This coming weekend see’s a vast schedule of notable fights on both sides of the pond.. In Brooklyn at the Barclays Center, WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder 39-0 (38 Ko’s) faces his toughest test on paper as he meets the bogeyman of the division, the equally unbeaten Cuban Luis Ortiz 28-0 (24 Ko’s). Ortiz was scheduled to face Deontay last year until an irregular drug test result forced the champion to box a rematch with former champion Bermaine Stiverne.. Wilder knew how impressive a name Ortiz would appear on his resume and has remained true to his word in offering the self named King Kong another bite at the cherry.. Ortiz hasn’t put a foot wrong in a sporadic career, although the more impressive performances all appear to have been several years ago.. regardless this has to makings of a classic and an opportunity for the champion to make a career defining victory in what will be a seventh defence of his title.
Back across this side of the pond in Sheffield Uk, former IBF Welterweight Champion Kell Brook 36-2 (25 Ko’s) makes a long awaited return, following two of the gutsiest back to back efforts ever seen by a British fighter. Brook took on both Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence both in the space of 8 months, losing gallantly to the most avoided and highly regarded pair of fighters on the planet.. Brook will be boxing this time out at super-Welterweight against the very capable Siarhei Rabchanka 29-2 (22 Ko’s) of Belarus.. Brook will this time have the luxury of not being forced to box outside of his optimum division and should have no problem re-establishing himself in his own right.. With lucrative bouts with names like Amir Khan and Jarrett Hurd in the crosshairs it’s unlikely we’ll see the Sheffield man slip up against Rabchanka, regardless of the visitors caliber.
The undercard in Sheffield features an interesting rematch with our own David Allen 12-3 (9 Ko’s) attempting to overturn his commonwealth title challenge loss to American / Jamaican Lenroy Thomas 22-4 (10 Ko’s) last May.. Dave allowed Thomas to fight his own kind of fight last time out and lacked the urgency to take the fight by the horns.. Thomas isn’t a bad heavyweight, Its just that Dave is a far better fighter than that nights efforts.. Allen has had far fewer fights, but has mixed in far superior company than Lenroy and I expect it to show this time around.. Dave is aware that it’s last chance saloon with Matchroom boxing if he can’t provide this time around and with pressure like that lying heavy on him, he will deliver and arrest the commonwealth title that he should have claimed last year..
Meanwhile back in Ignacio Colorado at the Sky Ute Casino, 6 time multi weight champion Layla McCarter 40-13-5 (10 Ko’s) takes on tough New Mexican Victoria Cisneros 13-19-2 (6 Ko’s) for the vacant IBF and GBU Female world Welterweight titles, in a rematch of 12 years ago.. McCarter decisioned Cisneros in her 35th outing back in 2006 over 6 rounds in the very same Ignacio arena in what was only Victoria’s 8th fight.. Both fighters are vastly more seasoned now and meet in a legitimate championship battle.. Cisneros has a chequered record of late, winning only 3 of her last 8, whilst Layla has not tasted defeat in 11 years.. Every credit to Cisneros for stepping to the plate, McCarter is possibly the most avoided female fighter ever and spent the best part of the last few months playing the waiting game as #1 mandatory for Norway’s Cecilia Braekhus’s IBF belt without an incling of progress. Unwavered she moves on, with Cisneros her imminent focus. Layla has boxed for a won titles from featherweight up to light middleweight and really shouldn’t falter on this occasion, with so much at stake.. Victory for McCarter should open doors towards a career defining fight with any of the (Favoured) names that appear to be capturing the female boxing imagination that she actually paved the way for.. Regardless Layla is current and refuses to go quietly.
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