I want to try to get back to normal sometime this weekend if I can with boxing, Browns, and when I can get through it, I want to write about my mom.
The Boxing Challenge starts early with a Friday DAZN card that seems filled with far more drama than it is worth and ends with a key junior middleweight title fight on Fox Saturday night.
Starting on Friday night, Daniel Jacobs will make his super middleweight debut against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr from Phoenix in a bout filled with licensing problems for Chavez and now hours before the tilt, Chavez missed weight so badly that Jacobs earned an extra one million dollars for allowing the fight to take place.
There are fewer bigger fans of Julio Sr. than I, but I'm very tired of the routine that comes with Julio Jr and he's just not worth the trouble.
For all the drama that comes with Julio Jr, he has always shown a very reliable chin and should Jacobs be able to take Chavez Jr. out, it would still be a notable feat even at this stage of his career.
This is an interesting card other than the main event with the co-feature of an especially intriguing bout for the vacant WBC flyweight title pitting Julio Cesar Martinez against Crisofer Rosales.
Martinez seemed to be close to winning that title in September against then-champion Charlie Edwards as he was delivering a beating to the champion, but after knocking Edwards down, Martinez hit Edwards and the fight was ruled a no-contest when Edwards was unable to continue.
Edwards vacated the title rather than face Martinez in a mandated rematch that was likely to see a similar result.
Rosales is a former WBC champion that upset the once-highly touted Daigo Higa to win the title before losing the championship to Edwards.
The other challenge fight will see former WBO junior welterweight champion Maurice Hooker move to the welterweight division against journeyman Uriel Perez.
Hooker suffered his first loss to Jose Ramirez earlier this year via a sixth-round KO in their unification matchup and with a taller frame, Hooker seems like a better fit at 147.
The most important fight of the weekend is on Fox and the PBC from Ontario California, as one day short of a year and one postponement later, the rematch of one of the most controversial fights of 2018 will finally occur as Tony Harrison defends his WBC junior middleweight title against Jermell Charlo.
Harrison upset Charlo in a fight that most (including me) thought Charlo won fairly handily and when the fight was rescheduled for earlier this year, it was postponed with Harrison suffering a training injury.
Charlo fought late substitute, Jorge Cota, knocking Cota out in three rounds, and then criticized Harrison for faking an injury.
Combine that with the decision and post-fight mess from the first fight and you have a legitimate grudge match entering this fight.
Here's the deal- Charlo should have won the first fight and before that fight, Harrison was thought of as a talented, but flawed fighter that fell short against the best two fighters that he had faced (knockout losses to Jarrett Hurd and Willie Nelson).
If you take those facts, Charlo should be a strong favorite to take the title back.
The other challenge bout is in the heavyweight division as PBC hopeful Efe Ajagba will face Iago Kiladze.
Ajagba has been terrorizing low competition on the PBC side with vicious early knockouts but looked much human in his last fight in July as he defeated Ali Demirezen via a unanimous decision.
Kiladze was knocked out three times in 2018 against top fifteen level fighters on the rise ( Adam Kownacki in six, Michael Hunter in five, and Joe Joyce in five), but made decent fights against all three and in his only fight of 2019, drew over eight rounds against undefeated Cuban Robert Alfonso.
Watch for how Ajagba wins this fight.
Should he knock out Kiladze around the same range as Kownacki, Hunter, and Joyce did, he looks legitimate, but should he go the distance and maybe even struggle or bore?
There is a red flag alert.
Earlier on Friday on ESPN plus, the top heavyweight prospect in the world returns as Daniel DuBois continues to rise on the ladder as he fights journeymen and fighters that are world-ranked, yet shouldn't be.
DuBois still has plenty of questions to be answered and of his 13 wins and 12 knockouts, only Kevin Johnson is anyone that was once considered top twenty and it was Johnson that took DuBois ten rounds. but DuBois looked so impressive in stopping fellow undefeated Nathan Gorman in five rounds in July that he is very highly thought of many (myself included) and is looked at as a potential championship opponent for someone in two years and could be a huge fight for the sport.
Oh, DuBois is fighting someone?
Yes, Kyotaro Fujimoto is 21-1 but has never fought anyone notable, and his only loss came at the hands of Solomon Haumono via a fifth-round KO.
Watch this one and check out DuBois, but don't take to long to settle in...
In a minor title/title eliminator, two former junior middleweight fringe contenders that lost their biggest tests, move up to middleweight and we'll see what happens with Liam Williams facing Alantez Fox.
Williams, who has lost twice to Liam Smith, although in the first fight I had him leading before being stopped on cuts from a deliberate headbutt that should have seen the out of shape Smith disqualified, has the hometown edge against Fox, who at 6'4 might be able to keep Williams on the outside and box his way to a win.
Fox lost his only step up in competition when he lost a decision to Demetrius Andrade and he is not a big puncher, so the key here seems to be can Fox keep Williams off him on the inside?
The fighter that answers that question will likely be your victor.
In the boxing challenge. I lead Ramon Malpica 302-265
Super Middleweights. 12 Rds
Daniel Jacobs vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr
R.L: Jacobs KO 9
TRS: Jacobs Unanimous Decision
Vacant WBC Flyweight Title. 12 Rds
Julio Cesar Martinez vs Crisofer Rosales
Both: Martinez Unanimous Decision
Welterweights. 10 Rds
Maurice Hooker vs Uriel Perez
R.L: Hooker KO 5
TRS: Hooker KO 3
Heavyweights 10 Rds
Daniel DuBois vs Kyotaro Fujimoto
R.L: DuBois KO 7
TRS: DuBois KO 1
Middleweights,12 Rds
Liam Williams vs Alantez Fox
R.L: Williams Unanimous Decision
TRS: Fox Unanimous Decision
WBC Junior Middleweight Title. 12 Rds
Tony Harrison vs Jermell Charlo
R.L: Charlo Unanimous Decision
TRS: Charlo KO 8
Heavyweights. 10 Rds
Eje Ajagba vs Iago Kiladze
R.L: Ajagba Unanimous Decision
TRS: Ajagba KO 6
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