This week in boxing features an interesting slate of fights. The World Boxing Super Series continues, albeit with a disappointing late replacement, and the much anticipated sequel to last year’s HBO Superfly card is here as well come Saturday night. Both Golden Boy and Frank Warren are televising prospect oriented shows too.
Thursday, February 22nd
JoJo Diaz (25-0, 13 KOs) v Victor Terrazas (38-4-2, 21 KOs), featherweights & Vergil Ortiz (8-0, 8 KOs) v Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez (15-3, 11 KOs), junior welterweights – California – Golden Boy on ESPN – ESPN2, 11:30 PM Eastern
2012 US Olympian Joseph “JoJo” Diaz has been extremely impressive in terms of his craft and ability to dominate a fight in terms of winning every round, but he hasn’t really been exciting in doing so. Will that change on this show? Probably not, but he is in against his first former world titleholder. Terrazas was not a strong one, however, and he has only won one of his last four fights. Ideally Diaz would get a stoppage here. Vergil Ortiz is a 19 year old Golden Boy has high hopes for lined up against a man who has been stopped in three straight fights. Do the math there. Unfortunately, the late start time here means I will be watching and repording on this card Friday afternoon instead.
Saturday, February 24th
Anthony Yarde (14-0, 13 KOs) v Tony Averlant (26-9-2, 5 KOs), light heavyweights & Daniel Dubois (6-0, 6 KOs) v DL Jones (8-0-1), heavyweights & Zelfa Barrett (19-0, 12 KOs) v Ronnie Clark (20-4-2, 10 KOs), junior lightweights – England – BT Sport (UK), 10:30 AM Eastern
This Frank Warren prospect oriented card is bringing morning fights for my fellow American East Coasters. According to the BT Sport guide on their website, this one should be all wrapped up before 2:30 as well. Yarde and Dubois are power punching and strong looking prospects that Warren is pushing heavily. He clearly wants them both to be stars. Zelfa Barrett has built his record on some of the worst opposition ever seen even for a prospect, but he does look talented and is finally fighting men with reasonable records at the very least now. Another Warren heavyweight prospect Nathan Gormon will also be in action here, but he still doesn’t have an opponent.
Callum Smith (23-0, 17 KOs) v Nieky Holzken (13-0, 10 KOs), super middleweights – World Boxing Super Series semifinals – ITV Box Office (UK), Youtube (US), 5 PM Eastern
This was supposed to be a great matchup between rising prospect/contender Callum Smith and long established contender Juergen Braehmer, but the German side of that fight pulled out this week due to an illness. In steps Nieky Holzken. The 34 year old Dutch late replacement is an intriguing one at least. He is a former top kickboxer who has been the Glory champion before, so Holzken can really fight in that context. How will it translate to high level boxing? Saturday will tell. The winner will move to the finals theoretically against George Groves, but with his shoulder injury too, this bracket is suddenly a mess.
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (44-4-1, 40 KOs) v Juan Francisco Estrada (36-2, 25 KOs), WBC super flyweight title & Carlos Cuadras (36-2-1, 27 KOs) v McWilliams Arroyo (16-3, 14 KOs), super flyweights & Donnie Nietes (40-1-4, 22 KOs) v Juan Carlos Reveco (39-3, 19 KOs), IBF flyweights title – California – Super Fly 2 – HBO, 9:30 PM Eastern
HBO’s daring Superfly card last September was the success I hoped that it could be and we are getting an excellent sequel as a result. The main event matches the two big winners from the first show for an outstanding world title fight that is sure to produce great action between Rungvisai and Estrada. Cuadras and Arroyo matches two highly talented fighters looking for a much needed quality win against one another in the co-feature while HBO and Tom Loeffler expand the concept of the show in the opener to feature more than just super flyweights. Donnie Nietes will defend his flyweight belt against Juan Carlos Reveco in a matchup of two of the top 112 lbers in the world. If you had told me that this fight would end up on HBO, I would have told you that you are mad. This is really great stuff.
