date, time, view, background

The undefeated Liam Davies will face fellow featherweight Ionut Baluta on Saturday in Davies’ hometown of Telford, England (ESPN+).

LIAM DAVIES (12-0.5 KO) VS. IONUT BALUTA (15-3, 3 KOs)

• Day: Saturday, November 19
• Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event follows)
• Where: Telford International Centre, Telford, UK
• television/stream: GAME+
• Assignment: Featherweight (122 pounds)
• threatened: No main title
• Pound-for-pound ratings: Not available
• the odds: Davies 1½-1 ​​favorite
• Also on the card: Anthony Yarde vs Stefani Koykov, lightweight; Eithan James vs. Connor Parker, junior weight class; Jamie Stewart vs. Owen Cooper, heavyweight

• Guess: University of Davies
• Story: Unranked Davies will take a major step forward in his career if he can beat Baluta, who is WBC’s 122-pound 10th. The deft 26-year-old British player has enjoyed an extensive amateur career, which has allowed him to progress rapidly as a professional. He will win by unanimous decision against Marc Leach in June. Baluta, a Romanian athlete living in Spain, opened his eyes when he overcame former 122-pound defending champion TJ Doheny in a 126-pound bout in 2020. He narrowly lost to Michael Conlan in the division. 122 in April last year but came back to beat Brad Foster by a unanimous decision this past May. The Davies-Baluta fight for the vacant European title. Also on the card, London’s 175-pound Anthony Yarde (22-2, 21 KOs) will face off against Bulgaria’s Stefani Koykov. If Yarde wins, he will challenge owner Artur Beterbiev.