FIGHT WEEK
Rolando Romero, after losing to Gervonta Davis, will return to fight Ismael Barroso in the 140-pound division. Additionally, Janibek Alimkhanuly will defend her 160-pound belt against Steven Butler.
ROLANDO ROMERO (14-1, 12 KOS)
WITH. ISMAEL BARROSO (24-3-2, 22 KOS)
- When: Saturday, May 13
- Time: 9pm ET / 6pm Pacific Time (main event follows)
- Where: International of Las Vegas
- television/stream: Showtime
- Assignment: Junior weight class (140 pounds)
- threatened: WBA title
- Pound-for-pound ratings: Do not have
- the odds: ARE NOT
- Also on the card: Rances Barthelemy vs Omar Juarez, junior weight class; Batyr Akhmedov vs. Kenneth Sims Jr., junior weight class
- Guess: Romero KO 8
- Background: Romero is about to have his first loss of his career, in the sixth round knockout with Gervonta Davis in a 135-pound fight last May. The 27-year-old from Las Vegas competed with the rising star until the end of time, which eased the frustration to some extent and didn’t dent his confidence. Also, he had problems putting on a light limit, which is why he made his debut as a full-fledged 140-pound athlete in this fight. Romero is a solid fighter but is better known for his physical prowess and punches, though we’ll see if that translates to bigger boxers in the junior weight class. . He was scheduled to challenge WBA Alberto Puello for the title but Puello was withdrawn after testing positive for a banned substance. He was replaced by the relatively obscure Barroso, a 40-year-old Venezuelan who had fought for a major title (losing to 135-pound Anthony Crolla in 2015). He lost head-to-head in 2018 but has won four since, including a fourth-round knockout against journeyman Fernando David Saucedo last August. Both Puello and Barroso are left-handed, which should help Romero in his preparation. The Romero-Barroso fight was supposed to win the full WBA title, a sign that Puello has been stripped.
JANIBEK ALIMKHANULY (13-0.8 KOS)
WITH. STEVEN BUTLER (32-3-1, 26 KOS)
- When: Saturday, May 13
- Time: 10pm ET / 7pm Pacific Time (main event follows)
- Where: Stockton Arena, Stockton, California
- television/stream: GAME, GAME +
- Assignment: Middleweight (160 pounds)
- threatened: Alimkhanuly’s WBO title
- Pound-for-pound ratings: Do not have
- the odds: Alimkhanuly favorite 20-1 (average of many stores)
- Also on the card: Jason Moloney vs Vincent Astrolabio, bantamweight (for the vacant WBO title); Robson Conceicao vs Nicolas Polanco, lightweight
- Guess: Alimkhanuly University
- Background: Alimkhanuly was elevated from “provisional” to the full 160-pound WBO belt when Demetrius Andrade dropped the belt last August and successfully defended once, pointed out Denzel Bentley in the competitive war in November. The one-time amateur world champion from Kazakhstan is a sleek boxer with heavy hands. The decision against Bentley ended Alimkhanuly’s knockout streak in seventh place. Alimkhanuly was supposed to defend against mandatory challenger Liam Smith but the British tennis player was forced to take on Chris Eubank Jr. in the previous rematch, which made Saturday’s game a voluntary defense. Butler’s career appeared to be in jeopardy when he was stopped by future owner Ryota Murata and practitioner Jose de Jesus Macias in head-to-head matches in 2019 and 2021. However, the Montrealer dropped one. year and then made his mark with four straight wins over second-place opponents, including a unanimous decision on Joshua Conley in December. He’s a good boxer with decent strength, like elimination rate. His direct show. Butler was ranked 6th by the WBO.
FIGHT THIS WEEK
FRIDAY
- Kim Clavel vs. Naomi Arellano Reyes, flyweight, Laval, Quebec (FITE)
SATURDAY
- Joseph Maigwisya vs Luca Antonio Cinqueoncie, lightweight, Offenback, Germany (DAZN)
- John Riel Casimero vs. Fillipus Nghitumbwa, junior featherweight, Paranaque City, Philippines (FITE)
- Alex Vargas vs. Mauro Godoy, junior weight class, Huntington, New York (StarBoxing TV)
- Jadier Harrera vs Jeff Ofori, junior lightweight, Dubai, UAE (FITE)
- KSI vs. Joe Fournier, cruiser class, London (pay-per-view)
