Saturday’s Boxing Schedule Is Pretty Hectic; Which Fight Are You Most Looking Forward To – Wilder-Helenius, Plant-Dirrell, Haney-Kambosos II, Shields-Marshall, Mayer-Baumgardner?
It can be both a good thing and a bad thing when numerous fight cards take place on the same night. For as great as it is for a fight fan to have a hectic boxing schedule to look forward to, it can sometimes be tough being able to watch all the action as it unfolds – what with “rival” fights taking place at the same time, fans having to choose which PPV card they can afford, etc.
This Saturday, we have three big cards to look forward to: one in Australia, one in New York, and one in London. In terms of fights overlapping, there should be no problem, yet will you be able to afford to catch all the action?
In New York, on Fox PPV & FITE TV, former WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder will return, against former sparring partner Robert Helenius, this after a year out for “The Bronze Bomber.” Fans are interested in this fight for two reasons: they hope to see Wilder get back to scoring chilling knockouts, and we will also be watching to see if we can find out whether or not the three wars with Tyson Fury damaged Wilder. But is this fight, and it’s under card (Caleb Plant-Anthony Dirrell, Frank Sanchez-Carlos Negron, Gary Antonio Russell-Emmanuel Rodrguez) worth paying $74.99 for?
In Australia, we have the return fight between lightweight boss Devin Haney and former champ George Kambosos Jr, to go out live on ESPN+. By way of the rematch clause he was armed with upon entering the ring for the first fight, Kambosos, who lost both his belts and his unbeaten pro record to “The Dream,” gets his shot at revenge. Yet in light of how dominant Haney was in fight-one, not too many fans are willing to give Kambosos much of a chance here. Repeat or revenge? This one looks like it will be repeat. However, Kambosos has given a whole new meaning to the term ‘gym rat’ as he has literally been sleeping in his gym while he has worked as hard as can be for the rematch.
Finally, in London, live on ESPN and Sky Sports we have the postponed grudge-match between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall. These two women seem to genuinely despise one another and the delay they have had to endure has surely only intensified their dislike and desire to fight. This too is a rematch of sorts, as Marshall, the WBO middleweight champ with Shields holding all the other belts, beat Shields at amateur level a decade ago.
This one promises to be memorable, while for some fans, the under card fight, or if you prefer the supporting feature, between Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner, for three world titles at 130 pounds, could be the fight of the night. Like Shields and Marshall, these two have some bad blood, with both predicting a KO win.
So, which fight or fights are YOU most looking forward to on Saturday night?