Boxing Challenge

The boxing weekend has plenty of choices over various media options, but there is not one particular card that is especially deep, so we selected the main event from each card for the bouts for this weekend.

We start on Friday with a very rare challenge fight from Showtime's ShoBox series.
I love the series for their competitive events for young fighters, but they usually don't find their way to this stage very often.
The exception is their main event tonight with super middleweights Vladimir Shishkin and DeAndre Ware in a ten rounder.
The 8-0 Shishkin looked very strong in stopping former world title challenger Nadjib Mohammedi in his most recent win, but the former Russian amateur star has not fought in the ten months since, while Ware is coming off his biggest win, a majority decision win over then-undefeated and highly touted Ronald Ellis, so this looms as an interesting bout with the winner likely placing themselves into position for an elimination fight for one of the organizations.

ESPN Plus has the biggest fight of the weekend from Russia as WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev returns home for the first title defense of his third reign with that title against mandatory contender Anthony Yarde of Great Britain.
Kovalev looked vastly improved in his rematch victory over Eleider Alvarez in his debut with new trainer Buddy McGirt and has proven himself as a top ten pound for pound level fighter.
Yarde has stopped 17 of 18 opponents, but none of them are in the same universe as Kovalev.
Still, Yarde has the big eraser and the proverbial punchers chance against Kovalev, who has been vulnerable in recent fights in taking punches.

DAZN's portion of the challenge sends us to Mexico with Juan Francisco Estrada defending his WBC junior bantamweight title against DeWayne Beamon.
Estrada, who fought brilliantly in winning the title in his rematch with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, is using this fight as a gift to his home fans and is a prohibitive favorite against Beamon, who is severely underqualified for a title fight.

Fox Sports One will showcase talented Brandon Figueroa in a defense of his minor junior featherweight title against Javier Chacon of Argentina.
Figueroa has looked very strong in his last three fights in stopping veterans Oscar Escandon, Moises Flores and Yonfrez Parejo and Chacon has failed each time that his opposition was upgraded in losses to Issac Dogboe, Jamie McDonnell and Anselmo Moreno, so this could be a lopsided fight

RingTV.com will have what might be the best fight of the weekend as Kosei Tanaka defends his WBO flyweight title against Jonathan Gonzalez.
Tanaka's title win over Sho Kimura was my fight of the year last year and his first defense against Ryo Taguchi was a clear but exciting victory.
With the fight taking place in Japan, Gonzalez will have to fight the fight of his life to win the title against the flashy Tanaka, because he has a lot of cards against him.

In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 207-179.

Super Middleweights.10 Rds
Vladimir Shishkin vs DeAndre Ware
R.L: Ware Unanimous Decision
TRS: Shishkin Unanimous Decision

WBO Light Heavyweight Title.12 Rds
Sergey Kovalev vs Anthony Yarde
R.L: Yarde KO 5
TRS: Kovalev Unanimous Decision

WBC Junior Featherweight Title 12 Rds
Juan Francisco Estrada vs DeWayne Beamon
R.L: Estrada KO 6
TRS: Estrada KO 4

Junior Featherweights. 12 Rds
Brandon Figueroa vs Javier Chacon
R.L: Figueroa KO 6
TRS: Figueroa KO 3

WBO Flyweight Title 12 Rds
Kosei Tanaka vs Jonathan Gonzalez
Both: Tanaka Unanimous Decision