Terence Crawford didn’t get the Manny Pacquiao fight so it was on to Plan B. It is obvious that there wasn’t a Plan B. Crawford was left with a solid but B/C level fighter in John Molina Jr. Most will say this will be an easy win for Crawford but that is overlooking all the pressure that comes with this fight. Crawford must win and win impressively. Will that cause him to fight out of character? Will that give Molina Jr. a chance to win more because of circumstances than anything else. The business of boxing has been Crawford’s biggest opponent.
On paper, the best fight of the night will be Jermall Charlo vs Julian Williams. Charlo will get all he can handle from the hard hitting Williams. Trout gave Charlo trouble and Williams could easily do the same especially if this fight goes 12 rounds. Don’t be shocked if Williams scores the upset.
Abner Mares and Jesus Cueller should be a good appetizer for the Charlo-Williams Showtime card. This one should be an action packed fight between two fighters who have had long layoffs.
Speaker of long layoff, Saturday night will mark the return of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Chavez Jr. hasn’t fought in 17 months. The smartest thing Chavez Jr. did was schedule this fight in Mexico where he will be the crowd favorite as long as he doesn’t fight lazy. A motivated Chavez Jr. will make quick work of Dominik Britsch. A lazy Chavez Jr. will get booed out of the right no matter the outcome of the fight.
Other fights of note:
Anthony Joshua vs. Eric Molina
Joseph Parker vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.