The fight announcements keep coming as the 2018 boxing schedule continues to take shape. Today we have a big rematch for top status in the bantamweight division, Terry Flanagan going for a vacant junior welterweight title, a new Carl Frampton date, and more.
- Former secondary junior welterweight title holder Jose Benavidez (25-0, 16 KOs) will return for the first time since being shot walking his dog last August. He will fight Matthew Strode (24-5, 9 KOs) in an eight round tune up to regain his bearings on the WatchESPN.com streaming portion of Top Rank’s February 3rd show headlined by a weak Gilberto Ramirez title defense. Recent former Ramirez challenger Jesse Hart (22-1, 18 KOs) will also return on that show against Thomas Awimbono (25-7-1, 21 KOs) in a tune up of his own.
- Luis Nery’s (25-0, 19 KOs) drug test failures have put him back in the ring with the bantamweight king he had already deposed in Japan’s Shinsuke Yamanaka (27-1-2, 19 KOs) on the first of March. Nery dominated and stopped the world’s top bantamweight in August, but he failed a post-fight drug test so they are doing it again. The WBC didn’t strip him, nor did the win get overturned. This rematch being ordered was all that happened as a result. I don’t think it will matter if Nery is clean this time though. I expect the young Mexican star to roll once more in Japan.
- The WBO is sanctioning its former lightweight titleholder Terry Flanagan (33-0, 13 KOs) to move up and fight Maurice Hooker (23-0-3, 16 KOs) for their Terence Crawford vacated junior welterweight title. Flanagan wasn’t a particularly inspiring lightweight titleholder and Hooker isn’t a particularly inspiring title challenger, so this is what it is. I don’t think it is a mismatch though at the very least. The fight will take place on April 14th in the United Kingdom, but no particular venue has been pinned down yet.
- April 21st is the new date for the already reported featherweight clash between Carl Frampton (24-1, 14 KOs) and Nonito Donaire (38-4, 24 KOs) and the fight is now official. It will take place at the SSE Arena in Belfast. Frampton should be heavily favored as Donaire is past his prime and never has been the same fighter up at featherweight. I wouldn’t call the Filipino former star shot though. It will be kind of cool to see these two in the ring together for me anyway.
- The mildly anticipated rematch between Leo Santa Cruz (34-1, 19 KOs) and Abner Mares (31-2-1, 15 KOs) is a go according to Richard Schaefer. I guess he’ll be the imaginary promoter of this PBC card. He can fill out the deep undercard with his stable of really good prospects at least. Anyway, the show will be at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but it is still waiting for a date from the venue. The fight will happen in either April or May. Leo Santa Cruz won comfortably the first time, but the WBA is mandating the rematch and it wasn’t a bad watch by any means if we’re looking for a silver lining.
