Boxing Challenge

Four fights in the boxing challenge this week as ESPN and Top Rank finish their summer series as baseball returns and Golden Boy makes its comeback with their partners at DAZN.

ESPN delivers an intriguing main event with undefeated former WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez facing durable veteran Jayson Velez in the final test for Valdez before an anticipated challenge of WBC junior lightweight kingpin Miguel Berchelt.
Valdez survived a knockdown to gain a questionable seventh-round stoppage over the smaller late replacement Adam Lopez in his last fight and could be damaged goods from the broken jaw and pounding in his 2018 win over Scott Quigg.
Velez has won his last three bouts by stoppage since losing a ten-round decision to Ryan Garcia at lightweight and could be sitting on an upset.
Valdez is the more skilled fighter, and I lean his way slightly but Velez is the naturally larger fighter, takes a good shot, and just may ruin the Berchelt-Valdez fall bout.

We usually don't have eight rounders in the challenge, but the return to the ring by former WBO junior featherweight champion Issac Dogboe is a special circumstance and when the opponent is a fighter that has twice challenged for world titles, an exception is made.
Chris Avalos was overmatched in both of those shots and in the latter against Leo Santa Cruz was undeserving, but should be a good gauge for what Dogboe has left after losing two fights and his championship to Emanuel Navarrete in 2018 and 2019.
Dogboe is rising to featherweight in his comeback and Avalos should be able to make an interesting battle in this eight-rounder.

DAZN finally returns on Friday after taking my money for the last (almost) four months with a Golden Boy card from Indio, California with a coming star in welterweight Vergil Ortiz.
Ortiz has dazzled as he rose up the cards and I'm a little disappointed in the selection of trialhorse Samuel Vargas as his opponent.
Ortiz has dominated solid veterans Mauricio Herrera. Antonio Orozco, and Brad Solomon in his last three fights and Vargas is a step below those three fighters.
Still, Vargas has been stopped only by Danny Garcia and Errol Spence, so a stoppage win by Ortiz would be an excellent resume' builder.

The co-main event will pit Hector Tanajara against Mercito Gesta in a lightweight fight.
The undefeated Tanajara won his biggest victory a year ago when he decisioned veteran Juan Carlos Burgos in San Antonio, but he has knocked out only five of his nineteen opponents.
Gesta should be a decent test for Tanajara as he has lost only three times, but he has lost each time that the opposition increased and was dominated in a decision loss to Jorge Linares.
This should give Tanajara an idea of where he currently stands in the division.

In the Boxing Challenge, I lead Ramon Malpica 69-61.

Junior Lightweights. 10 Rds
Oscar Valdez vs Jayson Velez
Both: Valdez Unanimous Decision

Featherweights 8 Rds
Issac Dogboe vs Chris Avalos
R.L: Dogboe KO 8
TRS: Dogboe Unanimous Decision

Welterweights.10 Rds
Vergil Ortiz vs Samuel Vargas
R.L: Ortiz KO 6
TRS: Ortiz KO 3

Lightweights.10 Rds
Hector Tanajara vs Mercito Gesta
Both: Tanajara Unanimous Decision