The countdown is over and tonight at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, Ghana, Emmanuel ‘Game Boy’ Tagoe will step into the ring for a first defence of his IBO Lightweight world title against Fernando David Saucedo of Argentina.
Both Tagoe (27-1, 13 KOs) and Saucedo (61-6-3, 10 KOs) made weight on Friday, both tilting the scales at 135 lbs to set the stage for the ring battle in the Ghanaian capital on Saturday night.
It’s proven so, so hard for a number of great fighters to exit the sport on a win. So often we’ve seen legends battle on for too long; taking that ‘fight too many.’ Sadly it happened to at least three of the immortal heavyweights featured in the now 30 year old “Champions Forever” video tribute (still a fantastic watch a full three decades on).
Once again, Deontay Wilder has urged Anthony Joshua to face him in a huge unification clash in America. The reigning WBC king, readying himself for his March 3 defence against Cuban dangerman Luis Ortiz (Wilder admitting that he does have some concern over Ortiz possibly failing another drugs test; this of course ruining Ortiz’ challenge of Wilder last November) – says AJ must fight him in America and that he will earn far more money if he does so.
Oleksandr Usyk and Mairis Breidis meet head-up in a cruiserweight unification bout at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia. Back in July 2017 this division sparked a buzz amongst avid followers of the sport once it was revealed all major sanctioning bodies would be involved in the World Boxing Super Series. The ho-hum quarterfinals played out as more of opportunity to get all 4-fighters on the same schedule. Now the time has come for the big boys to find out if they measure up versus the elite.
Dillian Whyte certainly has plenty of rage inside him; at least this is how things have appeared – what with Whyte getting into intense pre-fight roarings with Dereck Chisora, Anthony Joshua, Lucas Browne and even David Allen. Simply put, Whyte is a get-in-your-face type of guy and he is always hyped up before, during and after any fight.
Fighters on the special double main event of Matthysse vs. Kiram and Linares vs. Gesta held a final press conference today ahead of the explosive Golden Boy Promotions card that will take place this Jan. 27 at the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, Calif. In the first part of this spectacular main event, former interim WBC Super Lightweight Champion Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (38-4, 35 KOs) of Chubut, Argentina will take on undefeated Thai superstar Tewa Kiram (38-0, 28 KOs) in a 12-round battle for the vacant WBA Welterweight World Championship. In the second main event, Jorge “El Nino De Oro” Linares (43-3, 27 KOs) will face Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (31-1-2, 17 KOs) in a 12-round defense of his WBA and Ring Magazine Lightweight Titles. The event will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Reigning, undefeated WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders hoped his hugely impressive December statement win over dangerous puncher David Lemieux would finally allow him to nail down a massive fight with either Gennady Golovkin or Canelo Alvarez. Instead, the gifted southpaw today took part in a press conference to hype his upcoming April defence against Martin Murray.
Adrien Broner still talks a good game, even a great one, and “The Problem,” as the former four-weight champ is known, remains a big draw – one still big enough to headline a big card. Broner, attempting to get back to winning ways following his July 2017 points loss to Mikey Garcia, will face rough and tough Omar Figueroa at The Barclays Centre in Brooklyn on April 21.