Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs Ricardo Espinoza Franco Tale of The Tape, Undercard, & Breakdown

The Owens Opinion: 

This is the best card of the week if you ask me. Good matchups top to bottom and the chance of excitement is high. That’s not to mention that it will be during the day for us western hemisphere folks, leaving the evening open for company Christmas parties or, better yet, more boxing. 

Akhmadaliev is the goods and will more than likely not struggle too much on his way to try for an undisputed Naoya Inoue clash. Franco is no slouch and MJ might be a bit rusty after about a year off, so there is hope early on for the Franco camp. 

Clarke vs Mosquea is a must see. Two undefeated records on the line going up against one another for the vacant EBU European title, in a weight class that is in need of more stars and eyeballs. Clarke is on a tear and strikes me as the type of fella that will not be denied. Mosquea isn’t a walk-over and both of these boys can bang so one can never be too comfortable with a pick. 

The aggressive Brazilian world champion Beatriz Ferreira defends the IBF lightweight title against the capable Licia Boudersa. Ferreira is a young champion to watch right now as she isn’t satisfied with letting the fight play out in front of her and taking what the opponent gives her. She goes and gets it herself. I expect her to do just that Saturday, possibly adding another knockout to her record.

Gary Cully, on a winning run after his upset loss to Jose Felix a year and a half ago, faces the tricky Brit, Maxi Hughes, with hopes of getting back into form and climbing the rankings once again. However, Hughes is highly motivated according to recent interviews, with hopes of getting back into title contention at the very least, but there is also a Matchroom deal waiting for him should he pull it off. Cully’s size and strength will definitely be a problem, but if Hughes still has it, I do think he’s capable of navigating Cully’s onslaught for another W.

And the moment I’ve been waiting for since the Paris Olympics: The 6’6” Aussie, Teremoana Jnr Teremoana makes his Matchroom debut against Katsuk. He showed a lot of promise and skill in the amateurs and thus far in the pros has had 4 fights, winning them all by TKO. Knowing how Matchroom matches their prospects tough as of late is good news for the fans, and gives Teremoana ample opportunity to impress and add to his following. That said, this is heavyweight boxing, so a metaphorical stick in the metaphorical spokes is always a possibility.