Three Boxing Things I’m looking forward to 2/28-29
A new boxing week and it brings us the return of Mikey Garcia in action as he takes on Jessie Vargas on a solid card out in Dallas this Saturday. The last time we all saw Garcia, he was on the wrong end of systematic breakdown to the hands of Errol Spence Jr. Making his Matchroom Boxing debut, Garcia looks to rebound and hopefully add his name into the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes at welterweight.
Listen to the latest edition of the Big Fight Weekend Podcast with guest Ryan O’Hara who will be press side for the Garcia-Vargas card:
Before I tell you about that event being shown on DAZN in the US and Sky Sports in UK, let me look back at the three things I was looking for last week.
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury lived up to the hype and we came out with a new heavyweight champion as Fury won by seventh round stoppage. The fallout from the wild has ranged from a proposed all Britain undisputed bout with Anthony Joshua to Wilder blaming his costume he wore walking into the ring for the loss. We’ll get a third fight likely in the summer that will at time sort things out between the two.
Charles Martin vs. Gerald Washington was the co-main event to Wilder-Fury for five rounds had nothing of note going on. Then in the sixth round Martin delivered the knockout of the weekend with a left to Washington to end it. The “Lebron James of Boxing” is now the #2 IBF challenger, potentially setting up a rematch with Adam Kownacki who he lost to in 2018 in a close fight.
IT'S OVER! ? Charles Martin KO's Gerald Washington in Round 6!
Buy #WilderFury2 on PPV: https://t.co/auWEj0uOn9 pic.twitter.com/g9kmc5nYCF
— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) February 23, 2020
MTK Global Contract Semifinals had some controversy in it but the finals are setup. Ohara Davies will take on rival Tyrone McKenna in the super-lightweight division, while Ryan Walsh will meet Jazza Dickens in the featherweight final.
Here are the three things I’m looking forward to this weekend:
How will Mikey Garcia rebound against Jessie Vargas?
Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA
Not a cakewalk for Garcia in the main event Saturday night as he is looking to rebound since he was last seen against Errol Spence Jr. where he was outmatched last March. Garcia is determined to stay in the ring at 147 and a win here against Vargas will keep him there. Vargas isn’t an easy match up as the former champ has stated that he is in his prime now and is looking for the upset.
Julio Cesar Martinez
The WBC Flyweight champion Martinez is a force to be seen and should be a treat on the Garcia-Vargas card to catch as he defends against Jay Harris. There was a great bio story on Harris as he is an Amazon worker out of the UK getting a title shot but he’l be a huge underdog in this one. Martinez comes in on a tear since winning the vacated title from Charlie Edwards.
Keith Hunter taking on Sanjarbek Rakhmanov
Dave Mandel/Showtime
Showtime has on Friday night a ShoBox: The Next Generation card out of Sam’s Town Casino in Las Vegas. The usual stomping grounds for Mayweather Promotions and that is who is on display here tonight. The triple header features Keith Hunter, brother of Michael “The Bounty” Hunter against Sanjarbek “War” Rakhmanov. Two up and coming prospects and this fight should steal the show in a styles clash match up
