Friday, September 20, 2024

Boxing Challenge

   The boxing weekend is based in the UK with another strong show from Riyadh Season, this one from Wembley Stadium with a key all-British heavyweight showdown with a vacant title at stake.

However, it's not everything as  ESPN/Top Rank's main event between two top two super middleweights from Glendale, Arizona on Friday night is very strong.

Jaime Munguia returns after his first career setback in a unanimous decision defeat to super middleweight boss Canelo Alvarez.

Munguia won't be facing an easy mark in unbeaten Canadian Erik Bazinyan in his first comeback bout.

Bazinyan's competition hasn't been the best and Munguia will be the best opponent he's ever faced but Munguia cannot afford to underestimate Bazinyan.

I'm looking forward to this one.

Wembley Stadium dominates the rest of the weekend with a massive main event for the IBF heavyweight title stripped from Oleksandr Usyk and handed to Daniel DuBois, a fighter defeated by Usyk just one year ago.

DuBois rebounded well from his loss to Usyk, stopping Jarrell Miller in ten rounds and pulling a minor upset when he stopped Filip Hrgovic on cuts in eight rounds, which gave him a minor belt and put him in line to be promoted when the IBF took away the title from Usyk.

DuBois will face a former champion and the biggest boxing star in the UK, Anthony Joshua.

Joshua will attempt to win a heavyweight title for the third time and is on a four-fight winning streak since his loss to Oleksandr Usyk and looked as strong as he has in years in those wins.

With two big punching heavyweights and with each showing vulnerability against big punchers, this has an above average chance of ending suddenly.

The co-feature will be for the European middleweight title but more importantly, the winner should become the top contender for any of the 160-pound division championships.

Tyler Denny has turned an average career around after the pandemic, winning six of seven, fighting to a draw in the seventh, and handed undefeated and heavy favorite Felix Cash, his first loss earlier this year.

Hamzah Sheeraz has won his first twenty fights and has beaten better opponents than Denny, battering unbeaten Austin Williams in eleven rounds in his last outing, stopping former title challenger Liam Williams in only one, and River Wilson-Bent in two,  the same Wilson-Bent who Denny beat by split decision and forced him to a draw.

This seems like Sheeraz big to me.

The next fight is more sanctioning body shenanigans with IBF junior lightweight champion Anthony Cacace facing former featherweight champion Josh Warrington.

Now I've ranted in the past about fighters receiving a title shot without a fight in a division, I did so last week with Danny Garcia but it's the lack of consistency as it happens so often, yet Warrington isn't deemed worthy of an opportunity.

I'd be fine with the IBF's refusal to sanction if they (or the others) do it all the time but they don't.

Cacace won the title with an eighth-round KO of Joe Cordina in May, while Warrington has lost his last two fights, stopped by Leigh Wood in seven, and his title in 2022 to Luis Alberto Lopez via majority decision.

If Cacace wins, he will not be stripped but he will have to face mandatory challenger Eduardo Nunez in his next fight.

Should Warrington win, the title will be declared vacant with Warrington presumably to face Nunez for the title.

A light heavyweight minor title battle is also interesting as unbeaten Olympic silver medalist Joshua Buatsi meets veteran Willy Hutchinson.

Buatsi won a unanimous decision over Dan Azeez in his last fight while Hutchinson scored a minor upset over veteran Craig Richards, against who Buatsi also holds a victory.

Buatsi is the more talented boxer but the gritty Hutchinson will give him all he wants and I have a feeling that Buatsi may have a long night if he has underestimated Hutchinson.

Boxing Challenge

Super Middleweights 12 Rds
Jaime Munguia vs Erik Bazinyan
Ramon Malpica: Munguia KO 8
TRS: Munguia Unanimous Decision
Vince Samano: Bazinyan Unanimous Decision

IBF Heavyweight Title. 12 Rds
Daniel DuBois vs Anthony Joshua
R.L: Joshua KO 7
TRS: Joshua KO 9
V.S: Joshua Unanimous Decision

Middleweights.12 Rds
Tyler Denny vs Hamzah Sheeraz
R.Land V.S: Sheeraz Unanimous Decision
TRS: Sheeraz KO 6

Junior Lightweights 12 Rds
Anthony Cacace vs Josh Warrington
R.L and V.S: Cacace Unanimous Decision
TRS: Cacace KO 8

Light Heavyweights 12 Rds
Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson
R.L: Buatsi KO 9
TRS: Buatsi Unanimous Decision
V.S: Hutchinson Unanimous Decision

No comments: