Fights have both been made and unmade this week. Most of the activity here is in the junior welterweight division, but an emerging middleweight contender has also switched cards. The fight calendar continues to fill out quite nicely early in 2018 following an excellent year in 2017.
- Middleweight contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko (11-0, 9 KOs) was supposed to make his return to the sport on Saturday night’s PBC card headlined by Errol Spence Jr and Lamont Peterson, but news has broke that the flu has knocked him out. Apparently the plan is to now bring him back on the March 3rd card headlined by Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz instead. Whenever his next fight happens, it will likely be a tune up to prepare for something bigger. Last time out Derevyanchenko impressed against Tureano Johnson in August.
- Red hot Scottish prospect Josh Taylor (11-0, 10 KOs) definitely returns on the same March 3rd against former Mexican contender Humberto Soto (66-9-2, 36 KOs). For many, Taylor was 2017’s prospect of the year following his ultra impressive thrashings of fellow prospect Ohara Davies and then former titleholder Miguel Vasquez. Soto was still a good fighter when he last fought consistently in 2014 and 2015, but it will have been two and a half years with only one fight to show for it when he steps into the ring for the Mexican in March.
- Exciting prospect “Rougarou” Regis Prograis (20-0, 17 KOs) and former titleholder Viktor Postol (29-1, 12 KOs) have come to an agreement to avoid a purse bid for their secondary WBC title fight. The winner will get the winner of the upcoming vacant WBC title fight between Jose Ramirez and Amir Imam. Tentatively this is being penciled in for March 9th, but no official date or site has been announced yet. Regardless, this is an excellent fight that will be a real test for both men. Showtime will broadcast.
- Also on the same Showtime card will be an IBF eliminator in the same division pitting Ivan Baranchyk (17-0, 10 KOs) against European titleholder Anthony Yigit (21-0-1, 7 KOs). This isn’t as great of a fight as the main event, but it is a good one too. Baranchyk and his ridiculous aggression has always made for fun fights, but Yigit may very well be able to comfortably outbox him here too. Curiously, this card is on a Friday like ShoBox always is, features ShoBox veterans, and is rumored to take place at an arena consistently used by ShoBox in the Buffalo Run Casino at Miami, Oklahoma. If this show gets branded a ShoBox, it might be the best one ever in terms of how big the fights on it are.
