The sport of boxing continues to fill out its promising schedule for the early months of 2018. This time we have some World Boxing Super Series news, a pair of Top Rank on ESPN undercard fights, a Golden Boy on ESPN main event, and more.
- February 3rd’s much anticipated World Boxing Super Series semifinal and cruiserweight unification bout between Murat Gassiev and Yunier Dorticos in Russia is developing a sneaky good undercard. It now features former Russian amateur star Mikhail Aloyan (3-0) against Alexander Espinoza (15-0-2, 7 KOs) and a WBO lightweight title eliminator between unbeaten Roman Andreev (20-0, 14 KOs) and Craig Evans (17-1-2, 3 KOs). The latter isn’t a great fight for an eliminator, but the winner will get the winner of the upcoming vacant title fight between Miguel Beltran and Paulus Moses. Aloyan isn’t a normal 3-0 fighter either. He is being fast tracked to a title shot as soon as possible.
- Zolani Tete’s (26-3, 21 KOs) next title defense against ageless Argentinian Omar Narvaez (47-2-2, 25 KOs) had been scheduled to headline a February 10th show, but an injury has now postponed this fight until April. Tete is coming off his record setting 11 second knockout over an entirely overmatched opponent while the 42 year old Narvaez upset unbeaten Nikolai Potapov in an eliminator last time out. There is no specific rescheduled date as of yet.
- February 16th’s Top Rank on ESPN show headlined by Ray Beltran and Paulus Moses competing for a vacant title now has its co-main event. “Mean Machine” Egidijus Kavaliauskas (18-0, 15 KOs) will take a notable step up against former secondary titleholder David Avanesyan (23-2-1, 11 KOs) in a good fight between prospect and contender. This show is going to fly under the radar a bit by the series’ usual high standards, but it is shaping up to be a good one anyway.
- Golden Boy recently released their list of ESPN dates for the first half of 2018 and we now have a main event for their February 22nd card. Top featherweight prospect Joseph “JoJo” Diaz (25-0, 13 KOs) will fight former titleholder Victor Terrazas (38-4-2, 21 KOs). This is a mismatch at this point, but Diaz is just staying busy while waiting for his shot as mandatory challenger to Gary Russell Jr’s belt. Plus, the bar is pretty low for these cards anyway. Hot 19 year old prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr (8-0, 8 KOs) will return in the co-main event.
- The biggest announcement here is the place and date for Callum Smith (23-0, 17 KOs) and Jurgen Braehmer’s (49-3, 35 KOs) World Boxing Super Series semifinal contest. It will go down in Germany on February 24th. Smith was considered a very hot prospect coming into the tournament, but first rounds struggles with the since tragic Erik Skoglund called that into question. Braehmer is still a real good fighter despite his age and marks a great test. The winner will get the winner of Chris Eubank Jr versus George Groves in the finals.
- Sam Eggington (21-4, 13 KOs) will make his junior middleweight debut on the undercard of Kell Brook’s return against Siarhei Rabchanka on March 3rd. Eggington was a rising welterweight attraction in the UK on verge of breaking out to the world scene, but he was upset by unheralded Frenchman Mohamed Mimoune in a European title fight in October. Eggington has chalked the performance up to weight drain issues. No opponent has been named yet, but I wouldn’t expect anything significant.
- On March 10th, Mike Reed (23-1, 12 KOs) will return from his first loss, a surprisingly quick destruction at the hands of surging Olympian Jose Ramirez in November. He will have another unbeaten fighter on his hands in Los Angeles native Arnold Barboza Jr (17-0, 6 KOs). This fight will be on the undercard of Oscar Valdez’s much anticipated title defense against Scott Quigg. It is a must win for the once moderately significant prospect to right the ship to sail back towards title contention.
