Boxing

Friday 29th March -

Seniesa Estrada v Yokasta Valle
And yet another decent female match up , tbh they're really showing the boys how to do it these days if im being honest. Unbeaten 'Super Bad' Estrada (24 Fights - 24 Wins (9 KOs)) retained the WBA Female Minimumweight Title and won the WBC Female Minimumweight title in her last fight when beating the decent Tina Rupprecht by a well deserved unanimous decision , and shes looking to take the IBF / WBO mini flyweight titles from Valle (31 Fights - 29 Wins (9 KOs) - 2 Losses) to come away as the undisputed champ and i have to say that i fancy her chances. .. Valle hasnt lost since 2018 when she lost by UD to Tina Rupprecht , so is on a 16 fight winning streak but in all fairness none of the opposition are in Estrada's league imo , whereas Estrada has been fighting better quality opposition as she goes along , that being said this will be without doubt the biggest fight of her career to date. Both are talented boxers from what i've seen to date and theres a bit of personal rivalry between the two which should add a bit of flavour to the bout , Estrada has , for me , the heavier hands and i see her going for it from the first bell. I have Estrada winning this , probably on points , altho it wont be all one way traffic.

Seniesa Estrada To Win

Saturday 30th March -

Erislandy Lara v Michael Zerafa
Quite an interesting match up this one , Cuban Erislandy Lara (35 Fights - 29 Wins (17 KOs) - 3 Losses - 3 Draws) hasnt been seen since stopping Gary O'Sullivan in his first defence of the WBA (Regular) Middleweight Title back in May of 2022 , and it was just over a year before that fight that he won the title when knocking out Thomas LaManna in the first round .. so despite looking good in those two fights his lack of ring activity has to be of concern imho. Zerafa (35 Fights - 31 Wins (19 KOs) - 4 Losses) has also been out of the ring for a while , having last seen the inside of a ring back in November 2022 when seeing off the challenge of Danilo Creati by unanimous decision. So both have ring lay offs to overcome , and whilst im fairly certain that both will be up for the challenge it has to be a red flag in some sense. Lara is now 40 years of age , whilst Zefara is 31 , so age could be a factor in the outcome but Lara , for me , was so talented , and despite his age hasnt got many pro bouts under his belt (had a distinguished amateur career though) .. hes fought the better boxers (including Jarrett Hurd and Canelo Alvarez) and i think his know how and knowledge is gonna prove too much for Zerafa here. Biggest names on Zerafas resume to date are Kell Brook (Lost) and Jeff Horn (Twice , won once lost once) .. and whilst hes a capable boxer with decent power i think Lara's ring smarts could prove to be too problematic for him. The only thing is , as i say , the time out of the ring , will it play a part in the outcome of the fight , cant answer that one really but Lara would be my bet to come out on top.

Erislandy Lara To Win

Tim Tszyu v Sebastian Fundora
Well despite the fact that Tsyzu (24 Fights - 24 Wins (17 KOs) was supposed to be fighting Keith Thurman (pulled out) he now faces Sebastian Fundora (22 Fights - 20 Wins (13 KOs) - 1 Loss - 1 Draw) , so fair play to both fighters for stepping up to the plate , both fighters were due to fight actually so their training would of been focussed on their respective opponents so it makes me even better of them in a way , especially Tszyu who was facing a 5'10" Thurman and now faces a 6'5 1/2" Fundora ! ...... To be honest i think this is likely to be a better fight than Tszyu's original match up .. I think Tszyu is getting better as he goes along and i have a feeling that Fundora is in for a torrid time , Tszyu is a relentless pressure fighter and to overcome that Fundora is going to have to try and keep Tszyu on the back foot , but i cant see it happening , he must use his lengthy jab obviously but because of his height he has to punch downwards , which would allow Tzsyu to throw overhand rights and lefts and because of his power surely one of them , or an accumulation of them , is gonna tell sooner or later. Fundora also has a tendency to leave himself open on the inside , probably because of his length , and i can see Tszyu capitalising on that and peppering his body with heavy shots and with how hard he hits , Fundora could possibly fold .. I think Fundora has a chance but in all honesty its a small one and i can only see this going one way personally and that a Tim Tszyu win , very likely by a stoppage.

Tim Tszyu To Win

Rolando Romero v Isaac Cruz
Definatley looking forward to this one as it should be a banger and im really having trouble deciding who i think is gonna come out on top as it could easily go either way .. Romero (16 Fights - 15 Wins (13 KOs) - 1 Loss) beat Ismael Barroso last time , by TKO , to win the vacant WBA Super Lightweght title and in all honesty i think that was a decent enough display but against an ageing fighter who he should of really done better against and the stoppage was a tad controversial , before that he was stopped by Gervonta Davis in the sixth which is the only loss on his record to date. Whilst Cruz (31 Fights - 28 Wins (20 KOs) - 2 Losses - 1 Draw) comes into the fight looking for a fourth consecutive win after putting the loss to Gervonta Davis by Unanimous Decision behind him. I think this is a difficult one to call in all honesty , but i favour Cruz as i think he's the better boxer and his work rate / output is second to none , i think it'll get potentially messy in places , but i cant see Romero escaping the relentless 'Pitbull' for 12 rounds , both can punch , Romero probably harder of the two , but Cruz has proven he has a solid chin and he'd have to catch him clean if hes to stand a chance of a knockout i think , but on the whole im seeing Cruz doing what he does best , overwhelming his opponent and even though he has decent height and reach advantages i just dont think hes good enough to capitalise on them , unless hes improved a helluva lot , the only way i see him stopping Cruz over whelming him is to tie him up but even then i dont see him stopping the relentless seek and destroy style of fighting that Cruz employs for long , and i see it being a long night for Romero if he cant stop Cruz as he comes at you all fight long and has a helluva an engine. I think theres a possibilty of Romero stopping him , but i honestly cant see it so im going to say that Pitbull relinquishes him of his belt and walks away the new champ.

Isaac Cruz To Win

Sunday 31st March -

Fabio Wardley v Frazer Clarke
Anticipated fight this one , and hopefully should see some fireworks. Wardley (17 Fights - 17 Wins (16 KOs)) has come up from a somewhat different route compared to most , not the amateurs for him , he was once a decent footballer who found himself involved in white collar boxing and from there onto the pro ranks where he now sits on an unbeaten record and holding the British and WBA Continental Heavyweight Titles , along with the WBO European and Commonwealth Heavyweight Titles , the latter pair he won (and the first two he retained) after stopping David Adeleye in the seventh round back in October of last year. Clarke (8 Fights - 8 Wins (6 KOs)) has made a bit of a stilted start to his pro boxing career to be honest , considering he had a glittering amateur career it has to be said he hasnt exactly set the world on fire in any of his eight fights to date. I think Clarke has looked laboured , almost robotic at times , so far and hes gonna have to improve and have a good game plan if hes to beat Wardley. Hes definatley going to have to keep Wardley at range as if it turns into a battle then i can only see one outcome , Wardley doesnt mind a war , hes aggressive and throws plenty , all with intent and he'll be looking to finish this and his opponent at the first opportunity. I can see him coming out and taking it to Clarke from the off , and unless Clarke can catch him cleanly , then i think Wardley wears him down and eventually stops him.

Fabio Wardley To Win .. By Stoppage

Khabib Nurmagomedov is , for me , the greatest fighter to enter the cage , theres no bullshit , no drama , no trash talking . he just gets in there , does the business .. and finished his career with a record of 29-0

and two more from Dagestan to look out for , first Khabibs brother , Umar .. and Sharabutdin Magomedov

SENIESA ESTRADA WINS (By decision)

ERISLANDY LARA WINS

ISAAC CRUZ WINS

SEBASTIAN FUNDORA WINS

Two out of three last night , bit gutted with the Tszyu / Fundora fight , but thats boxing , didnt help that Tsyzu recieved a nasty looking cut that obviously affected his vision in the third round but no excuses from the fella (fair play to him , but i think the fight should of been stopped and declared a no contest in all honesty) and im hoping that there will be a rematch as i think minus the cut Tszyu would of won

So far this year ive posted 25 write ups with 19 coming in , could of got a couple of others tbh , as i put in the write ups i went with my heart and not my head (which i keep saying i wont but always end up doing lol) , namely Eggington / Barou and Buatsi / Azeez .. and the one draw i feel Ball done enough to take the fight so a bit miffed about that one .. oh well onwards and upwards , Frazier and Wardley tonight with more to come in April and May including the Uysk and Fury bout .. some good fights coming up and hopefully some equally as good bouts will be made for the latter half of the year

DRAW

Gotta be honest i think Wardley done enough to nick this , dropped Clarke and despite the badly busted hooter he hurt Clarke a few times and he spat his gumshield out , hopefully a rematch in the offing and Fabio chins him

Saturday 20th April -

Devin Haney v Ryan Garcia
Looking forward to this as its good to see to young fighters going for it rather than opting for the easier options that are out there .. Haney (31 Fights - 31 Wins (15 KOs)) is one of the most talented and disciplined boxers out there i think , sure his style isnt to everyones style as hes not a hard hitter particularly , hes not exciting to watch and he relies on his skills , of which he has plenty it has to be said. Whilst Garcia (25 Fights - 24 Wins (20 KOs) - 1 Loss) is naturally talented and a big puncher as is evident by his record of 20 KOs from 25 Fights , but the one time he stepped it up to elite level he came up woefully short in his penultimate fight against Gervonta Davis who stopped him in the seventh round. The one thing he does have is speed and hes very fast and accurate with his renowned left hook but given how Haney boxes im not sure that hes gonna be able to land too many of those if im being honest. Haney is more defensively minded imho which is why alot of people dont like watching him and accuse him of being boring etc .. but for me its the skillset , he can outbox opponents without upping his gears and his ringmanship is spot on , hes very fluid and when the opportunity presents itself he will go on the offensive. They have met six times in the amateurs with the result being three wins apiece but now in the pros its gonna be alot different i think , and i see Haney coming out on top. For me hes the consummate professional and his skillset is levels above Garcias for me , although obviously Garcia has the punchers chance , Garcia seems to me to be more of a social influencer (or whatever the hell they call them) on the internet with millions of fans , and whilst hes a decent enough boxer (who doesnt duck anyone it has to be said) i think he falls short of world class and , as with the Tank Davis fight , i think we're gonna see that come fight night. Haney has the better resume with the scalps of Jorge Linares , George Kombosis Jr (twice) , Vasily Lomachenko and Regis Prograis .. the way he dominated and completely shut out Prograis was something i have to say , and after the fight Prograis said he was alot better than he thought and he hit harder than he thought he would , praise indeed. After the Davis fight Garcia came out and KO'd Oscar Duarte in the eighth round , and whilst he looked good in doing so tbh hes gonna have to up his game considerably to trouble Haney imho , as i say hes razor sharp with his ring IQ and has excellent footwork and positioning .. aside from a lucky punch (which could happen of course) i just cant see Garcia winning. I see Haney walking away as still the undefeated WBC Super Lightweight Champion , and if im being honest i could possibly see Haney breaking Garcia down and eventually stopping him in the latter half of the fight but im not 100% about that.

Davin Haney To Win

Havent really looked at this one as been busy and studying other fights but id go for Bazinyan to kepe his unbeaten record personally , should be a good dust up tho

Have read that Bazinyan has had sinusitis so hopefully he'll be fully recovered , interesting that they're sparring partners of old so will pretty much know each others game inside out , but looking at respective records i think Bazinyan should edge it , altho Phinn is on a bit of a roll at the mo so has momentum and will want to stamp his authority and make people aware that hes not an also ran .. like i/we said should be a good battle but if fully recovered i think Bazinyan should have to much for Phinn .. Over 8.5 rounds looks pretty good to me altho both have decent power so you can never rule out an early stoppage but i think if there is one it'll be in the latter rounds (8-12) .. good luck mate

RYAN GARCIA WINS

Monday 6th May -

Naoya Inoue v Luis Nery
Not bad entertainment for a bank holiday Monday i have to say ! Undisputed and unbeaten Super Bantamweight Champion Inoue (26 Fights - 26 Wins (23 KOs)) puts his belts on the line against Mexican Nery (36 Fights - 35 Wins (27 KOs) - 1 Loss) and despite the fact Nery can punch and punch hard i can only see one outcome here , and thats a stoppage win for Inoue. Nery has a habit of leaving himself open and lets be honest you cant do that against someone of Inoue's calibre and especially against someone who can hit like him. Theres also a bit of Japanese honour at stake here as Nerys fought and beat hometown hero Shinsuke Yamanaka in Tokyo , the first time (2017) by fourth round stoppage and then in the rematch in 2018 he stopped him again , this time in the second round. (the rematch was ordered because of a positive drugs test). I did read that the Japanese Boxing Commision had banned him from fighting in Japan for life so whats gone on there im not quite sure , whatever happened we're here and its happening , and for as long as it lasts it should be an action packed bout. I think Inoue uses his longer reach , picks his shots and breaks Nery down and then finishes him off , i honestly think this will be over by round 7.

Naoya Inoue To Win .. By Stoppage