Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Oleksandr Gvozdyk 174.3 vs. Artur Beterbiev 174.5
WBC/IBF light heavyweight title)
Luis Collazo 146.4 vs. Kudratillo Abdukakhorov 147.1
Sonny Conto 214.1 vs. Steven Lyons 201.9
Joseph Adorno 136.8 vs. Damian Sosa 134.7
John Bauza 138.8 vs. Donald Ward 143.5
Jeremy Adorno 121.1 vs. Misael Reyes 121.2
Josue Vargas 140.2 vs. Johnny Rodriguez 140.5
Julian Rodriguez 142.6 vs. Leonardo Doronio 139.4
Michael Seals 174.6 vs. Elio Trosch 173.2
Venue: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN
the winner of Collazo and Abdukakhorov should get an IBF title fight. Spence probably should vacate the belt if Abdukakhorov wins. If Spence were looking for a comeback fight after his accident, Collazo may be a good pick, but I doubt Collazo is going to win this fight. Abdukakhorov is going to be a future champion at 147. Taras Shelestyuk would be a good fight for Spence, if he went over to Top Rank and was looking for something, like a WBO 147 or 154 lbs title fight sometime before 2021. I think Spence is going to have some trouble being a unified WBC/IBF champion in 2020, he has to rebuild without the pressure of defenses against #1 contenders. How can you go right into the toughest fights with top contenders after being thrown out of a car? With Munguia about to vacate the WBO belt at 154, and with Crawford not even considered a champion by PBC at 147, it is probably a good path if Spence were to continue as a boxer, to go with Top Rank.
I prefer Alexander Besputin for either guy (Crawford an Spence). Besputin vs Crawford we can have a rough idea of could have been Cranford vs. Lomachenko
One of the best match ups of the year and it’s on ESPN. Thank you ESPN for not charging us to watch this great matchup between two young and talented fighters.
Been waiting for this fight for a long time. Glad it’s not on ESPN+ and it’s on ESPN. So hard to predict this fight. The better chin may prevail. I like Beterbiev
Beterbiev will blast out Gvozdyk before the 5th round.
I find this photo of Gvozdyk and Beterbiev very interesting: it shows natural LHW physique. Compare these physiques to Canelo’s new physique, and then tell me that Canelo is not juiced up. Kovalev is taller than him, but he will look like a stick compared to Canelo.
Seems someone loves Canelo around here
Who wouldn’t love one of the biggest cheaters in the sport?
But I get it – he’s a “superstar” and therefore has immunity. Getting juiced up – no problem. Having judges clearly in his favor – no issue. Stacking his hand wraps – who cares? Fighting the weakest links of each division – why not? Offending every other fighter out there – its only natural.
I mean, how can you not love the guy?
Not an accurate comment. Bodies are built differntly. The reason these guys are more slender is because of their height and reach and amount of power they can generate out of those bodies. That’s exactly why it is such a tremendous challenge for Canelo to go for this fight. Most guys with Canelo’ s body type are not able to get to this level at LH.
Usually you can tell something in a face off pick.. These guys are stone-faced and stoic as they come.. Makes it even more interesting.
I would just shit my pants just by watching them at the weigh-in !!