5 things to watch on a desolate boxing weekend: Reality TV chaos and an unexpected Olympic return
We’re down on our hands and knees over at Uncrowned this weekend, scrabbling under the sofa for anything resembling boxing action across the globe.
Apart from an old dog toy, a handful of nickels and half a sandwich — don’t ask — there’s just about enough to keep us interested as we reach the last weekend of boxing’s traditional summer hiatus.
So, don’t throw in the towel just yet. Let’s take a look at five things to watch out for this weekend in the weird and wonderful world of boxing.
1. Sadam Ali returns after six-year layoff
A mere 2,220 days since his third-round TKO loss to Anthony Young, Sadam Ali (27-3, 14 KOs) returns to the ring this Saturday at Detroit's Wayne State Fieldhouse, headlining a BXNG TV pay-per-view show at age 36.
Ali’s story has always carried jagged edges.
A 2008 Olympian at lightweight, gone in his opening contest. A pro by 2009, he waited until 2016 for a title shot, only to be swept away in nine rounds by Jessie Vargas for the vacant WBO welterweight crown.
And yet, the sport’s chaos delivered him redemption. Four fights later, he stunned the boxing world by outpointing Miguel Cotto in December 2017, not only snatching the WBO strap at 154 pounds but also penning the final chapter of the Puerto Rican’s storied career.
Jaime Munguia stripped him of the belt in May 2018, and within a year Ali was ushered into retirement. Now, older and weathered, he returns. The questions hang heavy: What remains, and why now?
Cody Wilson (14-5, 9 KOs) is the man tasked with helping us toward those answers this weekend.
2. Richard Commey, 38, believes his time at the top isn’t over
Also featured on this BXNG TV pay-per-view event is former lightweight titleholder Richard Commey (30-5-1, 27 KOs), who also returns to the ring for the first time in well over two years.
Well, we think so anyway.
Commey’s opponent for Saturday night in Detroit, Michigan, isn’t yet clear: If you are to take BoxRec as verbatim, then the 38-year-old is fighting Eudy Bernardo, John Mark Alimane and Jason Buenaobra (combining to 32 pro losses) all in the same night, a la George Foreman’s “five guys” night in 1975.
The Ghanaian is 1-3-1 across his last five fights, losing to the likes of Teofimo Lopez, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jose Carlos Ramirez, but still wants to “become a two-time world champion” as he explained in the press conference to this weekend’s mystery bout.
3. “The Only Way Is” … Misfits 22
Those familiar with the UK’s reality TV show “The Only Way Is Essex” will probably be aware of one of the program's early protagonists: Joey Essex.
Well, the boyish looks, sparkling teeth and slicked back hair are no longer, and the now 35-year-old is entering the world of boxing through the Misfits medium.
Trained by the experienced Tony Sims, Essex fights Portuguese debutant Joao Barbosa on the undercard of a $ 49.99 card headlined by Darren Till vs. Luke Rockhold and Tony Ferguson vs. Nathaniel Bustamante aka “Salt Papi.”
Obviously there has been “beef” in the run-up to all these fights — as is par for the course in the Misfits Boxing world — but everyone involved in this “Ring of Thrones” event appears to be taking it seriously enough and the product looks a different animal to the one that debuted in 2022.
Whether these Misfits cards are your jam or not, it’s undeniable that they have cornered a market of the fighting landscape, and running a show on one of the quietest weekends for pro boxing is a savvy move.
4. The “Battle of Bangkok”
We’ve all heard of the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Hastings and the Battle of the Somme, but what about one more: The “Battle of Bangkok”.
Well, it’s coming to you this Saturday night from Thailand, as DAZN serves us up Usman Wazeer (16-0, 11 KOs) vs. Stevie Ongen Ferdinandus (36-18, 19 KOs) for the prestigious OPBF silver welterweight title.
Ferdinandus is 44, a real road warrior, but arrives in Bangkok winning nine of his last 10 bouts, looking to halt the unbeaten train of Pakistan’s Wazeer.
But as is a theme of this weekend, don’t cancel all your plans to settle down to watch this show from Dream Boxing. Details are still pretty thin, but the World Siam Stadium looks to be the venue for the promotion’s debut show in Asia.
5. Albert Bell gets his lightweight wish
On Saturday night, Toledo’s Huntington Center in Ohio will rumble under the banner of Pulse Boxing, as promoter Vic Green hosts a scrap for the IBF’s international lightweight title.
In the running for this trinket is the unbeaten Albert Bell (27-0, 9 KOs) and Keith Hunter (16-2, 10 KOs).
It’s a fight that Bell called for, and Hunter accepted.
After moving up to 135 pounds in April this year, Bell has been vocal on social media in requesting the best opposition available at lightweight, and Hunter — the younger brother of 2012 U.S Olympian and heavyweight Michael Hunter — saw himself in that bracket.
Bell’s unblemished career has gone under the radar so far as the 32-year-old seeks opportunities on the world stage, but a win against Hunter on a quiet weekend of boxing headlines could elevate him into the mix at the back end of 2025.
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