Speaker 1: Well off of a weekend that, let's be honest, may
very well have had the leading candidate now for the
fight of the year. I mean, Chris Eubank and Connor
Binn left it all in the ring and we're ready
to talk about it, analyze and discuss it. Plus that
entire fight card with wins for Anthony Yard and the
rising prospect Aaron McKenna. We're going to recap what happened
in Britain. We've got oh oh, by the way, we've
got Canelo Alvarez one on one with our Dan Rayfield
on the podcast. I'm one on one with this guy
on a regular basis, but we got Canello one on
one with Dan. It is the Fight Freaks Unit recap podcast.
I am the somewhat capable host TJ. Reeves, Hello, Dan Rayfield.
Fight Freaks Unit is the substack in the newsletter. We've
got news. We'll briefly touch on some nostalgia here on
the program. We've got so much to go over. By
the way, we've done a full podcast off the year
on life and liberty and if people only knew, including me,
trying to solve something by drying something of mine without
getting into it and you said, oh, my son tried
to eat that at one time.
Speaker 2: Up.
Speaker 1: All right, people have no idea on the inside baseball
what that is. But that's okay. We are good. We
are ready to talk boxing among other things like for example,
sometimes again we have to sell the show. We don't
have to sell this show after that fight the other night.
We're gonna get into it a few moments, all right.
So first of all, Dan, good to be with you.
And I know we wanted to do this, like as
soon as I think the fight was over. But we
you know, you were working on your substack and we've
gotten uruw together now on Sunday. We've been anxious to
do this for a few hours, is my point? Correct?
Before I before we did it, I mean, we're ready
to go with talking about this. Sometimes we have to
sell it a little bit like back in January, we
have to sell it because we didn't have fights. We
have to say, we don't have to sell this show.
On the recap pot, thank you for finding us. We
are here previewing most times going into the weekend, recapping
coming off the weekend, and again you get interviews like Canelo.
So you need to follow and subscribe for that reason
here to this podcast, feed Applespreaker, Spotify, and and we
need your help and we're bribing you peeps. So not
only rate us in review us for thirty seconds because
you love the content, and several of you have already
done that, but we need help on our YouTube page.
Subscribe on the YouTube page. And by the way, you
will get to see some of Dan, if not all
of it. We're gonna see what we can make happen
Dan and Canelo Alvarez on the Big Fight Weekend YouTube
page coming up. See the interviews, see the conversation as
well as hear it here on the pod. But do
this for us. Make sure you rate us and review us.
Take a screenshot of that, and make sure you're subscribed
on the YouTube channel for the content, because you're gonna
get an automatic notification when there's something new there, including like
the Canelo interview. We've got fight nostalgia. Dan already got
three different compliments from people that love us, going back
and forth on the previous nostalgia that's already up on
the YouTube page that they can go back on, which
is the either the Haggler hearns with al Bernstein and
Barry Tompkins if you want to relive that or the
recent nostalgia that we just put up there going into
the weekend with Vladimir Klitschko's final fight and also the
Hasim Rockmann. What a great story with your friends in
South Africa who aren't even sports fans that got to
go to the fight. So people engaged with me. They
sent messages and said, hey, I love the video on
the nostalgia, so again, engage with the YouTube page, subscribe,
send a screenshot of that and the YouTube review, and
we've got something we're giving away off the weekend this
coming weekend. The deadline will be next Sunday night, May
the fourth. Do both of those. Several of you have
reached out and have done that. We're all good with
the promo office lit Yes it does. And so uh,
you got what did you say? A chot's key, A
choti chotchkey to give away, whether it's a cup, whether
it's the key card with the fight poster on it
from one of the big time fights. We're gonna give
something away if you follow directions. Make sure you're subscribe.
You should be subscribed anyway, but make sure you do
it on the YouTube page. And thank you to those
of you that are engaging there. All right, all the
promos out of the way. Am I over selling that
fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or at the moment do
you agree with me? As of April the twenty seventh,
the year of Our Lord, twenty twenty five, that's the
fight of the year right now in the clubhouse? Am
I over selling?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 1: I think it's got to be there. I think it
is goodness.
Speaker 3: It was an extraordinary event, and sometimes extraordinary events the
action doesn't live up to the event. In this particular instance,
it absolutely did live up to the event. It was
a great fight. I mean, I don't care that it
wasn't for a world title. I saw some people making
comments on the social media platforms, well you know they're
not a fighters or sea fighters. Well, dude, Gaddy Ward
was a fight of the year, and these guys are
probably more skilled than they were, and that could be
the fight of the year, the fight of the year
in my opinion. And this is the philosophy that I
have taken with me ever since I started having to
pick a fight of the year, when I first started
to do it at USA today in two thousands, so
I've picked a Fight of the Year twenty five years
in a row, whether it was for whatever publication I
was at, doing it on my own now, whether it's
a matter of voting in the Boxing Writers Association of
America annual awards, of which I have been a part
of for you know, a long long time. It's about
the unbridled action, and then there's other factors. If that's
you know, the atmosphere is a big part of it,
and just a lot of other things. So this one,
you know, hit all the boxes. It had an unbelievable
atmosphere obviously that came across even if you weren't there
in the stadium. It had a massive drama, drama going
into it forgetting about the fight, just in terms of
all the things around as you know, the U Bank
and is making weight, all the stuff between their fathers,
all the bad blood between the two sons. You know,
the canceled fight from two and a half years ago
because of Ben's positive drug test. You know, the egg
smashing at the press conference. I mean, so much going on,
and then and then then U Bank Senior shows up
unexpectedly uh huh. Then you've got that sold out stadium
and the people are going fucking wild. Then the bell
rings and they put together just a ridiculous, fast paced
fight TJ. I swear to God. In the first minute
of the fight, when they were just come out so
fast the way they did, I thought we were gonna
see like a Hagler Hearns type of thing.
Speaker 2: It just so happens.
Speaker 3: It was obviously wasn't that, but it was at that
high fast pace with a ton of shots they both have,
or did.
Speaker 1: I not say, just like the dads, I could totally
see this being fireworks early and it was.
Speaker 2: But usually it doesn't. If it doesn't, you.
Speaker 1: Could just you just laid out all the reasons.
Speaker 3: Why the other fight that was, and I haven't. I
have to go back maybe and look, but I guess
if I have to look that hard, it's like probably
not the fight of the year. Otherwise I'd remember it
right off the bat. The other fight that's there, and
and it's never going to have the same level of
notoriety or fame, at least in this part of the world,
the United States, North America, Europe, wherever, England at that
at that same notoriety, there was that fantastic, excellent, supreme
fight in March between Taraji and Akoui for the WBC
weight world title that was absolutely fucking spectacular. That Taraji
won by a twelfth round knockout. That was spectacular. And
that probably is number two. And if you really feel
strongly that that's number one right now, I'm not going
to fight you to the death over it.
Speaker 2: But for me, the action.
Speaker 3: Combined with uh, the the atmosphere and all the drama
and the stories make that Saturday night fight and.
Speaker 1: What Akoui And yes, and let's be honest, there was
not near the build up, the attention, the hostility the
dads as you mentioned for all the but I mean,
the dads didn't famously fight each other and they weren't
part of that, and it wasn't controversy, not all the
things that you listen. All right, So I'm going to
rattle off two or three quick things and then you
go for it. The first thing is, I cannot believe
that went twelve. I really thought middle of that fight
it's getting stopped one way or the other, which we
talked about. Credit to both of them. Do we make
of that that Connor Ben has a better chin than
what we thought? I mean I'm posing this not just
to you, to the audience. Do we make of it
that U Bank was somewhat weight drained and that a
heavier U Bank blasts him out of there, especially when
he heard him late in the fight. What do we
make of that? I mean, it was wild that he
was still standing Connor Bin in the eleventh and the
twelfth round with all he got hit with. I'm like,
you know what, Ray Phil, I'm cashing from the show.
I'm gonna get my TKO or my knockout because he
had him worn down and it did not come through.
Credit Connor Ben on that and I will just say this,
we'll get into it postfight. This was perfect. Rarely do
we get perfect. They were all so classy in defeat.
They were fantastic, all of them. And I think it's
a credit. Am I actually saying this? It's a credit
to the sport, how everybody behaved. Everybody credited the winner,
the winner credited the loser and said I didn't think
he had it in him. Chris you Banks Senior was
gracious and explained why he wasn't there now his I
mean he may be still a couple of fries short
of a happy meal right now. It's the way that
we like to put it. But it was fascinating to
listen to him. Nigel Benn was graci The.
Speaker 3: Best part about it was that Nigel Ben and Chris Sr.
Speaker 2: Were I was.
Speaker 3: I watched some of the footage that was kind of
behind the scenes dish. They were literally sitting next to
each other at the fight was.
Speaker 1: And behaving and behaving.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I mean this, I am not over selling. This was
perfect in terms of the build up, how good the
fight was, and how everybody behaved. Nobody's screaming about I
was robbed. There's no other controversy Winter gracious, loser, gracious.
I enjoyed all of this. I don't know how many
more times when you and I do this that we're
gonna get one where we enjoyed all of it. I
always say this, go ahead, I said a lot.
Speaker 2: Go Yeah.
Speaker 3: No, I agree with pretty much everything you said. It
was a tremendous battle. It lived up to the hype,
and the actions of everybody after the fact were excellent.
Like you said, I've heard many many times through the
years that you know, it's one thing when you have
that kind of beef and those issues when you go
through that type of fight even if you don't like
the other guy. And like Connor Ben, I watched his
press conference, he's like, you know, if he respects him.
And I thought he put it really funny the way
he said he was being serious. I don't think he
was trying to be funny about it, because he was
asked about, you know, the how they feel about each
other now that they've gone through that incredible battle with
each other. He's like, I guess I like him as
much as I ever can. In other word, we're never
going to be best friends, but like you know, there's
got to be a healthy respect when you do that. Now,
as far as the power you mentioned, in terms of
the fact that it went to twelve, what do you think, Well,
I think that neither one of them is a very
good puncher overall in the first place, relatively speaking, so
that that's one reason. I do think that no matter what,
you Bank had to have some element of being Waight trained,
but not enough where he was able to get stopped
by Ben. And Ben was sort of lamenting the fact
in his news conference that he had him heard on
three or four occasions that he noticed and he just
couldn't finish them. And that's a testament to the chin
that U Bank has, to the will to the heart,
and the fact that Ben, the smaller guy coming up,
was able to stand up to the punches that he took,
especially in the last two rounds, was remarkable. Okay, first
of all, fight of the year, probably round twelve, round
of the year.
Speaker 2: All that was ridiculous.
Speaker 1: All time final round. I don't I don't think he
goes in the top five. Maybe a final rounds. Maybe
it doesn't.
Speaker 2: Be.
Speaker 1: It's gotta be in some consideration on an all time
final round for everything we talked about, because they both
laid it on the line and I was shocked that
neither one of them went down with the way they
were wailing.
Speaker 3: Totally agree, I mean, and the thing about it is, look,
then he does a lot of good things, but he
just does not have the punching power, especially as a middleweight.
And that's not a surprise. He didn't show any power
in the two fights at Ju were middleweight. No, we've
litigated the the possibility that you know, the peds from
before may have been involved. Whatever the case, and as
I always say, whether it was on purpose or not,
they were in his system and that may have an effect.
But at fifty four he showed no power in the
two fights. So it didn't surprise me that he didn't
show the power against you Bank. You Bank has never
been a big puncher in my opinion either. But here's
the thing about it. They both had gigantic fucking balls.
They both took great shots. Their chins were, you know,
resolute against everything that was being dished out. Because let
me tell you, there were moments I have in my
notes as I'm typing, as I'm watching the fight. You know,
you Bank would land like a clean, solid, flush right hand,
and Ben didn't budge. And even when he did budge,
it was like a split second. He was right back
in firing back. And when when Connor Ben landed good shots,
you know, he definitely definitely hurt you Bank a couple
of times.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 1: I thought in the seventh round he had him hurt,
he had him reeling, and you're thinking, oh boy, and
you Bank showed something to wather that, but he had
never Yeah.
Speaker 3: He could not close him out. So it just uh,
you know, the will. And also look, Ben is a
younger fighter. He's like twenty eight. He's never been in
that kind of fight before. Still fresh, you bank at
thirty five. He's fought a lot of good fighters. He's
been in with some big punchers. He's fought, you know,
guys like Arthur Abraham and James Degael and Matt Korobov
and like really solid guys Billy Joe Saunders, and he's
been in that kind of those those you know, been
hit with those types of punches. So it didn't surprise
me so much that he stood up. But what Connor
Ben dished out and what he took more importantly, was
quite amazing to me. And uh, you know, obviously there
was a lot on the line, not just in terms
of wanting to win against your great rival. But you know,
you can't I don't think you can understand. I mean
the pressure that they I mean they said they didn't
feel pressure. I don't believe that from the because of
their fathers and ways and then daddy's are sitting right there.
Speaker 1: Let's cover this, Let's cover this. I mean, you talk
about reality TV watching Connor Band hugging Nigel Band in
the ring when the decision was announced. I mean, he's crushed.
He is devastated that he lost that fight. He's shaking
his head in tears.
Speaker 3: How about watching Chris with Connor?
Speaker 1: Yes, I mean yes, there was reality TV, and so
then to hear him in the news conference. And by
the way, I may have to stipulate that it's not
completely perfect. Let me interject one thing. We got to
stop letting the planted fans masquerading his journalists ask questions.
At the beginning of the press conference, I didn't watch
the whole thirty minutes, but like I watched the first
ten or fifteen minutes, but we had a couple of
planted people that just wanted to compliment Connor Ben and
blah blah, and I'm like, that's a plant. What that
means is, I don't mean Caleb plant. I don't mean
something you grow in water in your front yard. That
means somebody placed a person there to get on the
microphone and act like a fan before they asked a question.
That didn't seem like journalism to me. But Connor Ben's comments,
he was hurt figuratively that he had not won this fight.
He was at a loss for trying to verbalize how
much it meant to him to win this for his
dad sitting next to him, you can because.
Speaker 2: Look now the Benz are yes, it was genuine.
Speaker 1: It was raw, it was reality TV. So he obviously
meant a lot to him to try to avenge what
his dad didn't do and they couldn't do it.
Speaker 3: What he's going to realize over the next days, it's
gonna be hard, you know. Today, I'm sure it was
not a good day for him, and it's gonna be,
you know, difficult to come to grips with that because
you pour so much of your heart and your emotion
into it, you know, for the last few years, not
just what happened on Saturday night, and now you got
to live with that. Now there's a very good chance
it's going to be a rematch, which we'll get to
in a minute, but eventually, and I don't know if
it's going to be next week or next month, but
at some point, same like his father, you're gonna come
to realize that most people, when they talk about the fight,
especially if it becomes a series of fights, it's not
going to be so much about who won and who lost.
It's gonna be about what you delivered that makes people
remember it, you know, to me, and when I voted
for our Carol Gotti for the Hall of Fame, people
were like, he doesn't deserve to be in the Hall
of Fame. And Okay, I'm not gonna litigate that, but
one of the reasons why is because of what he
meant to the people. He moved them. He made people
boxing fans, you cannot sell that chart. When you're in
five or six Fight of the Year caliber fights, that
means something. And so where I'm going with this is
that Connor Ben and Chris You Bank whatever becomes of
the rest of their careers. And I'm not saying they're
Hall of famers, Don't get me wrong, because I have
other accomplishments and win multiple world titles, et cetera. But
Connor Ben is gonna hear from people for the rest
of his life, not oh you lost, you Bank. He's
gonna walk into the bar, he's gonna walk into the store,
he's gonna walk the street, and they're gonna slap him
on the back say that was a great fight. That's
what they're gonna say. They're not gonna say you didn't win.
They're gonna say, thank you for doing that, because that
was amazing. You know, I have great memories of whether
it was going there or watching on TV or talking
about with my buddies or my brother, my son. That
is what it's gonna mean to him. So I understand
how much he wanted to win. I've been around fighters
who won and lost for twenty five years. I get
all that. But what I also know from my experience
is that there will come a time where they'll be
able to talk about the war stories the way that
I'm sure that Chris Youubanks, see Ye and Nigel Ben
did in their interactions before and after that fight and
maybe even during the fight. Not to say they're ever
going to be best friends. Sometimes that happens. I mean,
Mickey Ward and Gaddy became best friends. Even Burrera and Morales,
who was as bitter as any two people I've ever
known in the sport, you know, became friends with each other.
Now a couple are things about that where this fight goes.
I think it's better than the second fight between the fathers.
You know, people talk about the two fights that they
had with each other, and I think because of the magnitude,
partly because of what the two fathers had done, combined
with the fact that there was a such a huge
crowd and the atmosphere that it generated. Remember when when
Nigel and U Bank fought the first time, it was
in a regular arena in Birmingham, Birmingham, if I'm not mistaken,
but what like you know, fifteen thousand type crowd. It
was a hyped up fight, but not to this level.
I mean, it wasn't even broadcast in the United States
for example, the way the second fight was, and it
was a great fight and U Bank scored the very
mild upset by stopping Nigel to win the one of
the middleweight belts. This is what you know when that
first fight happened in nineteen ninety and as great as
that fight is, I actually think and there was greater
stakes of the world title that was in stake. I
don't think it's unreasonable to tell people that the third fight,
meaning the Sun's Fight, compared to the two Father fights,
is actually action for action, round for round, the best
of the three fights.
Speaker 1: And I take that argument.
Speaker 2: There was not one.
Speaker 3: Round in the twelve that that Connor and Chris fought
that fight Saturday night that was a boring round. Every
single round was dramatic to some degree. Had action back
and forth. There was a few rounds that were clear
as day for one guy or the other, but a
lot of them were close rounds. It was a really
extraordinary fight. The only thing that was missing, you know,
and I put that in quote marks, was there was
no knockdowns. There was no that type of dramatic moment.
There was obviously no knockout, which you know usually will
rise fights to a higher level in terms of what
the drama is. But the drama really was fucking Connor
surviving the eleventh and the twelfth rounds the way he
did so great. That was a great fucking fight. I
was watching it back a little bit on Sunday morning,
and I'm gonna watch It's funny.
Speaker 1: It's funny that you said that because I saw it.
And then I was out in the in the front
room rewatching the final two rounds again. And Missus Reeves,
who is a she's a fight fan to a degree,
she's a huge sports fan. She goes, is this a
different fight or is this the one quote that you
were yelling about earlier. I said, no, this is the
same one again. I just want to rewatch a couple
of things. So you and I are a lot of
like and I'm sure many fans have gone back and watched,
especially the end of it, and as we still sit
here approximately twenty four hours later, I still can't believe
that connor Bin took all of those shots and didn't
even go down. So credit to him. You can say
what you want about PDS. And by the way, one
more quick thing, this is me interjecting this. He deserves
every bit of criticism for everything that went on for
the last two and a half years. This fight does
not absolve him of testing positive for PEDS and what
they were trying to do to get around the suspension
and the whole bit. But as you like to say,
both things can be true at the same time. We
got the shenanigans. But he took some bombs, some hillatious punches,
and showed a real chin and a real heart in
that at the end of that fight, because I think
some lesser people go down and maybe get stopped, So
give him some credit in that.
Speaker 3: In that regards, I also thought I also thought the
judges did a good job. Sixteen twelve is how I
had it, and we talk all the time. You know,
the range of acceptable scores one sixteen one twelve is fine.
If you said it was seven to five, no problem.
My view is if you had really been over backwards
to give every conceivable benefit of the doubt to Ben,
maybe you could find a draw. But one sixteen, one twelve.
Speaker 1: The problem is clearly Ben did not win any of
the last three rounds. From where I sit, you gotta
do something running in a close fight.
Speaker 3: I know I gave him the tenth round as the
end of the judge didn't I didn't think so, yes,
But here's the point, though, it doesn't matter about the
last few rounds because again, as I say, it is
comfortable enough. It's about math. So he could lose the
last three.
Speaker 1: But I'm saying in a close fight, in a close fight,
it's only going to be twelve rounds, the last three
are going to be important. If it's close on win
one of them. Like you said, the tenth, the twelve, whatever,
it's very difficult to overcome in a close fight. That's
so mathematically, But if you take.
Speaker 3: I looked at the scorecards, and if people want to
see the full scorecard, I have it in my story
on my newsletter, where you can look and see pretty much.
U Bank was ahead the whole fight. It was never
there was never a moment where so on my own scorecard,
I had to fight dead even after six, but obviously
gave more of those rounds down the stretch to Chris Ubank.
But it was a close fight. I think it was
like fifty eight to fifty six on one card at
the six at the halfway mark, and so Connor was
always sort of in the hole, so to speak, and
he needed to keep hind he was not able to
do that. But whatever, it was a great matchup, a
great fight, and eventually you're probably gonna do it again.
Speaker 1: All right, So we're leading right to that. Let's lead
right to that right now. And again we've got Canelo
Alvarez coming up. We're gonna fit this the recap pot.
We're gonna finish recamping the rest of the card real
quick and get to Canelo with Dan one on one
in advance of his Oh my God, pay per view.
I keep saying it with William Skull.
Speaker 3: You gotta get the fuck over that Canelo albers is
a pay per view fighter.
Speaker 1: Whoever, I'm just saying, when the thing does like six
hundred and ninety three, pay per views don't come crying
to me, Uh, nonetheless, Canelo will be here in a
few moments. What to make of this, you said, going
in automatic rematch clause exists here, Okay. After the fight.
After the fight, Eddie Hearn was saying, I don't know
if there's gonna be a rematch said, I don't know
if there's gonna be a rematch. Then Connor Bann even
said I don't know if I'm gonna go for a
welterweight world title or fight him next. And then even
the band, even the U Bank camp, even Chris you
Bank kind of say it almost acted like it's not
necessarily the next fight an immediate rematch, so way in
way in on that, because the way they were making
it seem with their purse fight comments was maybe it
won't be immediate. It just exists.
Speaker 3: They can say, you can say anything you want. By
every account from both sides, there's an automatic rematch clause
for the next fight.
Speaker 1: To be the next sight.
Speaker 3: That's the supposed to take place by the end of
this year, okay. Follow along with Turkey Aolchik, He made
a statement today that he wanted to do the rematch
in September if both guys were okay in terms of
their physical abilities to do the fight once again at
the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Now, a couple of things. Both
guys ended up in the hospital. Chris you Bank was
taken you know, they both spoken the ring after the fight.
Chris you Bank was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons,
also for a suspected broken jaw. Apparently has to stay
over another night.
Speaker 1: By the way, being Shalom and others came out and
said unfounded on the broken jaw. Does not have a
broken jaw.
Speaker 3: Right, Okay, So I'm glad if it's he could clearly.
Speaker 1: Talk after the fight. We know that we're not detectives.
We just play him on the podcast. He could play.
Speaker 3: I mean, if it wasn't token, obviously that's a good thing.
But nonetheless, he ended up in the hospital and Connor
Ben went and did his postfight press conference, and after
the press conference when he went back and uh after
they hung out there for a little while and he
just to to also do the drug testing and everything.
They weren't he wasn't ordered to go to the hospital,
but his team and his family everybody said to go,
and so Connor also went to the hospital to get
checked out. He's fine, I guess, and he was released.
But again, that's the type of fight it was where
both guys wound up and for some period of time
at the hospital. I mean again, it reminds me when
you talk about like I want to say it was
Gaddy Ward one where both of them wound up in
the hospital and they ended up in the same ambulance.
You know, they ended up in the same cubicle in
the hospital when they opened up the curl.
Speaker 2: Didn't we see it?
Speaker 1: I'm gonna jog you didn't we see it? With Bratus
and Opataie and the rematch where they both were boasted up,
both had broken jaws, and they're in the same hospital
suite tweeting pictures of themselves after that second rematch fight
that they had. So the belief, the hope is that
we're going to get this maybe in the fall, but
we don't know, we don't know, we don't know what
because again connor Band, I mean, he plainly said I
may move back down to WELTERWEIGHTE and try to fight Barrios,
meaning Mario Barrios.
Speaker 3: So who knows contracts are an agreement, but can always
be amended if it's okay with both sides. If he
doesn't want to do the fight because for whatever the reasons,
the Waight situation or whatever, you know, there's ways that
you can work around that. They can come up with
an agreement to say, look, you know what, if you
want to go do another fight, you know, go do
another fight and we'll reapa.
Speaker 1: I could totally see and I know we got to
move on and saying. I could totally see Chris hu
Bank Junior and his team saying we're not doing this
again with the one sixty and he can only be
one seventy the day after. And so if that if
all I'm saying is if that is specifically in the
contract language it is, I could see them. I could
see them objecting to that after what he went through.
Who knows if that blows the deal up or not.
I don't know.
Speaker 3: I'm not I don't know the contract that they signed. Again,
this is according to both sides. Eddie reiterated it when
he was doing the conversation at the press cards. The
agreement that is in place for the automatic rematch is
the exact same terms in terms of the weight and
the this and that that as the first one, so
it is still a one sixty fight with a one
seventy rehydration. Now, again, every contract you do, you can
if both sides can agree, you know, you do up
a one page amendment and that's that. So that's the
story there. Now, whether they would agree to do that
or not, I don't know, but clearly, you know, the
weight's a factor because the reality is Connor ben You
could see in the first round he's a much smaller
Sye physically.
Speaker 1: This is why you often say, this is why there's
weight classes, this is the reason why there's rules.
Speaker 3: This I'm gonna say this. I look, that was a
great fight. It was to me a very very physically
grueling fight. That's the kind of fight that takes you know,
time off of your career. So yeah, of course I'd
like to see a rematch at some point. I'm okay
if they don't do it next, I'm okay if Connor
goes to welterweight and getting drum up a fight with
you know, somebody down there, Barrios. Now, there's a lot
of rumors at Barrios may end up fighting Manny Pacow,
who's election in the Senate coming up in the Philippines.
The election is coming up in a couple of weeks.
When that election is over, win or lose, I think
we'll hear some news about what Manny's boxing future. It
may be God, I hear you, but also you bank
don't don't don't poo poo with this either. Again, there's
a lot that has to take place. Canelo Alvarez, if
he beats Skull, which he's very heavily favored to do,
becomes once again the undisputed Super Medaway champion, and then
he fights the Terrence Crawford fight in September. Remember he's
got two other fights with Turkey that are supposed to
take place in Saudi Arabia in twenty twenty six. There
was a conversation back a while ago that they were
trying to maybe possibly do They were negotiating actually with
Chris Ubank's team before he ended up opting for I
forget if it was the Berlanga fighter Mongia fight. But
here's the point. If he survives Skull and Crawford, and
now you're looking at his first twenty twenty six fight
in Saudi Arabia, after what Chris Eubank just did in
that fight. There's nobody that's gonna laugh and say, well,
that's not a worthy fight, right. No, you may still
favor Canelo fair enough, but at one hundred and sixty
eight pounds, there's not a lot of guys out there
from the fight, so that would be a very possible
fight for you Bank to land that kind of opportunity.
So both guys are have come out elevated from this.
I always say that every time there's a big fight,
my greatest hope is that you see a great fight
and that the winner and the loser elevate themselves. And
that is exactly what happened with Chris Ubank Junior and Conorman.
It was a tremendous battle. We won't soon forget it.
I think it's better, frankly than action wise than their
fathers fights were. And I would love to see it again.
And if it's not next okay with.
Speaker 1: It all, it's all time stuff for all the reasons
that we just listed, with the fathers and the nostalgia,
we will be talking about that fight ten years from now. Guaranteed,
no one what happens in the second fight, you'll be
talking about the first fight in front of sixty five
thousand plus at Tottenham, Hot's first stadium in that and
that audience. Yeah, that was something. All right, real quick,
let's run down what happened on the undercart and we'll
get to Canelo and then some news here in a
few moments. The Canelo Alvarez on deck. So Anthony Yard
did win the trilogy fight, the light heavyweight trilogy fight
with Lyndon Arthur. Arthur had upset him by decision in
the first fight. Yard had gotten a knockout about three
years ago. In the rematch, they now came back around
fought each other. Yard wins the one sided decision in
that one. Aaron McKenna again the rising.
Speaker 2: Let's let's go on to middleweight, one fight at a time.
Speaker 1: I'm just covering. I'm just covering. These are the two
most prominent fights Aeron McKenna one easily over Liam Smith.
Not a big surprise. What are your thoughts on both
of those? In order? Go ahead?
Speaker 3: So the Arthur fight against Yard, it wasn't really one sided.
It was one sixteen to one twelve on two cards,
one fifteen thirteen. It was a very competitive fight. I
didn't think it was a particularly good fight. The first
eight rounds were terrible. I was falling asleep. But the
last four rounds are really good. And I think that
was at a point when when Lindon Arthur was maybe
getting a little tired and he couldn't move as much
as he as he was earlier in the fight, because
it was very clear what his game plan was, which
is to try to box and move, which makes sense
because you want to use your legs against a guy
like Yard who was really a one trick pony, and
it's a very good effective trick which is the big
punching power. Stay away from his right handling, you could
have some success. And while he was able to stay
away from that shot and go the distance and win
some rounds, you know was clearly he lost a competitive fight.
The last four rounds were much better in terms of
the action, and you know, Anthony Yard is just a
better fighter than Lindon Arthur in my opinion. The split
decision that he lost was obviously a super close fight
and Yard is right there once again to be in
the in the mix for any of the guys that
like had to wagne Arthur. You know, he may take
a small step back, but he's still a very viable
fighter against the top guys. Also, they both had their
opportunities in the World Championship fights and lost, but I
think both can absolutely get another opportunity. But yard, you know,
it was first in line, I guess behind uh, you know,
a few other guys, but certainly ahead of Arthur in
that respect. So that was in my mind, of the
of the undercard fights that were part of this pay
per view that they showed, that was the weakest of
the fights action wise. Obviously the main event was tremendous.
Then this fight. Now you mentioned about the McKenna and
Lilliam Smith fights, that was not an action pack, great
memorable fight, But what it was was a great performance
from Aaron McKenna really, and it was not like a
bad fight er anything like that, but the performance from McKenna,
who had never fought anybody even close to like a
contender or anything. He really showed that he is a
good young fighter. And I'm actually very much looking forward
to seeing what he does next because you know, I'd
seen him fight. You know, he fought most of his
early fights in America on Golden Boy cards. I saw
him fight as some of those shows, but he was
fighting nobody in particular, and you're like, Okay, he's a
decent prospect and you know, we'll see if he develops.
But that was a big time win. Now, William Smith
is at the end of his career. It seems to
me he's lost two in a row. He got knocked
out by U Bank. He lost this fight every round.
I scored it a shutout. One judge had at eleven
to one, one judge had it ten to two, one
judge had at ninety three. I thought that Aaron McKenna
won all twelve rounds. So Smith, he's got two losses
in a row, one by the hard way, one by
the lopside of the decision. He's got some decisions to
make about his career because he's a proud guy. He's
a former champ. I don't think he wants to just
become a stepping stone. So that might be the last
time that we see Liam Smith. McKenna though he got
a bright future. One hundred and sixty pounds, as we've
discussed many times, not a super deep weight class. He
can definitely make some noise in there. Big tall guy,
long rangey jab put it all together, good quickness, took
some solid shots, really fought a complete fight. I thought
it was a really super performance. So credit to the
young guy twenty five years old. Now he's twenty to
zero and to me, definitely a guy to watch, especially
in a middleweight division that is in need of some needs.
Speaker 1: A noteworthy win. But again, Liam Smith's about to be
thirty seven years old and looks like he's at the
end on that alight. So the cruiserweights on the undercard
tell me, including former world champ Chris billim Smith, they
both won go ahead.
Speaker 3: So the fight before the Liam Smith and McKenna fight
was the British cruiserweight title fight between chev Clark, who
was the champion of the British title and Vidal Riley,
and up and comer who was twelve and zero coming
into the fight. Now, the interesting thing is, even though
Clark was the British champion, he was coming off of
a decision loss, a very close loss, a split decision
that he challenged for the European title, and so he
was trying to bounce back from that loss. And Vidal
Riley had never fought anybody, you know, was known to
a lot of people just basically as an influencer, but
he's been developing as a fighter. Anyway, this was a
pretty damn good fight. But Riley, I think surprised a
lot of people because he didn't just win the fight.
He won and some of the one of the score
cards was really close. But I thought he clearly won
the fight. I mean, there was no doubt about it.
Chev Clark, who just the way I wrote it when
I was writing my recap about it was he just
could could never get out of first gear. You know,
he just you know, sometimes a fight starts slow and
a guy they pick up at their their pace or
their speed or what they're doing as the fight goes long.
He never got out of first gear. And Riley fought
a really good, very I thought, a very perf pfessional
fight for a guy with so little experience the dal
Riley was the guy that looked like the polished, poised
guy compared to Clark, who I felt like was sort
of just going through the motion. So that's a big
win for Riley. So Cruiser waits at the top. Obviously
they're top heavy with you know, Opataia and Xerdo Ramirez
and some other guys, but Riley's like, you know, this
was the kind of win that shows that, you know what,
maybe he's not quite ready for that level, but that
he can still develop. He's not an old guy, you know,
and that was a big win for him. And then
in terms of BILLM. Smith, he scored a very good
victory against Brandon Glanton, who came into this fight having
never fought anybody before, but showed even in the loss
he's a guy you want to see again. And for
Bill and Smith, he gets a decision overcame a cut
over his eye. This was his first fight since the
end of last year when he lost his title and
the unification against Aerdo Romerez. It was a like an
eight to four kind of fight on the cars, but
he really got beaten off. That was a very physically
grinding beatdown that he took against Zerdo Ramirez. So this
was a good bounce back fight for him. He's right
back in the picture for any of the bigger I mean,
he's not going to get a rematch probably Wizard or
anything like that, but he can certainly be in a
position to be in an eliminator or fight, you know,
somebody with a belt that there's one around for him.
He always makes good fights, so I thought the card itself.
Obviously the main event was the big thing, great fight.
The whole undercard other than like the first eight rounds
of the Yard fight against Arthur was a pretty entertaining show.
I can't complain, especially if you're buying a pay per
view in America. Anyway, it was only like twenty five bucks,
so I felt like I definitely got my money's worth
and we saw some guys take step forward and again
McKenna Lian Smith. Maybe it wasn't a great fight, but
I thought it was just a really, really, really outstanding
performance from mckenn.
Speaker 2: I was very impressed by him.
Speaker 1: We have fulfilled the recap portion of the pod and man,
there was a lot there and I know we spent
a lot of time on worth a did you bank
Junior and Ben, but absolutely worth it. All right, let's
get to him. Canelo Alvarez is now back in action,
coming up in Saudi Arabia for the first time ever.
Canelo already there, Canello getting ready to fight William Skull,
trying to once again become undisputed, as the IBF bestowed
their belt on mister Skull in a vacant title fight.
Air quotes all right, So Big Dan with Canelo.
Speaker 3: Right now, let me set this up for quick, please
do go ahead. So I spoke to Canelo just before
he left to go to Saudi Arabia, so that's the
first thing you'll see, you know, you'll hear so he
hadn't actually yet arrived yet. But I want to just
be clear, there is a moment in this interview where
you're here. I asked him a question about his deal
making with Turkey Al Chic because everybody knows before they
made the deal there was a lot of back and
forth and negativity between the two of them on social media,
and then obviously they ended up making the deal in
coming together. So when I asked them about that question,
you'll hear a voice from a woman who says, no,
we're not going to take that question. And then Canelo
quickly quashed that and was like, no, don't worry about it.
That was Canello's publicist, who was you know, like, then,
then people about to pull the curtain back. As you say,
I've done a bazillion interviews. Most of the time, when
you do these types of interviews, you know the publicist
is listening in or is on the call, maybe not
in the screenshot if he took in a video, but
they're there just to make sure things don't go off
the rails, and I have no, never had a problem
with that. But that was the interruption you hear, and
Canelo quickly was like, no, I don't worry about it.
It wasn't even like it wasn't like a controversial question.
And Canello knows me a long time. He was fine
with it. So anyway, that's the interruption you'll hear very briefly.
Speaker 1: All right, So now let's get to that conversation about
why he did that deal with Turkey Alshika two. The
name Terrence Crawford's part of why he did that deal.
But here it in his own words, says he's with
Dan in advance of the fight coming this weekend, it.
Speaker 3: Is my great pleasure to once again and welcome back
to our podcast none other than the man himself, the
unified super mid aweight champ of the world, Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo will tell the folks what you've got coming up.
You're gonna be taking on the IBF title holder, William Skull.
It's a unification fight in an effort few to once
again become the undisputed champion of the one hundred and
sixty eight pound weight class will take place May third
in Riad, Saudi Arabia, live on pay per view. So welcome,
Thank you very much for doing this.
Speaker 4: No, it's my pleasure done. Always a pleasure to be
with you here.
Speaker 3: I appreciate that. So, first of all, this is going
to be in your long career, your first fight to
take place outside of the United States and your home
country of Mexico. I wonder if you're if you're looking
forward to the make I know you've been to Saudi
Arabia to visit, but in terms of to actually go
there to fight, are you looking forward to this?
Speaker 2: And what did it take you?
Speaker 3: What did it take to convince you to go there,
other than I guess whatever the big money uh that
Vanello Alvarez is going to make for any time he
steps into the boxing ring.
Speaker 5: You know, I always say that for me, fighting in
other countries, what's a dream.
Speaker 4: No, in my career.
Speaker 5: I think I can accomplish everything in my career already,
So this kind of thing is more even myself because
fighting in another countries is something new for me, another
experience for me for my career. And and and I'm
very excited to to to be fighting outside of USA
or my country Mexico. So that kind of thing is
motive myself, especially at this point of my career.
Speaker 4: I really accomplish everything, So this kind of things motivey myself.
Speaker 3: But also, let's be honest, it was a big paycheck
come along with it too, right.
Speaker 5: I always always, of course, I always say I just
go outside of my country or USA.
Speaker 4: It's a big money there.
Speaker 5: So but I no matter what, if it's in USA
or my country, I always make a lot.
Speaker 3: Of money, exactly, And I just wonder be because of that.
Is there even a small part of you that's maybe disappointed.
I know you're looking forward to as you just talked
about going there and finding a new place. Yeah, but
any slightness when you're not in Vegas on the single
to my weekend with your fans who always turn out
for you and probably won't be making the trip to
Saudi Arabia.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you know, sometimes you know about the money, it's
about to have a different experience in my career, and
the only thing I can do for my fans in
this situation is that I'm gonna fight in Sunday morning
then in Saud Arabia and they can watch my fight
at the same time Saturday here and people say, or Mexico.
Speaker 3: So just so people people understand that you're gonna fight,
but the time you enter the ring and ring.
Speaker 4: In the morning something someday like that, the.
Speaker 3: Same time we always watch here in the United States.
In Mexico so different.
Speaker 5: You can watch the fight here at the same time,
so you always watch it, and you know, my fans,
they're gonna understand me that.
Speaker 4: For me, fighting in other.
Speaker 5: Countries at this point of my career makes sense a
lot because I always try to to go to other
countries to have the experience in my career to fighting
outside of my country and the USA.
Speaker 3: But before you were able to make this arrangement with Turkey,
you know, there's a lot of back and forth between
the two of you on the social media platforms uh
that were somewhat negative about not doing a fight with him,
or you know, him having some bad things to say
about you. Obviously, Uh that was overcome or we can't.
Speaker 4: Talk about that right now. No, no, no, no, no, it's fine.
Who say no, Okay, I'll.
Speaker 2: Just tell our listeners that's.
Speaker 4: No problem, no problem.
Speaker 3: That uh no, that that that that was overcome and
that you have made apparently a four fight agreement to
work with him for this fight against Skull, the Crawford
fight in the fall, and two more fights next year
in Saudi Arabia. So my question you is, how are
you guys able to overcome that or was it just
a matter of you guys.
Speaker 5: Reviews, misunderstand misunderstanding mess. You know, the communication is very important.
That's why communication is one of the best, one of
the most important things in in in in in person.
You need to communicate the things right right. We don't
have that communication and straightforward. It's always somebody in the middle,
so we never like I talked directly at this point
when I was in London and I went there just
to say, hey, I don't have bad things to say
about you. I don't I don't even know you, so
how I can I can say about this.
Speaker 4: I'm not that kind of guy. And everything is good.
And then and then the business came.
Speaker 5: But I go there to to London and said to
to to say to him, I never do respect anybody.
I'm not that kind of guy because I don't need it,
and I'm not that kind of person. So and then
the business came, you know, and I think it's bad communication.
Speaker 4: Communication, all right.
Speaker 3: So now you go and you fight against William Skullan.
So I must ask you about that. Back when you
were fighting against Jimi Mangia, he was an eight rounder
buried on your undercard that was so deep on the
undercard that it wasn't even a part of the preliminary stream.
And even somebody like myself Canelo always gets in hereinga
really early. It was even too early from when I
got to the areena. I didn't see the fight. So
my question is you got stripped then in your next
fight going into the Berlanga fight of the IBF title
because you didn't fight him as a mandatory and you
even had said to myself and others, who is this guy?
Speaker 4: You know, that's why I don't know William.
Speaker 3: So he went on to win the title that they
took away from you, even though clearly you were the
number one fighter in your weight class. Uh So why
fight him now You've already been undisputed. It's not like
you need that to complete the collection like you did
when you fought Kayla Planned.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you know, you know, uh do you saw how
I I get into disputed right and eleven months three
on the three on defeated fighters and decent At this point,
I I think this fight makes sense more for everybody
for two Kiashi and as because you know wants me
to recuperate that title back so and be on disputed again.
So and me too because I'm gonna be the the
two times on disputit fighter.
Speaker 2: Brandie.
Speaker 3: You're also you're the only one they ever do it
even once, and so you would obviously become the first
and only to do it twice.
Speaker 5: Yeah, So May Saints I think I think May Saints
a lot for for at this point of my career.
Speaker 3: Okay, so we all know what is supposed to be next.
If everything goes well for you in the fight with Skull,
that it's supposed to be the Terrence Crawford fight in September.
What is the level of your excitement about the possibility
of the Crawford fight, because you hadn't really shown a
lot of interest, even though he was calling you out
left and right. You had said it really didn't interest you.
Now obviously you've accepted the match.
Speaker 5: You know, I don't have that in my mind right now,
I'm kind of person focused on Williams school because I
need to to put all my focus on this fight,
and I don't even thinking about craft fight.
Speaker 4: We don't have nothing yet with GRAF obviously it's I
think they they want and but uh, hundred person focused
on William's school.
Speaker 5: I'm not all that kind of why talking about other
fights before I finished one?
Speaker 3: So I should I should ask you about the two
twenty twenty six fights and maybe a BVO rematch un
disputed or anything else focused person.
Speaker 5: Yeah, but you know, always always good things come come.
So hundred person focus on William's school. Yeah, doesn't make
sense if we're talking about other fights. You know, it's
something we we already know, there's something they really want
for September.
Speaker 3: You know what I was interested in is as we
as I mentioned before you you defet did himI Magia
in one of your fights last year. Now that he's
working with with Eddie Renoso training him and he's part
of your camp. Now he's going to be on this
undercard and a rematch trying to evannge a loss to
Bruos Arasse. Uh, I wonder how was it to have
your old foe in the camp with you. And I
say that because when you were doing the fight against him,
I always had the impression leading up to your fight
that you guys kind of liked each other, and now
it's part of the team.
Speaker 5: No, Like I say, then, I don't like to fight
with Mexico because because I support Mexico and I support
that talent from Mexico. Right, and we have this fight
with Jimia and with father and everything.
Speaker 4: But he asked him for help with Eddie, and I'm
I don't I don't mind. I don't mind. I really
I really like it because with Eddie, but he's.
Speaker 3: Gonna learn a lot and think good sparring for you too,
I would think, No, we.
Speaker 5: Don't aspiring yet. If we're aspiring, we're going to help
each other. Obviously it is way different, but.
Speaker 2: I like it.
Speaker 5: I like to be there and see how much he's
improved with Eddy and and the way he's working. He
worked hard and and and I like the idea support
my people.
Speaker 3: Let me wrap up with just one more question. You're
talking about the stage of your career. You mentioned that
phrase a number of times, and I wonder you've done
so many things all the titles, all the big fights,
all the money, all the accolades. I wondered, what are
what are the goals that remain for you still in
your career, you know, however long it may last, you know, do.
Speaker 4: The best things.
Speaker 5: I don't know two years, three years, I don't know
how many years more. But I do the best things
for my career, and like this. Fighting in other countries
was is one of my dreams and now.
Speaker 4: Is close. So I like that kind of things for
my career right now.
Speaker 3: Well, I appreciate your time and I look forward to
seeing the fight, even if I won't be a chance
to be in Saudi Arabia. But I wish you best
of luck and as always, thanks a lot for doing this.
Speaker 1: Thank you. Then, So there we go, and as you mentioned,
he is now ready to try to get a portion
back and become undisputed once again at one sixty eight
for Canelo and the first of this multi fight deal.
Final thoughts. Having seen him in advance, and again, as
you pointed out, this is before he had left to
go to Saudi Arabia. I saw something where he is
already there. He has already gotten there for fight week
for this week, So go ahead.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's been there actually, I think about two weeks
or maybe two and a half weeks.
Speaker 2: Look, he was.
Speaker 3: I wouldn't say necessarily excited for the fight, but was,
and he has talked about this in the past. He
is sort of intrigued by fighting elsewhere. Besides as much
as he enjoys obviously fighting in the United States and
when he's able to fight in Mexico, but something he's
wanted to do for a long time. Now he's doing that,
and as we joked around, you know it's not only
for that, but it's also that big pile of money
which he's being paid, you know, extraordinarily well to do
this kind of fight. So Canelo's back in action.
Speaker 1: I know.
Speaker 3: It's not the highest profile Canelo fight there's ever been,
but the the I guess, the ends justify the means,
so to speak, because if he wins, he's undisputed again.
He said that was a big deal for me because
there'll be two time never been done in the four
belt there in the same weight class by the same guy.
And also it sets up the Crawford fight to also
be for undisputed, which we'll have a lot of historical
full historical ramifications.
Speaker 1: No doubt, and again we may mention to this podcast
audience if you're hearing us only as is the case,
you can see. We'll just go ahead and say you
can see the interview with Canelo. Go check it on
the Big Fight wee can YouTube page and you'll see
Dan with Canelo the same way, amazingly similar questions and answers,
by the way. Go see it on the Big Fight
Weekend YouTube page as part of our coverage there, and
again make sure you're subscribed there for this kind of content.
Nice get and thank you to Canelo and his people
and everybody involved with the with the promotion upcoming from
the Saudy Entertainment Authority and everybody else that's in that interview.
You good? Did you score yourself there?
Speaker 2: All?
Speaker 1: Probably you're you? We always expect that, all right, all right,
so well done on getting him. Go see go see
the moving Canelo with the moving Dan Rayphaiel on the
Big Fight we can uh YouTube page there. With that,
all right, let's get to some news, uh, and then
before we wrap it up, we'll touch on the nostalgia
that we also want you to watch on the YouTube
page too. We're pushing you every which direction. Okay, speaking
of heavyweights, and later this summer, Canelo a figurative heavyweight,
I make my segue to the literal. Well, I guess
we got to say. He's the former undisputed heavyweight champion
now trying to much similarly get the IBF belt back
against Daniel Duoa. Alexander Usik and Daniel Dubois announcements Sunday afternoon,
as we were preparing to do this pod cast, they
made it official. Give the deats that it is Usik
Dubois to when where what's the update? Real quick?
Speaker 3: Yeah, not a surprise. This has been long expected. They
will meet on July nineteenth for the undisputed title. It'll
be the IBF title that Duoi holds up against the
other belts, the rest of the belts that the lineal
champion Alexander Russa calls. Will take place, like I said,
July nineteenth, Wembley Stadium, be at the Zone pay per view,
and they'll have the official press conference on Tuesday. But
they did put out the formal announcement on Sunday. It's
been ready to go for the last couple of days,
I guess, but I guess they were just waiting for
the Connor Ben and Chris Hubank evented to be taken
care of. And you know because Queensberry is obviously the
promoter of this fight, but they were not going to
step on the Zone, which is their partner, right well,
they were doing the U Bank and the Ben promotion anyway,
So yeah, they're going to go back and do it again.
And everybody remembers if you follow along with the heavyweight
landscape that in August of twenty twenty three, back at
the time before Alexander USA had become the undisputed champion,
but he held the other three belts. He did not
at that time hold the WBC title that's still at
that moment belonged to Tyson Furry, as well as the
lineal title, but he had a mandatory to do against
Dubois at that time for the WBA because he was
the WBA champion. Dubi was the so called regular champion. Anyway,
they met in Poland, which was about the closest place
they could possibly do the fight to Alexander Usik's home
country of Ukraine, and Poland of course has you know
a huge population of Ukrainians, many of whom have you know,
fled there because of the war, so that was about
his hometown to get and he put on a great
performance that night. You know, let's not even get into
the nonsense about the you know, the fake low blow,
the legal punch that that they tried to complain about
being a low blow. But even besides that, Usak totally
dominated Dubi, knocked him down with a jab at the
end of the day and made him quit on his
knee in the ninth round, and that was a very
bad performance and a very bad loss for Duba. However,
to Duboi's credit, he has earned the opportunity, in my opinion,
to have this remat because I would I mean, just
to preface it, I personally would rather have seen Ousig
do the mandatory against Joseph Parker, who I believe has
a valid claim.
Speaker 1: Well yeah, and he's earned it too. But Dubois, I
know what you're saying. Du Blois starching Anthony Joshua really
set this into motion, and we got plenty of time
to talk in the build up about why, but whatever.
Speaker 3: But he has earned you know, I'm not mad about
it at all. I'm just saying, if you made me choose,
I would have picked Parker, but the reality is why
has earned the opportunity, because he didn't just you know,
go off into space and we don't see him for
two years. He came back, you know, four months later
he scored a really good victory, knockout victory by uh
uh in a really good fight against the undefeated Gerald Miller.
Then he went in the next fight against the undefeated
Olympic medalist, number one contender Philip Herkovic. He stopped him
on cuts in the eighth round. That gave him the
w or the IBF interim title. And because Fury was
contracted to the rematch after having beaten Tyson Fury for
the LIN title and the WBC and all the belts
that he had, he was forced to vacate because the
mandatory was due, and so they elevated. They elevated Daniel
Debat to that title. Then he went out there and
he absolutely destroyed Anthony Joshua and he spectacular knockout a
just an incredibly one sided devastation in the fifth round
in front of a gigantic crowd at Wembley Stadium back
in September. So now ten months later he's going to
fight Alexander Usik, all the belts will be at steak.
So people were asking me, like, how can all the
belts be stake when there's mandatories. So in terms of
the IBF, they've made this deal before the per spit
order was sent out and we discussed all that on
the last show. Yeah, so the IBF absolutely within their
roles to say okay to a unification fight instead of
the mandatory, and the WBO has also agreed that, you know,
they will grant the exception and you know, I don't
know what the word was they used because of extraordinary
circumstances or some candet extent, because in the reality it
is better for boxing further to be an undisputed champion
and so therefore this will go forward. I don't think
that Joseph Parker, who was also with Queensberry, has been
complaining or moaning about it. He's not making a big
stink about it. So if no one's being agree then
so be it.
Speaker 1: Call me crazy. Joseph Parker's probably in the co feature
and possibly getting the winner. Who knows. I mean, it
possibly makes sense. It would make sense because Parker was
within days of fighting Dubois when Dubois left Saudi Arabia,
was sick, couldn't fight, So that would make sense if
that's case one more than we're going to move on.
Does it surprise you that I know money's involved, huge
money's involved. But this is a road game. This is
at Wembley, in Dubois's atmosphere here. He did it before
beating Anthony Joshua in the first fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But now after having fought Usik twice in having fought
Fury twice in Saudi Arabia, he fought Duboin and Poland,
as you mentioned, he's now going to go to Wimbley
and this is the home game for Duboi. What do
you think of that?
Speaker 3: I think that Alexander Usik is the greatest road warrior
maybe in the history of boxing. End of story. This
man could not give a fuck where the fight won't
bother him, not at all. He fought Derek Chesare at
in London. He fought in the United States, right, Yeah,
but that okay, that we already talked about. So he
did that fight there. If you go back and look
at what he's done, he fought when he had his
first heavyweight fight against Chas Withers. When he came to
the United States and fought the American in Chicago. When
he fought Tony Bellu in a cruiserweight title defense who's
from England, he fought him in Manchester. When he fought
Marac Gassia in a unification fight for the undiscrited cruiserweight title,
he fought him in Moscow, Gaussia is a Russian when
he fought Myris Bradist and a cruiserweight title fight. Before that,
he fought him in Riga, Latia, which is Marius braid
as his hometown. And before that, by the way, when
he fought markco Hook and a cruiserweight world title fight
far Marco Hook in Germany, which is where he's from.
Before that he came to the United States, he fought
Michael Hunter, an American in Maryland. The fight I was
actually ringsighte for the one time. Before that, when he
fought to bis so Muchunu in a fight in California
that was a South African against Ukrainian that was at
least neutral territory. When he fought Christophe Gloatski in a
dumb VBO cruiserweight title fight. In the fight before that
in twenty sixteen, by the way, he fought him in Poland,
which is where Luwaski is. From my point is since
twenty fifteen, when he was fighting some of those handful
of early fights of his in Ukraine, every single fight
basically that he's had as a meaningful fighter has either
been a neutral territory or in the other guy's backyard,
with the lone exception of the Dua first fight, which
was in Poland, which was a heavily Ukrainian crowd because
of its proximity to the borders of Ukraine. So to
ask that he's concerned about fighting in London is absolutely zero,
zero problem for Alexander Russik. He's an all time road.
Speaker 1: Warrior, okay. And then moving right along, you did mention
on the preview pod going into the weekend that Brian
Norman was apparently in serious negotiations Top Rank was with
the Japanese fighter Jen Sasaki to be the next opponent
for the WBO welterweight title that is now made official.
Top Rank has now announced it, So fill in the
blanks for the audience here on when that is a
officially gonna be.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I was talking to to Brian Norman's manager, Joline Mazzone,
and and she had said to me, as did the
top bring people, that that was one of the things
they were talking about. That was a good possibility, but
they were looking at other options. And then when then
the fight was made within a few days later, she said,
it really came together very quickly. They always knew that
it was a strong possibility, but in the end the
offer was the right one, I guess, and they took
the chance, and they're going to go to Japan if
I will take place on it'll take place on June nineteenth.
It'll be in Tokyo and Sasaki. You know, if you've
watched some of the undercard fights from the ESPN Plus
cards that have taken place in Japan, Sasaki has been
seen on those cards. So he's an exciting fighter, offensive minded.
And that that to me was kind of a surprise
that they took that chance, because I thought maybe they
would keep him in the United States against a more
known fighter here. Anyway, you know, the welterweight division is
not the deepest in the world, but look there, this
kid is not you know, I think he was serious
when he said to me in our interview before he
fought for the title, that you know, he'll fight anybody,
you know, for a guy like that, who's twenty four
years old, who's the youngest male active world champion in
boxing today to in his second title defense, pack up
and go to Japan to fight a Japanese who is
a highly regarded fighter that has pretty good power. I
give him credit for that, so that that's interesting to me.
It'll be ESPN plus the United State. It's one of
those breakfasts with breakfast in boxing where you get up
at you know, five or four in the morning to
watch the fight. And they also announced this is a
fight that was already made that I reported about, but
this is going to be the co feature and if
you're into the little guys, this is the vacant IBF
Junior Flyway title. This will be between Christian Aaronetta and
Cinsriri from Thailand, and that will be for the title
that when Masamichi Yabuki, who held that belt, he moved
up and won the Flyway title of the IBF back
in March, he would have to face a decision do
I stick around and keep the title at twelve or I,
you know, give up the title at one hundred eight.
He elected to give up the title one hundred eight
and retain the belt that fly.
Speaker 2: Aye.
Speaker 3: Wait, so this is going to fill that vacancy. So
that's a double world title fight. They've got, you know,
another Japanese up and comer on that undercard as well.
But Brian Norman is a guy I'm very interested to watch.
You look good in the Quavis fight when he when
he made the first defense. He obviously looks sensational when
he won the interim belt against Santion in an upset.
So hopefully they can keep the young kid busy and
you know, be back in the ring every few months
while he finds hopefully a bigger fight.
Speaker 1: And talk about Road Warrior. He's getting paid and now
you make yourself even more relevant if you go win
a fight like that in Japan for Norman, they're intriguing.
And again we got some time for the build up
on that with that one coming in June. Okay, good
stuff on the news now, as we share with the
podcast audience, we started doing this on the previous pod
that there is nostalgia, but we want you to go
watch the video of Dan and me talking about the
nostalgia here again, brother rayphel We're pushing them to the
big fight week in YouTube page, and the two fights
that we are talking about on that YouTube page are
both anniversaries that are upcoming on Tuesday, April to twenty ninth,
That is April to twenty ninth, two thy twenty five
years ago. That was your first That was at your
first ever heavyweight title fight or first ever title fight period,
as you began as the official USA Today Boxing Insider
on April twenty ninth, thirty.
Speaker 3: My first world not my first world title fight, but
it was my first This is just a old time.
This is Lennox Lewis's title defense against Michael.
Speaker 1: Grant, first heavyweight world title fight.
Speaker 3: Madison Square Garden. Not only my first heavyweight title fight,
but it was my first fight that I was sent
on the road for about a month after I had
started the job as as the boxing writer for US.
Speaker 1: Now, don't reveal all the stuff that you're gonna say
in the video, but I like it.
Speaker 3: I like to just sing that was that was a
very big deal for me. And Vladimir Klitchko was on
the undercard. That's the first time I ever met him
and there were some other good fights.
Speaker 1: Did you did you save Vladimir Klitchkow because you moved
forward seventeen years to April to twenty ninth, the same day,
which is now as we do this here on the
pod eight years ago, April twenty nine, twenty seventeen, is
arguably one of the top few fights that you've ever
been to. The way that you described the atmosphere and
everything that they need to go see on the video
of Vladimir Klitchko, Anthony Joshua Well Wimbley stated, first of all,
I cannot believe that as we sit here right now,
that was already eight years ago.
Speaker 3: That was the twenty seventeen fight, all all right, one
of the most extraordinary experiences I have ever had in.
Speaker 1: I get Dan's full account of that on the Big
Fight Weekend YouTube page, and again we're bribing you. Go there, h'it,
subscribe and also screenshot it and pair that up with
rating us and reviewing us. I mean, this is tremendous stuff.
With Dan talking about the whole fight week at Wimbley
for am I correct, first time you had been at
Wimbley for a big time fight like this, not at
the stadium right. You may have been at Wimbley Arena.
I'm trying to remember on that.
Speaker 3: Well, no, Wembley Arena. I never covered a fight at
Wembley Arena, but during the fight week for Clitchkow and Joshua,
Wembley Arena was where they did the workouts. It's where
they did the waigh and I had covered other fights
in the UK, but yes, that was my first time
being inside the stadium.
Speaker 1: Stamp and get dan stories from that. So again, the
twenty ninth Tuesday has great nostalgia in the heavyweight division
with Lennox Lewis and a KO at Madison Square Garden
in two thousand and Anthony Joshua and that epic fight
with clitchco. I mean, this is what I come back to.
Go see it on the YouTube page, go see the videos.
Subscribe there you get full accounting of it. It's great.
This is what I come back to. As we began
the pod that that bombing back and forth by Joshua
and Klitchkow resulted in knockdowns. In that fight, Connor Ben
and Chris u Bank banged on each other for thirty
six wild minutes, including the last couple of rounds of
just all out slugfest and nobody went down. It's amazing.
It's amazing to put that in perspective again one more time.
So great stuff here on the RecA. We're ready for
a massive week this week. Anything else or are we
good off the weekend here as we get ready to
head to the month of May later on this.
Speaker 3: Week, Like you said, it's a huge week coming up,
because we got Friday night, you got the Ryan Garcia,
Roly Romero, Devin Haney, Jose Ramirez, Tafi Ma Lopez, Arnold
Barbosa card in Times Square. The next night in Saudi
Arabia is the William Skull and Canelo Alvazon disputed fight,
with the rematch GM Mungie and Sarase on that card
as well as other fights of consequence. And then on
Sunday you got the undisputed champ Know You in Away
defending the title in Las Vegas against Cardenas and Rafael
Spinoza defending the featherweight title in the cold feature. That's
a big fucking week.
Speaker 1: It is crazy. Now we should also in the promo
mode mention one more time as we did Friday, the
bet Us Boxing show that we love. That's coming Wednesday
of this week, Wednesday, one Eastern time, check us out
live on the bet US platforms, YouTube, their social media.
That's typically a Friday show, but we've got the Fatal
Fury Card Times Square coming on Friday night, so this
gives you a little more time to see us predict
those fights. The Canelo title defense and then also the
Naoya in a way title defense will be handicapping all
of that one Eastern time on Wednesday, so check us
out there and then we'll have a full preview on
the podfeed of those fights as well. Right here Applespreaker, Spotify.
With that, I think we are good. Dan Rayfield, thank you.
This was a lot of fun. This was a blast.
I know we spent a while talking about you Bank
Junior in band, but it was worth it. One more time.
Speaker 2: I agree, absolutely worth it.
Speaker 1: Thank you for listening again. Make sure that you rate
us and review us. Go find the YouTube page, subscribe there,
send that verification to us that you've done that. We're
going to give something away coming up after next Sunday night.
For everybody that's gotten in and done those two things,
follow your directions, you've got a chance to win. For now,
For Dan Rayfield, I'm merely TJ Reeves. You've been part
of the Fight Freaks to Night recap podcast