I do. First fight wasn't a barnburner by any means, but it's still a compelling clash of styles. Fury bet he could outbox Wilder, and he did for 11.5 rounds before the bomb landed. I want to see how they adjust, especially Wilder, who now knows he can get Fury down.
I personally thought Wilder got handled. I was excited to see what he did on a rematch. And I’m not paying to see Wilder or Fury fight anyone else besides each other or the other 2-3 fights (Joshua, etc) that seem good.
He does. Ugas was an elite amateur that looked like he was going to bust, but he's won 8 straight and has figured somethings out. He's tough and a bit awkward to fight against, but has some skills. Hasn't beaten someone on Porter's level though. It's a step up, but a good matchup.
Couple cards tonight. Both are good. First up: DAZN, 7:00 pm ET, Dmitry Bivol vs Joe Smith Jr, Maurice Hooker vs Mikkel LesPierre, Callum Johnson vs Seanie Monaghan, Sergey Kuzmin vs Joey Dawejko. Bivol-Smith is for Bivol’s secondary (well, usually it would be, but as pointed out, they actually have no “super world” champion, so — well, it’s complicated) WBA “world” light heavyweight title, but more important is that Bivol is a top fighter at 175, and Smith is a powerful, potentially dangerous challenger. Hooker-LesPierre is for Hooker’s WBO 140-pound belt. Johnson is thought to be in line for a shot at the main event’s winner, provided he beats Monaghan as expected. Bivol (15-0, 11 KO) has been on a tear the past couple of years, making a name for himself in the 175-pound division with destructive victories over Samuel Clarkson, Cedric Agnew, and Trent Broadhurst, before stepping up his competition a bit. His last three wins have come over Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, and former champ Jean Pascal, and he’s proven he has the motor to go 12 rounds effectively in those outings, all one-sided in his favor. Smith (24-2, 20 KO) probably can’t box with Bivol, but he’s a legitimately dangerous puncher and an intriguing underdog because of that. Smith really got on the radar with his first round TKO win over Andrzej Fonfara in 2016, and used the headlines he made from that win to land a fight with Bernard Hopkins six months later, where he knocked the legendary Hopkins out of the ring, literally and figuratively. He suffered a loss and a broken jaw at the hands of Sullivan Barrera in 2017, but came back last summer with a tune-up win, and now he’s stepping back into the spotlight. Hooker (25-0-3, 17 KO) had trouble making weight on Friday, but eventually did it, and will defend his 140-pound belt against LesPierre (21-0-1, 10 KO), an unbeaten but unproven challenger. The show will also feature Callum Johnson (17-1, 12 KO) facing Seanie Monaghan (29-2, 17 KO) in a light heavyweight fight, and heavyweight action between Sergey Kuzmin (14-0, 11 KO) and Joey Dawejko (19-6-4, 11 KO). Both of those fights are set for 10 rounds.
And then: FOX, 8:00 pm ET, Shawn Porter vs Yordenis Ugas, Francisco Santana vs Abel Ramos, Efe Ajagba vs Amir Mansour. Porter defends the WBC welterweight title against Ugas in the main event, which is not a bad fight — Ugas has earned his shot by going on quite a run the last couple of years. Santana-Ramos was added to the card when Andrzej Fonfara retired and scrapped his scheduled bout with Edwin Rodriguez. Ajagba is a heavyweight prospect with big power, still best known for being the guy who Curtis Harper left the ring against in August of last year. Porter (29-2-1, 17 KO) won his belt last September, beating Danny Garcia via decision over 12 rounds, and will be making his first defense tonight. Ugas (23-3, 11 KO) has won eight straight fights to get himself into this position. The FOX card will also feature another welterweight bout between Abel Ramos (23-3-2, 18 KO) and Francisco Santana (25-6-1, 12 KO), set for 10 rounds, plus an eight-round heavyweight bout between prospect Efe Ajagba (8-0, 7 KO) and veteran Amir Mansour (23-3-1, 16 KO).
This is a good card. I’m excited to see Efe actually fight. (I guess a 46 year old is better than a dude who leaves the ring).
Just flipped over, forgot this card was at the Stubhub Center (we’re not calling it by the new name). Place just makes good fights.
Ajagba and his promoter are in a bit of a tough spot going forward. They’ve got to get him in with guys that can give him some rounds, but don’t want to bump up the competition level too much, too soon. Power is legit, would like to see him be a little more fluid and work the body. Lot of tools to work with though.
I used to post in here more often. I still do from time to time, but really only when I’m watching alone. I talk to my dad on the phone a lot during bigger fights.
Still haven’t made my mind up about the fight. I think Errol is special. Just an elite talent. But Mikey does things in the ring that just aren’t normal. I can’t count him out.
I think Errol wins, but I am confident that Mikey is going to give him a hell of a fight. It’s going to be fun.
Win or lose, I respect the hell out of Mikey for taking the fight. Would’ve been easy to stick around 135 or fight Loma.