This Saturday isn't the most exciting day in recent boxing but there is a number of very notable bouts taking place with one bout in particular being worthy of the attention of boxing fans. That stand out bout sees Heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53) return to the US for the first time in 7 years as he defends his IBF/WBO/WBA “super” and IBO titles against unbeaten American Bryant Jennings (19-0, 10). The bout sees Klitschko returning to Madison Square Garden, the venue that he stunk out with a wide but incredibly dull win over Sultan Ibragimov back in 2008. We're expecting a better fight here but Jennings is taking a huge leap up in class and is widely expected to be a lamb to the slaughter. The interesting part isn't the actual fight but instead Klitschko's return to the US as he moves a step closer to complete unification and a bout with WBC champion Deontay Wilder. On the same card is a good looking Welterweight bout. This will see rising star Sadam Ali (21-0, 13) take on potential banana skin Francisco Santana (22-3-1, 11). Ali looked impressive last time out when he stopped Luis Abregu however this bout promises to be a very different test for “The World Kid”. In a mouth watering Flyweight encounter fans will see former IBF champion Moruti Mthalane (31-2, 20) battle against fringe contender Jose Argumedo (14-3-1, 8). Mthalane will be defending his IBO title here and should see off Argumedo though we're hoping to see him in a more meaningful bout next time out. A bout between Mathalane and any of the top Asian fighters, such as Johnriel Casimero, Kazuto Ioka or Amnat Ruenroeng, would certainly be interesting and we'd love to see him in with any of those guys. There is also a female bout of note which will see WBC female Lightweight champion Delfine Persoon (32-1, 15) defending her belt against Nicole Boss (13-4-2, 7). Persoon is among the very best female fighters and should be able to retain her title relatively easily her, however Boss has won her last 6 bouts and enters the bout as the European champion. One other bout that caught our attention comes from Puerto Rico where the fast rising Felix Verdejo (16-0, 12) takes on Marco Antonio Lopez (24-5, 15). Verdejo has looked like a star in the making so far though does still need a few more fights before considers fighting for a world title bout. This the unbeaten man's first scheduled 10 rounder though we don't see Lopez surviving 10 rounds with the talented Puerto Rican. (Image courtesy of http://www.klitschko.com)
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This past Sunday saw one of female boxing's true super fights as the two top Lightweights collided. The bout, between Delfine Persoon (29-1, 13) and the previously unbeaten Erica Anabella Farias (19-1, 9) was supposed to leave us with a clear indication of who is the best female Lightweight on the planet. Unfortunately, though as we often see in this sport, the bout left us with no clearer indication of who really is the better fighter. The bout was sloppy and aggressive from the off with both trying to behead the other. It was fun to watch but lacked the sweet science that some would have expected from the two women involved. Later on the sloppiness from both saw headclashes and forced the referee to deducted a point from either fighter under the WBC accidental foul rule. Going in to the final round it seemed pretty even and it looked like it was all for the taking. The final round all Farias as she dominated, almost certainly proving that she was the better fighter. Unfortunately though the judges disagreed and gave Persoon the decision with unquestionably unfair scores declaring the Belgian the winner with cards of 96-93, 96-92 and 96-92, effectively scoring the bout 7 rounds to 3 in favour of Persoon, a disgraceful set of scores. The victory sees Persoon taking the WBC belt from Farias who had held the title since 2011. (Image courtesy of boxeohoy.blogspot.com) It's not often that we get a world class bout on Sunday but that's what Belgian fans get this weekend when their queen of the ring Delfine Persoon (28-1, 13) faces Argentina's unbeaten Erica Anabella Farias (19-0, 9) in a battle for both the WBC female Lightweight and for the over-all position as the elite female Lightweight.
Going in the two women have traded the #1 boxrec ranking for the last year or two and they are easily the two standout fighters in the division. This bout is to decide the clear number #1 though of course with Persoon being at home it's fair to say a robbery or controversial decision may harm the legitimacy of the bout. Interestingly for Belgian boxing this bout comes just days before Stephane Jamoye fights Shinsuke Yamanaka for the WBC Bantamweight title. The country, which is a boxing minnow, may well have a double celebration by the end of this week. |
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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