The heavyweight division has been๊ an afterthought in boxing in recent years, but that’s slowly changing to the point at which it could be one of the most interesting in 2017.
The IBF heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs) of England, a young, hard slugg♊er, defends his title against Texas veteran Eric Molina (25-3, 19 KOs) Saturday at Manchester Arena in the United Kingdom. Showtime will televise live at 5:30 p.m. EST.
Joshua, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, is making his second title defense and is building a huge following in England. If Joshua wins, he likely will make his next defense against former longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko. Doing commentary on Joshua-Molina for Showtime will be WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs) of Alabama, who stop💯ped Molina in the ninth round in June 2015. Also in the heavyweight mix is Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (26-0, 22 K🦩Os) of Cuba, a ferocious talent, who faces David Allen (9-1-1, 6 KOs) of the U.K. on the undercard Saturday in Manchester.
“We’re close to getting some huge fights,” Joshua said of the heavyweights. “If I get through Saturday, then I fight Klitschko. It doesn’t get much bigger, so the division is mo🐎ving forward. People have just got to be patient and enjoy the ride.”
Standing in his way is Molina, who will be trying to become the first fighter of Mexican descent to win a heavyweight ti🐭tle.
“Joshua is young, he’s strong. he’s got all the attributes of a great champion,” Molina said. “But there are things he’s yet to experience in the ring,🌊 and that’s what I have to capitalize on. Eventually he has to go through those things and get taken to those places that he haꦿsn’t been yet. I have to take him there to win.”
Also, Joseph Parker (21-0, 18 KOs) of Auckland, New Zealand, will square off with Andy Ruiz Jr. (29-0, 19 KOs) of Mexico for the vacant WBO heavyweight championship in New Zealand on Saturday. That bout will be televised via delayed broadcast on HBO followed by a live telecast from Omaha, Neb., where hometown hero junior w🌞el꧑terweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (29-0, 20 KOs) will defend against John Molina Jr. (29-6, 23 KOs) from Covina, Calif.
Wilder, who is recovering from a broken hand suffered in his most recent fight, against Chris Arreola last July, will be doing commentary for Showtime on Joshua-Molina from the Galen Center at USC in Los Angeles where WBA featherweight champion Jesus Cuellar (28-1, 21 KOs) of Argentina takes on three-division champion Abner Mares (29-2-1, 15 KOs) of California. In the co-feature Jermall ♔Charlo (24-0, 18 KOs) defends his IBF junior middleweight title against Julian Williams (22-0, 14 KOs) of Philadelphia.
“Mares is a great fighter and has been a great champion,” Cuellar said. “But I don’t think he’s ever faced anyone with my power or ability. It’s not going to be an easy fight for either of us. But I’m ver🎉y confident that I will win and probably knocked him out.”
Meanwhile, on HBO, Crawford will attempt to pad his credentials for Fighter of the Year with a win 🃏over Molina Jr. It will be the third title fight of the year for Crawford. He defended his WBO super lightweight title with a fifth-round TKO over Henry Lundy last February at the Garden Theater. Then he added the WBC 14𝓀0-pound belt to his collection with a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Viktor Postol last July. Molina defeated former champion Ruslan Provodnikov in a non-title bout last June.
“I know he’s dangerous,” said Crawford, who was the 2014 Fighter of t🥂he Year. “He’s has💟 shown versatility and guts. He’s a legitimate No. 1 contender — tough and rugged. He has my respect.”
If you haven’t heard of many of these fighters before, it’s time to start paying atten♛tiಞon.