Saturday, December 22, 2018

Boxing Challenge

The 2018 boxing challenge "season" winds down with three fight cards on Saturday that could keep you watching boxing from just after lunch through ten o'clock EST should you so desire.

Since I am a junkie, I'll be doing as much of that as I can (If I'm able to sleep, I might miss a little of the undercard of the first card) and we start in Manchester, England with the best world title fight of the weekend as IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington defending against former WBA champion and the only person to beat current WBA beltholder Leo Santa Cruz in Carl Frampton.
Warrington won his title in a mild surprise to some in decisioning countryman Lee Selby in May after it appeared that Selby would defend against Frampton in an anticipated bout in England with a win over Warrington.
Frampton has won all three of his fights since his only loss in the rematch vs Leo Santa Cruz but hasn't dazzled anyone in the victory.
This should be very interesting to see how both fighters step up in class- Warrington has never fought anyone of Frampton's class and Frampton will need to show if he is still an elite fighter or has he taken a step back.
The winner could face WBO champ Oscar Valdez in a title unification fight in 2019.

The Manchester slate also includes former WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders in an eight-round return to action and Irish prospect Michael Conlan, but the other challenge bout is one of those oft-mentioned crossroads bout that I look at as one of those old-school pro wrestling "Loser Leaves Town" bouts between middleweight gatekeepers Martin Murray and Hassan N'Dam.
N'Dam, who has won minor world titles twice, but has lost in each attempt to move up in status (Losses to Peter Quillin, David Lemieux and in his last fight Ryota Murata) faces Murray, who also has won two minor world titles, but has fallen short in each of four attempts (Felix Sturm in a horrible decision, Sergio Martinez, who Murray dropped in a fight that could have gone either way, Gennady Golovkin, and George Groves) for an actual world championship.
The winner keeps hopes alive for an eventual title shot, the loser moves to almost journeyman status.

Showtime moves to the forefront after that with the rematch of one of the best heavyweight fights in years as Dillian Whyte battles Dereck Chisora from London.
The 2016 fight between these two, won by Whyte via split decision, was as good of a battle of the big boys as you'll find and Whyte has a possible rematch on the line against Anthony Joshua, so he'll be motivated.
Chisora, who has had a spotty career with flashes of excellence, is coming off a KO win of former world title challenger Carlos Takam, so he's not finished by any means, but he's clearly the underdog.
If this one is half as good as their first fight, you need to look it up.

Cristofer Rosales defends his WBC flyweight title on the undercard against Briton Charlie Edwards.
Rosales is looking to end 2018 on a high note after KO wins of highly regarded Daigo Higa and Irish Olympian Paddy Barnes this year.


The action then shifts to New York with the PBC returning to Fox with a three-fight slate.
Jermall Charlo defends his minor middleweight title against last-minute replacement Matt Korobov in the main event.
Korobov replaces Willie Monroe Jr after Monroe failed his VADA test for PED's and was once thought to be a future star before being knocked out by Andy Lee by one punch in the sixth round after winning every round for the then-vacant WBO middleweight title in 2014
Korobov has rarely fought since (four times in four years) and none of those against good opponents, the best of those being veteran clubfighter Brian Vera, so who really knows what he'll have to offer, but still, I find this more interesting than Monroe, who would have likely run from Charlo, who is still living off his one notable win in a KO of Julian J-Rock Williams.

The other Charlo, Jermell defends his WBC junior middleweight title against Tony Harrison.
Charlo, like his brother, talks well, fights well doesn't fight often and doesn't like to face anyone that can punch him back faces Harrison, who has won three straight since being stopped by WBA/IBF champion Jarrett Hurd, but has failed against top competition.
Charlo didn't thrill me in his last fight, a close decision win over aging veteran Austin Trout and is expected to fight Hurd in his next bout in a three title unification fight, that apparently Charlo thinks is a pay per view fight.
While I'd love to see the two square off and I think it would be very interesting, it is nowhere near a pay per view attraction as the main event, although if paired with another strong fight would make a helluva co-feature there.
If it takes making that a PPV main event to get this fight signed, I'm not sure that will happen.

Dominic Breazeale opens the show against Carlos Negron in a stay busy heavyweight fight.
Breazeale will likely be the mandatory contender in the WBC for the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch winner and he's not going to face anyone too tough and picked Negron, who has a glossy record with one loss, but whose biggest win is over trialhorse Derric Rossy.

In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 210-191

IBF Featherweight Title. 12 Rds
Josh Warrington vs Carl Frampton
Both: Frampton Unanimous Decision

Middleweights. 12 Rds
Martin Murray vs Hassan N'Dam
R.L: N'Dam Unanimous Decision
TRS: Murray Unanimous Decision

Heavyweights 12 Rds
Dillian Whyte vs Dereck Chisora
Both: Whyte Unanimous Decision

WBC Flyweight Title. 12 Rds
Cristofer Rosales vs Charlie Edwards
R.L: Rosales Unanimous Decision
TRS: Rosales KO 9

Middleweights. 12 Rds
Jermall Charlo vs Matt Korobov
R.L: Charlo Unanimous Decision
TRS: Charlo Split Decision

WBC Junior Middleweight Title 12 Rds
Jermell Charlo vs Tony Harrison
R.L: Charlo KO 9
TRS: Charlo KO 7

Heavyweights. 10 Rds
Dominic Breazeale vs Carlos Negron
R.L: Breazeale KO 5
TRS: Breazeale KO 3




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