The final Saturday of March gives us a number of really good bouts, both in Asia with an ALA show and around the globe with interesting bouts in Mexico, the US and the UK. In the UK, where we get the first of the big international bouts, fans will get the chance to see the unbeaten Kell Brook (32-0, 22) defend his IBF Welterweight title for the first time and make his first return to the ring following his stabbing last year. The talented Brit, dubbed “The Special One”, will taking on mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan (34-2, 18). The match up is a mandatory but still a good test for Brook, especially given the stabbing incident. If Brook is the same fighter he was when he won the title then he wins this easily, if he's not the same movement then he may well be dragged into a very tough contest. Another bout on this card worth noting is a Middleweight bout between the promising Adam Etches (18-0, 15) and the always testing Sergey Khomitsky (29-11-3, 12). Etches is a fantastic prospect but this is his first real gut check and it's a fantastic time to find out if he's as good as hopes. An interesting Flyweight bout will see the touted Khalid “Kal” Yafai (13-0, 9) put his unbeaten record on the line against Cristofer Rosales (10-1, 7). Yafai is dropping to Flyweight for the first time and although talented he looks like he'll need a lot more seasoning before being ready for a title fight in boxing's toughest division. A bout with relevance to Asian fight fans comes at Super Featherweight where the world ranked Stephen Smith (20-1, 12) battles Jacek Wylezol (11-8, 6) in a stay busy fight. We want to see Smith testing himself against the best in the world, such as Takashi Miura or Takashi Uchiyama, but bouts like this really do leave us wondering what Smith and his team are playing at. In the US fans will see a number of notable bouts, the most notable of which is a WBC Featherweight title bout which sees monster puncher Jhonny Gonzalez (57-8, 48) defending his title against once touted American Gary Russell Jr (25-1, 14). Russell Jr is getting his second shot at a world title, after being beaten by Vasyl Lomachenko last year, whilst Gonzalez looks to record the 3rd defence of the title he won back in 2013 with an upset win against the then unbeaten Abner Mares. Really interesting fight and one we've seen opinions being split on. In an excellent co-feature bout fans will see the talented Jermell Charlo (25-0, 11) battle against Vanes Martirosyan (35-1-1, 21). The fighters involved in this bout should have styles that make for an interesting fight, though we're unsure how exciting it will end up being. Both are talented fighters and both are in the hunt for a Light Middleweight title fight later in the year so both will fight for the win. Jermell's twin brother Jermall Charlo (26-0, 16) will also be inaction on this card as he takes on Michael Finney (12-2-1, 10), who has gone 0-2-1 in his last 3 bouts. Although Finney is a good test for prospects we do think Charlo, both of them in fact, have progressed to contender status and this should be a mismatch in the ring. In Mexico the bout of interesting will see the heavy handed Miguel Berchelt (24-1, 21) fighting against Rene Gonzalez (31-7-1, 23) in a potentially explosive clash between two men who can be hurt and can do the hurting. Neither man afford a loss here and both know that they will have to perform at their best is they are to remain relevant in the under-rated Super Featherweight division. The division looks set to change a lot in the coming 12 months and the loser here will unfortunately miss out on any coming opportunities. The winner however will find themselves put forward as a serious contender later in the year. (Image courtey of www.notifght.com)
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This coming Saturday is a great day for American fans who get a wonderful choice of events with two exciting looking cards going head to head. On Showtime we get a really interesting triple header headlined by a WBC Silver Welterweight title fight between Britain's Amir Khan (29-3, 19), the defending champion, and Devon Alexander (26-2, 14). Both men are former world champions and both know that a win here could well help them move towards a massive payday against Floyd Mayweather. Khan is the betting favourite but to us this is as close to a 50-50 match up as you'll find and it's great to see the two finally getting it on, several years after they should have fought. In one of the support bouts on this card fans will see the much touted and heavy handed Keith Thurman (23-0-0-1, 21) defending the WBA interim Welterweight title against Leonard Bundu (31-0-2, 11). Like the main event this appears to be a great bout though Thurman is the clear favourite given his edge in youth and power. The third part of this card will see Jermell Charlo (19-0, 15) fighting against Lenny Bottai (22-2, 9) in an IBF Light Middleweight title eliminator, with the winner moving towards a shot with Cornelius Bundrage. Sadly this is much weaker than the other two bouts and Bottai really should be brushed aside with ease by the talented Charlo. The other show is headlined by a non-title bout between former 2-weight world champion Timothy Bradley (31-1-0-1, 12) and Argentinian brawler Diego Gabriel Chavez (23-2, 19). This is expected to be a thrilling contest and a real brawl which could potentially be a FOTY contender though could well be a disappointing bout if Bradley ends up relying solely on his superior skills. Another great bout on this card will see WBA interim Light Welterweight champion Mauricio Herrera (21-4, 7) defending his belt against the unbeaten and much touted Jose Benavidez (21-0, 15). This is a real test for Benavidez who was tipped as a future star though has yet to show those magical touches against a decent level of foe. Sadly with the two shows clashing fans will need to make a choice one way or another, though both do look like great cards. (Image courtesy of http://roundbyroundboxing.com) |
InternationalWe know that not every fight involves an Asian fighter but a lot of fights do affect Asian fighter. As a result we've decided to add this new section to Asian boxing where we look at selected International bouts. Archives
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