Step up to rise up #ShieldsHammer
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What: Angelo Leo vs. Neil Tabano, Junior Featherweights
When: April 5
How to Watch: Showtime 10 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: To see if Leo can use his television debut to further his and his father’s dream, or if he’ll freeze when the spotlight burns brightest.
Leo is a 24-year-old featherweight from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who has a professional record of 16-0 with 8 knockouts. However, despite a decent amateur career that saw him go 65-10, Leo’s journey as a fighter has consistently been about trying to get people to notice him.
With his father as trainer and manager, Leo found himself unable to get good fights after making his professional debut. So, Leo and his father made the move to Las Vegas and began training at the Mayweather Boxing Gym in an attempt to force people to notice him. That gambit worked, as after doing well in sparring with many of Mayweather’s pros, he was signed to Mayweather Promotions and now finds himself making his television debut.
His opponent is Neil Tabano, a 17-4 Filipino who has never been stopped (including taking Isaac Dogboe to a decision) but has lost to every good fighter he’s ever faced.
Leo should win this fight easily, as long as he doesn’t freeze when the bright lights of television are on him. However, when your whole career and a huge portion of your life has revolved around trying to get people to pay attention to you, it’s easy to slip up when they suddenly are.
What: Xavier Martinez vs. John Moralde, Junior Lightweights
When: April 5
How to Watch: Showtime 10 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: To see if this is another surprise Moralde upset, or another expected Moralde loss.
The Phillipines’ Moralde is 21-2 with 11 knockouts. His two losses came to Toka Kahn Clary and Jamal “Semper Fi” Herring. However, his career has been a rocky one, consisting of spoiler victories and unsurprising defeats. Moralde pulled off a big upset in May when he beat the then-undefeated Ismali Uwendo. That fight rejuvenated his career and gave him a ton of self-confidence as well as a chance to upset Jamal Herring in September. He lost and had to go home and face a 7-43 fighter to bounce back and regain his confidence.
Mayweather Promotions 21-year-old fighter Martinez is 13-0 with 9 knockouts. Fighting out of Sacramento, California, he is trained by Ray Woods, the famed former trainer of Diego “Chico” Corrales. Martinez isn’t well-known, but this fight is clearly supposed to be his coming out party and proof that he can compete with battle-tested veterans.
Moralde was the spoiling underdog, then the obvious stepping stone. On Saturday, Martinez and Showtime viewers will see which role he plays in this fight.
What: Davey Oliver Joyce vs. Stephen Tiffney, Featherweights
When: April 5
How to Watch: ESPN+ 12:30 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: To see which European featherweight can beat somebody with a pulse.
Ireland’s Joyce is 9-0 with 7 knockouts but has only faced three fighters with above .500 records. Scotland’s Stephen Tiffney’s record isn’t much better. He is 10-1, but since his loss to undefeated fellow Scot Lewis Paulin, the two opponents he has faced had a combined 14-47 record.
Simply put, these guys have been padding their records by beating up Europe’s cab drivers, temp workers and weekend warriors. Tiffney fought a decent fighter, lost and started cruising the Palookaville wanted ads for opponents. Meanwhile, Joyce has never fought anybody with a pulse, despite his decorated amateur career that included two gold medals at the European Union Championships.
On Friday, these two men will finally face an opponent that can give them trouble. The winner will move on to face better opponents and continue towards a Top 10 ranking. The loser will be on the lookout for the next European tomato can.
What: Aliu Bamidele Lasisi vs. Ricardo Blandon, Junior Bantamweights
When: April 5
How to Watch: ESPN+ 12:30 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: To see if a history of fighting in Dubai gives Lasisi a huge advantage over Blandon.
Lasisi is a 28-year-old Nigerian that is 12-0 with eight knockouts as a professional. He has fought in Dubai four times already, though the majority of his fights have taken place in Ghana. He has never faced anyone of note, with Tanzania’s Mchanja Yohana his best opponent. Blandon is a 27-year-old Nicaraguan, with a 10-1 record as a professional. While he has likely faced better opposition than Lasisi, he has never fought outside of Nicaragua.
Having fought in New York doesn’t give you a huge advantage over a fighter who has only fought in Boston and having fought in Las Vegas before isn’t going to give you a huge advantage over a fighter who fights out of Atlantic City. However, fighting at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai is different, and promoters have acknowledged it is almost groundbreaking.
Groundbreaking means new and unique. Groundbreaking means it could be weird. When things are weird, the guy who has been in a similar situation has the advantage. The question is, will it be enough of an advantage to earn him a victory over an opponent who has faced superior competition? On Friday afternoon, we’ll find out.