Boxing
Liverpool knockout chaos and two civil heavyweight veterans: What we learned from boxing last week
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Liverpool became the centre of the boxing world this past weekend with a fight card which delivered for all the right reasons live on DAZN.
Knockouts galore, and a major upset, those in attendance at the M&S Bank Arena got their money’s worth.
Before attention turns towards the next seven days in the sweet science, here are five key talking points from the past week.
Brandon Figueroa shocks Nick Ball to become world champion
WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball was hoping he could make it another night to remember on Merseyside when he faced two-weight world champion Brandon Figueroa on Saturday night.
Instead, Ball was dragged into a brutal war with those watching on struggling to separate the two fighters.
In the final round, Figueroa struck, taking advantage of a tired Ball with a knockdown after sustained attacks to the body.
The contest was stopped after Ball was sent through the ropes following a second knockdown, and Figueroa was crowned world champion for a third time in his career.
Jack Turner is a serious problem at super flyweight
In the co-main of Ball vs. Figueroa, the undefeated Jack Turner showed why he is a serious threat in the super flyweight division.
He battered Juan Carlos Martinez Urbina into submission with the Nicaraguan’s corner throwing in the towel at the end of the third round.
With a 14-0 record (13 KOs), Turner needs to be managed carefully, but if matched correctly, then he will be a world champion in multiple weight categories.
What continues to baffle me is how someone of Turner’s size is fighting at 115lbs, along with the power that comes in his punches despite showing very little effort when throwing.
If there is one British prospect to keep an eye on, Turner is the one.
Andrew Cain earns world title shot in Merseyside thriller
Whenever Andrew Cain steps into the ring, he brings fireworks, and his WBC world bantamweight title eliminator against Alejandro Jair Gonzalez was no different.
Gonzalez came to fight and frustrated Cain, who at the halfway stage of this 12-round affair, was struggling to get forward and impose himself on the Mexican.
The first significant moment of the contest came in round eight when Gonzalez winded Cain on two occasions with body shots, which forced the Brit to take a knee.
After being saved by the bell at the end of the eighth, Cain made sure he would not let this happen again and got his first knockdown in round nine with a thumping straight left.
Gonzalez met the referee’s count, but Cain went back on the offensive, flooring his opponent once more with a flurry of punches.
The referee had seen enough and brought an entertaining contest to a close, and now Cain is set for a world title challenge in his next fight.
Christian Medina makes successful first defence world title
There was world title action in Guadalajara, Mexico on Friday night where Christian Medina made a successful first defence of his WBO bantamweight title.
He overcame Adrian Curiel by unanimous decision in a homecoming event, with Medina managing to keep at bay an opponent who wanted to come forward.
Medina did have periods where he landed some power shots, but Curiel refused to buckle.
After a memorable night in Mexico, Medina will be hoping a unification fight or two will present themselves later this year.
Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder kick off build-up to heavyweight showdown
Away from the ring, heavyweight veterans Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder kicked off the build-up to their showdown in London on April 4, live on DAZN.
Proceedings were civil at Wednesday’s launch press conference, but there were promises that come the opening bell, any respect will be out the window, and the pair will go hell for leather in what could be the final bout of their respective careers.
For Chisora, he wants to end his career on a high, while Wilder stated that he needs a knockout if he wants to prolong his time inside the ring and make one last charge towards a world title.
There is one thing for certain, Chisora will make sure to leave it all in the ring against someone who was once the most feared name in the heavyweight division.
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