BOX OFFICE PICKS- This Weekend’s fight previews.
On Box Office we always try to keep things fresh and mix it up and now we are looking to bring you our pick of fights you should aim to watch at the weekend. Each week we will pick a select few fights that we at No Smoke Sport are looking forward to and we will also mention it on this weeks show. This week we have 4 for you.
Devin Haney vs Vasyl Lomachenko
Undisputed Lightweight World Champion Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) defends his titles against Pound-for-Pound king Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs). This is sure to be “The Dreams” toughest test to date against the Ukrainian 3 weight World Champion. Haney is coming off back-to-back wins in Australia over George Kambosos Jr last year where he initially won and then defended all of the 135lb straps.
Lomachenko will be looking to reclaim the titles he lost to Teofimo Lopez in 2020 and has beat Masayoshi Nakatani, Richard Commey and Jamaine Ortiz since that defeat. Now aged 35, the bookies have him as the underdog but he is never one to be written off!
The fight is Live on ESPN in the US on Saturday night and on Sky Sports in the early hours of Sunday morning in the UK and it promises to be a blockbuster clash!
Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron
Katie Taylor returns home to Ireland Saturday night and moves up a weight in a bid to become a simultaneous 2 Weight Undisputed World Champion. Taylor (22-0, 6 KOs) takes on Super Lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron (17-0, 8 KOs) who was a replacement for the injured Amanda Serrano.
The two have previously met in the amateurs in which Kate Taylor came out victorious. This came in the semi-finals of the 2011 Woman’s EU championships, a tournament Katie would go on to win. Cameron will look to exact her revenge though and spoil Katies homecoming in Ireland.
Cameron is coming off her biggest win of her career against Jessica McCaskill in which she claimed Undisputed. On the Bivol vs Ramirez undercard in Dubai, Cameron won via a unanimous decision and there were calls then to make the Undisputed vs Undisputed.
Taylor and Serrano were initially due to rematch their fight of the year contender from last April until Amanda was forced to withdraw. If Taylor is to come through Saturday night then this is being touted for later in the year and possibly at Croke Park, completing a dream of Katies to headline there.
The fight is live and exclusive on DAZN Saturday night from the 3arena in Dublin
Junto Nakatani vs Andrew Moloney
A great fight on the undercard of Haney vs Lomachenko is the the clash between Nakatani (24-0, 18 KOs) and Maloney (25-2, 16 KOs) for the vacant WBO World Super Flyweight title.
Nakatani has already defeated former World Champions Francisco Rodriguez Jr, Angel Acosta and Milan Melindo. 25 year old Junto will be aiming to claim his 2nd WBO World title after claiming the Flyweight strap in 2020 with an 8th round stoppage over fellow Japanese fighter Giemel Magramo.
Australian Andrew Maloney is coming off the back of 4 impressive wins, one of them also against Gilberto Mendoza. Maloney has only lost twice in his career, both to American Joshua Franco, but he has a tall order on his hands this weekend as he looks to cause a huge upset.
The fight serves as chief support and it will be a great opportunity for those who may not have seen Japanese star Nakatani in action before!
Raymond Muratalla vs Jeremia Nakathila
Also on the Haney vs Lomachenko undercard is Muratalla (17-0, 14 KOs) vs Nakathila (23-2, 19 KOs). This is a very good match-up and looks evenly poised.
33 year-old Nambian Nakathila is coming off the back of a 14 month lay-off, after defeating former Junior Lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt. The absence hasn’t been through injury though. He has been deemed an avoided fighter since his last fight but has kept working in the gym waiting for a great opportunity to present itself.
Unbeaten Raymond “Danger” Muratalla has looked impressive since making his professional debut in 2016. This fight, however is a step up for the 26 year-old American who’s last fight was a 9th round stoppage win over Humberto Galindo.
This forms part of a very good card on Saturday night which will land in the early hours on Sky Sports in the UK and ESPN in the US, live from The MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
By Lee Browne
Also Read: SPOTLIGHT ON CHANTELLE CAMERON- Ahead of her Undisputed vs Undisputed clash with Katie Taylor!
The Original Sugar Ray: The Story of the Best Boxer of All Time.
Haney vs Lomachenko Fight Date, UK Time, TV Channel, PPV Price And Ring Walks
