ESPN+, 2:30 pm ET, Daniel Dubois vs Joe Joyce. Dubois and Joyce are both unbeaten heavyweights, but at very different points. Dubois is 23, a rising star, has looked great so far. Joyce is 35, a former Olympic silver medalist, and his time to really do something as a pro is now. The European, British, and Commonwealth titles are on the line. The WBC’s “silver” title is on the line, which if they follow in the tradition of Dillian Whyte the winner will assume makes them mandatory WBC challenger (it does not). Junior welterweight Jack Catterall and junior middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz are also in action, among others. Daniel Dubois (15-0, 14 KO) vs Joe Joyce (11-0, 10 KO), heavyweights, 12 rounds Hamzah Sheeraz (11-0, 7 KO) vs Guido Nicolas Pitto (26-7-2, 8 KO), junior middleweights, 10 rounds Jack Catterall (25-0, 13 KO) vs Abderrazak Houya (14-2, 2 KO), junior welterweights, 10 rounds David Adeleye (3-0, 3 KO) vs Danny Whitaker (4-1, 0 KO), heavyweights, 6 rounds Jack Massey (16-1, 8 KO) vs Mohammad Ali Bayat (16-1-1, 16 KO), cruiserweights, 8 rounds Louie Lynn (7-0, 6 KO) vs Paul Holt (7-8, 2 KO), featherweights, 8 rounds Joshua Frankham (1-0, 0 KO) vs Matt Hall (2-56-2, 0 KO), junior middleweights, 4 rounds Mitchell Barton (debut) vs Matt Gordon (2-3-1, 0 KO), heavyweights, 4 rounds
Just so it’s here for those interested: PPV, 9:00 pm ET, Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr, Jake Paul vs Nate Robinson. You can order the show for $49.99 through FITE TV, and all major cable and satellite outfits in the U.S. and Canada. FITE thankfully are handling the ordering and broadcast for “Triller,” the, uh, social media app? Badou Jack is also on the card against a club fighter named Blake McKernan. Listen, we have no idea what the main event is going to look like. It is an exhibition fight — it’s not sanctioned by the commission, it doesn’t count toward their records, the commission have indicated instructions not to go beyond “hard sparring,” and the WBC giving them judges and a belt means nothing. But that doesn’t mean it might not get weird. The 54-year-old Tyson hasn’t fought since 2005, and talked about making a comeback earlier this year. The 51-year-old Jones, a former pound-for-pound king, has stepped up to the plate to take on the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. As far as the rules: It’s eight rounds, each two minutes, no headgear, fighters aren’t supposed to go for a knockout, the bout can be stopped on a cut, and the suggestion from the California commission is to not go beyond “hard sparring.” Tyson and Jones and event organizers have been defiant in interviews and press releases, but those are the rules in place. What we actually get could be any of several other stories. Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr, exhibition, heavyweights, 8 rounds Jake Paul (1-0, 1 KO) vs Nate Robinson, debut, cruiserweights, 6 rounds Badou Jack (22-3-3, 13 KO) vs Blake McKernan (13-0, 6 KO), cruiserweights, 8 rounds Jamaine Ortiz (13-0, 7 KO) vs Sulaiman Segawa (13-2-1, 4 KO), lightweights, 8 rounds Irvin Gonzalez (14-2, 11 KO) vs Edward Vazquez (8-0, 1 KO), featherweights, 8 rounds Joe Cusumano (18-3, 16 KO) vs Gregory Corbin (15-3, 9 KO), heavyweights, 8 rounds
Neither particularly, but I think I'd rather see Dubois progress because he's younger and has more chance of an illustrious career.
It’s a tough situation there. If I’m him, I make the doctor stop the fight there if the eye was as bad as it looked. As least get back up on your feet, and if the doc stops it after that, so be it.
That loss might help Dubois in the long run. He still looked like he kind of didn't know what to do with Joyce though