FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR became the latest boxing superstar to grace the spiritual home of British boxing tonight.
The fight legend made a shock appearance at York Hall, Bethnal Green to check out his fighter Gervonta Davis.
‘The Tank’ who defends his IBF super-featherweight crown against Liam Walsh at London’s Copper Box Arena on Saturday night performed a public workout.
Mayweather, who retired with a stunning 49-0, was chased by fans when he arrived at the venue in London’s East End before relaxing with the boxer he promotes.
Moments earlier underdog Walsh had performed and is ready to cause an upset after a 16 week training camp.
Walsh said: “The intensity increased slowly. If I had a ten week camp it would have been intense from the off.
“I say I have been training hard for four months, but I train all year round. I was even running the day after Klimov and I’m ready.
“He is getting a lot of media because Mayweather says he is the future of boxing.
“Some people just think it’s true and just at follow along instead of having their own thoughts and believe everything they’re told.
“For me he looks very good and there is no doubt he’s a world class fighter, but there are still a lot of questions to be asked.”
All floor seating at the Copper Box Arena has now SOLD OUT.
Remaining tickets are available from www.seetickets.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk
Davis-Walsh, Russell Jr-Escandon and Dirrell-Uzcategui this Saturday
Let the boxing binge watching begin this Saturday, May 20 when separate shows on SHOWTIME and FS1 deliver six matches running over six consecutive hours. This boxing extravaganza will present a unique opportunity for fans to watch boxing starting at 6 p.m. ET and continue throughout the evening.
“It’s not unusual to spend all day Sunday watching the NFL or to spend the day watching the NBA playoffs,” said Tim Smith, Vice President of Communications for Haymon Boxing. “But it’s rare for boxing fans to be able to turn on the television in the early evening and binge watch great action until late at night. The slate of shows on May 20 will provide that opportunity for boxing fans.”
Kicking off the day will be an action-packed 130-pound championship match with undefeated young star Gervonta Davis (17-0, 16 KOs) defending his title against No. 1 contender Liam Walsh (21-0, 14 KOs) from Copper Box Arena in London, England with coverage beginning on SHOWTIME at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
The 22-year-old Davis is the youngest reigning American world champion in boxing and he will travel to England for his first title defense against Walsh, an undefeated southpaw fighting in his hometown of London.
Immediately following the Davis-Walsh bout, things kick into high gear with three matches originating from MGM National Harbor outside of Washington, D.C. Gary Russell, Jr. (27-1, 16 KOs) defends his 126-pound world title against Oscar Escandon (25-2, 17 KOs) in the main event.
A pair of world title eliminators round out the televised portion of the card. Andre Dirrell (25-2, 16 KOs) and Jose Uzcategui (26-1, 22 KOs) meet in a 168-pound match with the winner set to fight for the interim IBF title and a shot at current champion James DeGale. Two-division champion Rances Barthelemy (25-0, 16 KOs) takes on Kiryl Relikh (21-1, 19 KOs) in a 140-pound title eliminator with the winner earning an opportunity to fight for a world championship.
Rounding out the night is a pair of Premier Boxing Champions matches on FS1 and FOX Deportes from Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas that start at 10 p.m. ET.
David Benavidez (17-0, 16 KOs), an ascending star, will meet former world title challenger Rogelio “Porky” Medina (37-7, 31 KOs) in a 168-pound title eliminator in the main event. Benavidez will face the toughest test of his career against Medina, a veteran who gave DeGale all he could handle last year. The winner will get a shot at the 168-pound world championship.
Unbeaten 126-pound contender Jorge Lara (28-0-2, 20 KOs) takes on hard-hitting brawler Mario Briones (28-5-2, 22 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight match in the co-feature.
Binge Away!
