Showing posts with label Luis Nery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luis Nery. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Inoue Retains Undisputed Championship Via Stoppage Due To Apparent Injury

The next chapter in the career of undefeated four-division world champion Naoya Inoue, a man who also holds the distinction of becoming an undisputed world champion in both the 118lb. Bantamweight and 122lb. Jr. Featherweight divisions was one that some felt was a formality. Despite suffering a scare in his last title defense of the Undisputed Jr. Featherweight crown against former world champion Luis Nery, where he was knocked down for the first time in his career, some thought his opponent in former IBF Jr. Featherweight world champion TJ Doheny would be overmatched due to the often devastating punching power that Inoue has.


What fans including those who were in attendance at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on September 3rd were treated to, however, was a surprisingly tactical battle where the challenger more than held his own, despite the bleak odds that he faced.  Doheny used frequent faints to disrupt Inoue’s ability to find a rhythm and put forth a consistent attack. This not only kept the pace of the combat at a measured tactical pace where frankly it seemed in spots to favor the challenger. Doheny was also very tactical in how he picked his spots to throw his punches, mixing from the body to the head and only throwing short combinations. While this was an effective strategy for several rounds, Inoue’s punches were harder and more effective when he did land them.


Although Doheny succeeded in keeping the fight at a pace that seemed to nullify the champion’s usual consistent pressure and offensive attack where it was more competitive, after four rounds, Inoue was able to let his hands go more frequently, landing hooks to the body and the head of the challenger. It was one left hook to the body in the latter seconds of the fifth round that seemed to have Doheny hurt. As round six began, Inoue threw a combination that had Doheny on the ropes attempting to use his lateral movement to defend and evade the incoming punches from the champion. It seemed as Doheny was attempting this as he got hit with a body shot, he appeared to turn awkwardly and indicated an injury before limping back to his corner, clearly compromised in some way. The fight was over just sixteen seconds into round six. 


While this fight did not offer the conclusive outcome that most have come to expect whenever Naoya Inoue fights, there is something to be said about how competitive the fight seemed to be before the stoppage and that this followed a bout where Inoue was knocked down for the first time in his career and faced a determined effort from Luis Nery. In that, it was the first time in Inoue’s career that the fighter known to his fans as “The Monster” appeared to show that like the rest of us, he is human. Ultimately, the champion did what he had to do here in this fight and retained his title via stoppage due to an apparent injury to a fighter in TJ Doheny, who had never been stopped previously in his career. As to what extent of the injury and exactly what that injury was is unknown as of this writing, but in defeat, Doheny was not only able to give a good account of himself, but was also able to ask a question that seems to follow what happened to Inoue in his last bout against Nery. After winning world championships in four different divisions in dominant fashion and becoming an undisputed world champion in two of those divisions, has Naoya Inoue hit his ceiling as far as how high he can go at 122lbs. where he will be able to compete at or near his best? 


It goes without saying that no matter how dominant a fighter is regardless of weight class that as time goes on the accumulation of fights as well as the physical toll one endures during training does have an affect and opposition does tend to be able to withstand punches better as a fighter moves up in weight than was the case in lower divisions for the reason that in a lot of cases, those fighters are natural at the given weight where the fight is taking place. Although this does not necessarily mean that Naoya Inoue is necessarily at a point where he might be declining as far as his skills or punching power is concerned, his last two outings have shown that he is indeed human and may likely have a harder time with the competition as a Jr. Featherweight or even if he chooses down the line to test the waters in the 126lb. Featherweight division in an attempt to become one of the rare fighters to have won world championships in five different divisions.


Regardless of what may be ahead for Inoue down the road, clearly we are witnessing a future Hall of Famer that is one of the rare fighters where the term “Generational Talent” is more than appropriate to describe. This observer is looking forward to whatever might be next.


“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”


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Sunday, September 1, 2024

Is Doheny Catching "The Monster" At The Right Time?

There is little doubt that one of Boxing’s biggest stars in recent years has been the undefeated Naoya Inoue. A fighter known simply to Boxing fans as “The Monster." Inoue has been one of the most dominant fighters of this generation being one of the few fighters to become an undisputed world champion in multiple weight divisions. Currently sitting atop the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division as its undisputed champion, Inoue has rarely faced an opponent that has been able to withstand his constant pressure and punching power, which has seen him score knockouts in twenty-four of his twenty-seven career wins registering a career knockout percentage of nearly 89%.


As intimidating as that statistic is, there have been a few occasions throughout Inoue’s career where he has been tested. Some may recall Inoue’s first encounter with future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire in November 2019 in the finals of the World Boxing Super Series® ️ Bantamweight tournament. In what was the fight of the year, Donaire was able to engage Inoue in a toe to toe battle that went the twelve round world championship distance. Inoue was not only able to continue to dominate all competition following his victory over Donaire to win that tournament, but was also able to score a brutal knockout of Donaire in their rematch in June 2022.


In his last fight, however, Inoue received a scare in his title defense against former two-division world champion Luis Nery in May of this year, when Nery dropped Inoue hard with a flush left hook to the jaw in the first round. While Inoue was able to recover and stop Nery in the sixth round, some might view what Nery was able to do as a possible sign that there might be a way to combat “The Monster." 


Inoue’s next title defense will come on Tuesday, September 3rd at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan against former IBF Jr. Featherweight world champion TJ Doheny. A fight that can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+. Doheny, a veteran of thirty professional fights, held the IBF world championship in the Jr. Featherweight division from 2018-2019, will come into this fight rated number two in the world in the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and number four in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Jr. Featherweight ratings. The challenger will also enter this bout riding a four fight winning streak. 


If one were to look for some additional positives for Doheny coming into this fight, he has twenty knockouts in his twenty-six career wins and has never been stopped in his four career losses. Additionally, Doheny is a world-class boxer and has shown he can go far into fights and go the distance. The question is whether he can do that against a fighter like Inoue.


How can the challenger do this? It is crucial that Doheny establish himself as an elusive target immediately. This is a task that is easier said than done both due to Inoue’s constant pressure as well as his punching power in both hands. Doheny must find a way to offset that pressure and do so for all twelve rounds. An additional challenge will be for him to pick his spots to try and land offense and get back to a safe distance before Inoue can land punches. One approach he could take might be to try and time the champion as he comes forward and take in the role of a counter puncher in looking to counter what Inoue throws. This is how Luis Nery was able to catch Inoue with that left hook in waiting for the champion to drop his hand, which provided a brief opening that he was able to take advantage of. Simply put, Doheny must be tactical and out-think the champion if he wants to become a two-time world champion in this fight.


Although this likely has an appearance of simply the next title defense in what will be a Hall of Fame career for Inoue, it is important to keep in mind that even though he did stop Luis Nery in his last fight and showed that he can deal with adversity, for a fighter with a moniker as “The Monster," it was the first time that Inoue also showed that like every other fighter, he is human. The question that he will have to answer in this bout is whether the knockdown he suffered against Nery was a case of a tactical mistake, which on that night he was able to quickly correct and go on to another victory, or if that brief moment was perhaps a sign that an aura that often follows fighters like Inoue, who are known as " Knockout Artists” might be beginning to fade. If it is the latter, TJ Doheny could be in a scenario where he might be in the right place at the right time to catch Inoue if the champion is starting to slip from his best performances.


"And That's The Boxing Truth.”


Inoue vs. Doheny takes place on Tuesday, September 3rd at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The fight can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 5:45AM ET/2:45AM PT.


ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs. For more information on ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com


(*Card and Start time Subject to Change.*)


(* U.S. Times Only/Check your local listings Internationally.*)


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Thursday, February 23, 2023

February 18, 2023 DAZN Boxing Marathon Thoughts


One of the first marathon days of Boxing in 2023 took place on February 18th as digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, presented three different cards taking place in three different countries taking place in one day. For the purposes of this column, the three respective main events will be discussed.

First, it was former two-division world champion Felix Sturm, who at age forty-four returned to the ring in Stuggart, Germany. The former Middleweight and Super-Middleweight world champion made his debut in the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division.

Sturm’s opponent on this occasion was relative unknown  Sukru Altay. This can best be described as a fight that was fought in a phone booth. In that both men opted to stay in close and engage in a toe to toe battle for ten rounds.

While Sturm was not the fighter he was many years ago in terms of his movement, he still showed flashes of what made him one of the best fighters in the world during his prime.  This included a high defensive guard and disciplined approach in terms of his punch placement. One thing Sturm discovered as this fight progressed as many fighters have when they have moved up in weight is punches that led to knockdowns and knockouts in lower weight divisions does not necessarily have the same effect as one moves up in weight and faces fighters at a heavier weight for whom is that opponent’s natural weight.

Sturm was able to connect with several shots throughout this fight, particularly to Altay’s body that were hard and thudding punches that may have dropped fighters at Super-Middleweight and Middleweight. Altay, the naturally bigger fighter was able to withstand whatever Sturm was able to throw and continue firing offense of his own, including having Sturm hurt more than occasionally over the second half of the scheduled ten round bout. 

An extremely close fight in the eyes of any objective observer, Sturm was able to emerge victorious via ten round unanimous decision, winning the fight by one round, two rounds, and nine rounds to one on the official scorecards. While the 98-91 or nine rounds to one scorecard was not an accurate reflection of what took place in this fight, this observer felt the fight was even, but if one were to base opinion as to who had the upper hand on body language, it appeared as though Altay was the more confident of the two and may have had an edge at the conclusion of the bout.

At forty-four years old and having had a more difficult fight than some may have expected against Sukru Altay, it is difficult to assess where Felix Sturm might go as he moves forward with his career . He does have the benefit of name recognition, particularly throughout Europe, which can help him secure opportunities in whatever division he chooses to compete in. Although he was able to get the victory in this fight, the signs of decline is something both Sturm and his handlers need to keep in mind moving forward. He was in a grueling fight against a very determined opponent and one might say that could be a reason for the signs of decline that Sturm appeared to show. Given his age however, it may be the accumulation of many years and battles in the ring that are starting to show.

This brings us to the second main event that took place on February 18, which was the lone world championship fight to take place on this particular Boxing marathon. This observer is referring to the battle for the WBA Featherweight championship of the world between defending champion Leigh Wood and top contender Mauricio Lara. A bout that took place in the champion’s hometown of Nottingham, England at the Nottingham Arena. For the purposes of this column and it’s length, I will not rehash the various points yours truly made in previewing this fight as part of this marathon day of fisticuffs. What I will say however, is I was surprised in how this fight was fought. To be more specific, surprised in the strategy implemented by the champion.

For much of the fight, Wood was able to keep Lara on the outside due to both his reach and movement. While I felt the fighters split the first four rounds, the tempo of the combat was clearly dictated by Wood, and it also appeared that he was able to get the better of many of the exchanges as well. One thing that Wood did that would proof to be detrimental as the fight progressed is he left his chin up after he threw punches. Although this is a habit many fighters on every level of the sport tend to have, it is something that can only be corrected in the gym when one has time to polish and refine their skills both offensively and defensively. 

Despite this, as the fight progressed, Wood appeared to gradually be taking control of the action in addition to dictating how the fight was fought. As clear as this appeared, in Boxing and by extension all combat sports, anything can happen. In round seven, Lara connected suddenly with a flush left hook to the jaw as the two fighters simultaneously threw left hooks that sent Wood down on his back on the canvas. The champion was able to make it to his feet, despite being on unsteady legs. Just as it appeared that the fight would be allowed to continue, Wood’s trainer Ben Davison threw the towel in to stop the fight making Lara the winner and new WBA Featherweight world champion.

Following the fight, I commented on social media that I could see both sides of an argument though Wood as the champion deserved the chance to continue, a trainer knows what their fighter has and can see things that fans and those of us in the media cannot see. While the circumstances of the stoppage and loss of his world championship are heartbreaking for Leigh Wood and his fans, Ben Davison is one of the best trainers in the sport and a decision like that is not an easy one to make when it has to be made in a split second. While people will likely call the decision Davison made controversial, Wood was badly hurt and did not appear to know where he was in addition to not having control of his legs. On this basis, I feel Davison made the right call to stop this fight.

As heartbreaking as the loss of a world championship is for any fighter, it is better for a fighter to be protected from themselves in circumstances where they are clearly hurt and in a position where they are compromised. Although fans may not appreciate what Ben Davison did in this fight, he put his fighter ‘s well being above all else including a world championship and all the benefits that come with it including, but not limited to the financial incentives both for the fighters as well as the trainer. In doing so, Davison also ensured that his fighter will have the opportunity to come back after he takes some time to recover, as opposed to potentially dealing with a serious injury if not God forbid worse. It is often when trainers and referees do not recognize when a fight should be stopped that the risk for serious and potentially permanent injury to a fighter is increased. Thankfully for Leigh Wood, Ben Davison ensured that he can come back and the only question is whether or not he will invoke his rematch clause, as opposed to whether or not he will be able to return to the ring at all.

The finale of this particular Boxing marathon took place in Pomona, CA where Jr. Featherweights Luis Nery and Azat Hovhannisyan treated Boxing fans to a memorable give and take battle between two of the top contenders in the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division. A grueling fight that saw nearly non-stop toe to toe action from the opening bell. This was a fight that followed one pattern. Nery being the fighter looking to use his movement and the length of the ring to his advantage, Hovhannisyan the fighters pressing forward constantly looking to corner his opponent and land power shots.

When fights are fought in such a pattern, it is the fighters that uses lateral movement that often tries to catch their opponent with offense as they come forward and then use that movement to evade and maintain a distance where they are able to connect and the opposition can not. For much of this fight, this was the way Nery fought Hovhannisyan and seemed to be getting the better of the exchanges, despite Hovhannisyan being able to apply constant pressure. As the fight progressed, Hovhannisyan was able to close the distance slightly between himself and Nery. He did this by focusing a portion of his attack to Nery’s body.

Although the element of body punching is truly an underappreciated art in Boxing, it remains one of the best, if not the best way to try to limit an opponent’s movement. While Hovhannisyan ‘s body attack was sporadic, it did result in him being able to narrow the distance between himself and Nery, which in turn created some heated exchanges between the two fighters.

It would be Nery’s tactical approach however, that would ultimately wear Hovhannisyan down, Nery would score a knockdown of the always “Game” Hovhannisyan in the tenth round with a short left hook to the head and would force a stoppage in the eleventh round of the scheduled twelve round bout. Even though Hovhannisyan came out on the losing end of this fight, he showed a lot of heart and he does deserve credit for making this an exciting fight to watch. The lack of consistency in his body attack however, I felt worked against him and if he were more consistent, perhaps this fight would have ended differently as when he was able to land it was effective. It was simply a case where he was unable to break Nery’s rhythm and as a result, the pattern of the fight never changed, with Nery generally getting off his punches first and being able to move, which ultimately led to him being able to break Hovhannisyan down.

As for Luis Nery, he is currently rated number two in the world by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and will likely be in position to challenge the winner of the upcoming fight between WBC world champion Stephen Fulton and undefeated former Undisputed Bantamweight world champion  Naoya Inoue later this year. While Nery probably took more punishment in this fight with Azat Hovhannisyan than he or his handlers would have liked, it was still an impressive performance and one that will likely make him the logical opponent for the winner of that fight.

Ultimately, these three exciting main events stretched across three different Boxing cards in three different countries is as good an illustration as any to a consumer as to the value of a DAZN subscription. While that is something that the network strives for in an era where subscription-based streaming is becoming the dominant force in all of television including sports, it should not be overlooked that recently DAZN raised it’s monthly subscription option in the United States to $24.99 per month, while also raising it’s annual subscription option to $224.99 per year. A move that has angered some fans as the network also intends to offer occasional pay-per-view events, which would not be included with the increased subscription options.

Although this is likely due to the ongoing effects of the ongoing COVID-19 global epidemic from a standpoint of operational costs as well as the challenge of acquiring broadcast rights to various sports globally outside of Boxing in an increasingly expanding market as many sports and leagues look to transition away from traditional television to streaming, any network in DAZN’s position is constantly walking a tight rope in an effort to both make a profit and provide value for their subscribers. While the use of the outdated and overpriced model of pay-per-view is not a wise strategy even when used on an occasional basis for any network in 2023 as buys for such events continue to decline, if one is objective, it is hard to say that DAZN is not providing value for their subscribers. As walking the tight rope becomes increasingly more challenging however, there will likely come a point where the network will have to come to terms with fighters and promoters who continue to insist on the use of pay-per-view if they want to maintain and add value for an increased subscription price.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

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Wednesday, February 15, 2023

A Boxing Marathon Set To Air On DAZN On February 18th

A consistent theme of this observer’s work particularly here on The Boxing Truth® over the last several years has been the gradual shift of the sport of Boxing away from traditional television platforms and pay-per-view and towards digital subscription-based streaming networks and platforms. While the pay-per-view model unfortunately still exists in 2023 and has even creeped into the subscription-based streaming model, one of the benefits to subscription-based streaming as it relates to Boxing is generally offering more value to consumers as compared to traditional television platforms, including, but not limited to, offering a subscriber the opportunity to see every bout on a card as well as offering multiple events on one platform in a single day.

On February 18th, digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN will offer a full day of Boxing from three different countries that will feature a former world champion continuing his comeback, a fight for a version of the World Featherweight championship, and an encounter between two top Jr. Featherweight contenders looking to take another step towards a world title shot.

First up will be former two-division world champion Felix Sturm, who will return to the ring to face veteran Sukru Altay in Stuttgart, Germany in a ten round Light-Heavyweight bout. Although Sturm is a former world champion in both the Middleweight and Super-Middleweight divisions, he is perhaps best known, particularly to American Boxing fans, for his first professional loss, when he lost a controversial twelve round unanimous decision and his WBO World Middleweight championship to Oscar De La Hoya in June 2004. A fight that many, including yours truly, who covered it, felt that Sturm deserved the decision. Nearly nineteen years later and many fights and ups and downs outside the ring, Sturm, now forty-four years old looks to continue a comeback that began in 2020, but one where he is coming off of a loss.

In that fight one year ago, Sturm dropped a twelve round majority decision to Super-Middleweight Istvan Szili. Now looking to bounce back from what was the sixth loss of his career, Sturm will set his sights on a third weight class, the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division. For his Light-Heavyweight debut, Sturm will face relative unknown Sukru Altay. Quite frankly, this fight can be described as one where the theme is “The Unknown.”

What exactly is “Unknown” the reader might ask? Well in simple terms, both fighters have questions to answer in this fight. It is unknown just how much Felix Sturm has left at age forty-four and being several years removed from both his physical prime as well as when he was a world champion. Although he is coming into this fight off of a loss, the big question at least in my eyes is whether or not his sporadic activity since his return in 2020 has done more harm than good. While some of the issue of his activity could perhaps be blamed on the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, Sturm has only fought once per year since his return from a four year hiatus in 2020. The biggest enemy for any fighter throughout combat sports is inactivity, especially for a fighter at an advanced age as Sturm now is. This in addition to the obvious question of how he will look as a Light-Heavyweight is the “Unknown” that surrounds him. At his best, Sturm was a solid combination puncher with a tight defensive guard and consistent jab, in which the rest of his offense flowed off of. It will be interesting to see both what the former champion has left as well as what he will bring to the fight.

Similarly, it will also be interesting to see what Sturm’s opponent Sukru Altay will bring into this encounter. The perhaps bigger “Unknown” beyond the questions that surround Sturm is just who is Sukru Altay? Altay will enter this fight with a record of 15-2, with 14 Knockouts. Despite being at a significant experience disadvantage compared to Sturm who will be entering the ring for the fifty-third time in his professional career, Altay does have an 83% career knockout percentage. The potential flaw to that however, is that he has not fought anywhere near the level of competition as Sturm has and that is the big “Unknown” that surrounds him going into this fight. Whether Altay’s record is a case of a fighter lacking opportunity and simply beating whatever opposition that has been put in front of him while waiting for an opportunity to face a notable opponent, or if his record is a product of clever matchmaking is something that remains to be seen.

This brings us to the second main event that will be featured as part of this marathon of Boxing on February 18th.  A highly anticipated encounter for the WBA Featherweight championship of the world between champion Leigh Wood and challenger and WBA number ten rated Featherweight contender Mauricio Lara, which will headline a Boxing card at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. Wood, who was recently named full WBA world champion in the Featherweight division after previously holding Interim/Regular champion status in the WBA’s rankings will be making his second title defense in his reign, which is now recognized by the WBA following former champion Leo Santa Cruz vacating the championship to compete full-time in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division. In his last fight in March of last year, Wood scored a scary twelfth round knockout over previously undefeated Michael Conlan in what was a close and competitive fight where Wood knocked his opponent out of the ring and out of the fight in the final round.

As scary as that knockout was, Conlan was okay after spending time in a near by hospital and has resumed his career with two victories since that loss and would appear to be nearing a potential rematch with Wood. Before what would be a lucrative second bout between the two, Wood must get past a very dangerous opponent in Mauricio Lara.

Lara will enter this fight having won six of his last seven bouts with the only blemish coming in his rematch with Josh Warrington, who was between reigns as IBF Featherweight world champion at the time of his two encounters with Lara. As most know, Lara knocked Warrington out in their first encounter, but the rematch between the two ended in a technical draw due to Lara suffering a bad cut in the second round as a result of an accidental head butt.

Since that rematch in September 2021, Warrington has gone on to regain the IBF world championship in the division and would likely welcome a third bout with Lara if Lara can win the WBA world championship in this fight against Leigh Wood as it would raise the stakes of a third bout to also be a unification bout. This will be Lara’s first attempt at a world championship in this fight against Wood and stylistically, this could be a fight similar to Wood’s bout with Michael Conlan as both fighters can do a little of everything and both have shown punching power in previous bouts.

Lara has likely seen Wood’s bout with Conlan where the champion was dropped in the first round and was behind on all three official scorecards prior to Wood being able to catch Conlan in the final round. While if Conlan, who was knocked down in the eleventh round in that fight had been able to continue after being knocked out of the ring in the twelfth round, the bout might have ended in a draw, Lara likely knows if he is able to get out to a lead early in the fight as Conlan had done, he will need to pace himself as Wood tends to come on as a fight progresses and seems to get stronger as a fight moves into the middle and late rounds. With much at stake for both fighters, a world championship on the line, and potentially more lucrative paydays ahead for the winner, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top of a fight that appears to be evenly matched on paper. 

Finally, the day of Boxing on DAZN will conclude with an intriguing Jr. Featherweight encounter between two former world title challengers who are each looking to position themselves for another opportunity at a world title. This observer is referring to the bout between Luis Nery and Azat Hovhannisyan, which will be taking place in Pomona, CA.

The bout, which is scheduled for twelve rounds, brings together two of the top contenders in the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight division. Although both fighters each have career knockout percentages above 70%, this is a clash of styles between a boxer in Nery against a puncher in Hovhannisyan. The similarity between the two fighters however, is that both men have been unbeaten since losing their respective challenges for world titles. Both fighters are likely more than aware of what the other can do and it will be interesting to see how they approach each other in this crucial fight in their respective careers. While a loss for either man would not likely signal the end of the road in terms of their career, another setback at this stage would likely move them back further from potential contention and it will take some time to try and rebound from it.

A tripleheader of Boxing events that offers a little bit of everything for any Boxing fan. Whether this will be the start of what could become a regular occurrence for DAZN and other streaming networks remains to be seen. What a day of Boxing such as this does demonstrate however, is not only the benefit of a subscription-based model, but more specifically the value for the subscription price. Even the harshest critics of the sport should view that as a step forward even in an era where there are those who continue to embrace other models that cost more to the consumer and do not offer value for what they are asked to pay.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.

Sturm vs. Altay takes place on Saturday, February 18th at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. The fight as well as it’s undercard can be seen on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 10:50AM ET/7:50AM PT.

Wood vs. Lara takes place on Saturday, February 18th at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. The card can be seen on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning with Before the Bell, which will also feature preliminary bouts beginning at 10:30AM ET/7:30AM PT. This will be followed by the main card, which is scheduled to begin at 2PM ET/11AM PT.

Nery vs. Hovhannisyan takes place on Saturday, February 18th at the Fox Theater in Pomona, CA. The bout as well as it’s full undercard can be seen on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 6PM ET/3PM PT.

*All events will be available on demand.*

*U. S. Start Times Only*

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

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