October Fights to Determine Boxing Awardees for 2020?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 02 Oct 2020
This October is so loaded with major significant fights featuring some of boxing's top names and attractions that could determine some or many of the awardees for the sport's annual honors in a year marginalized by the still ongoing Covid 19 pandemic.
Pound for pound top listers and multi division unified world champions Vasyl Lomachenko, Naoya Inoue and Juan Francisco Estrada will be seeing action against touted opponents in title fights in separate dates and venues during the month.
Also figuring in major fights this October are Roman Gonzalez, Oleksander Usyk and the duo of Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz who will be battling for world titles in two weight divisions in their clash.
The month will likewise see interesting title confrontations between solid fighters as Sergei Lipinets and Kudratilyo Abduhakorov, Julio Cesar Martinez and Maximino Flores and Emmanuel Navarette and Ruben Villa.
Boxing has rarely been so loaded in a month as this even in the pre-pandemic days.
As if to set the tone of the month expected to deliver mayhem, two solid super lightweights in Jose Zepeda and Ivan Barancyhk will collide in a Bob Arum promotion this weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mind you, even this non title fight could be a candidate for Fight of the Year award.
And then there is also the light heavyweight clash between two exciting prospects Joshua Buatsi and Marko Calic at the Matchroom headquarters in the UK in October 4.
Most eagerly awaited of course is the lightweight unification clash between Lomachenko and the brash Dominican Teofimo Lopez set in October 17 also at the MGM Grand as Top Ranks main pay per view offering via ESPN for the month.
Also highly anticipated are the triple world championship matchups to be held in Mexico City in October 23 under Eddie Hearns to be aired through Sky and streamed via DAZN featuring Estrada versus ex titlist Carlos Cuadras for the WBC super flyweight crown, Chocolatito Gonzalez defending his WBA super flyweight title against Israel Gonzales and Martinez defending his WBC flyweight plum versus fellow KO artist Flores.
As if these are not enough to satiate the boxing ghouls, Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz meet the following day, October 24 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut in an Al Haymon PBC-Showtime PPV promotion for the WBC featherweight super and WBA regular lightweight championships.
Monster Naoya Inoue wraps up the month as he defends his WBA, IBF and Ring world bantamweight titles against Australia's Jason Moloney on October 31 at the MGM Grand under Bob Arum's Top Rank to be aired onESPN+.
This will coincide with Usyk's second heavyweight outing versus veteran title challenger Derek Chisora and Lee Selby versus George Kambosos lightweight bout to be held in London under Matchroom Promotion.
Before or in between these major marquee fights, Navarette will meet Villa for the vacant WBC featherweight title in October 9 in Las Vegas in yet another Top Rank promotion card; Lipinets and Abduhakorov clashes for the IBF interim welterweight belt at the Mohegan Sun in October 10; and Jaime Mungia fights Tureano Johnson in an expected all action middleweight eliminator in Indio, California in October 30.
Pundits are expecting these fights to deliver the fighters and the bouts that would strongly vie for the annual awards as the Fighter of the Year, Fight of the Year, KO of the Year and Upset of the Year.
The only remaining major fights already confirmed and set for the remainder of 2020 that could still vie for annual honors included Anthony Joshua's defense of his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles versus Kubrat Pulev; Alexander Povetkin-Dillian Whyte 2, Errol Spence vs Danny Garcia IBF welterweight title fight and Nonito Donaire vs Nordine Oubaali WBC bantamweight title fight.
Alas, Canelo Alvarez and Terrence Crawford have yet to finalize deals for their reported title bouts before the end of the year versus Callum Smith and Kell Brook, respectively.
Before the Covid pandemic hits, the year has seen Tyson Fury knocking out Deontay Wilder for the WBC and Ring heavyweight championship, Chocolatito Gonzalez regaining a piece of the world super flyweight championship by knockout over then defending WBA titlist Khalid Yafai, Uzbek Morudjon Akhmadaliev becoming unified super bantam champion by beating Danny Roman, Navarette defending his WBO super bantamweight title one more time before moving up to the featherweights, Gary Russell defending his WBC featherweight title against King Tugs Nyambayar and Martinez defending his WBC flyweight against Jay Harris.
Since the resumption of boxing in June, we have thus far witnessed Joshua Franco winning a share of the world super flyweight title over Andrew Moloney, Alexander Povetkin winning the WBC interim heavyweight title by 4th round one punch knockout of Dillian Whyte in the UK and the Charlo Brothers defending their respective titles at super welterweight and middleweight, beating Jeison Rosario and Sergei Derevyanchenko.
The battle for the Fighter of the Year and Fight of the Year hence is still wide open. There have been a few strong contenders though for the KO of the Year like Fury-Wilder, Gonzales-Yafai, Povetkin-Whyte and Charlo-Rosario as well as Upset of the Year like Rosario-Tony Harrison, Akhmadaliev-Roman and Povetkin-Whyte 1.
The final countdown begins this month.
Fans will be watching closely for sure though from a safe distance as the pandemic continues to prevent the holding of live spectator events even outside of sports.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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