Podcast: Extensive interview with Top Rank president Todd duBoef

Plus: Walker-Pattinson slugfest; Prograis-Haney issues; anniversary of the legendary Sanchez-Gomez battle

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There were no major fights over the weekend but we did spend a few minutes recapping the Matchroom Boxing/DAZN prospects card that featured a sensational action slugfest in the co-feature. The main segment on the episode is my extensive interview with Top Rank president Todd duBoef on numerous topics related to the company’s fights, fighters and plans. We covered a ton. There is also some discussion of the latest news and our nostalgia section is on the anniversary of one of my all-time favorite fights, one I have obsessed over for many years.

Here’s what we discussed on this episode (in order):

• Recap of the Matchroom card headlined by flyweight Galal Yafai, the 2020 British Olympic gold medalist, who scored an impressive first-round knockout of Tommy Frank, and welterweight Conah Walker’s eighth-round knockout of Cyrus Pattinson in an upset in all-out slugfest that was one of the best British fights of the year.

• Discussion of the issues that have so far kept the fight between WBC junior welterweight titlist Regis Prograis and unified lightweight champion Devin Haney from being finalized.

• My interview with duBoef during which we covered many topics: the tremendous recent battle between WBO junior lightweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete and former titlist Oscar Valdez; getting legends Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales involved in the promotion; Top Rank’s deep involvement in the heavyweight division with discussion of Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou, the possibility of Fury-Usyk, the upcoming heavyweight tripleheader headlined by Jared Anderson against Andriy Rudenko and what he took away from Anderson’s recent fight with Charles Martin; the possibility of an Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undisputed light heavyweight title fight in 2024; the making of the middleweight unification bout between Janibek Alimkhanuly and Vincenzo Gualtieri; thoughts on Terence Crawford, who spent most of his career with Top Rank, so easily beating Errol Spence Jr.; the latest on junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez and star lightweight Shakur Stevenson; and the future of unified junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue and his place as one of boxing’s modern greats.

• Memories on the 42nd anniversary of the legendary battle between then-featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez and junior featherweight champion Wilfredo Gomez, who moved up in weight, in a quintessential Mexico-Puerto Rico rivalry fight.

Please give it a listen! Also: rate, review, subscribe and enjoy!

We will be bringing you the weekend recap each Monday. Let me know what you think of the podcast by leaving your comments.

Photo: Todd duBoef/Queensberry Promotions

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