Notebook: Parker-Chisora heavyweight fight headlines big U.K. card on May 1
Canelo-Saunders at AT&T Stadium, Quick hits, Show & tell
A heavyweight fight between former world titlist Joseph Parker and Dereck Chisora that has been discussed in recent weeks is now reality. The scheduled 12-rounder will headline a show Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn announced on Friday.
The card on May 1 (DAZN) will take place at a United Kingdom site to be determined and will also feature undisputed women’s lightweight champion Katie Taylor defending against amateur rival Natasha Jonas and light heavyweight world titlist Dmitry Bivol defending against Craig Richards. In addition, middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. will face Marcus Morrison.
Parker (28-2, 21 KOs), 29, of New Zealand, is coming off a unanimous decision win over countryman Junior Fa in long-simmering rivalry bout on Feb. 27 in Auckland, and will go into the fight with Chisora with former middleweight titlist Andy Lee as his new head trainer.
“I’m excited to start this new chapter in my career with a new coach and some fresh ideas,” Parker said. “I’ve settled in and Andy and I are bonding well. Chisora and I have unfinished business and inside the ring one of us will get the job done. I am well aware that a win on British soil and on world-wide television will put me in pole position whereas a loss will be catastrophic. I am more than up for the challenge.”
Former world title challenger Chisora (32-10, 23 KOs), 37, last fought on Oct. 31, when he gave contender Oleksandr Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, a very tough fight in a 12-round decision loss.
Parker and Chisora were once scheduled to fight in October 2019 but the fight fell through a month beforehand because Parker became ill after suffering a spider bite.
“We’ve been here before. In 2019 I flew to (Las) Vegas to film the 'Face To Face' with Parker. I called (manager David) Haye as soon as I left and told him, ‘This guy isn’t going to get in the ring with me.’ I could see the fear in his eyes,” Chisora said. “Now, second time around I hope he fights. I’m looking forward to the fight. I cannot wait to get back in the ring. I love fighting. It is what I love the most. Good luck to Joseph Parker and his new team, we shall see you for war on May 1st.”
Taylor (17-0, 6 KOs), 34, of Ireland, will be making her 10th title defense. She defeated Jonas (9-1-1, 7 KOs), 36, of England, in the quarterfinals of 2012 London Olympics en route to winning a gold medal.
Jonas is coming off a draw challenging Terri Harper for a junior lightweight world title in August.
“Natasha proved in her last fight that she is still performing at the highest level so it's a great challenge for me and I'm really looking forward to it,” Taylor said. “It's a fight that people have been asking for and those are the type of fights you want to be part of. People still talk about our fight in the 2012 Olympics and I think that proved to be a real eye opener for people in terms of what women's boxing is all about. I'm expecting another tough fight.”
Said Jonas: “I'm really excited about getting the fight. I made a lot of noise about not wanting to go down in level or class after establishing myself on the world stage in my last fight. I know Katie is a different type of animal to Terri Harper, but I believe every time I'm asked to step up, I do. I said I wanted to be a champion and anybody at 130 to 140 was in my sights.”
Russia’s Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs), 30, will be making his seventh defense, but he has been idle since October 2019 when he outpointed Lenin Castillo in a one-sided fight. A Bivol win and a win later in the spring by Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez would lead a fight between them in the fall.
“I have been out of the ring for a year and a half and I have sorely missed boxing,” Bivol said. “I can’t wait to step through the ropes for my next fight. I have always wanted to fight in the U.K. and I’m happy to tick that box. Craig Richards is a fast and technical boxer and I’m expecting a great fight as I make another defense of my world title.”
Richards (16-1-1, 9 KOs), 30, of England, is not expected to give Bivol much of a problem. He is taking a massive step up in competition.
“I feel good and I feel very confident,” Richards said. “I know that he’s renowned as one of the best fighters out there, but I just believe that I’ve got the tools to beat him and I’m very confident in my abilities. I know I’ve got power as well, and I’ve got a very good chin. We’ve been planning for everything and anything.”
Eubank (29-2, 22 KOs), 31, of England, dropped down from super middleweight to middleweight for his last fight in December 2019, when he stopped injured Matt Korobov in the second round and claimed an interim title. It remains to be seen if he will be defending that belt against Morrison.
“I’ve been training with Roy (Jones Jr.) in Miami and focusing on improving my game,” Eubank said. “I have the absolute best people around me, I have everything I need to push on to that next level and dominate the middleweight scene.”
Morrison (23-3, 16 KOs), 28, of England, has faced extremely low-level opposition throughout his seven-year career but will step up in a big way against Eubank.
“I’m well aware that this is a massive opportunity and fight for me and my career,” Morrison said. “I got into boxing at the age of 7, and these are the type of fights I’ve always wanted to be involved in. Chris is a very good fighter, and I know what he brings to the table. I honestly believe the best version of me is still to be seen, and I look forward to showing it on the night.”
Canelo heads back to Texas
Unified super middleweight world champion Canelo Alvarez and titleholder Billy Joe Saunders, who are scheduled to meet on May 8 – Cinco de Mayo weekend — in a three-belt unification bout, now have a home for their showdown.
They will meet at AT&T Stadium — the home of the Dallas Cowboys — in Arlington, Texas, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn announced on Friday.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Texas has lifted capacity restrictions, so Matchroom said the stadium, which seats around 100,000, will be configured for a crowd of about 60,000.
The fight with Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs), 31, a southpaw from England, will be Alvarez’s second fight there. The last time Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KOs), 30, of Mexico, fought at AT&T Stadium was also against a British titleholder. That is when he knocked out Liam Smith in the ninth round to win a junior middleweight belt in 2016.
The other venue in the running was Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, but Nevada still has tight capacity controls, so Alvarez and Hearn opted for Texas, where they hope to generate millions of dollars in ticket sales.
The fight will be Alvarez’s second in his last three in Texas. In December, he routed Callum Smith, Liam’s younger brother, to win a pair of alphabet super middleweight belts and the Ring championship at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Alvarez defended his belts by third-round knockout of mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami before a crowd of about 15,000.
“We are proud to host a boxing match of this magnitude as we welcome back Canelo Alvarez to AT&T Stadium to take on Billy Joe Saunders,” Dallas Cowboys owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones said. “AT&T Stadium was built to house the greatest sporting events on the planet, and we feel we have another incredible boxing event on the horizon with this matchup.”
It remains to be seen if as many as 60,000 will attend the event in the midst of a pandemic. When Alvarez faced Liam Smith there the fight drew an announced crowd of 51,240, the record for a boxing event at AT&T Stadium.
“It’s an absolute honor to bring this huge event to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on May 8,” Hearn said. “Last year Canelo missed out on his historic Cinco de Mayo fight (because of the pandemic), and to bring over 60,000 fans together at this iconic stadium this year is a dream come true. This fight is the biggest of 2021 so far with Canelo looking to unify the division once more against undefeated two-weight World champion Billy Joe Saunders.”
Quick hits
Weights from Moscow for Saturday’s Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card (1 p.m. ET on ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+): Artur Beterbiev 174.6 pounds, Adam Deines 174.3 (for Beterbiev’s unified light heavyweight title); Azizbek Abdugofurov 167.9, Pavel Silyagin 167.9; Khariton Agrba 140.1, Helber Rojas 138.2; Alexander Besputin 150.6, Viktor Plotnikov TBA.
Weights from Fort Worth, Texas for Saturday’s Golden Boy card on DAZN (9 p.m. ET): Vergil Ortiz Jr. 147, Maurice Hooker 147; Anabel Ortiz 105, Seniesa Estrada 104.4 (for Ortiz’s women’s strawweight title); Marcelino Lopez 140.8, Jairo Lopez 139.2; Tristan Kalkreuth 198, Dustin Long 199.8; Luis Hernandez 139.4, Alex Martin 140; George Rincon 139.2, Luis Solis 139.8; Hector Valdez 121.6, Alberto Torres 121.4.
Show and tell
Roy Jones Jr. was 34-0, the widely regarded No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and coming off having won a light heavyweight title against future Hall of Famer Mike McCallum when he made his first defense against slick boxer Montell Griffin, who was 26-0 at the time. The fight was on March 21, 1997 — 24 years ago on Sunday — and like nobody had yet done, Griffin gave Jones problems in a very close fight. Jones led 77-75 and 76-75 on two scorecards and Griffin led 76-75 on the third scorecard going into the ninth round. Jones dropped Griffin in the ninth, but he also hit him when he was down on one knee and Griffin played it up the late hit like an Oscar-award winner. Referee Tony Perez shockingly disqualified Jones, a stunning outcome that resulted in Jones’ first loss. Jones, of course, would destroy Griffin in the first round and regain the title in their immediate rematch five months later. Here is a very scarce thin cardboard site poster from the first bout in my collection.
