Sometimes being a boxing fan is like being a pizza enthusiast. Once in a while you’ll get an amazing pizza, but even an average pizza is still, y’know, pizza. That’s what this week is like. There’s nothing superlative, but there’s cheese and sauce and it’s all pretty good. Are you getting this extended metaphor? I guess it’s pretty cheesy; let’s just jump right in.
- Olusegun Ajose vs. Hank Lundy, Friday, ESPN2, Salem N.H. This junior welterweight bout is a very solid Friday Night Fights main event. Ajose (31-1, 14 KO) is as tough as they come, a southpaw whose wild hair matches his style in the ring. In a loss to Lucas Matthysse, now considered one of the top two men in the division, he proved his incredible heart by taking hellacious punishment from the Argentine badass. Lundy (22-3-1, 11 KO) is no slouch himself, a fast and athletic puncher who has come up a little short in recent outings. The Philly fighter has sometimes struggled with concentration, though, getting knocked out by John Molina while ahead on the scorecards and taking the first half of his fight against Viktor Postol off. That’s not a particularly good character trait against a fighter as tenacious as Ajose. While the Nigerian isn’t a huge puncher, I think he’ll catch up with Lundy around the 8th round and hand “Hammering Hank” his 3rd loss in as many fights.
- Mickey Bey vs. John Molina, Friday, Showtime, Las Vegas. Showtime is putting on a good ShoBox to compete with FNF. Lightweights Mickey Bey (18-0-1, 9 KO) and John Molina (25-3, 20 KO) have both been through trials as pros. Molina’s have been honest losses, including being knocked out by Antonio DeMarco, while Bey’s have been shadier – including a brace of questionable decisions and a positive drug test. The way I see it, Bey just ain’t that great — he’s consistently struggled with fighters that put him under pressure. That’s exactly what Molina is going to do, and I think he’ll earn the decision. Farrah Ennis (21-1, 12 KO) and Badou Jack (14-0, 10 KO) fight on the undercard in an appealing clash of super middleweight prospects.
- Dereck Chisora vs. Malik Scott, Saturday, London. Heavyweight fights, unlike pizza, are only sporadically tasty. It’s nice, then, to get a good match-up like this one. Some think Scott (35-0-1, 12 KO) is America’s best heavyweight, while Chisora (16-4, 12 KO) has proved himself a very capable contender, at least when motivated. It should end up as a interesting clash between a cute-ish boxer and a obstinate stalker. Chisora might be the looniest man in boxing (which is really saying something), so it’s difficult to know what version of the Zimbabwean will turn up. If it’s a de-motivated fatso, then Scott should definitely have the legs and smarts to win. If not, then the Philadelphian will have his work cut out for him.
- The Rest. The man with the best name in boxing, junior featherweight prospect Randy Caballero (18-0, 10 KO) faces Miguel Robles (12-2-2, 5 KO) on Fox Deportes Friday, with former U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha on the undercard… Medical degree aspirant and junior welterweight Chris Algieri (16-0, 7 KO) faces Mike Arnaoutis (24-8-2, 11 KO) in what figures to be a popular off-TV clash in Huntington, New York, on Saturday.
