12/24/2022 0 Comments Wilder vs fury 3The next great American heavyweight? Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images Maybe the winner becomes a serious contender, maybe the loser gets a lesson, gets better, and becomes a serious contender. This is a fight meant to tell us a lot more about both of these guys. Sanchez doesn’t always “wow” a watcher, either, but he’s got good fundamental skills and good power, though of the two it seems clear Ajagba has the greater pure, raw pop on his punches. Shields had spoken highly of Ajagba’s dedication to learning, but the fighter had also started having some iffier performances, hardly blue chip material, including getting dropped - though he roared back for a stoppage win - against Iago Kiladze in 2019. Working with trainer Ronnie Shields, Ajagba was making some waves on PBC cards, but signed with Top Rank in 2020, and with that move, also switched trainers to go with Kay Koroma. He quickly showed promise, and won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and gold at the 2015 African Games. He’s got power, but more of a technical fighter on paper than the 27-year-old Ajagba, a Nigerian now based in Texas, who took up boxing at age 17, making the move from football (soccer). Sanchez is a 29-year-old Cuban with connections to the Canelo Alvarez team, which has allowed him to land spots on notable cards, including Canelo-Smith and Canelo-Saunders, and he’s fought on PBC cards before, too. Meeting of the undefeated prospects Getty and Mikey Williams/Top Rank/Gettyįrank Sanchez (18-0, 13 KO) and Efe Ajagba (15-0, 12 KO) will both look to take a step toward more serious contention in their meeting with one another, the fighters coming in from different angles and with a good bit still to prove in the ring. He has that spirit, it’s just how he fights. Helenius could, in theory, use his height and length to jab his way to victory, but he’s no master technician, and at any rate, if Kownacki feels like he has to, he will always brawl. Kownacki will obviously have to do something different, because Helenius (30-3, 19 KO) just kind of took him apart last time, and while being 37 won’t necessarily help “The Nordic Nightmare,” it’s doubtful he’s declined to the point he wouldn’t take advantage of the same things if Kownacki hasn’t switched it up a fair bit. The two were slated - at least tentatively - to meet again on various dates, but now we’re finally going to get it. Kownacki (20-1, 15 KO), now 32, has his chance at redemption finally. But the taller man had his way, stopping Kownacki inside of four rounds in a good old-fashioned heavyweight slugfest, one that left the favored, younger fighter looking a bit shell-shocked when all was said and done. Helenius came in a big underdog, a Finnish veteran whose best days were seemingly well behind him. While not without some obvious disadvantages - like being “just” 6’3” in today’s heavyweight world, and sort of a portly gentleman - he’d built a real fan base in Brooklyn, a Polish-born New Yorker with a likable personality and an exciting, fan-friendly style in the ring. Kownacki had reportedly been in the mix for a title shot. Kownacki and Helenius first met back in March 2020, the week before the COVID pandemic made its first real headlines in the United States, headlining a PBC on FOX card from Brooklyn. Adam Kownacki and Robert Helenius go at it again None of the other three fights will have the star power or story of Fury-Wilder 3, but we will see a rematch, plus two unbeaten rising hopefuls taking a risk, and what may be the next great American heavyweight in action. Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder have their third fight this Saturday from Las Vegas, and without question, that’s the headline bout of the weekend, and really of the entire month of October in all of boxing.īut if you’re a fan of heavyweight boxing tuning in for Saturday’s pay-per-view, this isn’t one where you’ll want to wait until the main event is ready to go, as it’s a broadcast featuring only the big boys in action during the PPV portion.
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