Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Boxing Challenge

ESPN and Top Rank are back with a three-card week for the boxing challenge with a world champion in a  non-title fight, two former world champions, and a mandatory challenger for a world title, all in action this week.

Tonight's main event will pit the WBO's number one contender at 118 pounds, Joshua Greer in a stay busy contest against Mike Plania of the Philippines.
Greer awaits the eventual winner of the scheduled three-title unification fight between Naoya Inoue (WBA and IBF) and John Riel Casimero (WBO) and will likely fight the winner in their next fight.
The Chicago native has won two close decisions in his last two fights, including a majority decision over Nikolay Potopov that I thought that he clearly lost to move him to the top of the WBO rankings.
Plania has fought just once against top competition in losing a decision to former WBA champion Juan Carlos Payano, so we'll see what he brings against Greer, but lasting the distance against Payano does indicate some durability.

The Tuesday co-main event will match a rising fighter in undefeated welterweight Giovani Santillan and a former world champion in former WBC lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco.
Santillan appears to be a well-rounded southpaw from Thompson Boxing that I've been impressed with in the times that I've seen him on Thompson's Facebook streamed contests and DeMarco will be his first step up in competition,
DeMarco is a bit past his prime from the days that saw him defeat the likes of Jorge Linares and John Molina at lightweight and has lost five of his last seven fights but lasted the distance in all of them against bigger and quality opponents such as Jessie Vargas, Rances Barthelemy, Omar Figueroa, the late Maxim Dadashev, and Jamal James.
There is no shame in losing to any of those names (Three former world champions and two top ten contenders) and DeMarco should be a strong measuring stick for Santillan in an interesting pairing.

Thursday from Las Vegas will pair former IBF junior lightweight and WBO lightweight champion Jose Pedraza against Mikkel LesPierre in a junior welterweight fight.
Pedraza lost a decision to Jose Zepeda in his last bout, but with Zepeda working his way into top contender status the loss is nothing to be ashamed of.
LesPierre is a slick southpaw that has lost only once in a title challenge to then WBO champion Maurice Hooker via a lopsided decision, but Pedraza hasn't always entered fights motivated and slick southpaws often pull upsets against ill-prepared fighters.

Saturday night, the stage moves to Mexico City as the hardest working man in boxing- WBO junior featherweight champion Emmanuel Navarrete returns to the ring against journeyman Uriel Lopez in a non-title event at featherweight.
Lopez is only 13-13-1 and is likely to be an opponent to get some work in for Navarrete, who will be fighting for the seventh time in the last eighteen months.

In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 50-43.

Bantamweights. 10 Rds
Joshua Greer vs  Mike Plania
Both: Greer Unanimous Decision

Welterweights. 10 Rds
Giovani Santillan vs Antonio DeMarco
Both: Santillan Unanimous Decision

Junior Welterweights. 10 Rds
Jose Pedraza vs Mikkel LesPierre
Both: Pedraza Unanimous Decision

Featherweights. 10 Rds
Emmanuel Navarrete vs Uriel Lopez
R.L: Navarrete KO 3
TRS: Navarrete KO 5


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