By the time Sunday morning arrives, the boxing world may have a new three-division champion, a clearer picture of women\u2019s boxing\u2019s rising stars, and perhaps an answer to the question nobody thought to ask five years ago: What happens when a Fury shares a ring with a former World\u2019s Strongest Man?<\/p>\n
We have a varied weekend coming up in the fight game. Some fights carry championship implications. Others are fueled by ambition, curiosity, or simple spectacle.<\/p>\n
Matchroom Boxing: Rodriguez vs Vargas
\nJesse \u201cBam\u201d Rodriguez vs Antonio Vargas<\/p>\n
The weekend\u2019s most important fight pairs Jesse Rodriguez and Antonio Vargas<\/p>\n
At just 26 years old, Rodriguez has already assembled one of boxing\u2019s most impressive r\u00e9sum\u00e9s. The San Antonio southpaw has collected world titles in multiple weight classes and defeated a string of elite opponents including Carlos Cuadras, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Sunny Edwards, Juan Francisco Estrada and Fernando Martinez. Now, with a record of 23-0, 16 KOs,\u00a0 he moves to bantamweight seeking a world title in a third division.<\/p>\n
Standing in his way is WBA bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas, a fighter many observers have already written off.<\/p>\n
Vargas isn\u2019t listening and will be putting his WBA bantamweight title belt on the line.<\/p>\n
The former U.S. Olympian has spent the last several years rebuilding his career and believes this is the opportunity he has been waiting for. Speaking during fight week, Vargas said he has trained his entire life for this moment and promised to shock the boxing world. His confidence is rooted not only in preparation but also in faith, frequently referencing the spiritual support system that has carried him throughout his career.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez, meanwhile, enters the bout carrying the expectations of a fighter increasingly mentioned among the sport\u2019s pound-for-pound elite. The looming possibility of a future showdown with Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue has become one of boxing\u2019s favorite discussion topics. Rodriguez has called that fight \u201cinevitable,\u201d though both he and trainer Robert Garcia have stressed that Vargas remains the immediate focus. Garcia has also suggested that additional time at bantamweight may be prudent before a move toward Inoue\u2019s territory.<\/p>\n
For Rodriguez, victory would move him one step closer to superstardom. For Vargas, it represents the chance to author one of the year\u2019s biggest upsets.<\/p>\n
Elif Nur Turhan vs. Gabriela Tellez<\/p>\n
IBF lightweight champion Elif Nur Turhan returns for the second defense of the title she captured with a stoppage victory over Beatriz Ferreira. The undefeated Turkish champion enters with a 13-0 record and eight knockouts, impressive power for a lightweight and an aggressive style that has quickly made her one of the sport\u2019s emerging attractions. Turhan won four consecutive fights by knockout before\u00a0 a split decision win over Taylah Gentzen in her most recent outing.<\/p>\n
Standing opposite her will be unbeaten Texan Gabriela Tellez, who brings a 7-0 record with 3 KOs into her first world-title opportunity. At just 19 years old, Tellez is taking a considerable step up in class, but she has embraced the challenge and described the title shot as the realization of a lifelong dream. The matchup pits one of women\u2019s boxing\u2019s fastest-rising champions against a young challenger with nothing to lose and everything to gain.<\/p>\n
Venue: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Watch: DAZN
Main Card: Approximately 8:00 p.m. ET \/ 5:00 p.m. PT<\/p>\n
Featured Undercard Bouts<\/p>\n
Arturo Cardenas (17-0-2, 9 KOs) vs. Jordan Martinez (16-0-1, 15 KOs)
\nAdrian Rodriguez (10-0, 6 KOs) vs. Elias Montoya Terraza (13-0, 8 KOs)
\nRonny Alvarez (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Filip Stankovic (9-3, 6 KOs)
\nTrini Ochoa (21-1, 9 KOs) vs. Cristian Perez Hernandez (12-4-1, 7 KOs)
\nHector Beltran (7-0, 5 KOs) vs. Shaquile Felicia (3-1, 1 KO)
\nXechal Xavier Esquivel (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Rayshawn Taylor (1-1-1, 1 KO)<\/p>\n
Most Valuable Promotions and Boxlab Promotions: Jones vs Carranza, Brown vs Rapp
\nOshae Jones\u00a0 vs. Elia Carranza<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s boxing continues to build momentum with\u00a0 MVP\u2019s latest all-female card this weekend.<\/p>\n
The main event features IBF junior middleweight champion Oshae Jones (9-0, 3 KOs), the Olympic bronze medalist whose transition from amateur star to professional champion has been remarkably smooth. Jones earned a close victory over Elia Carranza in their first meeting, but the result was competitive enough to warrant an immediate rematch. Carranza (11-2, 3 KOs) enters as the mandatory challenger and the division\u2019s top-ranked contender.<\/p>\n
Jones has shown poise and technical maturity beyond her experience level. Carranza brings familiarity and the confidence that comes from knowing she was competitive the first time around.<\/p>\n
The card extends well beyond the main event.<\/p>\n
WBC featherweight champion Tiara Brown returns to defend her title against unbeaten contender Hannah Rapp. Unified light flyweight champion Evelin Bermudez is also scheduled to appear, while several undefeated prospects and international standouts round out one of the deepest women\u2019s cards assembled this year.<\/p>\n
Tiara Brown\u00a0 vs. Hannah Rapp<\/p>\n
Philadelphia\u2019s Tiara Brown (20-0, 11 KOs) puts her WBC featherweight title on the line against unbeaten challenger Hannah Rapp (8-0-1, 5 KOs). Brown captured the title from Skye Nicolson and has emerged as one of the sport\u2019s top featherweights, while Rapp receives her first world title opportunity after a rapid rise through the professional ranks.<\/p>\n
Jasmine Artiga\u00a0 vs. Nataly Delgado<\/p>\n
Tampa native Jasmine Artiga (15-0-1, 7 KOs) makes the third defense of her WBA super flyweight title against mandatory challenger and interim champion Nataly Delgado (20-7-2, 5 KOs). Artiga became Tampa\u2019s first native-born boxing world champion and has quickly developed a reputation as one of the division\u2019s most aggressive champions.<\/p>\n
Evelin Bermudez\u00a0 vs. Estefany Alegria<\/p>\n
Argentina\u2019s Evelin Bermudez (22-1-1, 8 KOs), one of the most accomplished champions in women\u2019s boxing, defends her unified WBA, WBO, IBF light flyweight titles against Mexico\u2019s top-ranked contender Estefany Alegria (14-1, 4 KOs). Bermudez enters as one of the pound-for-pound standouts in the sport, while Alegria receives her first world title opportunity.<\/p>\n
Venue: Caribe Royale Resort, Orlando, Florida
Watch: ESPN+
Main Card: 6:00 p.m. ET \/ 3:00 p.m. PT<\/p>\n
Featured Undercard Bouts<\/p>\n
Jully Poca vs. Monica Medina
\nLeAnna Cruz vs. Rubi Gutierrez
\nBrittany Sims vs. Naomy Cardenas
\nJordan Orozco Hernandez (16-0, 16 KOs) vs. Fernando Diaz
\nKeno Marley \u2014 Opponent TBA<\/p>\n
Salita Promotions: Gonzalez vs. Perez
\nJonathan Gonzalez vs Abraham Perez<\/p>\n
Puerto Rico\u2019s Jonathan Gonzalez (29-4-1, 14 KOs) faces unbeaten challenger Abraham Perez (14-0, 7 KOs) in a bout scheduled for the interim WBA flyweight title.\u00a0Gonzalez brings extensive championship experience, while Perez enters undefeated and looking to score the biggest victory of his career.<\/p>\n
Venue: GLC Live at 20 Monroe, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Watch: DAZN
Main Event: 8:00 p.m. ET \/ 5:00 p.m. PT<\/p>\n
Undercard Bouts<\/p>\n
Joshua Pagan (15-0, 5 KOs) vs. Rodolfo Bustamante Salazar (22-1-1, 12 KOs) \u2013 WBO NABO Lightweight Title
\nTroy Isley (15-0, 5 KOs) vs. Leonardo Di Stefano (17-7, 14 KOs) \u2013 WBA Continental USA Middleweight Title
\nBrandon Moore (19-1, 10 KOs) vs. Donald Haynesworth (19-10-1, 17 KOs)
\nBryant Jennings (26-4, 15 KOs) vs. Robert Simms (12-6-1, 3 KOs)
\nShannel Butler (7-0, 3 KOs) vs. Mayerlin Rivas (17-6-3, 11 KOs)
\nJaquan McElroy (6-0, 2 KOs) vs. Damian Munoz
\nSardius Simmons (7-0, 3 KOs) vs. Walter Burns (8-4, 6 KOs)
\nLance Smith (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Jovanis Rodriguez (2-0-2, 1 KO)
\nCaleb Tirado (1-0) vs. Osmar Rodriguez (6-6, 2 KOs)
\nJasmine Hampton (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. Yazmin Martinez Benavides (6-9, 1 KO)<\/p>\n
Misfits Boxing: Tommy Fury vs. Eddie Hall<\/p>\n
The purists will roll their eyes. The general public may tune in anyway.<\/p>\n
Tommy Fury enters unbeaten at 11-0, 4 KOs and carrying victories over Jake Paul and KSI. Across the ring stands former World\u2019s Strongest Man Eddie Hall, who brings a size advantage that borders on absurd. At Friday\u2019s weigh-in, Hall came in at 325.6 pounds while Fury registered 217.5, creating a 108-pound gap between the two men.<\/p>\n
Hall, who has slimmed down considerably for the contest, declared himself to be in his best shape in years and expressed confidence that his power could end matters suddenly. Fury, unsurprisingly, dismissed the size disparity and insisted that boxing skill would ultimately prevail.<\/p>\n
The tension spilled over during fight week as Hall attempted to kick through the barrier separating the fighters during a heated faceoff, adding another layer of theater to an event that hardly needed one. No championship belts are at stake. No rankings will be altered.<\/p>\n
Venue: AO Arena, Manchester, England
Watch: DAZN Pay-Per-View
Broadcast Begins: Approximately 1:00 p.m. ET \/ 10:00 a.m. PT<\/p>\n
Featured Card<\/p>\n
Tommy Fury (11-0) vs. Eddie Hall
\nAnthony Taylor vs. Matt Floyd
\nSwarmz vs. Biel
\nBig Stacks vs. Armz Korleone
\nIbiza Final Boss vs. Jordan McCann
\nAdditional crossover bouts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By the time Sunday morning arrives, the boxing world may have a new three-division champion, a clearer picture…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":734830,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[211466,36358,48201,25684,264213,201156,144233,264214,264215,703,83192,264216,264217,49,164462,48,264218,264219,264220,264221,264222,25300,24648,264223,264224,264225,233857,167485,105693,264226,264227,264228,264229,264230,5277,264231,264232,264233,13135,162855,201157,264234,264235,190489,264236,191027,264237,264238,25036,264239,264240,264241,264242,264243,264244,264245,13035,264246,24651,264247,264248,179432,264249,264250,107274,264251,264252,264253,264254,18961,82,264255,151921,264256,264257,1608,86265,47716,264258,264259,1610,264260,264261,264262],"class_list":["post-734829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-abraham-perez","tag-adrian-rodriguez","tag-anthony-taylor","tag-antonio-vargas","tag-armz-korleone","tag-arturo-cardenas","tag-beatriz-ferreira","tag-biel","tag-big-stacks","tag-boxing","tag-brandon-moore","tag-brittany-sims","tag-bryant-jennings","tag-ca","tag-caleb-tirado","tag-canada","tag-carlos-cuadras","tag-cristian-perez-hernandez","tag-damian-munoz","tag-diego-larcorse","tag-donald-haynesworth","tag-eddie-hall","tag-elia-carranza","tag-elias-montoya-terraza","tag-elif-nur-turhan","tag-estefany-alegria","tag-evelin-bermudez","tag-fernando-diaz","tag-fernando-martinez","tag-filip-stankovic","tag-gabriela-tellez","tag-hannah-rapp","tag-hector-beltran","tag-ibiza-final-boss","tag-jake-paul","tag-jaquan-mcelroy","tag-jasmine-artiga","tag-jasmine-hampton","tag-jesse-rodriguez","tag-jonathan-gonzalez","tag-jordan-martinez","tag-jordan-mccann","tag-jordan-orozco-hernandez","tag-joshua-pagan","tag-jovanis-rodriguez","tag-juan-francisco-estrada","tag-jully-poca","tag-keno-marley","tag-ksi","tag-lance-smith","tag-leanna-cruz","tag-leonardo-di-stefano","tag-matt-floyd","tag-mayerlin-rivas","tag-monica-medina","tag-naomy-cardenas","tag-naoya-inoue","tag-nataly-delgado","tag-oshae-jones","tag-osmar-rodriguez","tag-rayshawn-taylor","tag-robert-garcia","tag-robert-simms","tag-rodolfo-bustamante-salazar","tag-ronny-alvarez","tag-rubi-gutierrez","tag-sardius-simmons","tag-shannel-butler","tag-shaquile-felicia","tag-skye-nicolson","tag-sports","tag-srisaket-sor-rungvisai","tag-sunny-edwards","tag-swarmz","tag-taylah-gentzen","tag-the-sweet-science","tag-tiara-brown","tag-tommy-fury","tag-trini-ochoa","tag-troy-isley","tag-tss","tag-walter-burns","tag-xechal-xavier-esquivel","tag-yazmin-martinez-benavides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=734829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/734830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=734829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=734829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=734829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}