This weekend has two cards on Saturday with a Irish card that is highlighted with Dickens vs Cacace for possibly the WBA interim super-featherweight title(according to ESPN the title isn't on the line). Dickens won the interim title with a blow out of Albert Batyrgaziev in Turkey and seems to be having an Indian Summer and his fight against the equally spry Cacace could be an all action fight as the Irishman hunts down his opponents and has taken the scalp of Leigh Woods and Joe Cordina, the undercard features various Irish prospects too.
In North America a Golden Boy promoted card only has one White fighter on the card (Cayden Griffiths) but features a world title bout in the strawweight division in the semifinal bout.
This weekend has two cards with two title fights headlining them. In Orlando on DAZN the WBC middleweight title is on the line and it seems the undercard has a string of prospects fighting on them but no White boxers are involved but intriguing Eurasian(half Polynesian) prospect Teremoana Teremoana fights on the undercard and he could steal the show if the middleweight title bout is a tepid affair. His speed and power is rare combination for a man of that size.
In California Lester Martinez headlines a card in a WBC interim title fight he was last seen in a fight of the year candidate against Quebec based African Christian M'billi. This will be a test to see if his style meshed well with the all action M'billi or there is more substance there than that.
On the undercard hard luck and sliding Kudratillo Abdukakhorov is a B side opponent for a prospect. The Uzbek has seen his career hit the skids since he lost a tight decision to Cody Crowley back in late 21'. He will probably need to beat his undefeated prospect opponent pillar to post to get the decision. Also similar to the first card no White fighters are on the card as far as I can tell.
Probably the two biggest combat news stories out of the ring are the death of Chuck Norris earlier today at 86 and the sad saga of Thomas Hearns.
Norris while not a boxer was a former martial artist who fought in tournaments and was always an advocate for youth to participate in martial arts for discipline. Over the years he was seen at various events and at one point he might have been the White version of Bruce Lee who he faux fought on the big screen. I remember the three biggest icons of fighting were Ali, Lee and to a lesser extent Norris around the time I was in grade school.
Thomas Hearns over the last while has had conniving relatives plundering his estate and have left him in arrears to the local government in back taxes and on the verge of insolvency. His son Ronald has won conservatorship of his life and hopefully he lives out what is left of his life in peace and comfort as he seems quite punchy from blows to the head. It's quite a contrast to Leonard his main ring rival.
PS I mentioned Hearns because his story mirrors the sad last days of Casey Kasem and the tabloid fair headlines with his probable elder abuse case.
On the undercard hard luck and sliding Kudratillo Abdukakhorov is a B side opponent for a prospect. The Uzbek has seen his career hit the skids since he lost a tight decision to Cody Crowley back in late 21'.
I forgot about Cody Crowley, he was a good fighter. It's a shame what happened to him. He had to retire because of any eye problem, just when he was really high with the organisations and on the verge of a world title shot.
Yes two decent cards on Saturday but I could be distracted by NCAA basketball but I will make time for Itauma vs Franklin and the question will be if Franklin can go the distance. I haven't looked up the over and under but the prospect is a heavy 20 to 25 to 1 favorite to win the bout. Franklin tends to fight in sparring partner mode to navigate rounds but if he sense fatigue in his opponent will sit down on his punches and fight to win and not survive.
In the evening card mysteries will be solved(pun intended) as either Thurman's blow out win over Jarvis wasn't a mirage or Fundora could walk through and possibly stop the inactive veteran. Also on the undercard Big Gurg is fighting somebody named Cesar Navarro in a ten round bout. I would be shocked if this went the distance as the Mexican national is only 6' and has lost every time he has fought a prospect.
I forgot about Cody Crowley, he was a good fighter. It's a shame what happened to him. He had to retire because of any eye problem, just when he was really high with the organisations and on the verge of a world title shot.
I forgot he had an eye injury that aborted his run to a title fight. He was a rare White Canadian born fighter with elite potential.
This weekend has fight cards on Friday and Saturday and Sunday, this is probably the biggest weekend of the year so far. Pat Brown headlines a prospect card in England on Friday. In his last bout Brown looked spectacular similar to to Itauma but Brown has a problem of getting the media attention of Itauma because of his division which except for rare fighters is largely ignored. He faces a Czech journeyman in this bout who has losses to various prospects including mediocre but huge Jordan Thompson.
On Saturday the two "Geezers at Ceasers " is being fought in London with Chisora fighting Wilder and the winner should be able get a lucrative big money bout against a ranked contender while the loser either faces retirement or will fight on for thin purses as B side name opponent.
Sunday has a stacked all female card based out of England with multiple title fights, also on Sunday an Australian card has Sam Goodman headlining with Tim Tszyu campaigning at middleweight against a domestic level opponent and in the evening Zuffa boxing has another card with Azat Hovhannisyan in a mid card bout. The Armenian based out Glendale is an action fighter, win, lose or draw.
This weekend's boxing schedule. Something for everyone, from heavyweights to featherweights. I believe it will be the end of the road for several of the fighters this weekend, and it might be for the best. Good Friday to everyone.
April 4: London (DAZN)
Deontay Wilder vs. Derek Chisora, 12 rounds, heavyweights
Viddal Riley vs. Mateusz Masternak, 12 rounds, cruiserweights
Denzel Bentley vs. Endry Saavedra, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBO interim middleweight title
Matty Harris vs. Franklin Ignatius, 8 rounds, heavyweights
April 4: Cardiff, Wales (DAZN)
Title fight: Lauren Price vs. Stephanie Pineiro Aquino, 10 rounds, for Price's WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight titles
Rhys Edwards vs. Gully Powar, 12 rounds, for the vacant British featherweight title
Kane Shepherd vs. Teo Alin, 10 rounds, junior lightweights
Lewys Parfitt vs. Morgan McIntosh, 10 rounds, welterweights
Kyran Jones vs. Connor Goulding, 6 rounds, middleweights
Jacob Robinson vs. Eduard Georgiev, 4 rounds, junior lightweights
Mikey O'Sullivan vs. Jose Manuel Perez, 4 rounds, junior lightweights
April 5: London (ESPN App)
Title fight: Caroline Dubois vs. Terri Harper, 10 rounds, for Dubois' WBC women's lightweight title and Harper's WBO women's lightweight title
Title fight: Ellie Scotney vs. Mayelli Flores, 10 rounds, for Scotney's WBC, IBF and WBO women's junior featherweight titles and Flores' WBA women's junior featherweight title
Title fight: Irma Garcia vs. Emma Dolan, 10 rounds, for Garcia's IBF women's junior bantamweight title
Title fight: Chantelle Cameron vs. Michaela Kotaskova, 10 rounds, for the vacant WBO women's junior middleweight title
Chloe Watson vs. Teresa Makinen, 8 rounds, women's bantamweights
Shannon Courtenay vs. Sasha Booker, 8 rounds, women's bantamweights
Elizabeth Oshoba vs. Chelsey Arnell, 6 rounds, women's junior lightweights
Gemma Paige Richardson vs. Johana Rajmont, 6 rounds, women's lightweights
Harvey Smith vs. Juan Alberto Batista, 4 rounds, junior featherweights
Arjon Basi vs. Jake Price, 4 rounds, junior welterweights
April 5: Wollongong, Australia (Amazon Prime Video)
Sam Goodman vs. Rodrigo Fabian Ruiz, 12 rounds, junior featherweights
Tim Tszyu vs. Denis Nurja, 10 rounds, middleweights
Max Reeves vs. Francis Waitai, 10 rounds, super middleweights
Paulo Aokuso vs. Kittipong Jian Hao Ho, 10 rounds, light heavyweights
Callum Peters vs. Delio Anzaqeci Mouzinho, 8 rounds, middleweights
Charlie Kazzi vs. Blair Geraghty, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
Ahmad Reda vs. TBA, 6 rounds, lightweights
Dharringarra Trewhella vs. Dominic Bailey, 5 rounds, junior middleweights
Nelson Asofa-Solomona vs. Jarrod Wallace, 4 rounds, heavyweights
April 5: Las Vegas (Paramount+)
Andres Cortes vs. Eridson Garcia, 10 rounds, lightweights
Mark Magsayo vs. Feargal McCrory, 10 rounds, lightweights
Azat Hovhannisyan vs. Eduardo Baez, 10 rounds, featherweights
Alexis De la Cerda vs. Ervin Fuller III, 8 rounds, featherweights
Robert Meriwether III vs. Tony Hirsch, 8 rounds, lightweights
Jorge Maravillo vs. Elias Diaz, 8 rounds, welterweights
Troy Nash vs. Bryan Rodriguez, 8 rounds, featherweights
Alexis Alvarado vs. Mario Hernandez, 6 rounds, junior featherweights
