By Jake Donovan
It appears as if the on-again, off-again clash between Dominic Breazeale and Amir Mansour finally has a home. Barring yet another postponement, the pair of heavyweights are due to collide January 23 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The bout will serve as part of the series debut of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox, airing on the free-to-air network in primetime. Headlining the show, unbeaten Danny Garcia takes on Robert Guerrero in a matchup of former champs, while undefeated prospect Sammy Vasquez Jr. meets resurgent Aron Martinez in a welterweight crossroads bout.
Assuming the date holds up, it ends an exhausting search for both Breazeale and Mansour to return to action after watching separate bouts - as well as a direct pairing - fall through for various reasons.
Both were originally due to appear on the Dec. 12 edition of PBC on NBC in San Antonio. Mansour (22-1-1, 16KOs) was slated to face Artur Szpilka in an anticipated heavyweight slugfest that surely would've created a major shakeup in the 2015 Fight of the Year race.
The bout was pulled for what was undisclosed reasons at the time, only for Szpilka to resurface as the next challenger for unbeaten heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder, which takes place Jan. 16th in Brooklyn, New York.
Breazeale saw his Dec. 12 crossroads clash with Charles Martin also hit the scrap heap. Martin was pulled from the show in favor of a vacant title fight with Vyacheslav Glazkov, serving as the chief support to Wilder-Szpilka.
There was talk of Breazeale-Mansour being added to the Brooklyn show, but the economics didn't make sense given the expensive price tag that already comes with the Showtime-televised doubleheader.
In that regard, little time was lost in finding a new home - and the right fit - for the fight
“This is a great opportunity for me and I’m definitely going to make the most of it,” said Breazeale (16-0, 14KOs), who hails from nearby Alhambra, Calif.. “Fighting at STAPLES Center in primetime is a dream come true. I’m a California guy and I know I have to put on a big show to make a name for myself..”
Breazeale is coming off of a hard-fought 10-round win over Fred Kassi in September, which aired live in primetime on NBC. Controversy came of the night, with most viewers - as well as the broadcast team (disclosure: this author served as unofficial scorer for the telecast) and those in attendance - seeing the fight much closer than the wide scores turned in by the three official judges.
Nevertheless, the unbeaten heavyweight - a former standout high school and college quarterback - was willing to raise the bar in terms of opposition level. Following the fallout with Martin - an unbeaten southpaw - came the decision to pursue another tough, left-handed fighter.
“I want to be a world champion and Amir Mansour is standing in my way,” Breazeale insists.
The concept of chasing tough fights is not at all lost on Mansour (22-1-1, 16KOs), a well-preserved 43 years old in terms of boxing wear-and-tear. The middle-aged heavyweight has been in the pro ranks since 1997, but has seen his career interrupted due to two separate prison stints.
On the straight and narrow since being released prior to his 2013 ring return, Mansour - based just outside of Philadelphia - has emerged as one of the division's toughest outs. Even in suffering a heartbreaking loss to Steve Cunningham last April, he returned to deliver one of the most memorable knockouts of 2014 in a 7th round blitzing of Kassi last November.
The showdown with Breazeale marks his second straight appearance on the West Coast versus an unbeaten heavyweight and on a Fox-affiliated network. He was last seen settling for a 10-round draw versus Gerald Washington in Shelton, Washington. Most believed Mansour deserved to come out ahead in their PBC on Fox Sports 1 headliner, perhaps as good as a win considering the opportunity that lies ahead.
“I can’t wait to put on a show January 23,” said Mansour. “As a fighter, I am very humbled and appreciative to be apart of PBC on FOX debut. As a boxing fan, I am very pleased to be fighting on the undercard of one of my favorite fighters, Danny Garcia, who is also from Philly.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of a card like this with so many great fighters.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
