Tag: DK Yoo

Weekend Review: Terence Crawford sizzles, Teofimo Lopez struggles, Manny Pacquiao goes through motions

Weekend Review: Terence Crawford sizzled, Teofimo Lopez struggled and Manny Pacquiao went through the motions on a busy Saturday.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER

Terence Crawford delivered a spectacular knockout in his hometown. Ed Zurga / Getty Images

Terence Crawford – Crawford didn’t dominate every moment of his fight against rugged David Avanesyan but he controlled the action throughout and delivered a spectacular sixth-round knockout Saturday in front of his hometown fans in Omaha, Nebraska. In the process, he bolstered his claim on the top pound-for-pound spot. The unflappable welterweight champion boxed patiently in the face of Avanesyan’s constant pressure, fighting behind his jab to gradually set up the brutal ending. The left-right combination to the head of Avanesyan (29-4-1, 17 KOs) put him down and out instantaneously, taking the breath away of fans packed into CHI Health Center and those watching on their devices. Could he have drawn it up any better? If Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) has slowed down at 35, it certainly hasn’t been evident in recent fights. He has stopped his last 10 opponents. Of course, we’ll see how he does when he faces a next-level foe as he approaches his 36th birthday.

 

MOST LIMITED

Time remaining in Crawford’s career – Crawford said recently that his legacy won’t be impacted if he never fights fellow titleholder Errol Spence Jr. Wrong. The frustrating, almost tragic aspect of Crawford’s career is that he has had one defining victory in his 14-plus-year career, his knockout of Shawn Porter in November of last year. And even that win arguably was flawed, as Porter seemed to have one foot out of boxing going into the fight. Crawford needs to fight Spence if he wants to prove he’s the best welterweight of the post-Mayweather-Pacquiao era, a distinction all 147-pounders would love to have. Could Crawford-Spence still happen? Crawford said after his victory on Saturday that he’s willing to get back to the negotiating table, which is a good sign. That’s the easy part, though. The sides need to find a way to get it done. If they can’t? We might look back on Crawford’s career, shake our heads and wonder how a truly great fighter managed to retire with so few legitimate tests.

 

MOST FORTUNATE

Teofimo Lopez – The 140-pound contender was correct when he said it’s difficult to look good against an opponent who runs, his interpretation of opponent Sandor Martin’s tactics on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. However, fighters who believe they’re among the best in the business – and Lopez does – find a way to cut off the ring and take control of a fight against a heavy underdog. Lopez never did. He did enough to win over two judges and have his hand raised but he reminded no one of the juggernaut who became undisputed lightweight champion and crashed the pound-for-pound rankings at 23 before losing to George Kambosos Jr. Was the perception we had of Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) an illusion? Was he never really as good as we thought? It looks that way at the moment. To be fair, he’s still only 25. A victory over the likes of Josh Taylor or Regis Prograis would make us forget all about his so-so performance on Saturday. I’m just not convinced he could pull that off.

 

WORST SCORECARD

Pasquale Procopio’s – Martin (40-3, 13 KOs) demonstrated against Lopez that his upset victory over Mikey Garcia last year was no fluke. The quick, athletic Spaniard can box. His strategy was to counter when Lopez attacked and not stay in one place long enough for his favored opponent land punches with any consistency. Neither man got much accomplished. Both of them averaged fewer than 10 punches landed per round, according to CompuBox. But limited success was divided evenly. That’s why judge Pasquale Procopio’s score of 97-92 – eight rounds to two for Lopez – seemed out of line. The same can be said of Max DeLuca’s tally of 96-93. I presume they rewarded Lopez for being the aggressor. The problem was that he didn’t demonstrate effective aggression, which is generally necessary to win rounds. He was frustrated from beginning to end. I thought the 95-94 card of Guido Cavalieri – five rounds apiece, taking into account the second-round knockdown of Lopez – best reflected what occurred in the ring.

 

MOST LIMITED

Josh Warrington – The now-two-time former 126-pound titleholder is a solid, rugged fighter, nothing more at this stage of the 32-year-old’s career. That was obvious again on Saturday in his hometown of Leeds, England, where Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez outworked him to win a majority decision and the IBF belt. Warrington is now 1-2-1 in his last four fights, the other loss and draw coming against Lopez’s countryman Mauricio Lara last year. That’s a terrible streak. On Saturday Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs) had neither the wherewithal nor the punching power to keep the aggressive Lopez (27-2, 15 KOs) off of him, although he performed well in the championship rounds to make it a close fight. His limitations couldn’t have been more obvious. Has Warrington slipped? Or has he always been limited? It’s probably more the former but also the latter. He deserves credit for winning the two belts and beating the likes of Kiko Martinez (MD), Lee Selby (SD), Carl Frampton (UD) and Kid Galahad (SD) but nothing ever came easy for him. Maybe that’s one reason he’s so appealing to his fans. He has had to work hard for everything he gets.

 

MOST RIDICULOUS?

Manny Pacquiao’s exhibition – If fans want to fork over the $29.99 pay-per-view fee to watch an aging legend take part in an exhibition, then God bless them. We all have our own tastes. Me? I didn’t see value. Pacquiao’s six-round bout with martial artist and social media star DK Yoo was borderline silly, two guys jumping around the ring, throwing punches here and there and generally having a grand time. Yes, Pacquiao landed a few punches. He had to give the fans some semblance of a genuine fight, right? And Yoo, who seemed to tire quickly, went down a few times. You had the feeling that Pacquiao could’ve ended the fight at any moment if he wanted to against an opponent with no experience but he didn’t want to hurt the guy, which is why the fight went the distance. When it ended, my first thought was, “Well, I’m never getting that 17 minutes back.” I honestly don’t get the appeal of these exhibitions.

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Weekend Review: Terence Crawford sizzles, Teofimo Lopez struggles, Manny Pacquiao goes through motions

Weekend Review: Terence Crawford sizzled, Teofimo Lopez struggled and Manny Pacquiao went through the motions on a busy Saturday.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER

Terence Crawford delivered a spectacular knockout in his hometown. Ed Zurga / Getty Images

Terence Crawford – Crawford didn’t dominate every moment of his fight against rugged David Avanesyan but he controlled the action throughout and delivered a spectacular sixth-round knockout Saturday in front of his hometown fans in Omaha, Nebraska. In the process, he bolstered his claim on the top pound-for-pound spot. The unflappable welterweight champion boxed patiently in the face of Avanesyan’s constant pressure, fighting behind his jab to gradually set up the brutal ending. The left-right combination to the head of Avanesyan (29-4-1, 17 KOs) put him down and out instantaneously, taking the breath away of fans packed into CHI Health Center and those watching on their devices. Could he have drawn it up any better? If Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) has slowed down at 35, it certainly hasn’t been evident in recent fights. He has stopped his last 10 opponents. Of course, we’ll see how he does when he faces a next-level foe as he approaches his 36th birthday.

 

MOST LIMITED

Time remaining in Crawford’s career – Crawford said recently that his legacy won’t be impacted if he never fights fellow titleholder Errol Spence Jr. Wrong. The frustrating, almost tragic aspect of Crawford’s career is that he has had one defining victory in his 14-plus-year career, his knockout of Shawn Porter in November of last year. And even that win arguably was flawed, as Porter seemed to have one foot out of boxing going into the fight. Crawford needs to fight Spence if he wants to prove he’s the best welterweight of the post-Mayweather-Pacquiao era, a distinction all 147-pounders would love to have. Could Crawford-Spence still happen? Crawford said after his victory on Saturday that he’s willing to get back to the negotiating table, which is a good sign. That’s the easy part, though. The sides need to find a way to get it done. If they can’t? We might look back on Crawford’s career, shake our heads and wonder how a truly great fighter managed to retire with so few legitimate tests.

 

MOST FORTUNATE

Teofimo Lopez – The 140-pound contender was correct when he said it’s difficult to look good against an opponent who runs, his interpretation of opponent Sandor Martin’s tactics on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. However, fighters who believe they’re among the best in the business – and Lopez does – find a way to cut off the ring and take control of a fight against a heavy underdog. Lopez never did. He did enough to win over two judges and have his hand raised but he reminded no one of the juggernaut who became undisputed lightweight champion and crashed the pound-for-pound rankings at 23 before losing to George Kambosos Jr. Was the perception we had of Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs) an illusion? Was he never really as good as we thought? It looks that way at the moment. To be fair, he’s still only 25. A victory over the likes of Josh Taylor or Regis Prograis would make us forget all about his so-so performance on Saturday. I’m just not convinced he could pull that off.

 

WORST SCORECARD

Pasquale Procopio’s – Martin (40-3, 13 KOs) demonstrated against Lopez that his upset victory over Mikey Garcia last year was no fluke. The quick, athletic Spaniard can box. His strategy was to counter when Lopez attacked and not stay in one place long enough for his favored opponent land punches with any consistency. Neither man got much accomplished. Both of them averaged fewer than 10 punches landed per round, according to CompuBox. But limited success was divided evenly. That’s why judge Pasquale Procopio’s score of 97-92 – eight rounds to two for Lopez – seemed out of line. The same can be said of Max DeLuca’s tally of 96-93. I presume they rewarded Lopez for being the aggressor. The problem was that he didn’t demonstrate effective aggression, which is generally necessary to win rounds. He was frustrated from beginning to end. I thought the 95-94 card of Guido Cavalieri – five rounds apiece, taking into account the second-round knockdown of Lopez – best reflected what occurred in the ring.

 

MOST LIMITED

Josh Warrington – The now-two-time former 126-pound titleholder is a solid, rugged fighter, nothing more at this stage of the 32-year-old’s career. That was obvious again on Saturday in his hometown of Leeds, England, where Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez outworked him to win a majority decision and the IBF belt. Warrington is now 1-2-1 in his last four fights, the other loss and draw coming against Lopez’s countryman Mauricio Lara last year. That’s a terrible streak. On Saturday Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs) had neither the wherewithal nor the punching power to keep the aggressive Lopez (27-2, 15 KOs) off of him, although he performed well in the championship rounds to make it a close fight. His limitations couldn’t have been more obvious. Has Warrington slipped? Or has he always been limited? It’s probably more the former but also the latter. He deserves credit for winning the two belts and beating the likes of Kiko Martinez (MD), Lee Selby (SD), Carl Frampton (UD) and Kid Galahad (SD) but nothing ever came easy for him. Maybe that’s one reason he’s so appealing to his fans. He has had to work hard for everything he gets.

 

MOST RIDICULOUS?

Manny Pacquiao’s exhibition – If fans want to fork over the $29.99 pay-per-view fee to watch an aging legend take part in an exhibition, then God bless them. We all have our own tastes. Me? I didn’t see value. Pacquiao’s six-round bout with martial artist and social media star DK Yoo was borderline silly, two guys jumping around the ring, throwing punches here and there and generally having a grand time. Yes, Pacquiao landed a few punches. He had to give the fans some semblance of a genuine fight, right? And Yoo, who seemed to tire quickly, went down a few times. You had the feeling that Pacquiao could’ve ended the fight at any moment if he wanted to against an opponent with no experience but he didn’t want to hurt the guy, which is why the fight went the distance. When it ended, my first thought was, “Well, I’m never getting that 17 minutes back.” I honestly don’t get the appeal of these exhibitions.

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Manny Pacquiao generates smiles, sporadic action in lighthearted exhibition

Manny Pacquiao generated smiles but only sporadic action in a lighthearted exhibition with DK Yoo on Saturday in South Korea.

It was for charity.

That’s the best way to defend Manny Pacquiao’s pay-per-view exhibition with martial artist and social media star DK Yoo on Saturday in Seoul, South Korea.

The future Hall of Famer, reportedly 160 pounds, threw some serious punches — putting his inexperienced opponent down a few times — but the matchup of 43-year-olds was mostly fun and games.

It had the feel of a reunion during the introductions, with familiar faces on hand. His wife, his mother, his longtime sidekick Buboy Fernandez, among others.

There were more smiles than you’d see at a comedy club.

The “fight” itself was at best mildly amusing, although Pacquiao seemed to pursue a knockout late in the fight, composed of six two-minute rounds.

He put Yoo down at the final seconds of Round 4 with a flurry of punches, after which the ref seemed to wave off the fight only to change his mind after Yoo protested.

Pacquiao got Yoo’s attention with a few shots in Round 5, which prompted the good spirited Korean fighter to do his version of an Ali shuffle. That elicited a grin from Pacquiao.

Then, in the final round, Pacquiao put Yoo down with what appeared to be a genuinely hard left to the body. Yoo, at least somewhat hurt and exhausted, got up but it was obvious he was hoping to hear the final bell sooner rather than later.

Yoo went down one more time but again managed to get up and then finally did hear the bell to end the exhibition, much to his relief.

Pacquiao was declared the winner by decision but the true winners were the Ukrainian and Filipino charities that benefitted from the event, although some fans probably found pleasure seeing their hero step through the ropes one more time.

Pacquiao, who said he plans to continued training, was asked afterward whether he’d take part in another exhibition next year. He turns 44 on Dec. 17.

He responded, “We’ll see.”

The most lucrative possible matchup would be a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, only in the form of an exhibition. Many have speculated that the money on the table might bring them together one more time.

Pacquiao was asked about that possibility.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I have no idea. He always changes his decision.”

You can bet we’ll see Pacquiao in the ring again even if we’re not familiar with the opponent. He obviously had fun. And he remains dedicated to helping others.

Manny Pacquiao generates smiles, sporadic action in lighthearted exhibition

Manny Pacquiao generated smiles but only sporadic action in a lighthearted exhibition with DK Yoo on Saturday in South Korea.

It was for charity.

That’s the best way to defend Manny Pacquiao’s pay-per-view exhibition with martial artist and social media star DK Yoo on Saturday in Seoul, South Korea.

The future Hall of Famer, reportedly 160 pounds, threw some serious punches — putting his inexperienced opponent down a few times — but the matchup of 43-year-olds was mostly fun and games.

It had the feel of a reunion during the introductions, with familiar faces on hand. His wife, his mother, his longtime sidekick Buboy Fernandez, among others.

There were more smiles than you’d see at a comedy club.

The “fight” itself was at best mildly amusing, although Pacquiao seemed to pursue a knockout late in the fight, composed of six two-minute rounds.

He put Yoo down at the final seconds of Round 4 with a flurry of punches, after which the ref seemed to wave off the fight only to change his mind after Yoo protested.

Pacquiao got Yoo’s attention with a few shots in Round 5, which prompted the good spirited Korean fighter to do his version of an Ali shuffle. That elicited a grin from Pacquiao.

Then, in the final round, Pacquiao put Yoo down with what appeared to be a genuinely hard left to the body. Yoo, at least somewhat hurt and exhausted, got up but it was obvious he was hoping to hear the final bell sooner rather than later.

Yoo went down one more time but again managed to get up and then finally did hear the bell to end the exhibition, much to his relief.

Pacquiao was declared the winner by decision but the true winners were the Ukrainian and Filipino charities that benefitted from the event, although some fans probably found pleasure seeing their hero step through the ropes one more time.

Pacquiao, who said he plans to continued training, was asked afterward whether he’d take part in another exhibition next year. He turns 44 on Dec. 17.

He responded, “We’ll see.”

The most lucrative possible matchup would be a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, only in the form of an exhibition. Many have speculated that the money on the table might bring them together one more time.

Pacquiao was asked about that possibility.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I have no idea. He always changes his decision.”

You can bet we’ll see Pacquiao in the ring again even if we’re not familiar with the opponent. He obviously had fun. And he remains dedicated to helping others.

Fight Week: Terence Crawford, Teofimo Lopez, Josh Warrington, Manny Pacquaio in action on busy Saturday

Fight Week: Terence Crawford, Teofimo Lopez, Josh Warrington and Manny Pacquaio are all in action on a busy Saturday.

FIGHT WEEK

Terence Crawford will face David Avanesyan, Teofimo Lopez will take on Sandor Martin, Josh Warrington will fight Luis Alberto Lopez and Manny Pacquiao will take part in an exhibition on a stacked Saturday.

TERENCE CRAWFORD (38-0, 29 KOs) vs. DAVID AVANESYAN (29-3-1, 17 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 10
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
  • Division: Welterweight (147 pounds)
  • At stake: Crawford’s WBO title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Crawford No. 1
  • Odds: Crawford 10-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Arnold Khegai vs. Eduardo Baez, featherweights; Cris Cyborg vs. Gabrielle Holloway, junior middleweights
  • Prediction: Crawford KO 8
  • Background: Everyone expected Crawford to fight Errol Spence Jr. for the undisputed championship but, sadly, talks fell apart. Instead, Crawford, 35, will face the rugged, but limited Avanesyan in what amounts to a stay-busy fight. Crawford is coming off the most important victory of his career, a 10th-round knockout of former champion Shawn Porter in November of last year that proved he is still near the top of his game in his mid-30s. “Bud” has indicated that he still wants to fight Spence next year in what would be one of the best-possible matchups in the sport. Fans have their fingers crossed that the sides can come to terms. Of course, Avanesyan intends to spoil the plans. The U.K.-based Russian is a capable, gritty boxer-puncher who has been a contender for seven, eight years and has some notable victories. He retired Shane Mosley by a unanimous decision in 2016, which earned him an “interim” title. He then lost to Lamont Peterson (UD) and Egidijus Kavaliauskas (TKO 6) in a span of three fights but bounced back to score six consecutive knockouts against mixed opposition going into his biggest challenge on Saturday.

 

TEOFIMO LOPEZ (17-1, 13 KOs) vs. SANDOR MARTIN (40-2, 13 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 10
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
  • At stake: No major title (WBC title eliminator)
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Lopez 5½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Jared Anderson vs. Jerry Forrest, heavyweights; Xander Zayas vs. Alexis Salazar, junior middleweights; Keyshawn Davis vs. Juan Carlos Burgos, lightweights
  • Prediction: Lopez UD
  • Background: Lopez continues the rebuilding process after he lost his undisputed 135-pound champion to George Kambosos Jr. by a split decision in a stunning upset in November of last year. The talented 25-year-old New Yorker moved up to 140 and stopped Pedro Campa in seven rounds this past August. He’s now ranked in the Top 7 by all four major sanctioning bodies, an obvious nod to his past accomplishments. Next up is Martin on Saturday. The slick 29-year-old Spaniard took the fight on two weeks notice after original opponent Jose Pedraza became ill. Martin delivered a breakthrough performance when he upset Mikey Garcia by a majority decision in October of last year in Fresno, California, Martin’s first fight outside Europe. He followed that with a unanimous-decision victory over Mexican Jose Felix in April in Martin’s hometown of Barcelona. Martin also is ranked by all four alphabet organizations, as high as No. 5 by the WBC. An upset of Lopez would make him a prime candidate to fight for a major title for the first time. Hot young heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (12-0, 12 KOs) will be featured on the undercard. He will take on Jerry Forrest (26-5-2, 20 KOs).

 

JOSH WARRINGTON (31-1-1, 8 KOs) vs. LUIS ALBERTO LOPEZ (26-2, 15 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 10
  • Time: 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Featherweights (126 pounds)
  • At stake: Warrington’s IBF title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Warrington 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Ebanie Bridges vs. Shannon O’Connell, bantamweights (for Bridges’ IBF title); James Metcalf vs. Courtney Pennington, junior middleweights
  • Prediction: Warrington UD
  • Background: Warrington had a rough year last year, getting stopped by Mauricio Lara in the ninth round in a major upset in February of last year in London and then settling for a technical draw after two rounds in the rematch after the Mexican suffered a massive cut in September. in Warrington’s hometown of Leeds. The 32-year-old bounced back by taking Spanish veteran Kiko Martinez’s title by a seventh-round knockout in a rematch this past March in Leeds, making him a two-time 126-pound beltholder. He’ll make his first defense against another Mexican, who is known to British fans. Lopez made a splash when he stopped previously unbeaten Isaac Lowe in seven rounds last December in London. The 29-year-old from Mexicali has won nine consecutive fights since he was outpointed by Ruben Villa in 2019, including a second-round knockout of Yeison Vargas this past August. This will be Lopez’s first shot at a major title.

 

MANNY PACQUIAO vs. DK YOO (EXHIBITION)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 10 (Dec. 11 in South Korea)
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Korean International Exhibition Center, Seoul, South Korea
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view ($29.99)
  • Format: Exhibition (six two-minute rounds)
  • Background: Pacquiao is joining the long list of retired superstars to take part in an exhibition. The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer last fought in a sanctioned bout in August of last year, when he lost his welterweight title to Yordenis Ugas by a unanimous decision. One of the faces of boxing retired shortly afterward. He’ll face the 43-year-old martial artist and Korean YouTuber Yoo, who will be making his boxing debut. Proceeds from the event reportedly will go to charity. Pacquiao failed in his bid to become the president of his native Philippines in May.

 

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

FRIDAY

  • Sam Soliman vs. Joel Camilleri, middleweights, Flemington, Australia (FITE)

SATURDAY

  • Michael Conlan vs. Karim Guerfi, featherweights, Belfast, Northern Ireland (ESPN+)

Fight Week: Terence Crawford, Teofimo Lopez, Josh Warrington, Manny Pacquaio in action on busy Saturday

Fight Week: Terence Crawford, Teofimo Lopez, Josh Warrington and Manny Pacquaio are all in action on a busy Saturday.

FIGHT WEEK

Terence Crawford will face David Avanesyan, Teofimo Lopez will take on Sandor Martin, Josh Warrington will fight Luis Alberto Lopez and Manny Pacquiao will take part in an exhibition on a stacked Saturday.

TERENCE CRAWFORD (38-0, 29 KOs) vs. DAVID AVANESYAN (29-3-1, 17 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 10
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
  • Division: Welterweight (147 pounds)
  • At stake: Crawford’s WBO title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Crawford No. 1
  • Odds: Crawford 10-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Arnold Khegai vs. Eduardo Baez, featherweights; Cris Cyborg vs. Gabrielle Holloway, junior middleweights
  • Prediction: Crawford KO 8
  • Background: Everyone expected Crawford to fight Errol Spence Jr. for the undisputed championship but, sadly, talks fell apart. Instead, Crawford, 35, will face the rugged, but limited Avanesyan in what amounts to a stay-busy fight. Crawford is coming off the most important victory of his career, a 10th-round knockout of former champion Shawn Porter in November of last year that proved he is still near the top of his game in his mid-30s. “Bud” has indicated that he still wants to fight Spence next year in what would be one of the best-possible matchups in the sport. Fans have their fingers crossed that the sides can come to terms. Of course, Avanesyan intends to spoil the plans. The U.K.-based Russian is a capable, gritty boxer-puncher who has been a contender for seven, eight years and has some notable victories. He retired Shane Mosley by a unanimous decision in 2016, which earned him an “interim” title. He then lost to Lamont Peterson (UD) and Egidijus Kavaliauskas (TKO 6) in a span of three fights but bounced back to score six consecutive knockouts against mixed opposition going into his biggest challenge on Saturday.

 

TEOFIMO LOPEZ (17-1, 13 KOs) vs. SANDOR MARTIN (40-2, 13 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 10
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
  • At stake: No major title (WBC title eliminator)
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Lopez 5½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Jared Anderson vs. Jerry Forrest, heavyweights; Xander Zayas vs. Alexis Salazar, junior middleweights; Keyshawn Davis vs. Juan Carlos Burgos, lightweights
  • Prediction: Lopez UD
  • Background: Lopez continues the rebuilding process after he lost his undisputed 135-pound champion to George Kambosos Jr. by a split decision in a stunning upset in November of last year. The talented 25-year-old New Yorker moved up to 140 and stopped Pedro Campa in seven rounds this past August. He’s now ranked in the Top 7 by all four major sanctioning bodies, an obvious nod to his past accomplishments. Next up is Martin on Saturday. The slick 29-year-old Spaniard took the fight on two weeks notice after original opponent Jose Pedraza became ill. Martin delivered a breakthrough performance when he upset Mikey Garcia by a majority decision in October of last year in Fresno, California, Martin’s first fight outside Europe. He followed that with a unanimous-decision victory over Mexican Jose Felix in April in Martin’s hometown of Barcelona. Martin also is ranked by all four alphabet organizations, as high as No. 5 by the WBC. An upset of Lopez would make him a prime candidate to fight for a major title for the first time. Hot young heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (12-0, 12 KOs) will be featured on the undercard. He will take on Jerry Forrest (26-5-2, 20 KOs).

 

JOSH WARRINGTON (31-1-1, 8 KOs) vs. LUIS ALBERTO LOPEZ (26-2, 15 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 10
  • Time: 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Featherweights (126 pounds)
  • At stake: Warrington’s IBF title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Warrington 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Ebanie Bridges vs. Shannon O’Connell, bantamweights (for Bridges’ IBF title); James Metcalf vs. Courtney Pennington, junior middleweights
  • Prediction: Warrington UD
  • Background: Warrington had a rough year last year, getting stopped by Mauricio Lara in the ninth round in a major upset in February of last year in London and then settling for a technical draw after two rounds in the rematch after the Mexican suffered a massive cut in September. in Warrington’s hometown of Leeds. The 32-year-old bounced back by taking Spanish veteran Kiko Martinez’s title by a seventh-round knockout in a rematch this past March in Leeds, making him a two-time 126-pound beltholder. He’ll make his first defense against another Mexican, who is known to British fans. Lopez made a splash when he stopped previously unbeaten Isaac Lowe in seven rounds last December in London. The 29-year-old from Mexicali has won nine consecutive fights since he was outpointed by Ruben Villa in 2019, including a second-round knockout of Yeison Vargas this past August. This will be Lopez’s first shot at a major title.

 

MANNY PACQUIAO vs. DK YOO (EXHIBITION)

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 10 (Dec. 11 in South Korea)
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Korean International Exhibition Center, Seoul, South Korea
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view ($29.99)
  • Format: Exhibition (six two-minute rounds)
  • Background: Pacquiao is joining the long list of retired superstars to take part in an exhibition. The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer last fought in a sanctioned bout in August of last year, when he lost his welterweight title to Yordenis Ugas by a unanimous decision. One of the faces of boxing retired shortly afterward. He’ll face the 43-year-old martial artist and Korean YouTuber Yoo, who will be making his boxing debut. Proceeds from the event reportedly will go to charity. Pacquiao failed in his bid to become the president of his native Philippines in May.

 

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

FRIDAY

  • Sam Soliman vs. Joel Camilleri, middleweights, Flemington, Australia (FITE)

SATURDAY

  • Michael Conlan vs. Karim Guerfi, featherweights, Belfast, Northern Ireland (ESPN+)