DeGale-Bute Almost a Done Deal
According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, a fairly decent title defense could be about to materialize for newly crowned IBF champ, James DeGale. The Gold Medal Olympian captured the strap against Andre Dirrell earlier this year in a bout which saw Dirrell down twice in the 2nd round, and ultimately come up short on the cards despite rallying back in the second half.
“I’m told announcement of DeGale-Bute will come any day. #Boxing,” Rafael tweeted.
No one would be expecting an upset here, but you never know. Lucian Bute still has some pop in his punch. It’s just his confidence issues following the brutal loss to Carl Froch back in 2013 that will raise a lot of alarm bells for bookmakers.
Lucas Matthysse Ready to Bring War on Saturday
Not that anyone who’s ever seen Lucas Matthysse fight needed telling that. The Argentine puncher will be doing battle with a skilled boxer in Viktor Postol on Saturday, which looks to be a very competitive affair, it has to be said.
“I’m very excited. Can’t wait,” Matthysse told Fight Hub TV. “Very happy to come back to Carson, fighting at the StubHub. We worked very hard. We’re very well prepared and we’re coming. We’re coming like always to give war.”
Expect fireworks. Nuf’ said.
Vasquez-Mendez Caps PBC on Fox Sports 1 Card
Next week’s edition of ‘Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays’ is now ready to go, with Lightweights Miguel Vazquez and Argenis Mendez completing the card. Both men are former IBF champions, Vasquez (35-4, 13 KO) at Lightweight, and Mendez (22-3-1, 12 KO) at Junior Lightweight.
The PBC card’s main event will see Julius Jackson and Jose Uzcategui go head-to-head in a 12-rounder.
Adrien Broner and Khabib Allakhverdiev Presser Quotes
Well, actually Adrien Broner had very little to say (duh, he’s keeping true to his pre-fight ‘vow of silence’). All the three-weight world champ had to say at the final press conference was:
“I told you I wouldn’t do any interviews or talk. Nothing has changed. I just want to thank everyone for coming. I will be victorious on Saturday night, October 3.”
But Khabib Allakhverdiev hadn’t made the same vow, and so the former 140-pound champ decided to lay on the insults for his mute foe:
“He [Broner] is nervous. That’s why he’s acting like a clown. This is his hometown. It’s his last chance for a world title and he shows up late and makes it look like he’s joking around with everybody and doesn’t care. I’ve seen fighters do this before and it’s because he is scared.”
It’s a theory, I guess.
Rodriguez-Seals Will Headline PBC on Spike Card
Edwin Rodriguez has bounced back with three straight wins since suffering a lopsided points defeat to Andre Ward back in 2013. And it’s enough to land him the top spot on the November 13th PBC on Spike card, which will see the Light Heavyweight face Michael Seals (19-0, 14 KO).
In short, this does unfortunately look like another PBC showcase fight. And that’s not necessarily a dig at Al Haymon – it’s just the reality of boxing. And after the recent scintillating Santa Cruz-Mares card, he is at least willing to push the boat out sometimes for true fans of the sport.
Anyway, though Seals’ record looks impressive, there aren’t any big names on it. Against Rodriguez (27-1, 18 KO), who carries a decent tool set, we’ll soon find out just how good the prospect is.
PBC on NBC Ratings Continue to Drop
Of all the PBC on NBC events, last weekend’s Wilder-Duhaupas card drew in the lowest viewership thus far. The show averaged at 2.2. million and peaked at 3 million. These figures would seem impressive for a premium network like Showtime, but it’s definitely not impressive for a free network like NBC.
For the record, PBC’s Thurman-Guerrero averaged 3.37 million viewers, Garcia-Peterson 2.88, and Broner-Porter 2.33. Which obviously shows a downward trend in viewership. Why such bad numbers? Who knows?
It could be that casual boxing fans aren’t yet familiar with some of the above fighters. Or, it could be that Al Haymon needs to simply start producing better match-ups.
What do you think? Give us your take on DeGale-Bute, Broner-Allakhverdiev, PBC on NBC’s falling ratings, or any of the above.
Mark Phillips is the Head Staff Writer/Assistant Editor at BoxingBase.com, and provides worldwide news, coverage and analysis – he can be reached via our Contact Page.
