Pick It: TBRB #4 Dillian Whyte vs. #6 Alexander Povetkin (Saturday, DAZN, 2 PM EST)
On paper, this is easily the card of the week and one of the more intriguing cards of 2020 so far. 32-year old Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18 KO) has been making his case for a title shot to any outlet that would hear it. After a controversy over a since-dropped doping charge against Whyte between wins against Oscar Rivas and Mariusz Wach, Whyte makes his 2020 debut against one of the most experienced heavyweights in the game.
40-year old Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KO) is coming off a draw against Michael Hunter and has still only lost to Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua. This is the biggest must-win of Whyte’s career. The undercard features a rematch of one of the best fights of 2019 as undisputed lightweight queen Katie Taylor (15-0, 6 KO) looks to avenge a contested win over Delfine Persoon (44-2, 18 KO). It’s a hell of a way to kick off a full slate of Saturday action.
Additional Show to Watch For
Thursday – Shishkin vs. Riojas (UFC Fight Pass, 7 PM EST)
29-year old super middleweight Vladimir Shishkin (10-0, 6 KO) hasn’t cracked any of the sanctioning body ratings yet but it’s only a matter of time if he keeps winning. He’ll have the main event slot to advance his cause here. 36-year old opponent Oscar Riojas (21-13-1, 10 KO) is coming off a loss and has been stopped three times.
Friday – Juarez vs. Vega (Telemundo, 11:35 PM EST)
Former 105 and 108 lb. title challenger Saul Juarez (25-11-2, 13 KO) is in a tough stretch. The 29-year old has lost three of his last four and two straight heading into this Jr. flyweight encounter. 20-year old Axel Vega (13-3-1, 8 KO) has won three of his last four with the loss in his last contest for the WBO belt in the division. Vega wants to stay in the hunt. Juarez wants to get back into it.
Saturday – #4 Alvarez vs. #6 Smith (ESPN+, 7:30 PM EST)
Light heavyweights lead the bill. The 36-year old Eleider Alvarez (25-1, 13 KO) is 1-0 since losing a light heavyweight belt right back to the man he won it from, Sergey Kovalev. After years of waiting for his first title shot, Alvarez is trying to shorten the distance to opportunity number two. 30-year old Joe Smith Jr. (25-3, 20 KO) is coming off a win over Jesse Hart. The man who retired Bernard Hopkins is 2-2 since with losses to Sullivan Barrera and Dmitry Bivol. The winner stays relevant in the chase. The loser takes a real dagger here. Summer’s most popular hardcore fave, Clay Collard (8-2-3, 3 KO), is also in action at super middleweight. It will be Collard’s fifth fight of the year.
Saturday - #4 Porter vs. Formella (Fox, 8 PM EST)
As is seemingly always the case, 32-year old Shawn Porter (30-3-1, 17 KO) gave the fans every cent of their money’s worth last time out in a welterweight unification loss to Errol Spence. The veteran makes his return against a welterweight unfamiliar to most of the US audience. Germany’s 33-year old Sebastian Formella (22-0, 10 KO) has good height and length and has stepped up well in his last five fights against opponents with a combined record of 95-8-1. We’ll know Saturday whether that was enough to prepare him for an even more seismic escalation of challenge here.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
