2024-07-22 15:00:41
And, of course, we can’t do without professional boxing.
A new week is coming, which will give martial arts fans a lot of tournaments and fights. Of course, the British UFC tournament stands out among all of them, where there will be a large number of high-profile fights, including two title ones. As İdman.biz reports with reference to “Championship”, the week will not pass without boxing fights, and in Japan the Rizin tournament will take place with the participation of the legendary Manny Pacquiao.
July 27. Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse – Claressa Shields
Detroit will host an evening of professional boxing. The card of the tournament will feature an interesting women’s fight in the super heavyweight division between the WBC champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse and two-time Olympic champion, absolute world champion in the first middleweight and middleweight divisions Claressa Shields. For Shields, who has a perfect record of 14-0, this will be a real test – from the middleweight (up to 72.6 kg) she rises to the royal division (over 90.7 kg). At stake will be the WBC belt, which Vanessa holds, the vacant WBO belt, as well as the interim WBA champion title.
On the night of July 27-28. Leon Edwards – Belal Muhammad
The British UFC tournament will be headed by the organization’s main English star Leon Edwards. The welterweight champion will defend his belt against Belal Muhammad, who has finally waited for his title chance. It should be noted that the fighters already met each other in 2021, but Belal was unable to continue the fight after a missed poke in the eye, and the fight was declared a no contest. Since then, Leon has managed to have four fights – he defeated Nate Diaz, dealt with Kamaru Usman twice, taking the championship belt from him, and also knocked out Colby Covington without a chance. Belal has won five victories in a row, albeit in fights with lower-ranked opponents, and now Muhammad will have a chance to prove himself in a title fight.
On the night of July 27-28. Tom Aspinall – Curtis Blades
Another title fight that will take place as part of the British UFC tournament. Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the fall of 2023, never got a fight with Jon Jones and will defend his interim belt – a unique situation for the UFC. Tom’s opponent will be Curtis Blaydes, who inflicted the Briton’s only defeat in the best league in the world. However, it should be noted here: Aspinall suffered a knee injury in the first seconds and was unable to continue the fight. Now Tom is in great shape and is eager to prove that everything that happened in the fight with Blaydes was an accident.
On the night of July 27-28. Muhammad Mokaev – Manel Kape
Dagestan native Muhammad Mokaev will perform at the UFC tournament in Britain. Mokaev is one of the most promising fighters in the flyweight division. Muhammad is currently on a six-fight winning streak in the promotion, but he has not yet received a title shot. Mokaev is currently ranked sixth and will fight Manel Kape, who is ranked eighth. A particularly confident victory in the upcoming fight could bring Muhammad closer to the coveted title.
July 28. Manny Pacquiao vs. Rukia Anpo
Yes, there is no typo here – the legendary boxer, world champion in six weight categories, 45-year-old Manny Pacquiao is returning to the ring. However, for now it will be an exhibition fight. Pacquiao will travel to Japan, where he will fight against local kickboxer Rukia Anpo. Initially, Pacquiao was supposed to meet Rizin champion Chihiro Suzuki, but he withdrew due to injury. The format of the Pacquiao-Anpo fight is still unknown. Manny had his last professional fight in 2021, but there are rumors that Pacquiao wants to return to the professional ring in the fall and fight for the world title. Therefore, the exhibition fight in Japan is an excellent chance to assess the form of the 45-year-old former presidential candidate of the Philippines.
İdman.biz