Also on the card: Trevor Bryan vs. Jonathan Guidry, heavyweights
Prediction: Makabu KO 8
Background: The main reason this rematch is significant is that super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has indicated he might want to move up to 200 pounds and challenge for Makabu’s title. The Congolese southpaw won his belt by outpointing Michal Cieslak in January 2020. He successfully defended by stopping Olanrewaju Durodola the following December and hasn’t fought since, meaning he will have been out of the ring for 13 months. Makabu fought Mchunu the first time in 2015 in South Africa, where he won what had been a close fight by an 11th-round knockout. He was stopped by then-WBC beltholder Tony Bellew in his next fight. He hasn’t lost since then, a span of nine fights. Mchunu, a South African, has ability. He has won his last four fights, including decisions over Thomas Oosthuizen (avenging an earlier loss) and Denis Lebedev. He was stopped by then-titleholder Oleksandr Usyk in nine rounds in 2016. The 33-year-old last fought in March of last year, when he easily outpointed Evgeny Tishchenko.
Also on the card: Trevor Bryan vs. Jonathan Guidry, heavyweights
Prediction: Makabu KO 8
Background: The main reason this rematch is significant is that super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has indicated he might want to move up to 200 pounds and challenge for Makabu’s title. The Congolese southpaw won his belt by outpointing Michal Cieslak in January 2020. He successfully defended by stopping Olanrewaju Durodola the following December and hasn’t fought since, meaning he will have been out of the ring for 13 months. Makabu fought Mchunu the first time in 2015 in South Africa, where he won what had been a close fight by an 11th-round knockout. He was stopped by then-WBC beltholder Tony Bellew in his next fight. He hasn’t lost since then, a span of nine fights. Mchunu, a South African, has ability. He has won his last four fights, including decisions over Thomas Oosthuizen (avenging an earlier loss) and Denis Lebedev. He was stopped by then-titleholder Oleksandr Usyk in nine rounds in 2016. The 33-year-old last fought in March of last year, when he easily outpointed Evgeny Tishchenko.
Also on the card: Rene Tellez vs. Luis Melendez, junior lightweights
Prediction: Conceicao UD
Background: Conceicao, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist from Brazil, is in rebuilding mode. The slick 33-year-old fell short in his bid to take the WBC title from Oscar Valdez in September, starting strongly but fading in the second half of the fight to lose a unanimous decision. That was Conceicao’s first shot at a major belt. He didn’t select a pushover in his comeback fight. Martinez, a 24-year-old boxer-puncher from Sacramento, California, is on a nice run of victories over quality opponents. That includes a one-sided decision over rugged veteran Juan Carlos Burgos in a wild, toe-to-toe brawl in May of last year, which is his most-recent outing. He got up from two knockdowns to outpoint Claudio Marrero in his previous fight. A victory in what is being billed as a title eliminator would be a big step for the winner. Conceicao and Martinez are ranked Nos. 3 and 14 by the WBC, respectively. Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, is fighting on the card.
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio
TV/Stream: FITE
Division: Cruiserweight
At stake: Makabu’s WBC title
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Trevor Bryan vs. Jonathan Guidry, heavyweights
Prediction: Makabu KO 8
Background: The main reason this rematch is significant is that super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has indicated he might want to move up to 200 pounds and challenge for Makabu’s title. The Congolese southpaw won his belt by outpointing Michal Cieslak in January 2020. He successfully defended by stopping Olanrewaju Durodola the following December and hasn’t fought since, meaning he will have been out of the ring for 13 months. Makabu fought Mchunu the first time in 2015 in South Africa, where he won what had been a close fight by an 11th-round knockout. He was stopped by then-WBC beltholder Tony Bellew in his next fight. He hasn’t lost since then, a span of nine fights. Mchunu, a South African, has ability. He has won his last four fights, including decisions over Thomas Oosthuizen (avenging an earlier loss) and Denis Lebedev. He was stopped by then-titleholder Oleksandr Usyk in nine rounds in 2016. The 33-year-old last fought in March of last year, when he easily outpointed Evgeny Tishchenko.
Also fighting this week:
Panya Pradabsri (37-1, 23 KOs) will defend his WBC strawweight title against Wanheng Menayothin (55-1, 19 KOs) on Tuesday, Jan. 25 in Bangkok, Thailand (no TV in U.S.).
Jerson Aguilar Hernandez (16-5, 3 KOs) will take on Marcos Rodriguez (10-4, 8 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout Friday, Jan. 28 in Mexico City (EstrellaTV).
Joahnys Argilagos (8-0, 4 KOs) is scheduled to face Michell Banquez (19-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round junior featherweight bout Friday, Jan. 28 in Hialeah, Florida (FITE).
Also on the card: Rene Tellez vs. Luis Melendez, junior lightweights
Prediction: Conceicao UD
Background: Conceicao, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist from Brazil, is in rebuilding mode. The slick 33-year-old fell short in his bid to take the WBC title from Oscar Valdez in September, starting strongly but fading in the second half of the fight to lose a unanimous decision. That was Conceicao’s first shot at a major belt. He didn’t select a pushover in his comeback fight. Martinez, a 24-year-old boxer-puncher from Sacramento, California, is on a nice run of victories over quality opponents. That includes a one-sided decision over rugged veteran Juan Carlos Burgos in a wild, toe-to-toe brawl in May of last year, which is his most-recent outing. He got up from two knockdowns to outpoint Claudio Marrero in his previous fight. A victory in what is being billed as a title eliminator would be a big step for the winner. Conceicao and Martinez are ranked Nos. 3 and 14 by the WBC, respectively. Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, is fighting on the card.
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio
TV/Stream: FITE
Division: Cruiserweight
At stake: Makabu’s WBC title
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Trevor Bryan vs. Jonathan Guidry, heavyweights
Prediction: Makabu KO 8
Background: The main reason this rematch is significant is that super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has indicated he might want to move up to 200 pounds and challenge for Makabu’s title. The Congolese southpaw won his belt by outpointing Michal Cieslak in January 2020. He successfully defended by stopping Olanrewaju Durodola the following December and hasn’t fought since, meaning he will have been out of the ring for 13 months. Makabu fought Mchunu the first time in 2015 in South Africa, where he won what had been a close fight by an 11th-round knockout. He was stopped by then-WBC beltholder Tony Bellew in his next fight. He hasn’t lost since then, a span of nine fights. Mchunu, a South African, has ability. He has won his last four fights, including decisions over Thomas Oosthuizen (avenging an earlier loss) and Denis Lebedev. He was stopped by then-titleholder Oleksandr Usyk in nine rounds in 2016. The 33-year-old last fought in March of last year, when he easily outpointed Evgeny Tishchenko.
Also fighting this week:
Panya Pradabsri (37-1, 23 KOs) will defend his WBC strawweight title against Wanheng Menayothin (55-1, 19 KOs) on Tuesday, Jan. 25 in Bangkok, Thailand (no TV in U.S.).
Jerson Aguilar Hernandez (16-5, 3 KOs) will take on Marcos Rodriguez (10-4, 8 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout Friday, Jan. 28 in Mexico City (EstrellaTV).
Joahnys Argilagos (8-0, 4 KOs) is scheduled to face Michell Banquez (19-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round junior featherweight bout Friday, Jan. 28 in Hialeah, Florida (FITE).
