Decide It: Keyshawn Davis vs. Gustavo Lemos
When to Watch: Friday, November 8.
The preliminary broadcast begins at 6:20 p.m. Jap Time (11:20 p.m. GMT).
The right way to watch: ESPN+
Why to Watch: Sure, there are extra established fighters performing this week — maintain studying under for our preview of the present that includes Jaron “Boots” Ennis defending his welterweight title and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez” placing the lineal junior bantamweight championship on the road.
However we’re most intrigued by Keyshawn Davis-Gustavo Lemos, pairing a rising light-weight contender in opposition to an opponent who simply gave one other up-and-comer a tricky outing.
Davis, 11-0 (7 KOs), received the light-weight silver medal within the 2020/2021 Olympics. The 25-year-old might be combating for his first time as a professional in his hometown, headlining on the Scope Area in Norfolk, Virginia.
Up to now in 2024, Davis has scored a sixth-round technical knockout of Jose Pedraza and received a unanimous resolution over Miguel Madueno. Davis is constant to step up, in search of to supply himself, his group and us boxing followers with a sign of the place he may stack up at 135 kilos.
Right here’s the lay of the land: The 4 light-weight titleholders are Vasiliy Lomachenko (IBF), Gervonta “Tank” Davis (WBA), Shakur Stevenson (WBC) and Denys Berinchyk (WBO).
Lomachenko might retire if he doesn’t take a unification combat with Gervonta Davis. If Keyshawn Davis will get by Lemos, maybe he would vie for the vacant IBF belt within the occasion that Lomachenko hangs up his gloves. Keyshawn received’t face Stevenson; they’re shut associates. And it appears too early in Keyshawn’s profession for him to be prepared for the numerous problem that’s Tank Davis. The opposite possibility is to move towards the WBO title. The winner of Davis vs. Lemos might wind up as Berinchyk’s necessary.
Prime Rank additionally promotes Raymond Muratalla, 22-0 (17 KOs), who fought this previous weekend and blew via Jesus Campos in two rounds. Muratalla and Keyshawn Davis will probably be saved aside for a while; any promoter would favor the potential of two titleholders quite than sacrifice one off earlier than it’s obligatory.
In fact, all of that is untimely. Lemos isn’t right here as a gimme opponent.
The 28-year-old from Buenos Aires is 29-1 with 19 KOs. That lone loss was debatable. In April, after spending his total professional profession in Argentina, Lemos traveled to Las Vegas to face Richardson Hitchins in an elimination bout for the IBF’s junior welterweight title. Hitchins received a unanimous resolution, although some have made the case that Lemos deserved the nod.
It’s attention-grabbing that Lemos is returning to 135. He’d been in line for a title shot on this division up to now however moved up attributable to weight issues, in response to Diego Morilla of RingTV.com. Will Lemos be capable of carry out at light-weight in opposition to Davis the way in which he did at junior welterweight in opposition to Hitchins?
The undercard features a combat that includes one in every of Davis’ Olympic teammates, 13-0 (5 KOs) middleweight prospect Troy Isley, in opposition to Tyler Howard, 20-1 (11 KOs); in addition to appearances by light-weight prospect Abdullah Mason – 15-0 (13 KOs) – and two of Keyshawn’s brothers, 13-0 (7 KOs) welterweight prospect Kelvin and debuting junior middleweight Keon.
Extra Fights to Watch
Thursday, November 7: Osleys Iglesias vs. Petro Ivanov (ESPN+)
The published begins at 6:30 p.m. Jap Time (11:30 p.m. GMT).
Iglesias, 12-0 (11 KOs), is an unbeaten tremendous middleweight who’s been blasting out his opponents. He’s a 26-year-old initially from Cuba, dwelling in Berlin and combating recurrently out of Quebec.
The province is the place Iglesias has already fought thrice this 12 months, placing away Marcelo Coceres in two minutes and 7 seconds in March and Evgeny Shvedenko in two minutes and 48 seconds in June. Each of these fights have been in Montreal. His August victory over Sena Agbeko occurred in Quebec Metropolis and took a bit longer, lasting into the second spherical, 4 minutes and 16 seconds in whole.
Iglesias might be in Montreal as soon as once more on Thursday, headlining on the On line casino de Montreal in opposition to Ivanov.
Ivanov, 18-0-2 (13 KOs), is a 28-year-old initially from Ukraine and now calling Germany residence. He’s scored six straight knockouts, most lately dispatching the 14-5 Juan Boada in 4 rounds. That combat occurred in October 2023, so Ivanov is coming back from a 12 months out of the ring.
A win for Iglesias means he ought to graduate into going through different ranked opponents. Ivanov, in the meantime, is aiming for an upset and the doorways that might open.
Saturday, November 9: Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs. Karen Chukhazhian 2, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs. Pedro Guevara (DAZN)
The preliminary broadcast begins at 4:30 p.m. Jap Time (9:30 p.m. GMT). The principle broadcast begins at 7 p.m. Jap Time (midnight GMT).
Two titleholders, two necessary challengers, two very totally different ranges of competitors on the Wells Fargo Middle in Philadelphia.
In the principle occasion is hometown hero Ennis, defending his IBF welterweight title in opposition to necessary challenger Karen Chukhadzhian. That is the second time that Ennis, 32-0 (29 KOs), has fought the 24-2 (13 KOs) Chukhadzhian. Ennis scored a shutout in January 2023 for the interim IBF belt. Now, for Ennis’ second title protection of the total title, the IBF has one way or the other determined that the 28-year-old from Kiev, Ukraine, is worthy once more.
Within the time since their first assembly, Ennis scored a Tenth-round knockout of Roiman Villa in July 2023, then despatched late alternative David Avanesyan packing after 5 rounds this previous July. Chukhadzhian, in the meantime, has scored three straight wins, taking out the 29-7-1 Michel Marcano in two rounds, placing away the 18-1 Pietro Rossetti in 9 and outpointing the 13-2 Harry Scarff.
Ennis had wished to make a unification bout with WBO titleholder Brian Norman Jnr, which might’ve allowed him to defer this necessary. The 27-year-old might want to resolve whether or not to stay at 147 kilos and goal for his fellow titleholders, or if it’s extra fruitful to maneuver as much as 154.
Within the co-feature is Rodriguez, one of many brightest younger stars of the previous few years. The 24-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, will defend his WBC title and the lineal junior bantamweight championship in opposition to interim titleholder Pedro Guevara.
Since 2022, Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) has defeated three of the 4 kings of the 115-pound weight class. First he bested Carlos Cuadras by resolution to win a vacant world title, and he adopted that up by stopping Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Bam then moved all the way down to 112, received a vacant world title there after which unified with a stoppage win over Sunny Edwards. This previous June, Rodriguez returned to junior bantamweight and knocked out lineal champion and WBC titleholder Juan Francisco Estrada with a seventh-round physique shot.
Guevara (42-4-1, 22 KOs) is a 35-year-old from Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, who has held a world title as soon as earlier than. This might be his ultimate shot at successful a belt once more.
Guevara misplaced a break up resolution to John Riel Casimero again in 2012 for a junior flyweight title. Two years later, in December 2014, Guevara knocked out Akira Yaegashi in seven rounds for the vacant WBC belt at 108. He misplaced it in his third protection, dropping a break up resolution to Yu Kimura in November 2015. Guevara additionally misplaced a majority resolution to Kenshiro Teraji in October 2017 and a break up resolution to Cuadras in November 2023 in a combat for the WBC’s interim title at 115. This previous Might, Guevara topped Andrew Moloney by break up resolution for that WBC interim belt.
Rodriguez is trying to unify at 115 after this combat, although he additionally has choices out there for him at 118.
We went extra in-depth about this card, and what might be subsequent for Boots and Bam, in my “Combating Phrases” column.
The undercard consists of the return of Raymond Ford, 15-1-1 (8 KOs), who misplaced his WBA featherweight title to Nick Ball through break up resolution in June. Ford, a 25-year-old from Camden, New Jersey, has moved as much as the junior light-weight division. He’ll face the 23-2 (13 KOs) Orlando Gonzalez, a 29-year-old from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Gonzalez’s losses got here in opposition to Robeisy Ramirez in 2021 and the 13-1 Misael Lopez in 2022. Gonzalez has added 5 victories since.
Saturday, November 9: Subriel Matias vs. Roberto Ramirez (PPV.com)
The published begins at 6:30 p.m. Jap Time (11:30 p.m. GMT).
Matias, 20-2 (20 KOs), is returning for the primary time after dropping his junior welterweight title earlier this 12 months, dropping a unanimous resolution to Liam Paro in June.
That defeat occurred in entrance of Matias’ residence crowd in Puerto Rico. The 32-year-old could have hometown assist once more, this time performing on the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon.
Matias has rebuilt from defeat earlier than. He was a rising prospect earlier than struggling a shocking resolution loss to Petros Ananyan in February 2020. However he bounced again by stopping a pair of unbeaten prospects in Malik Hawkins (TKO6) and Batyrzhan Jukembayev (TKO8), acquired revenge on Ananyan of their rematch (TKO9), after which took out beforehand undefeated Jeremias Ponce in February 2023 (TKO5) to win the IBF title that had been vacated by Josh Taylor. For his first protection, Matias had one other early evening in opposition to one other unbeaten foe, ending Shohjahon Ergashev in six rounds in November 2023. That led to the Paro combat.
The 140-pound weight class is filled with expertise. Matias could be a part of that image. First, nevertheless, comes Ramirez, 26-3-1 (19 KOs), a 31-year-old from Mexico and combating out of San Diego.
All three of Ramirez’s losses have come in opposition to acquainted names: a six-round break up resolution to a younger Carlos Ocampo in 2013; a second-round TKO by the hands of Abel Ramos in 2015; and a fifth-round TKO in opposition to William Zepeda in 2020. Ramirez has received three in a row since however has been out of the ring since his December 2023 victory, a seventh-round TKO over the 14-8 Rodolfo Flores Moreno.
Saturday, November 9: Nicklaus Flaz vs. Christian Gomez (ProBoxTV.com)
The published begins at 8 p.m. Jap Time (1 a.m. GMT).
Flaz is a 28-year-old welterweight from Puerto Rico. He’s 13-2 (8 KOs) and has received 4 straight since getting stopped in a single spherical by Janelson Bocachica again in 2020. In July, he took out the 15-1-1 Alfredo Escarcega in 4 rounds.
Gomez, 23-4-1 (21 KOs), is a 30-year-old from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He suffered back-to-back defeats, dropping a unanimous resolution to prospect Shakhram Giyasov in Might 2022 and knocked out in six rounds by the then-unbeaten Isaias Lucero in January 2023. This April, Gomez ended a 14-month layoff, stopping the 24-19-2 Jesus Acosta Zazueta in 5 rounds.
The undercard consists of former junior light-weight titleholder Joseph Diaz Jnr, 33-6-1 (15 KOs), who has misplaced 5 of his final six. His opponent might be Abraham Montoya, 22-6-1 (14 KOs).
(Notice: BoxingScene.com is owned by ProBox.)
David Greisman, who has lined boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He’s the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s e-book, “Combating Phrases: The Coronary heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is on the market on Amazon.
