Tag: fight week

FIGHT WEEK

demetrius andrade, tony harrison and youtube personality jake paul all make their returns to the ring in separate locations on a busy saturday night.

***

JAKE PAUL (2-0, 2 KOs) VS.
BEN ASKREN (debut)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VZlTCLPVEY

• When: Saturday, April 17
• Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
• TV/Stream: PPV and FITE
• Division: Cruiserweight (eight rounds)
• At stake: No titles
• Pound-for-pound ranking: None
• Odds: Even (BetMGM)
• Also on the card: Regis Prograis vs. Ivan Redkach, junior welterweights; Steve Cunningham vs. Frank Mir, heavyweights
• Prediction: Askren KO 3
• Background: Paul, the YouTube personality who fancies himself a legitimate boxer, will take on his third consecutive opponent with no boxing experience. This one is a little different, though. Askren is a real, seasoned fighter, albeit as a mixed martial artist. The former amateur wrestler isn’t known for his striking but he has considerable experience in the octogen, where he enjoyed success. He won multiple titles and reportedly finished with a record of 19-2 (with one no-contest). To his credit, Paul seems to be taking his boxing career – such as it is – seriously. He reportedly trains hard and takes pride in his progress. We’ll see whether that’s enough to overcome a genuine warrior. In a real fight on the card, junior welterweight contender Regis Prograis (25-1, 21 KOs) will face Ivan Redkach (23-5-1, 18 KOs) in a 10-round bout. Prograis rebounded from his majority decision loss to Josh Taylor in 2019, which cost him his world title, by stopping Juan Heraldez in three rounds last October. Redkach (23-5-1, 18 KOs) last fought in January of last year, when he lost a wide decision to Danny Garcia at 147 pounds.

[lawrence-related id=17553,17333,15857]

 ***

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE (29-0, 18 KOs) VS.
LIAM WILLIAMS (23-2-1, 18 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMEIKnCwt_U&t=18s

• When: Saturday, April 17
• Where: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Fla.
• TV/Stream: DAZN
• Division: Middelweight
• At stake: Andrade’s WBO title
• Pound-for-pound ranking: None
• Odds: Andrade 2½-1 favorite

• Also on the card: Carlos Gongora vs. Christopher Pearson, super middleweights; Mahammadrasul Majidov vs. Andrey Fedosov, heavyweights

• Prediction: Andrade UD
• Background: Andrade will be making the fourth defense of the 160-pound title he won by nearly shutting out Walter Kautondokwa in October 2018. However, the talented Rhode Islander has yet to face a top-tier opponent at or near his weight. It’s not for lack of trying. He has called out everyone from Canelo Alvarez to Gennadiy Golovkin to Jermall Charlo and nothing has come from it. Enter Williams. The 28-year-old Welshman doesn’t have the name recognition of the champions mentioned above but he is no pushover. He has won seven consecutive fights since losing back-to-back outings against Liam Smith in 2017, the first as a result of a cut and the second a majority decision. He last fought in October, when he stopped Andrew Robinson in one round. Perhaps just as important as notching the wins, he seems to have improved considerably since the setbacks. That said, he has never tangled with anyone at Andrade’s level. We’re going to learn a lot about Williams in this fight. Andrade is coming off a ninth-round knockout of Luke Keeler in January of last year.

[lawrence-related id=5717,14611]

***

TONY HARRISON (28-3, 21 KOs) VS.
BRYANT PERRELLA (17-3, 14 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvKpmK_-Wg4

• When: Saturday, April 17
• Where: Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, Los Angeles
• TV/Stream: Fox
• Division: Junior middleweight
• At stake: No titles
• Pound-for-pound ranking: None
• Odds: NA

• Also on the card: Omar Juarez vs. Jessie Roman, junior welterweights; Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs. James Martin, welterweights

• Prediction: Harrison UD
• Background: Harrison and Perrella will both be trying to bounce back from devastating losses. Harrison was stopped in the 11^th round of his rematch with Jermell Charlo in December 2019, which cost him the 154-pound title he won by outpointing Charlo a year earlier. Perrella suffered a heartbreaking setback against Abel Ramos in February of last year, when he was stopped with one second remaining in a fight he was winning on the cards. Harrison is the more accomplished of the two but both of them are good, experienced boxers with some pop in their punches. One possible advantage for Harrison: Perrella will be fighting for the first time as a full-fledged 154-pounder, although he has said he had a terrible time making the 147-pound limit. Perrella began working with Roy Jones Jr. after the loss to Ramos, which he says has been a tremendous learning experience. He believes fans will see a much improved fighter on Saturday. Meanwhile, Harrison will be working for the first time without his father, Ali Salaam, who died a year ago. He’s now trained by his brother, L.J. Harrison.

[lawrence-related id=19259,9247,8404,4362,6231]

Also fighting this week: Fabio Turchi (18-1, 13 KOs) of Italy faces Dylan Bregeon (11-0-1, 3 KOs) of France in a 12-round cruiserweight fight on Friday in Milan (DAZN). Also on Friday, in Monterrey, Mexico, Miami-based featherweight prospect Neslan Machado (17-0, 8 KOs) of Cuba takes on Brandon Romero (11-1-1, 6 KOs) of Mexico in a scheduled 10-round bout (ESPN+).