Boxing Coverage on Sherdog.comSherdog’s Weekend Boxing Preview
What: Artur Beterbiev vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic, Light Heavyweights
When: May 4How to Watch: ESPN 10 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: Because Radivoje Kalajdzic cares about ruining Beterbiev’s win streak, not his knockout streak.
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In some ways if Radivoje Kaladjdzic just doesn’t get stopped it will be a great accomplishment. But that’s not how “Hot Rod” sees it, and he doesn’t have the style to avoid getting hit for 12 rounds even if he did.
Kalajdzic is 24-1 with 17 knockouts, with his one loss a decision
to Marcus Browne that most felt was a robbery, even
after giving Browne a knockdown that should have been a foul on
Browne. He looked at Beterbiev’s resume, and rather than tremble in
fear at his knockout rate instead argued that “His resume
is pretty thin and he did get dropped in his last fight. There's a
lot that I can take advantage of." It should be noted that
Beterbiev does get dropped a lot; he was put on the canvas by both
Johnson and Jeff Page.
Because of the “Rocky” movies, the idea of “going the distance” has achieved a weird status symbol in boxing, but anyone that has watched a guy holding, running and killing the clock just to make it to the final bell knows how far from reality that situation is. Artur Beterbiev is the favorite in this fight; he has the amateur pedigree and is seen as the bigger prospect. But, while “the first guy to take Beterbiev the distance” would be a good enough marketing tactic to get Kalajdzic some big fights in his future, “Hot Rod” wants more than that. We should applaud that kind of determination and drive to win rather than just survive, whether he ends the fight on his back or with the IBF title wrapped around his waist.
What: Jerwin Ancajas vs. Ryuichi Funai, Junior Bantamweights
When: May 4How to Watch: ESPN 10 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: To see if Funai’s appearance on this stage is lucky for him, or for Ancajas.
IBF junior bantamweight champion Ancajas is looking to right the ship and get back to being the guy people thought could be another Filipino superstar. The odd thing is, he’s not looking to right the ship after a loss, he just hasn’t looked very good. Ancajas has not lost since 2012, but after going on a tear that saw him beating guys like McJoe Arroyo and stopping guys like Mick’s brother Jamie Conlan, Ancajas has looked lackluster against seemingly lesser opponents like Alejandro Santiago.
Luckily for him, he has a subpar opponent to right the ship against. Ryuichi Funai is 31-7 and has been stopped three times already as a professional. The sanctioning bodies have given him an undeserved title shot -- ESPN doesn’t have him ranked in the division’s top ten -- so he will get a chance for the title. While he isn’t a great fighter, he does have enough power to give anyone trouble if he lands the right shot.
Somebody has lucked out here. Either Ancajas has gotten the perfect “right the ship” opponent or Funai has won a chance to take a title he didn’t deserve a shot at. On Saturday, we’ll see which it is.
What: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Daniel Jacobs, Middleweights
When: May 4How to Watch: DAZN 9 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: To see if Daniel Jacobs fights with the urgency of a man that knows winning a close decision over Canelo in Las Vegas would be a miracle.
Cinco de Mayo weekend means it’s time for Canelo Alvarez’s annual huge fight on PPV, except DAZN has declared PPV dead. Instead, we will get to see Canelo and Daniel Jacobs face off for free in the first real big fight of Alvarez’s record-breaking deal with the streaming platform. Don’t let the price fool you. This fight, which will unify the IBF, WBC and WBA (super) middleweight titles, is far better than the Khan-Crawford or Pacquiao-Broner matchups that other networks have been forcing fight fans to pay over $50 for.
Daniel Jacobs is best remembered for being the first guy to give GGG fits, and depending on how you feel about the Canelo-GGG fights (and decisions) may still be the guy that gave Golovkin the most trouble. Since that decision went against him, he has won three fights in a row and picked up the IBF title GGG abandoned looking for a fight with Canelo.
He’s also a bone cancer survivor -- his nickname “The Miracle Man” originates from the tumor being wrapped around his spine, with doctors believing he would never walk again -- and a four-time New York Golden Gloves Champion. While his style is a slick and crafty one, GGG did knock him down in the fourth round of their fight, and Jacobs was knocked out in the fifth round against Dmitry Pirog. While that KO loss was nine years ago, anytime we talk about Jacobs’ chin, somebody will (fairly or unfairly) point to that night. Canelo has shown enough power to stop bigger guys before, who’s to say it couldn’t happen again?
Which is one of the more interesting facets of this fight. As a taller man, Jacobs’ gameplan should be to stay on the outside and keep his distance. But in his last fight, Canelo moved up to 168 pounds and stopped Rocky Fielding. While at the time it seemed as if Canelo was chasing vanity titles, it now seems he was getting used to facing taller men. Alvarez stopped Fielding in three rounds, and showed no signs of struggling to get on the inside against a bigger man.
While analysts will talk about the X factor in the fight being Canelo’s body punching or Jacobs’ jab, the truth is the X factor in any Canelo fight is money. He brings the most money into Vegas, he signed the $365 million deal, and whether people like it or not he will always get the close decision.
If Daniel Jacobs wants to beat Canelo, he needs to either stop him or dominate him so thoroughly that judges can’t find rounds to give Alvarez. There’s no way around it; he needs to fight with this sense of urgency. If he thinks he can win a tight decision, that DAZN and Vegas would be willing to throw away all that GGG-Canelo 3 money for Daniel Jacobs, and that just winning the fight is enough to win the fight, then he’s betting on a miracle.
What: Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Mauricio Herrera, Welterweights
When: May 4How to Watch: DAZN 9 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: To see if Vergil Ortiz can back up his bold talk about a weight class he’s never stepped foot in until now.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. is one of Golden Boy’s future prospects, along with Ryan Garcia. While Garcia has the fans and the social media followers, Oscar de La Hoya is very quick to mention the 12-0 with 12 knockout-having, 21-year-old Texan alongside the young heartthrob. In fact, it is Ortiz that is getting the showcase on a Cinco de Mayo weekend Canelo undercard. But it is one decision by Golden Boy that makes the situation interesting.
Ortiz fights at 140 but will be facing Herrera at 147. While De la Hoya claims this is a one-time deal and that at best he will face 140 pound champion Maurice Hooker in the near future, Ortiz was seen this week telling anyone who would listen he would beat Keith Thurman or Danny Garcia at 147. That is a lot of bluster for a 21-year-old kid fighting at a weight class he’s never fought in before.
Mauricio Herrera is 24-8 with seven knockouts, and far from an established welterweight, having spent most of his career at 140. Just 2-2 in his last four fights with his latest loss coming to Sadam Ali, Herrera won’t provide much of a test for Ortiz except for one pivotal fact: Despite eight losses, he has never been stopped as a professional prizefighter.
Fighting in a weight class he’s never seen before; Vergil Ortiz is already calling out the division’s elite. But facing a not especially impressive 38-year-old that’s never been stopped before could turn his showcase fight into a scoff-fest, with throngs of crowd members loudly declaring “Keith Thurman huh?”
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