There was an opportunity Sebastian Fundora would face Tim Tszyu in his subsequent combat, a rematch of final 12 months’s bloody resolution victory, however with Tszyu shedding by TKO to Bakhram Murtazaliev on Saturday, Fundora has his eyes on a unique opponent: Errol Spence Jr.
Spence, a former welterweight champion, hasn’t fought since his ninth-round TKO loss to Terence Crawford in July 2023. Afterward, Spence had cataract surgical procedure in January. Whereas the combat hasn’t formally been introduced, there’s an opportunity they are going to combat early subsequent 12 months. Can Fundora benefit from the chance and defeat Spence?
Shakur Stevenson was scheduled to face Joe Cordina this month however suffered an damage to his proper hand throughout coaching that required surgical procedure. Now Stevenson’s on the lookout for a brand new opponent — presumably a high 5 fighter — for February in a Riyadh Season card.
Jack Catterall and Regis Prograis want assertion victories once they face one another on Saturday, however can they get it? Rafael Espinoza pulled an upset victory over Robeisy Ramirez final December in top-of-the-line fights of the 12 months. Can they produce one other must-see bout within the rematch?
Top-of-the-line pound-for-pound fighters, Naoya Inoue, has received world titles in 4 weight courses and appears unbeatable. However his Japanese compatriot, Junto Nakatani, is trying to get into the ring with Inoue and has received titles in three divisions. Whereas they’re nonetheless separated by a division, can they meet within the ring subsequent 12 months?
In response to a few of these urgent questions, Mike Coppinger and Nick Parkinson have some solutions.
Do not be shocked if … Sebastian Fundora defeats Errol Spence Jr.
Fundora and Spence are slated to satisfy in early 2025, sources advised ESPN, in what will probably be Spence’s first combat since he was dismantled by Crawford in July 2023.
The bout can even be Spence’s first at 154 kilos after combating at welterweight all of his profession. Between the inactivity, new weight class and the great punishment he sustained in his final bout, Spence must be counted as an underdog vs. Fundora.
Fundora is a difficult opponent for nearly any fighter as evidenced by his March title victory over Tim Tszyu. Clearly, Fundora realized from his first profession loss — a KO vs. Brian Mendoza in a significant upset final April — and determined to make use of his great peak and attain extra.
At 6-foot-5 ½ with an 80-inch attain, Fundora has otherworldly measurement for a 154-pounder. After all, Spence cannot be counted out in any case he is achieved within the sport. He was a staple of the pound-for-pound record for years and is likely one of the finest welterweights of the previous 10 years. — Coppinger
Do not be shocked if … Regis Prograis denies Jack Catterall a KO win
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Regis Prograis: Struggle with Jack Catterall will not be shut
Regis Prograis explains why he’s anticipating one other title shot if he beats Jack Catterall.
Catterall advised ESPN final week he believes he’s within the type of his life, and based mostly on his final outing — a unanimous resolution win over former undisputed champion Josh Taylor — it’s exhausting to argue with the English contender. Catterall must be a world champion by now, after a controversial split-decision loss to Taylor in 2022, however a victory over Prograis is probably going to provide him one other shot at glory in 2025.
That want may hearth Catterall to a win over Prograis, whom may need expertise on his aspect as a two-time world champion, however he’s out of shape and at 35 is also out of time. His most up-to-date performances recommend Prograis is likely to be on the downward slope.
Prograis suffered a landslide resolution loss to Devin Haney in December after he was floored in Spherical 3 and misplaced each spherical within the judges’ scorecards. To rub salt into the wound for Prograis, he had the ignominy of breaking the CompuBox document for fewest punches landed in a 12-round championship bout with 36. He was additionally lackluster in a split-decision win over Danielito Zorrilla in June 2023, in an underwhelming homecoming combat in New Orleans.
However Prograis is hard, and will probably be motivated by the necessity to produce a giant efficiency to salvage his profession. In 2019, when he was at his peak, Prograis took Taylor to factors in a grueling world title unification combat loss within the World Boxing Tremendous Collection remaining, and that sturdiness is more likely to deny Catterall a stoppage win in entrance of his dwelling followers on the new Co-Op Dwell area in Manchester.
As sharp as Catterall’s performances have been lately, he isn’t a famend finisher. Since October 2017, Catterall has received by stoppage solely thrice, all in opposition to opponents with double and even triple-digit defeats on their document (Kevin McCauley had 163 losses once they fought in March 2018) and a factors resolution appears a possible consequence. — Parkinson
Do not be shocked if … Shakur Stevenson faces William Zepeda in February’s Riyadh Season card
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Basic Leisure Authority, is planning a significant card for Feb. 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and one combat that would definitely match on such a present could be Shakur vs. Zepeda. The bout has been within the works for months, with Stevenson lined up for a combat in opposition to Cordina this month whereas Zepeda prepares to face Tevin Farmer on Nov. 16.
Farmer, after all, possesses an analogous type to Stevenson as a slick, defensive-minded southpaw. Stevenson was by no means in a position to combat Cordina as he underwent hand surgical procedure in September. However afterward, Stevenson stated he deliberate to move into the combat with the strain fighter Zepeda, anyway.
Hopefully, the combat involves fruition, however first, Zepeda might want to look spectacular but once more, and this time the opponent (Farmer) figures to current a sterner problem. — Coppinger
Do not be shocked if … Naoya Inoue faces Junto Nakatani in a megafight subsequent 12 months
An Inoue-Nakatani combat is not solely, maybe, the most important combat in Japanese historical past. It is also top-of-the-line fights that may be made in all of boxing.
Nakatani lastly crashed ESPN’s pound-for-pound record final week with one other dominant title protection at 118 kilos. And it is clear there is no greater problem on the market for “The Monster” than his personal countryman.
Nakatani has the scale, energy and method to provide Inoue his hardest combat but, if not defeat him outright. Such a combat on the Tokyo Dome – the place 55,000 individuals noticed Inoue defeat Luis Nery in Could — for Inoue’s undisputed 122-pound championship would absolutely generate huge enterprise.
First, Inoue will combat Australia’s Sam Goodman on Dec. 24 in Tokyo earlier than a potential U.S. return within the spring. After that? We may see Inoue combat his first pound-for-pound opponent but. — Coppinger
Do not be shocked if … the rematch between Rafael Espinoza and Robeisy Ramirez produces one other combat of the 12 months candidate
The final time these two met, it produced a thriller, with each fighters visiting the canvas in top-of-the-line fights of 2023, so anticipate one other traditional conflict on Dec. 7.
Espinoza produced an upset over Ramirez after getting into the combat below the radar. His quantity of punches was decisive, particularly late on, to earn a majority resolution and win the WBO featherweight title. Espinoza, 30, then impressed once more in a primary protection fourth-round KO of Sergio Chirino in June.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ramirez should produce one thing completely different to avenge the defeat, which makes this combat such an thrilling prospect. Ramirez, 30, has since sparkled in a combat in June, as he sealed a Spherical 7 TKO win over Brandon Leon Benitez.
Espinoza’s peak (6-1), the tallest world featherweight champion in historical past, will once more be a defining issue on this combat. Can Ramirez get inside Espinoza’s vary together with his slick abilities? He dropped Espinoza in Spherical 5 in December, earlier than visiting the canvas himself as the amount of punches took its toll within the remaining spherical.
The rematch has all of the elements for an additional traditional. — Parkinson
