Theattle hath a Mike Thython Thtatue? That’s crazy (and via our friends at r/boxing). Sadly, that’s about the craziest thing going on in boxing this week. Still, the previews for all of the week’s fights are below.
- Andrzej Fonfara Vs. Doudou Ngumbu, Saturday, Showtime, Chicago. Officially, this card is billed as The Homecoming, but is should probably called Doudou By Name, Doudou By Nature. Sorry, I had to make a poo joke (because this card is bad). Mid-level (and we’re being generous here) light heavyweight Fonfara (25-3, 15 KO) is fighting Ngumbu (33-5, 12 KO), a French heavyweight whose most notable achievement is losing to Isaac Chilemba five years ago. Basically this is a high-end club fight on premium cable. The undercard is a bit better, with Al Haymon-promoted, Spanish speaking Japanese bantamweight Tomoki Kameda (30-0, 19 KO) taking on rough ‘n tumble Mexican Alejandro Hernandez (28-10, 2 KO). It should be fun as long at it lasts, but Kameda, who at 23 already looks like the most impressive scion of a Japanese boxing dynasty, has all the advantages. Also on the card is Dominican junior featherweight puncher Javier Fortuna (25-0, 18 KO), who’s fighting Abner Cotto (18-2, 8 KO), which is a decent fight but still maybe not at the level Fortuna could be at.
- Alex Leapai Vs. Malik Scott, Friday, Brisbane. Australia’s Leapai (30-5-3, 24 KO) made a name for himself Down Under getting knocked out by heavyweight champ Wlad Klitschko. Philadelphia’s Scott (36-2-1, 13 KO) made a bit less of a name for himself getting knocked out by Deontay Wilder. Who has recovered best from their most recent knockout loss could be the key to this fight, but in normal circumstances I’d have to do the unpatriotic thing and pick Scott, who’s a more polished offering.
- Danny O’Connor Vs. Andrew Farmer, Thursday, Fox Sports 1/Fox Deportes, Plymouth Mass. Irish-American welterweight “prospect” O’Connor (23-2, 7 KO) returns at home against Farmer (18-2, 7 KO) whose record is (somehow) even more padded than his own. Lightweight lion head gimmick guy Sharif Bogere is on the undercard.
- Wilfredo Vazquez,Jr. Vs. Jonathan Arellano, Saturday, UniMas, Caguas Puerto Rico. Vazquez, Jr. (23-4-1, 19 KO) looks to bounce back from his recent loss to Marvin Sonsona by taking on Arellano (15-4-2, 3 KO), a light hitting type who hasn’t been on much of a winning way of late. I think we all know how it’s going to go.
- Dusty Hernandez-Harrison Vs. Michael Clark, Saturday, Washington D.C. Welterweight up-and-comer and TQBR favourite Hernandez-Harrison (23-0, 12 KO) stays busy off TV against the undistinguished Clarke (44-11-1, 18 KO).
