Podcast: Reviewing outstanding Opetaia-Briedis battle and Joyce's expected KO win
Plus: An impending women's mega card, fallout of Taylor vacating WBC title
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Welcome to the Fight Freaks Unite recap podcast coming off the weekend. The two main fights of the weekend saw Jai Opetaia outpoint Mairis Briedis in a grueling and dramatic battle to win the cruiserweight world championship on home soil in Australia and heavyweight contender Joe Joyce, the WBO’s mandatory challenger, return from a year layoff and a broken wrist start slowly before knocking out journeyman Christian Hammer in the fourth round in London.
Here’s what we discussed on this episode (in order):
Opetaia’s scintillating victory over Briedis with a broken jaw, the fight aftermath, Opetaia’s surgery and the prospect of a rematch.
Joyce scoring four knockdowns en route to the knockout of Hammer and his planned September return while he awaits his title shot.
Former junior bantamweight and bantamweight titlist Zolani Tete’s sensational knockout of Jason Cunningham in a Commonwealth junior featherweight title bout in the Joyce-Hammer co-feature.
We also talked about the impending women’s mega card coming in September with sources telling me that two-belt junior lightweight titlist Mikaela Mayer and titleholder Alycia Baumgardner will meet in a three-belt unification bout in the co-feature of the Claressa Shields- Savannah Marshall undisputed middleweight title fight. My thoughts on how it all came together.
Josh Taylor’s decision to vacate the WBC junior welterweight title and Jose Zepeda and former titlist Jose Ramirez being ordered to meet in a rematch for the belt.
Please give it a listen and rate and subscribe as well. Thank you and Happy July 4th!
We will be bringing you the weekend recap each Monday. Let me know what you think of the podcast by leaving your comments.
Joyce photo: Getty
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