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<\/p>\nLove is in the air this Valentine\u2019s weekend, but instead of trading roses and chocolates we\u2019re hoping for some luscious in-ring left hooks and handsome uppercuts.<\/p>\n
Elton John may have covered “Love Song” in 1970, but just three years later the septuagenarian told us that “Saturday Night\u2019s Alright For Fighting,” and over at Uncrowned we couldn\u2019t agree more.<\/p>\n
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So let\u2019s take a closer look at some of the five biggest things to look out for this weekend in the wonderfully weird world of boxing.<\/p>\n
1. Zuffa Boxing 03 as Efe Ajagba, Charles Martin search for heavyweight momentum<\/p>\n
Zuffa Boxing returns on Sunday with its catchily-named \u201c03\u201d show.<\/p>\n
No unnecessary frills around the edge of this one with a manufactured tagline \u2014 think of the missed opportunities: \u201cHeavy Is The Head That Wears The Zuffa Crown\u201d or \u201cLet\u2019s Get Ready To \u2026 Pretend We Know What\u2019s Going On With The Zuffa League.\u201d Just two apex predator heavyweights ready to throw it down inside Las Vegas\u2019 Meta Apex.<\/p>\n
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Efe Ajagba is the big favorite coming into this bout, looking to shake off a recent underwhelming draw to Martin Bakole and extend his unbeaten run to seven fights.<\/p>\n
If the Nigerian is to do so, he\u2019ll have to inflict the fifth defeat on the record of everyone\u2019s favorite boxing \u201cPrince,\u201d Charles Martin \u2014 best known for his brief IBF heavyweight title reign in 2016 until Eddie Hearn broke Matchroom Boxing\u2019s bank to drag him to London.<\/p>\n
Martin\u2019s limitations have been exposed time and time again, but hey, it\u2019s the heavyweight division and it\u2019s not just an old adage that “anything can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
2. Umar Dzambekov gets his Paramount+ push!<\/p>\n
Forgive my ignorance, but I am assuming that most of you would struggle to name a handful of famous Austrian athletes.<\/p>\n
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Soccer’s David Alaba? Tennis\u2019 Dominic Thiem? Formula 1\u2019s Niki Lauda? And I suspect more than a thousand downhill skiers\u2026<\/p>\n
Well, you can add Umar Dzambekov\u2019s name to that list, as the Chechen-born Austrian \u2014 who fights out of Los Angeles \u2014 co-features on Zuffa Boxing 03 this Sunday against Ahmed Elbiali.<\/p>\n
Dzambekov, 28, is unbeaten as a pro, and luckily for him fights as a light heavyweight \u2014 one of eight weight classes Zuffa Boxing is reportedly willing to recognize. The southpaw has passed every test thrown his way with flying colors and now steps in against a wily veteran in Elbiali who has struggled for activity, fighting just four times since 2019.<\/p>\n
A big win for Dzambekov could see him christened as Zuffa\u2019s man to lead the charge at 175 pounds.<\/p>\n
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3. Marco Huck continues his comeback after four-year hiatus<\/p>\n
I refused to jump aboard the 2016 throwback Instagram fad that seemed to kick off a few weeks back, but if Marco Huck were to indulge, then you would have seen the German with a shiny IBO cruiserweight title around his waist.<\/p>\n
That followed a six-year stretch for Huck as the WBO world cruiserweight champion between 2009-15, the joint-longest reign ever for the division, underlining the now 41-year-old\u2019s place in boxing\u2019s rich annals.<\/p>\n
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Yeah, Marco Huck has been around for a while.<\/p>\n
(picture alliance via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
But, like so many, Huck has found turning his back on the sport impossible, and so he continues his return this weekend fighting in Halle, Germany, for the 51st time in his pro career.<\/p>\n
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Huck retired in 2020 only to return in 2024, and now is back, again, fighting Vaclav Pejsar (26-22, 21 KOs) for reasons that only \u201cKapt\u2019n\u201d will know.<\/p>\n
4. Ryosuke Nishida jumps up to 122 pounds to meet Bryan Mercado<\/p>\n