The hope is that the Joshua Buatsi vs Azeez fight can be rearranged before the end of this calendar year, but it does remove what looked to be the best fight of the weekend. Boxxer have kept the show going by moving from the O2 Arena to York Hall and with a solid Cruiserweight domestic clash main eventing instead.
There is also a double header from the United Kingdom and United States on DAZN as we begin to see some contenders emerge in the Light Welterweight and Welterweight Divisions.
Jack Catterall vs Jorge Linares
In another universe, Jack Catterall would perhaps be the defending Undisputed Light Welterweight Champion of the world who is preparing for a huge fight against Devin Haney later in the year.
However, in ours, the British fighter has yet to fight his way back into a position to challenge for the World Titles after controversially losing a Decision to Josh Taylor in February 2022. The potential rematch fell through a number of times and has forced inactivity on Jack Catterall and he is only going to be involved in his second fight since that defeat and still looks some way away from having another crack at winning the fragmented titles in the 140 pound Division.
Since that loss to Taylor, Jack Catterall has linked up with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom and he was a comfortable winner over Darragh Foley in his debut for his new promoter back in May. There is no doubting that Catterall needs to be more active and so a relatively quick return has been made, and he is going to be a big favourite to see off faded veteran Jorge Linares.
The 38 year old has had plenty of exciting, happy nights in England, but Jorge Linares has lost three in a row and was back at the Lightweight limit in recent outings. He has made one brief stop in the Light Welterweight Division, but that ended really badly for Jorge Linares who was Stopped in the First Round by Pablo Cesar Cano and it does feel the Venezuelan has been asked to head to Liverpool in a bid to give Jack Catterall every chance to impress.
His naturally bigger size and being the fresher fighter gives Jack Catterall a big edge in this bout.
Jorge Linares might throw caution to the wind knowing this is his last big opportunity in all likelihood, but it will be tough to steer clear of the Catterall counters. The British fighter will be urged to get forward once the early Linares threat is extinguished and it feels like the promoter has put this fight together to build some momentum behind Jack Catterall who can force the Stoppage.
There is every hope that the Mikael Lawal vs Isaac Chamberlain headliner at York Hall could be a real banger, but the oddsmakers look to have got it about right with the prices.
Instead the other selection from the day will come from the late show being broadcasted by DAZN from the United States.
Alexis Rocha and Giovani Santillan are in a loaded Welterweight Division, but one that could look really different in the months ahead.
Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr may meet one more time for the Undisputed World Titles, but both are soon expected to look for new challenges at Light Middleweight.
We already have Interim World Champions with the IBF and WBC and a Regular WBA World Champion, but the winner of this one could very much be in line to compete for any vacant WBO World Title in the months ahead.
That means there is plenty on the line for two American fighters who have a single loss between them.
It was a loss suffered by Alexis Rocha, but he has bounced back to win seven fights in a row since the setback against Rashidi Ellis and five of those have been in Stoppages. The win over Blair Cobbs is the one that stands out the most for Rocha and he looks to be the bigger, stronger fighter in this one.
In a potential firefight, those are attributes that could stand out, although the resiliency of Giovani Santillan has to be respected.
He is also unbeaten, which will give Santillan more confidence, but this looks a step up that may be one too far and Alexis Rocha can come through a fun fight.
MY PICKS: Jack Catterall to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)
Alexis Rocha to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 3.75 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Boxing 2023: 49-85, - 16.37 Units (247 Units Staked, - 6.63% Yield)
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