After being deprived of live action for so long especially in front of crowds, the fights are coming thick and fast through the early part of 2022, including a hugely anticipated all-Asian rematch. Already this month we have seen some incredible fights, controversial decisions as well as the news that Tyson Fury will retire after his upcoming fight with Dillian Whyte, but on March the 19th fights take place across an incredible 5 continents.
Masamichi Yabuki Vs Kenshiro Teraji The fight that will be of particular interest to fans of Asian boxing is the rematch between Masamichi Yabuki and Kenshiro Teraji. Last September’s fight was not only one of the fights of the year, but it also produced one of the shocks of the year. Yabuki went in as a big underdog, but after almost thirty minutes of ferocious action stopped Teraji in the tenth to not only take his WBC junior flyweight belt but also his undefeated record. As anyone who knows anything about boxing, fighters try to hold onto their 0's like their life depends on it. It is unclear how much the unsettled preparation and build up took out of Teraji, the son of Hisashi Teraji and he and his team immediately called for a rematch. One thing we do now, is that if the fight is anything like the first one, it will be one not to miss. Vergil Ortiz Jr Vs Michael McKinson On the same night in Los Angeles, Ortiz Jr and McKinson go head-to-head in what is an eliminator for the WBO welterweight strap in all but name. It is an intriguing match-up between two unbeaten fighters, and a potentially great clash of styles. Ortiz Jr has a perfect record, all 18 of his fights ending in a stoppage, while McKinson has only two KOs in his 21 victories, but what he lacks in devasting knockout power, he more than makes up for with technical ability and ringcraft. Ortiz Jr, ranked number one contender by the WBO, has an average fight length of just 3.3 rounds, so the British number 3 ranked contender’s plan will be to take him into the later rounds. Sunny Edwards Vs Muhammad Waseem It is a similar story on the same night with another intriguing clash, this time in the Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai. Edwards is very possibly not just the most underrated world champion out there at the moment, but also the most technically gifted one. His style is not everyone’s cup of tea, but then, nor was Mayweather’s. Edwards defends his IBF Flyweight title for the third time, against Waseem who comes into the fight on a rich vein of form himself. Last November he won the WBC Silver flyweight belt by defeating Rober Barrera in another fight of the year candidate, and since losing to Mthalane back in 2018 has gone undefeated. It was Moruti Mthalane who Edwards beat to win the world title, in a unanimous points decision, with one judge giving him every round. The Best of the Rest On such a packed night of boxing there is always the danger that some fights fans should definitely be aware of will end up going under the radar. A lot of people are excited about super middleweight Edgar Berlanga, and he faces his sternest test to date when he takes on Steve Rolls at Madison Square Garden. On the undercard of the Edwards Waseem bill, Regis Prograis goes up against Irishman Tyrone McKenna, with both men hoping to put themselves in the running for a title shot. Prograis was defeated for the first and only time in his fight against Josh Taylor, while one of McKenna’s two defeats was at the hands of Jack Catterall, the man who lost to Taylor in such controversial circumstances. Meanwhile, at The Star Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, undefeated lightweight Jacob Ng will take on fellow Aussie, the veteran Billy Dib.
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