Fight Night Program – Week of February 23-March 1
The weekend is approaching, and from Friday to Sunday it will be “fight-o-clock” somewhere in the world. Every Thursday, The Ring will bring you the most up-to-date information on the most relevant fights you need to see in this week-at-a-glance, one-stop enhanced fight schedule. A quick checklist for the cognoscenti, a useful nuts-and-bolts guide for the boxing neophyte is what we’re aiming at.
Here are this week’s most relevant fights:
Friday, February 24 – Hialeah Park Racing & Casino, Hialeah, Fla.
Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Jesus Martinez – bantamweight – 10 rounds
Two-time Olympic champion Rigondeaux still trudging along in the comeback trail, this time against fellow 40-something trialhorse Martinez. Not necessarily the most entertaining fight out there, but it’s something.
Also on this card:
Ariel Perez De La Torre vs. Yonfrez Parejo – junior featherweight – 8 rounds
Yoanki Urrutia vs. Luis Eduardo Florez – middleweight – 8 rounds
Damian Lescaille vs. Lucas McDonald – welterweight – 8 rounds
Where to watch it: BXNGTV
Friday, February 24 – Pala Torrino, Rome
Khalil El Harraz vs. Mirko Di Carlantonio – middleweight – 10 rounds
Now, this is a treat: a Latino title bout right in the birthplace of Latin. Yep. Brought to you by the IBF, no less. That’s boxing in 2023 for ya.
Also on this card:
Anna Lisa Brozzi vs. Sheila Martinez – women’s featherweight – 10 rounds
llenburg vs. John Birdsong – lightweight – 4 rounds
Friday, February 24 – Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Nico Hernandez vs. Gilberto Mendoza – flyweight – 8 rounds
Wow, you REALLY thought that WBA prez Mendoza would glove up and put in the hard work himself, huh? Yeah, that’ll be the day! Nah, just an eight-rounder probably made as a showcase bout for the unbeaten Hernandez. Nice thought, though!
Jason Sanchez vs. Rafael Reyes – junior lightweight – 10 rounds
Josh Torres vs. Donovan Estrella – welterweight – 8 rounds
Jose Luis Sanchez vs. Reggie Harris Jr. – junior middleweight – 6 rounds
Where to watch it: FITE
Saturday, February 25 – The Armory, Minneapolis
Subriel Matias vs. Jeremias Ponce – junior welterweight – 12 rounds
This is what real boxing is all about: two young and practically unbeaten (Matias avenged his only loss by stoppage) vying for a vacant title left behind by a true champion. Something great will emerge from this, and boxing will be better off for it. Don’t miss it!!
Also on this card:
Jamal James vs. Alberto Palmetta – welterweight – 10 rounds
A terrific clash between two young and hungry contenders, topping a talent-laden undercard. Only occasionally you have a guarantee of a great night of boxing ahead of you. This is one of those.
Elvis Rodriguez vs. Joseph Adorno – junior welterweight – 10 rounds
Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Ve Shawn Owens – welterweight – 10 rounds
Jonathan Lopez Marcano vs. Eduardo de Oliveira Guedes – bantamweight – 6 rounds
Derrick Jackson vs. Willie Jones – welterweight – 4 rounds
Where to watch it: Showtime
Saturday, February 25 – CAA Centre, Brampton, Canada
Josh Wagner vs. Xhujlio Vrenozi – junior middleweight – 10 rounds
Sara Joo vs. Mayela Perez – junior bantamweight – 10 rounds
Where to watch it: DAZN
Saturday, February 25 – The O2 Arena, London, England
Floyd Mayweather vs. Aaron Chalmers – exhibition
Please, do this for me: 1) take the Matias-Ponce blurb I wrote a few paragraphs above, 2) flip every word until you’ve generated a paragraph that reads as the exact opposite of that text, 3) use it for Mayweather-Chalmers. Please. I can’t do it. And the youtuber-vs-influencer undercard doesn’t help, either. I can’t, I’m, sorry.
Where to watch it: Zeus Network PPV
Saturday, February 25 – Newcastle Arena, Newcastle, England
Lewis Ritson vs. Ohara Davies – junior welterweight – 12 rounds
Thomas Patrick Ward vs. Otabek Kholmatov – featherweight – 12 rounds
Lee McGregor vs. Alexis Boureima Kabore – junior featherweight – 10 rounds
Adam Cope vs. Brayan Mairena – junior lightweight – 6 rounds
Saturday, February 25 – Graakjaer Arena, Holstebro, Denmark
Dina Thorslund vs. Debora Anahi Lopez – women’s bantamweight – 10 rounds
Thorslund is one of the best in the bizz, and Lopez is a tough, proven warrior. We’ll have to look for it on YouTube during the week.
Saturday, February 25 – ATC Hall, Osaka, Japan
Luis Castillo vs. Tomoki Kameda – featherweight – 12 rounds
Sunday, February 26 – Diriyah Arena, Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury – cruiserweight – 8 rounds
Hard to believe that Fury has not found a way to completely ruin this fight or even have it cancelled as of today. But hey, we still have 48 hours to go. Don’t count the man out yet! Oh, and if the fight does happen and Paul wins, he gets ranked by the WBC. Yep. A win-win-win situation for boxing, I know!
Ilunga Makabu vs. Badou Jack – cruiserweight -12 rounds
Also hard to believe that this very real fight between two real warriors for a real world title has to play second fiddle to the Paul-Fury train wreck. Lucky us, we’ll get to see at least one interesting fight.
Also on this card:
Bader Samreen vs. Viorel Simion – lightweight – 8 rounds
Muhsin Cason vs. Taryel Jafarov – cruiserweight – 8 rounds
Where to watch it: ESPN
Sunday, February 26 – Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
Nestor Bravo vs. Jair Valtierra – junior welterweight – 10 round
Antonio Vargas vs. Michell Banquez – bantamweight – 10 rounds
Where to watch it: CBS Sports Network
Diego M. Morilla writes for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.
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