It’s another quiet one on the old boxing front. Thank the boxing gods for ESPN2, because without that channel there’d be virtually nothing on. Well, not nothing. There’s a German show featuring Arthur Abraham’s return to middleweight. So pretty much nothing. To the fights!
- Teon Kennedy vs. Chris Martin, Friday, ESPN2, Las Vegas. Philadelphian junior featherweight Teon Kennedy is aiming to bounce back from a comprehensive upset loss to Alejandro Lopez last August. In that fight, Kennedy (17-1) was outboxed by Lopez (who Martin has been sparring with), who he seemed to follow lamely around the ring. California’s Martin (23-1-2) is also trying to come back from a shock loss, against journeyman Jose Angel Beranza in October last year. This fight is an interesting style clash. Kennedy got outboxed by Lopez and completely failed to cut the ring off, despite always throwing and coming forward. Martin got outhussled by Beranza. Each man has the tools to beat the other; perhaps whoever can draw more from his first loss will be the winner.
- Arthur Abraham vs. Pablo Oscar Natalio Farias, Saturday, Offenburg Germany. Arthur Abraham returns to his adopted home and the division he once ruled this Saturday after what turned out to be quite an embarrassing participation in the Super Six tournament. It’s the Armenian’s first fight at middleweight since 2009. In time we’ll see if Abraham (32-3) sucked because he was small for super middleweight or whether people just figured out his compact, slow-starting style. It’s doubtful whether his Argentine mystery man opponent, Farias (19-1), will be the guy to settle it, though. On the undercard, The Ring’s number four super middleweight, Robert Stieglitz (40-2) faces Henry Weber (15-0).
- The Rest. This and that.
