."
The Tale of the Tape
Collazo stands 5'3" with a 65-inch reach—not imposing, but his power is disproportionate. He throws compact, devastating hooks to the body and head. Canoy, also 5'3", has a similar reach but fights taller, using a high guard and counter-punching style. The key stat? Collazo's 80% KO rate versus Canoy's 53%. In a 12-round fight, that suggests the champion has the edge in firepower. But Canoy has gone the distance in 11 of his 17 wins. He knows how to survive.
How to Watch: The Business Side
The fight airs on DAZN, the streaming service that's been gobbling up boxing rights. You'll need a subscription—$19.99 a month or $149.99 a year. It's not cheap, but neither is the undercard. The broadcast starts at 8 PM ET, with the main event expected around 10 PM. If you're in the UK, it's on Sky Sports. In the Philippines, it's on GMA Network. In Puerto Rico, expect wall-to-wall coverage on local TV.
But here's the thing: DAZN has been hemorrhaging money. They raised prices, lost subscribers, and bet big on Canelo Alvarez. Now they're relying on fights like this to keep the lights on. Collazo vs. Canoy isn't a pay-per-view—it's a streaming play to prove that non-PPV events can still draw eyeballs. I'm skeptical. The mainstream audience doesn't know these names. Hardcore fans will tune in, but that's a niche.
The Odds and My Take
Collazo is a heavy favorite, sitting around -600. Canoy is +400. That feels about right. Collazo is younger, stronger, and fighting at home base—he trains in Florida, but Puerto Rican pride runs deep. Canoy is a road warrior who's been here before. He lost a split decision to Wanheng Menayothin in 2020 and a unanimous nod to Melvin Jerusalem in 2023. Both fights were close. He's not afraid of the moment.
But I think Collazo stops him. Not early—Canoy is too durable for that. But by the eighth or ninth round, the accumulation of body shots will slow Canoy down. Collazo throws to the liver with bad intentions. Watch for a left hook to the body that drops Canoy in the later rounds. If it goes the distance, Canoy has a puncher's chance on the scorecards. But I see a late stoppage.
The Bigger Picture
Strawweight boxing is in a weird place. The division lacks a unifying star since the retirement of Wanheng. Collazo could be that guy. He's charismatic, has a finisher's instinct, and represents a boxing-rich nation. A win here sets up unification fights against the likes of Melvin Jerusalem or Ginjiro Shigeoka. The division is ripe for a tournament. But boxing promoters hate making those.
For Canoy, this is his last shot at glory. He's 31, with a family to feed. A win changes everything—a title, a payday, a legacy. A loss might mean hanging up the gloves. That desperation makes him dangerous in the early rounds. Look for him to come out swinging, trying to shock the world.
Final Verdict
Collazo by ninth-round TKO. Canoy will take punishment, traffic in the pocket, and eventually fold. But he'll make it a fight worth watching. That's more than you can say for most streamed main events these days. Tune in, grab a beer, and enjoy a rare slice of pure, unadulterated boxing. The kind where the stakes are real and the men are small but their hearts are not.
