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The yr 2025 is already greater than two weeks outdated. Someone ought to in all probability let the game of boxing know.
Yeah, it’s been a sluggish January in our sport. Actual sluggish. Like, Nicolay-Valuev-loading-up-on-an-overhand-right sluggish. Larry-Service provider-pondering-the-start-of-a-postfight-soliloquy sluggish. Ashton-Sylve-getting-up-from-that-Lucas-Bahdi-combo sluggish.
There haven’t been any fights to get enthusiastic about this month. The closest factor to a serious battle was Naoya Inoue vs. Sam Goodman on January 24 … and Goodman dropped out. It’s been that sort of month for boxing followers.
However the on the spot that the calendar flips to February, good lord, do issues decide up. It will get prime-Roy-Jones-throwing-a-triple-hook quick. Jimmy-Thunder-knocking-out-Crawford-Grimsley quick. Andrew-Lewis-rushing-from-the-ring-to-find-a-bathroom-that-one-time quick.
I don’t consider that is hyperbole: February 2025 is, on paper, probably the most stacked month of boxing I’ve ever seen in my practically 30 years masking the battle recreation.
Right here’s how loaded it’s: On this article, I’m going to geek out over my 12 favourite fights of the month, and if we eliminated these 12 from the equation, the following 12 after that may represent an honest month of boxing. Right here’s what’s lacking the minimize for this text: Derek Chisora vs. Otto Wallin, Jesus Ramos vs. Jeison Rosario, Adam Azim vs. Sergey Lipinets, Elijah Garcia vs. Terrell Gausha, Seiya Tsutsumi vs. Daigo Higa, Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Jason Moloney, the just-added Oscar Duarte vs. Regis Prograis, and different bouts that includes Claressa Shields, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, Jared “Big Baby” Anderson, Bakhodir Jalolov, Xander Zayas, and Abdullah Mason. None of these fights — stable and compelling although they’re — actually merited critical consideration for the highest 12 of the month.
(Nor did the bridgerweight title battle that’s on faucet for February 22, however you already knew that.)
As for the dynamite dozen on the prime of the heap, beneath I’ve grouped them into a couple of tiers/classes, and relatively than rating them 1-12, I’m grading each on a scale of 1-100. Keep in mind, although, that they’re all wonderful fights, in order that they’re all getting robust grades. Within the typical American faculty system the place something from 90-100 is an “A,” nothing in my prime 12 is getting decrease than a “B+.” Nonetheless, utilizing my numerical grades as a information, you may deduce, roughly, my rankings.
On to the highest 12 of a wonderful fistic February …
The Mild Heavyweight Elite
David Benavidez vs. David Morrell, Feb. 1 (Grade: 100)
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol II, Feb. 22 (Grade: 99)
The 2 most tantalizing fights of the month headline pay-per-views three weeks aside and happen in the identical weight class. And the one purpose I graded certainly one of them some extent greater than the opposite is as a result of we haven’t but seen Benavidez vs. Morrell.
Beterbiev-Bivol II, the finale of the overstuffed Riyadh mega-card on the twenty second, is probably the most vital battle of February, with out query, because the lineal 175-pound championship is at stake. It may very well be a sensational battle. The proof introduced of their first bout, nonetheless, suggests it could merely be an excellent and really shut battle. Once they met final October, Bivol dictated the phrases for a lot of the primary half, which is to say it was extra chess than chaos. Because the rounds wore on, Beterbiev did his finest to inject chaos, and his assault was carrying on Bivol. In the long run, it was powerful to attain, I believed Beterbiev eked it out — as did two of the judges — and the boxing world had been handled to a superb, stable title bout that fell barely in need of bloodthirsty followers’ expectations for motion.
So that they’re doing it once more, as they need to, and we’re all fired as much as see if both Beterbiev or Bivol can set up clear superiority this time.
However I’m extra fired as much as see what occurs in Benavidez-Morrell, as a result of I do not know but what it seems to be like.
Each had been excellent tremendous middleweight titleholders who underwhelmed a bit of their respective mild heavyweight debuts. Possibly it was a matter of acclimating to the burden class. Possibly it needed to do with them each going through credible opponents — Oleksandr Gvozdyk for Benavidez, Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic for Morrell. Regardless of the case, we all know what beasts they each had been at 168 and there’s each purpose to suppose the winner on the PBC-on-Prime pay-per-view on the primary day of February will emerge as probably the most enticing challenger to the Beterbiev-Bivol II winner.
Oh, and Benavidez is 28, whereas Morrell is 26. These are potential pound-for-pounders simply coming into their primes. This battle will get an ideal grade. These warriors are protecting it 100. (Somebody half my age, please let me know if I’ve used that phrase appropriately.)
Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker, Feb. 22 (Grade: 97)
Zhilei Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel, Feb. 22 (Grade: 88)
There’s a major gulf in high quality between the 2 main heavyweight showdowns on the cardboard dubbed “The Last Crescendo.” (On a associated observe: If you happen to can’t consider a cool title in your battle card that no less than makes a shred of sense and demonstrates an understanding of phrases and their meanings, it’s OK to only not give your battle card a nickname.) Each heavyweight tilts are intriguing and significant. However there’s a hole between them, as indicated by the grades above.
Dubois vs. Parker is an amazing matchup of the 2 hottest heavyweights on the planet not named Oleksandr Usyk, and the winner could have a logical mandate to problem Usyk for the true title. It’s a detailed battle on paper; Dubois is a couple of 2-to-1 favourite. The one purpose it’s arising a couple of factors in need of an ideal grade is that Parker can, typically, towards the flawed opponent, make for fights that aren’t terribly action-packed. Dubois is unlikely to be “the wrong opponent” in that regard. However you by no means know.
Zhang — who misplaced by debatable determination to Parker final March earlier than getting again on observe by splattering Deontay Wilder lower than three months later — is much more susceptible to partaking in slogs than Parker is. That stated, his bout with Kabayel is even nearer on paper than Dubois-Parker. In response to FanDuel Sportsbook, Kabayel is a -138 favourite, and the Chinese language behemoth is a +114 underdog. It’s a compelling heavyweight battle happening one rung decrease on the title-relevance ladder than Dubois-Parker.
If these had been the one two fights on an HBO card within the ‘90s, we’d be raving over what a first-rate heavyweight doubleheader they’d put collectively. As an alternative, they’re two of the seven HBO-quality fights on a single absurd card on this upcoming absurd month. And, hey, if both battle will get boring for a stretch, it offers us extra time to ponder what within the blue hell any of this has to do with a “last crescendo.”
Stephen Fulton vs Brandon Figueroa II, Feb. 1 (Grade: 96)
Junto Nakatani vs. David Cuellar, Feb. 24 (Grade: 91)
I hope I’m not being size-ist after I say this, however these featherweights and bantamweights give me not one of the concern a couple of lack of motion that I get from the heavyweights.
Fulton-Figueroa II, the co-feature on the Benavidez-Morrell PPV, is nearly a positive factor. Their first battle, again in 2021, very similar to Figueroa himself, by no means stopped coming. It was 12 nip-and-tuck rounds of fast-paced warfare, and Fulton emerged with a majority determination that by no means sat proper with Figueroa. Within the time since, they’ve each been frustratingly inactive (one battle apiece annually), and “Cool Boy Steph” fell quick in his shot at Naoya Inoue and is making an attempt to rebuild. This rematch ought to propel the winner again to prominence.
Nakatani-Cuellar is much less of a positive factor, as Cuellar is 28-0 towards restricted opposition and could also be in over his head towards borderline top-10 pound-for-pounder Nakatani. Nonetheless, any likelihood to look at the dynamic southpaw Nakatani ply his craft, even in a possible mismatch, is value tuning in for.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov, Feb. 22 (Grade: 95)
Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, Feb. 22 (Grade: 93)
Denys Berinchyk vs. Keyshawn Davis, Feb. 14 (Grade: 92)
Shakur Stevenson vs. Floyd Schofield, Feb. 22 (Grade: 90)
Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith, Feb. 22 (Grade: 89)
Jack Catterall vs. Arnold Barboza Jr., Feb. 15 (Grade: 89)
4 of those fights are on “The Last Crescendo” (simply vomited in my mouth a bit typing these phrases once more), whereas Berinchyk-Davis headlines a Friday night time ESPN present from the small room at Madison Sq. Backyard, and Catterall-Barboza is in Manchester the following day.
All six of those contests characteristic no less than one undefeated boxer stepping up and going through the largest check of his profession.
For the 26-year-old Ortiz, you can argue Madrimov represents a tie for his hardest check, after Ortiz received off the canvas twice to tug out a majority determination win over Serhii Bohachuk in August. FanDuel has Ortiz a slim -128 favourite over Madrimov, who very practically shocked Terence Crawford final outing.
The 25-year-old Sheeraz is leaping up fairly a bit as he squares off towards arguably the highest middleweight beltholder, Adames. However Sheeraz has made believers of the oddsmakers, who’re tabbing him at -235 to topple the Dominican veteran.
Davis, additionally 25, is an excellent greater favourite at -550 towards Berinchyk — who’s himself undefeated and scored an upset win over Emanuel Navarrete in his most up-to-date battle. However make no mistake, Berinchyk is a number of ranges above one of the best foe Davis has fought thus far. The chances are a testomony to the simple expertise and talent of the prospect/contender (and, subsequent month maybe, beltholder) from Norfolk, Virginia.
At simply 22 years of age, Schofield goes not from the swimming pool to the ocean, however from a rain puddle to the underside of the Atlantic as he challenges fellow unbeaten Stevenson. Shakur is a -1000 favourite, Schofield a +620 underdog. Mismatch? Maybe. However the truth that Schofield was so wanting to make this battle occur has me dying to see it.
Buatsi is a bit older than these different prospects at 31, however he’s nonetheless taking a step up towards the veteran Smith — who has solely ever misplaced to Beterbiev and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. It’s a decent one on the sportsbooks, with Buatsi favored at simply -205 at FanDuel.
Barboza is the oldest of all of the stepper-uppers at 33, and is a modest +200 underdog to prime Catterall, who’s driving excessive off wins over Josh Taylor and Regis Prograis final yr. This has all of the makings — like so many of those fights — of an amazing battle the place each males are pushed to the bounds and the result is doubtful till the ultimate bell.
In the event that they’d given us Catterall-Barboza in January, it could be the battle of the month, by a ways. In February, it’s barely within the prime 12.
So get your relaxation now, battle followers. February 2025 is the A+ month of mayhem you’ve spent your entire life ready for.
Author : admin
Publish date : 2025-01-16 23:49:33
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