This Saturday, the boxing world will witness two very enticing fights, one among them between British southpaw Josh Taylor (19-0-0,13 KO) and Honduran-born American Teofimo Lopez (18-1-0,12 KO), former unified light-weight champion. Taylor defends his WBO tremendous light-weight belt on the Hulu Theater at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York. The second battle will function middleweight puncher Miguel Mungia of Tijuana and the veteran Ukrainian Sergiy Derevyanchenko, in a 10-round non-title bout on the Toyota Enviornment in Ontario, California.
Taylor was the 140 lbs. champion of the 4 main common boxing sanctioning our bodies, who for private causes relinquished the WBA, IBF and WBC crowns. Lopez, the primary Honduran-born boxer to be world champion, held the WBA, IBF and WBO light-weight titles, which he gained with an surprising victory over Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko on October 17 three years in the past and misplaced them in his preliminary protection towards Australian George Kambosos in his personal yard in New York on November 27 final 12 months, with 112-115, 111-115 and 114-113 scorecards.
The MSG battle will put within the ring two fighters of nice technical skill, nice mobility on the ring, superb hand pace and precision within the punches, which makes it tough to foretell the attainable final result. Nevertheless, as of final week, the 36-year-old Scottish-born Brit, who is understood for his feline lateral actions and a counter puncher with a quick left jab that always baffles and assaults the enemy, had the percentages in his favor at 61% vs. 39% and -180 to +140, respectively, on the wins.
Taylor has not stepped into the ring since February 26, 2022 when he scored a controversial 112-113,114-111 and 113-112 resolution over his fellow countryman Jack Catteral in Glasgow. Lopez, who has lately confronted some private points that might have an effect on his efficiency and that may very well be the rationale why the favoritism is towards him, could have on his facet the help of the viewers in a present promoted by Bob Arum’s Prime Rank, which has a capability of simply over 6,000 folks.
“The Takeover”, as Lopez is nicknamed, after his shocking loss to Kambosos, reappeared with an unremarkable victory towards Mexican Pedro Campa, whom he dispatched within the seventh, in August 2022, and 4 months later he defeated Catalan Sandor Martin by 94-95, 96-93 and 97-92.
We expect this might be a battle of steady motion, of alternate options, wherein there is no such thing as a clear winner. Lopez is appreciated by dozens, a lot lower than JT, however his choice of victory will rely particularly on his mind-set, on how he faces the dedication from the boxing angle, however much more internally.
The opposite card on Saturday, in Ontario, California, leaves little or no room for feedback. All the pieces factors in favor of the fearsome puncher from Tijuana, Baja California, Jaime Mungia, 26 years previous, with 10 years {of professional} exercise, winner by KO in 33 of 41 performances, former WBO middleweight champion.
Regardless of his spectacular report, Mungia has not had entry to extra demanding fights, regardless that he has been talked about on a number of events as a attainable opponent for aces like “Canelo” Alvarez. Gennady Golovkin and Dmitri Bivol, with out with the ability to organize a battle with any of them regardless of the makes an attempt of his promoter, Bob Arum.
Mungia, aka Apolo Creed is educated by his countryman, the well-known and remembered Erik “El Horrible” Morales, at present a congressman for Tijuana, the primary Mexican four-time world champion in tremendous bantamweight, featherweight, tremendous featherweight and light-weight and winner of 16 of the 19 world champions he confronted. He’ll face the 37-year-old Ukrainian Derevyanchenko, who has misplaced 4 of his final 6 fights by factors towards the likes of Daniel Jacobs, Golovkin and Jermall Charlo, who isn’t presupposed to be a extra harmful opponent for the Aztec, nonetheless, he has the benefit of not having been knocked out in his 14 fights, with 10 knockouts to his credit score. Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions occasion will happen in a venue with a capability of 11,000 attendees.
