Unsurprisingly the headlines are being led by the big Unification in the Welterweight Division as we hope to move a little closer to an Undisputed bout later this year. Terence Crawford is the man waiting for the winner of the Errol Spence Jr-Yordenis Ugas after this weekend, but this is a good fight and I am looking forward to it now a UK broadcaster has finally decided to pick up the television rights.
Before we get to the main even in the United States, there are a couple of cards being run on DAZN and Sky Sports that may be of interest. Conor Benn is back as he continues his development towards a World Title shot, although I am not surprised there has been criticism of the opponent selected after Benn's promoter had thrown out some big names in the Welterweight Division.
Another tournament run by Boxxer is also set to be broadcasted and then next week the build will be towards the all British WBC World Heavyweight title bout that will be coming from Wembley Stadium.
Conor Benn vs Chris van Heerden
A promoter has to bluff the public where they can, but I am not taking Eddie Hearn's comments seriously when he suggests this is a major step up for Conor Benn.
After speaking about the likes of Adrien Broner as a potential opponent, Hearn cannot be surprised that some people were upset with the choice he made. Eddie Hearn is right to say that no one spoke up when Jaron Ennis faced Chris van Heerden in December 2020, but that fight ended in a No Contest and it means the South African has had less than a Round of Boxing in just four months shy of three years.
Chris van Heerden has also managed to go Eight Rounds with Errol Spence Jr, but again that bout took place in September 2015 and in recent years you can only describe the South African as inactive and potentially very ring rusty.
Even in the short time he spent in the ring with Jaron Ennis, you could see that van Heerden was getting beat up and I think the highly touted Philadelphian would have gotten the job done pretty quickly.
Conor Benn may be the on that benefits from taking this scalp and add Chris van Heerden to a growing list of veterans that he has been seeing off. Some critics remain unconvinced about Conor Benn and I do think the British fighter is in a very tough Division, but Eddie Hearn is likely going to position him to win a World Title after the Welterweights have an Undisputed Champion or Errol Spence Jr moves up.
The son of Nigel Benn has called out some big names, but he cannot afford a slip up here.
And I honestly don't see how he does.
Chris van Heerden was looking on his way to an early defeat to Jaron Ennis and I think Conor Benn is going to jump all over the southpaw from the off. The South African has said he has come to fight, but that may play right into Conor Benn's hands and I think he will get rid of another veteran within the first half of the fight as he did against Samuel Vargas and Chris Algieri.
Bigger tests are hopefully around the corner, but I expect to hear a lot of statements about Benn's potential having beaten this opponent quicker than Errol Spence Jr in the aftermath of this fight.
The main undercard bout is a rematch of a very good fight from the Matchroom garden last summer when Chris Billam-Smith and Tommy McCarthy meet again.
There was some controversy about the result with some believing McCarthy had done enough to win, but the Split Decision was given to Billam-Smith, who did have a stronger second half of the fight.
Chris Billam-Smith has had another defence of his European Cruiserweight Title since the narrow win over Tommy McCarthy, while the latter has not been seen since the loss to The Gentleman. That may mean he is more ready to go again in this rematch and I am expecting a repeat here and by a slightly wider margin than we saw the first time around.
Errol Spence Jr vs Yordenis Ugas
This is a proper Boxing fight.
Unification fights usually are, but Errol Spence Jr and Yordenis Ugas are two of the top three Welterweights in the world and the hope is that the winner will head off and face Terence Crawford to crown the king of the 147 pound Division.
Injuries have been an issue for Errol Spence Jr in the last couple of years- however, I do think the Texan has shown he can bounce back and produce big performances off a long absence from the ring and my feeling is that Yordenis Ugas is made for Spence Jr.
A big win over Manny Pacquiao and recovering from his Split Decision loss to Shawn Porter will have encouraged Yordenis Ugas, but this is a step up from those opponents. We all know that Pacquiao is a legend, but he is clearly not the same Boxer that he was in his prime and Errol Spence Jr likely would have put it on him if he had had the opportunity to fight him last summer instead of Ugas.
Yordenis Ugas is a quality operator, but I do think Errol Spence Jr does everything a little better than his opponent and the majority will be looking for the American to come through on the cards.
However, I do think Spence Jr is going to want to put on a show for the fans and I do still think there is a fighter inside him that wants to get back to producing stoppages. His last three fights have gone the distance, but the body work could pay off against an opponent that has never been stopped, although Yordenis Ugas has been beaten four times.
Something has had me leaning towards Errol Spence Jr looking to push on more than he has in recent bouts and I think it is worth having a small interest on a late stoppage for the Texan. He should be in a clear position on the cards by then and Yordenis Ugas may just be struggling to keep up with a top fighter, which could lead to mistakes and the punching power of Errol Spence Jr coming through.
There are a couple of decent bouts on the undercard when the live portion of the big Title fight in Dallas begins to be broadcasted.
After pushing Gervonta Davis all the way, Isaac Cruz can put a statement win on the board by becoming the latest to stop Yuriolkis Gamboa in the second half of their Ten Rounder.
Another undercard bout features veteran Josesito Lopez taking on unbeaten Cody Crowley.
A strong win last time out has seen Crowley step his career up, but I do think he will be put under a different sort of pressure from Josesito Lopez in this one. While it is not ideal for a 38 year old to be out of the ring for as long as Lopez has been, I do think there is still something in the tank and he is going to give Cody Crowley a big test.
Winning won't be easy, but the veteran is a big underdog and I think he is worth a small interest.
MY PICKS: Conor Benn to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.10 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Chris Billam-Smith to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.37 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Errol Spence Jr to Win Between 7-12 @ 5.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Isaac Cruz to Win Between 6-10 @ 2.37 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Josesito Lopez to Win @ 4.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Boxing 2022: 3-2, + 6.24 Units (10 Units Staked, + 62.40% Yield)
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