3,425 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Cliff Rold byline.
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Keith Thurman is back. No matter what happens from here, the once-unified welterweight titlist made his way back to the ring after more than two years away and while fighting in only one calendar year since 2017. Thurman returned doing what he’s done all but once in his career.
By Cliff Rold - It’s been more than two years since the biggest fight of Keith Thurman’s career. It’s been less than a year since the biggest fight in the career of Mario Barrios. Both men were positioned on the main event, pay-per-view stage and Saturday night they each make their return to the same stage (Fox PPV, 9 PM EST).
Pick It: TBRB #8 (at 115) Carlos Cuadras vs. #10 (at 108) Jesse Rodriguez (Saturday, DAZN, 8:00 PM EST) - What was supposed to be the latest chapter in the finest multi-man rivalry of this era is suddenly something very different. 33-year old former WBC super flyweight titlist Carlos Cuadras (39-4-1, 27 KO) makes his first start
By Cliff Rold - Age. Injuries. Inactivity. Any of the three wreak havoc on a boxing career. All of the above is a veritable disaster. It wasn’t that long ago that Keith Thurman had emerged as arguably the most watched fighter in US boxing. That’s not hyperbole. Positioned as a centerpiece of the initial Premier Boxing Champions launch, Thurman headlined cards on NBC and
Business picks up after a slower January with several intriguing bouts dotted throughout February to keep fans in suspense. It kicks off this weekend with a Fox PPV show featuring the returns of two of the biggest names in their weight classes in recent years: Keith Thurman and Leo Santa Cruz.
Ilunga Makabu isn’t a name that has crossed over beyond the boxing world but it was one that took on new significance last November at the WBC convention.
By Cliff Rold - Two entertaining World Boxing Super Series tournaments kept the wheels turning at cruiserweight for several years. They provided fans with multiple clashes between the best the division had to offer, showing off the talents of Oleksandr Usyk in winning the first and validating the talent of Mairis Briedis in winning the second.
Pick It: TBRB #3 Ilunga Makabu vs. #4 Thabiso Mchunu (Saturday, Fite TV, 8:00 PM EST) - Fans with an extra $50-ish to burn will find a solid cruiserweight main event on this show. It’s a rematch over six years in the making. In the first fight, the 34-year old Makabu (28-2, 25 KO) rallied from behind for an eleventh round stoppage.
By Cliff Rold - After multiple delays in making the fight, and then additional delays for COVID, this week the rubber match between Jr. bantamweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman Gonzalez fell apart one last time. Estrada is sick.
One thing is likely after Saturday night. The WBC is going to see an increase in the number of times they collect sanctioning fees at featherweight. The long reign of Gary Russell Jr., boxing’s least active titlist over the last six years, is over. Russell made a game go of it, fighting largely one-handed for most of the fight and keeping it close until the end. Close wasn’t good enough.