by James Slater: Two heavyweights who have compiled good records against less than stellar opposition fight on a decent card at The Thomas and Mack Centre, Las Vegas on June 20th. Unbeaten 29-year-old Alonzo “Big Zo” Butler takes on 36-year-old Friday “The 13th” Ahunanya over ten scheduled rounds and once-beaten 34-year-old Horace Ray Grant, knows as “The ReeaZon” takes on 25-year-old Kevin “Big Man” Burnett over a scheduled eight rounds of boxing. The card will go out on ESPN 2..
Butler, who hails from Knoxville, Tennessee and has a record of 26-0-1(19) hasn’t been active as of late. Set to face Dominick Guinn late last year, Butler pulled out for some reason and has now not boxed since his 1st round stoppage of Ralph West in May of 2007. Going in against the dangerous Ahunanya, a fighter who was born in Nigeria but now lives in Las Vegas, Butler will be having his biggest pro test yet. Ahunanya, 23-5-3(13) has been in with some very good big men. Losing decisions to Serguei Lyakhovich, Alexander Povetkin and Sultan Ibragimov (a technical decision), the 36-year-old showed he is durable. Can the unbeaten “Big Zo” stop him?
Ahunanya has been stopped before, once. The huge Lance Whitaker TKO’d him in five rounds back in April of 2004, two years before Ahunanya’s points loss to Povetkin. Since his loss to the undefeated Russian, the 36-year-old has won three and drawn one – and he has been active, whereas Butler has not. It should make for a very interesting fight on June 20th – and fans will get to know a little more about how far the unbeaten but untested Butler can go.
On the same bill, Grant takes on Burnett. Grant, like Butler, has built up a record against pretty average opposition – albeit over a lesser number of fights. In compiling his 12-1(7) record, Grant has only met six men who had winning records. Against Burnett, the 34-year-old who was actually born in Nottingham, England but now hails from Maryland, will be meeting a fighter with an almost identical record. Burnett, from Georgia, is currently 12-1-1(8), but he too has boxed a number of men who had losing records. June’s match-up, however, is a good one. Burnett is almost ten years younger and at 6’7″ and approx 270 pounds he is indeed a very big guy. It will be quite a test for Grant.
I think both Butler and Grant will win, but it would be no great shock if either heavyweight has a few scares along the way. The Butler-Ahunanya fight especially, may be a very good heavyweight slugfest.