Boxing hits the comeback trail
LESS than a week from now, june 9 to be precise, professional boxing will return in the United States by way o of a fight card from Top Rank Promotions. t It is the first in a series of shows T Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum has p prepared for the month and if all goes w well other promoters are expected to f follow suit.
The June 9 fight card will be held a at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, N Nevada, before an empty venue. A All the fighters, officials and crew w will be tested for the coronavirus. T The fights will be televised through E ESPN’s various platforms.
Considering that this is Top R Rank’s first promotion since the p pandemic placed basically the entire w world in lockdown mode, Arum is k keeping it simple. While there are w world champions involved, they w will be taking part in non-title fights. T The Nevada Athletic Commission h has drawn up special guidelines a and Arum is hoping that the card w will provide other promoters with a template to follow.
Headlining the june 9 card is W World Boxing Organization (WBO) f featherweight (126 lbs.) champion S Shakur Stevenson who will face P Puerto Rican Felix Caraballo in a 1 10-round, non-title tiff. New Jersey s native Stevenson, 13-0 with 7 k knockouts, won a silver medal in the 2 2016 Olympics before turning pro i in April 2017. Just two years later, in O October 2019, Stevenson captured t the vacant WBO featherweight c crown with a 12- round decision o over Joet Gonzalez.
Stevenson is a defensive boxer w who has been compared to American c Floyd Mayweather Jr. Arum s swears that Stevenson is a “mirror image” of Mayweather jr. and is a superstar in the making. Stevenson does fight like Mayweather Jr., but being a southpaw his power emanates from his left hand.
Stevenson, 22, was supposed to defend his WBO crown on March 14 against Colombian Miguel Marriaga at Madison Square Garden. The fight was shelved because of the coronavirus and Stevenson is now making his return opposite Caraballo (13-1, 9 knockouts).
After the June 9 card, Arum has five more shows scheduled in Las Vegas. Several boxers are already aboard, including Filipino boxer Mike Plania.
On June 11, former WBO junior featherweight ( 122 lbs.) champ jessie Magdaleno will face veteran Yenifel Vicente of the Dominican Republic. Magdaleno, 27-1 with 18 knockouts, won the WBO crown in November 2016 with a decision win over Filipino Nonito Donaire Jr. He lost the title to Isaac Dogboe in April 2018 but has since won two straight fights on the comeback road.
On June 16, Chicago native Joshua Greer Jr. (22-1,1 draw with 12 knockouts), ranked No. 1 by the WBO in the bantamweight ( 118 lbs.) division, will take on Filipino Plania who is on an eight-fight winning streak. Greer jr. started boxing at age 15 and overcame a tumultuous childhood (which included the murder of his father) to become a contender. General Santos City native Plania, 23-1 with 12 knockouts, made his United States debut in March 2018, losing a decision to former world bantamweight champion Juan Carlos Parayno of the Dominican Republic. Plania floored Parayno in round three but failed to capitalize. Plania has since won 8 straight fights, 4 of which came on US soil. Plania is currently training in Miami, Florida and will easily make the trip to Las Vegas.
On June 18, former WBO lightweight (135 lbs.) champ Jose Pedraza (26-3, 13 knockouts) will face former world title challenger Mikkel LesPierre. Two days later, on June 20, reigning WBO junior featherweight king Emmanuel Navarrete ( 31- 1, 27 knockouts) will figure in a nontitle tussle opposite Uriel Lopez. Navarrete, a rising star from Mexico, holds knockout wins over Filipinos jeo Santisima and juan Miguel Elorde.
Top Rank will wrap up the glove fests with a June 23 card featuring WBA ‘regular’ junior bantamweight (115 lbs.) champ Andrew Moloney (21-0, 14 knockouts) of Australia opposite Joshua Franco. Moloney was supposed to defend his title on April 17 but the fight was called off. Moloney hopes to fine-tune his skills opposite slugger Franco of San Antonio, Texas. Moloney is looking to legitimize his claim on the WBA title with a fight against ‘super’ champion Roman Gonzalez of Nicaragua.
It looks like pro boxing is a lock to return next week. Hopefully, the first of six servings for the month will be glitch- free and palatable enough from a ratings and profits standpoint to fully open the gates for the sport’s return.