Notebook: Canelo-Saunders undercard includes world title bout, plenty of prospects

Fury-Joshua update; Prograis decision changed, Quick hits

The undercard for the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders three-belt super middleweight unification fight on May 8 (DAZN) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas is set.

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn announced that junior flyweight world titlist Elwin Soto, whom he signed April 9 to a co-promotional deal with Zanfer Promotions, will make his third defense against Katsunari Takayama in the co-feature.

Soto (18-1, 12 KOs), 24, of Mexico, won the WBO’s 108-pound title by 12th-round knockout of Angel “Tito” Acosta in June 2019 and has won both of his defenses by unanimous decision.

Takayama (32-8, 12 KOs), 37, of Japan, is a former strawweight world titlist. He is best known for a decision loss to Francisco Rodriguez Jr. in an action-packed strawweight unification fight that was the 2014 fight of the year. Takayama didn’t have a fight between August 2016 and December 2020. He left professional boxing in 2017 in an effort to make the 2020 Japanese Olympic team, but when the Olympics were postponed he returned to professional boxing.

In other undercard fights:

• Junior middleweight Kieron Conway (16-1-1, 3 KOs), 24, of England, vs. Souleymane Cissokho (12-0, 8 KOs), 29, a 2016 French Olympian, in a 10-round regional title bout. The fight was scheduled for December on the Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev undercard but postponed.

• Heavyweight Frank Sanchez (17-0, 13 KOs) vs. Dominican journeyman Nagy Aguilera (21-10, 14 KOs), 34, in a 10-rounder. Sanchez, 28, a Cuba native fighting out of Las Vegas, shares trainer Eddy Reynoso with Alvarez and will be on his second Alvarez card in a row.

• Junior lightweight prospect Marc Castro (2-0, 2 KOs), 21, of Fresno, California, a former amateur standout, will be on his third Alvarez card in a row in a six-rounder against an opponent to be determined.

• Lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis (2-0, 2 KOs), 22, a southpaw from Norfolk, Virginia, will be on his second Alvarez undercard. He will face Mexico’s Jose Antonio Meza (6-4, 1 KO) in a six-rounder.

• Junior welterweight Kelvin Davis (1-0, 1 KO), 24, who is Keyshawn’s older brother, will face Jan Marsalek (8-2, 7 KOs), 33, of Czech Republic, in a six-rounder.

• Welterweight Christian Alan Gomez Duran (19-2-1, 17 KOs), 27, of Mexico, will face a foe to be named in an eight-rounder.

British countrymen Kid Galahad (27-1, 16 KOs) and James “Jazza” Dickens (30-3, 11 KOs) were due to meet for the vacant IBF featherweight title on card but the fight will instead move to another show due to visa issues related to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Fury-Joshua in Saudi Arabia

The undisputed heavyweight world championship fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, which is close to the finish line on a site deal for the bout to take place this summer in Saudi Arabia, will be delivered to an American audience via ESPN+ pay-per-view in the United States, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter, told me on Monday.

Arum also explained details of the British PPV plans for the mega fight, said it likely will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and said it would be one of three dates: July 24, July 31 or Aug. 7. I wrote about it all for BoxingScene. Please read the story for the details here: https://www.boxingscene.com/arum-reveals-tv-plans-fury-joshua-says-it-likely-lands-jeddah--157040

Prograis decision changed

After former junior welterweight world titlist Regis Prograis was declared the winner of his welterweight fight against Ivan Redkach by sixth-round technical decision on Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, an annoyed Prograis walked around the ring shouting, “Give me my knockout!”

On Monday, he got the knockout when the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission changed the result of the bout from a technical decision to a TKO.

I wrote about the situation, why it was changed and what Prograis is looking forward to in the future for BoxingScene. Please read the story here: https://www.boxingscene.com/prograis-ready-july-return-redkach-outcome-changed-tko--157044

Heavyweight Franklin has Covid-19

Heavyweight up-and-comer Jermaine Franklin has tested positive for Covid-19, forcing him out of a meaningful fight with fellow unbeaten American Stephan Shaw. The fight, a rare one between rising American heavyweight prospects, was scheduled to headline Ring City USA on Thursday (NBC Sports Net, 9 p.m. ET) at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Organizers tried to find a replacement but made the decision to simply move up the co-feature — women’s featherweight world titlist Jelena Mrdjenovich (41-10-2, 19 KOs) defending against Erika Cruz Hernandez (12-1, 3 KOs) — to the main event.

There was also a change to another televised bout of the tripleheader due to a biceps injury to junior welterweight Jonathan Navarro (17-0, 9 KOs), of East Los Angeles, who was due to face Juan Pablo Romero (13-0, 9 KOs), of Mexico, in the 10-round co-feature. Instead, Romero will face Colombia’s Denier Berrio (22-2-1, 13 KOs) in what is now the co-feature. Moving up to the televised portion of the show in the opener will be an eight-round welterweight fight between Kazakhstan’s Bobirzhan Mominov (12-0, 8 KOs) versus Mexico’s Angel Ruiz (16-1, 12 KOs).

I wrote about the issues with the card for BoxingScene. Please read that story here: https://www.boxingscene.com/jermaine-franklin-tests-positive-covid-19-out-shaw-ring-city-clash--157019

Quick hits

As expected, Luis Nery (31-0, 24 KOs) defending his junior featherweight title against Brandon Figueroa (21-0-1, 16 KOs) on May 15 (Showtime) will take place at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, Premier Boxing Champions announced on Monday. The televised card also includes former unified junior featherweight titlist Daniel Roman (28-3-1, 10 KOs) against Ricardo Espinoza Franco (25-3, 21 KOs) and Xavier Martinez (16-0, 11 KOs) versus Abraham Montoya (22-1, 14 KOs) in a junior lightweight eliminator. Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET via AXS.

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A fight between former light heavyweight world title challenger Anthony Yarde (20-2, 19 KOs), 29, of England, and Emin Atra (17-0, 12 KOs), 31, of Germany, scheduled for the undercard of promoter Frank Warren’s card on Saturday in London, was postponed on Monday. Yarde was forced to pull out because of a tooth abscess. “I am frustrated but it is what it is and I won't rush anything,” Yarde said. “It just makes me even more eager to get back out. It should take about two weeks. The tooth is next to my canine so I am going to have to use a denture for a little while before having an implant. I definitely won't be out for long. The dentist lady literally laughed when I told her I had a fight coming up. She said if I got hit there -- I joked that I don't get hit -- because it is nerve endings, it could swell up in a way that is uncontrollable.” Warren said the bout will be rescheduled.

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All Star Boxing kicks off its three-card spring run on Telemundo on May 7 (12 a.m. ET) with spectators permitted at the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida. Headlining the opening card will be a 10-round junior lightweight bout between Gadwin Rosa (11-1 9 KOs), a Puerto Rico native fighting out of Ocala, Florida, and Long Beach, California’s George Acosta (11-1 1 KO). Additional shows will follow on May 14 in Mexico City and May 21 in Tampa, Florida.

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Weights from Los Angeles for Tuesday night’s PBC on FS1 card: Frank Martin 134.4 pounds, Jerry Perez 134.8; Jose Armando Resendiz 164.6, Quilisto Madera 165; Burley Brooks 171.2, Cameron Rivera 170.6; Amon Rashidi 142, Jesus Silvera 141.4; Travon Marshall 152.8, Christian Marron 156.8; Ezequiel Flores 121.6, Juan Muro 120.6; Marcus Browne 179.4, Denis Grachev 180.

Show and tell

After Evander Holyfield won the undisputed heavyweight title from Buster Douglas, he made the move from Showtime, where he had fought for years, including most of his cruiserweight title fights and all seven of his heavyweight bouts, to HBO. His first fight with HBO was the main event of the debut of TVKO, which later became HBO PPV. Holyfield’s first defense would come against former champion George Foreman, who four years earlier came out of a decade in retirement because he needed the money. He reeled off 24 straight wins and landed the shot at Holyfield that was dubbed “Battle of the Ages,” a nod to it pitting the prime 28-year-old champion Holyfield against the 42-year-old Foreman, who joked about being a senior citizen and eating hamburgers throughout the promotion.

After a massive months-long buildup, the fight was a huge hit (1.4 million pay-per-view buys) and an exciting bout — not the joke some anticipated because of Foreman’s age. Although Holyfield won a clear decision, Foreman had his moments, showed immense heart and proved he was not too old to compete; 3½ years later he would KO Michael Moorer, who had beaten Holyfield, to regain the championship he had lost to Muhammad Ali 20 years earlier. Holyfield-Foreman, which was the advent of modern PPV, was on April 19, 1991 — 30 years ago on Monday. Here’s a site poster in my collection.

Prograis photo: Triller Fight Club