FIGHT WEEK
Subriel Matias and Jeremias Ponce will fight for an empty 140-pound title but a Floyd Mayweather exhibit and a Jake Paul-Tommy Fury fight are stealing all the headlines.
SUBRIEL MATIAS (18-1, 18 KOS)
WITH. JEREMIAS PONCE (30-0, 20 KOS)
- When: Saturday, February 25
- Time: 9pm ET / 6pm Pacific Time (main event follows)
- Where: Armory, Minneapolis
- television/stream: Showtime
- Assignment: Junior weight class (140 pounds)
- threatened: IBF title is vacant
- Pound-for-pound ratings: Do not have
- the odds: Matias 4-1 favorite (multi-store average)
- Also on the card: Elvis Rodriguez versus Joseph Adorno, junior weight class; Jamal James vs Alberto Palmetta, Welterweight
- Guess: Matias KO 8
- Background: The battle between these offensive-minded fighters will delight fans. Matias is extremely aggressive and has the strength needed to succeed with that style, as all of his victories have come by knockout. The 30-year-old Puerto Rican tennis player met his match when he was narrowly overtaken by Petros Ananyan but gave up and stop Ananyan in the ninth round of their rematch last January. It was Matias’ most recent game, meaning he hadn’t played for 13 months. Ponce isn’t quite as aggressive as Matias but he also has a seek-and-destroy style, using his length (he’s 5 feet 11 tall) to deliver blows to the head and body. And while he didn’t have the concussion powers of Matias, he did stop his last three opponents and four of his last five. Ponce’s three most recent matches have all been in Europe, including the third round knockout of tennis player Achiko Odikadze in his most recent match last April in Germany. He will make his US debut on Saturday. Neither Matias nor Ponce have fought for a major title in the world.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER VS. CHALMERS AARON
- When: Saturday, February 25
- Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event follows)
- Where: O2 Stadium, London
- television/stream: Pay Per View ($29.99)
- threatened: Exhibition
- Background: Mayweather will be participating in his Friday showdown and making his UK debut the 45-year-old Hall of Famer was scheduled to take on Muay Thai boxer Liam Harrison but Harrison withdrew due to injury. Join Chalmers, a British reality TV star and former MMA athlete (5-2), with a decisive boxing match against Alexander Zeledon in middleweight last June in Liverpool . He has appeared on the shows “Geordie Shore” and “Ex on the Beach.” Mayweather: Tenshin Nasukawa shows in 2018, Logan Paul in 2021, Don Moore this past May, Mikuru Asakura in September and Deji Olatunji in November. The last time he was involved in a sanctioned bout was in 2017, when he blocked Conor McGregor after 10 rounds for a 50-0 record.
JAKE PAUL (6-0.4 KOS) VS. TOMMY FURY (8-0.4 KOS)
- When: Sunday, February 26
- Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event follows)
- Where: Diriyah Arena, Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
- television/stream: Pay Per View ($49.99)
- Assignment: Catch weight (185 pounds)
- threatened: No main title
- Pound-for-pound ratings: Do not have
- the odds: Paul 1½-1 favorite (multi-store average)
- Also on the card: Ilunga Makabu vs Badou Jack, cruiser class (for Makabu’s WBC title)
- Guess: Paul KO 4
- Background: Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury finally takes place after a number of starts and stops. Both men are good athletes with some ability but are still ranking beginners. Indeed, the event is pay-per-view because of their huge following, not their achievements. Paul, a boxer turned YouTuber, has had success against a retired NBA player (Nate Robinson) and former MMA fighters, including by unanimity. decision on 47 year old Anderson Silva in a round of eight last October. Paul made a big splash when he knocking Tyrone Woodley unconscious with a terrible forehand in their rematch in December 2021, before the game against Silva. Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, could be described as the first boxer Paul faced but his opponent was carefully chosen. He is well known as a reality TV star in the UK
FIGHT THIS WEEK
WEDNESDAY
- Manuel Gallegos vs. Richard Vansilen, super middleweight, Plant City, Florida (ProBox TV).
THURSDAY
- John Ramirez vs. Luis Padilla, junior bantamweight, Indio, California (DAZN).
FRIDAY
- Jason Sanchez versus Andy Beltran, junior lightweight, Rio Rancho, New Mexico (FITE).
- Guillermo Rigondeaux vs Jesus Martinez, bantamweights, Hialeah, Florida (no TV in the US).
SATURDAY
- Dina Thorslund vs. Debora Anahi Lopez, bantamweight (for Thorslund’s WBO title), Holstebro, Denmark (no TV in the US).
- Lewis Ritson vs. Ohara Davies, welterweight division, Newcastle, UK (no TV in US)
SUNDAY
- Nestor Bravo vs Jair Valtierra, junior weight class, Orlando, Florida (CBS Sports Network).
