Boxing generally takes a back seat to other sports during the red-hot summer months, yet this Saturday night, in London and over in Los Angeles, we fight fans should be treated to some great action. In L.A, lightweight rivals Mikey Garcia, undefeated, and Robert Easter Junior, undefeated, will put their belts on the line in what could turn out to be a surprising candidate for Fight of The Year.
Garcia, an exceptional talent, insists he is not overlooking the tall and rangy Easter at all, yet he does keep on talking about Errol Spence and a move up to welterweight in a fight that really excites and motivates him. Is Garcia going to be a little flat for Saturday’s fight? Is Garcia making a mistake by even thinking about another fight other than the one he has with the talented – and massively motivated – Easter?
If Easter can push Garcia as hard as he believes he can we could see quite a fight. It’s been quite some time since we saw Garcia have to dig deep and battle serious adversity. On the under-card we will see the return of ageing yet still dangerous Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz. It’s always fun seeing the big men in action; even if in this case Ortiz is facing a man who, no disrespect, has almost no chance of beating him in Ravzan Cojanu.
Speaking of the heavyweights, at The O2 in London Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker will duke it out in a big elimination clash. Both men crave a shot at a world title (a second one in the case of the New Zealander) and their fight should prove to be an intense one – hopefully an exciting one. But with so much at stake, with so much on the line, is there a chance both men will be cautious and reluctant to take too many risks? This one does have the look of a distance fight.
Veteran heavies Dereck Chisora and Carlos Takam may have seen better days but pride, and their very careers, will be on the line when they rumble. Likely unable to get out of the way of each other’s big punches, this fight could be a slugfest, and a quite punishing one for both men. Who has the most left wins, it’s as simple as that with this fight.
As an added bonus for fans who love a slugfest (and who doesn’t!) Conor Benn and Cedrick Peynaud will meet again, the two welterweights giving us a multi-knockdown thriller last year. Benn won that one, can he win again, or might Peynaud get the result he came so close to getting back in December?
Sam Eggington will now face Brandon Cook as Kell Brook is injured. This one could be interesting but Eggington has to be the pick to win the 154 pound clash.
Add it all up, from both sides of the Atlantic, and we should get at least two or three excellent battles on Saturday.
