Podcast: Canelo interview ahead of Scull fight; Eubank-Benn recap
Undercard thoughts; news of the week; big fight anniversary memories
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There was just one major card over the weekend headlined by the extraordinary Chris Eubank Jr.-Conor Benn fight on Saturday and we recapped it and the complete undercard. There is also my one-on-one interview with superstar unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez as he heads into a unification fight with IBF titlist William Scull this coming Saturday in an effort to become the undisputed champion for the second time. We also went over news of the week. And our nostalgia segments, two of them this week, are available on the Big Fight Weekend YouTube channel, so please subscribe and check them out.
Here is what’s on the show (in order):
Recap of Eubank’s dramatic decision win over Benn in their tremendous middleweight bout that is now the leading candidate for fight of the year.
Recap of the Eubank-Benn undercard: light heavyweight contender Anthony Yarde’s decision over Lyndon Arthur to win their trilogy 2-1; the coming out party for middleweight Aaron McKenna, who routed Liam Smith; cruiserweight Viddal Riley’s excellent performance in a decision win over Cheavon Clarke to win the British title; and the return of former cruiserweight titlist Chris Billam-Smith off losing his belt to pound out a decision in a good fight with Brandon Glanton.
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My interview with Canelo, who fights Scull in a four-belt unification fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in an effort to reclaim the IBF title he was stripped of. We covered several topics: fighting outside of the United States or Mexico for the first time; how his four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh came about after they had some harsh words for each other last summer; why he is fighting the largely unknown Scull for the title that was taken from him; staying focused on the opponent in front of him with a mega fight against Terence Crawford looming for September; having his old foe Jaime Munguia, who is on the undercard, now also being trained by Eddy Reynoso and part of their camp; what goals does he still have after such a legendary career; and more.
The expected announcement that Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will meet in a rematch for the undisputed heavyweight title on July 19 at Wembley Stadium.
Top Rank’s announcement that WBO welterweight titlist Brian Norman Jr. will head to Japan for his second title defense against Jin Sasaki on June 19.
We have two nostalgia segments, both of which are available to watch on the YouTube channel, which I hope you will subscribe to as we will be increasing the content. First up, ringside memories on the eighth anniversary of when Anthony Joshua stopped Wladimir Klitschko in their heavyweight world title fight before 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in London in the 2017 fight of the year and one of the most extraordinary fight weeks I have ever covered. Watch the video here:
Ringside memories on the 25th anniversary of when Lennox Lewis KO’d Michael Grant in the second round to retain the heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York, in the first fight I covered after starting my job as the boxing writer for USA Today six weeks earlier.
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Canelo photo: Ed Mulholland/Queensberry Promotions
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Did Canelo slightly crack the door open for a Eubank fight next? Hmmmm.