Boxing Fulcrum

What as fans we can do to grow boxing

Boxing used to be one of the biggest sports in the world, everyone knew the champions and selling out stadiums of up to a 100,000 people in the USA wasn’t unusual. There was boxing in every town in the UK with regular shows being put on not like today where we are lucky to have one every five years.

Boxing as a sport hit its high point and has been on a steady decline ever since, this isn’t purely because people have gone off boxing its more that boxing has hurt itself with its practices over the years. Putting the biggest events behind pay walls and expecting new fans to watch is a terrible idea long term. How are people supposed to get into the sport if the best events are locked away? how are people supposed to be inspired to pick the sport up if they can’t watch the greats because they have to pay? The shining examples of how good boxing can be are hidden away from the general public and overtime people have stopped caring. Imagine if you had to pay to watch the super bowl or the NBA finals? what about the world cup in football? This wouldn’t be accepted by fans and like boxing would see people turn away so why is it that promoters are hell bent on putting PPVs on? The answer to all these questions is simple and a bit sad, Money. Short term this makes the boxers and the promoters more money but long term it will hurt boxers in the future and also hurts boxing as a sport as is already being shown today where boxing is miles behind Basketball and other sports in terms of popularity.

As boxing fans we want the sport we love to thrive and while we can’t make boxing grow as individuals we can help as a group if we all do our part. One of the biggest ways that a fan can help boxing is by going to small local shows and supporting the grassroots of the sport. This is great because you get too see local boxing talent at a much cheaper price than the big shows and you also help grow boxing in your community. Over the years we’ve seen less and less of these club level shows be put on and this hurts the boxers because unless you were a great amateur you won’t get on to the big tv shows so with the small amount of low level shows its hard to get fights.

Another simple way and something you probably already do is talking about boxing, discussing upcoming fights with co-workers or just online. Like most things they get more popular the more people mention it and it gets it out there. You’d be surprised how much this can help as i’ve often found that until I bring up a fight thats happening at the weekend people had no idea it was on. Unless its a mega fight most people will have no idea about an up coming fight but if you mention it and talk boxing to people they’ll remember and watch. It’s not that people actively choose to not watch boxing its more that they just don’t know its happening because its not promoted properly unless its a massive PPV.

The final way might sound like a weird one but when I explain it’ll make sense. Don’t buy PPV’s that you don’t think are worth it just because you want to watch some boxing. Promoters have slowly been putting more and more fights on PPV and unless people stop paying for them they won’t stop. This further hurts the sport because even more fights are being hidden and it also allows the best fighters to avoid each other because they know they can make good money fighting people they should beat. If the PPV numbers are low they’ll stop putting those sort of fights behind pay walls and everyone wins.

These are just a few small things we can do as fans to help boxing grow and not carry on declining into an irrelevant sport. Obviously if boxing is going to grow again its the people at the top with the money that need to make changes to how they run their cards and put more promotion into the sport instead of squeezing it for every penny they can. It’s sad and the fans shouldn’t have to try and save the sport and thats why the things i’ve said you can do mostly help the people at the bottom of the sport. We’ll have too see if these business men at the top really do care about boxing like they say they do or if they care more about how rich boxing can make their pockets.

Danny Garcia vs Ivan Redkach

This is a classic mismatch which the promoter will try to sell as competitive because of Redkach’s last performance and that’s hes a bit of a name in boxing. Don’t be fooled however as you just need to look through Redkach’s record to realise it would be a big shock if Garcia didn’t KO him much less lose to him. In saying all this i’m not saying Redkach is a bad fighter i’m just pointing out that hes not at the elite level and especially not at welterweight where hes only properly took on the weight in his last fight.

In his last fight Redkach was jabbing well to the body and was willing to let his hands go which is good for him because these are his keys to victory in this fight. Hes got to hope that Garcia having a 9 month lay off will effect his stamina and let him steal rounds towards the end of the fight. Early on he’ll need to be active and not let Garcia set the pace otherwise if Garcia starts taking a lead Redkach will almost certainly lose the fight because I just can’t see him knocking out a prime Danny Garcia.

For Danny Garcia he just needs to not have an awful night and he should be fine. Moving on to the specifics he needs to counter Redkach’s jab and make him scared to throw it while walking him down knowing he is the bigger guy whos an actual full blown welterweight not a former lightweight pretending to be one. There will be plenty of opportunities for Garcia to counter Redkach as he often throws big looping shots and stays in range with his hands down if he throws and misses which should suit Garcia perfectly. Redkach isn’t to hard to hit and for someone of Danny Garcia’s skill level he should be able to break him down in 7 or 8 rounds.

I know this analysis has been quite negative towards Ivan Redkach but i’m just being realistic here. Everything is stacked against him and for him to win Garcia would have to have a terrible night and him to have the best of his career. I know hes confident though and if he could pull off the upset it would change his life forever. Even though I think its a bit of a mismatch it should still be entertaining for however long it lasts and thats what really matters in fights like this, i’m happy PBC have at least brought in someone that will give it his all even if he is out of his depth.

Danny Garcia vs Ivan Redkach and the weeks boxing

This weeks boxing starts on a Thursday with a Golden Boy card in California. Jason Quigley headlines the show vs Fernando Marin over 10 rounds. Quigley will be looking to get his second win since his loss to Tureano Johnson where as a heavy betting favorite he was retired by his corner after sustaining too much damage. Quigley should win this by KO seeing as Marin is moving up a weight and is actually coming off a KO loss himself. Whats more interesting about this situation is that Quigley has been given two fights since he lost to Johnson but the man who beat him hasn’t been able to get any fights since. It’s also a bit surprising that Golden Boy are giving Quigley relatively easy fights as normally they match their guys up pretty hard and you either make it or don’t. Quigley for some reason isn’t getting that treatment and i’m not sure why, He’s 28 so hes not a young fighter that they are investing in and hes also not an extreme talent that had a bad night. The biggest fight I can see him getting at middleweight right now is a Munguia fight or perhaps a title shot vs Andrade if hes lucky and gets picked because Andrade doesn’t have anyone to fight.

Ferdinand Kerobyan returns on the under card in an 8 round fight vs Azael Cosio. Kerobyan’s most notable fight was a 50/50 contest with Blair Cobbs where while he lost it was at least competitive something this fight won’t be. Hes only 22 so I know hes getting experience but you do wonder how a fight against someone that hasn’t fought for over a year and hasn’t won since 2017 is helping him. Kerobyan should win by stoppage here.

Also on the under card is Mihai Nistor a heavyweight most known for knocking Joshua out in the amateurs. This is only his second fight but he shouldn’t be fighting a guy that once fought at 154 pounds no matter what fight it is. I’m still interested to watch and see where his career goes because hes a shorter heavyweight who brawls and I think that could bring a nice bit of freshness to the division. Gregory Morales takes a step up in competition on this card however the 19 year old shouldn’t struggle vs Giovanni Delgado because Delgado gets knocked out by almost every good prospect he faces.

The next fight i’m interested in is Caleb Truax vs David Basajjamivule. Now i’m not particularly interested in the match up itself but more about how Caleb Truax looks. Truax’s big moment in his career so far was becoming world champion by beating James Degale and I presume he wants to reach those heights again. I personally think he might struggle to get there but theres still some fun fights that he could be in versus the likes of Anthony Sims Jr, Bektemir Melikuziev , David Lemieux and Rocky Fielding. Truax should win this fight without too much difficulty as his opponent hasn’t fought in over 2 years which seems to be a trend this weekend.

The next two fights i’m interested in take place on a Eye of the Tiger management card in Montreal, Canada. This show is headlined by Batyrzhan Jukembayev vs Ricardo Lara over 10 rounds. Jukembayev has been stepping up in competition in the last year and a half and he has another solid opponent in front of him here. Lara will try to make the fight competitive but I think Jukembayev’s superior boxing skills will get him the win inside the distance. I’m hoping that they can get Jukembayev a good name next such as Ismael Barroso who himself recently upset a top Canadian prospect so the fight would make a lot of sense. The other fight i’m interested in is purely because of the guys nickname of Kung Fu Panda. Adam Dyczka is 1-0 as a heavyweight and hasn’t done anything yet but I’ll be following his career because it would entertain me to see someone with that name win a title.

Also on Saturday one of the best 154 pound prospects in the world returns on a card in Germany. Abass Baraou fights Abraham Juarez in a 10 round non title fight to kick off his 2020. Now I think Baraou is an excellent fighter and he’s being moved decently quickly however I would like to start seeing him in with a few notable names in the division this year as I think hes more than capable. Juarez isn’t on his level and that will show when Baraou stops him in round 7 or 8.

The last card of the weekend and also the biggest is Danny Garcia vs Ivan Redkach. This is one of those fights which you just don’t see coming if i’m honest, Redkach has had one fight at Welterweight and hes not a big name moving up so i’m surprised hes been picked to headline with Garcia. On the time available I guess this fight isn’t horrible as Garcia was rumored to fight Spence next but that fight didn’t happen because of Spence’s car crash. I don’t blame Garcia for taking an easier fight if hes been promised a Spence or Pacquiao fight next though I will complain uselessly about how noncompetitive the fight will be.

The best fight on this card is Stephen Fulton vs Arnold Khegai though its going under the radar a bit because neither are big names. This is a WBO 122 pound eliminator which will mean the winner will face Emanuel Navarrete at some point in the future. I’m not sure either are ready for Navarrete however I think Fulton would put up the better fight I also think he wins in impressive fashion in this fight, likely a late stoppage.

Outside of those two fights Jarrett Hurd returns in a tune up before presumably fighting a big name though his plans for a rematch with Williams have gone out the picture now that Williams has lost himself. The other fighter on this card who i’m interested in is Lorenzo Simpson who looks like he could be a top prospect.

I hope that you enjoy the fights this weekend and that all the boxers get through their fights safely without harm. I’ll be here with another preview next Thursday of the weeks boxing schedule where we get Makabu fighting for a title(I thought it was this week but boxrec clearly lied) and also the big card from Miami.

Who should Dillian Whyte fight next?

As we get closer to an announcement regarding Whyte’s next opponent I thought i’d make a list of possible contenders and which of them i’d like to see the most. Whyte has been consistently fighting top level opposition apart from the Wach fight which was a last minute tune up just to get him in the ring again. It’s likely that it’ll be another fighter in the top 15 because from what Whyte said in a recent IFL interview hes going to be back headlining PPVs and for a PPV you need a good opponent. This obviously limits who he can fight quite considerably even more so if you account for the top 15 who already have fights scheduled.

The most probable opponent for Whyte is the long time contender Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1). Povetkin has been a staple of this era’s heavyweight division and has one of the best resumes of the active heavyweights, his only losses to Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko show that hes at world level though has never quite been able to break through against the very elite of the division. He has good wins against the likes of Carlos Takam, Manuel Charr, Christian Hammer and Hughie Fury to name but a few. Out of the possible opponents for Whyte I think hes the second best name and I would quite happily watch the two face off because I think their styles may gel well together to make it entertaining for the fans.

The only issues I have with this fight is that Povetkin is clearly not the fighter he used to be and after a grueling fight with Micheal Hunter you wonder what he has left to give at the age of 40. This fight is the easiest one to make for Whyte due to Povetkin working closely with his promoter Eddie Hearn over the last few years and also because for Povetkin this is the last opportunity for him to get back into title contention. Out of the 5 people in the running for Whyte’s next fight Povetkin would be my second pick due to his resume and how entertaining the fight would be for the fans.

Manuel Charr is a name that is brought up as a possible opponent for heavyweights an awful lot considering he hasn’t fought for over two years and wasn’t a great fighter when he was active. The only reason i’m bringing him up as a possible opponent is because he still holds the WBA regular world title and it seems like Eddie Hearn is looking for the right opportunity to bring him in as an opponent. I’d be disappointed if this fight was next for Whyte due to the availability of better opponents and Charr’s inactivity. At this point Manuel Charr needs to accept whatever money someone offers him for a fight and be thankful that people care about a WBA regular belt enough to give him big opportunities. Charr is my last option out of the five names that I think have the highest chance of fighting Whyte next and the only reason I would want too see the fight is to end promoters talking about him as an opponent for good fighters.

Michael Hunter isn’t someone that anyone expected to be a name in the heavyweight division but after putting together six impressive wins after his sole loss to Usyk he certainly is one. Hunter a 2012 Olympian is currently 18-1-1 with his last fight being a draw with Povetkin where I thought he was unlucky to not get the decision. Hes an awkward fight for any heavyweight due to his movement and hand speed which he has brought up from Cruiserweight with him. I’d be on board with this fight happening due to Hunter’s recent form which includes wins over Sergey Kuzmin and Martin Bakole as well as his draw with Povetkin. I actually think this may be a more competitive fight over 12 rounds for Whyte compared to the Povetkin fight due to Hunter being in his prime and also that his style would be hard for Whyte to get to grips with.

My issues with this fight is that for fans it could be quite a hard watch as I can see a lot of clinching happening due to Hunter not wanting to get caught after he throws a shot and also Whyte will want to use his size to tire Hunter out in the clinches. Alternatively it could be fought at long range for the whole fight with not all to much going on in the rounds which again wouldn’t be great for the public. It’s unlikely to be a war or see many heavy exchanges because for Hunter it makes sense to try and out box Whyte not out slug him. He’s my third choice out of five for Whyte but also deserves the fight more than the other four.

Agit Kabayel is an undefeated Heavyweight from Germany with a record of 19-0 and while hes relatively unknown he is a good fighter that fans should watch out for in 2020. Kabayel doesn’t have the deepest resume though at 27 hes beaten Dereck Chisora, Herve Hubeaux and Andriy Rudenko. The most notable of those wins is Dereck Chisora where he was able to out box and frustrate him to the point where pundits questioned if Chisora should retire. Kabayel is in the minority of heavyweights who’s power is outclassed by their boxing ability in the ring and this will lead him to success against many in the division. This wouldn’t be a bad fight though its questionable whether he will be picked as a PPV opponent considering how unknown he is.

I like Kabayel as a fighter but like the Hunter fight I think this could be painful to watch because Kabayel is likely to fall in and clinch after throwing combinations and also doesn’t really have the power to bother Whyte in my opinion. The other reason i’m not as interested in this fight as other ones is due to Kabayel being very inactive and by the time he fights Whyte he would have been out of the ring for over a year. For these reasons Kabayel is my fourth choice though I wouldn’t mind seeing Hunter vs Kabeyel at some point.

The final of the five possible candidates for Whyte’s next opponent is former world champion Andy Ruiz Jr (33-2). Before Ruiz beat Joshua few thought he was a top heavyweight due to his lack of discipline and his loss to Parker when he stepped up in competition. After beating Joshua people have overrated him as a fighter and think he beats most of the top 10 with ease. I personally disagree and believe that he’s likely to be in very close fights with all of the top 20 because he’s never had a performance where he hasn’t looked vulnerable in one way or another. In the first Joshua fight he was dropped and beyond that one punch behind Joshua’s ear he didn’t look all that great. In the Parker fight his fitness let him down and again in the second Joshua fight it was his fitness and slow feet to blame for the loss.

Obviously he has positives as well, hes got fast hands, good boxing skills and a granite chin which are all very useful against taller slower opponents. If Ruiz comes in shape he will be the hardest fight for Whyte due to his constant pressure and fast hands. Ruiz doesn’t have massive power but he knows where to place his shots to cause the maximum amount of damage like we saw in that first Joshua fight. I think both boxers styles would gel well and it would be interesting to see if Whyte took the front foot against Ruiz which no one has yet. Whyte would likely use his jab to pick up rounds while Ruiz pressures forwards however unlike Joshua I think Whyte would be drawn into a firefight which would make the fight entertaining. Beyond how entertaining this fight would be its also the best name thats available to Whyte as Ruiz is a former world champion who’s last fight broke the sky PPV record.

Andy Ruiz Jr is my first choice out of the five due to him being a former world champion plus how his style would fit well with Whyte’s to make an entertaining fight. This would be the riskiest out of the five choices for Whyte to take and he would make a real statement if he beat him. The only problem with this fight is whether Ruiz can be trusted to come in shape after he was ill prepared for the biggest fight of his life versus Joshua.

Julian Williams vs Jeison Rosario

Later today Julian Williams will defend his world titles vs Jeison Rosario in what is Williams home coming bout. The last time we saw Williams fight we saw him bully the bully as he dominated Jarrett Hurd over 12 rounds and proved why people shouldn’t have written him off. Williams is one of the best inside fighters right now in my opinion and that is mainly due to the fact that he uses old school techniques to get his shots off and has really mastered the art of fighting on the inside. One of the best examples of this is when him and Hurd were almost clinched together in the 2nd round he moved Hurd using his shoulder to give himself space to land the right hand which Hurd wasn’t expecting. Julians follow up shots then got him the knockdown a few seconds later and after that knockdown Hurd was never really aloud to get back into the fight.

Rosario is a good fighter but also one that Williams shouldn’t have too much trouble with due to his style. Rosario is a very patient fighter who is willing to let his opponents get their punches off and then try to counter them on the way out. He did this a lot vs Jorge Cota but struggled to land those counter shots because he wasn’t often punching with Cota. He has a good jab when he decides to use it but its not in his style to throw many punches a round so you don’t see it as much as you’d want too. He can also be a bit wide when he throws combinations leaving him open to something right down the middle which I think Williams can take advantage of. Now that we’ve listed his weaknesses we can go through his strengths and how he can win this fight. One of his biggest assets is that he doesn’t rush in fights and he doesn’t waste his punches and for a 24 year old thats a positive sign. Another asset he has is that if he connects with Williams clean its likely he’ll go down because Rosario has decent power. The way he wins this fight is by being patient and trying to time Williams when he tries to work inside. If Williams gets inside he needs to use whatever dirty tactics he can to smother his work and tire him out. This is essential for him to do because if he lets Williams work on the inside for free he’s going to lose and likely by stoppage.

For Williams to win this he has to be careful when he goes to work on the inside and most importantly not to switch off in the fight. He’s the better boxer of the two but that won’t matter if he gets caught coming in because his concentration has slipped for a brief moment. He needs to take advantage of how patient Rosario is and out work him early and set the pace so that Rosario doesn’t get comfortable. I also think that Williams can break Rosario down by working on the inside because Rosario punches when people are pulling out and not punching themselves and unfortunately for Rosario Williams won’t give him that opportunity. Williams can stay close and then like the Hurd fight push Rosario off him and punch which will catch Rosario when he tries to counter.

My final thoughts on the fight is that its actually quite a good fight for a first defense. Rosario has earned his spot and beaten some good names to get there while Williams is coming off the best win of his career. While I think that William’s inside work and activity will lead him to win this fight I do think it will be competitive especially early on and Rosario always has the chance to catch Williams coming in which combined with his power could seal the deal.

Julian Williams vs Jeison Rosario and the weeks boxing

The first card that i’m interested in this week takes place in the USA headlined by Williams vs Rosario. This is a homecoming fight for Williams and also marks his first defence of his world titles since his shock win against Jarret Hurd. Rosario is a good fighter who has a few good names on his resume but he hasn’t looked good enough in those fights to beat Williams in my opinion. Williams is one of the most improved fighters in the sport and I think he can be the main guy at 154 for a long time if he wants too.

On the undercard Chris Colbert fights Jezzrel Corrales in a fight which should be the most competitive on the card. Corrales is a former world champion and while he’s not looked as good recently this is still a massive jump up in competition for Colbert. I’ve been impressed with Colbert so far in his career and I think this fight may be a case of good timing for him. My pick is Colbert by decision perhaps controversially if Corrales can find some of his old form.

On friday in the USA a showtime card is headlined by Shohjahon Ergashev vs Adrian Estella. Ergashev is a rising contender in the 140 pound division and also carries some serious power. He’s 28 now though and really needs to get a title shot either this year or 2021 otherwise he may miss out on being in his prime when hes a world champion. Estrella is a decent fighter who has caused upsets before however I don’t see him beating Ergashev who I don’t think will lose before he gets a title shot. Theres a lot of big players at 140 right now however if his promoters wait 6 months to a year I think a lot of them will move up a division and free up the belts which will give Ergashev an opportunity to fight for a title.

On the under card Vladimir Shishkin fights Ulises Sierra over 10 rounds in what should be a quite one sided fight. Shishkin was a very good amateur and looks to be a force as a pro. I don’t think Sierra has the experience to beat or even get through the 10 rounds vs Shishkin. Sierra has likely taken the fight because he isn’t getting a huge amount of opportunities because most promoters don’t see him as a prospect and he’s finally decided to be an opponent and try and get towards a title that way. This is always harder and I hope it works out for him even though I doubt it will on friday. Jarcio O’Quinn takes another step up when he fights Oscar Vasquez. Quinn should win this though some rounds could be competitive which is what is needed in Quinn’s career at this stage.

Brandun Lee ,Alejandro Guerrero ,Brian Norman Jr and Gunnar Kolbeinn Kristinsson all fight in developmental fights on the under card. Gunnar is interesting because hes a heavyweight from Iceland which is a country where you very rarely see boxers from and Brandun lee has a record of 17-0 with 15 knockouts at the age of 20.

The last card that i’m interested in this weekend is Eleider Alvarez vs Michael Seals. Alvarez is a former champion who knocked out Kovalev but was then beaten by Kovalev in the rematch which not many expected. He’s been out of the ring for almost a year now and didn’t look great in his last fight which could be a sign that hes achieved everything hes wanted to in boxing and is thinking about retirement. Seals has never won a title but has been much more active than Alvarez and also has devastating power which can always turn the tide in a fight. Alvarez should on paper win this fight but I think Seals may catch a rusty Alvarez and score the upset KO in this Top Rank main event.

On the under card Felix Verdejo fights Manuel Rey Rojas over 10 rounds. Verdejo was highly rated by many as a prospect but after his knockout loss a few years ago many have written him off. Hes still only 26 and many fighters have lost before winning a title and just because a fighter loses doesn’t mean their career is done. I think Verdejo beats Rojas and continues on his path towards a title and also a path to proving a lot of people wrong.

As always I hope you enjoy this weekends boxing (of which there is a lot) and that all the fighters get through their fights safely and without any serious harm. I’ll also be back like usual next week doing my preview of the weeks boxing which includes Illunga Makabu getting his deserved title shot at the WBC cruiserweight world title!

Jaime Munguia vs Liam Williams : One to make in 2020

After Munguia’s win at the weekend there’s a lot of debate about who he should face next whether that be another top 20 guy or straight into a big fight with the WBO champ Andrade. Munguia looked liked he’d improved in his win over Gary O’Sullivan but he still lacks a good defense and after a few rounds goes back to his usual style of boxing. Morales is improving him but he needs a few more fights before they put him in for a title at middleweight in my opinion. They also need him to be in competitive but winnable fights and thats where this fight with Liam Williams comes from. Williams is currently on a good run in the middleweight division and will be a hard outing for anyone but at the same time he is beatable especially by someone Munguia’s size.

Both fighters are in their prime and big punchers so for fans this would be a great fight to watch and it would also crown a clear number one contender in the middleweight division which needs one. One of the biggest reasons this fight makes sense however is because Munguia is the mandatory challenger for the WBO and Liam Williams is highly ranked due to his last fight which was billed as an eliminator for the WBO title. Williams has also called for the fight to be made on social media which is a good sign though you have to take it with a grain of salt because Williams has called out lots of people with no results so far. Another reason it might not happen is because they are with different promoters however this might not be a problem because Williams is based in the UK and so isn’t directly aligned with a US Promoter making the fight easier to make. If this fight does happen its likely it’ll take place in the USA on Dazn as Munguia has more commercial draw and also a bigger promoter backing him up.

I think its unlikely this fight happens unfortunately as I think Munguia and his team will either pick someone else as a developmental fight or they’ll send an offer and Williams will turn it down saying he’s being underpaid. If the fight does happen I think Munguia likely wins by using his jab and heavy hands to wear Williams down in what would be an absolute slug fest which is why as fans we’d be in for a treat.

Travell Mazion : One to watch in 2020 and beyond.

Travell Mazion is an impressive 6,2 super welterweight who has been progressing under the radar since 2013 though in the last two years hes been much more active and has started to step up his competition. Mazion has decent power but what really hurts his opponents is his combinations that hide the shots which put his opponents down.

Tonight he faced Fernando Castaneda a tough veteran that was supposed to take him rounds however within the first round he had Castaneda down from a vicious body shot that Castaneda didn’t see coming. Mazion threw upstairs first to get Castaneda’s hands up before sinking in a sickening liver shot from which Castaneda couldn’t recover.

I think after a statement win like he just had that he will be stepped up a level however theres no rush as he’s only 24 and has plenty of time to progress. I like that he’s been very active recently as well and that Golden Boy seem to be investing in him and getting him some good names at this point in his career.

Claressa Shields attempts to break world record for the least amount of fights to become a three division champ.

Later on tonight Claressa Shields will take on Ivana Habazin for two vacant 154 pound belts. If she wins this she will become the fastest fighter in the history of the sport to do so. Faster than even Lomachenko who is regarded as one of the pound for pound best in the world. Obviously there isn’t as much competition in the women’s divisions because there are less fighters and especially at the weight classes that Shields fights at. But this doesn’t take away from her achievements as from her first fight til now she has only fought the best in her divisions and has achieved so much considering she is only 24 years old. If from her pro debut they had thought about breaking this record its likely it could have been done in 6 fights or less but instead she has fought to become undisputed at middleweight and also unified at super middle.

I think that she’ll win this fight and continue on her path to becoming the best women’s boxer to ever live which she is very capable of doing because of how long she has left in her career. The other top Women’s fighters are all in their 30’s now and so they are much more limited in what they can achieve while with Claressa its likely that within the next two years she would have run out of people to fight with years remaining on her career. I hope she wins tonight because its good too see boxers take risks and look to unify titles and win new ones in different divisions.

Jaime Munguia vs Gary O’Sullivan and the weeks boxing.

The week of boxing starts in Atlantic city in the USA headlined by Claressa Shields vs Ivana Habazin. Claressa Shields looks to add to her impressive collection of belts by picking up the vacant WBC and WBO super welterweight Woman’s world titles. Facing her is Ivana Habazin the former IBF welterweight champion. This fight shouldn’t be all that competitive seeing as Shields is one of the best female fighters right now and Habazin hasn’t faced any decent opposition since being stopped by Mikaela Lauren in 2016. For all the drama around this fight it’s no where near as good of a fight as Shield’s last fight where she became the undisputed middleweight champion. I predict Shields to either win a wide decision or to stop Ivana on her feet in the later rounds.

On the under card Alicia Napoleon Espinosa fights Elin Cederroos in a unification at super middleweight. I can’t say all that much about this fight other than i’m glad that they are unifying though its not surprising considering their division only has 23 active fighters in it. I’ve watched Napoleon fight a few times and she’s a good fighter and has also faced better competition than Cederroos which is why I think she’ll win a decision over 10 rounds to claim another title.

Elsewhere on the under card Jaron Ennis returns in what should be a one sided bout vs Bakhtiyar Eyubov. Ennis could be one of the future stars of the sport however he won’t get there unless his competition is stepped up. Eyubov isn’t anywhere near his level and I think Ennis will likely break him down in the later rounds because Eyubov is very tough and won’t want to be stopped in front of an audience on television. If he can take Ennis late into the fight and Ennis has stamina issues this fight could be interesting because Eyubov is a decent puncher so watch out for that. The final under card bout I want to highlight on this card is Apti Davtaev vs Keith Barr. Davtaev is a heavyweight with a lot of potential but it seems to be getting wasted as he hasn’t progressed opponent wise for a while now and he is getting to that age where he needs decent fights to get himself into the title mix. Barr isn’t the opponent to get there as really hes a domestic gatekeeper in the USA and not much else. Davtaev should win this within 4 or 5 rounds and hopefully his next fight is a step up from this level.

The next card of the weekend comes out of Atlantic city yet again this time Jesse Hart vs Joe Smith Jr headlines. This is one of my favourite fights of the weekend because it just features two guys that are good fighters who are fighting just to fight not for any made up title or some other bullshit. Jesse Hart continues his new campaign at light heavyweight after moving up by fighting world title challenger Joe Smith Jr however this fight is personal for Hart because he wants to exact revenge for his mentor Bernard Hopkins who in his final fight was stopped by Smith. For Smith he wants another shot at a title after he feels he didn’t perform to his best vs Dmitry Bivol last year. I think this fight will be extremely competitive and entertaining as both are big punchers and have huge motivation for this fight. However I do think Hart will come out the winner because I think Light heavy suits him well and he pushed Gilberto Ramirez to the edge twice in championship fights while beyond one big punch Smith looked out of ideas vs Bivol.

On the under card Stevon Nelson takes on Cem Kilic in a battle of unbeaten super middleweights. This is the biggest test of their careers for both of them and especially in the case of Nelson could be a pivotal moment for them. I’m not sure who wins this fight but for Nelson its vital he wins this fight as he can’t afford to lose at this level at the age of 31 if he still wants to challenge for a title. Whats more likely for either of them going forward is that they get called up to fight a big name who needs a tune up fight and thats their opportunity to spring an upset and get their name out there.

Also on the under card Joseph Adorno fights Hector Garcia in a step up fight where if he gets the KO i’ll be impressed. Adorno is only 20 but has been very impressive in his fights so far and I expect him to continue looking good here. Sonny Conto , Jeremy Adorno and Xander Zayas all take part in prospect building fights while Shinard Bunch takes on Dennis Okoth over 6 rounds in a fight where I think Okoth will pull off the upset. Okoth is a good fighter that just doesn’t have a promoter behind him which has led to him facing prospects on the road. Because he’s always in competitive fights I think he will have the edge over the still green Shinard Bunch.

The Final card that i’m interested in this weekend is located in Texas and features Jaime Munguia vs Gary O’Sullivan over 12 rounds for no title. I wrote an article about this fight yesterday and so won’t go into detail on here. To sum it up I think Munguia stops O’Sullivan but I also think his lack of defense will still show and will lead many to write him off as a fighter even though he’s still very young.

On the under card Franchon Crews Dezum defends her WBC and WBO Super middleweight Woman’s world titles vs Alejandra Jimenez over 10 rounds. Crews is a good fighter and also more used to the weight class than Jimenez who is moving down from heavyweight for this fight. I think Crews will win and hopefully fight the winner of Napoleon vs Cederroos for the undisputed super middleweight championship.

Elsewhere on the under card Hector Tanajara takes on Juan Carlos Burgos over 10 rounds. Tanajara is a good fighter that doesn’t have the most power but I don’t think this will stop him challenging for a title and I also don’t think he loses before he gets there as a lot of vacant belts will open up in the next year or so. I think he will win this fight on points because Burgos isn’t what he was and also hasn’t fought in over a year. Joshua Franco fights Jose Alejandro Burgos over 10 rounds in a fight that I don’t think will be all that competitive. Burgos has been stopped at a lower weight than this and Franco will have gained lots of experience after his trilogy with Oscar Negrete. This will enable him to get the KO somewhere between rounds 3 and 6. Both Hector Valdez and Angel Fierro fight in step up fights that they should come through though Fierro could have some problems with Alex Martin. James Wilkins , George Rincon and Tristan Kalkreuth take part in prospect building fights on the under card as well.

This is the first major boxing weekend of the year and it should be a good one though from a UK stand point it will be hard to find ways to watch most of these fights. I hope you all enjoy the weekends fights and that all the boxers get home safely, as always I’ll be back next week for a preview of the upcoming weekends action.