Friday, March 8, 2024

Boxing Challenge

  The boxing weekend starts and ends on Friday afternoon with another great show from the Middle East, this time from Riyadh Saudi Arabia.

In the main event, former three-title heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua continues his possible road to another try at the championship against MMA champion Francis Ngannou.

Joshua has been active in the last year, as this will be his fourth fight in eleven months, so Joshua is sharp and won't be entering the bout out of shape.

Joshua also won't be overlooking Ngannou as Tyson Fury did, and Fury was knocked down by Ngannou before winning a close split decision in their fight.

I think Joshua takes Ngannou seriously and controls the fight but Joshua has been stopped and Ngannou can crack, therefore the interest in this fight.

The co-feature is also in the heavyweight division and a key crossroads fight as Zhilei Zhang defends his minor title and mandatory contender slot in the WBO against former WBO champion Joseph Parker, who is coming off the biggest victory of his career.

Zhang beat up Joe Joyce twice to the point of perhaps ending Joyce's career as a title contender but he can be lumbering in the ring and a talented boxer may be able to dance rings around him, which happens to be how I'd describe Joseph Parker.

Parker revitalized his career in his last fight by dominating Deontay Wilder and ruining the long-awaited Joshua-Wilder fight which would have been the likely main event on this card had Wilder defeated Parker as most expected.

This fight will answer questions for each fighter.

For Zhang, did he meet the perfect style for him in the aggressive but slow Joe Joyce?

Or is he a true title contender?

For Parker, has he found a second life in his career with his association with Tyson Fury?

Or was he the fortunate fighter to catch a possibly faded Deontay Wilder before anyone else?

One of the junior middleweight titles surrendered by Jermell Charlo will be awarded to the winner of a very intriguing pairing of unbeaten as Israil Madrimov faces Magomed Kurbanov for the WBA version of the crown.

Madrimov, a former Olympian, hasn't fought since July 2022 after a technical draw in the second of his two fights with Michel Soro, and the two Soro fights are his only two fights in the last three years.

Kurbanov hasn't fought since December 2002 but holds the better victories of the two with decision wins over two former WBO champions in Patrick Texieira and Liam Smith.

WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas defends his title against mandatory challenger, Nick Ball of England.

The smooth-boxing Vargas lost his last fight, a decision to O'Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC junior lightweight title, while Ball dominated former junior featherweight champion Isaac Dogboe to win the eliminator last November by unanimous decision.

Should Ball win, it's rumored that he could unify titles with recently crowned WBA king Raymond Ford on a Saudi Arabian card later this year that will pit five boxers from Eddie Hearn's Matchroom promotion (Ford) against five from those promoted by Frank Warren (Queensbury boxing).

Boxing Challenge

Heavyweights. 10 Rds
Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou
Ramon Malpica: Ngannou KO 6
TRS: Joshua Unanimous Decision
Vince Samano: Ngannou KO 9

Heavyweights. 12 Rds
Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker
R.L: Zhang KO 8
TRS: Parker Unanimous Decision
V.S: Zhang KO 6

Vacant WBA Junior Middleweight Title. 12 Rds
Israil Madrimov vs Magomed Kurbanov
R.L: Madrimov Unanimous Decision
TRS and V.S: Kurbanov Unanimous Decision

WBC Featherweight Title. 12 Rds
Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball
All: Ball Unanimous Decision

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