The boxing challenge moves into a big weekend with eight bouts on two cards and two networks.
Not all of these fights are going to be televised, but all are important to various degrees.
Showtime has the larger card with three fights on television and the fourth being an important eliminator.
The main event features Deontay Wilder defending his WBC heavyweight title against the man that he won his title from and the only man that has taken Wilder the distance in Bermane Stiverne.
Wilder's competition has been severely questioned since defeating Stiverne as he defended against five less than quality contenders ranging from way past his prime Chris Arreola, journeymen Artur Szpilka and Eric Molina, untested former football player Gerald Washington and no name Johann Duhaupas, but Stiverne has fought just once since their fight in January 2015 and was dropped in a loss to journeyman Derric Rossy, so both can be questioned entering this fight.
Wilder's style which has been a seek and destroy style against most of his foes, boxed more from a distance in their first fight, which makes me wonder just what Wilder brings to the table overall.
This will be interesting to see how Wilder fights in this contest.
Showtime also has a WBC welterweight eliminator as Shawn Porter, who is the top contender already, is staying active against hard luck Adrian Granados, who I thought defeated Adrien Broner, but Granados was never going to get that decision.
This looks to be the best action fight of the weekend and could be close on the cards.
The opening bout on Showtime has power punching Sergei Lipinets against Akihiro Kondo for the IBF junior lightweight title, which was one of the four vacated by Terence Crawford when he moved up to the welterweight division.
This could be a short night for the talented Lipinets as Kondo hasn't fought anyone that has even sniffed the top 15.
The untelevised fight is one with consequences as the WBC has inexplicably decided to make a scheduled fight between Dominic Breazeale and Eric Molina a title eliminator with the winner becoming the next mandatory contender for the Wilder-Stiverne winner.
Breazale, who has only one win since his loss to Anthony Joshua and zero wins over top ten contenders (and hit an Hamburglar alert in a 2015 "win" over Fred Kassi) looks like Larry Holmes next to Molina, who has been knocked out in undeserved title chances against Joshua and Wilder.
This being a title eliminator is one thing, making it the mandatory contender is another.
HBO is showing the main event from Monte Carlo as talented WBA light heavyweight champ Dmitry Bivol defends for the first title in a squash match vs Trent Broadhurst.
Bivol has a chance to be the next great light heavyweight and even though I'd like to see him against better competition, it should be a spectacular ending.
The other three bouts include a minor bantamweight title rematch mandated by the WBA as Jamie McDonnell fights Librado Solis in the same place one year later that saw Solis win a clear decision on my card and McDonnell earn a Hamburglar in getting the unanimous decision.
Scott Quigg attempts to revive a career that's been quiet since his split decision loss to Carl Frampton in a title eliminator at featherweight against Oleg Yefimovych, who is an unknown factor against world class competition.
The winner will become the mandatory for the winner of the WBA featherweight fight between Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares in 2018.
Undefeated German heavyweight Agit Kabayel receives his first jump in competition against veteran Briton Dereck Chisora,
We'll know a lot more about Kabayel after this one as Chisora's track record has been that he beats the pretenders and loses to the true contenders.
I lead the challenge over Ramon Malpica 159-142.
WBC Heavyweight Title. 12 Rds
Deontay Wilder vs Bermane Stiverne
Both: Wilder Unanimous Decision
Welterweights. 12 Rds
Shawn Porter vs Adrian Granados
R,L: Porter Split Decision
TRS: Porter Unanimous Decision
Vacant IBF Junior Welterweight Title 12 Rds
Sergei Lipinets vs Akihiro Kondo
R.L: Lipinets Unanimous Decision
TRS: Lipinets KO 6
Heavyweights. 12 Rds
Dominic Breazeale vs Eric Molina
R.L: Breazeale KO 5
TRS: Breazeale KO 10
WBA Light Heavyweight Title.12 Rds
Dmitry Bivol vs Trent Broadhurst
R.L: Bivol KO 6
TRS: Bivol KO 3
Bantamweights. 12 Rds
Jamie McDonnell vs Librado Solis
Both: McDonnell Unanimous Decision
Featherweights. 12 Rds
Scott Quigg vs Oleg Yefimovich
Both: Quigg Unanimous Decision
Heavyweights. 12 Rds
Agit Kabayel vs Dereck Chisora
R.L: Chisora Unanimous Decision
TRS: Kabayel Unanimous Decision
No comments:
Post a Comment