Dinner date
Matchroom has officially announced the next step for Subriel Matias, a highly thrilling fighter in the sport and one of their recent additions.
After joining forces with Eddie Hearn, the 32-year-old fighter is set to make his comeback in Puerto Rico, his home country, after almost five years. He will go head-to-head with Australian boxer Liam Paro at the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz in Manati on June 15. Matias has an impressive record of 20 victories, all achieved by knockout, except for a single defeat against Petros Ananyan decided by a 10-round decision. With such an array of talent in the division, Matias stands out as one of the most electrifying fighters.
On Wednesday, The Week met up with Frank Warren in central London to catch up on the latest news regarding Queensberry. During lunch, Warren shared an update, mentioning that the anticipated fight between Anthony Yarde and Joshua Buatsi is being delayed due to the lack of agreement on how the prize money should be divided. Warren proposed an equal split between the two fighters for a pay-per-view event, but it seems that Team Yarde prefers a fixed fee instead. We are eagerly waiting for further updates on this matter.
Bam versus Estrada
On Thursday, Big Frank announced that the press conference for the unveiling of the participants in the 5 v 5 Matchroom v Queensberry event on June 1 will occur in London on April 15. All parties involved are actively working to maintain confidentiality, and Warren made no indication of his selections during Wednesday’s lunch.
Additionally, it was confirmed on Thursday that one of the most anticipated fights of the year will take place in Phoenix on June 29. Juan Francisco Estrada will be facing off against Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez for the WBC super-flyweight title, promising an exhilarating showdown.
After an outstanding victory over Sunny Edwards in December, Rodriguez aims to continue his winning streak by defeating the renowned Mexican boxer, Estrada. His impressive record already includes triumphs over notable opponents such as Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
However, Estrada, who is 33 years old and acknowledged by BN as the top contender in his division, has maintained an unbeaten record for over six years. In addition, he has emerged victorious against Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in two out of his last three fights.
Estrada expressed his excitement about his comeback against ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, stating, “I’m thrilled to announce my return. Following my triumphant victory over Chocolatito, I took a well-deserved break to spend precious moments with my family and children, while also recuperating from a lingering injury.”
Good Friday
Both Tim Tszyu and Sebastian Fundora successfully made weight in Las Vegas, and to everyone’s surprise, Errol Spence Jr appeared and announced his intention to challenge the victor.
Ben Whittaker found himself targeted by a gatecrasher during the final press conference in London, just before the grand Easter Sunday event at the O2 Arena.
After Ezra Arenyeka, a fellow light-heavyweight from Chesire, Nigeria, proposed a fight between them, Whittaker responded, “You’re an Olympian taking on unknown fighters. I’ve had 12 fights with 10 knockouts.” Arenyeka countered, “But who have you faced? Once I’m done with Leon Willings, you can step up.”
Whittaker had a hectic day, as he also directed his focus towards Sky Sports commentator Andy Clarke. The light-heavyweight was displeased with Clarke’s suggestion that his actions, such as tapping his opponent’s head, were disrespectful. During a live stream, Whittaker countered Clarke’s comment by stating, “It’s not disrespectful, it’s a display of skill.”
A man with a van
Unknown to anyone at the press conference, an unexpected incident threatened to disrupt the show. A thief from east London had decided to steal one of Mike Goodall’s Ringcraft vans. Goodall, who is responsible for organizing and setting up various elements for boxing events in the UK and abroad, such as rings, backdrops, and sound systems, turned to Twitter for help. On Saturday, he shared a photo of a van and wrote, “This identical sprinter was stolen in the early hours of this morning (30/3/24) from a hotel car park in the Canning Town area of London. It contains half of a boxing ring for Sunday night’s Sky Boxing show. A reward will be given for its return. Please retweet.”
In America, Tszyu and Fundora engaged in a brutal showdown that was considered one of the most intense battles in recent memory. The fight took a gruesome turn when the Australian fighter suffered a severe cut on the top of his head. Despite being a late replacement and considered the underdog, Fundora utilized his height and reach advantages to outbox his opponent and secure a remarkable split-decision victory in Las Vegas. This unexpected outcome completely shook up the 154lbs division. True to his word, Spence wasted no time and immediately entered the ring, eager to earn a chance to challenge the newly crowned champion. However, it seems that he may have to wait his turn as more details on this matter will be revealed later this week.
No news is bad news
As part of the Easter Sunday festivities at the O2 Arena, a significant announcement took place in the ring that could potentially shape the future of the super-lightweight division in Britain.
Naturally, we were eagerly anticipating updates regarding the outcome of the Adam Azim and Dalton Smith situation, following the decision of the British Boxing Board of Control and the European Boxing Union to mandate a fight between them.
On Sunday, Boxxer orchestrated a meeting between Azim, the renowned figure in Britain at 140lbs, and Harlem Eubank. This gathering also provided an opportunity for British and Irish boxing icons Chris Eubank and Barry McGuigan to express their thoughts, as Boxxer embarked on creating an enthralling match-up between Azim and Eubank.
The sole issue was the absence of a fight. No date, venue, or any assurance of the pair’s upcoming match existed. It appeared to be a ploy to temporarily satisfy the demand for Azim versus Smith. At one moment, Andy Scott, the esteemed Sky Sports personality, inquired if they would discuss terms at a table. If this fight fails to materialize now, Boxxer will appear quite foolish.
April Fools Day
Joseph Parker, renowned for brightening up lockdown with a collection of unforgettable comedy videos, once again wielded his video camera to deliver an extraordinary call-out video that will go down in history as one of the greatest.
Dillian Whyte was the target of this humorous gesture from Parker, who had previously suffered a points defeat to him in 2018. In an attempt to entice Whyte into a rematch, the talented New Zealander creatively made a music video featuring Take That’s “Back For Good,” incorporating various tributes and even a comical image of Whyte wearing a pair of knickers.
On April Fools Day, it was confirmed that the WBO has officially mandated Sebastian Fundora to defend his title against Terence Crawford, the mandatory challenger, instead of Errol Spence. Reports suggest that both parties have a 20-day window to negotiate terms for the fight, failing which a purse bid will determine the outcome. Crawford, who hasn’t competed since defeating Spence in July last year, earned this opportunity by moving up from the welterweight division as the champion. The skilled fighter from Omaha will be aiming to secure a world title in his fourth weight class.
‘I am 58 and what?’
Mike Tyson, responding to criticism from fellow boxers about his upcoming exhibition with Jake Paul on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, defended his comeback after weeks of concerns being raised. This statement was made by Tyson via Reuters.
“I cannot believe I’m 58 years old and still getting billions of views just by talking about fighting. It’s amazing how jealous people, even athletes, are of my success. They couldn’t even attract a million viewers in their prime or sell out an arena like I can at my age. Who else at 58 could fill up an 80,000-seat arena? That’s why he wants to fight me specifically, because everyone wants to fight him, but only his fans would show up if he fought someone else.”
The parents of those other guys might not even bother watching them. Let’s be honest here. They’re just too dull for their own kids to sit through, almost as exciting as watching grass grow.
Tyson’s recent outburst followed the revelation that he must undergo brain and heart scans before being allowed to make his comeback.
