This is our first really busy weekend of 2018. Friday night kicks us off with a ShoBox that leads the fight game into a very busy Saturday. Midday US time we will have the World Boxing Super Series continuing in Russia plus a nice prospect oriented Matchroom Boxing card in England while Top Rank closes the night with a pair of world title fights on ESPN. Japan also features a world title fight on Sunday.
Friday, February 2nd
Ronald Ellis (14-0-1, 10 KOs) v Junior Younan (13-0, 9 KOs), super middleweights & Wellington Romero (14-0-1, 8 KOs) v Samuel Teah (12-1-1, 5 KOs), junior welterweights & Thomas Mattice (10-0, 8 KOs) v Rolando Chinea (15-1-1, 6 KOs), lightweights & Devin Haney (18-0, 12 KOs) v TBA, junior welterweights – Iowa – Showtime, 10 PM Eastern
This is a really good ShoBox by the standards of the series. Ellis and Younan is a matchup of unbeatens in the main event. Romero is a former Olympian with taking a small step up. Mattice is an unbeaten taking on a multi-fight ShoBox veteran in Chinea. Finally, 19 year old Floyd Mayweather Sr trained Devin Haney is the best prospect here in my humble opinion, but he also just lost his opponent. Hopefully they get someone in there so he can finally be televised.
Saturday, February 3rd
Murat Gassiev (25-0, 18 KOs) v Yunier Dorticos (22-0, 21 KOs), IBF cruiserweight title – World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight semifinals – Russia – ITV Box Office (UK), 1:45 PM Eastern
The cruiserweights do not get much play in the American media, but this is a really awesome matchup. Both these guys are excellent, fan friendly fighters with a great deal of power. The winner will almost certainly come by way of knockout. Whoever that is will go on to meet Oleksandr Usyk in the finals of the tournament. Of note, Dorticos’s WBA title isn’t legitimate even if it maybe should be so this isn’t a unification fight like people will bill it as. There is also a nice little undercard for this fight. There will more on both of those items in the full preview tentatively scheduled for Thursday.
Lawrence Okolie (7-0, 6 KOs) v Isaac Chamberlain (9-0, 4 KOs), cruiserweights & Ted Cheeseman (12-0, 8 KOs) v Carson Jones (40-12-3, 30 KOs), junior middleweights – England – Sky Action (UK), 2 PM Eastern
Eddie Hearn is putting on a quality prospect oriented show at the O2. Lawrence Okolie was a 2016 Olympian and is one of Matchroom’s top prospects. As a 6’5″ power punching cruiserweight, heavyweight is definitely in his future. Here he is still at cruiserweight and stepping up against fellow unbeaten Isaac Chamberlain. Ted Cheeseman isn’t a prospect treated on the level of a Lawrence Okolie, but he is a good one too. Elite journeyman Carson Jones represents a massive step up for him and a great test. Other Hearn prospects flesh out the card, most notably blue chip light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi.
Gilberto Ramirez (36-0, 24 KOs) v Habib Ahmed (25-0-1, 17 KOs), WBO super middleweight title & Jerwin Ancajas (28-1-1, 19 KOs) v Israel Gonzalez (21-1, 8 KOs), IBF super flyweight title – Texas – ESPN 10:15 PM Eastern
Top Rank closes the night with a world title doubleheader. This is potentially a garbage card, really, but it is hard for me to get mad when at shows on basic cable. Gilberto Ramirez is arguably the best super middleweight in the world in against a complete unknown from Ghana. If you follow my Under the Radar weekly series you’ll know I cover the deepest range of fighters in the game. Even I had never heard of Ahmed until this fight was about to be signed. Of course, I must note that it does not necessarily mean someone cannot fight just because we haven’t seen them do it. Jerwin Ancajas is an excellent super flyweight in the co-feature. Even though his fight should be easy too, it is pretty awesome to see him get this exposure. The WatchESPN broadcast for this one begins at 7 PM Eastern and is a reccomended watch as well. Contenders Jessie Hart, Jose Benavidez, and Rohan Murdock will be in action alongside elite prospects Teofimo Lopez and Gabriel Flores Jr.
Sunday, February 4th
Daigo Higa (14-0, 14 KOs) v Moises Fuentes (25-4-1, 14 KOs), WBC flyweight title – Japan
Daigo Higa qualifies as must see TV. Maybe more accurately for my readers we should call him a must find stream, but either way you should seek his fights out. The 22 year old Japanese world titleholder and his hyper aggressive, brawling style are just plain fun to watch. So far the style has netted Higa a perfect knockout percentage as well. I suspect that will hold up against Moise Fuentes too. The Mexican challenger was a top talent a few years ago, but his last few performances have not been great.
