Podcast: Navarrete-Conceicao thrills, Shakur-De Los Santos bores

Plus: Weekend previews; pressers for Fury-Usyk, Joshua-Wallin, Wilder-Parker; news of the week; anniversary memories

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We’ve got a hybrid show for you, part recap, part preview. We recapped and discussed Thursday’s night’s Top Rank card that included the horrible Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos vacant WBC lightweight title bout and WBO junior lightweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete’s very exciting defense against Robson Conceicao. We also previewed the highest-profile fights on Saturday, went over news of the week and looked back on the anniversaries of notable fights.

Here is what’s on the show (in order):

• Recap of Stevenson’s unanimous decision win over De Los Santos in an absolutely terrible, wretched fight. Our fight rippage is way more entertaining than watching the bout.

• Recap of Navarrete’s title-retaining majority draw in a terrific fight with Conceicao.

• Preview of super middleweight up-and-comer Diego Pacheco taking on former world title challenger Marcelo Coceres in the Matchroom Boxing main event on DAZN.

• Preview of the Nick Ball-Isaac Dogboe WBC featherweight eliminator on the Queensberry Promotions card on ESPN+ in the U.S. and TNT Sports in the U.K.

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• Preview of rising British prospect Adam Azim challenging Franck Petitjean for his European junior welterweight title in the main event of the Boxxer card on Peacock in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the U.K.

• The kickoff news conference on Thursday to formally announce that Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will meet for the undisputed heavyweight title on Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

• The kickoff news conference on Wednesday to formally announce a mega card of mostly heavyweight fights, including Anthony Joshua-Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder-Joseph Parker in the top bouts, on Dec. 23, also in Riyadh.

• The WBA light heavyweight title eliminator between Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez being rescheduled for Feb. 3.

• Golden Boy’s signing of unbeaten junior welterweight contender Arnold Barboza.

• Memories on the 39th anniversary of when many of the 1984 U.S. Olympians turned pro together in prime time on ABC at Madison Square Garden, a group that included future Hall of Famers Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker and Virgil Hill along with Mark Breland, Meldrick Taylor and Tyrell Biggs.

• Memories on 29th anniversary of when middleweight titlist Roy Jones moved up super middleweight and routed then-undefeated James Toney, who was pound-for-pound No. 1 to some, to take his IBF super middleweight title in a brilliant performance.

• Memories on the 27th anniversary of when brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, who would go on to become dominant heavyweight champions and Hall of Famers, made their pro debuts on the same card in Germany.

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

Navarrete-Conceicao photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

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