Although the Boxing schedule since the beginning of 2022 has been sporadic due in part to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic and several postponements of several Boxing cards outside of the United States due to several countries issuing restrictions in an effort to combat the latest surge of the virus and it’s latest Omnicon variant. The end of January 2022 however, will be highlighted by two separate cards on Saturday, January29th promoted by rival Hall of Fame promoters Don King and Bob Arum.
In some ways, this is a scenario that brings Boxing back
to a previous era where Arum and King would go head to head on competing platforms
as each at one time or another held claim as the top promoter in the sport. Now,
in 2022, both Arum and King, each at the age of ninety are each still going strong
and will be promoting two interesting cards that are each compelling for their
own reasons.
First, Don King will present a seven bout card that can
be seen on FITE Pay-Per-View from the Packard Music
Hall in Warren, OH. In the main event WBC Cruiserweight world champion Ilunga
Makabu will make the second defense of his world title against WBC number one
rated Cruiserweight contender Thabiso Mchunu. A rematch from a bout in May 2015
when the then contender Makabu knocked out Mchunu in eleven rounds. Beyond this
fight being a case that can be simply defined as a world champion facing the
mandatory number one contender in the organization in which they hold a world
title, for Makabu, this fight has added significance as he has been named as a
potential opponent for current Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. While obviously a fight with Alvarez, who would move up
two weight classes from the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division to the 190lb.
Cruiserweight division to challenge Makabu, would garner significant attention
due to Alvarez’ standing as arguably the number one marquee draw in the sport,
obviously, the current WBC Cruiserweight champion will need to take care of
matters against Mchunu before any potential bout with Alvarez could be
negotiated.
Although this is a fight between two of the top
Cruiserweights in the world, it is also arguable that this bout between Makabu
and Mchunu has gained considerable attention due to the possibility of a fight with
Alvarez looming ahead for Makabu, should he successfully defend his
championship. In terms of what to expect
when Makabu and Mchunu face off, Makabu is an offensive-minded fighter who has
scored twenty-five knockouts in his twenty eight career wins. The champion has
shown in his career that he has a good power, particularly in his left hook as
well as a willingness to engage in exchanges of offense with his opponents.
While this indicates the possibility for an entertaining bout for the Boxing
fan, it can also leave the champion vulnerable and he was stopped in his two
career losses, which is something to keep in mind. Makabu has been undefeated
since losing in his first world title shot when he lost to Tony Bellew in 2016
for what was then the vacant WBC championship in the Cruiserweight division.
Since that bout, Makabu has been unbeaten in nine bouts in which he has scored
knockouts in seven of those bouts.
Standing across the ring from Makabu will be Thabiso
Mchunu. Mchunu, a fighter with twenty-eight career bouts to his credit will
enter the bout with a record of 23-5, with 13 Knockouts. The challenger is a boxer/puncher, who one might assume will
be looking to extend Makabu into the middle and late rounds of this fight if he
can. Mchunu has won four straight bouts coming into this bout in what will be
his second attempt at a world championship after previously being stopped by
undefeated former Undisputed Cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk in December
2016, when the current unified Heavyweight world champion made a successful defense
of his WBO Cruiserweight crown in stopping Mchunu in nine rounds. Although both
Makabu and Mchunu are not particularly well-known here in the United States,
they are two world-class fighters and it will be interesting to see if they
will be able to take advantage of the increased exposure here and also if the
winner of this bout will be able to secure what will likely be the most
lucrative payday of their career by potentially fighting Alvarez.
The co-main event of this card will see undefeated top
Heavyweight contender Trevor Bryan face undefeated contender Jonathan Guidry in
a bout scheduled for twelve rounds. Bryan, who currently holds interim/regular
champion status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Heavyweight ratings,
has had several on again, off again agreements to fight longtime contender
Manuel Charr, who at one point also held an interim/regular designation in the
WBA ratings. While that fight for whatever reason has not materialized, Bryan will
be returning to the ring for the first time in exactly one year to face the
unbeaten Guidry. In his last bout, Bryan stopped former WBC Heavyweight world
champion Bermane Stiverne in eleven rounds in Hollywood, FL. Bryan will enter this bout unbeaten with a
record of 21-0, with 15 Knockouts.
While this in reality is a fight where Bryan will look to
make a strong argument for himself as a potential opponent for the winner of
the upcoming rematch between undefeated unified IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO Heavyweight
world champion Oleksandr Usyk and former two-time champion Anthony Joshua, he
faces a bit of the unknown against Guidry, who is currently rated number
thirteen in the world by the WBA in the Heavyweight division.
Like Bryan, Guidry is unbeaten in his career and will
enter the bout with a record of 17-0-2, with 10 Knockouts. Guidry has yet to
face a notable opponent in his career and therein lies the element of the
unknown as a big question that surrounds this fight will be what Guidry will
have to offer. Although Bryan is likely to be viewed as a favorite going into
this encounter, it will be interesting to see how Guidry responds to this, his
first notable fight against a top contender and if he does perform well win or
lose if his current standing in the top fifteen of the WBA’s Heavyweight contenders
will be elevated after this fight.
While the Makabu-Mchunu rematch and Bryan-Guidry bouts
will co-headline a pay-per-view card, Bob Arum will stage a Boxing card at the
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, OK. In the main event of this card, which
can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription-based sports
streaming network ESPN+, a battle of top
Jr. Lightweight contenders current WBC number four rated contender Robson
Conceicao will face undefeated WBA number four rated contender Xavier Martinez
in a bout scheduled for ten rounds. This arguably pits two fighters at very
similar stages in their respective careers against each other and is a bout
between two boxer/punchers who can do a bit of everything. Conceicao will be
looking to rebound in this fight after suffering his only career defeat in his
last bout in a failed challenge of WBC Jr. Lightweight world champion Oscar
Valdez in September of last year in which he lost a twelve round unanimous
decision.
Conceicao, who will enter this bout with a record of 16-1,
with 8 Knockouts may have come out on the short end that evening against one of
the best fighters in the world in Valdez, but he did give a good account of
himself in defeat. Although this may have an appearance to some as what is
sometimes referred to within the sport as a “Comeback Fight” fight Conceicao, he
will be facing another top contender in his first bout coming off that loss in Xavier
Martinez.
Some might say that Martinez, who will enter this bout
unbeaten with a record of 17-0, with 11 Knockouts, is in a similar position as
Conceicao was before he faced Valdez in that though he is highly ranked, there
is still somewhat of the unknown as far as how good Martinez might be. In
fairness, in his last two bouts, Martinez did score victories over notable contenders
and former world title challengers Claudio
Marrero and Juan Carlos Burgos. One might argue by now facing a third
consecutive former world title challenger in Conceicao, that if Martinez were
to win this fight that his next bout might be a challenge of one of the world
champions in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division. While there are similarities
between the two fighters in terms of their records, respective rankings, as
well as their Boxing styles, this fight may come down to who is able to get an
advantage on the other and whether or not they will be able to maintain that
advantage for the duration of the fight. An interesting battle between one fighter
looking for his opportunity at a world championship going against another
fighter looking for a second chance.
While January 29th will be a throwback evening
of Boxing for many as two legendary promoters pit their respective cards
against each other on competing streaming platforms in a scenario that is not
unlike how things were for decades between Bob Arum and Don King on across
cable/satellite networks and pay-per-view, the rivalry between the two
continues and though the landscape of both technology as well as the sport of
Boxing as a whole has definitely changed, we will see what this next chapter in
that promotional rivalry has to offer.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
Makabu vs. Mchunu takes place on Saturday, January 29th
at Packard Music Hall in Warren, OH. The card can be seen globally on FITE Pay-Per-View
beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT for $49.99. The FITE app is available on mobile,
tablet, connected streaming devices, and Smart TVs. For more information about
FITE please visit: www.FITE.TV. To order
Makabu vs. Mchunu download the FITE app or Click Here.
Conceicao vs. Martinez takes place on Saturday,
January 29th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, OK. The
fight as well as it’s full undercard can be seen in the United States on
digital subscription-based sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 5:55PM
ET/2:55PM PT. ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, connected
streaming devices and Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible
streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. Check your local listings internationally.
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau
Denison All Rights Reserved.
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