Katie Taylor versus Amanda Serrano won’t happen.

Eddie Hearn and Amanda Serrano have been going back and forth on twitter along with Lou DiBella who is Serrano’s promoter. The talks seem to be very bitter at this point and with Hearn threatening legal action against the television company Serrano was going to make money on I don’t think this fight will ever happen.

It feels like at this point the bad blood may put all parties off making the fight due to not wanting to work together. There has also been money issues with the fight where Hearn asked Serrano to take a pay cut and then after her team said no he said they could do the fight with the original pay but Serrano wasn’t informed and this resulted in a lot of anger from all the different players.

Its a shame as this is one of the biggest fights in the sport in my opinion and would define the legacies of both Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. Hopefully the fight can still be made but if it doesn’t I hope both fighters can get big fights.

Jarrell Miller fails another drug test, should he be allowed to box again?

Miller has reportedly failed a drug test for GW1516 which is one of the drugs he popped for back when he was supposed to fight Anthony Joshua. He’s been removed from the card and it looks like he’ll receive some sort of ban over the next two or three weeks as he actually has a license with one of the boxing commissions in America this time.

I personally feel that he should be banned for at least two years and if he still wants to come back after he can though he would have to do certain things. The major thing I would ask of him if he were to come back is to enroll in year round VADA drug testing to prove that he’s no longer using performance enhancing drugs.

I don’t think any of the top promotional companies will work with him anymore and I imagine Top Rank are regretting signing him now. They knew it was a risk to sign him and got quite a lot of back lash for it but presumably thought they could make a lot of money as he’s a big name and a big talker.

I’d be very surprised if Miller ever fights again in all honesty and I think his career really is over now which is a shame as he could have been in some big fights.

Matchroom announce 4 weeks of shows

Eddie Hearn announced four cards of boxing over four weeks today. The cards will all take place in August with the last one being a PPV on August 22nd. I’m not going to go into detail on every card right now but i’ll breakdown the fights when it gets closer to the time.

I think the first and last card of the four Matchroom fight camp series look like the best on paper with the other two lacking a bit in quality fights. Dillian Whyte versus Alexander Povetkin looks like it will be the first major fight behind closed doors as most of the big fights Top Rank had coming up have since been cancelled due to injuries.

Whats next for Jason Moloney, Leonardo Baez plus card?

This was one of the best cards that Top Rank have put on since the pandemic hit in my opinion. It was good on paper and it mostly delivered in the ring as well.

The first fight was a low level heavyweight fight between Kingsley Ibeh and Waldo Cortes Acosta. Neither looked like world beaters but Ibeh seems to have decent power and could perhaps be in a few good fights if he learns to keeps his chin down. Ibeh won and should stay on the small hall shows learning his craft before taking a shot as a B-side versus a rising contender. Cortes should also go back to the small hall’s but if he gets call’s to be an opponent for prospects I would take it.

I enjoyed Reymond Yanong versus Clay Burns and felt Yanong took a deserved decision. Both of these fighters can continue to be good tests for prospects and if they win a few in a row could perhaps face a guy in the top 20 though I doubt that happens.

Vlad Panin versus Benjamin Whitaker was an average fight but I didn’t see anything from either fighter to suggest they can go all the way to the top. Whitaker should continue to take opportunities as a B-side as he’s very capable of pulling off the upset especially if he let his hands go more. Panin should continue trying to develop as a prospect or if offered be a step up opponent for an elite welterweight prospect as he’ll make good money doing so.

Orlando Gonzalez-Ruiz versus Luis Porozo was a competitive fight which should’ve been a good learning experience for Gonzalez. Porozo should continue competing at this level if he can as outside of the knockdowns I though he was very competitive. Gonzalez has a lot to work on and I think Top Rank should continue to match him around this level.

Abraham Nova versus Avery Sparrow was a very cagey fight where neither fighter looked their best. I think Sparrow should continue to fight at a high level like this however he really needs to be more active. He’s a good fighter but he’s only had 13 fights and hadn’t fought for over a year. Nova looks like a very good prospect though he wasn’t as aggressive as I thought he would be in this fight. I was very impressed with his defense and I thought he clearly won in the end. I heard that it’s likely he’ll be fighting Masayuki Ito next and I think thats the perfect next fight for him.

Jason Moloney versus Leonardo Baez was very entertaining as both went to absolute war on the inside. Baez tried his best but was to wide with his punches in the end and wisely stayed on his stool at the end of the 7th round. I think he should take an easier fight next before getting right back into the mix at either 118 or 122. Jason Moloney was very impressive in how he handled Baez both on the inside and the outside. I’d like too see him in a rematch versus Emmanuel Rodriguez or in fights versus Jose Velasquez or Juan Carlos Payano.

Abraham Nova versus Avery Sparrow breakdown

This is a very good fight between two rising contenders in the Super Featherweight division. This is a good step up in competition for Abraham Nova who looks like one of the better prospects in the division.

Nova is an aggressive fighter who works well to the body and has very nice uppercuts on the inside. He’s got good timing and power which he uses to break his opponents down. He has a decent jab and an average defense which I think is one of the few things he needs to improve on.

Avery Sparrow’s biggest enemy in the ring is what he does outside of it. He was supposed to be in a big fight with Ryan Garcia but ended up being arrested just a few days before. Hes a very good fighter who will likely be fighting on the back foot in this fight as he tries to stick and move. He has a good jab which he likes throwing to the body and beyond that he is in love with throwing his right hand. He has decent defense but can certainly be hit as Henry Lundy was hitting him even when he tried to use the philly shell. He has decent power though his record doesn’t show it.

I think Abraham Nova should be able to use his superior size and power to win a decision in a hard fought fight. Win or lose I hope Avery Sparrow gets his career back on track as he clearly has talent he just hasn’t been able to show it all that much yet.

Jason Moloney versus Leonardo Baez breakdown

Jason Moloney (20-1) will be fighting Leonardo Baez (18-2) over 10 rounds in the Bantamweight division. Moloney’s only loss came in his first shot at a world title versus Emmanuel Rodriguez where he was on the wrong side of a split decision verdict. Baez has had a few early losses with one of them coming to Julio Cesar Martinez the current WBC Flyweight champion. Whoever wins this fight will get their career best win though Baez currently has the better wins out of the two of them in my opinion.

Moloney has a decent jab and is at his most comfortable when he’s moving in and out of range getting shots off. I wouldn’t say hes especially great on the inside and if he does get dragged into a war where he needs to exchange I think he will suffer like his brother did. He works the body well and consistently goes to it which is one of the things I like too see a fighter do as I think its a bit of a lost art form that is very effective.

He’s not especially hard to hit but seems to have a decent chin which makes up for it to an extent.

Baez isn’t especially hard to hit either and while he uses some head movement he normally stands in front of his opponent and bangs away at their body and head. Baez really puts his weight behind his shots especially his left hook to the body which he’ll often double up on. He’s very tough and has no problem exchanging shots with his opponents. He’s the bigger fighter of the two and can use his strength to make Moloney uncomfortable on the inside.

At range he has a serviceable jab and likes to throw the overhand right along with a variety of hooks. Baez is at his best once he gets into a fight and if Moloney can offset that early then this could be a long night for him.

I think i’m going to lean very slightly towards Baez in this fight due to him being the bigger man combined with the pressure of Moloney just seeing his brother lose. I can’t imagine his moral is great right now and that may effect him in the fight. With Baez moving down in weight he should be the stronger guy and he’ll need that as the judges won’t do him any favors. If Moloney is in the right head space and stays with a stick and move game plan and keeps to his strength I can certainly see him winning.

Whats next for Andrew Moloney, Joshua Franco plus rest of card?

This was one of the better cards that Top Rank have produced on paper since coming back and it also delivered in the ring.

The first fight was a bit of a sloppy heavyweight fight between Helaman Olguin and Adam Stewart. Both looked like they belonged more in the club circuit and while Olguin won the fight he’ll need to work on his fitness to progress in the sport. They can both serve as B-sides to prospects and earn decent money doing so.

Miguel Contreras versus Rolando Vargas was a great fight between two talented young fighters. Contreras has likely been signed by Top Rank after winning that so his career should go from strength to strength. Fighting a veteran with 20 or so fights in an 8 rounder would be a good fight for him. Vargas lost but he still looked like a good prospect and at 20 can certainly come back. He should get a couple comeback fights at a lower level but he’ll soon be ready to step up again and it wouldn’t surprise me if Top Rank signed him.

Christoper Diaz versus Jason Sanchez was a decent fight that was largely dominated by Diaz. I thought he looked a lot better than before and has noticeably improved. He should get a big fight versus Jessie Magdaleno or Micheal Conlan next. Sanchez can come back as hes only 25 and fights with Oscar Escandon or Toka Kahn Clary would be good winnable fights for him.

The main event was a great fight where Joshua Franco clearly won. The judges almost got it wrong but luckily Franco dominated the last half of the fight enough to win. I think if possible he should aim for Roman Gonzalez or Jerwin Ancajas. Andrew Moloney put up a good fight and showed his skills and heart. He has plenty of time to come back and could fight Jerwin Ancajas or Carlos Cuadras next both of them being very winnable fights.

Who should Maurice Hooker fight next?

After Hooker lost his title he looked all set for a fight with Regis Prograis but due to issues with what weight the fight would be held at the fight was called off.

The first name I think he could fight is Mikey Garcia. I know Garcia is looking for a bigger fight butif hes unable to get the Pacquiao fight then this would be the next biggest fight for him on Dazn and also get him another solid win on his resume. This would however be an expensive fight to put on and I doubt Dazn will cough up the cash for this.

Josesito Lopez is coming off two decent performances and would be a good start for Hooker in the welterweight division. He has name value but is unlikely to ask for millions and millions.

Sebastian Formella is the IBO champion and undefeated in 22 fights. Snatching up an IBO belt wouldn’t be the worse start for him at 147. I think this fight would be cheap as well considering Formella hasn’t fought many good fighters and isn’t well known.

The last one is Ray Robinson who while not winning his last 3 has fought very good competition. His draws are controversial and this would be a good test for Hooker at 147. He also likely wouldn’t ask for to much money.

Christopher Diaz versus Jason Sanchez breakdown

This is a fight between two former world title challengers and should set the winner up for a title shot or at least a big fight in the division. Christopher Diaz enters this fight with a record of 25-2 while Jason Sanchez holds a record of 15-1.

Diaz has a decent right hand which he normally throws with as much power as he can. He also has a pretty good left hook which he throws both to the body and head. He doesn’t have the fastest hands and his accuracy when he steps up in competition isn’t great.

He has a decent chin but has been dropped before and it isn’t particularly hard to hit him. I do think hes generally a good fighter and does everything to a decent level but versus the top guys he struggles.

Sanchez has a good overhand right which seems to have good power behind it as I’ve seen him KO a few people with it. He’s relatively fluid with how he punches and has decent counter hooks which he showed versus Oscar Valdez.

He actually has a decent jab which he puts hooks behind. He can be dragged into a dog fight which is what happened in the Valdez fight where he will just exchange hooks with his opponents. He’s similar to Diaz in that he’s not that hard to hit and has been dropped before but I do think his chin is better than Diaz’s.

I think this is a real 50/50 fight and I applaud the fighters for taking this fight and also to Top Rank for matching them up. Both fighters have heart and individual strengths and I am leaning towards this fight being a draw in all honesty. If I had to pick one I’d probably lean towards Sanchez as I feel hes performed a bit better when hes stepped up in competition. If Diaz were to use his experience to win I wouldn’t be surprised either and that’s why it’s so hard to pick a winner in this fight.