Liam Davies – Syndication Server

Liam Davies vs. Ionut Baluta: date, time, how to watch, background

Liam Davies vs. Ionut Baluta: date, time, how to watch, background.

Unbeaten Liam Davies will face fellow junior featherweight Ionut Baluta on Saturday in Davies’ hometown of Telford, England (ESPN+).

Date: Saturday, Nov. 19
Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Telford International Centre, Telford, England
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Junior featherweights (122 pounds)
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: Davies 1½-1 favorite
Also on the card: Anthony Yarde vs. Stefani Koykov, light heavyweights; Eithan James vs. Connor Parker, junior welterweights; Jamie Stewart vs. Owen Cooper, welterweights

Prediction: Davies UD
Background: The unranked Davies will take a significant step in his career if he can get past Baluta, who is the WBC’s No. 10 122-pounder. The skillful 26-year-old Englishman had an extensive amateur career, which has allowed him to progress quickly as a professional. He’s coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Marc Leach in June. Baluta, a Spain-based Romanian, opened eyes by outpointing former 122-pound titleholder TJ Doheny in a 126-pound bout in 2020. He lost a close decision to Michael Conlan at 122 in April of last year but bounced back to defeat Brad Foster by a unanimous decision this past May. The Davies-Baluta fight is for the vacant European title. Also on the card, 175-pound contender Anthony Yarde (22-2, 21 KOs) of London will face journeyman Stefani Koykov of Bulgaria. If Yarde wins, he is expected to challenge titleholder Artur Beterbiev.

Liam Davies vs. Ionut Baluta: date, time, how to watch, background.

Unbeaten Liam Davies will face fellow junior featherweight Ionut Baluta on Saturday in Davies’ hometown of Telford, England (ESPN+).

Date: Saturday, Nov. 19
Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Telford International Centre, Telford, England
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Junior featherweights (122 pounds)
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: Davies 1½-1 favorite
Also on the card: Anthony Yarde vs. Stefani Koykov, light heavyweights; Eithan James vs. Connor Parker, junior welterweights; Jamie Stewart vs. Owen Cooper, welterweights

Prediction: Davies UD
Background: The unranked Davies will take a significant step in his career if he can get past Baluta, who is the WBC’s No. 10 122-pounder. The skillful 26-year-old Englishman had an extensive amateur career, which has allowed him to progress quickly as a professional. He’s coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Marc Leach in June. Baluta, a Spain-based Romanian, opened eyes by outpointing former 122-pound titleholder TJ Doheny in a 126-pound bout in 2020. He lost a close decision to Michael Conlan at 122 in April of last year but bounced back to defeat Brad Foster by a unanimous decision this past May. The Davies-Baluta fight is for the vacant European title. Also on the card, 175-pound contender Anthony Yarde (22-2, 21 KOs) of London will face journeyman Stefani Koykov of Bulgaria. If Yarde wins, he is expected to challenge titleholder Artur Beterbiev.

Fight Week: Middleweight slugger Jaime Munguia to do battle in Mexico.

Unbeaten middleweight contender Jaime Munguia will return to the ring against Gonzalo Coria on Saturday in Mexico.

Prediction: Munguia KO 6
Background: Munguia is ranked in the Top 3 by all four major sanctioning bodies, No. 1 by the WBO. That sanctioning body has ordered champion Janibek Alimkhanuly to defend against the unbeaten Mexican slugger, although no deal is in place. Meanwhile, Munguia will face the limited Coria. The 26-year-old former junior middleweight titleholder, a potential star, is 6-0 (5 KOs) as a middleweight. He last fought in June, when he stopped Jimmy Kelly in five rounds. Coria was knocked out in two rounds by Alimkhanuly in 2020. The 25-year-old Argentine is 5-1 since, including victories over journeymen in his last three fights in his home country. He last fought in July, when he narrowly outpointed Emiliano Exequiel Pucheta in Cordoba. His loss during that stretch came against Fiodor Czerkaszyn, a rising 160-pound contender who recently outpointed Nathaniel Gallimore.

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

FRIDAY

Louie Lopez vs. Adrian Gutierrez, welterweights, Ontario, California (Thompson Boxing Facebook and YouTube).

SATURDAY

Hasim Rahman Jr. vs. TBA, heavyweights, Austin, Texas (DAZN).
Liam Davies vs. Ionut Baluta, junior featherweights, Telford, England (ESPN+).
Dusty Hernandez-Harrison vs. Jose Humberto Corral, cruiserweights, Washington, D.C. (BXNGTV).

Arsen Goulamirian vs. Aleksei Egorov, cruiserweights (for Goulamirian’s WBA title), France (no U.S. TV).

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