This week will feature fights from all three major platforms and promoters and three of the four heavyweight titles on the line in London.
In the main event in London, Anthony Joshua makes his return to the ring for the first time in a year and for the first time since regaining his WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles from Andy Ruiz.
Joshua defends those three titles in a mandatory bout from the IBF against their top contender Kubrat Pulev.
Pulev is a straight-ahead boxer with little movement and suffered his only loss in a title shot against then-champion Wladimir Klitschko via a fifth-round knockout.
Since that defeat, Pulev has won decisions over Derek Chisora and Hughie Fury as the best of his eight straight wins since the Klitschko loss and he hasn't shown much that would make you think he can beat Anthony Joshua- BUT Andy Ruiz hadn't either and he managed the feat!
Joshua looked very tentative but effective against Ruiz and this version of Joshua may be the start of a transition from exciting and vulnerable to cautious and less so...
The co-feature was scheduled to see the WBO cruiserweight title finally filled after a year and a half (!)
as Krzysztof Glowacki was to face Lawrence Okolie to crown a champion.
Glowacki lost controversially to Mairis Briedis last June, appealed for a rematch and due to the WBSS format, Briedis had a choice- either drop the WBO belt or face Glowacki and leave the WBSS.
Briedis chose the higher dollars and Glowacki has to be involved in any fight for the vacant title.
So Glowacki has dropped out twice due to injury, so Okolie faces substitute, Nikodem Jezewski.
Jezewski is undefeated against the low-level competition, but on short notice, you take what you can get.
The final challenge match from London pits two former title challengers as Hughie Fury (Cousin of Tyson) against Mariusz Wach in a heavyweight ten rounder.
Wach is fairly durable, but 3-4 in his last seven and painfully slow, while Fury is closer to top form, boxes smoother, and should outbox the lumbering Wach.
ESPN takes the stage in the evening with former WBO featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson staying busy before a junior lightweight title fight in 2021 against the winner of WBO champion Jamel Herring against Carl Frampton as Frampton moves to 130 pounds.
Stevenson is clearly about two cuts above Clary, who has lost in his biggest bout in a 2018 IBF featherweight eliminator that would have earned him a title chance had he defeated Kid Galahad.
Clary is a nice fighter at his level, but this shouldn't be very competitive.
I am intrigued by the co-feature with one-time phenom Felix Verdejo continuing his comeback against Masayoshi Nakatani in a ten rounder at junior lightweight.
Verdejo blew out Will Madera in a round in July and seems to be committed to fighting more frequently, but will be tested by Nakatani, who surpassed expectations in taking Teofimo Lopez twelve rounds last summer in Lopez's last fight before winning his IBF title with a second-round KO of Richard Commey.
The Lopez loss is the only loss for Nakatani, so the winner of this fight should wind up with a top ten ranking in the lightweight division.
Showtime also has a three-fight card that isn't as dazzling, but it's interesting enough.
The main event will see flashy Chris Colbert defend his minor title at junior lightweight against Jaime Arboleta.
The colorful Colbert has plenty of speed and boxing ability but has only five knockouts in his fourteen wins and I wonder if he has enough pop as he begins to face the best fighters in the division.
Arboleta has defeated two undefeated fighters, another at 29-2, and in his most recent fight won a split decision over former title challenger Jayson Velez, so he's not an easy out.
Still, Colbert seems to be too elusive for Arboleta in this one.
Super Middleweights Ronald Ellis and Matt Korobov should be the best fight on the card.
Ellis missed weight by five pounds and paid Korobov a chunk of his purse for going through with the fight.
Korobov is in his first fight since tearing his shoulder in the second round against Chris Eubank Jr. last year and gave Jermall Charlo all sorts of problems in losing a close decision in 2018, while Ellis upset Immanuel Aleem in his last fight (Korobov has a draw vs Aleem), but suffered his first loss to DeAndre Ware (Not the Run and Shoot QB) in the fight before that one.
Korobov is 37 and with shoulder questions, but still on the resume' should be favored.
Ellis may be closer to his prime but is taking a leap in competition and I can make a case for either man winning this one.
The opener is Floyd Mayweather's Money Team member Richardson Hitchens taking his first try against better opponents as he takes on former IBF junior lightweight champion Argenis Mendez.
Hitchens is very similar to Chris Colbert, very flashy, fast and not a lot of power, while Mendez has failed against the best of the division with losses to Luke Campbell, Robert Easter, and Rances Barthelemy, despite holding a title at one time.
Mendez is 34 and the perfect opponent to gauge how close Hitchens is to the next level.
In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 167-154.
WBA/IBF/WBO Heavyweight Titles. 12 Rds
Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev
R.L: Joshua KO 9
TRS: Joshua KO 7
Cruiserweights 12 Rds
Lawrence Okolie vs Nikodem Jezewski.
R.L; Okolie KO 6
TRS: Okolie KO 8
Heavyweights. 10 Rds
Hughie Fury vs Mariusz Wach
Both: Fury Unanimous Decision
Junior Lightweights. 10 Rds
Shakur Stevenson vs Toka Khan-Clary
R.L: Stevenson KO 8
TRS: Stevenson KO 6
Junior Lightweights. 10 Rds
Felix Verdejo vs Masayoshi Nakatani
R.L: Nakatani Unanimous Decision
TRS: Verdejo Unanimous Decision
Junior Lightweights. 12 Rds
Chris Colbert vs Jaime Arboleta
Both: Colbert Unanimous Decision
Super Middleweights. 10 Rds
Ronald Ellis vs Matt Korobov
R.L.: Ellis Unanimous Decision
TRS: Korobov Unanimous Decision
Junior Lightweights. 10 Rds
Richardson Hitchens vs Argenis Mendez
Both: Hitchens Unanimous Decision
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