Buglioni vs Chudinov – London, England
Boxnation
British fight fans will be watching this bout in hope that countryman Frank Buglioni can overcome a huge obstacle in Fedor Chudinov. The bout’s broadcaster hasn’t dubbed the bout ‘Man vs Machine’ for no reason (if you haven’t seen the poster, Chudinov’s skin is peeling off, revealing a metal skeleton). It’s corny, but kinda-true as a representation of this bout.
Fans beyond UK shores will be more interested in seeing Chudinov (13-0, 10 KO), who is being touted as being something rather special. He looks very solid as a fighter, especially after he captured the WBA Super Middleweight crown from Felix Sturm back in May.
No one is saying Buglioni (17-1-1, 13 KO) is a step up in class from Sturm, but we should get an idea of just how good Chudinov is depending on how he gets the job done. Right now, a lopsided decision or knockout within 6 rounds looks pretty likely. If Buglioni can go the distance, that in itself would be an upset.
But hey, you never know. Buglioni has some decent skills and some pop of his own. Against a formidable rising boxer like Chudinov, he will have to pull the trigger a lot quicker than he is used to, though. Getting Chudinov’s respect early wouldn’t be a bad way to go about things.
The undercard will see Featherweights Ryan Walsh (18-1-1, 8 KO) and Samir Mouneimne (15-1-1, 4 KO) in the chief support, plus Lewis Petitt vs Bobby Jenkinson, Bradley Skeete vs Mark Mark Thompson, and Ahmet Patterson vs Danny Butler. BoxingBase.com will be providing Live Round by Round Boxing Updates throughout the evening, and over at Twitter (@BoxingBase).
Wilder vs Duhaupas – Birmingham, Alabama
NBC
Mmm…how to describe the headliner? A lot of people are labeling Wilder’s latest WBC Heavyweight title defense as just another mismatch. But not everyone’s so sure. Johann Duhaupas (32-2, 20 KO) isn’t about to take over the division or anything, but he’s capable, strong, and big. He’s an underdog. But an underdog just like last June’s Eric Molina – a guy who gave Wilder problems, rocked him, and managed to see the 9th round.
Our advice? Don’t get excited about this one, but do give it a watch. There’s a vulnerability about Wilder (34-0, 33 KO), for sure, and it makes him all the more interesting. He also appears to be a very emotional fighter, certainly against Molina in his last outing.
Or, if you think this is a load of tripe and need a different reason to watch this fight, then here’s one: mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin will (very likely) be next in early 2016. That’s about as positive as anyone can really be about this match-up.
On the undercard, Dominic Breazeale and Fred Kassi are set to clash in another Heavyweight contest, this one scheduled for 10 rounds. Breazeale (15-0, 14 KO) is an unbeaten prospect who could be in worse company than Kassi (18-3-1, 10 KO). Let’s all just be happy it’s replacing the originally billed Omar Figueroa vs Antonio De Marco.
Give us your thoughts on Wilder vs Duhaupas, fight fans. Will any questions be asked of the unbeaten ‘Bronze Bomber’ on Saturday?
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.
