Mexican
Independence Day weekend has traditionally been one of the hottest in the sport
of Boxing for many years. A weekend where some of the sport’s biggest stars
have competed often in high-profile bouts that more often than not are some of
the most-anticipated fights during a calendar year. While it was expected that
the weekend this year would be headlined by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, one of
Boxing’s biggest draws, Alvarez will not be competing. The Boxing fan should
not feel disappointed however, because two of the sport’s major television
players, DAZN and ESPN+ will feature a buffet of Boxing over September 13th-14th
that will likely leave the fan more than satisfied.
The
action will kick off on Friday, September 13th with a card taking
place at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. The card,
which will be broadcast on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN
will be promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. Headlining this card will
be undefeated Lightweight contender Devin Haney who will square off against
fellow undefeated contender Zaur Abdullaev in a bout scheduled for twelve
rounds.
Beyond
this fight being an encounter between two undefeated Lightweight contenders,
this bout will also be for interim championship status in the World Boxing
Council’s (WBC) Lightweight ratings. As readers know, last week this observer
discussed the strong likelihood of the Lightweight division heading towards
full unification. What this means for the winner of the bout between Haney and
Abdullaev is a position as the WBC’s number one contender for current
WBC/WBA/WBO Lightweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko.
While
the winner of this fight will likely have to wait a period of time before
getting that opportunity to fight for a world championship due to both the WBC
championship currently being unified and the likely scenario of Lomachenko
meeting the winner of the mandated IBF Lightweight world championship fight
between champion Richard Commey and undefeated number one contender Teofimo
Lopez to determine an undisputed Lightweight world champion. From a contender’s
perspective it can be frustrating due to mandatory challengers getting their
opportunities on an annual basis in circumstances where there is a unified or
undisputed world champion, a fight like this could be used to generate interest
in what will likely be a lucrative fight for the contender when that fight does
take place.
Devin
Haney has been a rising star and an impressive victory in this fight will
generate the type of buzz that will build anticipation for a world championship
fight. The obvious danger however, is the possibility of looking ahead towards
that potential fight and not focusing on the opponent standing across the ring.
Haney
will enter the fight with a record of 22-0, with 14 Knockouts. In his last
fight, Haney scored a seventh round knockout over Antonio Moran. The native of
San Francisco, CA has a solid mix of hand speed and punching power as was
evident in his win over Moran and has worked his way into the number two
position in the WBC ratings. Although Haney has an impressive record, a
question that is often asked of unbeaten prospects/contenders is when will the
fighter get a test.
In
regard to this fight, there is an element of the unknown. Zaur Abdullaev will
enter the fight with a record of 11-0, with 7 Knockouts. The native of
Dydymkin, Russia is currently rated number four in the WBC Lightweight ratings.
While some may describe Abdullaev’s record as impressive, but limited and also
keeping in mind Abdullaev had a limited amateur career before briefly competing
in the semi-professional World Series of Boxing, he does have a notable win in
his career including over longtime contender Hank Lundy.
If
one were to consider Abdullaev’s two World Series of Boxing bouts as amateur
fights, he still has an overall limited resume when you factor in that he only
had seven official amateur fights. What makes this an interesting comparison is
Haney had twenty-nine fights as an amateur before he turned professional in
December 2015.
While
the overall experience is in Haney’s favor, it will be interesting to see what
Abdullaev will bring into this fight. This will also be the first time
Abdullaev will be fighting outside of Russia and it can be a shock for fighters
competing in the United States for the first time and even more so fighting in
Madison Square Garden. Although this fight will take place in the theater
adjacent to Madison Square Garden’s main arena, the aura of fighting in The
Garden is still real and will likely be a factor for both fighters as Haney
will also be making his MSG debut.
Also
on this card will be a battle for the Women’s WBO Featherweight world
championship between undefeated champion Heather Hardy and former
multi-division world champion Amanda Serrano. This in my view could be the
fight of the night on this card.
Heather
Hardy will enter the fight unbeaten in twenty-two professional fights having
scored knockouts in four of those bouts. In her last fight, Hardy won the WBO
world championship with a ten round unanimous decision over Shelly Vincent in October
of last year. Coincidentally, the venue of her last fight is the same for this
fight. What makes this an interesting fight beyond it being an encounter
between two world champions is in Amanda Serrano, Hardy will be facing a
fighter who has shown an ability to move up and down in weight with relative ease
winning world titles as high as the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division and in her
last fight, also in the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Serrano scored a
first round knockout over Eva Voraberger to win a world championship in the 115lb.
Jr. Bantamweight division in January of this year.
Serrano,
who will enter the fight having won thirty-six of thirty-eight professional
fights has also held the world championship that Hardy currently holds that
will be on the line in this fight. While Serrano has an edge in terms of
experience, this figures to be a well-matched encounter between two
boxer/punchers.
What
this bout may come down to is who can dictate the combat. It is important to
remember particularly for the casual fan that Women’s fights have two minute
rounds. Even though much as is the case in Men’s bouts knockouts do occur,
Women’s bouts are usually fought at a fast-pace and it is not unusual to see fights
end up being close on the scorecards if they do go the distance. With this in
mind, it will be interesting to see who can stand out in this fight given both
are similar in style and both have similar height and reach. Both women know
how to win decisions and both can score a knockout should the opportunity present
itself. Although yours truly does not like to give predictions, I would be
surprised if this fight is not a close and competitive battle for however long
it lasts.
Rounding
out the card is an intriguing Heavyweight bout between top contenders Michael
Hunter and Sergey Kuzmin. This fight pits two top Heavyweight contenders against
each other in what has become one of the more interesting divisions in the
sport. After a long period where the Heavyweights were dominated by the
Klitschko brothers, the division has become one where arguably any top
contender could give a reigning world champion a tough fight and in some cases,
able to derail that champion. This was evident earlier this year when top
contender Andy Ruiz stepped into a world championship fight on short notice and
scored a knockout of previously undefeated unified world championship Anthony
Joshua in the main arena of Madison Square Garden.
While
the top of the division is set for the remainder of 2019, a fight such as
Hunter-Kuzmin could well determine who might challenge for a world championship
in 2020. Hunter, a former world title challenger in the Cruiserweight division
has established himself as a top contender as a Heavyweight having gone unbeaten
in five fights since moving up in weight after losing a twelve round unanimous
decision to Oleksandr Usyk in April 2017 in his only career loss.
Hunter
however, has scored knockouts in four of his five bouts as a Heavyweight
including impressive wins over Alexander Ustinov and Fabio Maldonadoin his last
two fights and will enter into this fight having won seventeen of eighteen
professional fights overall. The opposition for Hunter on this card will come
in the form of the unbeaten Sergey Kuzmin. Kuzmin, who will enter this bout undefeated
in fifteen professional fights, has scored knockouts in eleven of those bouts
including wins over the likes of David Price and Joey Dawejko. Kuzmin is coming
off of a ten round majority decision over Dawejko in March of this year.
The
story here in my eyes will come down to who will be able to control the pace.
While the reader has already seen this observer use this line in this column,
allow me to explain why this also fits in regard to this fight. Hunter is a
fighter who has a good mix of hand speed and punching power. In his fight
against Alexander Ustinov, a fighter who stands nearly 6’8 and weighed 279lbs.
for the fight was out worked by the quicker Hunter and ultimately broken down
as Hunter was able to stip him in the ninth round.
In
contrast, Kuzmin has also scored knockouts by gradually wearing his opponents
down as he did in his fights against David Price and LaRon Mitchell, but has a more
methodical approach and at times this can result in fights being fought at a
slow pace. Although I felt Joey Dawejko did enough to win the decision in Kuzmin’s
last fight, Kuzmin is a fighter who knows how to make fighters fight his type
of fight and it might come down to who is able to implement their fight plan
that will determine who will get the upper hand in this fight. Whomever comes
out on top will likely be in a position to secure a lucrative fight in 2020. Whether
or not that fight will be a world championship fight remains to be seen.
One
Heavyweight that will also see action during the weekend will be undefeated
former unified Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, who will face undefeated
contender Otto Wallin in a fight that can be seen on digital sports streaming
network ESPN+ on Saturday, September 14th from the T-Mobile Arena in
Las Vegas, NV that will be promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc.
Fury,
who will enter the fight unbeaten in twenty-nine professional fights appears to
be heading towards a rematch with undefeated WBC Heavyweight world championship
Deontay Wilder at some point next year in what would be a return encounter of
their draw in December of last year. Before that can come to fruition however,
both Fury and Wilder will face other opposition. For Fury, who is coming off of
a second round knockout over previously undefeated Tom Schwarz three months
ago, that fight will come against another unbeaten, but untested fighter in the
form of Otto Wallin.
Wallin
will go into this fight having won all twenty of his professional fights and to
his credit is the current European Heavyweight champion. As was the case with
Fury’s fight against Tom Schwarz in June, an argument some have stated is that
this will be a mismatch that is likely to favor the former world champion. While
Fury has faced a higher level of competition, you simply do not know what to
expect when two unbeaten fighters enter the ring to do battle. Wallin has
scored knockouts in thirteen of his twenty career wins and this is similar to
Fury’s having scored knockouts in twenty of his twenty-eight career victories.
The
challenge for the European Heavyweight champion will be to find a way to combat
Fury’s awkwardness and elusive style. Despite his 6’9 frame and 85” reach. Fury
is not necessarily a knockout puncher and has shown that he can be difficult to
hit cleanly at times. Wallin must find a way to get Fury’s respect from the
outset to have a chance in this fight. Wallin stands nearly 6’6 and will be at
a seven-inch reach disadvantage. Whether or not Wallin will be able to apply
the type of pressure on Fury on a consistent basis that one would think could
lead to success in this fight remains to be seen.
If
Fury is successful in this fight he will likely wait to see what happens with
Deontay Wilder who is expected to next defend his portion of the World Heavyweight
championship in a rematch against top contender Luis Ortiz later this year,
before deciding who he will fight next. Fury must first tend to business this
weekend against Otto Wallin.
Finally,
the weekend of Boxing action will conclude with a card also on September 14th
from the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA, which can be seen on DAZN
that will be promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. This card
will be headlined by undefeated WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Jaime
Munguia, who will be making the fifth defense of his world championship against
WBO number thirteen rated contender Patrick Allotey. Unbeaten in thirty-three
professional fights, Munguia has scored knockouts in twenty-six of those bouts
registering a career knockout percentage of nearly 80%.
Recently
however, Munguia has appeared to have difficulty making the 154lb. Jr.
Middleweight limit, which has fueled speculation as to how much longer he will
remain in the weight class before opting to move up in weight. There was also
speculation that Munguia was a potential opponent for current unified
Middleweight world champion Saul Alvarez. While nothing to date has come of the
possibility of Munguia facing Alvarez down the line, this fight against Patrick
Allotey does have an interesting storyline that accompanies it.
Following
a close twelve round majority decision in his last fight against top contender
Dennis Hogan, an addition was made to the champion’s camp. The addition came in
the form of former multi-division world champion and Hall of Famer Erik Morales.
Morales won world championships in four weight classes ranging from the 122lb.
Jr. Featherweight division to the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division was one of
the top fighters of the last twenty-five years in the entire sport. A man who could
knock an opponent out with either hand, but also a fighter who had a complete
arsenal of skills can do nothing, but add to Munguia’s already intimidating
skill set.
The
thing that interests me about the addition of Morales to Munguia’s team is to see
what tactical adjustments Morales might be able to implement into Munguia’s fight
plan. Although Morales was capable of scoring knockouts and did have an
entertaining style, over time Morales evolved into a complete boxer who was
also capable of out Boxing his opponents.
Munguia’s
last fight against Dennis Hogan created some doubt as some felt that Hogan deserved
the decision. The fight, which was a mandatory defense for Munguia, now allows
him an elective defense against a top twenty contender. Enter Patrick Allotey.
Allotey
will enter this fight, his first opportunity at a world championship having won
forty of his forty-three professional fights. Although Allotey does have an
impressive record, he has faced several fighters that are not well-known
particularly to Boxing fans here in the United States. Allotay has also been
knocked out in two of his three losses including against his best known
opponent to date Patrick Teixeira in April 2015.
Since
his last loss, a twelve round unanimous decision to undefeated prospect Kanat
Islam in October 2016, Allotey has won six straight fights. Even though this
fight has all the appearance of what most in the sport refer to as a “Stay
Busy” fight for Munguia, the question of this fight will be whether or not
Allotey will be able to get the respect of the champion and pose a challenge to
Munguia.
With
signs appearing to indicate a move up in weight for Munguia both due to
physical reasons as well as to seek potentially more lucrative fights down the
line, the question of whether Munguia is taking Allotey lightly will be asked
by at least a few people as this fight approaches. Boxing however, as this
observer has said often over the is a sport of opportunity and this is clearly
the biggest opportunity in the career of Patrick Allotay and if he can pose a
challenge to Munguia, this could be an interesting fight to watch.
The
undercard of Munguia-Allotey features three bouts in Boxing’s
Super-Middleweight and Lightweight divisions. In a battle for the Women’s WBC
Super-Middleweight world championship champion Franchon Dezurn will make the
first defense of her world title against undefeated Women’s WBC Heavyweight
world champion Alejandra Jimenz.
This
may be only the second time in the history of the sport that yours truly can
remember a current Heavyweight world champion moving down to challenge for a
world title in a lower weight class. The first was future Hall of Famer Roy
Jones, who successfully moved up from the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division to
defeat WBA Heavyweight world champion John Ruiz in March 2003 before opting to
move back down to the Light-Heavyweight division to challenge then WBC world
champion Antonio Tarver later that year.
While
yours truly has always maintained the stance that Jones moving back down in
weight was ultimately a mistake as he was never the same fighter after that, in
Jimenz’s case, she has not defended her Heavyweight world championship in nearly
two years and gradually moved back down in weight having competed in both the
Light-Heavyweight and the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division in her last three
fights. The challenger will enter the fight unbeaten with a record of 12-0-1,
with 9 Knockouts, which gives her an experience edge over the champion who will
enter with a record of 5-1, with 2 Knockouts.
Although
some might be critical of this being a world championship fight with two
fighters with limited records, it is important to remember that Women’s Boxing
is still a growing sport and thanks to digital networks like DAZN, ESPN+, Fite TV, and cable network Showtime is finally
receiving long overdue exposure and recognition, which over time will help grow
the sport. It should also be pointed out that in the case of Dezurn, she has
far more experience overall than her current professional record would suggest
having competed in sixty-seven amateur fights including against multi-division
world champion Claressa Shields, who she also fought as a professional. Shields
is one of the biggest stars in the sport currently and that is Dezurn’s only
defeat thus far as a professional.
What
this fight will come down to in my eyes is whether or not the champion will be
able to deal with the taller and longer Jimenz. Although Dezurn will be at a three-inch
height disadvantage, she will have a near five-inch reach advantage over the
challenger. Despite this, it will be a matter of whether Dezurn will be able to
get on the inside where theoretically she will have an advantage. She must be
aware of Jimenz’ power as the challenger has scored knockouts of nearly 70% of
her opponents. The winner of this fight could be in line to face Claressa
Shields, if Shields is successful in her upcoming defense of her unified Jr.
Middleweight world championship against Ivana Habazin on October 5th
in her hometown of Flint, MI.
A
pair of Lightweight bouts will round out the card. First in the co. main event
of the evening undefeated rising prospect Ryan Garcia returns to the ring to
face Avery Sparrow. Garcia is a rising star in Golden Boy Promotions’ stable of
fighters having already headlined one card broadcast by DAZN and being featured
on the undercard of Saul Alvarez’ fight against Rocky Fielding in December of
last year.
In
his last fight in March of this year, Garcia scored a second round knockout of Jose
Lopez. Garcia is unbeaten in eighteen professional fights and has scored
knockouts of fifteen of his opponents registering a career knockout percentage
of 83%. A natural question that will be asked of a young fighter with such a
resume will be when will that fighter step up in the caliber of their
opposition.
Thus
far in his career, Garcia has not faced much resistance and it will be
interesting to see what Avery Sparrow will be able to bring to the table in
this fight. Sparrow will enter the fight with a record of 10-1, with 3 Knockouts.
He has never been stopped and does have an edge in terms of caliber of
opposition having defeated longtime Lightweight contender Hank Lundy in his last
fight in March of this year.
While
this may give the appearance as being what is known as a “Showcase Fight” for
Garcia, Sparrow does have Boxing skill and has shown in his career that he can
go into the deep waters of a fight. Even though Garcia has gone as far as ten
rounds twice in his career, logic would suggest that Sparrow’s fight plan could
be to weather an early storm of Garcia’s punching power and look to extend him
into the middle and late rounds of this fight.
Whether
or not Garcia will be pitted against a fighter who is ranked in the top twenty-to
fifteen range in his next fight will likely depend on what happens in this
encounter. One fighter who Garcia could face down the line is current WBO number
ten rated contender Romero Duno.
Duno
will also be in action on this card as he will face Ivan Delgado. Duno has also
been on the rise and will enter into this fight with a record of 20-1, with 15
Knockouts. In his last fight, Duno scored a nine round technical decision over
Juan Rodriguez in a fight that was shortened due to an accidental clash of
heads where Rodriguez could not continue due to cuts.
With
a top ten ranking, it is not hard to envision Duno possibly getting an
opportunity to face current unified world champion Vasyl Lomachenko at some
point in the near future. The key in this fight will be whether or not Delgado
will be able to upset any plans for a potential title shot for Duno down the
line.
Delgado
will enter this fight with a record of 13-2-2, with 7 Knockouts. Delgado
however, will be coming into this fight off of a loss in his last outing, ironically
coming in a technical decision in a fight that was also halted by cuts against Hector
Tanajara in February of this year. Keeping the narrative that Boxing is a sport
of opportunity, Delgado now gets an opportunity to bounce back against a top
ten contender in Romero Duno.
Three
separate events over two days and a plethora of Boxing action that will surely
leave the Boxing fan both satisfied and entertained. The best part of all for
the Boxing fan? All three cards will be broadcast on digital subscription-based
streaming networks where the fan does not have to choose what they will watch,
but will be able to access all the content when they wish. This in addition to
both DAZN and ESPN+ being economically reasonably priced as both offer annual and
monthly subscription plans as compared to the overpriced and increasingly
undervalued Pay-Per-View model, the Boxing fan should be ecstatic not only over
what will be offered over what is traditionally one of the biggest weekends of
the calendar year in the sport, but also what will come in the future as both
networks continue to grow and expand their offerings not just in regard to
Boxing, but for all of Sports.
“And
That’s The Boxing Truth.”
Haney
vs. Abdullaev takes place on Friday, September 13th at the Theater
at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. The card can be seen on digital sports
streaming network DAZN in the United States and several international countries
beginning at 7PM ET/4PM PT (U.S. Time.)
Fury
vs. Wallin takes place on Saturday, September 14th at the T-Mobile
Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight as well as it’s undercard can be seen in the
United States on digital sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 7:30PM ET/4:30PM
PT. (U.S. Time.)
Munguia
vs. Allotey takes place Saturday, September 14th at Dignity Health
Sports Park in Carson, CA. The card can be seen on digital sports streaming
network DAZN in the United States and several international countries beginning
at 7PM ET/4PM PT. (U.S. Time)
For
more information about DAZN including schedules, compatible streaming
devices/platforms/smart TV’s, availability around the world, and to subscribe
please visit: www.DAZN.com.
ESPN+
is available in the United States through the ESPN app on Mobile, Tablet, connected
streaming devices, and smart TV’s for $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year. For more
information including schedules and to subscribe please visit: www.watch.espnplus.com
Check
your local listings internationally.
The
Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.
