FIGHT WEEK
Three big fights around the globe highlight a packed Saturday of boxing. Lightweight champ Devin Haney faces George Kambosos Jr. a second time in Australia; heavyweight slugger Deontay Wilder returns against Robert Helenius in Brooklyn; and Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall will finally meet in London.
DEVIN HANEY (28-0, 15 KOs) VS. GEORGE KAMBOSOS JR. (20-1, 10 KOs)
- When: Saturday, Oct. 15 (Oct. 16 in Australia)
- Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (11 a.m. AEST) (main event later in show)
- Where: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia
- TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
- Division: Lightweight (135 pounds)
- At stake: Haney’s undisputed championship
- Pound-for-pound ranking: Haney, Honorable Mention
- Odds: Haney 8-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Jason Maloney vs. Nawaphon Kaikanha, bantamweights; Andrew Moloney vs. Norbelto Jimenez, junior bantamweights; Cherneka Johnson vs. Susie Ramadan, junior featherweights (for Johnson’s IBF title)
- Prediction: Haney UD
- Background: Some might argue that then-undisputed lightweight champion Kambosos didn’t earn a rematch with Haney, who outclassed the Aussie to win a wide decision and all four titles in June in Melbourne. However, a rematch clause is a rematch clause. And here we are again. Kambosos scored a major upset when he outpointed then-unbeaten Teofimo Lopez to win all four major 135-pound titles in November of last year. His reign lasted only one fight, though. Haney, one of the most gifted boxers in the world, overwhelmed Kambosos with his speed and all-around skill set to win a fight that was more one-sided than the official scores (118-110, 116-112 and 116-112) indicate. Boxing Junkie had Haney winning 119-109, 11 rounds to one. It seems implausible that Haney can make the adjustments necessary to turn the tables on Haney, which is why the oddsmakers have made Haney an 8-1 favorite. However, Kambosos is a capable, determined fighter. He shouldn’t be counted out before the fight starts.
DEONTAY WILDER (42-2-1, 41 KOs) VS. ROBERT HELENIUS (31-3, 20 KOs)
- When: Saturday, Oct. 15
- Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
- Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
- TV/Stream: Pay-per-view ($74.99)
- Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Wilder 6-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Caleb Plant vs. Anthony Dirrell, super middleweights; Frank Sanchez vs. Carlos Negron, heavyweights; Gary Antonio Russell vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez, bantamweights; Michel Rivera vs. Jerry Perez, lightweights; Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs. Limberth Ponce, junior middleweights
- Prediction: Wilder KO 8
- Background: The last time we saw Wilder he gave a courageous effort in defeat in his third fight with Tyson Fury in October of last year, when Fury got up from two knockdowns to stop him in 11 rounds and end their series with a record of 2-0-1. The hardest puncher in the sport had been one of the longest reigning champions at any weight, holding the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to his knockout loss to Fury in their second fight in 2020, a span of 12 fights. He now begins a new chapter of his career at 36 years old (37 on Oct. 22). Helenius is living proof that perseverance can pay off. The Finn battled through a nagging shoulder injury and several disappointing losses to climb back into title contention as a result of two sensational knockouts of once-hot young heavyweight Adam Kownacki in 2020 and on the Fury-Wilder card a year ago, which underscored his own prodigious punching power. Also on the card, super middleweight contender Caleb Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) will fight for the first time since he was stopped by Canelo Alvarez last November. Plant faces veteran Anthony Dirrell (34-2-2, 25 KOs).
CLARESSA SHIELDS (12-0, 2 KOs) VS. SAVANNAH MARSHALL (12-0, 10 KOs)
- When: Saturday, Oct. 15
- Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (7 p.m. BST) (main event later in show)
- Where:, O2 Arena, London
- TV/Stream: ESPN+
- Division: Middleweight (160 pounds)
- At stake: Shields’ IBF, WBA, WBC and Marshall’s WBO titles
- Odds: Even (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Mikaela Mayer vs. Alycia Baumgardner, junior lightweights (for Mayer’s IBF, WBO and Baumgardner’s WBC titles)
- Prediction: Shields UD
- Background: Shields and Marshall were scheduled to fight on Sept. 10 but one of the biggest possible matchups in women’s boxing was postponed in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. The fighters have been on a collision course since Marshall handed a 17-year-old Shields her only defeat – amateur or professional — in the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing championships. Shields went on to win two Olympic gold medals and become a three-division champion as a pro, as well as one of the faces of the sport. Both fighters are 12-0 but Shields has faced better opposition. Marshall, who failed to medal in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, won the WBO belt by stopping Hannah Rankin in 2020 and has made three successful defenses. Also on the card, Mayer (17-0, 5 KOs) and Baumgardner (12-1, 7 KOs) are fighting for three of the four major 130-pound titles.
ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK
SATURDAY
- Liam Paro vs. Brock Jarvis, junior welterweights, Brisbane, Australia (DAZN).
- Hasim Rahman Jr. vs. Vitor Belfort, heavyweights, Sheffield, England (DAZN).
- Yamileth Mercado vs. Mariana Juarez, junior featherweights (for Mercado’s WBC title), Chihuahua, Mexico (no U.S. TV).
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