However, sad news to report as WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence is in intensive care with multiple injuries from a single-car accident this morning in Dallas.
Spence is reported to have been ejected from the vehicle and the car flipped several times.
Spence is also reported not to be in "life-threatening" condition but does have serious injuries that have yet to reported, so no idea how this will affect his boxing career.
The Errol Spence situation is the exact situation where these "interim" titles that these organizations give out like free samples at Sam's Club are actually of use.
Should Errol Spence state that his injuries are severe and he will need a substantial time away from the game, this is where an interim title makes a lot of sense.
If Spence and his doctors would say that he would need a year to eighteen months away, the organization could quickly sanction an interim title fight within 30 days (no more than 60) between the top two contenders to take the fight as if you don't do this quickly, it doesn't do a lot of good and state as follows- the winner of this fight is the interim champion for (amount of time Spence would be away), and upon Spence's return (he'll be allowed one tuneup fight), the interim champion will have to fight Spence within 90 days of Spence's tuneup.
The winner will become the full champion and the interim title is disposed of.
Should Errol Spence not be able to return within the detailed amount of time, the interim champion will be elevated to full champion, although should Spence return to the ring, the same stipulations apply for fighting him.
Situations dealing with a long-term injury is the only time that interim championships should be in use.
Former world cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk makes his heavyweight debut in Chicago on DAZN in what is expected to be an enhancement match against late replacement Chazz Witherspoon.
Usyk was expected to debut earlier this year against a solid opponent in top 15 heavyweight Carlos Takam before an injury to Usyk foiled that fight.
Usyk, who is the mandatory challenger in the WBO, wasn't going to fight someone too tough and when Takam changed promoters and also wanted to change terms of compensation for the rescheduled bout, Takam was scrubbed.
Enter Tyrone Sprong, a fighter so obscure that I had to look him up and once I did, I discovered that I had never heard of any of his opposition either!
Yet Spong conveniently popped up as the WBO's number six contender in a stunning development that one would never expect from a boxing sanctioning body, which at least someone could claim him as qualified
Spong then fails a PED test and a desperate Eddie Hearn has to take almost anyone on a few days' notice and it's Chazz Witherspoon.
Witherspoon, the nephew of former WBA and WBC champion Tim Witherspoon, hasn't lost in his last eight fights, but those eight wins were against opponents that Tyrone Spong would sign up for and in his last fight against anyone you have heard of, Witherspoon was stopped by Seth Mitchell over seven years ago,
In other words, it's a mismatch, but one no worse than Tyrone Spong might have been and the circumstances do make it somewhat understandable, but I'll be surprised if this turns out to be anything more than a squash match.
Also on this card, Dmitry Bivol defends his WBA light heavyweight title against fringe contender Lenin Castillo.
Bivol is having problems finding opponents, which is why he is defending against Castillo, who is 20-2 but lost his only fight against top ten opposition against Marcus Browne, although Castillo did last the ten round distance against Browne, who is a solid banger, so Castillo could stick around for a while.
ESPN Plus will be showing Josh Warrington defending his IBF featherweight title in a stay busy fight against Sofiane Takoucht of France.
Not much to say about this one other than it should go 12 rounds.
In the boxing challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 239-208
Heavyweights. 12 Rds
Oleksandr Usyk vs Chazz Witherspoon
R.L: Usyk KO 7
TRS: Usyk KO 6
WBA Light Heavyweight Title,12 Rds
Dmitry Bivol vs Lenin Castillo
R.L: Bivol KO 6
TRS: Bivol Unanimous Decision
IBF Featherweight Title. 12 Rds
Josh Warrington vs Sofiane Takoucht
Both: Warrington Unanimous Decision
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