Podcast: Interview with Ngannou; Ford's dramatic rally to win title
Plus: Lopez's successful featherweight defense; Jake Paul's quick knockout; Serrano's fight canceled on fight night; news of the week; fight anniversary memories
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There were two major cards on Saturday and we recapped and discussed both of them: Top Rank’s featherweight world title doubleheader on ESPN+ topped by Raymond Ford’s dramatic comeback knockout of Otabek Kholmatov with seven seconds left to win the vacant WBA title and the Most Valuable Promotions card on DAZN on which Jake Paul scored another quick knockout but whose main event starring unified women’s featherweight champion Amanda Serrano was canceled in the dressing room. There is also my interview with heavyweight Francis Ngannou, the former UFC champion set to have his second boxing match against Anthony Joshua on Friday. We also covered major news items of the week and also looked back on anniversaries of significant fights.
Here is what’s on the show (in order):
Recap of Ford’s extraordinary fight against Kholmatov and the dramatic ending; how it happened; and what’s next for these guys. We also covered Luis Alberto Lopez’s dominating eighth-round knockout of Reiya Abe to retain the IBF title in the co-feature.
Recap of Paul’s first-round destruction of Ryan Bourland and what he wants to do next as well as the stunning turn of events that saw Serrano’s fight with Nina Meinke get canceled on fight night due to a Serrano eye injury.
My interview with Ngannou days before he fights Joshua. We covered various topics: His anticipation for his second boxing match; why he originally turned pro in MMA instead of boxing, which was his first love; being the huge underdog against Tyson Fury but scoring a knockdown in a fight many thought he deserved to win; facing Joshua as a known boxing commodity now after sneaking up on Fury; which sport does he enjoy doing more, boxing or MMA; what he thought of his performance against Fury; what he expects from Joshua; making more money in one boxing match than he made his entire MMA career; whether he will return to MMA to make his PFL debut next or will he stay in boxing; more.
The latest on Canelo Alvarez, who is back in discussions with PBC/Amazon for his May 4 fight as well as DAZN.
Jermell Charlo being stripped of the WBA junior middleweight title and being reclassified as a “champion in recess,” leaving him with none of the belts he won to become undisputed champion.
The prospects of saving the Israil Madrimov-Magomed Kurbanov fight for the vacant WBA belt stripped from Charlo in a fight planned for the Joshua-Ngannou card on Friday but called off due to a Madrimov medical issue.
Pound-for-pound king and unified welterweight champion Terence Crawford’s free agency and the chances of his return PBC and who he should fight.
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Memories on the 16th anniversary of when Israel Vazquez won a narrow split decision over Rafael Marquez to retain the WBC junior featherweight title in the legendary third fight — the consensus 2008 fight of the year — of their four-fight series as well as memories on the 17th anniversary of the epic first fight that kicked off the rivalry with Marquez stopping Vazquez to win the title in a brilliant battle.
Memories on the 24th anniversary of when Felix Trinidad moved up to junior middleweight and laid waste to David Reid to win the WBA title in the first of his three-fight swath of destruction through the division that ended with him as unified champion.
Memories on the 29th anniversary of when the late, great Pernell Whitaker, the reigning WBC welterweight champion, moved up and routed Julio Cesar Vasquez to win the WBA junior middleweight title and a belt in a fourth weight class before returning to welterweight.
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We bring you the preview each Friday and the weekend recap each Monday. Let me know what you think of the podcast by leaving your comments.
Ngannou photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
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Worth more attention that the Joshua- Ngannou PPV fight card is Friday, rather than Sat. making it tough to buy and watch for anyone in the US who actually has a job. Shows you how little DAZN and the Saudis care about the US market when it comes to boxing.
Wood vs Conlan. Conlan was winning majority of that fight and got knocked threw the ropes in the 12th. couple yrs ago.