Boxing 2017 First Half Preview – TnS Podcast #35 – The boxing calendar for 2017 has a lot of big fights already on the program, and this latest TalknShoot Boxing podcast takes a look at some of the matches already in the books.
This weekend in Las Vegas the WBA featherweight world title fight between England’s titleholder Carl Frampton and the former champion Leo Santa Cruz. Frampton won the title from Santa Cruz last July 30th on Showtime, and the rematch has been in the works ever since. The odds makers are picking Frampton to do it again and pull off the victory, but there is also a lot of talk about a potential “trilogy” in the making between the pair.
Check out the GMS Odds Review for Saturday’s Frampton-Santa Cruz rematch right here.
This weekend’s calendar also sees Golden Boy Promotions at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California with a card that sees the main events broadcast on HBO.
The talk also turned to the recently announced Saul “Canelo” Alvarez versus Julio Cesar Chavez Jr match-up planned for Vegas on Cinco de Mayo weekend. The match will also be offered on Pay-per-view in the United States and it will certainly be interesting to see how well the “Mexico vs Mexico” rivalry fight sells stateside. Both fighters have seen better days in terms of their stateside popularity. The fight is being set at a ‘catchweight’ of 164.5 pounds and the WBC sanctioning body is offering to “create” some type of commemorative belt for the bout, and both steps are a step away from true competition and leaning more towards spectacle.
Boxing 2017 First Half Preview – TnS Podcast #35
The second half of the program gets into the situation around WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. Wilder is scheduled to return to action on February 25th in a fight that is scheduled to air on FOX in the United States. The problem is that the opponent, Andrzej Wawrzyk of Poland has tested positive for some type of banned substance and now Wilder and FOX and the PBC are left scrambling around for a fighter to take the fight on less than a month’s notice.
The calendar year 2016 saw Wilder fall behind several heavyweights in terms of world wide recognition, and that includes IBF world titlist Anthony Joshua of England. It is a position Wilder does not want to be in, as there is talk of a showdown between Wilder and Joshua coming from the Joshua camp. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter has made it clear he wants to bring his Matchroom Boxing Promotion to the United States and doing it with a Joshua versus Wilder match would be big. Considering that Joshua’s next fight, scheduled for April of this year against Wladimir Klitschko, sold out 80,000 seat Wembley Stadium and you get the idea that Wilder will already be the notorious “B” side to the money.
The Wilder vs Wawrzyk fight is already a black eye with the involvement of PEDs and Wilder is going to have to come up with a presentable option or he risks losing more ground to Joshua and Hearn as he prepares for future negotiations.
Check out all the Boxing talk right here at TnS Podcast #35 Boxing 2017 First Half Preview / Check out more boxing news and features at The Sweet Science.
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