WBA Super/IBF/WBO/IBO World Heavyweight Championships: Anthony Joshua (c) (23-1) vs. Kubrat Pulev (28-1)
Luke Irwin: Perfect timing for this. What else are you watching Saturday at 1? The remnants and non-cancelled college games? No. Anywho, Pulev gets his first crack at world title gold since 2014, when he got absolutely waxed by Wladimir Klitschko. At 39, Pulev is what he is, he’s still a fine boxer in the technical sense, as his prolific amateur background won’t allow him to be any less than that, but he was never dynamic, even in his prime, and five months shy of 40, won’t be anytime soon. If the Joshua that shows up against Alexander Povetkin shows up, he’ll use his athleticism and power to chop Pulev down, if the Joshua that underestimated and showed up for a photo op with Andy Ruiz the first time around shows up, anything can happen. I’ll give AJ the benefit of the doubt and say the first Ruiz fight was his wakeup call and he won’t take a fight that easy ever again. Joshua via R7 TKO.
Vacant WBO World Cruiserweight Championship: Lawrence Okolie (14-0) vs. Nikodem Jezewski (19-0-1)
Luke: At 27, Okolie is only starting to hit his prime, and cruiserweight desperately needs flag-bearers. It’s his time to be world champion, and his tendency for late TKOs is going to serve him well against an opponent who rarely steps outside of 8-rounders. Okolie via R9 TKO.
Heavyweight Bout: Hughie Fury (24-3) vs. Mariusz Wach (36-6)
Luke: This could be a snoozefest of epic proportions. These two are very, very, shall we say “methodical” and this could really be a horrid style matchup. Fury via SD.
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