Posts in category: Boxing

Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall 2 will air on ESPN+ in the States

Both John Evans and Mike Coppinger report that the long-brewing rematch between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall is set for April 27th at First Direct Arena in Leeds.

Per Coppinger, the bout will air on ESPN+ in the Sates, TSN in Canada, and DAZN elsewhere. DAZN already has another rematch between Ja’Rico O’Quinn and Peter McGrail penciled in for that date in Liverpool, so we’ll see if that gets moved or they do a split broadcast.

Taylor (19-1, 13 KO) once the undisputed super lightweight champion and a fixture of the pound-for-pound list, experienced a truly bizarre and self-inflicted fall from grace over the last few years. After falling to Catterall (28-1, 13 KO) in the eyes of virtually every viewer save for two ringside judges, Taylor did everything he could to dodge the rematch, insisting he could no longer make 140 and letting the mandatory clock run out on three of his four belts.

The pair finally agreed to rematch last February, but after scheduling issues forced a delay, Taylor turned around and signed up to fight Teofimo Lopez. He proceeded to rub the snub in Catterall’s face, but now comes crawling back after falling to “The Takeover” in one-sided fashion.

Catterall probably should have moved on at some point, but at least he’ll finally get a shot at revenge. A win here could put him right back in line to challenge for a title, though he may have to wait in line for a bit; Sandor Martin presumably has next crack at the WBC belt after Ryan Garcia and Catterall already turned down a final eliminator against Richardson Hitchins, so the IBF may not be keen on letting him take a crack at Subriel Matias.

It’s a big time for the super lightweight division with star fighters and titleholders aligning or maybe aligning!

It’s another week, and while it’s not the week we were hoping, we do have a podcast for you all the same!

• First Half: Super Bowl! Puppy Bowl Hall of Fame! Girl Scout cookie hard sell! Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia official, Teofimo Lopez and Subriel Matias, and the state of 140 right now!
• Intermission: Improv? More like improve.
• Second Half: No Fury vs Usyk this week! Sorry, that was kinda supposed to be the big thing! Instead, we get into Friday’s competing main events on ESPN and DAZN, plus John yells about “Redneck Brawl” a little.

If the embeddable player doesn’t show or work for you, we are on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon/Audible, Google, iHeart, Deezer, and several other apps! You can also directly download the MP3 here. There is NSFW language.

Music: “Chamem-Me D” by Rocky Marsiano, “Em Sintonia” by Rocky Marsiano, “Só Naquela” by Rocky Marsiano

Devin Haney is expecting to show the world he’s both a top talent and top draw in the sport.

As Devin Haney heads into his big fight with Ryan Garcia in April, he talks to DAZN about the matchup, what this fight means for his career, and his prediction for the fight. Check out some of what Haney had to say below.

Haney on what he remembers of Garcia from their six amateur matchups

“Ryan has always been a good fighter since we were kids but I feel like over time I’ve grown past him, got a lot better, where Ryan kind of stayed the same. And that’s for me to show on April 20.”

On Garcia saying he’s praying Bill Haney throws in the towel in time to save him

“Well listen, Henry, his dad, is going to be there too so we’ll see who stops it. I think his dad will be the one throwing in the towel and stopping the fight.”

On being in another marquee fight

“That’s what it’s all about. After the last fight I said I’ve done the legacy fights, I got the belts, I’m in the history books forever. But now it’s about making the biggest fights happen for the most amount of money and make big events. And here we are, arguably the biggest fight in 2024 — I think the biggest fight. It’s going to be a mega event.”

On what a win over Garcia does for his career

“It’s going to catapult me. It’s going to prove I am the new face of boxing, I am the man, and I’m a huge draw.”

On how he sees the fight ending

“We’ve seen Ryan quit before and I think this won’t be anything different. Once you have that quit in you, it’s installed in you, you know how to do it, and I think he’ll quit on April 20.”

Subriel Matias is reportedly finalizing a summer bout with Liam Paro

IBF super lightweight champion Subriel Matias has officially joined forces with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, which announced a “multi-fight co-promotional deal” alongside original promoter Fresh Productions.

I am very excited about the deal we’ve reached with Matchroom,” said Matias. I can’t wait to show DAZN, Matchroom, all the big names out there and the world why this deal was made: because I am the best 140 pounder on the planet. And I will show this in front of my people, which makes me immensely happy. I promise to keep working hard to give the fans what they are looking for. This is all-out wars until one of the two opponents breaks up. I do not run. It is not my fighting style, and it is not in my DNA. This will not change now in any way. Whoever they put in front of me, I will destroy.

“I thank my promoters, Matchroom and Fresh Productions, for this opportunity. I am excited to be in the Matchroom team. I will not let you down. To my people in Puerto Rico, I will see you soon. And we will have a glorious boxing night.”

The press release promises an announcement on Matias’ (20-1, 20 KO) next defense “soon.” News broke last week that Matias was in the process of finalizing a summer showdown with Liam Paro in his native Puerto Rico, which today’s news lends credence to.

There’s a lot to like about this partnership, which opens the door for a number of intriguing matchups. The winner of Devin Haney’s April 20th defense against Ryan Garcia is obviously the most appealing, but there’s also Paro, Jack Catterall, Regis Prograis, and top contender Richardson Hitchins to consider. Matias won’t be starved for opponents anytime soon, and as someone who greatly enjoys watching him wreck shop, I’m very much on board.

Both fights are free on Prime Video, even for non-subscribers

Regardless of whether they intend to fork over money for PBC’s inaugural Prime Video PPV on March 30th or even own a Prime subscription, boxing fans will enjoy two free matchups before Keith Thurman and Tim Tszyu kick off PBC’s new era.

The featured attraction pits 20-year-old middleweight prospect Elijah Garcia (16-0, 13 KO), last seen winning a shootout against Armando Resendiz last September, against Kyrone Davis (18-3-1, 6 KO). The press release calls Davis a “contender” who had a “hard-fought contest” with David Benavidez, which is a rather rosy way of looking at things; “Shut it Down’s” greatest accomplishment is a 2021 draw with Anthony Dirrell and he failed to take a round from Benavidez en route to a seventh-round stoppage.

Very much a step back for Garcia, but it’s not like he’s on a time crunch.

“I’m excited to be back in the ring, especially on this first event with PBC and Prime Video,” said García. “Fighting on these major events is an incredible blessing and I plan on delivering another great performance. Kyrone Davis has been in the ring with some very good fighters, and it will be a challenging fight, but my plan is to get the win by any means necessary. The fans are going to see an incredible night of boxing on March 30 and everyone should be tuning in.”

“Elijah García is a very good fighter who’s young and hungry and he looks the part, but most importantly he’s been moved right,” said Davis. “Sometimes you can look better than you really are if you’re being moved right. I got asked about this fight last year and of course I said yes. Then everything went silent. Now, I face Cruse Stewart and he goes the distance with me and Elijah stopped him, so now he fights me. I’m not going to say too much, but I’m glad they took the fight. We’ll see if Garcia is really the future come March 30.”

The other (allegedly) sees WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez (20-2, 15 KO) defend his title against Angelino Cordova (18-0-1, 12 KO) in a matchup previously planned for December before “Rey” ran into visa issues.

Cordova doesn’t appear to be a a particularly fearsome contender having gotten this opportunity thanks to what was reportedly a questionable win over Angel Acosta, so the bigger question is whether Martinez can make it to the ring. “Rey” once stood atop the flyweights as one of the sport’s most electric action fighters, but a mix of underwhelming performances and withdrawals left him behind as the division moved on.

“I’m ready to give it my all in training camp for this fight,” said Martínez. “I want all of the big fights and big prizes this year. My plan is to go earn this win on March 30 and end up with my hand raised. Then I’m going for all the belts, no matter who I have to face. I’m going to be the last man standing.”

“I’m very thankful that this fight is on and confirmed,” said Cordova. “My team did a great job making sure that this fight was rescheduled, and I’m thrilled it’s part of a huge card like this. I’m excited to finally face Martínez on March 30. The only thing on my mind is becoming the new WBC world champion.”