THE GREATEST FIGHT CARD EVER?
Stevenson as a -800 favorite. “I like Shakur by unanimous decision. He has the experience; he’s been in there with every style. “Overall, this is a great card. Almost all the fights Turki makes are 50-50, highly competitive. This card has four or five fights that would normally be main events on most cards.” Herring added, with a chuckle, “My only complaint is that it will probably take six or seven hours to watch it all. I’ll probably have to split that up over a few days.” 4. Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, WBC middleweight title This fight is one of the best matchups that could be made in the middleweight division, which has been all but dead in recent years as the Gennadiy Golovkin era has wound down. Current WBC titleholder Carlos Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) has been calling out everybody and their mother on social media, but very few have seemed willing to take him on. That is until England’s Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) agreed to take the challenge. The Ring touched base with Jolene Mizzone, president of Fighters First Management, to get her thoughts on
the matchup. “I think Adames is a good fighter right now but can’t rate among the elite yet until he shows me more,” she said. “He has only fought three times in three years. I think he fought the right guys at the right time and did what he was supposed to do. “His biggest strength – and weakness – is his power. When some guys who have power are in a situation in a fight where they need to adjust, like when Adames fought [Patrick] Teixeira (who outpointed Adames in 2019), they can’t, because they just rely on their power. That could hurt against Sheeraz.” Mizzone added: “Sheeraz is the solid 160-pounder and Adames is the guy who has moved up (from junior middleweight). Sheeraz has another big advantage, too, in that he’s been more active. I always say an active fighter is a successful fighter. “My prediction is Sheeraz by TKO 9.” 5. Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov, interim junior middleweight title This one looks like a real potential firecracker. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) is coming off a narrow points win
over Serhii Bohachuk last August, when he was dropped twice but escaped with a majority decision and picked up the interim belt. It was the first time he was taken the distance, and it was his most difficult fight to date. Meanwhile, Israil Madrimov (10- 1-1, 7 KOs), who will turn 30 a few days before the fight, just experienced the first loss of his professional career, against Terence Crawford last year in Los Angeles. The winner of this fight will be in line for an eventual shot at the full WBC junior middleweight titleholder, Sebastian Fundora. The Ring spoke with former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik to get his thoughts on the matchup. “I think it will be a good, even fight for the first four rounds,” he said. “But then Vergil will adjust. You’ll see the power and speed pick up, and he’ll start taking over the fight. I believe he will dominate in the later rounds. “Madrimov is crafty, though. He’s going to bring his tricks, and he will definitely sneak some of the early rounds. He’s a good fighter, but I just think that Vergil is too young and too strong.” When asked about the struggles Ortiz had in his last outing, Pavlik said that shouldn’t concern the 26-year- old Texan at all. In fact, he thinks the
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experience only made him better. “I’m glad he had that tough fight [against Bohachuk],” said the ex- champ. “It was a dogfight. Now Vergil knows he can go through a dogfight. I believe he was able to learn from that fight and it helped make him ready for Madrimov.” He continued: “Sometimes things like that just happen. Look at me: I got hit by bombs from Edison Miranda in our fight, and he was known as a big puncher. But he never hurt me. Then I fought Jermain Taylor, and he wasn’t known as a one-punch guy, but he dropped me. It happens. “You have to remember, Vergil Ortiz was running through everybody, knocking everybody out. The Bohachuk fight was a reality check, and it happened at the perfect time. “I like Vergil to win a decision, maybe 116-112 or 117-111.” 6. Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith, interim light heavyweight title This all-England showdown matches the current WBO interim light heavyweight titleholder, Joseph Buatsi, against a more experienced but also more battle-worn
former champion in Callum Smith. The undefeated Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs), who won a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics for Great Britain, will be making the first major step up in his professional career. Former Ring Magazine super middleweight champ Smith (30-2, 22 KOs) has only lost twice as a pro, to Canelo Alvarez and Beterbiev. Will the experience Smith gained in those losses against two of the very best of this era serve him against Buatsi? Or has he taken too much damage during his 12-plus years as a pro? The oddsmakers are going with the latter, as most sites like Buatsi as a -200 favorite. Another factor is size. Although Smith is taller and longer, he fought the bulk of his career at 168 pounds. Meanwhile, Buatsi has campaigned as a light heavyweight since turning pro in 2017. It is also worth noting that this will be only the second time Buatsi has fought outside the U.K., while Smith has fought in five different counties. This will be his third bout in Saudi Arabia. 7. Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel, interim heavyweight title
Bang” Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) in the ring, he became the first man not named Tyson Fury to knock out Deontay Wilder, scoring a dominant fifth-round stoppage against the former titleholder. Now he’s set to face undefeated Agit Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs), of Germany. The winner will be in line for a legitimate title shot next. Once again, The Ring spoke with Billy Nelson, who made his feelings on Zhang and Kabayel known right away. “The battle of the dodgers!” he laughed. “Both of them dodged Martin [Bakole]! “In terms of the fight, Zhang will be dangerous for the first four rounds. He’s an educated boxer with good power, and he’s a southpaw. But his speed and movement deteriorate after four rounds. “I believe Kabayel will beat Zhang. He could stop him late if he goes to the body early on and wears the big man down. I favor Kabayel due to Zhang’s age and lack of movement.” Michael Montero can be found on social media via @MonteroOnBoxing. His show “The Neutral Corner” can be seen every Monday on YouTube and heard on audio podcast platforms around the world.
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The last time we saw Zhilei “Big
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