Forget Saul Alvarez. Forget Amir Khan. Usman “Uzzy” Ahmed is in Vegas baby! You might remember Uzzy from such viral videos as BIGGEST BOXING TRAGEDY EVER! He’s there cheering for fellow Brit Khan, who’ll probably feature in a similar video by Sunday morning. I’m not going to bother previewing that fight (Matthew Swain will have it all taken care of), so I’ll jump right into the undercard. Thanks to friend of the site Rafe Bartholomew for the tip on Uzzy.
The Khanelo Undercard
- David Lemieux vs Glen Tapia. This middleweight supporting bout is a surefire barnburner between two action fighters, but it mightn’t last all that long. Lemieux is a bona fide puncher, and Tapia is coming off a KO loss against Michel Soro in which he was just way too easy to hit. There might be some scary moments in their for the French Canadian, though.
- Mauricio Herrera vs Frankie Gomez. A hell of a step-up for welterweight prospect Gomez, who’s in for a real challenge against veteran party pooper Herrera. Gomez is certainly aggressive, but he’ll have to dig deep, especially as the rounds wear on. Herrera is an expert at controlling distance and frustrating opponents. Too bad you can’t bet on a dodgy decision.
- Curtis Stevens vs Patrick Teixeira. Lanky Brazilian southpaw Teixeira wants to get into the thick of the middleweight division but needs to get past compact puncher Stevens first. Teixeira doesn’t look all the special to me—he seems ponderously slow—but Stevens isn’t the most active fighter in the world. Teixeira shouldn’t have too much trouble outworking him on the end of his long punches.
The Rest Of The Week’s Boxing Schedule
- Marvin Quintero vs Petr Petrov, Friday, Estrella TV, Las Vegas. Spanish-speaking Russian lightweight Petrov returns to the ring for the first time in over a year against Mexican southpaw Quintero.
- Anthony Crolla vs Ismael Barroso, Saturday, AWE, Manchester. British lightweight Crolla faces Venezualan puncher Barroso at home. Neither guy is elite (Barroso is more untested than Crolla) but it could be fun. Also on AWE is a heavyweight fight from Hamburg, with Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev fighting English troublemaker Dereck Chisora. Pulev will win because he’s half decent, which is all you really need to be at heavyweight.
