A Long Simmering Feud Will Boil: March Preview

Boxing is wonderful at bogus drama in the lead to significant fights.

Each and every once in a though, we get the real issue.

Bad blood at pressers…historical scuffles and beefing at ringside among fighters and their camps…the struggle of the thirty day period in March has it all. 1 man has already experimented with, and failed, to wrest divisional management from Saul Alvarez. The other is making a extensive awaited action up in his profession to build a mandate for his possess shot at Alvarez.

On paper, it is 50-50 and in the ring it really should be truly worth the price of admission (or pay back-per-perspective). Circle this date:  

03/25: 168 – TBRB #1 David Benavidez (26-, 23 KO) vs. #2 Caleb Plant (21-1, 12 KO)

It’s the ideal combat that can be built at super middleweight with out the sport’s pink-headed megastar in the mix. Will the offense of Benavidez prove too much for the savvy and type of Plant? Was Plant’s explosive end of Anthony Dirrell a trace of more firepower to arrive, opening the door for an Alvarez rematch?

This 1 will be for an interim WBC belt, primarily a much more concrete obligatory position. For Alvarez to stay undisputed, he would presumably want to facial area the winner. The WBC has shown they will be imaginative about sustaining their connection with Alvarez (see: franchise nonsense) but looking at how significantly earnings the initial Alvarez-Plant fight produced, and how a great deal an Alvarez-Benavidez clash may possibly fetch, this could finish up getting an eliminator with authentic merit.

It is not the only high-quality interim clash in March, as two much more rock reliable clashes will be coming over the subsequent two weekends:

03/04: 126 – #3 Mark Magsayo (24-1, 16 KO) vs. #5 Brandon Figueroa (23-1-1, 18 KO)

03/11: 154 – #3 Tim Tszyu (21-, 15 KO) vs. #4 Tony Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KO)

The winner of Magsayo-Figueroa will have an interim WBC strap. WBC featherweight titlist Rey Vargas failed in an endeavor to move to Jr. light-weight so logically this battle could direct to either Vargas-Magsayo II or Vargas-Figueroa. Neither would be a poor end result.

At Jr. middleweight, an injuries to champion Jermell Charlo opens the doorway for Tim Tszyu to deepen his experience and actually gain the crack at the crown he lost. Tony Harrison can upend Tszyu’s hopes and earn a rubber match inside Charlo. Offered how superior the next Charlo-Harrison fight was, boxing lovers gain no make any difference who will get their hand raised below. 

Unification Fever Blazes On

On the women’s aspect, the unification wheel continues to flip and lands at strawweight on the undercard of Jose Ramirez-Richard Commey.

03/25: 105 – Seniesa Estrada (23-, 9 KO, WBA) vs. Tina Rupprecht (12–1, 3 KO, WBC)

Estrada is just one of the ideal in the environment but Rupprecht could be a serious risk. Rupprecht is the last individual to defeat the girl with the other two belts in this pounds course suitable now, Yokasta Valle. Taking into consideration the developments in women’s boxing, it would be disappointing if this finished up wherever other than the Estrada-Rupprecht winner versus Valle later on this 12 months.  

Added Title Fights in March

Males

03/25: 200 – #2 Lawrence Okolie (17-, 14 KO, WBO) vs. David Mild (20-, 12 KO)

Women

03/10: 108 – Evelyn Bermudez (17-1-1, 6 KO) vs. Tania Enriquez (20-, 9 KO) vacant IBF/WBO

Cliff Rold is the Running Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the Worldwide Boxing Research Business, and a member of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of The us.